#and god i don’t get paid nearly enough for what i’m doing at work

[gemmaswife]

i’m so fucking tired like. mentally

[zerosbubble]

Not my kid!

Tim Bradford x Rookie!reader [PLATONIC] — Ongoing series: Like Father, like Rookie.

Summary: When Angela and Lucy are wholeheartedly convinced that you and Tim have the most ‘I don’t get paid enough for this shit’ father to ‘I love making Tim’s life harder!’ child-like dynamic in the precinct, Tim is stuck with the fact that they won’t shut up about it.

Tim Bradford had been through a lot in his years as a cop. He’d survived war zones, worked under some of the worst training officers the LAPD had to offer, and somehow managed not to strangle Aaron Thorsen on a daily basis. He’d seen it all.

And yet, nothing in his career had prepared him for you.

“Kid, I swear to God—”

You guided the criminal into the backseat of the shop with a grin, entirely unfazed by the exhaustion in his voice as you shut the door. “I got the guy, didn’t I?”

Tim exhaled through his nose, standing on the curb and leaning against the shop. “You got the guy by jumping off a dumpster, nearly breaking your neck, and landing on top of him like some kind of rabid squirrel.”

“Worked, though.”

“You are going to give me a stroke.”

“Eh, you’re too tough for that.”

Tim turned his head just enough to shoot you a look—one of those deadpan, barely-contained irritation looks that had made rookies before you crumble under the weight of his judgment.

But you? You just smiled, perfectly comfortable in the way you leaned back against the shop like this was just another normal day.

Meanwhile, Lucy and Angela were having the time of their lives eavesdropping into you and Tim’s conversation as they walked towards youse.

“I mean,” Lucy mused, arms draped over the front seats like she was settling in for a show, “it’s kind of impressive. You have to admit, Tim—”

“I do not.”

“—that it was a solid takedown.”

Angela, arms crossed but clearly holding back a smirk, nodded. “If a little reckless.”

You lifted a hand, like a lawyer presenting evidence in court. “A calculated risk.”

“Bullshit,” Tim and Angela said at the same time.

Lucy snorted. “You’re getting soft, Tim. Back in the day, you would’ve—”

Tim’s glare cut through the air like a warning shot. “You wanna ride with me for the rest of the month, Chen?”

Lucy grinned but lifted her hands in surrender. “I’m just saying, it’s funny.”

“What’s funny?” you asked, head tilting in curiosity.

Angela smirked. “The way you two act like a single dad with a hyperactive kid.”

You blinked. “Oh.”

Tim groaned. “No.”

Lucy’s eyes lit up, her smile downright smug. “Absolutely. He’s all rules and structure, and you’re just out here doing parkour, making his life miserable.” Her expression practically screamed, ‘Did I lie, though?’

Angela tilted her head, considering. “And yet, if anyone else tried to parent them, they’d end up in a ditch.”

You turned to Tim, expectant, eyes bright. “Sir?”

Tim exhaled sharply, staring dead ahead like if he ignored the conversation long enough, it would cease to exist. His jaw tensed, hands gripping his vest as he muttered under his breath—

“I don’t get paid enough for this.”

Lucy let out a delighted laugh. “Oh my God, that was the most dad thing he could’ve said.” She exclaimed to Angela, the two of them borderline snorting of laughter as if you and Tim weren’t there.

Tim made a mental note to start requesting solo patrols.

Meanwhile, you were still grinning like you’d just won the precinct lottery, leaning into your seat with the kind of self-satisfied energy that made Tim’s eye twitch. “So does that make Lucy the fun aunt?”

Angela snorted. “She wishes. If anything, I’m the cool aunt, and Lucy’s the big sister who has to keep you alive while Dad’s at work.”

Lucy gasped, clutching her chest like she’d just been hit. “That’s… painfully accurate.”

Tim groaned, dragging a hand down his face like he could physically wipe away the conversation. “You’re all insufferable.”

You, unfazed as ever, nudged his arm with your shoulder, practically radiating warmth and mischief. “C’mon, sir. You know you love us.”

Tim had been a cop for a long time. He knew how to lie. Knew how to keep a straight face. Knew how to bluff his way through situations that should’ve killed him.

And yet, when you said it like that, with all the unshakable confidence of someone who had already decided he was stuck with you, Tim didn’t have it in him to argue.

He sighed instead, looking into the shop windows as if there was something more important to focus on besides this conversation, and muttered under his breath.

“Not my kid.”

Angela leaned against the shop, arms crossed, the smirk on her face downright smug. “Oh, please. You act like it’s just us seeing it, but literally everyone knows.” She said, holding a hand up as if to say ‘Oh, you don’t get to talk just yet.’ when Tim opened his mouth to protest.

“Grey watches you suffer on purpose. Nolan says you remind him of when he first became a dad,”

“Lopez, shut the hell—“

Angela only continued, “West told me he once saw you instinctively put an arm out to stop them from stepping into traffic—mid-lecture—like a stressed-out parent.” Her voice laced with a knowing tone as she crossed her arms, “And me? I’ve personally witnessed you yank them back by the collar when they tried to chase a suspect barefoot because, and I quote, ‘I had to know if I could.’”

A small ‘Ohhh, I remember that.’ left your lips, huffing a laugh at the memory that was personally hilarious to you, but excruciating to Tim.

“Not to mention, just last week, you scolded them for getting blood on their uniform like it was grass stains on a kid’s soccer jersey.” Angela raised an eyebrow, tilting her head. “So tell me again how they’re ‘not your kid.’”

Lucy whistled, “Damn, Wesley been teaching you a thing or two.” she smirked.

The sidewalk fell into a momentary silence, save for the hum of the engine and the distant chatter of dispatch over the radio.

You, still grinning like you’d just won some unspoken battle, hopped into the shop and settled into the passenger seat, clearly pleased with yourself.

Lucy exchanged a knowing look with Angela, both of them reveling in Tim’s suffering as they walked back to their own shops.

And Tim? He just exhaled slowly, staring at the road like it held the answers to all of life’s problems—like if he focused hard enough, he could pretend he wasn’t stuck in a moving circus.

But deep down, buried beneath the exasperation and the ever-present headache that came with being responsible for you, he knew the truth.

He’d never admit it out loud, but he was stuck with you. And worse? He didn’t actually mind.

taglist: @its-ares @nevereclipse @chezze-its @mcckunty

[frudoo]

Slasher 141 again, sorry to bug, I'm chomping at the bit. She meets the others? I humbly ask for more pleaseeee

Can y'all tell I'm horny for slasher Johnny

Warnings: Smut throughout, so MDNI. Fingering, strange men, reader is just getting a taste of what she signed up for. Fem!Reader obvs.

     Simon doesn’t talk much. Maybe it’s because Johnny’s got his hand down your pants and he doesn’t want to interrupt, but even so, he just gives off that kind of vibe. Johnny’s trailing kisses down your neck and you’re whimpering, just trying to get the two of them to make small talk.

“S-Simon, are you… do you also- um… you know. Kill people?” You wince at your poor choice of words, but the kisses from your date don’t let up, so maybe you’re alright.

     Simon’s beady eyes meet yours through the rear-view mirror. Fuck, if he’s not a serial killer, he should be. Those dark brown eyes are deeply unsettling, making you nauseous. He nods in affirmation before turning his eyes back to the road.

"We all are."

Well, shit. Is there such a thing as a murderer-radar? Because if so, yours is in mint condition. 

     Johnny bites down on your neck harshly at the same time his middle finger slips inside of your pussy, and you squeal. Is this what they do? Seduce a vulnerable woman with deadly curiosity such as yourself, just to take her away and dice her up? God, you really should have paid more attention to the warnings in all those true crime documentaries. Now you’re going to end up in one. 

     “Are… are you going to kill me?” You sigh—rule number one: don’t question what the big serial killers are going to do to you while you’re in their truck.

     Johnny grins against your neck, his hot tongue soothing the bite he’d just left on you. He inserts another finger, and, well… maybe getting the best finger-fuck of your life before you die isn’t the worst way to go out. You mewl when he curls them right up against your g-spot and almost miss Simon’s low voice answering your question.

     “If we wanted y’dead, y’already would be,” he shrugs, pulling onto a long dirt road that leads to a large farmhouse, past herds of cattle and fat pigs who look like they’ve never missed a meal. 

     Simon’s answer does nothing to settle your nerves, although the orgasm that Johnny coaxes out of you works well to distract. There’s a black cat waiting by the front door when they guide you inside, and your head starts pounding. If that’s not an omen, you don’t know what is. Damn Johnny and his beautiful, charming self, and damn you for not being bothered enough by his career choice when you should have been. Now you’re not even sure what you’ve gotten yourself into.

     It’s warm inside. Inviting, despite everything, with cozy furniture littered across the den and taxidermied animals decorating the walls. Extravagant chandeliers hang from the ceiling, lighting up the area with a dim yellow aura that helps remind you to breathe. The walls are painted a dark green and the fireplace is going, and on the largest couch sits two more men—one with blue eyes nearly as piercing as Johnny’s, and another with the prettiest lips you’ve ever seen.

     Now that you can see him better, you realize that even Simon is ridiculously handsome, with short blonde hair and a scar across his lip that must have been the result of repairing a nasty split. More white marks are littered across his face, but the honey of his brown eyes don’t seem nearly as cold under this warm light. It almost makes you forget what they do for a living.

     “I’m guessin’ this is her, since she’s not hog-tied,” the one with blue eyes speaks gruffly, standing from his seated position and slowly stalking closer.

     He’s taller than Johnny, but not quite at Simon’s height, and his hand is rough against your skin as he cups your cheek in his palm. His thumb runs along your bottom lip, eyes taking in every inch of your person. The man hums thoughtfully before removing his hands from you, looking between the men who stand by your side.

     “Pretty thing, ain’t she? Nice and soft, too,” he concludes, calling the other man over to check you out as well.

     Your breath hitches in your throat as the new man smiles down at you, those luscious lips spread across a perfectly straight set of white teeth. He doesn’t touch you, just gives you a once-over before nodding.

     “She’s perfect,” he confirms to the previous man before looking to you again. “M’Kyle. Tha’s John, and m’sure y’know those two already.”

     You nod, chewing on your bottom lip. You still have no idea what the hell is going on, or what they mean by perfect. Perfect for what, exactly? More taxidermy? Pig food?

     “Glad ye approve, Cap’n, Gaz,” Johnny beams, wrapping his arm around your waist. “Knew ye’d love her.”

     Your eyes widen slightly when Simon leans down to press a lingering kiss to your lips, followed by Kyle, then John. You’re frozen in place, but Johnny just chuckles and scoops you up into his arms, strong legs striding down the hallway into one of the bedrooms.

     “Dinnae be afraid, hen. They like ye. Ah told ye, ye’ll ge’ along jus’ fine,” he presses his lips against your temple, then lays you on his bed. 

     “We’ll ge’ yer room set up in the mornin’, but ah need tae taste tha’ sweet cunt reit fookin’ now. Dinnae be quiet, lass, let ‘em hear yer bonnie moans."

[usomads]

All-Inclusive // Jimmy Uso x Reader

Author’s Note -> Ahhhh I love this one 🤭 Been working on this for a bit so I hope y’all like it! Also: I’m thinking about making a tag list for my stories… is that something y’all would be interested in? Lmk and as always, happy reading! 

Plot -> You knew being at an all-inclusive suite included everything like drinks, food, etc., but you didn’t know you’d find yourself getting even more.

Pairings -> Jimmy Uso x Fem!Reader (Y/N)

Warnings -> Cursing, Fingering, Oral Sex (M!Receiving, F!Receiving), Choking, P in V, Creampie, Not Proofread, MDNI

Word Count -> 2.8k

“A closet full of clothes, and yet I never know what to wear to these things,” you muttered to yourself, sifting through hangers trying to find something you could work with. Articles of clothing scattered the floor around you as you stood frustrated, trying to throw something halfway decent together. It was always like this for these events, you always knew exactly how to do your hair and makeup but for some reason the outfit was something you could never figure out. You and your boyfriend, Jonathan, were going to a WWE Premium Live Event, and since he wasn’t booked for this card you decided to get a suite with some other wrestlers and their spouses to watch it. Well, maybe, if you could find something to wear.

“Baby!” Jon calls from downstairs, “we gotta go! We’re gonna be late, you almost ready?” He makes his way to you in the closet, noticing you were still trying to get yourself together.

“Go ahead, I’ll head there in a bit. Still tryna find an outfit,” you sighed, clearly annoyed at yourself. Jon wraps his arms around your waist from behind and plants a kiss to your cheek. “Alright, baby girl, just don’t take too long, okay? I know Bianca and Jade are dying to see you, it’s been a minute since y’all been together.”

“I know, I know, I’ll be right behind you, I promise,” you smiled at him as he gave you another kiss and left for the arena, while you went back to sorting through your closet. After about 10 minutes of staring at the same clothes on hangers you were close to texting Jon to let him know it wasn’t happening tonight, when something caught your eye. A black silk button up was nearly hidden behind all the other clothes hanging up, but you saw it. And it would go perfect with this new skirt I bought too. Grabbing it from the rack, you were able to get a closer look. It was for sure oversized, and you were trying to remember where you could’ve gotten it from. It didn’t matter anyways, because you were already throwing it on along with the new skirt and a simple pair of black heels. You made your way to the full-length mirror in your closet, adjusting the buttons on the top to tease your cleavage modestly, but enough to make them noticeable. Giving yourself one last up-down in the mirror, you were satisfied. More than satisfied, actually, you looked stunning. You shook your head and laughed, the annoyance and stress of the past hour and a half feeling silly now that you had finally found something to wear and it paid off. You grab your phone off the dresser and call a driver to come get you, grabbing a small bag to take with you as you head downstairs and out the door.

“Y/N, oh my god, girl! You finally made it!” Bianca yelled excitedly as her and Jade ran to the door of the suite to greet you. “It’s been so long since we’ve seen you,” Bianca gave you a strong hug and rocked the two of you back and forth, “how have you been?!”

“It’s been too damn long!” Jade exclaimed, “and can I just say… you look hot. Jon said you were having wardrobe issues and, honey, looking at you I just don’t think that’s true,” the three of you laughed.

“No, seriously, I was! I damn near canceled because I couldn’t find anything, but finding this top hidden in the back of the closet saved it. I don’t even remember where I got it honestly, I don’t normally buy stuff this oversized but, hey, I guess my forgetfulness finally came in clutch,” you chuckled. 

“And did, you look incredible, babe. Now c’mon, let’s go mingle with everybody!” Bianca and Jade locked your guys’s arms as the three of you hopped around from group to group in the suite, chatting with some new faces and some you hadn’t seen in a very long time. Your eyes tried searching for your boyfriend, but you couldn’t seem to find him anywhere so you assumed he had gone to the restroom or maybe was notified he had to do something for the show last minute and shrugged it off. After a while though, you had to pee so you excused yourself from the group and walked across the hall to the restrooms. You did your business and washed your hands, drying them and making your way back to the suite. You opened the bathroom door to be greeted by your boyfriend.

“Oh, hey, babe! I was just looking for you, where have you be-,” you were cut off by Jon stepping into the restroom with you, pinning you against the wall and locking the door behind him. You gasped as your back collided with the hard surface behind you as Jon stared down at you with an intensity you had never seen before. His eyes trailed down your body to take in what you were wearing, coming back up and staring directly at the shirt you were wearing. 

“I see you found my shirt,” he growled, and your memory clicked in from a week prior. ***FLASHBACK***

“Babe! Have you seen my button up? The silk one my mom got me a while back?” Jonathan shouted from the bedroom as you were applying your lipstick, getting ready for date night. “Um, no I don’t think so… did you check the laundry?” 

“Yeah, it’s not in there, can’t find it. I’ll just wear something else, don’t worry about it!”

***END FLASHBACK***

“I- I thought it was mine, I found it in the back of my closet. I’m sorry…” you muttered, nervously, not wanting him to be mad at you for “stealing” his shirt. “Oh, baby, I’m not mad,” Jon paused, lowering his head closer to your trembling lips, “but if you’re really sorry…” he inches closer, his breath fanning over your cheeks as his lips brush yours, “then show me.”

You wrap your arms around his neck and pull him in, closing the distance between you. He kissed you with a desire you had never seen from him before, hungrily brushing his tongue against yours as he asserted his dominance over you. His fingers worked on the buttons of your (his) shirt, but left the clothing sitting on your shoulders as the cool air conditioning hit your nipples, hardening them instantly. You shuddered at the feeling, as his hands hiked your shirt up and kneaded your ass as he planted kisses along the base of your neck. “You know… I love it… when you wear my shirts… so fuckin’ sexy.” You moaned as his lips drifted down your neck and to your chest, as his hands fondled your waist and inched closer to your growing wetness. The tips of his fingers teased the front of your panties, toying with the material as you bucked your hips desperately for any sort of friction. “Patience, baby, imma give it to you,” you weren’t listening, too consumed in your neediness for him, and continued to squirm underneath him. You’re snapped out of your trance by Jon pinning your arms above your head and growling in your ear. “What I say, huh? Keep still ‘fore I give you somethin’ to squirm about, and you ain’t gonna like it.” You whimper and nod in response, trying to hold it together as you fight every urge to act on your own desperation. Jon holds your wrists above your head with his left hand, using the right to slide your panties to the side and dive his fingers into your wetness. You trembled, sighing and throwing your head back to hit the wall as his digits caressed your dripping folds. He was torturing you, edging his fingers closer and closer to your entrance but never slipping inside, instead opting to watch your face twist and contort at the way a simple touch from him had you so riled up. He loved the way your breathing would stagger as he teased you and watched as your eyes rolled to the back of your head, giving into his touch. 

“Mmm, baby please,” you cried, the sounds of your whines echoing around you. “You sorry, hmm?” He teased, brushing his thumb across your clit, causing you to jolt in pleasure. “Y-yes, fuckk baby, I’m so- I’m sorry,” you hissed.

“You gonna have to be more convincing than that” You whined loudly at his response, turning into a loud and dragged out moan as he slipped a finger inside. Your pussy immediately tightened around it, squeezing it as he pumped in and out of you. Your eyes rolled into your skull as he carefully worked his magic on you. Your fingers gripped onto the blazer he was wearing, trying to cling onto anything as he drove you further into pure, unadulterated bliss. His finger picked up pace and glided deeper and deeper inside you, brushing against the soft padding of your g-spot as he curled it. You felt yourself stretch around him again with the addition of a second finger, your walls spasming around both digits as he mercilessly thrusted his fingers inside of you. 

“O-oh my god, Jon I-, I’m so c-close,” you moaned as his lips found their way back to your neck again. “Hold it. You’re not cumming ‘til I say you can, got me? Now tell me how sorry you are.”

