#and he's busy in the last two otherwise i'm sure he would have gotten in some threatening of the lits as well

[ghostlyarchaeologist]

Meeting Excalibur:

Flynn:

Eve:

And the LiTs:

The Librarian: Quest for the Spear (2004)/The Librarians S01E01 And the Crown of King Arthur.

[onepieceisreeeeaaalll]

I'm Yours - Sanji x Fem!Reader

Here's a blurb I wrote on a whim last night! Life's been so busy, and I have a small case of the blues right now, which is why I have so many drafts but haven't been posting. I barely proofread this, and it's not my proudest work, but I think I'm just overthinking it. I'll probably edit it a little like I always do. Hope you enjoy!

CW: NSFW! Dominant-ish Sanji, gendered terms for reader, "pretty girl, etc", implied jealousy, slightly dominant reader at end? just a little?

~1.3k words

----

Sanji pushes you back against the wall of the kitchen, his hands pawing helplessly at the buttons of your shirt that protect your skin from his eager assault. His lips connect with yours in a sloppy, heated mess, the taste of nicotine distinct and bitter on your tongue. Teeth gnash against one another until the cook finally withdraws from your lips, a line of saliva tethering you both as he moves to pepper hungry nips at your neck.

“Angel…” He murmurs, his tongue lapping where your jaw connects to your neck. “I can’t breathe without you.”

You’ve never seen Sanji like this - ravenous, desperate, bold. His erection presses and grinds against your leg with a force that has your back pressed firmly to the wall where he’s trapped you. You’re not sure what started this, why tonight he’s decided to pull you aside and ravage you, but you’re in no position to stop the hands that worked so hard to open up the path to your now exposed chest. Ordinarily, sex with Sanji is slow, romantic, perhaps cherished. It’s as much a joining of souls as it is bodies, a spiritual union that binds you together by love and desire. You’ve been reduced to a helpless puddle, brought to the shaky state of euphoria so many times by the way he caresses you so gently, whispering sweet nothings into your ear with every careful ministration of his body against yours. Tonight is different, though. Your boyfriend is, bluntly, a horny mess and you’re just as turned on by it as you would be otherwise.

“Sanji…baby, what’s gotten into you?” You breathe, your voice shaky. You can feel his hands work with expert precision to undo the buttons of your pants, not wasting a single moment to expose more of your skin to him.

“Just need to be inside you, my love.”

There’s no decorum this time. No bells, whistles, or languid motions meant to undo you slowly but surely until you’re sunk into a state of pure bliss. Sanji’s movements are laced with a sense of urgency, his words deep and throaty as he slips a hand down the front of your panties. The confusion you feel from this show of desire doesn’t last long. The moment his fingers begin to swirl on your clit, they rub smooth, fast circles against it. Your head falls back against the wall, a soft ‘thud’ being the only sound heard aside from the heavy breathing filling the room.

“Sanji…” You moan, your eyes fluttering shut as the pleasurable movements start to make you feel so vulnerable, your sex soaking through the material of your thin panties.

Sanji tuts, and you feel a hand on your jaw, firm but somehow still careful, pulling your face upright. Your eyes open in surprise, finding Sanji looking at you with a glazed-over, almost predatory glint.

“Come on, gorgeous. Watch me while I make you come on my fingers.”

Your face heats up in a way that’s unfamiliar to you. He can hear the way your breath hitches at his words, and a small smirk rises to his lips. His fingers slide further into your folds before two of them find their way into your aching, swollen entrance. There’s no warming up needed, and with little resistance, his fingers work to pump into you. Sanji grinds his palm against your clit, using the the limited space in your underwear to give him better leverage.

“Already so wet for me. My needy, pretty girl.” He praises, his smirk widening as his fingers curl and scissor inside of you. “Getting her nice and ready for my cock.”

Your eyes widen at his words, and before you can get a chance to question him, pleasured gasps begin to leave your lips. You can’t take your eyes off of him, not for a second, and you can feel your velvet walls clench around his fingers at the sight of his devilish smirk.

“S-Sanji…” You whimper, unable to control the way the pleasure is building up in you. With every brush of your g-spot, your pussy seems to clamp down on his fingers more, making it so much harder for him to move his fingers. Sanji doesn’t relent, though, instead continuing to guide his fingers and pump them into your throbbing cunt.

“Beautiful, mon ceur. Breathtaking.” Sanji says, his voice low and breathy. His chest is rising and falling rapidly, his arousal clear by the way he grinds his clothed cock against your thigh. “I love watching you fall apart for only me.”

You can’t take it. His palm grinding into your clit, his fingers deep in your pussy, his praise - it’s all too much, entirely too good, and the heat in your gut swirls inside you like an inferno. Your hands grip at his shoulders, digging into his shirt as you feel the rapidly approaching climax start to take control. Your hips buck against him like a woman possessed, desperately seeking the friction that’s threatening to overwhelm you.

“Please…Sanji, honey, I-”

“Come for me, angel. Ride my fingers and tell me that you're mine.” Sanji rasps, his eyes intensely locked on yours, as if wanting to see the exact moment you tip over.

"I'm-...Sanji, I'm yours, I'm-!" You chant, breathless and desperate as that pleasure builds so deep inside of your core with every brush of your g-spot.

Your face contorts slowly, your mouth dropping open as your orgasm hits you. A white-hot euphoria fills your veins as you buck helplessly against his hand, clutching and keening from the effort. Sanji doesn’t let up, his fingers coaxing as much pleasure out of you as possible as you whine for him. Slowly, once he feels your walls fluttering in that perfect way, he extracts his hand from your panties and pops his fingers into his mouth. He hums, closing his eyes to savor the taste before finally setting his hand back on your hip and meeting your gaze again.

You’re panting, sweaty, and nearly slack-jawed.

“What the hell was that?” You finally ask, a breathless laugh leaving you.

“Mosshead wouldn’t stop looking at you during dinner. And then he pulled you aside when the meal was done.” Sanji responds, giving you a shy smile. “I’m sorry, angel. I just couldn’t stand it.”

Your mind works hard to retread through the events of that night, and as the cogs turn in your head, a sudden realization makes your heart pound, and a small laugh slips from your lips.

You quirk an eyebrow at him, an almost devious smile rising to your lips. “Oh, so that’s what this was about? Baby, Zoro was just telling me I had some food in my hair. Apparently it was there after Luffy tore into dinner like the little monster he is.”

The only sound for a long moment that can be heard is the buzzing from the refrigerator. Finally, Sanji lets out a sigh, taking a small step back from you, the tips of his ears turning that familiar shade of pink.

“Well, then…” He mumbles, his eyes shifting to the ground. His foot gently traces the floorboard of the kitchen, one of his hands instinctually moving to his pocket in search of his pack of cigarettes.

You let out a soft laugh, hands moving to pull him by the lapels of his jacket closer to you.

“You don’t have to worry about that swordsman. Or anyone else for that matter.” You assure him, pulling him just a tad closer. “I’m yours, Sanji. Through and through.”

The way Sanji’s eyes light up makes your heart melt, and you swear in this moment that nothing else could ever be more perfect than the way he looks at you.

“I’ll never let you regret it, mon amour. I’m yours, too.” He responds softly, his voice unwavering and steady.

His lips gently press into yours, his hand moving to cup the back of your neck softly, tenderly. Your lips move together before parting, lingering.

“You know, I didn’t mind you being so dominant. It was really sexy.” You mumble against his lips.

You hear him gasp softly when your hand connects with his erection still present in his slacks. It’s not surprising to you that, even in his embarrassment, he hasn’t gone soft. He has an erection damn near every time you both speak, let alone kiss. Your hand gently rubs at his length, and he gasps again when you lean forward to nip at his lip.

“Let me show you just how much I’m yours.”

[starlightsreigns]

pray you catch me | a lemonade story

summary ⇢ mellie feels crazy. he’s not cheating on her, right? but a woman’s intuition is the most honest thing in the world, and she needs to start accepting his secrets. word count ⇢ 0.9k tags ⇢ minors, do not interact, implied cheating | one ; intuition "im praying to catch you whispering"

What are you doing, my love?

There was a vacancy in his eyes nowadays. Even now, as he pounded into me, his eyes were far away. My eyes rolled to the back of my head, feeling those familiar knots forming in my stomach, ready for release. I gripped the sheets tightly as he continued the assault in me until the ecstasy became too much. 

Silence followed us for a while. He didn’t even join me in the shower afterward. Roman stayed in the bedroom, stuck to his phone, like he had for the past couple of months. Something was off and it’s starting to concern me.

From the bathroom, as I lotioned my body, Roman’s faint voice seeped through the bottom of the door. He was whispering on the phone and my curiosity got the best of me, making me press my head against the door. Is this what it’s gotten to? I can’t ask him who he’s talking to, so I’m stooping down to the level of an insecure woman. 

“Nah, I can’t tonight, I’m… busy.” 

He gets the same call every Tuesday night. Before I can look at his phone when he’s asleep, it’s deleted from the call log, but I know what I'm feeling in my gut. He’s more secretive now and I’m not the girl who follows her man in disguises, so I have to find the trust in him. 

“Ro, you want a later dinner?” I clear my throat, entering the room again. “I can make us something.” 

Roman’s putting his clothes on when he turns to look at me, “I might go pick us somethin’ up.” 

My stomach turns. We’re not takeout people. Our diets matter too much to eat out, and he’s rarely the one to offer it. I clear my throat while tying my robe tightly. How do I question him when he’s standing right in front of me, eyes sparkling, and his beautiful smile on display?

“It’s two am, Ro, are you sure?” My question is more of a plea for him to stay. “You know I can make anything.” 

He kisses my forehead lightly, “It’s okay, Mel, I’ll be back.”   

My lonely ear pressed against the walls of your world

How is this the life I’m living now? worried that the man who I call my husband is cheating on me when we’re only two years into marriage. Roman’s different — he’s distant, quieter, and away more. he’s always been on the road, it’s his job, but nowadays, it feels like I see him even less; if that’s even possible. 