“I- I’m sorry, baby, I’m so so sorry. Now please, I’m gonna-”

“Uh uh, not sorry enough. Get on your knees and convince me.” He withdrew his fingers from you faster than you anticipated, nearly making your knees give out in the process, but you obeyed him like the good girl you were. You dropped to your knees in an instant, hands immediately grabbing for his belt and zipper, as you worked quickly to free him from the constraints of his pants. You could tell from the prominent bulge that lined his boxers he was painfully hard as you palmed him, Jon letting out a low groan and instinctively grinding himself into your hand. “Fuck baby, don’t tease. You know ion like that shit.” You pulled down his boxers to reveal his cock and salivated at the sight; the veins along his shaft prominent as his length twitched upon release from its imprisonment. You looked up at the man who stood before you, his eyes darkened and glazed over with lust as he watched you coat his dick in your saliva before taking his tip in your mouth. You sucked lightly and gave kitten licks to him, knowing how sensitive his head was and watching as he threw his head back in ecstasy and released your name from his lips in low moans. Your mouth worked its way down his shaft, hollowing your cheeks as you took him inch by inch, his hands grasping your hair as you took as much of him as you could.

“Mmm, fuck ma, lemme fuck that pretty lil mouth of yours. Always so good for me.” You gave a slight nod, relaxing your jaw and opening your mouth more as his hips made slow and steady movements. You gagged on him, but focused on the breathing from your nose as he drilled himself into your throat. Tears brimmed your eyes, threatening to spill onto your cheeks as he continued to thrust faster and faster, making you gag on him more and more. “You love it when I use your pretty little mouth like this, hmm? How sorry are you now?” You moaned around him as he showed no mercy on your throat and gripped your hair, and watching his face told you he was reaching the edge. Surprisingly, he released himself from your mouth with a pop and helped you up, still dizzy from the assault his cock was performing on your mouth. 

“I still don’t think you’re that sorry, you wanna prove it to me? Hop up on this counter and spread your legs for me, pretty girl, imma fuck you ‘til I believe it.” You hopped on the counter of the bathroom sink and opened yourself to him completely, letting him see your glistening folds aching and ready for him. He pumped himself a few times before lining himself up and slamming into you, giving you no room to adjust to him as he ruthlessly pounded into you and had you screaming his name. His hand quickly met your mouth, covering it to keep you quiet as he leaned in and started fucking deeper into you. You were seeing stars, moaning into his hand and raking your nails across his shoulders as he drove into you at an unforgiving pace. 

“Shit, Y/N, so fuckin’ tight f’me. Fit me like a fuckin’ glove. Can’t get enough of this pussy, baby,” he moaned, continuing his fast-paced thrusts. “You wanna tell me how sorry you are now, baby girl? You think you’re sorry enough for me to let you cum?” He removed the hand covering your mouth and brought it down to your clit, rubbing slow circles into the sensitive bud.

“H-holy s-shit, mmm, fuck baby I- I’m s-sorry! I’m sorry I-, oh my god, I’m so fuckin’ sorry, baby,” you cried, “p-please believe me, I’m so sorry. I’m gonna-” “You think you deserve it, hmm?” He wraps his hand around your throat, gently squeezing as you let out a strangled moan. “Go ahead baby, you think you deserve this nut?”

“Y-yes, ohh fuck, yes I deserve it. B-been so good f-f’you.” You choked out, consumed completely in Jon and the pleasure he was providing you.

“You’ve been such a good girl… you really are sorry, huh?” You nodded frantically, letting soft moans fall off your lips. “Let go, baby, cum all over this dick f’me. Lemme see you.”

The orgasm that erupts from the pit of your stomach is explosive enough to make supernovas look small in comparison. Your body and pussy convulse around him as you scream his name and release yourself on his cock. Your vision goes black as you’re overwhelmed with an intense feeling of pleasure as your juices coat his dick and lower abdomen, squirting all over him. He watches you as you let go, taking in every detail of your mouth agape and chanting his name, the furrow of your brows, your eyes squeezing shut, and most of all your walls constricting around his cock, coaxing him to his own release. He coats your insides with a loud groan, releasing himself completely into your aching pussy as he slowly pistons himself into you to ride out both of you two’s orgasms. Soft moans and pants escape the both of you, coming down from what felt like the most intense release the two of you have shared. You both sat for a moment, evening your breathing and taking the time to fully recover before he pulled out of you and moved your panties back to their rightful position, his cum leaking out of you and soaking them in the process. He placed a gentle kiss on your forehead and you smiled up at him, softly kissing his lips before jumping down and adjusting yourself in the mirror.

You both desperately tried to cover up the events of what just happened, feeling satisfied and unlocking the door to the restroom before attempting to sneak out, but Bianca being in front of the door stopped you both in your tracks.

“Oh, thank god, I’ve had to pee for the past 30 minutes,” she teased, wiggling her eyebrows at the both of you, “didn’t know Y/N needed help using the bathroom, Jon.” The two of you blushed, knowing your attempt to hide your escapade had failed miserably. “Now get y’all horny asses inside, you’re lucky they didn’t start filming the live segment in the suite yet, or the TV audience would’ve heard quite the show… now, if you’ll excuse me,” she winked, hurrying past you both as you and your boyfriend exchanged a quick glance before sneaking your way back in the suite.

[arixella]

Mission: Not Getting Caught (pt.1)

╰┈➤ pairing: Naruto Uzumaki x fem! reader

a/n: im making this into a angst series later so be grateful for this fluff beforehand 😭

summary: Keeping a secret relationship in the Hidden Leaf is hard—especially when you're dating Naruto, have zero stealth, and Tsunade keeps kicking down doors.

wc: 1.6k

contains: secret romance, terrible stealth, surprise Tsunade, Kakashi suspicion, chaotic kisses, and exactly zero locked doors.

“So you’re just friends?” Kakashi said, arms crossed, one brow raised under that ridiculous forehead protector.

“Yup,” you said quickly. “Totally.”

“Absolutely,” Naruto added, nodding so fast it was suspicious.

You stood shoulder-to-shoulder like two innocent children trying very hard not to look like they were hiding something. Like, say, the fact that you were dating. Secretly. Behind everyone’s backs. And had been for the last… three months.

“Funny,” Kakashi said slowly, “because you two disappeared for exactly forty-seven minutes after the mission today. And I could’ve sworn I saw you holding hands behind the dango stand.”

Naruto laughed, way too loud. “Holding hands?! What? Us?? Nooo. You’re seeing things, Kakashi-sensei.”

“Yeah,” you added. “Maybe you need a new eye prescription.”

“Mm,” he said dryly. “Or maybe you two need to work on your subtlety.”

You and Naruto glanced at each other with the slow panic of two people who knew they’d been almost caught red-handed.

“Well,” Kakashi said, closing his book and walking off casually, “as long as you’re just friends, I don’t have to say anything to Tsunade, right?”

You both smiled tightly and nodded until he was out of sight.

The second he turned the corner, Naruto let out the longest sigh and ran a hand through his hair.

“Okay, he knows.”

“He totally knows.”

You both stood there, slightly breathless, trying not to laugh.

“…You think he saw when you kissed me behind the training post?”

“Maybe not that,” Naruto grinned, “but definitely when you grabbed my ass after.”

You slapped his arm, laughing. “Naruto!”

“Hey, not my fault you can’t keep your hands to yourself.”

“Says the guy who nearly tripped over a crate trying to sneak a kiss behind the mission board.”

“That crate was in my blind spot!”

You grabbed his vest and pulled him into the shadow of the Hokage monument where no one could see. “Alright. Five minutes. Then we sneak to Ichiraku separately.”

“Five minutes?” he smirked, already leaning in. “What’re we doing for five—”

You kissed him to shut him up.

Meanwhile, Kakashi around the corner, muttering to himself: “I’m not paid enough to deal with teenage hormone ninjas.”

Then there was this other time…

It started innocent enough.

You and Naruto were supposed to “just hang out” after the mission. Some ramen. A little chakra rest. Maybe a nap.

Which somehow turned into him shirtless on your bed, hair a mess, kissing you like he hadn’t seen you in weeks—despite literally carrying you back to the village an hour ago.

“Y/N,” he murmured between kisses, hand under your shirt, “we should stop.”

“Then stop,” you whispered back, pulling him closer.

“…I don’t wanna,” he said, and kissed you again.

And that’s when—

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK.

Your entire soul left your body.

“Y/N?” Sakura’s voice rang out. “You in there?”

You and Naruto froze like two deer in a chakra-infused spotlight.

“Shit,” he whispered.

You sat up fast, elbowing him in the ribs as you scrambled for your shirt. “Closet! Now!”

He looked around, wild-eyed. “You don’t have a closet!”

“Oh my god—under the bed, Naruto!”

He dove so fast he knocked over your nightstand on the way down. You yanked a blanket off the bed, threw it over the evidence, and tried to breathe like a normal person before opening the door just enough to peek through.

Sakura tilted her head. “You okay? You look… red.”

“Ha! Yeah. Just—uh, doing sit-ups.”

“…You do sit-ups in a crop top and lip gloss?”

You blinked. “It’s a new… training technique?”

From under the bed, Naruto sneezed.

You froze.

Sakura blinked. “Was that… a mouse?”

“Yup!” You slammed the door wider to distract her. “So many mice in here. Infestation, really. So what’s up?”

Sakura raised a brow but played along. “Tsunade-sama was looking for Naruto. She thinks he’s avoiding paperwork again.”

“Oh weird,” you said, sweating. “Haven’t seen him at all.”

“Uh-huh.” She gave you a look. “Tell him if I do catch him sneaking out of here again, she’s putting him on latrine duty.”

“Noted.”

As soon as she walked away, you slammed the door shut, leaned against it with a huge exhale, and dropped to the floor.

Naruto crawled out from under the bed, hair covered in dust bunnies, looking betrayed. “You kicked me.”

“You sneezed! I panicked!”

He huffed. “I could’ve died under there.”

You crawled into his lap and kissed his dusty face. “Then die in my arms, drama queen.”

“…You're lucky I love you.”

And then there was the worst time of all…

You woke up to the sound of fist to door and Naruto’s full-body flinch beside you.

“Uzumaki Naruto! Open this damn door!”

Your eyes snapped open. “That’s Tsunade’s voice.”

“Yep,” Naruto croaked. “She sounds… mad.”

You sat straight up in his bed, completely tangled in sheets and absolutely not dressed for visitors. “You told me she was in a meeting all morning!”

“I thought she was!” he whisper-yelled, already scrambling off the bed to throw on pants.

“Why’s she even here?!”

“She probably found out I didn’t do the reports last night!”

You smacked his arm. “You said you did them!”

“I said I was gonna do them!! That’s not the same!!”

BANG BANG BANG.

“I know you’re in there! If you don’t open this door in ten seconds I’m blasting it off the hinges!”

You looked at each other.

“Window?” you whispered.

“Window,” he nodded.

You grabbed your shirt, hopping on one foot trying to pull it on, and Naruto yanked the window open while muttering “oh my god oh my god oh my god she’s gonna kill me—”

Right as your feet hit the windowsill, Naruto smacked a quick kiss to your lips.

“For luck,” he grinned.

“Boy!” Tsunade bellowed again.

You bolted into the alleyway below, shirt half on, heartbeat in your ears.

Back inside, Naruto calmly opened the door, still shirtless.

Tsunade stared at him.

She stared at the unmade bed.

She stared at the open window.

“…Really?”

Naruto scratched the back of his neck. “Good morning, Granny Tsunade.”

Bonus Round: The Grand Finale

The two of you were close, so close it was almost too much. His lips found your neck again, and you let out a breathy laugh, tugging at his shirt, your heart pounding.

“Hey,” you whispered, pulling him closer. “Maybe this time, no interruptions?”

Naruto paused for a moment, grinning mischievously. “I mean, I really hope so. But with our luck, I bet—”

BANG!

The door was kicked open with the force of a small explosion. You both froze mid-action.

There stood Tsunade, arms crossed, eyebrow twitching.

Naruto immediately shot up like a lightning bolt. “GRANNY TSUNADE?!!”

You scrambled for the covers, your face burning. “I—We—This isn’t—"

“Oh, don’t even start,” Tsunade cut you off, calm but furious. “You two again?!”

Naruto, still shirtless, was holding up his hands like he was about to be arrested. “We weren’t—We just—We didn’t—”

Tsunade sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. “I’m done. I’m so done. No more excuses.”

“But Tsunade—” you started.

“Nope,” she said. “You’re both going on extra missions. Starting tomorrow. I’m going to keep you two so busy that you won’t have any time for these shenanigans.”

Naruto’s voice cracked. “Extra missions?! What?! Nooooo, please! We’ll behave!”

She turned to leave, muttering, “And next time—lock the damn door.”

The door slammed behind her.

You stared at Naruto.

“…I think she’s serious,” you whispered.

“Really?” he said, eyes wide. “You think?!”

He flopped face-first onto the bed.

You couldn’t help but laugh as you curled up beside him. “Maybe next time we could—”

“Next time,” he interrupted with a groan, “we lock the door and move to another country.”

You laughed, pressing a kiss to his cheek. “Deal.”

♡♡♡

© 2025 arixella | please do not plagiarize or translate any of my work without my consent.

[undiagnosedcruelty]

Bound By Mistake │k.seungmin

Chapter 2: Demon Roommate

Sypnosis: When you accidentally summon Seungmin, a high-ranking demon with an attitude problem, you find yourself bound to him by an unbreakable contract.

Pairing: Demon!K.seungmin x afab!reader

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Bound By Mistake masterlist here.

Content Warning: supernatural elements, mild profanity and sarcasm, banter, demonic presence, references to self-endangerment, crackfic.

Word Count: 1.1k

A/N: short chapters because I cannot, for the life of me get my keyboard to work properly.

chapter 1│ chapter 3 | chapter 4

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EVERYTHING WRITTEN IS PURELY FICTION──NOTHING IS DIRECTLY RELATES TO ANY REAL LIFE EVENTS.

It had been exactly six hours since you had accidentally summoned a demon into your home, and frankly, you were not handling it well.

Your brain was still playing catch-up with the absolute cosmic mistake you’d made. There was a demon—an actual demon—lounging on your bed like he paid rent here, flipping through one of your books with the air of someone completely unimpressed with his current situation. His posture was lazy, one leg propped over the other, foot bouncing idly in the air. Every now and then, he’d sigh like the mere act of existing in your presence was exhausting. His expression was unreadable, but you got the distinct impression that if he had been given a choice in the matter, he would rather be anywhere else.

Meanwhile, you were standing in the corner, trying very hard not to have a full-blown existential crisis.

This was not how your night was supposed to go. You had been minding your own business, burning a scented candle, flipping through some old books you’d picked up from that weird little shop downtown—where, in hindsight, the shopkeeper had been way too eager to get rid of them—when you’d apparently uttered the exact sequence of words needed to rip open a tiny hole in the fabric of reality and drag a demon straight into your apartment.

Your apartment. Your small, messy, one-bedroom apartment where the most supernatural thing to ever happen before tonight was the time your microwave randomly turned on at 3 AM.

And now there was a demon here.

You inhaled sharply through your nose, gripping the back of your desk chair like it was your last tether to reality. "Okay," you finally managed, voice a little higher than usual. "I need you to explain to me, very clearly, what is happening."

Seungmin didn’t even look up. "You summoned me."

Your fingers tightened around the chair. "I know that part, smartass. I mean—what does that actually mean? Am I cursed? Are you gonna steal my soul? Do I need to start collecting holy water?"

Seungmin turned a page, completely unbothered. "You don’t have a soul worth stealing."

You gaped at him. "Oh my god," you hissed, dragging a hand down your face. "Do you ever stop being an asshole?"

He looked up just enough to smirk at you. "Nope."

You took a deep breath, counted to ten, and resisted the overwhelming urge to throw something at him. Again. Because, yes, you had already thrown a pillow at his head when this whole mess started, and no, it had not been nearly as satisfying as you had hoped.

"Just. Explain. The rules."

Seungmin finally closed the book—after dog-earing the page, the absolute menace—and stretched like a cat who had zero interest in your existential crisis. His joints popped lazily, and he let out a satisfied hum before finally deigning to meet your gaze.

"Fine," he said, expression somewhere between amusement and condescension. "You performed an unintentional summoning spell and bound me to you. That means—" he rolled his wrist in a lazy circle, "—wherever you go, I go. Congratulations, you have your very own personal demon."

You stared at him, horrified. "You’re kidding."

"Do I look like I’m kidding?"

"No, you look like a mistake that just became my problem."

Seungmin grinned. "Right back at you."

You groaned and buried your face in your hands. "Okay, so… what, you just follow me around forever?"

"Not forever," Seungmin said. "Just until one of us dies."

You choked. "Excuse me?"

"Oh, don’t be so dramatic," he drawled. "It’s not that bad."

You stared at him like he’d lost his entire mind. "Not that bad? My entire life just got hijacked by a snarky hellspawn, and you’re saying it’s not that bad?"

Seungmin gave you a mocking look of sympathy. "Aww, poor you."

You gritted your teeth. "Okay. Fine. So let’s say I accept this absolute nightmare reality—what does this whole ‘binding’ thing actually do? Are you going to start possessing me? Controlling my thoughts? Eating my dreams?"

Seungmin let out a loud, exaggerated sigh. "You really think highly of yourself, don’t you? No, I don’t want to possess you—why would I ever want to live in that brain?"

You flipped him off.

He smirked. "The bond just means I can’t harm you, and if you get yourself killed, I get dragged down with you."

You froze. “…Wait. What?”

Seungmin gave you an unimpressed look. "Did you not read the fine print before summoning a demon?"

"Of course I didn’t, I didn’t even know I was summoning you!"

"Well, congratulations," Seungmin said dryly. "You just made your survival my problem."

You blinked. Then blinked again. A slow, chaotic thought began forming in your head.

Seungmin immediately noticed. His expression darkened. "No."

You took a step forward, grinning. "So if I, say, jump off a bridge—"

"I will stop you."

"—Or walk into traffic—"

"I will physically throw you out of the way."

"—Or start free-climbing buildings—"

Seungmin’s eye twitched. "I swear to Satan, if you start using your own mortality to hold me hostage, I will make your life a living hell."

You just smiled sweetly. "You mean more than you already are?"

Seungmin groaned and flopped backward onto your bed. "I hate you."

"Right back at you, buddy."

For a moment, there was silence, except for the faint hum of your apartment’s crappy ceiling fan. Your mind was still spinning, but the overwhelming panic had dulled just enough for you to think again.

"So," you said slowly. "If we’re stuck together, does that mean you’re… my bodyguard or something?"

Seungmin cracked one eye open. "Only if I feel like it."

You crossed your arms. "So if someone tries to stab me, you’re just gonna… let it happen?"

"Depends," he said. "Did you deserve it?"

You threw your hands up. "Wow, I feel so safe already."

He grinned.

You exhaled through your nose. "And what about my normal life? I have work, bills to pay—"

Seungmin waved a hand. "You do whatever humans do. I don’t care. Just know that if you’re in danger, I’ll be dragged to you whether I want to be or not."

That was… an unsettling thought.

You hesitated. "So, like… if I’m sleeping?"

Seungmin’s smirk widened. "Oh, absolutely."

Your stomach dropped. "You’re not gonna just… stare at me while I sleep, right?"

Seungmin said nothing.

"…Right?"

The corner of his mouth twitched.

"Oh my god," you groaned. "You are the worst."

He chuckled. "Look, I don’t like this situation any more than you do. So let’s just stay out of each other’s way."

You thought about how nothing in your life was ever going to be normal again.

And then you thought about how annoying this demon was.

"Yeah," you said. "No promises."

Seungmin groaned.

You just smiled.