Initially, his smiling face would be the first thing I saw when he walked through the door. He’d be on his hands and knees gushing about how much he’d miss me. We’d spend every waking moment together, sharing everything. There were dinner dates, day trips, vacations, deep conversations, and just us. 

Yet, now, he doesn’t even invite me on the road with him. Now, I’m stuck at home. I wonder, and it makes me sick to think, that he’s inviting her — whoever she is. our life together is just starting and I'm accusing him of an affair, but my heart knows I'm not going crazy. I can’t be. 

It took him an hour. The food cartons sit on the kitchen table, unopened, eating is the last thing on my mind. I’m on the couch, frozen in my seat, trying to catch a single word he’s saying on the phone. He’s on the porch, telling me he had to speak to someone from work, but the conversation filled with laughs tells me otherwise. What could Paul say that makes him laugh like that? 

you can taste the dishonesty it’s all over your breath..

“Not ready for bed?” Roman asks. 

That’s the first thing he says to me after being on the phone for that long. He sits beside me on the couch and pulls me into his chest. This is the only thing I’ve wanted all day, to have him close to me and dispel any worries that I’ve had that maybe he’s cheating on me. Roman caresses my face, pressing a tender kiss on my lips, but there’s a taste on his lips that makes me draw back. 

“Did you eat… seafood tonight?” I question softly, running my finger over his lips. 

Roman chuckles, “No?” 

I nod slowly, leaning back against him. He’s telling the truth, right? 

Nothing else ever seems to hurt like the smile on your face When it's only in my memory, it don't hit me quite the same

His smile now isn’t like what it used to be. Something is missing in the way he talks to me or the way he looks at me. It’s like we’re back in the beginning but with less love. The questioning of if he really likes me, I wonder if he’ll call today or … just everything that was exciting. 

The day he got down on his knee and asked me to marry him, he made a promise that we’d always have each other, that our love would take us everywhere, and that nothing could separate us. Yet, there’s a wall that sits between us. 

She sits between us. And as easy as it is to blame whoever she is, the person destroying me is the man sitting beside me on his phone with the brightness turned down. 

Where do we go from here?

“In the tradition of men in my blood you come home at 3AM and lie to me. What are you hiding? The past, and the future merge to meet us here. What luck. What a fucking curse.”

not sure if i like this idea, but I'm here. what's everyone's thoughts? x

[n3ptoonz]

'A Burning Memory'

Pairing: WinterSoldier!Bucky/F!Reader

Fandom: Marvel Cinematic Universe

Warnings/tags: Smut, Explicit/NSFW; pre CA:TWS, not happy ending, slight(?) angst, plot heavy, reader is a black widow, mild fighting, riding, kissing, they have history, reader calls him james - there is a reason why, reader can speak russian, SHE/HER USED, sub!bucky, think of this as canon divergence, partially inspired by the book! half proofread, yes this is also inspired by the song, "i love you" and "I'm sorry" in the same fic, i feel evil, indigo plays way too much rivals

Word count: 2k

italicized text in quotations means Russian is being spoken. bold italicized means flashback

‣︎‣︎if you recognize the beginning from a cai bot, that is because it is my bot. anyway, onward!

You left him.

Well, no. You escaped. You escaped all the torment and destruction to your body. You were over the experiments and lashings. The bright lights. The harsh conditions of training. The force of submission. You were done. However, the 'mindless' soldier didn't see it that way.

He was sent out to find and capture you, kill if necessary. One could say he's half in, half out. They told him you're a traitor and ran out on him for your own personal gain and he believed it. Part in mission, part personally. But you've been strategically hiding for months--not knowing you were hiding from him. You figured they'd send HYDRA agents and keep working on him. You hadn't a clue who he really was, nor were you so sure of your own identity, but you never thought the time you spent going on those assassin duo missions would stick to him.

You're squatting in an empty house not abandoned too long ago. It was night and you could already barely sleep, lying awake on the stolen blankets while using your own jacket for cover. You sighed frustratedly and went to go grab a bottled water from the pantry when you feel a cold, metal hand cover your mouth and a gun click, poking your rib.

"Remember me?"

Being the only one qualified to keep up with the Winter Soldier was only a curse. There were no blessings. Okay, maybe there was one. That one...no, three times you two "protected each other" whenever the signal would go out on your earpieces. Otherwise known as, nobody was there to watch your every move. Couldn't hear what you were saying... nothing. You know, the cliche of being in small, dark spaces with someone and you just so happen to brush up against a spot that was sensitive enough to get a reaction out of him of all people.

The supposed armed and dangerous man, most feared assassin the world...let you take his mask off for the first time.

"Turn around." he said, now poking the gun into your back. His accent has gotten thicker since you'd last seen him, which only meant one thing: they definitely wiped his memory again. You managed to swipe his files alongside yours before you got outta there. He's American, but he didn't know that. He still spoke Russian like it was nobody's business.

You obeyed and slowly turned around, dropping the water bottle as you watched his every move. It made you...sad to see him like this.

"I remember you." you said with a neutral tone. "I'm not going to fight you."

He didn't like that. All his enemies are supposed to fight back. There's no such thing as surrender. No hostages. Only pain. He put the gun down but his left hand--the metal one--reached out and grabbed you by the throat, pushing you harshly against a nearby wall. It was dark in the house, but you could still see the void pool in his steel blue eyes.

"Like hell you won't." he said. His jaw clenched behind his mask, but why? Why was he genuinely so pissed? Why hasn't he just knocked you out and taken you with him by now?

You gasped for air as you tried to stay alert and awake. "You need to- remember-" you strained and weakly kicked his padded torso to no avail. He grunted and squeezed harder, but then was caught all the way off guard when you punched him in the middle of his forehead. This made his grip loosen slightly, allowing you leeway to bring your legs up onto his arm and flip him over on his side.

When you landed on the floor next to him, clutching your chest as you regained consciousness, you realized you might have to either A) run as far as possible now or B) try to get through to him. Which is less impossible? Which would hurt less?

He grunted as he went to sit up. You rolled over before he could be within grabbing distance.

"I'm not going to fight you." you repeated as you stood to your feet with your hands up. You watched him get up as quickly as he fell before charging at you. You cursed as you realized you're going to have to, in fact, fight him. It's not like you weren't prepared. You're Red Room. He's HYDRA. It was tango only you two could dance.

It didn't last very long before he had you in a headlock with that same metal arm. You couldn't afford to almost lose consciousness again because this time you'd actually get to dreamland a whole lot faster. So, on impulse, you reached up and snatched his mask off.

"It's just me," she whispered, slowly removing his mask while he let her. He's already seen her full face but it's like she got...prettier.

He let go of you and stumbled backwards, feeling his face, cringing at the cool air hitting it. He stared at you, dumbfounded, nobody has ever tried that before.

They share a kiss. A short and sweet one. Her lips were so soft, so real. So perfect. She's seen me without my mask and didn't run away. She's not afraid of me like the others. She's-

"Who are you?" he muttered. His eyes darting between you and the mask in your hand.

"It's me." you whispered. "I'm not a threat to you, James." you added and slowly set the mask down. You slowly walked towards him and this time he didn't move, didn't make any effort to push you back or fight you again.

He remembers drinking in her quiet, precious moans as they kissed again. She was a drug. Something suddenly worth risking the entire mission for. His life. The consequences of getting too close to, well, anybody. He's a soldier. The perfect soldier who let some woman distract him, but damn it all.

He remembers what it felt like to drag his flesh hand along her leather clad hips. Her ass and thighs, her breasts-

"James," you stood directly in front of him with your hands still up. "You know me. You know it's me."

God, she smelled so good too. Her skin was warm and welcoming, as opposed to literally everybody else who poked and prodded at him under harsh lights and cold rooms. The first and only time anybody had power over him that was wanted, not forced.

He flinched when you grabbed his hand, his eyes shooting daggers at yours as his entire body tensed. But then he looked at you again, under the moonlight that bounced off the walls and into your facial features. Your soft lips and pretty eyes. Those casual clothes that vaguely reminded him of how you looked with nothing on. He uttered your name quietly, more for himself than you.

"Yes," you replied with a smile and a nod. "And your real name is James. Many called you 'Bucky'."

And it was all a flash. His brows furrowed as his brain suddenly fogged. That name...that damn name...why does it affect him like his. He took one good look at you. The way you looked up at him desperately, yet determinedly was like the last time you saw each other.

The signal had gone out once again-

Fuck it.

He grabbed your face and kissed you like no other. It was hungry. It was sad. It was hurt. It was happy. It was...

"Perfect," he muttered against your lips. There was no time to process what just occurred when he pulled you with him, sitting on the couch and clutched your hand in his. It was like he was unsure of himself, but you got the hint. He remembered.

He remembered the last mission. You let go of his hand and started stripping yourself half naked. He watched like a man who'd never seen anything like this before. His head tilted the second you loomed over him and undid his pants, just enough to tug down past his thighs.

That mission had to be the most risky, as there were foes on all sides that had no clue you two were there. This time was different. You technically had all the time in the world. Or at the very least all night.

You normally would entertain the idea of foreplay and all the jazz but truly, it looked like he was about to implode if you didn't start bouncing on it right this second. He uttered your name again, the rest of it dying in his throat when you sank down in his lap. You shushed him as you adjusted, wanting him to savor it and not get overwhelmed. He was still very vulnerable in this state. He had to know you had no intention of taking advantage of him like everybody else.

You set a slow pace, holding his gaze and cupping his jaw like he was a delicate flower. He looked at you like you were an angel before you kissed him gently, letting your fingers run through his hair. You felt his arms creep around your waist to hold you close, to which you didn't mind. He groaned softly and relished in everything coming back to him.

It didn't go as far back as pre-serum, but he could recall your chemistry and how well you worked together. What it felt like to be inside you for the first time. To come a little too close to cumming inside you for the first time. He needed that feeling again, again, and again.

"I missed you," you said softly and rolled your hips. You could feel his grip tightening on them as you both knew he had full jurisdiction to pick you up and finish the job himself. But he didn't want to. Not with you. "A lot."