Series Tag list: @maisyyyyyy @hyeon-yi

[moonstruckme]

Hi my love!! I just reread your bodyguard tasm!peter parker blurb and it was so cute 😭I loved the original premise where peters spider senses got distracted because of her!! You wrote it so beautifully.

I'd love to request a part two (If you're open to that?) where he's guarding her again and we see their relationship develop a little more??

i read your requests rules and couldn't find anything about you not writing part twos, but feel free to ignore if you'd rather not! lots of love <3 <3

Hi sweetheart, thank you thank you!!

bodyguard!(tasm)Peter Parker x fem!reader ♡ 1.1k words

Peter’s staying on the ground for your sake, but he doesn’t love it. 

You’re relaxed as can be, lounging on your bed while he paces your unfairly giant room from end to end. This, he thinks, is why people hate politicians. You’ve got an ensuite bathroom the size of his apartment, and on the taxpayer’s dime. He gets it now. If you and your dad were living in a shoebox like every other self-respecting New Yorker, maybe the guy wouldn’t get so many death threats. 

“You don’t have to be all vigilant,” you say. “My dad’s not here. So long as I don’t get actually kidnapped or killed while you’re here, sitting down isn’t going to affect your performance evaluation.” 

Peter looks at you. “I’m getting a performance evaluation?” 

Your smile is lopsided and goofy. It’s humiliating how much it affects him. “No. Who would he send it to? Your employer?” 

“Oh.” He feels stupid. “Good point.” 

“Come here,” you laugh. “I got us coffee.” 

He goes to sit on your bed, mostly because he’ll do anything you ask him to. After spending a few hours hugging you on a roof, Peter’s found that he actually likes you. You’re not snooty or spoiled like he might have expected, friendly to him even though he’s technically working for you. You seem oddly down-to-earth for someone with your upbringing, funny and smart. (Smarter than him, maybe. You turn him into a blundering idiot every time he sees you, though, so it’s hard to say.) You’re surprisingly fun to be around. 

You lean over, grabbing two disposable coffee cups from your nightstand. “Do you want peppermint or caramel?” 

“Which one do you want?” 

“No way. You’re my guest, you get first pick.” 

Peter’s here on a job, but he likes your version of the story better. That you’d think of him as your guest, someone invited in whom you want to please, makes an affectionate warmth unfurl in his gut. 

“You should probably have the one you want, because the other one’s going to get cold,” he says, an apology in his tone. Your brows wrinkle. “I can’t really drink through the mask…” 

“Oh.” You close your eyes, expression clearing. “God, I’m so sorry. I didn’t even think about that.” 

“Don’t worry about it.” Peter’s smiling under the mask. He wonders if you can hear it in his voice. “Enjoy yours. I’ll live vicariously.” 

“You couldn’t just lift it up enough to drink?” 

“Uh, no. The whole secret identity thing is…kind of important to the job.” 

You smile guiltily, lifting one of the cups to your lips. “Fair enough.” 

You’re silent for a minute, watching him as you sip at your coffee. Once again, making it nearly impossible for Peter to do what he’s being paid to do. He should be keeping his senses alert, watching the windows, surveilling the perimeter or whatever. Not looking into your clever, narrowed eyes and thinking about how your whole room smells like you. 

“Okay,” you say, still scrutinizing him like you’re trying to count the threads in his suit, “now I’m dying to know what’s under the mask.” 

Peter sits very still. He’s had people—fans and foes alike—try to tear it off him before, but he doesn’t think you’re like that. 

“I mean, obviously you’re tall,” you lean back on the bed, mouth pursed in contemplation, “so you’re not, like, twelve. You sound about my age…” 

“I what?” 

“Your voice.” 

“What—” He clears his throat. Tries to sound more generationally ambiguous. “What would make you think that?” 

You crack another one of those sweet, silly smiles. “Well, you’re not going to fool me now,” you say. “I’ve heard you talk. You can’t be more than thirty. Plus, when you got here, you said ‘yo’.” 

Peter really needs to stop saying that. He doesn’t even know when he started. 

“You’ve got stitches all over your suit…” you go on. “What neighborhood are you from again?” 

“I’m not telling you that,” he laughs. 

“Oh, come on.” You scooch a little on the bed, tucking one leg under you to face him more fully. Your eyes pierce his like knives. Very pretty knives. “There’s almost ten million people in New York. You really think I’m going to track you down?” 

“Your dad is the mayor…” 

“Stop.” You give his shoulder a playful shove. Peter’s mask feels suddenly warm. “Those surveillance rumors weren’t true, the tabloids made that up to mess with his re-election campaign.”

“Okay, okay. I’m from Queens.” 

You lean back on your hands, and he can’t decide if the way you’re looking at him is analyzing or flirting. “Interesting,” you say slowly. “So you’re, like, a real man of the people. Not the Bruce Wayne type.” 

“Hey,” he teases, “Bruce Wayne could’ve lived in Queens. It’s nice.” 

“But Bruce Wayne wouldn’t have to sew his own suits,” you point out. 

Peter tilts his head, blows a breath out the side of his mouth. You’ve got him there. 

“And you’re tall, clearly pretty strong, you seem smart…” You nod, seeming to have come to a decision. “I think you’re handsome under there.” 

A laugh startles out of him. He hopes it sounds casual, like it came from someone cool, whose heart isn’t galloping in his chest. Peter really shouldn’t care if you think he has the potential to be handsome under his mask. It’s not like you’ll ever find out. Still, it feels weirdly nice. 

He makes his voice light and playful. “Well, it’s good to have your approval. Now we can pretend that I’m almost in your league.” 

For the first time since he’s gotten here, you look genuinely caught offguard. “Me?” 

“Yeah, you.” Peter grins. It feels good to have flustered you. He’s missed doing that. “Who else?” 

You look away from him as you laugh, shaking your head. “I don’t know if you’ve noticed,” you say, “but you’re a superhero. You’re not the one who should be worried about leagues.” 

You’re cute. Peter makes a bold move, scooting an inch closer to you, into your space. He’s glad you can’t see that under the mask, his face is just as flushed as yours. “I’m not a superhero,” he says, keeping his voice light as meringue. “I’m just your friendly neighborhood Spiderman.” 

You roll your eyes. “Humble, too. Points in your favor.” 

A laugh rumbles through his chest. Someday, he’s gonna have to get Peter Parker in your orbit somehow. He wants to meet you—more than that, he wants you to meet him. He’s not sure how long he can wait. 

He decides to let you off the hook. Slightly. He reaches across you, taking the unused cup from your nightstand. “Thanks for this,” he says. “Once you don’t need me here anymore, I’m gonna take it home and heat it back up.” He grins even though you can’t see it. “Maybe I’ll swing by and return the favor sometime.”

[izanacore]

“casual” | manjiro sano x reader

chapter eight 𓂃⋆.˚

synopsis: a no-strings-attached arrangement between a party girl and a frat boy turns messy when mikey falls first. but when (y/n) runs from love, she loses him for good—until fate brings them back together, years too late.

characters: manjiro “mikey” sano, fem!reader

warnings: angst, heartbreak, fwb dynamics, explicit content, crack, fluff, jealousy, insecurities, themes of regret, alcohol use, violence, bullying, depression

additional warnings: strip game, ass slapping

notes: mikey surprisingly attends his classes. after this chapter, i swear i’m gonna stop writing smut for now lmao. they are too addicted to each other in the prev chapters, i had to.

✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦

chapter eight

mikey was going through it.

his laptop screen glowed against his face, brows furrowed in deep concentration as if staring hard enough would make the words rearrange themselves into something comprehensible. he tapped at the keyboard, hesitated, then hit backspace. again. and again.

“what the hell is a citation?” he muttered under his breath.

across the room, y/n was sprawled out on his bed, scrolling through her phone, entirely unbothered. she hadn’t even wanted to come over in the first place—mikey had practically begged her, swearing up and down that this time, he wasn’t trying to get in her pants. just help me out, he’d said. no sex, i promise.

at his question, she glanced up, barely holding back a smirk. “are you serious?”

“dead serious.”

she snorted. “mikey, this is, like, basic university stuff.”

“yeah? well, i never needed it before.” he leaned back, groaning in frustration. “why do i even have to write a research paper? i don’t do research. i give orders. my presence alone is enough.”

she rolled her eyes. “your presence alone is gonna get you expelled.”

mikey shot her a glare before turning back to his screen. a few more moments passed, and then—

“what the fuck does ‘APA format’ mean?”

that was it. she lost it. laughter burst out of her, shaking her shoulders as she clutched her stomach. “oh my god,” she wheezed, “you are actually stupid.”

“hey!” he scowled. “you’re supposed to be helping me, not laughing at my pain!”

“i am helping,” she teased, wiping a tear from her eye. “i’m teaching you valuable life lessons. like how you should’ve paid attention in class instead of sleeping through lectures and making draken steal someone else’s answers just to hand them to you like a damn delivery service.”

“i do not do that.”

“mikey.” she gave him a look. “you totally do.”

he grumbled something under his breath but didn’t deny it.

after another failed attempt at formatting his paper, mikey groaned and flopped onto the bed beside her, face first. he sneaked his arms around her waist, pulling her closer as he laid his head on her lap. “i give up. expel me. i don’t care anymore.”

she tenderly brushed through his hair, the soft motion calming him, barely suppressing another laugh. “you’re so dramatic.”

he turned his head to look at her, eyes narrowing. “if you’re so smart, why don’t you just do it for me?”

“nope,” she grinned. “this is a learning experience. tough it out, big guy.”

“i hate you.”

“love you too, genius.” she leaned in, pressing a quick smack of a kiss to his lips before pulling away like it was nothing.

eventually, the research paper was somewhat done—or at least, done enough that mikey no longer wanted to throw his laptop out the window. but before she could celebrate, he was already pulling out a textbook, flipping through the pages with a look of pure suffering.

“what now?” she sighed, already dreading his answer.

“i have a quiz tomorrow,” he muttered.

she stared. “mikey, are you kidding me?”

“i wish.”

“oh my god,” she groaned, rubbing her temples. “fine. what subject?”

he glanced at the cover. “uh… econ, i think.”

she nearly laughed at how lost he looked. “you think?”

“listen,” he said flatly, “i just show up and hope for the best.”

“and how’s that working out for you?”

“terribly,” he admitted, flipping the book shut. “which is why you’re here.”

she sighed, already knowing she was too deep to back out now. “alright, let’s make this fun.”

he raised a brow. “oh?”

“for every question you get right,” she said, crossing her arms, “i take something off.”

mikey blinked. then, his lips curled into a slow, knowing smirk. “strip game?”

“yup.” she leaned back against the pillows. “you in?”

“oh, i’m so in.”

── ⟢ ・⸝⸝

mikey was failing miserably.

“wrong,” she said, shaking her head as she pulled her sweater tighter around her. “again.”

he groaned. “this is rigged.”

“it’s literally not,” she snickered. “you just suck at econ.”

“i don’t suck,” he grumbled. “i just—okay, maybe i suck a little.”

“a little?” she teased.

mikey shot her a glare before grabbing another question. he stared at it for a long moment, then slowly answered.

she sighed. “wrong again.”

“fuck!”

by now, he was down to just his boxers, while she was still fully clothed, sitting cross-legged on his bed with the smuggest expression imaginable.

“i hate this game,” he muttered.

she grinned. “i love this game.”

mikey exhaled deeply, dragging a hand down his face. then, as if determined to turn things around, he grabbed another question.

this time, he got it right.

she blinked. “huh.”

his lips curled into a lazy, triumphant smirk. “come on, pretty girl, be a good sport—take something off.”

rolling her eyes, she peeled off one sock.

mikey stared at her. “really?”

“what?” she shrugged. “you never made rules about what counts.”

he groaned. “you’re such a pain.”

“and you’re bad at quizzes,” she shot back. “guess we both have problems.”

mikey narrowed his eyes, then smirked. “alright. new rule.”

she raised a brow. “oh?”

“winner gets to make one demand,” he said. “no arguments.”

she tilted her head, pretending to think. “…deal.”

somewhere in the middle of their little game, she found herself bent over the mattress, her breath coming in soft pants. mikey hovered behind her, grinning like a devil who had just won a bet. his fingers traced absent patterns along the curve of her hip, dipping dangerously close to where she was most sensitive, a satisfied gleam in his eyes.

“w-what happened to your promise?” she breathed out, voice hitching as mikey’s movements didn’t falter. “n-no sex… just helping with your assignment…”

mikey only chuckled, leaning down to brush his lips against her ear. “technically,” he murmured, punctuating his words with a slow, deliberate roll of his hips, “this is my reward for studying so hard.”

she let out a shaky laugh, her fingers gripping onto the sheets. “you barely studied.”

“still counts,” he hummed, dragging his lips down her shoulder.

“i should make you tutor me more often,” he mused, voice lazy, smug. “seems like i learn better with the right motivation.”

“you didn’t learn anything. you just cheated your way through that game,” she scoffed, attempting to straighten up, only for mikey’s hands to press firmly against her hips, keeping her in place.

“cheated?” mikey gasped, all faux innocence. “babe, you wound me.”

“you changed the rules three times.”

he smirked, leaning in closer, his breath warm against her skin. “worked in my favor, didn’t it?”

she scoffed, tilting her head just enough to shoot him a glare, trying not to react to how his fingers were trailing higher, slower, teasing. “you’re insufferable.”

y/n should’ve known—being alone in a room with mikey was practically an invitation for sex.

she rolled her eyes. “thought you wanted to focus on your quiz, genius.”

mikey let out a low chuckle, his hands gripping her hips like he was barely holding himself back. “hard to focus when you’re like this.”

“mm? like what?” she teased, shifting just enough to make his fingers dig into her skin.

his breath hitched, but he refused to give in so easily. “you know exactly what, smart girl.”

then, without warning, mikey slapped her ass, making her gasp.

his hips pressed flush against her, rolling forward in a slow, deliberate grind. there was no sharp slap of skin, just the deep, dragging push of him filling her over and over, his movements steady but insistent. each thrust sent a shiver up her spine, the friction sparking heat low in her stomach, making her fingers clutch the sheets beneath her.

his breath came in ragged pants, his name slipping from her lips in a soft whisper. mikey’s grip on her hips tightened, pulling her closer as the rhythm of their bodies became more frantic, more desperate. the intensity of it all built until she couldn’t think anymore, lost in the feeling of him, the heat, the friction. each movement was deep and relentless, pushing her closer to the edge as she gasped, fingers clawing at the sheets beneath her.

“manjiro… i’m cumming—“

“me too, baby. shit—“

when they finally reached the edge, a wave of euphoria washed over them, leaving them both breathless, tangled in each other’s arms. mikey’s lips brushed against her neck as he collapsed behind her, both of them drenched in sweat, the room thick with the aftermath of their tangled bodies.

he gave a soft chuckle, still catching his breath. “so, think you’ll help me with my assignments again?”

y/n rolled her eyes but couldn’t stop the small smile that tugged at her lips. “if you’re horny, then no.”

mikey chuckled, his voice low and playful as he pulled her closer. “too bad, i’m always horny.”

y/n snorted, shaking her head. “figures.”

and with that, the night settled into a quiet calm, both of them exhausted but satisfied in ways they couldn’t quite explain.

chapter seven point five | chapter nine

[shelby-fangirl00]

Lie To Me-part two-(Irene (OC) x John Shelby x Tommy Shelby)

Summary: Irene has been seeing John Shelby for a year now on and off. In John's absence, Irene begins to feel a pull towards Tommy.

Warnings: (MINORS DNI, 18+) smuuuut, swearing, drinking, MMF (slightly))

The next few days, all I could think about was my night spent with Tommy. It was refreshing to not be constantly thinking about what John was up to. I was getting ready to close up shop at work with one of the tailors I worked alongside with. It wasn’t hard to find work near Small Heath a year ago, with my background in dressmaking. This small fitting shop on the outskirts of Small Heath was owned by an older man, Rory. He was the closest tailer to town. I offered him my services a year ago and we have been working together to help both men and women now. I love the work I do, even though it was a bit of a walk to get there every day. 

I was sitting in the back work station alone, putting some finishing touches on an evening gown I had been working on for months now. It was a long and fitted forest green with golden lining. I held the dress up, marveling at the work I had done. Pulling my bottom lip in, I worried it wasn’t fancy enough for the socialite woman I was making it for. I decided to find Rory to ask him. 

‘Roryyyyyy….’ I sang casually as I made my way to the front of the building, dress in hands. I waltzed into the main area, to find a much younger and dashing man instead. I gasped a bit in surprise, not expecting to see Tommy standing alone, hands placed casually in the pockets of his perfectly tailored gray suit. Rory must’ve left for the day it was getting dark soon. 

‘Evening Thomas...’ I managed to squeak out as he smiled lightly a me. 

‘What’s that you have?’ he asked gesturing to the long gown. I looked down and back at him. ‘Oh…a dress I’ve been working on forever. Supposed to be picked up in the morning…’ My voice trailed off as my eyes fell back down on the dress. I studied it a few seconds longer before looking back at him. 

‘Want a second opinion?’ He asked, seemingly sensing that I was unsure of my work. I smiled walking closer to him. I laid the dress down on a longer table for him to examine. I watched as his eyes scrunched up and studied the dress. He let his fingers brush over the shimmery green fabric, looking back up at me with those sparkling eyes. 

‘I hope whoever is wearing it paid you well enough. It’s very beautiful, Irene. Then again, I’m no dressmaker so my opinion might not mean much to you.’ 

My face bloomed with color at his approval and a wide smile crept up my face. 

‘No, no it means a lot coming from you! Thank god, I’ve been in my head about it all,’ I giggled, grabbing the dress and placing it behind the front counter.

‘What’re you doing here anyways? I know you don’t come here for your fancy suites.’ I questioned, grabbing my jacket from behind the front door. 

‘No, I don’t. I was coming to see you, actually.’ My heart was fluttering at this point. His eyes never wavered from mine as he spoke. I stood there at a loss for words.

 ‘Arthur is throwing Polly a birthday party as the Garrison tonight. I wanted to extend the invitation. Polly has always liked having you around.’ I nearly fainted. John would most definitely be there too. My mouth went dry but I tried to conceal my nerves. 

‘I’d love to, thank you for thinking of me, Tommy.’ 

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

Walking up the cobbled sidewalks towards the Garrison, I clutched the small giftbox in my sweaty palms. It didn’t take long for me to hear the vibrato of instruments playing from inside. Muffled sounds of people yelling and laughing were nearly pouring out of the wide double doors. I didn’t know what the hell I was supposed to be wearing, so I just wore a simple black dress that hugged my frame nicely and hung off my shoulders, exposing my neck and chest. A simple pearl necklace hung from my neck, accentuating my cleavage nicely. I chose to leave my hair down in its natural wavy state. My lips were covered in a light shade of red that matched my blushed cheeks. 

‘Irene!’ A familiar feminine but strong voice yelled immediately after I entered the bright and lively bar. 

I smiled wide as I drew her into a hug. “Happy Birthday! God, you look gorgeous in that dress!’ 

Her beautifully crooked smile made my heart swell. Her presence was always breathtaking. Her fire-red dress glimmered off of the twinkling chandeliers in the room. 

‘Thank you, love! You look stunning, as always. I was so happy to hear from Tommy that you were coming!’ 

I smiled, handing her the small box I had been carrying. A red bow rested on top. 