You picked up the pace and let your face nuzzle on his shoulder, unbothered by the tactical gear that should've for sure had you shaking in your boots. That and the unmistakable musky scent that belonged to him.

He grunted in response to both your words and this new pace. Your silky walls weren't shy in welcoming him home. He could feel your soft curves molding to his hard body, your body fitting perfectly against his own.

This was wrong. Going against his mission. The Winter Soldier never failed a mission and he'd just been compromised by the target. By his mission.

But who cares? This was Bucky. Bucky was utterly in love with you, even if you just met this year. He could feel himself getting closer and closer, desperate to take you with him. He could hear you panting against his ear and whining pathetically. Just what Bucky wanted. Just what Bucky needed.

"Please, come with me," he silently pleaded. Whether it meant literally now or joining him in completely abandoning his mission, that was ultimately out the window as he crashed. Bucky had the mind to pull you up as you came too, watching both of you make a mess in awe and satisfaction.

You trembled in his hold, leaning down to kiss him on the forehead. "I'm so sorry I left you." you whispered. "I love you so much." you added and collapsed back into his lap, holding him tightly.

And suddenly his grip around you got weaker, more limp. Your eyes widened when you felt his hands fall to his sides on the couch. The light in eyes was gone and his pupils were dilated.

"James," you shook him, holding his face in panic as he didn't respond at all. "James!"

You rolled off of him and quickly stuffed him back into his pants before throwing on the rest of your clothes. He was gone; passed out. When you heard faint noises of people outside, you cursed under your breath and looked for an exit. Your heart ached at the sight of him clearly deactivated in some way.

You'll never know if he heard your sorry or your confession as you crawled through the fire escape. The mask being put back in his lap to maybe signal that you were here, with him. Yet all it did was prove he failed. And that's all he'll know. Everything else might as well have fallen on deaf ears.

Because now, it's just a burning memory.

[getaapologist]

The Tension and the Terror............Part XV

Pairing: Emperor Geta x OFC (extremely loosely, character is named but otherwise not described besides hair length)

Summary: The chaos surrounding the death of Macrinus keeps Letha and Geta apart much longer than either of them expected. Geta has an urgent question for Letha.

Warnings: make-up sex, and a shitty understanding of ancient Roman procedures around rule, 18+ only.

Word Count: 3.6k

Part 15 of 15!

[ Part XIV ]

Series Masterlist

A/N: I would like to preface this by saying thank you for reading this self-indulgent slop. I hope you got some small amount of enjoyment out of it. Your comments along the way kept me engaged enough to actually finish this. It's the first thing I've ever started writing that I actually feel like I finished. There's so much I could've added to this post-reunion that this would've never been done. I could always embellish at a later date if anyone wanted it. I'm also a bit sad to finish this because I don't have anything to look forward to now. Thank you for your time and attention. It means a lot.

Also, mea lux is 'my light' I believe.

Almost two weeks passed before Letha laid eyes on Geta again.

It was prevented by a combination of things. There had been so much to deal with after the incident in the gardens. Geta had been embroiled in meetings, debating things Letha wasn’t privy to. There was a ceremony for Ancus, to honor him for his efforts to protect his Emperors. And at every party, everyone was so desperate to show face to their Emperors, to remind them of their loyalty in wake of the exposure of Macrinus’s plot. 

Though she wasn’t invited to any official meetings or ceremonies, there were situations where she could’ve sought Geta out at these fetes and events. But she didn’t. She was scared to have that conversation that needed to happen. 

She knew she was still treated as a guest in the palace. More like a fixture, really, available to distract Caracalla whenever the burden of rule grew too tiresome with more poetry, read under the shade of a tree in the gardens, Ancus always nearby. But aside from that, she felt quite restless. 

It’s not as if she expected things to go back to how they were, but she didn’t think it would be this hard to put her thoughts together. Leaving the gardens that evening, neck still sore, she was imagining how she’d look over at Geta the next morning and fervently apologize, for all of it. She’d tell him she would understand if he sent her away, and he would assure her that he wouldn’t dream of it.

But the next morning she couldn’t leave her bed, paralyzed by this new fear. She’d gotten a chance to see what her relationship with Geta could be, she didn’t know what she would do if it was not that. And the possibilities he’d promised her most certainly couldn’t and wouldn’t happen anymore. She stewed in the hesitance, the uncertainty, until she became convinced that it absolutely would be different. No matter what different meant, she was sure it wouldn’t be good.

And so it continued, Letha skipping mealtimes that used to be routine, bumping into servants gossiping on her way into the kitchens to eat. Occasionally she heard her name on their tongues, her appearance causing them to freeze as if Letha were Medusa herself. Not wanting to make a scene, she’d just duck right back out, resolving to return later.

Caracalla assured her his brother was just being kept very, very busy in the wake of the subterfuge and death of Macrinus, but she couldn’t help but feel like it was a little intentional. 

What did you expect, honestly?

She didn’t know why she was still allowed to wander the palace, as if she were back to being a guest. There were no guards posted outside her room, and for the last week she spent her evenings in the gardens, observing the moon, asking no one in particular what happens next.

She wasn’t naive, she knew Tegula didn’t trust her. And nothing spread faster than a salacious rumor. They weren’t so foolish as to speak poorly of their Emperor, so they resorted to tarnishing her reputation instead. She was a witch, had steered Macrinus to his end, was desperate to attach herself to the divinity the Emperors were entitled to.

It was ridiculous. If she had such powers, she sure wouldn’t have suffered all this. 

It was all just more fuel for her suppositions, perpetuating her unhappy cycle until she felt like it would be better if she just snuck out one night. She could become a ghost story. But against all odds, she still carried hope that the next day would be different. 

As for Geta, well, Geta was trying to prevent an economic collapse. Some part of him thought Letha might think poorly of him if he let the empire fall around them because he would rather be locked up in his rooms, curled up in her. Because that was what he wanted. But he had a duty, a responsibility to steer this monstrous empire in a direction he could have heirs in. Perhaps the danger had put things into perspective.

Listening to the senators describe just how involved Macrinus had been in arming their voracious armies became more and more painful as they dove into the minutiae of complex accounts and processes he never bothered to pay attention to before. It was overwhelming. But he knew their efforts were working. Still, there were moments where he’d trade it all for those eyes on him again. 

What little free time he had was spent trying to avoid Letha, because he needed hours, days, uninterrupted, for him to spill his heart to her. A few minutes here and there wouldn’t be enough to relay any of the complex emotions he felt. He couldn’t avoid her forever, though, because there was a certain conversation that had to happen. He needed to know where he stood with her before he picked a particular path to tread down.

So that was why he stalked the gardens that evening, waiting for her to appear for her nightly stargazing. And as he watched her spread out the emerald-dyed linen on the grass, he felt calm. Almost peaceful. He let himself forget the weight of all that had happened, the guilt, too. Everything they’d all been through. 

Well, not everything.

“You should have run far away from here,” Geta spoke, disturbing her peace. 

Letha looked over her shoulder, her breath held in her lungs as she appraised him. It almost felt like the first time. The first time she saw him and admitted against her better judgment that he was beautiful.

The moonlight glinted off the laurels and the golden chestplate he still wore, though the ceremony had long been over. His hair was shiny, neat, framing his fair face. His deep, dark eyes, still lined in crimson, were locked on her.

He looked close to divine standing there in the golden armor, easily one of the most opulent things she’d ever seen. He somehow looked taller, broader, in the armor. Untouchable, too. 

It was so late in the evening, he should’ve changed. He should be in bed. Anywhere but here.

No more hiding. 

“I was locked in a cell, I wasn’t running anywhere.”

He surprised her by sitting beside her on the blanket, the ceremonial armor quite uncomfortable to lay down in. He kept his arms slung around his knees, the bindings of the tall sandals flexing over his shins as he joined her in staring up at the large moon.

“What about after?” After Macrinus. “You’ve had no chaperone for well over a week now.”

Letha felt her stomach twist. “I’ve thought about it.”

“But?” Geta supplied, turning his head away from the splendor of the night sky to peer down at her where she laid out beside him. A challenger to the celestial might hanging above.

“You know there would be no point.”

He raised an eyebrow. “I do?”

She rolled her eyes, a treasonous activity if done by any other, but it filled Geta with warmth, bringing the beginnings of a smile to his lips. It all felt so familiar.

“There’s something that is keeping me here. Besides the fact I wouldn’t last a day out there with nowhere to go.”

“I dared to hope,” he admitted, taking her own admission and shoving it into the cracks that were slowly mending, a makeshift mortar.

She looked over at him, a line forming between her brows as she studied him, thinking very hard about what to say next. He reached down with a finger, gently pressing at the center of her brows, pushing away the line.

“I’m sorry,” she blurted out, the pressure of his closeness becoming overwhelming. 

“No,” he shook his head, moving his finger lower to press to her lips, silencing any further unnecessary apologies. “It is forgiven.”

Letha felt relief, could feel a tear forming at the corner of her eye. But she didn’t want to cry, not now. She recalled her apology muttered into his hair that day. He’d told her ‘no’ then too. 

“Do you still care for me?” he asked, his voice low.

“Of course I do,” she whispered, feeling the tear slide down the side of her face. 

He noticed it, moving his fingertip to wipe away the trail before resting his hand on the ground beside her head. He licked his lips, staring at her, all his weight bearing down, as if daring himself to collapse onto her. 

As much as he might have enjoyed frolicking beneath the stars, removing this armor was not a graceful job, even for two. 

“I want to show you something.” He pushed off the ground and sat up, the haze of him dispersed. She made herself sit up, kept her eyes on him as he stood up. He could feel a swarm of bees in his stomach moving angrily as he held a hand out for her to help her to her feet.

There was a split second of indecision and he nearly faltered, but her tight grip on his hand was a balm, immediately settling his nerves. As she leaned down to gather up the blanket, he tugged her hand, urging her to leave it. 

Geta  lifted the small chest off his desk and carried it over to where Letha sat on the side of the chaise in his room. It sank into the plush seat and she looked up at him, surprised. 