‘Oh, dear that was not necessary!’ Her laugh was cut off by a gasp when she opened the box. Resting inside was a sparkling hair comb that was studded in white rhinestones. I had stayed a little later at the shop after Tommy had invited me tonight. I decided to quickly make something small and elegant for Polly, something I knew she’d appreciate. 

‘Did you make this?!’ I giggled and shook my head yes. 

‘I’ll definitely have to keep this hidden from Ada, its beautiful! I hope it didn’t take up too much time?’ She asked me, concerned. 

‘It was no trouble at all, Polly! Happy birthday again! I need to grab a drink, I’ll see you soon, yeh?’

‘You surely will, dear!’ She sang as she drunkenly but confidently pushed through the tall crowd of eyeing men. 

I made my way past the lumps of people, finally making it to the end of the bar. I took my glass in hand and rounded back through the bar just to be shoved face first into John’s chest. His eyes were surprisingly bright with interest, not glazed over from drinking. 

Instinctively, I smiled up at his dazzling features. His hair was slicked back, unmoving and a toothpick hung from the end of his splitting smile. There were so many people around that we were practically squished together. I was suddenly very aware of the height difference between us. I was nearly 5’2’’. He was looking down at me in a hungry way.

‘You look very handsome tonight, Mr. Shelby.’ I giggled as his greedy hands swiveled around my wide hips, squeezing all of me between his fingers in a way that might have been inappropriate in this crowded bar. I couldn’t care less. We rarely saw each other outside of my dark flat. I was practically melting in his strong arms, I loved that he was being affectionate in front of his friends and colleagues. It made me feel special, stupidly. 

‘And you look good enough to taste, love.’ He whispered in my ear before planting a soft and quick kiss to the exposed skin on my neck. I was so responsive to him, it was embarrassing. I couldn’t help how my back arched towards him slightly; he was intoxicating to be around. 

I attempted to laugh in order to play off how tightly wound up I was. 

‘You’ll have to work for that from now on.’ I shot him a wicked grin before turning on my heels back to the bar. John was on my heels, though, which is what I wanted. Somehow, through the crowd of people, he jumped in front of me, stopping me in my path.

‘Listen, I tried to stop by. But I got stuck at the bloody fights with Arthur. He was so fucking drunk. I couldn’t leave him there alone. I would’ve stopped by if I could’ve.’ He said all this while holding his hands gently in mine. His eyes were waiting for an answer, to forgive him, like I always do so easily. 

‘You could’ve told me that days ago.’ I sighed out.

‘Yes, I should’ve, but I’m an arse and didn’t. Forgive me?’ He pleaded, pouting his bottom lip out. 

I took a sip of my drink before placing it back onto the bar, getting a good look at him now. I didn’t want to think about my complicated feelings for John or how he blew me off. The only thing I could think about was how badly I needed him to touch me. “Let’s have this conversation another time, yeh? I want to have fun tonight.’ You said before shoving a drink at him. 

He studied me for a few seconds, before letting go of the protest in his mind. ‘Fine by me, love.’ He laughed before downing his drink. 

An hour had passed and John couldn’t keep his hands off of me, which I didn’t mind. We sat at the bar and the conversation and jokes came naturally, like they always do. On the other side of the bar though, I could feel Tommy’s eyes watching me. Every time I looked up at him from the opposite end of the bar, his eyes were already on me. Shyly, I always looked away. But I was now several shots in. I didn’t want to admit that I liked his eyes on me. God what is wrong with me? I finally get John’s attention and now I can’t stop thinking about him and his brother?

John was shouting at the bartender about more shots and joking around with the other men sitting near us. I took the moment to lift my eyes up to meet Tommy’s, and I almost floated over to him before stopping myself. His intense stare never broke. He chuckled from across the bar as I instinctively nibbled my bottom lip at my wandering thoughts. God, what I would let that man do to me.

Breaking me out of my thoughts, I felt John’s warm hand slide up my thigh, eating me up with his eyes. My skin broke out in goosebumps and my breath hitched. I could still feel him watching us from across the room. 

John’s eyebrows creased in question, until he found where my line of vision kept wandering off to. He shot a devilish look back at me. 

‘Tommy told me about his little visit with you the other night.’ Shit. My heart fucking sank. 

I sat there in silence, not knowing what to say in order to keep John from completely freaking out and causing a scene. I wondered why he hadn’t already if he had known Tommy came over,

To my surprise, he started to giggle, sensing the rigidness in my body. To my surprise, he lifted my chin up and planted a sweet but passionate kiss to my lips, knowing that his brother was looking. I couldn’t help the satisfied whimper coming from the back of my throat that only John could’ve heard. I was melting in his hands. He pulled back and smiled. ‘Stop worrying, Irene. You’re a free woman, you can do as you please…whether that’s me or my brother…or both of us.’ 

My hand clamped down on his thigh, squeezing it in comfort. ‘John…nothing happened with me and Tommy.’ He smiled down at me cheekily, already sensing the hesitation in my voice. He already knew exactly how I felt about Tommy. 

‘That doesn’t mean you didn’t want something to happen. Doesn’t even mean it won’t happen eventually’ he leaned in to whisper, ‘Is that what you want, love? You want the both of us? It’s written all over you. You’re such a greedy girl.’ He giggled in a haunting way as his fingers brushed the exposed skin on my arm. The room seemed to spin and I couldn’t believe the words coming out of John’s mouth. I never would’ve expected John, the most possessive man alive right next to his brothers, would be ok with sharing. 

‘What’re you two love birds whispering about?’ Tommy’s low voice boomed from behind us. My eyes shot up to meet his beautiful blue eyes. 

‘Tommy! Perfect timing, brother. We were just talking about you.’ Tommy’s eyebrows curved in curiousity. 

‘Yeh? What about me?’ He sat on the stool next to me, placing me right between the two of them. 

‘I think Irene’s got a little crush on you!’ He yell-whispered to Tommy sarcastically across from me. I shoved his arm harshly to hide the glow on my cheeks. 

‘Jesus John!’ I scolded, making the both of them chuckle in an eerily calm and collected way. Had they already talked about this together? 

‘Is that true, Irene?’ Tommy laughed.

I shoved my face into my hands in embarrassment. “I’m not drunk enough for this.’ I sighed.

A strong hand found its way to the small of my back, making me straighten out. Only, the hand that was rubbing small circles into my back was Tommy’s, not Johns. 

My eyes shot between the both of them in shock. 

‘How about John and I walk you back home, hm? Is that ok with ya?’ Both of their eyes were planted on me, not bothering to notice the entire mob of people around us. My hands grew clammy and my red cheeks bled down my chest.

‘I’d like that.’ 

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

The walk back to my place was short. Full of constant laughter and chatter. John annoyed Tommy the whole way there and I couldn’t help but admire the way they bickered back and forth. I never got to see the two of them together like this, so playful. Tommy always had a layer of seriousness, but some of those walls seemed to crash down in John’s company. It was hard to be in a bad mood with him around. 

As we approached the front door of my flat, I turned to face them, they both stood shoulder to shoulder, waiting for me to speak. I had a feeling on how this night was going to play out and I couldn’t miss the opportunity. I didn’t want the night to end. I’d love to live in this tipsy and light state forever. 

‘You’re coming inside, aren’t you? Or is it past your bedtimes?’ I giggled as I fiddled with the keys and doorknob. 

John threw his head back and clutched the front of his coat dramatically. ‘Christ, I thought you’d never ask!’ He laughed before pushing past Tommy and through the front door. 

All three of us sat around my kitchen table playing cards and drinking for a while. The tension would’ve been air tight if it wasn’t for John breaking the ice by making jokes all night. I couldn’t ignore all of the small touches both Tommy and John were giving me. Tommy’s hand would brush across my back occasionally, but nothing more. John was less subtle, sneaking kisses and sitting inches away from me.  

‘I missed you this week, Irene.’ He sighed, leaning forward and pulling my chair forcefully in front of his. As soon as we were practically nose-to-nose, he enveloped me in a searing kiss. His lips moved slowly but no less passionate. His hands slid down my back slowly, stopping at my ass and squeezing lightly. I playfully pushed him off, laughing. Tommy was still seated beside me and John, watching. 

‘John, don’t manhandle me in front of your brother, you’ll make him uncomfortable.’ I half-joked. 

John threw his head back in laughter. ‘Tommy doesn’t get uncomfortable. I’m sure that’s the last thing he’s feeling right now.’ 

I looked back to Tommy who seemed even more angelic up-close. He had shed his jacket and was only in a white button down, his gun holster strapped around his shoulders and chest, showing how large this man actually was. I looked at him in question, never knowing what he was thinking.

‘Come here.’ He said in such a deadly tone that I could never disobey. I looked back at John for a reaction or some sort of protest, but there was none. In fact, he was silent. His eyes seemed to almost turn black as he watched me in anticipation.

I slowly stood up, walking a few steps to stand right above him. His dangerous star made me shiver. I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to be doing, just standing here in front of him. Sensing my nervousness, Tommy was level to my stomach. His eyes never left mine when he reached up to caress the skin under my dress. As his hand squeezed softly around me, he took note of the way my body relaxed. 

Still sitting lazily in the chair from under me, he used his foot to kick my leg open. All in one motion, he grabbed my hips tightly, and led me to cradle his lap. I yelped slightly, not expecting this all to move so quickly, but I wasn’t upset about it. I was full of excitement which weighed out my nervousness. 

I could hear John moving back and forth in his seat, but all I could focus on right now was how close my face was to Tommy’s. All of my senses were filled with him. I rested my hands on his shoulders as his hands slid up to cup my face before reaching up to kiss me. My body pressed into his chest, instantly feeling addicted to the taste of him and the feeling of his mouth on mine. Sparks shot through my body at every touch and every movement he made. His lips were soft and plump, fighting for dominance. Quickly, his tongue snuck its way into my mouth, teasing me slightly. A loud moan crept up my throat and I could feel Tommy smirk into the kiss, satisfied with the effect he had on me. His hands slid up my back to unzip the back of my dress. 

All too quickly, Tommy pulled away, leaving us both breathless. His eyes were wild and full of desire. I smiled down at him before he spoke. ‘How about we make John watch us play as a punishment for neglecting this needy body.’ 

I heard John chuckle eerily from behind us. I turned my head around and raised a questioning eyebrow at him.

‘No fair! I don’t get to play?’ He whined childishly. 

‘I told you that you’d have to work a little harder from now on.’ I teased at him. 

He slouched back in his chair, spreading his legs a bit farther apart, giving me a challenging look. Finally, he nodded to me in a sort of agreement. 

‘Irene.’ My name coming off Tommy’s lips like this almost put me in a trance. I would do anything he wanted when he said my name like that. 

I stood up, leading Tommy to my bed which was only a few steps from where John was in my tiny flat. As I plopped down, John scooted his chair in the direction of us. 

‘Are you sure you want this?’ He sat beside me on the bed, squeezing my hand lightly. 

I shook my head a bit too eagerly. ‘I trust you.’ His lips crashed back into mine. I was still aware of John’s eyes watching us and the small sounds he was making from his chair. 

Tommy’s hands brushed down my skin as he pushed the rest of my unzipped dress down. Tommy eyed every inch of exposed skin. 

He pushed his holsters off his shoulders swiftly, tossing them the floor. My hands greedily unbuttoned his shirt to expose his tight chest that was sprinkled in small scars and a couple tattoos I didn’t know about. 

My hands fell into his soft hair as he inched down my body, not hesitating when pushing past the fabric covering my pussy. Completely naked now, he pushed my thighs apart, letting both himself and John get a view of my pussy. I felt so vulnerable and so exposed to both of them, but the nerves quickly left as Tommy’s head lowered between my legs, letting his fingers graze down my slit. He dipped his finger into my tight hole, collecting the slick wetness into his finger. He watched my face methodically as he sucked the finger into his mouth. 

‘She tastes so sweet, doesn’t she?’ John said huskily as he began to fidget with his zipper, struggling to not stroke himself off. 

Tommy’s eyes were focused on me when he spoke next. “Sweeter than I ever imagined.’ 

Tommy leaned over my body, pushing his lips onto mine, letting me taste myself on his tongue. I inhaled sharply at the contact. My hands shot to his pants, quickly fumbling with the zipper. I wrapped my hand around his throbbing cock, pulling it free. He grunted loudly, giving me a boost of confidence. 

‘Are you ready for me?’ He whispered in my ear, setting me on fire again. I needed him inside of me now. 

‘Please, I need to feel you, Thomas.’ His face softened instantly for a few quick seconds at the use of his real name. He lined himself up with my entrance, staring into my eyes with such passion that I’d never seen before. Pushing his way inside me slowly, he hissed, but his gaze never wavered. He pushed deeper and deeper until bottoming out with a small whimper that made me tighten around him. I felt so full, but in the best way possible. His lips hovered over mine as his forehead fell onto mine. He adjusted to the tightness of me before moving again. 

‘Christ, you feel incredible.’ He said, finally pulling all the way out and pounding back inside of me over and over again, make me gasp for air. Lost in the sensations, I wrapped my legs around his waist, clawing lightly at his muscular back. Finding my center, I peeked over at John, who was now standing to get a better look at me. He was stroking his cock in time with Tommy’s thrust, chest heaving up and down frantically.

Reality suddenly set in as I watched John, thinking he might hate this. Would he be upset with me for this later? Am I betraying him like this?

Tommy must’ve noticed my body’s rigidness and the nervous look on my face. He pushed my face back under him, holding my head in place with both his strong hands as he fucked me so gently now. Each gentle thrust helped me fall farther into the moment with him. I relaxed around him finally, allowing him to move a bit faster. 

‘You’re doing such a good job, love. Focus on me, yeh? Make him pay for not worshipping this beautiful pussy.’ God, I couldn’t deny how sexy this was.

His thrust were slow and deep now, drawing every moan out of me for Tommy to devour. My hips started to meet his in a steady rhythm, fucking myself up into him. My hands were everywhere, falling down his chest and caressing back up to his pretty face panting over me. His breath held a strong scent of whiskey, sending my head spiraling. 

‘Does my cock feel better than his? I know it does. Tell me how good I feel inside you.’ He said in a slightly submissive and approval seeking way, whispering so that I was the only one to hear him. I couldn’t deny that this felt so much different than with John. This was all so unfamiliar and exciting. Tommy had a way about himself that I couldn’t explain. 

‘God, you feel amazing in me Tommy. I feel so full of you.’ I panted into him, only for his ears to hear. A small chuckle escaped him and he pressed his lips onto my neck again. I turned to face John who was about to come undone.

Before I could think, Tommy pulled me up to his chest before flipping me over, so that I was on-top of him. He looked stunning laying underneath me like this. His eyelids were heavy and his chest was heaving up and down. It started to feel like it was just Tommy and I here alone in my room. 

I pressed my hands firmly into his chest as I fucked myself down on his dick. I threw my head back and focused on my movements. I was bouncing up and down so harshly, each time I moved down, a loud grunt left Tommy, edging me on. His hands grabbed firmly onto my hips and he fucked up into me so much more harshly. I gasped, mouth hanging open and unable to move. Each time his cock shot up into me, I came closer and closer to the edge of my building orgasm. 

‘You’re close?’ He panted out, redirecting my attention on his angelic features. I shook my head yes, unable to form words right now. His hand moved down in-between us, rubbing fast and tight circles into my clit. I clamped my eyes shut, trying to contain the building pressure. I was a total goner now.

I felt his soft hands gently brush across my face, making my lids flutter open.

‘I am too. Come for me, love. Can you do that?’ He said, still fucking my core relentlessly.  

‘Yes, Tommy…I’m gonna come…’ I moaned out loudly before the flood gates broke open. My mouth hung in a silent cry and my hands clawed down his chest. I came so hard around him black spots clouded my vision. My entire body slowly lit on fire, every inch of my body shaking with pleasure. I came harder than I ever have in that moment. Tommy lifted my ass up with his hands and fucked me through the extreme pleasure. His thrusts became sloppy as his orgasm followed close behind mine. With a few final thrusts, I watched his face contort and then finally relax completely as his hot cum filled me up completely, spilling out the sides of me. I might become obsessed with this expression. After what felt like minutes of whimper and moans of bure bliss, I laid my head on his chest, still buried onto his cock. I felt him twitch inside of me as I tried to catch my breath. His hands rubbed up and down my back lightly, reminding me that we had company here still. It was so silent, the only sounds that filled the room were the panting coming from me and Tommy. He stared up at me in awe, giving me the softest smile that made me melt. I never wanted him to leave my bed. 

Finally, I moved off of him, falling to his side and turning to look at John who was fully clothed again, looking a bit pissed off. I hadn’t even known he had came and recomposed himself all while we were fucking. Did I not hear him at all?

‘If I didn’t know any better, I would’ve guessed you two were in love. The fuck was all that about?’

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[sunflowervoltwentyeight]

Happy 28th! Here’s my May 2023 fic rec! So many great fics, organized by word count. Enjoy!!!

Stranger Stars by shaylea (212k)

Five years ago, Africa offered a grieving Louis Tomlinson an escape from an England he couldn't tolerate. Now it's become home as he leads overland tours across the continent with his best friend and driver Zayn Malik. What's meant to be just another ordinary six-week trip from Cape Town to Nairobi turns into anything but, when future lawyer/current photographer and songwriter Harry Styles and his friends join Louis' latest set of passengers.

Own the Scars by crinkle-eyed-boo / @crinkle-eyed-boo (144k)

“But I don’t belong here,” Louis insists. “Why do you say that?” James asks. “These people are all drug addicts and alcoholics,” Louis shrugs. Something sparks in James’ eyes. “And you’re not?”

Louis has never felt like he was good enough: for his stepdad, for his life-long best friend, for the life he's supposed to want. After an accident that nearly costs him his life, Louis' parents send him to rehab where he’s forced to face his demons. On the long and difficult road to recovery, Louis must confront the truths he’s been avoiding about his future, his relationships, and his sense of self-worth. Because before he can love anyone else, he’s got to learn how to love himself first.

Run Away Home by hattalove / @hattalove (106k)

Louis stands, in the middle of a clearing with his hands in his pockets, and stares. This boy—God, this gorgeous, gorgeous boy. He seems so clumsy, confused at the best of times, but there’s a wisdom about him as he speaks, a maturity that belies his age.

Louis is hopelessly, wildly attracted to him.

or, louis is a successful jockey down on his luck, struggling to get his life back on track after an injury. harry has a horse, a house fit for a prince, and a broken heart.

it takes them a while to figure out that they need each other.

Love of My Life by likelarry / @likelarryfics (80k)

Harry is 36 and recently divorced after he's finally come to terms with his sexuality.

Louis is the 28 year old who helps him find his way and is everything Harry has ever dreamt of.

The one where Harry struggles to really accept who he is and Louis is there every step of the way.

And I’m Weeping Warm Honey and Milk (That You Stay Surrounding Me) by  fangirlflailings (78k)

Louis is a first-year medical student, still a little tender as he recovers from a personal trauma. Harry works, amongst other things, as a professional cuddler, though he comes with baggage of his own. They don’t mean it to, but the intimacy that blooms between them quietly changes them both.

Your Memory Over Me by shimmeringevil / @shimmeringevil (64k)

Three years have passed since Louis last saw him, but all it took was a few minutes in Harry’s presence for him to be relegated to the desperate twenty-one year old that was practically begging his boyfriend for an ounce of reassurance that he still cared about him.