“It’s quite heavy.”

“I can manage just fine,” he smiled, his teasing tone returning.

It was so easy to get caught up in his magnetism. She wondered if he knew he possessed such a thing.

“Go on,” he urged. “Open it.”

She obeyed, pushing up the lid, exposing a rich ruby interior, the box created to house this one ornate bauble. Laurels, golden and sparkling. There were small, dazzling red gems hidden among the leaves here and there.

“It’s beautiful,” she whispered, reaching in to run a finger along one of the gilded leaves. “Seems a bit small for you,” she admitted.

“It is,” he confirmed. 

“Well I think Caracalla will love it,” she smiled, lowering the lid. “It’s a thoughtful gift.”

Geta reached down, pulling it back open. There was a look in her eyes that gave him pause, all the smiles and teasing forgotten. As if she knew already what he was about to say. To ask.

“It’s not for my brother.”

His words sent an icy chill down the center of her back, forcing her to sit up a bit straighter. He was already moving away, pacing.

“I have been busy, Letha,” he admitted. “I’ve spent more time with the senators than I can possibly stand. And in exchange for those long hours, I got this.”

“Geta, I—”

“Don’t feel like you need to say yes right now. Just promise me you will think on it. I know these last couple of weeks have been difficult, we’ve had a hell of a time trying to navigate—”

Letha stood and walked over to him as he rambled. She reached up and curled her fingers around the collar of the chestplate, pulling him down by it, pressing her lips to his. 

Geta recognized the action immediately, bringing one of his hands up to cover hers where she held the armor, moaning against her lips. He pulled her in by the small of her back with his free hand. Her necklace clattered against the metal plate until it was muffled by the press of her against him. 

He could not get near enough air into his lungs. He felt dizzy, incoherent, his blood at once diluted but also thickened, leaving his limbs feeling heavy with a honeyed sludge passing through his veins. The pressure of her hauling him down to her eager mouth by the bronze plate persisted in his brain, in his gut, and he suspected he would relive it for the rest of time. 

“Letha,” he breathed, his palm pressing to her heated cheek. “You can take time,” he offered, though he would be lying if he said he was satisfied with this and nothing more.

“I’ve taken it,” she replied quickly, releasing the armor. 

Before the dissatisfaction crept in, he felt her fingers at his side, brushing the underside of his arm that he immediately lifted. She worked at the buckle, pulling the leather free before moving down to the woven golden string keeping both halves together. 

Once his brain caught up to hers, he pulled at the cords holding the pauldrons over his shoulders, the both of them picking up speed as an unspoken sense of urgency grew in the silence. It all hit the floor with a loud clattering, the pteruges joining it not long after. 

Free from the weight of the heavy armor, Geta reached for Letha’s neck, pulling her into him, groaning against her lips as he attempted to make up for lost time.

As he held her, he realized she was working herself out of her dress. It was bunched up on her shoulders by the time he looked down. The next chance she got, the two of them needing air, she threw it off over her head. 

“I would have gotten to that,” he breathed, allowing himself to look her over. 

“Like I said, I’ve taken it.” she spoke with intention. He felt it low in his belly.

She got to spend only a moment more on her feet before he collected her in his arms and carried her to the bed. She let out a laugh as she sank into the plush arrangement of silks and pillows. He stared down at her, feeling that blooming of warmth in his chest that only she gave him.

 “What are you waiting for?”

As the words left her lips, Geta threw off the white tunic and joined her, crawling up her body to seal his lips to hers, finally allowing the weight of him to press her down into the bed. He had missed this. Her skin, already hot beneath his hands, her movements only drawing him in further, seeking his touch, his lips.

It had been a long couple of weeks.

He felt her bring a leg up around his hip and he reached for it, fingers digging into her thigh as he rutted against her. The ragged moan that left his throat said more about his desperation than anything else.

The tension in his arm trying to hold him up off of her was too much to ignore. He turned onto his side, clinging to her thigh, slowly bringing her with him until he was on his back. As she settled in this new position, she looked down where they met, a bashful smile on her face.

He couldn’t deny the wonder that overtook him at the sight of her above him, the way her mussed hair hung around her face, a few strands now loose. She was radiant, even in the night. Her nervous smile took hold in his chest, and he knew then that he would make it his goal to continue to find ways to draw that same smile from her. 

“I missed you,” she admitted, eyes cast down to the expanse of his torso beneath her hands. “I thought we might never…”

“Letha, you possess me.” Her eyes widened, her body frozen in his hands. “I think that was why it hurt so much to be separated from you.” He shifted his hips, forcing heat into her cheeks. “And I owe you an apology.”

“It is forgiven,” she insisted.

He shot her a look. “I could have lost you. It was cruel and impulsive.”

“We are fortunate your brother had the good sense to intervene, then.”

“Please, do not speak of my brother right now,” he pleaded, squeezing her thighs. 

She laughed at him, covering his hands with hers. “Let me distract you,” she offered, bringing his hands up higher, his fingers skimming her belly before she pressed his palms into her breasts.

“So beautiful,” he whispered, his hands squeezing her soft skin. 

She ground herself down on him, using him, the sight filling him with desire for her. How he ever got pleasure from anyone else, he could never know. This was all he ever needed. He could only thank the gods, the fates, whoever brought her to him. 

She surprised him as she swung her leg over him, leaving him there in the bed, a pathetic whine leaving his throat as the air hit his slick-wet cock.

Letha felt a bit unsteady on her feet as she walked through his room. She was ready to show him that she would take on the mantle, the responsibility of keeping him sated and happy. 

Possessed him? She would never get over it. 

She found the chest and lifted the lid, reaching down for the delicate crown. Even in the dim light it sparkled. Her prize in hand, she set it on her head and nearly sprinted back to Geta.

He still laid in the middle of his bed, a vision of long limbs and pale flesh. At the sound of her feet padding on the floor he craned his neck, his large brown eyes passing over her, lingering on her head, where the crown sat precariously.

His full lips parted in a grin. “Eager to fulfill your duty, Empress?” he questioned, his voice low with desire. He held his hands out for her, helping her return to her place astride his hips. 

“Do you like it?” she asked a bit bashfully, her hands leaving his to steady the crown in her hair.

He let out a deep breath. “Mea lux,” he smiled, reaching up to pull her down to his chest, “you spoil me.” He stole a kiss from her lips before he reached up to adjust the crown so it would sit more securely on her head. She leaned into every touch, relishing the sensation of his large hands on her skin, skimming, gripping, squeezing.

She was so overwhelmed by him that she didn’t notice him preparing to shove into her, her only warning a quick swipe of him through her slick. They let out matching sighs as he filled her, like this was all they needed. Letha sat up, a hand pressed against his abdomen for support as she reacclimated to him. 

“W-What exactly are the duties of an Empress, Geta?” she asked. His hips snapping up forcing a wanton moan to leave her lips. 

His flush extended from his face and ears down to his chest. “Besides the obvious?”

She nodded, shifting her hips, moving on instinct, eager for relief. 

He grunted, letting his head fall back. “Well,” he began, bucking his own hips up slightly to reward her. “You will sit with me in all the boring meetings. We will suffer together.” 

“Mhmm,” she moaned, nodding. “I can do that.”

“You will advise me, keep me in line,” he grunted. “Tell me when I’m being a fool.”

“I will relish every chance I get,” she grinned, chasing her pleasure.

“Don’t look so excited,” he chuckled, biting his lip. 

She felt her thighs burning, but she didn’t dare stop, the coil pulling ever tighter. “What else?”

“You will guard my heart, Letha,” he breathed, his eyes meeting hers.

Her hips stilled. 

Geta flipped them, bringing his face down to hers. She ran her hands up his sides, over his shoulders, tangling in his hair as he kissed her. She relaxed beneath him, her legs wrapping around his hips as he drove into her at a steady pace. 

“Can you do that?” he asked, meeting her eyes. 

“Haven’t I been already?” 

He blinked down at her, absorbing her words. “I love you.”

“I love you,” she echoed, pulling his face down to hers.

In the kiss, he quickened his pace. She felt like she was falling apart in his hands, unable to form more words. He reached down between them, his fingers finding home in the apex of her thighs, his nose brushing against hers as he urged her to her release.

She clung to him desperately, choked gasps leaving her throat as he pressed his lips against it. She clenched around him, the coil finally snapping and giving way for her hard-earned release. He pushed her through it, her hands squeezing his hips in an effort to slow him down, too sensitive. 

He sat up, pulling her to him by her hips, grunting as he pounded into her.

“Is giving you an heir part of my duties as well?”

He laughed. “Not a requirement, but–” He cut himself off, burying himself in her as he fell on top of her, pulsing into her. “–a perk.”

He settled on top of her, his lips pressing to hers before he buried his face in the side of her neck. She held him close, running fingers up and down his back, enjoying the warmth of him despite all the sweat. 

“I would stay like this forever,” she sighed, trying to fight off the exhaustion she felt. The last thing she wanted to do was sleep now that she had him back.

“I have no pressing business for two days, mea lux. You’re not leaving this room,” he spoke into her skin. “And when we do, we will be wed.”

She felt nervous, but optimistic. “Should we not have waited until after for this then?”

He lifted his head, his warm eyes settling on hers. Full of love and mirth. “Oh, no, dear Letha. I believe you said you have already taken your time to think,” he winked, “and I would not deprive my Empress of anything.”

[ fin ]

Thank you for reading!

[kilojulietsierra]

When You Touch Me Like That (Jake "Hangman" Seresin x fem!massage therapist reader)

Self indulgent maybe, but who wouldn't want to get there hands on this man!?

Your boyfriend visits you at work and suddenly can't get his mind of one specific thing.

Warnings: 18+ only content, established relationship, jealousy, inappropriate massage therapist behavior, consensual kink, sexy massage, happy ending, unprotected pinv, dirty talk, very hands on...

~~~

He had brought you lunch that day. That's how this all had started. He'd hung out in the front office, the girl working the front desk said you were finishing up with an appointment and that you'd be right out. So he'd hung out in the office and waited.

Not long after he heard a door close softly and another door close a moment later. He could hear water running for a long while and then a few minutes later you appeared.

"Jake!" Your face lit up when you saw him and it did his ego good. "What are you doing here?"

Jake was in civilian clothes; boots, jeans and a size too small t-shirt with Wayfairers hooked in the collar, "Out early today, knew who had a busy day so…" He held up a to go bag from your favorite Deli

"God bless you." You walked straight up to him for a kiss and to retrieve your lunch.

"BLT with avocado and an egg, extra runny." He smiled as you took the bag from him to inspect, "Don't worry chips and salsa too."

By this point one of the other therapists had finished an appointment and was talking to the young lady she had been working on. The two of them and the front desk receptionist all seemed to be staring on in envy and Jake couldn't help but play it up a bit. Then he saw the man come down the hallway and walk up to you. He was an older man, definitly older than you, and Jake would guess older than himself as well.

"Thank's hon, amazing as always."

Jake watched him as he walked out the door, hackles raised.

"I'm sorry we're so busy, otherwise I'd say we could eat together." Your voice snapped him out of his murderous thoughts.

"I know darlin," He bent down to drop a kiss on your forehead, "Me and some of the guys are gonna meet up at O'hargens in a bit, I'll get some wings there."

"Day drinking on a weekday? Careful Lieuteant." You had given him a cheeky smile and one last kiss, "Thank you, I love you, have fun."

"Love you too, still want me to come over tonight?"

"Of course," You rolled your eyes a little but still smiled, "Don't get tou turnt up."

Jake smiled and slid his glasses on, "Please, Ferg is the one you gotta watch out for. I'm a boy scout."

Out in the parking lot Jake was still smiling. Until he saw the guy again.

Your appointment. He was sitting in his camaro with the top down and sweat already seeping through his shirt in the Pensacola sun.

Jake eyed the man as he walked to his truck and waited for him to pull out of the parking lot first. Jealousy wasn't something Jake dealt with often, only when it came to you. Mostly when someone was looking a little more than he cared for. Occasionally when Jake remembered that your job included touching people, specifically asshats like that guy.

The whole way to the bar Jake had been grinding his teeth, thinking about that guy and that he called you hon, apparently was a regular, and Jake was certain he wasn't getting regular massages for chronic back pain. Then somehow after a few beers with the boys from the squadron a wire had gotten crossed in his brain.

Which is how he ended up looking away from the game on tv and over to you where you were reading at the other end of the couch. "Darlin, would you give me a massage tonight?"

"Sure babe," You paused for a minute to finish a sentence in your book before looking up, "You sore or something?"

Your hands were amazing and you gave the best massages, Jake was lucky and he knew that. He had free access to you for every ache and pain a hard day of training or flying might cause.

Tonight though, that wasn't why he was asking. "No, not like that. Just... " Now that he'd started this he realized there was no good way to ask for what he wanted. "I mean, like, like a sexy massage."

You chuckled, you looked confused, but you gave him a smile. "Jake, what are you talking about?" As soon as the words left your mouth realization dawned on you, "Ohhh..." You looked him over carefully, "You mean like rub your back before we have sex?"

Jake dropped his head back against the couch, "Know what, don't worry about it, it was just a dumb idea anyway."

"What? No, babe" You scooted over to his side of the couch, "I think I'm just not understanding what you mean."

"Promise not to make fun of me?"

"I mean... no more than normal." You laughed but Jake accepted that answer with a sideways glance.

"So, I got a little jealous after leaving your work today, and then the more I thought about it..."

"Jake, you know when it comes to clients..."

"I know babe, that doesn't meen I don't...can't get Jealous." You both shared a knowing look, Jake was territorial to say the least. "Anyway I had a few drinks with the guys and I started thinking about something else..." When you didn't respond Jake took a deep breath and continued, "I mean like a happy ending kind of massage."

Now it was obvious you understood what he meant this time. You sat there, legs crossed on the couch next to him, and contemplated a few things. "Does that turn you on? Thinking about that."

"Apparently." Jake felt a little embarrassed and couldn't meet your eye.

"Since when?"

"I don't know, about 12:45 this afternoon."

That made her laugh a little, "Do you mean like role play? Or..."

Jake looked at her finally, "No, not like that. I just..." He looked at her hands and lost his train of thought.

"Jake," You brought his attention back and moved closer to him on the couch, now sitting on your knees with your elbow braced against the back of the seat. "You know how sometimes in bed... my brain kind of short circuts and I need something but can't get it out." When he continued to stare at the celining but nodded, you continued, "You make me slow down and take a minute, until I can tell you what I want." His eyes dart to yours and he nods again. "This is a time where you need to slow down and tell me what you want."

He sighed deeply and stared back at the football game, "It sounds stupid now that I'm trying to say it out loud."

You smiled, "I said the exact same thing the night I came back from my birthday party." You smirked when that brought his attention back, you could see him biting the inside of his cheek, "Remember how drunk and silly I sounded trying to explain to you what I wanted? Y'know the thing with the scarves and your..."

"Oh I remember." Jakes smirk doubled, relishing the tinge of pink in your cheeks.

"Well, that ended up not being stupid at all did it?" You asked as you moved to straddle his lap.

His hands grabbing your hips on reflex alone he grinned, "Definitly not stupid."

Your weight settled on his thighs you grinned back, "Now it's your turn, so spill."

~~~

Jake leaned against the door to your bedroom as he watched you change for bed. Nervous as he may be he still smirked to himself knowing full well if everything went well, you wouldn't need clothes to sleep in. "You're sure this isn't…" He momentarily trailed off as you shimmied out of your cut offs and did not replace them. "This isn't, like demeaning or objectifying or like, crossing some sort of boundary?"

You laughed and gave him a big bright smile as you crossed your bedroom to where he stood. "You know how I really," You ran your hands up his chest to wrap around his neck, "Really like when you come home in your uniform and let me… help you get undressed?"

He grinned and set his hands on your hips, "I do."

"Well, I think it's kinda like that." You scratched your nails over the back of his neck and smiled up at him.

Jake leaned down to kiss you, "You're amazing, y'know that right?"

"Mhmm," You grinned into the kiss and then pulled back the slightest bit, "Now, take your clothes off and get on the bed."

With a hint of a groan he pulled away, already turned on, "Yes ma'am."

When you came back from the bathroom with Jake's favorite lotion, which he denied to the bitter end, you found him face down in the middle of your bed, naked and tense. You couldn't help but giggle to yourself as you approached, "You look a little tense there lieutenant."

"Don't tease me darlin'." Jake grumbled into the pillow, arms folded beneath him.

As you climbed onto the bed and straddled his lower back, just as you normally did when you gave him a backrub, the thought occured to you that this was, actually, very different. Lotion in your hands you admired the expanse of muscle before you. "Thought that's what you wanted." You ignored his warning as you made the first firm stroke over his back, a palm on either side of his spine.

The muscles under your hands shivered and flexed and Hangman let out a groan, "Your hands are amazing."

Your cheeks flushed, you bit your lip as you worked over his lower back, up along his spine to his shoulders. You scooted back enough that you could dig your thumbs into the divots at the base of his spine.

Jake was always vocal in bed, but the way he groaned and ground his hips into the mattress emboldened you. You licked your lips and leaned down close, your chest pressed to his back as you whispered in his ear. "Feel good?"

"So fucking good." He groaned, face buried directly into the pillow, hips grinding more as you kissed and mouthed at his neck while your hands stroked over his bulging biceps.

How had you never done this before?

Bracing you hands against his shoulders you pushed yourself back up to a sitting position and began to work your way down his back. When you paused for more lotion you couldn't help but enjoy the way he fidgeted beneath you. LIke he was chasing after your hands, after your touch. You scooted back over his thighs and bit your lip, fighting back a grin as you swept your hands up his sides, strong fingers curling into his ribs and raking their way down over his waist and hips.

You continued down until you were at the backs of his thighs and then reversed direction and stroked over each of his glutes. His hips bucked into the mattress even as his muscles clenched under your touch, "Not that kind of massage darlin'."

You giggled as you drug your nails down over the small of his back and then over each ass cheek, "Maybe some other time."

Again, his hips rolled beneath you, but this time he chuckled. His voice muffled by the pillow he responded, "We'll see."

You continued to knead your way up his back so you could kiss and nip along his neck and shoulders, sucked his earlobe between your lips as moved one hand to stroke up and down the back of his neck before carding your fingers into his hair and massaging his scalp. While he continued to moan in to the pillow and writhe beneath you you smiled and whispered, "Roll over for me baby."

He moved so fast he nearly tipped you over.

You giggled as he steadied you by the hips only for you to swat his hands away, "No, touching."

Jake rolled his eyes, but let his hands settle plam down on the comforter. You purposefully moved to settle yourself over his lower abs, barely brushing his erection as you moved. He let out a long breath like it would help him keep his composure as your hands sarted back into his shoulders only from the front this time. Your thumbs tracing along his collar bone several times before you lifted one arm.

You moved it so his hand would rest on your shoulder as you massaged the muscles of his foream, his biceps and triceps and then back in long languid movements. You couldn't help but hum approvingly as the hand at you shoulder lazily moved to grip the back of you neck. Jakes thumb stroking over your pulse point in time with your massage.

You repeated the same with his other arm, your resolve to drag this out chipped slightly as he again took a gentle hold of your neck and caressed your skyrocketing pulse with the pad of a rough thumb.

"What happened to no touchin'?" Jake teased, his cocky tone a stark contrast to the half lidded eyes he gazed up at you with. Biting your lip you leaned forward, down, into the pressure of his thumb. His grip on your throat shiffting automatically as he held you.

After a brush of your lips over his, and the slight increase in pressure around your throat, you whispered, "Did I say that?"

He chuckled, squeezed your throat a little tighter as he kissed you, "You sure did."

"Oops." You winked at him as you easily broke his grip on your throat to pin his hand above his head.