Harry shouldn’t be here. He’s brought too many unresolved feelings with him, that Louis thought he’d never have to face.

It’s Harry’s apparent apathy that’s the most difficult to come to terms with. Anger, he could handle. Regret, he would welcome. But Harry’s amiability, and carefree demeanor can only be born from indifference.

He’s moved on. He doesn’t care. And that is something Louis doesn’t think he’ll ever be strong enough to face.

-

OR - The worst heartbreak of Louis’ life walks right back into it when his parents invite their family friends on an all-expenses-paid trip for their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary. Facing a past that he tried to bury long ago, Louis learns that some people have a way of sticking with you even when they’re gone.

You Taught Me How To Love (You Taught Me How To Stop) by devilinmybrain / @thedevilinmybrain (50k)

"I was always better at hand to hand than you," Harry growls, even as he leans his weight into the blade. It's small, sharp, has a handle of gold roses.

"I don't know about that." Louis moves his arm forward, makes the presence of the barrel of the gun fit snugly to Harry's hip. "I think we just play differently."

"You going to shoot me?" Harry asks, those wild eyes tracking over Louis' face. "Do it."

"I think I've put enough scars on you," Louis answers, means it about the stretch marks still lining the sides of Harry's stomach, but it lands a little too raw. There are other scars on Harry's body that Louis blames himself for, scars inside too.

[heroescore]

Heroes

Chapter 7 - Luck

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Aiden didn’t like to lie. So when he told Phil they wouldn’t talk about the day he spent with Slade, they really didn’t talk about it. Instead, he locked himself in his room, only coming out for drinks and snacks, and completely ignoring Phil whenever he did so.

Of course his friend realised he’d gone too far, but he was too proud to admit it. He found it far too suspicious that Slade happened to be at the right place at the right time, but also...he had taken good care of his friend, and did try to contact him as soon as possible to let him know his friend was okay.

Still, since Aiden wasn’t talking to him, he decided to go out to ease his mind, leaving a note to let his friend know he was…“on a walk.” Which wasn’t a complete lie, mind you, he did walk...to the subway. He made his way over to The Joint, finding the owner behind the counter, since he made Aiden cancel after all.

“Good afternoon,” he greeted, “Phil, was it?”

“Yeah, good memory,” Phil said, naively.

“How’s Aiden doing?”

“Well enough,” Phil said, “eager to get back to work, I think.”

“That’s too bad, he’s on paid leave all week,” Ecker said, “doctor’s orders, am I right?”

“Right,” Phil slowly said, “about that...Aiden said you know Slade pretty well, right?”

“Oh jeez, what’d he do?” Ecker asked, raising a red flag with Phil.

“It’s weird he happened to jump in just in time, don’t you think?” he slowly asked. Ecker raised a brow, and then burst out in laughter.

“You think? Hahaha! No, don’t worry. I promise you, that was pure coincidence,” he said, “no Slade was supposed to meet me, and the fastest route does go right past this place. He called me to let me know he couldn’t make it and asked if I happened to have your number, and since you’re Aiden’s emergency contact.”

“Oooh, Christ that makes so much more sense,” Phil said relieved, “but for real, he’s been a bit creepy, hasn’t he?”

“With the staring?” Ecker asked, “it’s because he’s too nervous to speak up. You know how it is. Aiden told me about your lil crush on a certain lady~”

“....fuck, that makes sense too,” Phil sighed, “and oh my God I have been a twat…”

“Nonsense, you were just doing what you thought was right,” Ecker said, “come sit down, have a drink.”

“Right...I’ll have a latte, please,” Phil said with a sigh as he sat down at the counter.

Ecker nodded and started warming up some milk. Meanwhile Phil noticed the missing poster, picking up one of the flyers.

“You know, they say when kids aren’t found within two days they usually don’t survive,” he said.

“I’m well-aware,” Ecker said, “but there’s no harm in being hopeful.”

“Yeah...at least someone misses him,” Phil said, putting the flyer back down and accepting his coffee.

Ecker didn’t reply, simply turning to the next customer.

“Welcome. What can I get you?”

Phil spotted something very red from the corner of his eye and looked over, nearly choking in his first sip as he recognised the super.

“King?!”

“Whoa, easy there, bud,” King said, taking a napkin and handing it to Phil. “Waaait, aren’t you that columnist?”

“The one and only~ or rather...one of many,” Phil said.

“But the only one that interviews supers,” King said, “I’m sorry my partner and I flaked on you a couple weeks ago. We...had a family emergency.”

“Oh shit, no, don’t worry about it,” Phil said, “had a backup for next week’s issue. But uh...I’m still open for the one after that~”

“Really? That ad we responded to not getting many reactions then?” King asked.

“Not always, no,” Phil admitted, “a lot of you don’t trust any press, and with good reason.”

“Huh. Well, if you wanna give it another shot, I got time...some time next week,” King said.

“Oh that’d be perfect!” Phil said, “you wanna meet at my office, or rather some neutral ground?”

“Office sounds more private,” King said.

“Awesome! Here’s my card, the address is on there, and this is my private cell, just shoot me a text if you get another emergency.”

He penned his number on the back of his card before handing it to King.

“Thanks, I’ll let you know if White wants to tag along,” King replied as he pocketed the card, “but he’s going through a rough patch right now, so I wouldn’t count on it.”

“I see, don’t worry about it,” Phil said, “we all go through some stuff sometimes, right?”

“Not like this,” King said darkly, before forcing a smile, “anyway, I best get going. Have a great day!”

He took his order and headed off, leaving Phil a little confused.

“Not like this?” he repeated, “what did he mean with that?”

“Don’t ask me,” Ecker replied, “I’m just trying to run a business here.”

“Right,” Phil said, “I should get back home, see how Aiden’s doing.”

“Give him my best,” Ecker replied, taking his payment before waving him off.

When he arrived home, Aiden had come out of his room it seemed, watching TV when Phil walked in.

“Oh, hey,” Phil said, a little awkwardly, “how are you feeling?”

“Like my best friend of all people is trying to control my life,” Aiden said.

Phil rolled his eyes a bit.

“Okay, easy on the attitude, I...want to apologise,” Phil said, “I...sniffed around a little, and your boyfriend wasn’t being creepy, it really was just a coincidence.”

“It’s hardly an apology if you manage to mock me too, dude,” Aiden said, annoyed.

“Sorry! Sorry…” Phil quickly said, “I misjudged and jumped to conclusions about Slade’s intentions, and I’m sorry. It’s just...you’re the only best friend I have, and I’d hate for something to happen to you.”

Aiden turned the TV off, sighing deeply.

“Apology accepted…”

“Thank you,” Phil said, “wanna hear about who I just met though?”

“Your excitement is giving me a headache, but go on,” Aiden said, shading his eyes a little.

“Okay, okay, stay down, lest this blows you away~ I just met...King of Hearts!”

“...the kid from Times Square?” Aiden asked.

“Yeah the— Wait. You know him?”

“I know of him,” Aiden said, “Mirage is pretty wary of him, since he’s...a teenager.”

“...now that you mention it, he did seem very young,” Phil said, “but then again, so is Cat, right?”

“I dunno, I’m not gonna ask,” Aiden said, “asking a woman about her age is the fastest way to get killed, isn’t it?”

“I think that only counts for middle-aged women,” Phil said, “always guess ten years younger than you think they look...how old do you think Mirage is?”

“How old will we be before she finally gives our cup back?” Aiden replied, “she keeps forgetting she has it.”

“Heh, classic Mirage,” Phil said, clearly blinded by his crush.

Aiden rolled his eyes, turning the TV back on. Coming back to his senses, Phil stretched, before tossing Aiden his phone.

“Since I didn’t get my me-time Sunday, how’s about you order dinner, and I’ll be in the bathroom.”

“Pizza it is,” Aiden said.

“Good, you know my faves,” Phil said, before disappearing into the bathroom.

Every week, usually on Sunday, Phil took at least an hour for some self-care. No phone calls, text messages, social media, or any distractions of any kind. Just him, a nice hot bath, scented candles, and his favourite music. It was a very important ritual for him to deal with the stress of everything going on in his life, and his only opportunity to slow down in an otherwise fast-paced life.

Aiden usually used the same time for some meditation in his room, so he didn’t have to be too bored waiting for Phil to finally leave the bathroom. However, he didn’t really get the chance today. He’d just finished ordering pizzas and turned the TV off again, taking a deep breath to begin the usual exercise, when two familiar costumed women suddenly appeared in the living room.

“Hiya!”

“Good Lord?! Oh, Mirage, hi,” Aiden said, checking if his heart was still beating.

“Sorry, did we startle you?” Mirage asked, “my bad. Anyway, I need to pick your brain on something. Where’s Phil?”

“In the bathroom,” Aiden said, “what’s up?”

“What happened to your face?” Cat asked.

“What happened to your manners?” Aiden retorted, swiping her hand away before she could poke his bruise.

“He got mugged, did I forget to tell you?” Mirage explained, “are you up for a lil brainstorming sesh?”

“I’ll survive, it’s not serious anyway,” Aiden said.

“Why didn’t you kick their ass?” Cat asked.

“I’d have exposed myself if I did,” Aiden said, “I know I probably should’ve taken the risk, but...still kinda new to all this to be honest.”

“Oh you poor thing,” Mirage said, “have you been icing it properly?”

“I’m fine, really. What is it you wanted to discuss?”

“Oh it’s huge! I bet Phil will want to hear this!” Mirage said.

“Well he’s taking a bath and— did she just teleport into the bathroom?”

The uncharacteristic high-pitched scream answered his question for him, while Cat just shook her head a bit.

“Aiden!!” Phil cried, before he came bursting into the room, wearing his bathrobe, thank goodness, “I ask for one hour, one hour!” he yelled, “Why did you let her into the bathroom?!”

“Because I’m not faster than the speed of light,” Aiden deadpanned.

“She fast,” Cat added, while Mirage just giggled.

“I’m so sorry, I just got a little too excited~ But really though, you guys wanna hear this.”

“I’ll make some coffee—”

“Sit your ass down, you’re still resting!” Phil said.

“I’ll do the coffee,” Cat said, rolling her eyes and going to search their kitchen.

Meanwhile Mirage sat Phil down, beginning to pace before their TV.

“Okay, so we have live dinosaurs, a runaway train and a missing kid,” she said, “actually, this will help—”

She disappeared, and reappeared seconds later with a whiteboard, beginning to write on it.

“Okay, okay, so my lab linked the dinosaurs to the same corporation that seemed to have been responsible for the hack that caused the train to go haywire, which ‘coincidentally’ happened at the exact time that the missing boy’s older brother was rushing to catch one of the trains that got cancelled, causing him to be late to pick up his little brother from school.”

“Wait, what missing kid?” Phil asked, “the one from the flyer at The Joint?”

“Yes, try to keep up,” Mirage said, “now it may seem insignificant, but both Slade and Brain reported that the kid may have powers, which brings us to…”

She flipped the whiteboard around, revealing a second one that had been pasted full of articles and file pages of missing persons cases, some of which had been crossed out with red marker.

“A whole series of kidnapped and sometimes even killed supers.”

“Oh man, they got Dynamite and Pandora?” Phil groaned a bit.

“Unfortunately,” Mirage said solemnly, “however they seem to be one of the few casualties so far.”

“They’re all about our age,” Aiden said, peering at some of the files, “...are they sure the kid was taken by the same suspects? He’s so young…”

“If he has, I think we’re on to something huge,” Mirage said, “I mean, huge enough to bring extinct animals back to life and to hack the subway, just to kidnap a boy.”

“I’m sure if we dig deeper we might find more incidents that turn out to be related to those two,” Phil said, “you’re right, this is huge…”

“Exactly what I was thinking,” Mirage said, “we really need all supers to be wary until we know who we’re up against.”

“So we let the 124th release a statement?” Aiden suggested.

“I’m afraid that won’t work,” Mirage said, “if all supers can see it then all supers can see it.”

“Including super villains,” Phil slowly said, “and whoever is behind this might not know how aware of them we are yet.”

“Precisely,” Mirage said, “so we have to spread the word by word of mouth. Aiden, you’re our best connection with your job at The Joint.”

“I guess, but if a super is not in costume I can’t recognise them,” Aiden said, “but...my boss can.”

“...why is he a psychic?” Phil asked.

“...maybe,” Aiden said, “but trust me, he’s a better connection than me even.”

“Great!” Mirage said, “you get on— No wait, I’ll get on that while you’re recovering.”

“It’s a minor concussion, I can go back to work tomorrow,” Aiden said.

“Nah, dude, your boss said you’re on paid leave, let Mirage handle it,” Phil said.

“I’m what? For how long?” Aiden asked, “why didn’t he call me?”

“Because your phone— ah crap I forgot to buy you a new one,” Phil said, facepalming.

“Hah! Good to know I’m not the only one forgetting things,” Mirage said.

“Like our cup?” Aiden asked.

“Oh, oops!”

She was about to jump home to find it for them when Cat suddenly dropped one (thankfully plastic) in the kitchen as she stared at her phone.

“Are you okay, Cat?” Mirage asked worriedly.

“I need to go home,” Cat said, “I need to go home right now!”

She showed something on her phone to Mirage, to which her face steeled as she nodded.

“Right away! Aiden, I know you’re resting, but do us a favour and fly over Brooklyn. You’ll know what to look for when you see it!”

Before the boys could ask any questions, the girls already disappeared, leaving them behind confused.

“Welp, best get going then,” Aiden said, getting up.

“Wait! Take me with you!” Phil said, getting up and quickly going to grab some clothes.

“Phil, I should hurry, and what if it’s dangerous?” Aiden said.

“Exactly,” Phil said, “while you and the girls are focussed on danger, I could look out for that!”

He pointed at the whiteboard Mirage had left behind. Aiden rolled his eyes.

“We don’t even know if it could be connected to whatever is going on with Cat,” he said.

“But it can’t hurt to look, just in case,” Phil argued, somehow managing to put on his pants, shirt and shoes at the same time, “okay let’s fly. Why didn’t you transform yet?”

“Let’s get to the roof first,” Aiden said, “come on!”

They made their way to the roof of their apartment building, though despite his insistence to tag along, Phil wasn’t all too happy at the mode of transportation, watching the city soar below him, with his only safety being Aiden’s grip on his hands.

“Are you sure I couldn’t have piggy-backed you?” he cried.

“My wings would knock you off, dumbass,” Aiden simply replied, as he was more focused on his assignment, though he still had very little idea what exactly he was looking for.

Suddenly, he noticed something he’d never seen before. It looked like the waves of colours he could usually see around people, but it was huge and whipping about like a solar flare. The dark colour was concerning, but more importantly, it seemed...contagious? An overwhelming sense of stress, fear and sadness washed over him as he approached.

“Um...Ai— I mean, Cross? I suddenly don’t feel so good about tagging along anymore,” Phil said.

“You’re feeling that?” Cross asked, “do you see anything?”

“N-no, just….why am I crying?”

“Cross!”

They both looked to their side to find Mirage waving at them from one of the rooftops. Cross quickly slowed down, circling back, helping Phil land smoothly, before skidding to a halt himself.

“Woah! I gotta practise on that still… Mirage, what’s up?”

“I lost Cat,” Mirage said, “it’s her brother, he sent her a goodbye text!”

“Cat has a brother?” Phil asked.

“What are you even doing here?!”

“Mirage, focus!” Cross quickly said, “a goodbye text as in…?”

“He’s got issues,” Mirage quickly said, “she’s terrified he’ll do something stupid, but we can’t locate him, and then she ran off and I don’t know what to do!”

Cross tilted his head for a moment.

“It’s affecting you too,” he said.

“What?” Mirage asked.

“The— Oh, nevermind. I think I know where to find Cat’s brother, and her. You two stay here, don’t do anything stupid.”

His wings unfolded again and he took off, heading closer towards the flaring emotion. It came from one of the higher buildings, a crowd and police already gathered, and it didn’t take a genius to put one and one together. 

Just in time, he spotted the source of the distress, and it was as if Michael saw no other choice but to take over his body and mind fully to help him get to his target faster. In what seemed like the blink of an eye, Cross suddenly found himself hanging on to a struggling young man for dear life as he tried to get them both to the ground safely.

He didn’t want to be saved, but Cross could only hope he would appreciate it later…

Hopefully.

However, the landing did not go as smoothly as originally intended. A loud bang echoed through the street, sending the crowd into an immediate panic, while Cross was forced to retract his wings fully, falling the last few metres and crashing onto the pavement.

Fortunately, they both got off with some scrapes and bruises, but that didn’t take away the fact that someone had fired a gun, and had been aiming for the winged super. Fortunately the bullet hadn’t hit a physical part of him — his wing — but he could still feel the pain. It was like an itch you can’t quite scratch, but worse.

However, he grit his teeth and ignored it, looking around to try and identify the source of the danger, keeping the young man he just saved from himself pressed against the ground for his own safety.

The crowd that had gathered to watch the jumper had dispersed as fast as they had gathered, while the police took cover behind their vehicles, though they, too, had little idea where the threat came from. Alerted by the shot, Mirage teleported over together with Phil to check up on their friends.

“You guys okay? Where’s Cat?”

“Active shooter, get down!” Cross just yelled, getting up to yank the most vulnerable of them to the ground.

However, as he did so, there was another loud bang, and Mirage pulled Phil aside while Cross cried out in pain as he got hit again. For real this time.

“Stay down!” Mirage told Phil, before she disappeared.

Phil cursed as he did what he said, being coaxed by one of the officers on site to take cover behind their car, but he was too focused on his friend, who was right there, bleeding out on the pavement.

“Cross?!” he called.

“Stay down, back-up is on the way!” Another officer called.

“Easy for you to say!” Cross snapped back.

Phil sighed relieved. At least he was still alive it seemed, or his attitude was at least. But the danger hadn’t passed as more shots were fired. Whoever was firing at them, he seemed to try and take out the police.

Phil pressed himself against the ground, covering his ears but keeping an eye on his friend. He seemed to be out of the line of fire for the time being, but of course when they thought the worst was over...things got really bad. A window in the building across the street shattered as some sort of rock was thrown through...which then exploded.

Chaos, pure chaos. Phil’s ears were ringing as the car fortunately shielded him from the worst blast, but apparently the disruption had given a tall figure clad in black the chance to get past the police and stand over his victim. The man grinned at Cross as he drew his gun, and having no idea what else to do...Phil yelled.

“No, stop!!” he shouted.

The shooter seemed to freeze for a moment, until a flash of silver suddenly knocked him against the ground. Black Cat breathed heavily as she had just knocked the man out with her staff, her eyes darting around to scan the situation. Phil scrambled to his feet, stumbling over to his friend. But before he could reach him, Mirage returned, looking around in confusion.

“Whoa what happened?”

“Mirage! Where were you?!” Phil asked, “Ai— Cross got—”

“Oh God he’s bleeding a lot!” Mirage interrupted, pushing Phil aside and putting a hand right onto his wound.

“SON OF A BITCH!” Aiden— Er...Cross cried, though he was beginning to lose his usual light.

“I’m sorry!” Mirage said, “but I gotta put pressure on it, right, doc?”

She looked up, to which Phil finally noticed Mirage hadn’t turned up alone. With her was a familiar young-looking old man, looking a little green in the face, but forcing himself over it as he looked over Cross.

“Bloody hell,” he said, “yes, keep pressure on that. I can’t treat him here, I’ll need a sterile environment. Does anyone see the bullet or will I have to dig it out of him?”

“I know a place,” Mirage said, “hang in there, buddy, this is going to hurt like hell. Cat! You got things here?”

“I got it, go!” Cat said, keeping Phil at a distance, while Mirage reached for Slade and the three of them disappeared, leaving only an uncomfortably large pool of blood behind.

Cat stepped over it, focusing on the jumper they almost forgot about, pulling him to his feet by his collar.

“What were you thinking?!” she hissed, “do you want to go back to hospital?”

“I want it...to stop,” the young man softly replied, pulling his hands through his hair, seeming overwhelmed.

“This is not the way, Haze!” Cat said, trying her best not to cry.

Phil didn’t want to intervene, but he also felt like he didn’t really have a choice.

“Look at your sister,” he said, “imagine how she’d feel if you succeeded.”

“Leave him, Phil,” Cat said, “he’s not well…”

“I understand,” Phil said, “I just want him to realise his actions impact more than just his own life. My friend got shot saving your life for fuck’s sake!”

“He didn’t have to—”

“Enough!” Cat hissed, giving her brother a little push, “you’re going to go home and write a thank-you card or so help me I will personally drag you to the nearest mental hospital!”

“I’m afraid he can’t go, not yet,” a voice said.

It seemed the police reinforcements finally arrived. Captain Carnahan addressed the super and her two accomplices while detective Hill bent over the shooter, checking if he was alive, before searching his pockets.

“I’m afraid the three of you will have to come to the station for questioning,” Captain Carnahan continued.

“Cap! This guy’s got a list,” Hill called, pulling a piece of paper from the shooter’s pocket and looking at it.

Captain Carnahan gave the three of them a warning glare, before going to check with her partner. There were a lot of names on it.

“Bag it,” she said, before going back to Cat, Phil, and Cat’s apparently suicidal brother.

“There were two more supers on the scene, they said. Where are they?”

“Mirage and Cross were here,” Cat dutifully answered, “but Cross was injured, so she took him somewhere to be treated.”

“Great...we’ll call them in for questioning when they’re available,” Captain Carnahan said with a sigh, “meanwhile you three, in my car. Now.”

They piled single-file into the back of the police car, Cat squeezing herself in the middle, keeping a close eye on her brother, while Phil pulled out his phone and texted Mirage to ask how Aiden was doing. Cat let him be for a couple minutes, before suddenly speaking up.

“How did you do it?” she asked.

“Pardon?”

“How did you stop the shooter?”

“What are you talking about?” Phil asked.

“Nobody, in the history of ever, so hell-bent on killing someone they would throw an explosive device at police, would ever freeze up just because someone yelled at them to stop,” Cat deadpanned.

“What are you talking about?” Phil repeated, “he stopped because you knocked him out?”

“I could only knock him out in time because he stopped,” Cat said, “now how did you do it?”

“I just yelled, what are you on about??” Phil said, “I saw someone aiming a gun at my friend! What else could I have done?”

Cat squinted her eyes suspiciously, before deciding to back off.

“How is he?” she eventually asked.

“...I don’t know. Mirage isn’t answering.”

“No news is good news,” Cat said, “means she’s busy keeping him alive still.”

And then some. Mirage had taken Aiden and Slade to the first sterile environment she could think of; her lab. It wasn’t ideal, but it was sterile, controlled, and safe. Also, it gave her access to certain chemicals, which she could use to assist Slade. When they arrived, a couple beakers were lost as Slade immediately lifted Aiden up and planted him on the nearest table, pushing off any equipment that had been in his way.

“I’ll reimburse you for that,” he said.

“No need, I’ve got very good insurance since the explosion,” Mirage said, “okay, what do we do?”

“I’ll need ether, it’ll help with the pain.”

“The solvent??”

“Aye,” Slade said, “hurry, las. Getting shot hurts.”

Mirage didn’t even bother walking over to the cabinet, and teleported instead, yanking it open and finding the solvent. Meanwhile Slade tried to help Aiden calm down. He hadn’t recognised him initially, but now that his disguise had faded, he was honestly a little surprised, but he did his best to hide it. He had a job to do after all.

“You’re going to be arite, Love. You’re in good hands,” he said, “I’ll also need a rag with that, Mirage. He needs to inhale it.”

“Is that safe?” Mirage asked, disappearing and reappearing with a rag.

“Safe enough,” Slade said.

“Safe enough?!” Aiden repeated through gritted teeth.

“Hush,” Slade said calmly, “look at me, right here. Don’t think about the procedure, just take a deep breath. Tell me, did it hurt when you fell from heaven?”

He winked while soaking the rag in ether.

“If I survive I’m going to fucking kill you,” Aiden grumbled in reply.

Slade just hushed him again, pressing the rag over his mouth and nose and reminding him to take deep breaths, before looking back up at Mirage.

“You arite, las? I’m going to need your help, so keep your head in the game. Pop over to the nearest hospital, and get me gauze, lots of it. Tell them you need supplies to extract a bullet. I’ll need to examine him closer but it looks like it lodged somewhere in his shoulder or arm. After they’ve given it to you, tell them you’ll be back for two bags of O-negative. Be authoritative, don’t give them the chance to ask questions. Got it?”

“Yes, got it,” Mirage said, nodding determined, before handing him a bottle of iodine.

He gladly took it, making sure Aiden was too out of it to feel anything before pouring it on and around his wound. He found some scissors and carefully cut his clothing out of the way, assessing the damage and trying to decide if he could handle this or if it would be wiser to let Mirage take him to hospital after all.

Meanwhile Mirage scared a couple unsuspecting nurses as she appeared at their desk, blood on her hands and clothes. But she remembered Slade’s advice, and took a deep breath to steel herself before yelling orders.

To her delight, two nurses ran to fetch the supplies she asked for, while a third took note of the whole situation, so they could handle the paperwork later. A fourth ordered the blood Mirage said she’d come back for, and asked if she needed anything else.

“If I need more I’ll be back, thanks,” Mirage just said.

“This kit is fully sterilised and ready to use. Don’t open it until you use it,” another nurse said, while handing her a covered box.

“Thanks so much, I’ll be back for the blood soon— Oh, one of them IV-needle thingies might help with that!”

The nurse nodded and ran off again while Mirage disappeared, bringing the supplies to Slade. She pulled a cart over, placing the box on top of that, while relaying what the nurse had told her.

“Perfect,” Slade said, “take the gauze, staunch the bleeding while I scrub in.”

“Oh God, oh God, oh God,” Mirage mumbled as she did as she was told, “h-he’s not moving, is he okay?”

“Ether knocked him out,” Slade simply said, “the bullet isn’t deep, I can almost see it. Damage is mostly fat tissue and some muscle. Once we get that thing out and stop the worst bleeding, he’s going to be just fine.”

“Oh thank goodness, Phil is going to be so relieved!” Mirage said, “I should call him—”

“Head in the game, las!” Slade said sternly, “you may call anyone after I dismiss you, until then I need both your hands!”

“R-right, sorry!”

“Arite, I’m ready. Go get the blood,” Slade said, putting on some rubber gloves and putting pressure on the wound next so Mirage could leave.

She nodded and disappeared again, appearing a minute later with two bags and the necessary supplies to start a transfusion. “Perfect. Once that’s in the real work begins. You still arite?” Slade said, gesturing for Mirage to take over again.

“Bit tired from all the jumping, but I’ll live,” Mirage said, “I’ll collapse when we’re in the clear.”

“That’s the spirit,” Slade said, fiddling with the bags and the IV needle, before finally getting to work on the wound.

Meanwhile, Captain Carnahan had taken Phil, Cat and her brother to the precinct to question them on what happened. The shooter had been arrested after a medical check and was being questioned about his list.

“So you’re friends with the hero known as Cross?” detective Hill asked, looking over his notes after taking Phil's statement.

“Is his identity going to remain secret?” Phil asked.

“I’m not investigating his identity, I’m investigating why he got shot,” Hill assured him, “so far, it seems like Cross was the target, not whoever he is the rest of the day, so I see no need to look into that.”

Phil nodded, a little more assured. He had a feeling he could trust this detective.

“We’re roommates,” he admitted, “he helped Mirage and Black Cat with the dinosaurs and she brought him home to protect his identity. After the East Meadow incident Cross also brought Mirage to our place to rest up and protect her identity. We kinda all became friends after that. I don’t know much about her identity, but she said she worked in a lab or something and they linked the dinosaurs to the same organisation that hacked the subway, and we think that’s somehow also linked to a missing kid, who Slade thought might have superpowers as well.”

“...if I had a penny for every time I heard that theory,” Hill said, shaking his head a bit, “anyway. What the hell were you doing at the scene? Sources say Mirage brought you in. Any reason for her to do that?”

“Well, she was explaining her theory to me and Cross, when Cat suddenly had to leave, and Mirage told Cross to fly over Brooklyn, and...I kinda talked him into taking me along, in case it would be another related event. They could focus on being heroes, and I could watch the surroundings or something. We had no idea it was about Cat’s brother, and...that shooter really came out of nowhere it seemed…”

“Yeah, I find it too suspicious that a shooter with Cross’ name on a list just happened to be there,” Hill said, nodding in agreement, “anyway, it is what it is for now. Would you mind telling your friend we want to talk to Cross when he’s up to it?”

“Sure, I’ll pass it on,” Phil said, “does that mean…?”

“You’re free to go,” the detective said, “you got a way to go home?”

“Um...depends. What time does the bus go here?”

“I’ll ask an officer to drive you home,” Hill said, “follow me.”

He parked Phil in a waiting area together with Cat, while he went to find someone that could drive him home. Cat seemed rather annoyed at the whole situation, but pretended to be fine as Phil sat next to him.

“Everything go alright?” she asked.

“Yeah they’re uh...getting me a ride home,” Phil said, “you?”

“Still questioning my brother,” Cat said, “he um...he’s an empath. It means he can feel what other people are feeling, and he can amplify and broadcast those emotions to others. He...hasn’t got a very good grip.”

“Oh that must suck...and in that neighbourhood too,” Phil said, “is...he going to be okay?”

“They might take him to hospital for a psych evaluation. It’s standard…”

“Damn,” Phil said, “sorry to hear that.”

“It might be good for him this time,” Cat said with a shrug, “any news on Cross?”

“Nnnope,” Phil said with a sigh, “but no news is good news, right?”

“Exactly,” Cat said, “you hang in there, okay?”

“Thanks,” Phil said, “and likewise...if you need anything you can...drop by whenever. But if the bathroom door’s locked it’s locked for a reason.”

“Heh, duly noted,” Cat said, “and thanks...take care. And thank Cross for me.”

“I will,” Phil said, smiling before he was called over by the detective again, and introduced to officer Hales, who would drive him home.

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[nerdieforpedro]

Wyrms and Soggy Milk

Chapter Three of Fire and Fury

Pero Tovar x Calista (fat/plus size OFC)

My entire masterlist and blog are for readers 18+ MDNI. I do not consent to my work being used in AI, recommended on TikTok, borrowed or plagiarized.

Summary: Arriving at the church was supposed to be a reprieve, it proves to be anything but. By the end of their continued troubles , Pero ends up confused and in a tub. Calista may have the advantage.

Warnings: (Dark Fic/DDDNE - violence and threats of SA) time-period misogyny, blood, mentions of some gore, insults, mention of sex work, way too much milk talk, unlawful use of scales (unsure if there's a lawful use?), Pero in a tub

Word Count: about 5.2k

Notes: I tried my best with writing fight scenes, I think the chapter ended up long because of it but they should make sense. It’s my second or third time writing one so I’m hopeful? 🤔 Let me know how it reads.

Main Masterlist/ Pero Tovar Masterlist/ AO3 Link

Meeting the Father

The sun hung low in the sky by the time they reached the church Pero and William had stopped by before heading into the forest yesterday. The trio had settled from their bickering as fatigue and hunger quieted them. Father Ignacio spotted them in the distance. He recognized the two men, but had never seen the woman before, she didn’t look like anyone from his flock from the nearby village.

As the small group comes closer, the priest is able to make out more details about the woman with the two mercenaries: this does not bode well for him. He was hopeful maybe she was older, but she appears young, full-bodied with a silver and light green dress stained with blood. Her hair is an unusual mix of the same mint green and black. What draws Father Ignacio is her lips, a vibrant bold pink. Such a color on a woman and given her clothing, he assumes that the two men have found a woman of the night to share for the night possibly, though there is something about her that doesn’t quite fit with the usual defeated look of those women. For one to enter the church, he must make it clear to Pero and William that no matter what they may have paid for, no such activity can take place under God’s house.

“Hey Father! I found him! I found Pero! You were wrong, though I’m not quite sure what happened after but we’re all okay I think.” William bounced up to the older gentleman and hugged him. Pero scoffed and Calista stood behind the Spaniard. She’s weary of men in robes, they tend to call her kind the embodiment of evil and try to hunt them. Not that any of their so-called holy relics to any more than make dragons itch. She feels vulnerable since she knows she’s weaker than normal. 

“I see that Will. Who is your lady companion? I don’t remember either of you mentioning a third person.” Father Ignacio’s eyes are fixed on Calista, those sinful lips, bright honey eyes that have what looks to be paint on her eyelids. Some of the noblewomen wore adornments like that on their faces. Draws men into temptation, makes them commit acts they wouldn’t normally. But she cannot be turned away, the sun is nearly gone from the sky now and darkness is taking hold of the heavens. Such horror would befall a woman like her if left alone. “What is your name my girl?” The priest didn’t mean for it to sound vulgar, but she brings it out of him. He’ll need to be far away from her but this woman proves captivating. The Father would rather not put too much distance between them. A healthy about, room enough for The Lord if you will.

“This is Calista. We rescued her from some wolves in the forest. She’s staying with us so we can see her into town. She got lost while traveling.” William explained and Pero nodded. Ignacio assumed that what the pale one said was indeed a lie, but one to likely preserve her dignity given who the priest believes she really is. 

“That will not be acceptable William. She’ll need her own room. This is the house of the Lord after all. Come. Let’s get the three of you cleaned and fed.” He smiles and William returns it, Pero does briefly and Calista doesn’t smile at all. They follow the older man into the inner part of the church past the congregation hall. He stops and points that William and Pero will share a room at the end of the long hallway they have turned down. Calista’s room would be in the middle of the hallway since normally there are men studying to be priests there but given the notoriety or the forest, few come to accept the call. 

“I would prefer to stay with my protectors, good sir.” Calista informed the priest, feeling the words were foreign on her tongue. He’s been watching her this entire time. She may be a young dragon and had limited experience in the human world but she knows how many men view women, especially men whose eyes follow her with such clear intentions. Instinctively, she crosses her arms to cover her chest, much of which is exposed from the low cut of her dress. Now he wishes to separate her from the group, such a basic tactic.

“I agree with the lady Father. She is our responsibility and should remain with us.” Pero steps between her and the Father. He knows men like this priest, who act holier than most but if given the funds, access and anonymity, they would live in a brothel. Father Ignacio takes a step back, the Spaniard is intimidating to say the least and the priest is sure that he has no qualms about spilling blood in a house of God. William is watching the exchange between the three and is trying to think of a compromise, it’s a bad one, but it’s better than being run out of the village for killing this man.

“Father. Pero. Let’s just sort this out.” His hands are raised as the pale warrior speaks. “Now, Father,” William turns to face Ignacio, “Miss Calista is under our protection. We can’t very well leave her unattended and unguarded, that would go against the agreement we’ve made to see her safely home.” He slaps his palms on the Father’s shoulders and smiles. “Now I believe, there should be two sleeping quarters next to each other because I know that’s what your true issue lies despite it not being a true concern at all.” The priest begrudging looks at Calista, then Pero, and back to Calista. He is not convinced that there will not be some sort of illicit activity happening, but it is also a fair alternative. He has lost this round, but the battle is not over yet.

“Fine young William. I shall show you all two rooms that should work and are side by side.” The older man huffs and walks down the long hallway and turns the corner. Neither William nor Pero realized the church was quite this large when they first came here though they’d only been in the vestibule and chapel, never any further. Calista’s head is swiveling side to side observing the tapestries hanging on the wall, gold and silver adorning the walls and various prayers etched in Latin. That part seemed strange, usually words aren't etched into the walls of churches. There's too many questions raised about these priests here to Calista, but she remains silent for now. She needs to keep playing the part of the helpless woman. She hated the role and that it was closer to the truth than she would ever admit. The four finally reached the two rooms that Ignacio had to offer. Each room had two twin beds, were clean, had a nightstand and two candles each that could be lit for light. There was a door in the middle connecting the two rooms, the priest said that he would be right back with a change of clothes for each of them. The three inspected the rooms and were satisfied by the accommodations. 

“I'm looking forward to sleeping somewhere soft.” Calista plopped down on one of the twin beds in the first room, Pero was finishing up a walk through of the second room, it was quick as both rooms were equally small. William nodded, sitting across from the young dragon on the opposite bed. He sighed and was trying to figure out better sleeping arrangements, this wasn't what he expected from a man of the cloth. He looked for the good in people which wasn't always there, no matter what their station or profession. Pero stood with arms crossed, scowl on his face per usual, except this time he was squinting his eyes at William.

“William, we can't stay here. I don't care what you told that priest. I know you're still recovering from what that gray dragon did but you saw how that bastard-” He raises his hand and Pero huffs. 

“Look, I know Pero. How was I supposed to know he was like this? He's a priest!” William laments, rubbing his temples. Normally, the church takes any and everyone who walks through their doors. Apparently, the two mercenaries have the unfortunate luck of finding one of the corrupt ones. Always their lot. One break, could they just get one break?!

“You can't trust any of them. They're all assholes. How are we getting out of here?” The Spaniard is set on leaving. Calista rolls her eyes and stands to pinch Pero's nose. “Mierda (shit)! What was that for?!” He quickly grabs his nose as she takes a step back, clicking her tonuge. 

“You two are ridiculous. Yes, he is disgusting, but there are warm beds and you're forgetting that I am a dragon - human form yes, but a dragon. It will be in that priest's best interest to leave me be. If he does not, he'll go meet the god he speaks of.” Her eyes flash jade to match the wicked smile that graces her face. Pero throws his hands up and sits on the bed opposite William where Calista once sat. 

“Do what you want, dragón pequeño (little dragon). You're clearly going to.” Pero still hates this entire idea. He'd sleep outside at this rate, and he always prefers a bed over the ground any day. Calista was about to make another remark, but there's a knock at the door. Father Ignacio is back.

William is the one who answers the door, he knows if Pero answers it, he might punch the father in the face to start. A forced smile is on his face as he greets the portly priest, hopefully for the last time tonight. “I brought changes of clothes for all three of you. You can wash up before eating.” Is what the older man leads with. Gods, he won't quit will he?