Jake took the hint and brought his other up to join it, folding his hands behind his head and cursing under his breath when your hands began to work over his pecs. His hips jerked each time your thumbs would swipe over one of his erect nipples. "Fuck baby." His eyes were closed and the muscles under your hands flexed and tightened.

You couldn't help but lean down and lick over one and then suck, like he so often did to you. "Jesus, fuck..." A hand dug into your hair and clamped your mouth in place for a moment, urging you to continue licking and sucking at his nipple, biting it not so gently with your teeth before soothing the sting away with your tongue.

Then he was dragging you back up his body for a kiss. "No touching, remember?" You mumbled into his mouth.

He nearly growled at you in return, "I should have specified sweetheart, happy ending for me means I cum in your perfect, tight little pussy. Not all over my stomach." He kissed you again, his tongue sweeping through your mouth, his grip on your hair keeping your face smashed against his.

A giggle escaped, "This turning you on that much baby?" You pushed aside to kiss and lick your way down his neck, "I'm not even halfway done yet."

Jake spit out another, "Jesus Christ." As you licked over his opposite nipple and then began to trace the lines of his abs with your thumbs. You pushed back, over his cock, the feel of it hot and hard and oh so ready for you tempting, but you slid further, ignoring the way the his entire body rolled as you did so. His hand in your hair tightened quickly and then relaxed, like he caught himself.

You traded your thumbs for your tongue as you began to lick at the planes of his six pack, earning more cursing and another roll of his hips that had his cock pressing against your stomach. In response you moved to straddle one of his thighs and ground down against it, long and slow. Your wetness spreading over it as you finally, truly crossed over that line to make this way more than just a massage.

"Fuck, you're so damn wet darlin', I can feel it." His thigh flexed beneath you and his abs fluttered under your lips. He was not wrong, you were soaked, drenched, leaving a smear of arousal over his thigh. The coarse hair and thick muscle of it doing terrible things to your own self control.

"This the kind of massage you wanted Lieutenant?" Your own voice was breathy as you had made it to nip and kiss at his hip bone, your hips 'massaging' his thigh faster and harder.

"Yes, yeah baby, your hands," Which were currently occupied dragging your nails lighlty down his chest over and over, "Your mouth, fuck baby your pussy feels so good rubbin' on me like that." He thrust up against you again, chasing some sort of friction, some form of relief. His hands moved to the shoulders of your t-shirt. His t-shirt. "Take this shit off."

He drug the fabric off your body with no assistance from you and groaned when you shifted enough to let his cock brush against the soft, bare skin of your breast. WIth a long, wide lick you traced one side of the sharp cut v at his lower abdomen and he thrust against you again. When you moved, scrambled to settle on his other thigh and begin to give it the same treatment, you moved and licked another path up the opposite side of the v and Jake lifted his thigih slightly to add pressure.

"Need you to touch me darlin'." It almost sounded like there was a please at the end of that sentence that he couldn't quite bring himself to say outloud.

You smiled against his hp, "I am touching you babe." You registered the bolt of pleasure that shot through you before you really realized that it came from the harsh slap Hangman had laid across your ass.

You moaned and bucked forward, his thigh chasing you and causing you to hump aginst it even harder. "Smartass." He grumbled even as both hands settled on your ass to squeeze and caress the sting away. "Touch me."

The moan escaped without your permission and you realized you were going to cum. You were well and truly humping his thigh, riding it with your thighs spread wide and your clit rubbing over the muscle. "Oh shit, Jake, fuck..."

He realized too, one hand moving to grab yours and guiding you to his balls, "Go ahead sweetheart, cum for me, be a good girl and cum for me," His larger hand encouraged you to squeeze his balls, massage them the way he liked.

"You're supposed to...' A tremor cut your words off as the knot spun and spun low in your gut.

Jake chuckled, strangled as it was, "It's okay, you first then you can finish my massage, go ahead darlin', go ahead, that's right." He continued to encourage you as you chased your orgasm, riding his leg harder and faster, your grip on his balls tightening as the pleasure crashed into you.

Jakes free hand stroked over your back as you came down, soft and soothing even as his cock twitched with need in front of you.

"Jake..."

He smirked, "C'mere baby girl." He used the hand at your back to pull you up into a kiss while his other hand continued to hold yours around his balls. His fingers working with yours to roll and tug at them. Jake kissed you like he ate you out, his mouth wide and shoving his tongue deep, licking his way into every opening until you were even more of a moaning mess. "Need a minute?" He asked, voice a whisper when he finally pulled back.

You gave him a hallf giddy, hafl shy smile, "Why is this so hot?"

His smile grew, "I don't know, but I love that it got you off to baby." He kissed you again.

"Now it's your turn." You returned the kiss, "In this new fantasy of yours, how do I finish your little massage?" J

ake groaned, "Can I take back what I said earlier? About the roll play thing?" His smile was wide and happy but his green eyes were dark, pupils blown wide.

"Next time." You picked his lips.

He nodded, "Okay." He dropped his head back into the pillows and rolled his hips experimentlaly, smirking again when you shivered, "Want that wrecked little pussy to massage my cock baby. Grind on it like you did my leg, rub it real nice and firm. Want you to get off on it."

You bit your lip and hummed, slipped your hand away from his and his balls to drag a light finger up the length of him. "Thought you wanted to come inside me?"

"Oh, I'm gonna." He chuckled, deep and low in his chest, "You let me worry about that."

All you could do was whine in anticipation as you settled in place, your thighs wide over his hips as you lined up the hadrness of his cock between your lower lips and began to move. You were so sensitive and so wet that every inch of him was nearly too much. Forget that he wasn't even inside you.

All you were doing was rocking your hps, guiding your still trembling pussy from the base to the tip, pressing his cock between the two of you and biting your lip as the familiar sensation sitrred to life within you. You moved your hands to his torso, doing your best to move them like you had before. Slow, firm steady strokes meant to losen the muscle and drive him crazy at the same time.

Then Hangman began to match the motion of your hips with his own. An image flashed through your mind as his hips bucked up into yours, his abs contraciting under your touch with each snap of his hips. The idea of Jake on your table at work, the dim lights, the music, the incense and his skin warm and slick with oil. Your eyes fell closed. He would look so strained, like he was fighting to keep his composure, his control. He would have to keep quiet, you both would or someone would hear you.

It would be so unprofessional, but so hot. As a shiver skittered up your spine you leaned down, your hands sliding over his abs, brushing his nipples on the way up his hard chest. You placed your lips against his ear and tossed your earlier statement out the window. "I'm so embarrassed Lieutenant Seresin." You let out a shaky breath that was only slightly played up, "I don't..." You rocked your hips down hard, "I don't do this with clients, I don't know what came over me, you just... you just look so good, feel so good..."

"Holy fuck." Jakes hands dug into your hips and drug you down over his cock, hard. He swallowed audibly, "Oh sweetheart..." He stretched beneath you, fighting off a wave of pleasure, "Don't be embarrassed." He turned his head so he could mouth at your neck, "Can't help myself when you touch me, you make me so hard, so horny. You're such a good girl I know you don't do this for anyone but me do you?"

"Just you." Your hips stuttered and you wrapped your arms around his neck, "Nobdoy else, just you."

Jake growled, "You only get naked for me don't you?" He was thrusting up into in earnest now, sliding you back and forth over his cock, the head catching against your clit every so often causing you to whine. "You only touch me like this. You only get this needy for me."

"Fuck, yes just for you. I can't help it." "Neither can I sweeheart, can I have that pussy sweetheart? Your mouth feels so good, your hands feel so good, want to feel what that pussy can do."

You fought to keep up the act, "I shouldn't..."

His grip on you tightened, "Just for me darlin', it can be our little secret."

For whatever reason that gets you, so you push yourself up as much as you can and take him in your hand. Trying not to feel silly you stroke the length of him, "It's so big, and hard, it does look like it hurts."

You catch him grin and you know that even though he's nearly out of his mind with how bad he wants to fuck you, the line is cheesy and such a cheap porno thing to say but he loves it. "It hurts so bad baby, make it feel better for me, please sweetheart"

As soon as you nod he as you impaled on his cock and begins fucking up into you. The act was gone completely as he drags you down into an obscene kiss, "You're so fucking good to me baby." His hips are snapping into yours so hard and so fast, that he has to lock his arms around you to keep you in place, "You playing it up for me?"

You nod into his neck, words a mix of strgangled moans and syllables, "It, oh fuck Jake, I kind of like it."

"Damn baby," He grunts as he gives in and rolls you to your back, slamming into you, "Just for me? Just for me, right?"

Your eyes roll back in your head with the way his body and his words are overwhelming you, "Only you Jake, only you, only you..." Your mind shorts out, unable to say anything else as your nails dig into the muscles of his back, warm and smooth where you had stroked over them early, only now to claw deep red welts into him as you cum again with a straingled moan.

Jake has his face inches from yours, watching as you bounce and writhe beneath him and as your pussy clenches down on his cock and he feels the first wave of your orgasm hit he burries himelf deep and cries out your name. Over and over again between grunts and groans as he empties himself into you.

~

You can see the marks on his back from your spot in bed, your heart just now starting to slow, no longer pounding in your ears. You watch him at the sink where he rinises himself off quickly with the tap water as it warms. Not for the first time you wonder just how the fuck he is so good looking. Then when he catches you looking, his eyes dancing and his grin cocky but his overall expression goofy and satisfied you wonder how the fuck he is so in love with you. Jake gives you a wink as he tests the water and then dunks a rag under it.

When he comes back into the room to clean you up, it's a struggle to keep your eyes open as he works the rag over you. He takes longer than he needs, wiping down places where he never spilled a drop, just for the excuse to return a little bit of the favor. The hot towel and pressure of his hand soothing as it stroked over your hips and thighs before he dipped it between your legs.

With your eyes closed the kiss he drops against the dip of your hip makes you jump and he huffs out a warm laugh that slides over your skin.

"What?" You ask, voice barely a whisper.

"Just thinkin' how God damn lucky I am." He places another kiss an inch over. Not sexual in anyway, only adoring.