“Thank you Father. We're tired so we're just going to wash our hands, eat, sleep, then be up early in the morning. Want to get Calista safely to the village. Need an early start for that.” At this point, just having food and uninterrupted sleep are luxuries. Frowning, Ignacio nods and carries the clothes as he walks the trio to a small wash area where two seminarians are finishing up cleaning their hands before quickly leaving upon seeing the two mercenaries. Their eyes linger on Calista as it's rare for women to be in this part of the church outside of the nuns who visit on occasion and especially during the night. After washing their hands, sitting down to eat a meal was not the worst. Their bellies were full for the time being and the stew had a passible taste. The walk back to their rooms was unaccompanied by the good father. Pero insisted that Calista sleep in one of the twin beds and William sleep on the floor. He could use one of the mattresses. When asked why he would be the one to sleep on the floor, Pero snickered.

“You made a fuss about stopping in at the local church. Even though I told you we would have been better off to skip it. That's your bed.” At this, William sucked his teeth. Yeah he had told Pero that, but in all the other churches they've visited in their travels, only one other priest was filled with something other than the holy spirit.

“Fine. I'll just be happy to be on something other than the ground, though it won't be much better. As long as I can finally get some sleep.” Pero and William dragged a mattress off one of the beds in the other room and placed it on the floor. Calista gave William her blanket stating that she was still warm from the stew. 

“Don't complain you're cold later.” Is all Pero said before pulling his blanket over himself and rolling over to face the wall. William and Calista looked at each other and sighed, they exchanged goodnights, “Be quiet. I thought we were all supposed to be sleeping.” The three drifted off to sleep for a few hours. But one of them woke up. 

Getting out of bed, Calista thankfully retained her enhanced vision, able to see Pero and especially William so she wouldn't step on him. She exited the room and stood in the hallway. It was slightly cooler, but her body still felt so warm, from the inside out. She ate the same soup as the two men and neither one of them was awake. Was it because she's a dragon and not used to human food? She recalled where the mess hall was and assumed there should be a kitchen not too far from there, somewhere she could get something to drink, preferably water. She passed by one of the seminarians who directed her to the kitchen and walked with Calista, even pouring some water for her. He asked if she wanted to be escorted back and she declined stating that she won't be long, she misses her warm bed already. He gives her a slight bow and leaves which gives her pause, why would he bow? She leans against one of the counters, sipping the water slowly, she's hoping that will make the cool feeling last a bit longer.

“Your senses have become quite dull Calista. You have fallen quite far, you might be in what the humans refer to as hell right now. Quite ironic given where we are.”

Calista’s back straightens and she gags on her water, coughing as she spins to turn in the direction of the voice. It's a man who's a full head taller than her, but still shorter than Pero. His build is slender, but muscular. His voice is high pitched with every word wounding like a sneer. She knows it all too well, but what would he be doing here? It's much too soon, neither her nor Pero are ready to encounter him here. They're both still adjusting to their new forms. 

“Nothing to say to me sweet Calista? Where is that fiery spark that cut me before?” Setting the glass down, the young dragon slowly backs up, keeping her eyes focused on her would-be attacker. She knows he will, just a matter of when, she's still burning up, even after finishing the water. “Trying to leave me so soon. You want to run back to your new human toy? I wasn't aware that was your type. I could see how I would not be a match for you. That matters little, it only means I'll have to work that much harder to breed you.”

“To hell with you Acanthus! I will never allow you to.” Her eyes flash jade once more and she lengthens her nails into crimson claws. She'll need to fight to have a sliver of a chance to make it out. Focusing is so difficult. He closes the distance as she jumps back, only to be caught by Father Ignacio, he was not only a filthy minded priest, but a wyrm. A lesser dragon that can be under the command of a young, great or elder dragon. His facial features have contorted into a longer, more reptilian face with a long tongue that slides across Calista's cheek while his black claws dig into the flesh of her shoulders. She shakes side to side to try and free herself, but she's too weak to even escape his grasp. “Dammit! Dammit!” Calista tries to call for Pero, summoning him using the same mental command she used when he fought her mother, but she can't seem to connect with him. 

“Her skin even tastes sweet, Master. May I have a taste? While she is in this form? She is of little use to you in this form, yes?” Ignacio's speech has become subservient and simple. How did she miss it? What else has she not picked up on? Her senses are truly this poor? Did she miscalculate how much of herself she transferred to Pero? Acanthus smiles, his skin has a gray pallor to it, even in his human form that makes him look like a ghoul, matched with his yellow eyes and red lines on his neck, it isn't that far off from his dragon form. 

“I may allow you to do so my minion while I watch. She'll be begging for me afterward. This one is quite depraved and that's coming from me as you well know Calista.” Her eyes widen at the implication, she spits on Acanthus’ white and silver robes. “What makes this better is that you don't even know why you can't call your toy? Did you not notice the change in your body? I had the good father behind you add something special to your bowl of soup. A few of my scales for seasoning. You didn't forget what that does right?” His thin fingers cup her chin as she stares at him, realizing the gravity of the situation. Consuming his scales means that she's connected to him. Even for the week that he held her captive, she managed to avoid eating them, no matter how hard he tried. It was why she was so hungry, eating anything in his lair could have meant a loss of control. Maybe due to her essence bond with Pero, that's why she wasn't under his command, but it also meant that she couldn't reach him either.

Dreams into Reality

Tovar doesn't often remember his dreams. There's darkness and then he awakes, lives, sleeps and repeats. Tonight is the first time in a long time that he dreams. That damn dragon is in his dream, holding his head on her lap. Stroking his hair, never would she do something so tender. She hates him and he hates her too. He is aware that he needs her to stay alive, that much is certain. That disgusting priest pops up, leering at Calista, but Pero doesn't move, head still in her lap and neither does she. Fire begins to burn around them and they disappear, the next thing he knows is that he is standing. Calista is in front of him, but that dirty old man is holding her arms behind her. Why won't she break free? Pero knows she's strong enough, but she's crying. He hears a man's shrill laughter and Calista screaming.

Pero awakens with his head pounding, he notices a faint green glow in the room, it seems to be coming from his head, the left side where his scar is. “What the hell is this? Is this what happened before? Wait…” Pero looks over at Calista's side of the room and sees her bed empty. “Godammit this fucking woman! Get up William! She's gone and likely in danger!” Rising out of bed, Pero kicks Will's side and grabs his broadsword and small swords, arming himself before leaving the room. Will is soon right behind him still groggy. Tovar finds that he can't pinpoint where she is, just a general direction. “This way!” He starts off down the corridor but is met by two of the seminarians. “Choir boys out of the way lest I cut you both down!” Will draws his sword as he and Pero watch them change into large snakes.

“If I ever mention, setting foot in a damn church again. Punch me hard Pero and remind me of this moment.” Will lunges toward the first snake cutting its head off with ease, the purple blood that splatters on the wall eats away at the tapestry and stone. “Be careful! Looks like the blood is high acidic!” Pero makes short work of the other snake, lobbing its head off and having some of the blood splash on his cuirass, it eats through part of it, exposing the leather under the iron. The two men race toward the mess hall where they hear a scream and a crash.

The white dragon is laughing as he sees Ignaco bleeding from a severed arm. “Master, why will you not help me?!” He whines, Acanthus sits on the counter shaking his head. His master had promised him a taste of this dragon turned human, to play with her before he took her back to his lair. Ignacio almost had her. Calista had been pinned to the ground, but she was able to get in a fire breath directly in his face. It didn't hurt him much, but with her claws she was able to take an arm and use it to get a few hits to the wyrm’s head before it broke in half. The entire ordeal was entertaining to the white dragon. Watching his future broodmare fight filled him with an unwarranted pride, the mother of his hatchlings needed to be strong after all. 

Battered and bloodied, Calista didn't see a way out alive. Her best bet would be to end her life while killing this wyrm. If she tried earlier, Acanthus would step in and let the wyrm have her arm or no arm. If she did so after, she would risk trying to overpower the white dragon which she knew was impossible in her current state. it had been difficult enough in her full dragon form. There were no good options, but at least Pero might be none the wiser and would go peacefully in his sleep, maybe. He may have been a rude bastard, but he did try and help her for the little time she knew him. She could have been nicer, but it was too late to dwell on that now. “Maybe he wasn't so bad. Not a complete reprobate.”

“That right arpia pequeña (little dragon)? Only upon threat of death do you say something nice about me? Dragons have the same manners as humans then.” A silver blade met Calista a few inches away from her face, leaving her covered with purple blood. It didn't burn her nor her dress as both were naturally resistant. The wyrm fell to the floor convulsing in pain from the hole in its chest.

“Master…help me. I…my promise…” Its eyes alternated between Calista and Acanthus, ending on its Master as the light faded from them. Pero and William leaped to stand in front of Calista as she smiled, a genuine one at the both. Her focus quickly turned to Acanthus who wore a similar scowl to Pero's now.

“The two rats have come to play have they? No matter. I'll kill the pale one and separate your limbs from your body so you cannot pursue us mercenary.” Red and white flames gathered in his hands as he got off the counter.

“Why the hell are you calling me pale? You’re the one who looks like spoiled milk!” William shouts and Pero snorts. The white dragon answers with a fireball in William's direction, he rolls out of the way, but now the wooden counter is on fire. Pero uses the opportunity to try and slice Acanthus’ head off, but the dragon catches his blade with his hands, his surprise is that his hands are bleeding.

“It seems the bond you have with her is stronger than I thought. No matter. I'll still kill you.” He pulls Pero's broadsword down and breathes white flames in the mercenary's face. Calista threw up a jade barrier to protect him, it did but unfortunately it broke. William took the opportunity to sink his sword into Acanthus’ side. The white dragon growled and threw the pale mercenary off, his sword still stuck in his abdomen. “Filthy human scum!!” The villain's eyes turn white and flames simmer from his body. Calista recognizes the pattern on the flames, Acanthus is preparing for a large-scale attack. The young dragon pulls Pero by his chainmail and dives near William to huddle the three of them together and forms another barrier.

“Brace yourselves! I don't know if I can completely block it!” Calista raises the jade again. She's forgone her crimson claws and is focusing all her energy into the barrier. Pero places a hand on her shoulder and feels some of his energy fading, he leans his forehead on the back of her shoulder. Will huddles close to the both of them as the heat in the room intensifies and the flames off of Acanthus’ body are becoming brighter. All three of them close their eyes to prevent being blinded and there's a loud boom coupled with an explosion. 

They thought they would be knocked against the walls of the church, but there were none anymore. William was the furthest back so he ended up hitting some rubble on the side of the church. Only one wall far opposite of the kitchen was left standing, the rest had either been completely obliterated or were dotted pieces of smoldering stone embedded into the ground. William’s sword that had been stuck in Acanthus’ side was sticking out of one of the nearby stones, flung from his body. The sun was rising and Pero was face down in the dirt once more. Twice in two days. “Fuck…” His entire body ached but it at least felt like he had all of his limbs. His head is ringing and he can at least make out shapes though given how much rubble is everywhere it doesn't help much. There's some movement that he can make out followed by a deep growl. Pero assumes that's the damn white dragon but that when his sight finally clears upon hearing the word ‘bastard’ screamed with a wet gurgle. Acanthus has his hand on Calista's throat, her claws are much shorter but she's making cuts in his forearm, he's lifted her up off the ground. 

“Did you enjoy your last little bit of freedom? I think I will kill them both. I’ll figure out a way to end the one with the scar. That bastard burned my hands? How much of yourself did you give to him?” Acanthus bends his arm to close the distance between them. He sees the fear in her eyes buried underneath the hatred. “You care about one of their ilk? They vilify us despite us only bothering them if they trespass on our lands. Such a horrid fortune I have that you are the only viable female our clan has to offer.”

“Then go find another one asshole.” Calista continues to struggle, she won’t go with him willingly and not without a fight. “And yes I prefer Pero to you.” She laughs and spits blood in the white dragon’s face. “Will’s right, you do look like spoiled milk. A dingy shade of white.” He spins her around and throws her against one of the larger pieces of remaining stone. The young dragon gasps, coughing up blood as she attempts to move but cannot. Her body isn't allowing it. Pero is able to stand to his feet as his left eye glows a bright jade again, only this time, green flames have gathered in his right hand.

“Stay the hell away from her you soggy fucker!” Acanthus expects to be able to stop Pero, maybe even a burn this time as well. He did not anticipate being pushed back and needing to dig his heels into the ground. Their fingers were interlocked and their flames burning in nearly equal amounts. It was the first time Acanthus had appeared surprised during this entire ordeal. Neither of them were giving a quarter as the ground began to sizzle. “What's wrong? Is one of the filthy humans holding you hostage?” Pero taunts and hears the white dragon growl. 

Calista is finally on her feet watching the two men be evenly matched. It occurs to her that they might be able to kill him here. She focuses and circles behind the soggy dragon, putting all the energy she was left into her right hand, sharpening her scarlet claws. She starts running, building momentum to strike him from behind and hit him square in the chest for a final blow. In strengthening herself, Pero weakened slightly, enough for Acanthus to push the mercenary back and change the angle at which her attack was going to hit. She was going too fast and couldn't change her direction. Her claws went through Acanthus, but missed his core. Thankfully, it was a strong enough hit to have him cry out in pain. Tovar attempted to bash his face in, but a white barrier repelled them as the grand dragon held his hand over the hole in his chest.

“You bitch…the audacity to harm me?! Next time I will end you, all of you! To hell with breeding you, you'll suffer a slow death Calista.” Acanthus attempted to transform into his dragon form but found that he could not. “The hell have you done to me?!” 

Calista pointed to the back of her hand that was covered in his blue blood. Half of one of her magenta scales was missing. It glimmered within the hole in his chest, the scale itself was seeping into the surrounding tissue, weakening him. “Looks like you're on our level now, spoiled milk.” He screamed a string of curses while extending white wings from his back and taking off. Pero stood up and helped the young dragon to her feet. “Ran like a soggy bitch.” The Spaniard laughed at the woman's foul mouth.

“We survived. How did you know that would work?” He was curious if she'd planned that far ahead. Pero retrieved his sword and Will's then scanned the area for him.

“I figured if he could poison me with his scales, I could do the same. I didn't know if it would work or not. That was some favor with whatever gods there are.” Placing her hands on her lower back, she stretches and points to a large piece of stone where Will is slumped over. Tovar and Calista make their way over and are relieved to find William breathing. 

“Figured you'd half ass something again. Do you ever plan anything woman? You're the fucking dragon.” Pero scoffs and puts one arm of William’s over his shoulder as Calista does the same. 

“Oh? When's the last time you fought a grand dragon Pero? Or bonded someone's soul to yours? I'm new to all of this too. Stop your complaining and show me the way to the village. Maybe this time we can actually sleep in a bed for more than a few hours.” Calista rolls her eyes and walks side by side with Tovar to balance Will between them. They mainly bicker most of the way.

Once finally at the village, they decide the best course of action is to leave Will with a woman who he saved on one of their last jobs here. Her husband may have suspiciously died during said job, but unexpected things happen as a mercenary. Pero did offer her two gold coins to care for him, but she offered to do it for free. Instead, the money was used for a room at the inn. Tovar was surprised that Calista did not argue for a seperate room. 

“There's a lot we'll need to discuss and take care of Pero. No need to waste money.” Is what she told him which he was fine with. They have needed to talk about what changes both their bodies have been through since this entire ‘bonding’ process has taken place. 

What Tovar is confused about is why Calista is standing before him while he's soaking in his large bathtub on the floor. Naked.

Chapter Two. Chapter Four

[abubblingcandle]

Word for the week: therapy, city, fire, knee

Therapy - A Treatment Room Doors Moment Extended Cut (basically before I decided that ATRDM would work best only in Roy POV I had some other scenes plotted out and so going to post them as a seperate thing)

“I just, I just want them to like me again you know,” Jamie sighs thumping down onto the seat across from Keeley. She sighed, carrying on typing on her laptop. She had hoped that Jamie seeming more emotionally mature and just being her friend not her boyfriend now would mean that she didn’t have to do this anymore. Jamie was sweet, it was what had drawn her to him in the first place, but his emotional regulation and maturity were rock bottom on the scale. As his girlfriend she expected to have to do some of the emotional legwork for him but as his friend, god she was so tired of it. She sent the email she had been working on a pushed her laptop shut. Good job they literally had someone who’s job it was to listen to Jamie whine. “Come on Jamie,” she sighed, getting to her feet and waving for him to follow her. “Oh ok. We can walk and talk,” Jamie shrugged and continued to make his point about how he just wanted people to notice he was trying to change. Keeley sighed again. She really didn’t have time for this. They climbed up the stairs and Keeley pushed the partially open door to Dr Sharon’s office. “Jamie, this is Dr. Fieldstone. She's a brilliant therapist and, unlike me, she actually gets paid to listen to you complain,” Keeley gestured to Sharon with a tense smile. “Oh, right. Um, sorry doc but I already go to therapy like,” Jamie stammered looking between Dr Sharon and Keeley looking like a kicked puppy. “Really?” Keeley squeaked before her brain caught up. She thought this was going to be a fight to get Jamie to see someone to talk to … not that he already had. “Yeah, she’s called Lucy and she’s ace. We chat on the phone now I ain’t in Manchester,” Jamie shrugs as if this was no big deal. “No offence doc. Just don’t really need two do I?” Jamie smiles awkwardly to Sharon.

City - from God Forbid You Leave Me (like everybody else did)

“This is a genuine question Jamie,” Higgins sighed, pulling over a far too small stool to perch by Jamie’s bed. He reached out to lay his hand on the top of the duvet that was covering the entirety of Jamie’s balled up form. “So I don’t want you to get mad,” Higgins added. Hearing no complaints from inside Jamie’s cocoon he decided to press on. “Do you actually want to go back to City or does that just feel like what everyone is expecting you to do?” “I gotta,” the mound mumbled. “Do you?” Higgins asked, starting to move his hand on top of the duvet trying to provide some comfort to the distressed young man. There was a pause, the feeling of the duvet rising and falling the only sign that there was something alive in there.

Fire - From Roll Call Ch3

“I’ve booked out basically a whole Travelodge for anyone that isn’t admitted and we are going to get to you as soon as it is safe to do so. Anything else I can do to help Colin?” Higgins asked and Colin huffed a laugh. “It’s all on fire Higgins. It’s all on fire. Everyone is so hurt and I’m not so I’ve got to help and I’ve only found two players so far, fat load of good I’m doing,” Colin mumbled, his breath catching in his throat after every word. “You are doing a wonderful job Colin,” Sam’s voice startles Colin. His head shoots up and he nearly drops the borrowed phone to the ground, only catching it with the tips of his fingers at the last second.

Knee - from The Richmond Job Ch14

“Roy, your knee!” Keeley hissed, pulling Roy into the stairwell before the real guard rounded the corner. “You are supposed to be in bed. God, you should be in hospital not just bed,” she rambled, holding his by the shoulders and checking he somehow hadn’t got more injured on the walk here. “I have been in bed long enough and no fucking hospitals you know that. You’re not supposed to be here either,” Roy growled, peering through the glass of the stairwell door to make sure they weren’t seen. “Well, it’s Rupert isn’t it. And Nate. They can’t win, we’ve got to complete the job,” Keeley sighed, tears welling up in her eyes. “We?” Roy questioned and she rolled her eyes with an exaggerated exhale. “I mean we’re both here. There’s no way the others aren’t as well. Casing the joint,” she smiled tearily.