You chuckle, "I had just been thinking the same thing." You comb a hand through his already disheveled, golden hair and smile. "You're so lucky."

He laughs and nips at your hip bone before soothing it with a kiss. Then he's off the bed and back to the bathroom. Then the room is dark and the bed dips as he crawls in beside you. "Were you really…" His voice is just shy of steady, "Were you really thinkin' about it?"

You schoot back, smiling as he wraps his arms tighter, "Yeah…" You breath deep, "Just kind of, came over me."

Jake nodded behind you and placed a kiss to the side of your neck, "I wouldn't ever ask you to do this outside of the bedroom. You know that right?"

THe smile on your face widens, "I know Jake. I wouldn't mind doing it for your again, just so you know."

He hums, obviously pleased. "Next time you could call me Commander Seresin."

"Not until your promotion is official flyboy." You tease him, shifting your ass back against him as well.

He laughs again, deep and sincere and smooths a hand down your side to keep your hips close. "You didn't mind calling me Admiral when I put on my dress whites and tied you to the bed." He teased, nipping at the shell of your ear, "Sounded so pretty, all drunk and horny, calling me Sir and asking me to put a baby in you…"

You elbowed him hard in the ribs, "Well, the next time I call you Admiral OR ask you to… do that, there better be a Mrs. Seresin to go with it."

Jake turned you to face him and kissed you, slow and deep. "Don't tease me darlin'."

"I would never." You kiss him back, grinning into it until you pull back, "Never about that."

He kisses you again, "Admiral and Mrs. Seresin… is it bad i'm gettin' hard just thinkin' about it."

You shove him onto his back with a laugh, "You realize we'll be like.. what? In our fifties, at least."

His smile was wide and his dimples showed even in the dark of your bedroom. "If we hurry and get those babies on the way, they'd be out of the house by then…"

"We are not havin' babies until you are on permanent shore duty Hangman, you hear me."

"So, what you're sayin' is; I've got a few more years to get all the kinky shit out of my system?" He licked his lips and gave you a look.

"And to sort out that jealous boyfirend thing." You chided him.

"Darlin'," He pulled you down into a kiss, "You let me give you my last name, I won't have nothin' to be jealous of."