[chocobochaserstories]

Jackrabbit (FFVII Fanfiction)

Chapter Two

Tseng in this wreck was basically having his usual "I don't get paid enough for this bullshit" moment. TW: Parental Death, Spouse Death, Mentioned teen pregnancy, implied/referenced rocky childhood, Don Corneo,

“Eula, do you have the paperwork?” Reeve asked, leaning over his padded office chair.

“Yeah, yeah, I have it.” Elena’s mother, Eula, nodded. She handed over the papers Reeve was inquiring about and continued along with her rapid typing. 

“So… anything to report?” Reeve prodded like a schoolboy pestering a girl he liked. 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Eula didn’t look up from her computer as she continued typing up the legal draft she was working on.

“Don’t act like I’m stupid, Eul, I know you went to the slums.” Reeve’s desk chair creaked as he leaned over.

“Well, I can’t write legislation if I can’t see for myself what the state of the slums is.” Eula scoffed. “We both know that Shinra patrols don’t care about the undercities. They don’t report back the actual problems. And stop that, you’re going to fall.”

“You’re such a mom, Eulie.” Reeve huffed, however he sat in his chair properly.

“I should hope so, I’ve got two girls.” Eula reached over her laptop to grab the mug of coffee on her desk.

 It was a clumsily made mug, created by her husband during his house arrest when the girls were young. Eula’s husband had tried to be creative, per Eula’s instructions to give himself a break from work. Ceramics wasn’t quite his forte. Still, the goofy looking mug, in all its lopsided glory, brought a sweet sense of nostalgia to Eula. It reminded her of when she and her husband were just starting to live together, when they were just starting a family… well, their interesting little nuclear family. 

Eula and her husband started living together after Eula found out she was expecting Emma, her eldest daughter. They lived like that for a while, a young couple, a dog- well, a guard hound- but a dog nonetheless. Eula hadn’t had pets growing up. Her mother passed away when she and her brother were young, and her father fell into alcoholism. He hardly realized Eula was sneaking out and seeing her upper plate boyfriend. Nothing good was ever going to happen to Eula, she had accepted that fact very early on. Not unless she made a change.

Girls in the slums, especially Sector Seven, weren’t set up for success. Most didn’t graduate high school. If they were lucky, they’d end up working for Corneo in Sector Six, in Wall Market. Eula hadn’t exactly wanted to end up as a prostitute at the Honeybee Inn. But when she ended up pregnant, let alone at fifteen, she hadn’t exactly expected her boyfriend to stick around… but he did. Not only did he stick around, he wanted her to come with him; to leave the slums. 

Reeve yawned. “Oh my. Sorry, I guess that’s my sign that I should clock out, huh?”

Eula chuckled after glancing at her watch. “It’s nearly one in the morning.”

“Hey, but you’re still here, Eulie.” Reeve laughed softly, cracking his back as he stood. “Gods, I’m an old man.”

Reeve packed up his bag. “Don’t stay too late, Eula.”

***

“Ivy Fair?” Tseng asked, glancing between his tablet and the woman in the door before him.

“Yes,” She confirmed, nodding her head slightly. “Can I help you, sir?”

“You are a former Hare, correct?” Tseng’s tone was cold and clinical. He almost sounded bored.

“Correct, however I retired four years ago and I do not have contact with the Hares any longer.” Ivy nodded. The Hares’ activity had ramped up in the last two and a half, maybe three, years. But Ivy being a former Hare, she might have insight to offer to Shinra.

“May I come in?” Tseng asked.

Ivy agreed after a moment. “Yeah, yeah, go ahead. Sorry, it’s a mess.”

Tseng noticed the barren apartment, filled with boxes. It was a decent place, located in Midgar Sector Five on the plate, not far from Shinra. It was where Zack had lived years ago, back before his passing. Tseng had heard him mention a girlfriend, but he hadn’t known they’d lived together. The apartment smelled of fresh paint and plaster, clear that Ivy was in the process of resetting the apartment. 

“Moving?” Tseng inquired, his eyes roaming the apartment.

Ivy nodded, gently pulling a tray out of the oven and setting the towel back on the fridge handle. “Yeah, I got a job offer back home, so I’m moving back to Gongaga.”

“Ah, I see,” Tseng hummed softly in understanding. “You and Zack were from the same hometown?”

Ivy pulled a plate from a cabinet, now barren and recently dusted. “Yeah, my parents were split, so I grew up with my mom and Gongaga.”

“And this job… might I ask what it is?” Tseng asked as he surveyed the apartment.

“Zack’s parents had a farm back home. Much of it was damaged and most of the animals were killed back when the reactor blew up, but they’ve rebuilt and they offered that if I’d like to come home… I could help them on the farm. The jungle means it’s a lot of brush, so the main animals on the farm anymore are goats and sheep. They had chocobos at one point, but they’re expensive and since the village lives without mako, no one was really willing to venture into the wilderness to get the birds, so the investment doesn’t really pay back.”

“So, you’re headed to a life as a farmhand?” Tseng watched Ivy pick up a toddler who’d been playing quietly with a wooden block set. “What do you do for work here in Midgar?”

“Cosmetology. I work over in Wall Market, cute little salon I used to get my hair done at as a teenager.” Ivy’s current appearance didn’t exactly reflect her ID photo on Tseng’s tablet. 

Ivy on the tablet had short black hair, barely reaching her chin and striped with vibrant color. Her face was littered in piercings, two on her eyebrow, three in her nose, two lip piercings, and at least fifteen or sixteen in each ear. She wore harsh, punky makeup reminiscent of a teenager going through her chaotic teen rebellion. Ivy had taken most of the piercings out now, and her hair had grown out over the last four years, and it was a silky black now, though Tseng couldn’t quite tell if she’d dyed over the colorful highlights or simply cut them off and started fresh. Her hair now was tied up in a ponytail, and her brilliant cyan eyes were focused on the toddler as he ate his dinner. 

“It’s not perfect, but hey, it’s what I’ve got for the fact that I don’t have a high school diploma,” Ivy set a sippy cup by her toddler. “Has my mother rolling in her grave.”

“Your mother in her..” Tseng trailed off. What the hell was this girl on about?

“My mother was a scientist with Shinra. Biotechnology, worked on SOLDIER stuff before she got fired for sleeping with my dad.” Ivy shrugged. “Maybe don’t sleep with the SOLDIERs. Both are dead now.”

Tseng for once was a bit speechless. What the hell was he supposed to say to Ivy? Anyhow, he was here for Ivy’s Hare involvement. “So, the Hares. Would you be willing to divulge intel on their work?”

Ivy sighed. “What do you need to know?”

”Anything you have to offer.” Tseng had his stylus out, ready to take notes. Tseng’s handwriting was naturally very mechanical, yet it had a curvature as his natural language of Wutai had an artistic element to it. Tseng enjoyed calligraphy, but his Wutainese wasn’t the cleanest handwriting. It was sloppy and rushed, as he never had time to dedicate to perfection. But his Midgar handwriting… it was mechanically clean, like a typewriter. 

“Well, to start, most Hares are minors. I think I was an older Hare while I was among the ranks, but I retired at twenty two, joined when I was about seventeen, right after my mom kicked the bucket. Most Hares are recruited off the streets. Some have lives outside of the Hares, but for the most part, they’re pretty much homeless kids looking for something. It depends on the Hare; for some it’s shelter or rations, some it’s medical care. For me, I was all alone and orphaned and I hadn’t managed to find Zack in the city yet. I was there for companionship. A found family. Obviously I retired after Zack and I got married and had Devon, just wish Zack got to meet him.” Ivy explained with a soft huff of a sigh. “They were based in Sectors Seven and Two when I was a Hare, but I also know that they move every few years, since there’s not really a concrete base. The whole notion that they’re associated with Avalanche? It’s not really true. The Hares work independently and rarely ‘teamed up’ with Avalanche. Pretty much the only thing the Hares really did with Avalanche was trail behind for their spoils. I know the technical engineer uses reactor and rubble scraps when they make weaponry.”

“So if you’re trying to use me to find them… I’m not really going to be much help.”

[modernmisadventures]

Chapter 18: Cookies and Company

“Knock knock.”

The sudden voice nearly caused Jess to jump out of her skin, yet a single glance back towards the door - or, rather, where the door had been - was enough to settle her nerves almost instantly.

“Varrus?” She tilted her head as the Elezen strode inside the disaster of a bar - seeing it in broad daylight had certainly illuminated the damage. Nearly every glass and bottle had been intentionally shattered, furniture and tables snapped in two as though they were little more than twigs, the floor sticky with a concoction of every cocktail imaginable.

“Hey,” he greeted softly, striding up to the counter; she watched as his eyes scanned her skin, his brows furrowing, a scowl darkening his handsome features. “Cir told me what happened, but, gods, I didn’t think it was this bad. Are you sure you’re ok?”

“I look that bad, huh?” She gave a soft chuckle, though her humor seemed to do little to improve his mood.

“Honestly? Yeah, you do.”

Not that she could disagree - she’d examined herself further after she’d awoken at Thancred’s that morning, and even she couldn’t help but grimace at what met her in the mirror.

“Hey, if you think this is bad, you should see the other guy. Or the other guy. Or the other guy.”

Again, her humor fell flat. The Elezen placed the basket he’d been carrying on the countertop, his jaw tightening. “Oh, I hope I do.”

“Varrus,” Jess warned, “don’t do anything stupid.”

With a sigh, he shook his head. “Nevermind that. What are you doing here so soon?”

“Working,” she snorted. “The better question is, what are you doing here?”

“I thought I’d come by to check on you, but I didn’t know it would look like… this.” He motioned vaguely around the disaster of a room. “Shouldn’t you be resting? The bar won’t be open for a few days at minimum.”

“Maybe,” she sighed, “but someone’s gotta clean up around here. And if the bar isn’t open, I’m not getting paid.”

“Are you sure it’s safe?”

“No,” she huffed begrudgingly. “But it would be a lot safer with a big, strong Elezen watching my back.”

To that, at least, his scowl finally disappeared, replaced by a soft grin as he reached for the basket.

“Here. I made these for you.”

“For me?” Curiously, she peered inside, finding a bundle of cookies - chocolate chip, if she had to guess. “Oh, Varrus, you shouldn’t have!”

With a grin, she reached in and grasped one, taking a bite. Not bad… though, judging by the browning on the edges, he’d softened his butter a little too aggressively, but the taste was good - and the thought made it all the sweeter.

She glanced up to find him watching her, a look of trepidation on his face.

“So?” he asked. “Are they… ok?”

“They’re wonderful, thank you so much.”

At that, he let out a sigh of relief, much to her amusement.

“Good. You have no idea how many failed batches that took; I hope Cip and Cir like botched cookies, because our kitchen is full of them now.”

“Cip too, huh?” Jess raised an eyebrow, an amused smirk upon her face. “Sounds like she and her man reconciled.”

“That’s a word for it,” Varrus huffed - and she could only imagine the sounds and chaos he must have found himself living in. “She’s over almost daily - it’s practically like having another roommate. At least Cir had the bedrooms soundproofed.”

Jess snorted - she could only imagine why.

“Kal’istae even stayed over last night,” Varrus added, much to her surprise, “though she left early this morning, back to work or whatnot.”

Right. Work. With a nod, Jess picked up her broom, resuming her attempts to clean the glass, that she might be able to scrub the floor - only to grin Varrus reached for the dust pan, kneeling to help her sweep away the clutter.

“You don’t have to do that,” she offered, yet he shook his head.

“It’s the least I can do - on some level, I feel like this is my fault.”

“Your fault?” She tilted her head, to which he nodded with a sigh.

“Cir told me the only thing they stole was your computer. If I hadn’t given it to you, maybe they wouldn’t have broken in…”

“Varrus, don’t be silly,” she huffed. “It was simply the quickest worthwhile thing they could grab - they probably would have gone for the till, too, had I not startled them.”

He opened his mouth to speak, yet before he could, she leaned down and pressed a finger to his lips. “But, I wouldn’t object to the help.”

At that, he smiled with a nod, dumping the full dust tray before glancing around the room with a huff. “So, what was your computer doing here, anyway?”

Jess bit her lip, glancing down at the floor before answering, “I… I live here. In the cellar. I know, I know, it’s… not exactly luxury, but I can’t really afford anything else.”

“Gods, I had no idea… And you’re safe now? Staying with Thancred, I think Cir said?”

Slowly, she nodded. “For the time being, anyway - at least until we can get this place serviceable again.” Not that she wanted to return - no, every small sound, every moving shadow made her jump, the events of the night before flashing into her mind. But what other choice did she have? She couldn’t exactly stay with Thancred - she felt as though she was already putting him out enough as it was, especially at the start of a brand new relationship. No, she’d only get in his way, no matter how much he insisted she wouldn’t.

And there wasn’t anywhere else for her to go - she couldn’t afford a place of her own, as she’d said, which left her the only options of returning to the bar, or finding someone’s room to rent.

And she’d prefer the cold, dank cellar to living with a stranger, that was for certain.

“You can’t live here, Jess,” Varrus huffed in exasperation. “It’s not safe - or clean, for that matter. You… could always come live in my bathroom - or my closet, or-”

She silenced him with a bemused shake of her head. “Tempting, but I think I’ll figure something out… and if I don’t, I know where to find you.”

“If you’re sure…” His expression said he wasn’t convinced, but, all the same, he let it go. “Oh, before I forget - Cir thought to invite you, and the rest of the crew, to a pool party this weekend.”

“A pool party?” She tilted her head. “Where? Cip’s?”

“No, our condo.”

“You have a pool?”

He nodded. “On the roof. I guess I must have forgotten to mention it.”

At that, her mind came to a screeching halt. “You have a rooftop pool? On the twelfth floor?! You bet your ass I’m going to be there!” Her unease around his roommate be damned, she wanted to feel the freedom of swimming where she could practically touch the sky.

“I’d rather bet yours,” came his reply, only to earn him a playful shove as she bumped him with her shoulder.

“Ha, ha, very funny. Now are you going to help me clean or not?”

[theoddcatlady]

Nearly lost my temper at work yesterday

For a bit of background, I work at an insurance company. I’m not exactly changing the world, but it pays well and it’s usually pretty chill. Except for yesterday, which I just really need to rant about. It was a bunch of little things that stacked up to my… almost explosion.

The water cooler was dripping nonstop. Citrix servers had gone down and that was the main program I use for work. I had a pounding headache from the bright lights in the office and my skin was all dried out from the artificial air. And for fuck’s sake, Barbara would just not leave me alone.

I’m not a people person. I can answer the phone and be amicable enough, but I’ve never been like BFF’s with my coworkers at… any of my jobs. Most of my coworkers get I’m here to do my job and get paid. Barbara though, good god. She just doesn’t get the hint. And I can’t exactly mouth off to her because she’s been with the company for like two decades so if she complains I’m the one in trouble… not like she’s done work for the last five years, but I digress.

“So is this your boyfriend, Ellie?”

I chewed the inside of my cheek as Barbara plucked one of the pictures in my cubicle up, cooing and aww’ing. I hated being called Ellie. “He’s so cute!”

“Andrew is my brother, actually. I’m not seeing anyone at the moment.” One of the only other people I can tolerate in this world. I grabbed the picture and not so gently snatched it back, setting it down. The vein in my forehead probably popped out another good inch as I saw that Barbara had left a greasy thumbprint on the glass. I’d need to clean it when she was gone.

“Oh!” Barbara cocked her head to the side. “You don’t look alike!”

“I’m adopted.” Desperately I stared at my computer, willing Citrix to get its shit together so I could tell Barbara I was busy working. I was not going to be that lucky.

“You know, I have a son about your age.” Barbara started fiddling with the other things in my space, my notepad, the pens. “He just broke up with his girlfriend, and I was wondering, I bet the two of you would love to have coffee together…”

“I’m sorta preoccupied with other things at the moment than dating. And I hate coffee. I’m more of a tea person.” Jesus Christ, I was at the point where I was begging the clock to speed up. Even with the systems down, I still wasn’t allowed to leave until four. Just in case they came back on, even though they never had in the past. I wouldn’t mind getting paid to sit on my ass and do nothing if fucking Barbara would leave me alone.

“At your age?”

Oh, here we go. I rolled my eyes as Barbara tutted her tongue at me. “You need to get on that, honey, otherwise you’re going to be unmarried at thirty! After that it’s all downhill, not to mention how this could effect your future children- is something wrong with your arm?”

Shit. I hid my hand under my desk. “No!” I spared a glance and almost starting cussing. Of all times to start shedding, this was not a good time. “Bathroom emergency, move it!”

I shoved past Barbara, accidentally pushing her to the ground in my haste. I heard her snap after me but I didn’t care. I scooted into the bathroom and slammed the door behind me.

I held my hand in front of me to see more skin start to flake off, revealing the putrid muscle and flesh underneath. Fuck me. Today had to be that bad, huh?

My brother used to call it my ‘zombie mode’ to make me grumpy, but it’s not really like that. I keep my sanity, but I just start rotting and falling apart at the seams. It’s been like this since I was a kid, though I do tend to rot quicker when I’m having a shitty day, so Barbara can get fucked.

There’s really only one way to speed up the process so my skin grows back normal and healthy, and it sucks.

I sent Andrew a text, telling him to come pick me up as soon as he could and to bring my large coat. He knew what I meant. With a sigh, I double checked the lock before I pulled my shirt off, bra following onto the floor. Where the underwire was pressing against me the skin was already starting to come off. I gritted my teeth, grabbed on, and yanked.

It doesn’t hurt, not when my skin’s already dead. Sometimes a bit of the live skin comes with it and oh that hurts like tearing a hangnail, but it’s hardly lethal.

Pus and blood spattered into the sink as I ripped more and more of my skin away, both lumps I once called breasts slapped on the ground with a wet sound. I could see tumorous, bulbous growths starting to form in the fat. With most of the skin on my torso gone, I moved onto my arm. I groaned with relief as I finally scratched away at the sore, ripping away more skin and flesh.

I had skinned my entire upper body and was finally starting to feel relief when I heard a timid knock at the door.

“Sweetie? Ellie? Are you okay?”

Barbara’s voice made my blood boil, but right now she was exactly what I needed. I cleared my throat before approaching the door. “Sorry, Barb, I… I threw up. Everywhere. On my clothes, on the sink. It looks like a horror film in here. I called my brother to come get me, but could you please bring me stuff to clean up? I am not leaving this for Willis to clean up tonight, he’ll probably quit.”

“Oh, of course, sweetie! Don’t worry about work, I’ll handle it.”

She even was nice enough to cover her eyes as she handed me the cleaning supplies through the crack in the door. I scrubbed that floor and counter spotless, filling a garbage bag with bloody paper towels and gore so that no one would assume I butchered someone in the bathroom.

My brother gave me my trench coat when he came to pick me up and acted like he was helping me out of the building as he escorted me, in reality he was making sure I wasn’t bleeding over everything.

Now I’m home, enjoying a few seasons of Friends as I heal up. Andrew is a coroner and if I didn’t have him, I probably would’ve lost my mind and eaten Barbara on a bad day years ago. Whenever I’m done ‘shedding’, he brings me home a few human body parts so I can eat. I usually add them to whatever junk I’m eating, but Barbara was nice enough to bring me some chicken noodle soup. Now it’s chicken noodle soup plus a kidney, but hey, what can you do.

Whoa, feels good to get my shitty yesterday off my chest. Thank god it’s Friday.