You kissed him again, nipped at his bottom lip as you pulled back and settled your head onto his chest. His arms coming around you again made you sigh in contentment.

~~~~~

Thanks for reading! Let me know what you thought!

[meanbossart]

Ask Compilation: Advice, influences and Misc.

Apologies for taking so long on some of these, admittedly I'm much more likely to entirely forget about asks that are about me and my interests 💃 Thank you for all the questions regardless! And thank you specially to everyone who just drops nice messages into my inbox out of kindness.

I'm brazillian and a native portuguese speaker!

I'll probably return to twitter eventually, but a) I hate that place and b) It didn't make much sense to me to turn it into a BG3 account out of the blue. I am considering making an Instagram or a new twitter just to have more places where people can follow in case they don't care for tumblr, but it's just been a very busy year so far and so that's kind of low on the list of priorities. If I ever do that I'll be sure to announce it here. Have a nice day yourself!

Sorry to hear that! I've gotten a few messages before about this issue, and the problem is that since I am myself not from the US, my options are also limited :( a lot of patreon alternatives don't work for me because they either don't go through paypal, take insane currency conversion fees, or just straight up block me from signing up.

Speak for yourself, I just assume everyone I speak to online has committed some sort of atrocious crime until proven otherwise. Except for me - of course. I have never done anything bad in my life.

I still have a lot to learn! But I will basically use whatever works for me at the moment, as well as make a sincere effort to learn about musculature and anatomy so I can understand those components and how they move, instead of only knowing what they look like when still - that's how you get better at drawing from memory. Volume mostly comes from coloring and understanding light, which is it's own beast but can very much be learned from similar reference materials and observing it IRL!

My favorite places to get reference are medical diagrams, weird pictures I take of myself, 3D software (often Virt-a-mate) and questionably phrased image google searches.

My favorite artists are Jason Shawn Alexander and Sean Murphy, but I'm not sure how much of it reflects in my art nowadays! I generally seek to pick up techniques from artists rather than to emulate style.

Honestly I love that you guys generally do the thing he would hate the most: take him very non-seriously LOL

I've been in a real Chelsea Wolfe and Amyl And The Sniffers kick lately! But usually you'll also find me listening to stuff like Boy Harsher, Swans, FWF, JK Flesh Lingua Ignota, Nick Cave, David Bowie, and so on. Music for the weird gays, basically.

I went insane and wrote a 23-chapter-long-and-still-ongoing fic in like four months. But also - I'm not that good, I'm just shamelessly pretentious LOL

Hm. That's a good question, but I'm not really sure. Sincerely not trying to be a edgier-than-thou here (in fact, this has made me a little self conscious at one time or another) but a lot of art that I don't mean to be horror-y in nature at all has been associated with the genre. So perhaps I don't know what I'm doing either, LOL.

I think just leaning on making things look slightly "wrong" or "ugly" on purpose is the way, but I also find that if you just seek to depict people as they are instead of idealized versions of themselves, you will arrive at that either way.

Thank you for reading! Honestly, I'm guilty of having not read much at all since I was in my late teens, and the style I'm employing for ANE is very different from the things I would call "influential" for me, or even that I used to enjoy reading at all before. I read a lot of Chuck Palahniuk as a youth (and, no slight to people who do like him still, but nowadays I'm not sure why I ever did. His stories don't speak to me at all anymore) as well a lot of weird experimental lit that I didn't even care to remember the name of. My last book stint from one or two years ago was composed solely of historical and medical literature, and last year I got really into Cormac Mcarthy thanks to the internet.

So, all in all, I'm absolutely all over the place LOL if you put a gun to my head and told me to list my favorite books, I'd say The Indifferent Stars Above and Blood Meridian.

(Consider the reading portion of the question to have been answered above) I really really liked Beau is Afraid and think it's a really great "horror" movie. Sue me.

[queen-scribbles]

"Lighting up when you see them" for Vikkari and Arue?

Early- to barely-mid Act 3 smitten and shy about it VikkArue for you <3 ---

Seelah was well-familiar with how the bustle in the Half Measure could make it hard to hear. It was not an infrequent occurrence, even in Arueshalae's preferred more withdrawn corner, to raise voices so they could hear each other.

She was also well-familiar by now with the very particular type of distraction that perked Arueshalae's expression. Seelah cut herself off mid-tale, knowing both that Arue wasn't listening and what--who--she'd find even before she turned to follow her friend's gaze.

Arueshalae didn't light up like that for just anybody.

"So," she began, hiding her grin behind the rim of her tankard, "does Vikkari come here often?"

"Every few days, when we're in the city," Arueshalae said, fingers absently circling the edge of her own drink. "He says hello to... whoever's here, sees if Fye needs anything, sometimes sits in the corner to whittle. He..." She bit her lip, smiling softly, still looking at the Commander rather than Seelah. "...he likes to be around his people."

"Sounds like him," Seelah said, struggling to keep her tone innocent. She watched Vikkari chat with Fye as the young tavernkeep fixed his drink. "Does he somehow manage to miss you glowing like a lantern in the deep watches when he talks to you?"

Arueshalae made a choked noise, cheeks going bright pink. "Seelah! I'm not-- He wouldn't-- We're friends, that's all." She took a sip of her drink, still pink, still looking at Vikkari. "We're friends."

"Mm-hm." Seelah gave the smitten succubus a look that she hoped conveyed how little she believed that, then stuck her hand in the air and waved. "Hey! Vikkari!"

He turned at the sound of his name, a smile splitting his face when he saw them.

Seelah wasn't an idiot--the smile might be for them both, but she was not part of why his golden eyes beamed twice as bright as he made his way over.

"Seelah." Vikkari tipped his head in greeting. "Having a good day?"

Best ever, watching you two. "Keepin' busy," she said instead. "Decided it was time for a break, came hopin' I'd run into a friend." She grinned at Arueshalae, then him. "Two's a bonus."

"Thanks," he laughed, then turned. "And you, Arueshalae? I hope your day's been good as well."

Seelah gulped a drink to hide her smirk at how soft his voice had gotten. Does she really think he doesn't like her?

Arueshalae nodded, eyes bright but lowered to stare into her drink. "I helped Arsinoe restock. She got a large supply of healing poultices and such in the delivery that came while we were out. It was a lot to sort and I felt bad watching her do it alone."

"Kind of you," Vikkari said, eyes still glowing. "I'm sure she's grateful."

Arueshalae nodded, ears faintly pink and eyes madly sparkling when she looked up. "I was happy to do it. She's always been kind to me, I don't mind returning the favor." She tilted her head. "And how has your day been?"

"I had a little bit of time for myself this morning, otherwise it's been end to end meetings so far," Vikkari said with a rueful laugh. He rubbed the back of his neck. "I told them I needed a break from talking strategy and diplomacy and..." it trailed off and he sighed before flashing another smile. "I'm perfectly happy, though, talking to you two."

"Actually," Seelah began innocently, pretending she hadn't caught the near-imperceptible stumble between the last couple words, "I need to track down Lann, so it can be you two carrying on." She drained her beer, thumped the tankard down on the table, and waved cheerfully as she departed.

---

They both watched her make her way to the door, a definite shift to the atmosphere of conversation with her absent.

"Seelah's a good friend," Vikkari commented, which Arueshalae agreed on, "Just not subtle."

"She was trying to be subtle?" Arueshalae blurted with a frown. "When and why would Seelah be subtle?" The paladin had been all boisterous joy and whole-hearted smiles since they'd met. She never held anything back.

"Exactly," Vikkari said. One hand had dropped below the table. "Though I am grateful for the chance to talk to you alone."

"Oh? Why?"

His hand came back into view, cradling something small and wooden. "This is for you. I finished it this morning, before the meetings. But thanks to them I've been busy up until now."

"That's al-" The intended assurance died on Arueshalae's lips as his fingers uncurled and she gave a delighted gasp. "Oh, it's lovely!"

The carved butterfly was half the size of her palm, maybe slightly less. The beautiful light wood was smooth to the touch. He'd even included simplified celestial symbols on the wings. Desna's butterfly. Just the right size to hold without being bulky.

"Thank you so much!" Arueshalae murmured, remembering proper manners. She took the butterfly, trying not to dwell on the way it was still warm from his hand.

"You're welcome. I'm glad you like it." He was beaming, even if his smile had gone shy. She didn't know why he would be about this, but she never wanted to stop looking at it. Wanted to run her fingers through the soft purple hair, wanted to keep his eyes glowing so bright, wanted-- well, things she couldn't have and shouldn't hope for, she reminded herself.

"I wish I had something for you," she said, face warm. That's how it worked for mortals, wasn't it? Even exchange, the quartermaster called it?

Vikkari shook his head, "It's a gift, Arueshalae. I'm not expecting anything back." That smile went brighter, and he touched the back of her hand, just for a moment. "Just keep shooting things that try to kill me and we're more than even."

She laughed. "I can do that." She would anyway. she mused as she tucked the butterfly safely in her pocket; the last thing she wanted was for anything of the Abyss to harm him.

---

Lann was busy sharpening and repairing arrow when Seelah found him.

"We need to come up with something to say we talked about," she announced without preamble.

"Rather than listen to my instincts," he drawled, not looking up from his task, "I'm gonna ask something I might regret: why?"

"B'cause I used needin' to talk to you as an excuse to leave the Commander and Arueshalae to their own devices in the tavern. Just in case one of 'em asks later, we need to give the same answer."

At that he looked up, running one hand down the curve of his horn. "Guess we should come up with something good then."

"Eh, I dunno," Seelah laughed, sitting next to him and reaching for a handful of arrows to help. "I'm not even sure they noticed I was gone."

[s4bbatical]

YOUR GIRL | Part 4. Patrick Zweig x Female!Reader

Pairing: Patrick Zweig x female!reader, Tashi Duncan x female!reader (platonic)

Summary: After your parents announce their divorce, you're sent to New York to pursue your passion for the arts at NYU. Your cousin, the infamous tennis player Tashi Duncan, introduces you to her insufferable colleagues at a house party in the upper east side. Already a sore thumb from rural Canada, Patrick can't help but find interest in an untouched territory.

Word Count: 5,5k

Warnings: Foul language, mention of cannabis.

MINORS DNI

Notes: The timeline is inaccurate in comparison to the film, this is an AU. All characters introduced are barely in their early 20s, unless stated otherwise. No use of y/n.

Part 1. Part 2. Part 3.

CHAPTER FOUR: “Sutphin Boulevard”

"Believer - monologue exemplifies a lust. It's so true."

You didn't really like November.

The month between Halloween and Christmas was as useless as a trust fund kid hosting a charity event, which you did in fact have to attend with Tashi right after your exam week. Thankfully, you were not obligated to be present on campus besides exams and classes, giving you the excuse to not face your problems anywhere. You knew running away from it wouldn't last forever. However, it was the only thing you could do for now.

The first two weeks of November, Tashi and Chloe take turns spending time with you, making sure you weren't alone with your thoughts for too long. You tried to focus on your studies, excelling in them due to the lack of outside obstacles. You no longer wanted to attend gatherings as it was another way to run into him, only leaving your house if it was necessary.

Tashi had told your grandmother about the reason why you had taken the life of a hermit, so she gave you a position at her flower shop, thinking it would be nice to distract yourself from the noise.

All you could do was think about it, really. What you would do if he apologized, what would he say, and what would you say if he really wanted you. Or wanted nothing to do with you. You couldn't help it. You even made a pro and cons list on your phone when you were on the subway earlier that day, swearing to yourself as you thought you saw him sitting in the next cart over. It was not him. You weren't even in his neighborhood, for god's sake. It was you who had chose to cut contact with him, and you knew it was up to you if you wished to reconcile.

You stood behind the counter at work, busying yourself with bouquet assembly as Chloe wandered around the shop aimlessly.

"How many orders can you possibly get in one day?" Your best friend says, grabbing a lily and sniffing it before putting it back in it's place.

"The people are very grateful for Thanksgiving, you know." You say, tying up your 10th order of the afternoon. "If you're bored then you can help me out." You suggest to Chloe, who pretends to think in deep thought for a moment.

"I'm okay, thanks though." She smiles, taking bite of her shawarma wrap that she bought across the street. She had gotten you one as well, which you already devoured about an hour ago. "So," She starts speaking, swallowing her food. "You feel like coming out of hiding for the Manhattan holiday market? We could go skating, too. Tis the season!" She says in a sing-song voice, shimmying her shoulders.

You laugh, starting another order. "Yeah, sure. I used to be a figure skater when I was younger, actually." You admit, putting away the last order of the day.

"Seriously? How am I hearing about this now?" Chloe asks, taking another bite of her wrap.

You shrug. "I haven't done it since I graduated high school. My parents..." You trail off, recalling the pain and anger of the divorce. It tore your house apart. "They didn't wanna pay for it anymore." You simply say, smiling slightly.

Chloe nods, finishing her last bite. "Well then it's settled. When's your shift over?" She asks.

"Well... technically I'm done the orders for today, but I have to stay around for another two hours." You say, glancing at the time on your phone.

"That's fine. I'll just do my homework here then." She says, grinning. "That okay?"

"Course, Chloe. You know I appreciate your company, I love ya." You say, deciding to pull out your new read from your bag.

"Awe, I love you too." She giggles. She takes a moment before speaking again. "Have you.. heard from him at all?" She asks timidly.

You frown slightly, your heart dropping. "No. Why?"

"Oh, okay." Chloe says, fiddling with her hands. "He asked me about you the other day." She looks up at you. "He's really sorry about what happened, you know."

"Good, he better be." You say curtly, tucking your hair behind your ear.

"I think you should talk to him." Chloe says abruptly. "I-I know you don't want to see him and you know I don't like the guy." She laughs before continuing. "But he looked devastated dude. Like, really upset that I wouldn't tell him anything about you." She says, pursing her lips with a sympathetic look. She stares at you, but you say nothing. "Just think about it, okay? It might be nice for you guys to resolve things. I know you're not happy about it either." She says.

"Yeah, I will." You say flatly, trying to focus on your novel. "I have more important things to do than think about that."

"Sorry but, were you there when you literally complained about it for half an hour over margaritas for movie night two days ago?" She recalls, raising a brow.

You shift your body from one foot to the other. "I was drunk, everyone complains about stupid shit when they're drunk." You argue, trying to read your book.

Chloe scoffs. "You're really stubborn, you know that?" She says, closing your book.

"Hey I was reading that!" You say, glaring at her.

"You can't keep avoiding him forever." Chloe says sternly. She sighs when she sees you frown. "I'm sorry, I just care about you a lot dude. I don't want you to keep feeling this way. You care about him, and he cares about you too. I can tell." She says softly, crossing her arms.

You hold your face in your hands, groaning like an overstimulated child. "If it'll make you happy," You throw your arms out in defeat. "I'll talk to him! Fine!" You exclaim.

"Thank you! Finally!" Chloe exasperates, mirroring your actions. "Jesus, Tashi owes me twenty dollars." She breathes out.

You gasp. "You guys betted on me?!"

Chloe stammers. "I-I uh, nooo..." You squint your eyes at her. "...Yes?" She squeaks. "Please don't be mad! We both wanted this to be over with!" She explains, holding your arms. "It's out of love."

A customer then walks in, causing the both of you to go quiet.

"We'll talk about this later." You mutter. "Hello! Welcome!" You greet the customer warmly. "Can I interest you in our Thanksgiving arrangements?"

-

"Do you think I should get this ornament for her? She likes cats." Chloe asks, holding up a felt ornament that resembled an orange tabby cat.

"You've literally been on one date." You point out.

"And? Have you ever heard of lesbianism?" Chloe retorts, putting the decoration back down.

"I thought you were all for breaking stereotypes, not becoming the definitive version of one." You jest, looking around.

Before hitting the rink, you and Chloe decided to see the Christmas market in downtown Manhattan. The various different stalls of gifts and treats galore were very alluring, but god was it expensive. You had decided to buy a hot coco the size of your hand made from pure chocolate, and that alone was creating a dent in your wallet.

"God Christ everything is so expensive." You say, although you knew your statement didn't make any difference. Most of the vendors were trying to make an income, it wasn't their fault. Well, for the most part at least.

"That's what makes it a New York Christmas, baby." Chloe states, doing some weird shake with her hands that resembled jazz hands.

"The closest thing we had to this back at home was my next door neighbor selling mulled wine for ten dollars." You explain flatly. "Capitalism is a beautiful thing." You hum, already finishing your hot chocolate. "I already finished my three ounce drink, what a pity." You say sarcastically, discarding it in a nearby bin.

"Let's just go skating then. I'm kind of over this too." Chloe says, rubbing her hands together. "Fuck my hands are cold." She complains, breathing on them heavy to warm them up.

"Didn't I remind you to pack gloves like four times this morning?" You recount, pulling out a spare pair from your messenger bag. "Take these."

"How would I survive with you?" Chloe says, kissing your cheek gingerly.

You grimace, wiping your cheek. "I'm surprised you haven't died yet, to be honest." You joke, the both of you laughing.

-

The two of you make it to the Wollman rink in Central Park, and to no surprise, had to buy admission.

"I can't believe it costed ten dollars to skate for an hour." You complain, tying up your rental skates.

Chloe doesn't respond right away, distracted by texting someone on her phone. You clear your throat.

"Huh?" She says looking up from her phone and putting it away in her pocket. "What were you saying?"

"Nevermind man." You say, dismissing your statement.

The two of you climb onto the ice, only taking a few strides before your skills came back to you. You held back a laugh as Chloe's legs wobbled, unable to let go of the railing.

"Chloe, it's not that hard I promise. Just push yourself forward." You say, reaching out to her. "You can hold onto me if you want!"

"Fuck no, I'm chill." She states firmly, putting a hand up. "Just give me some time to warm up. Go do some laps or something." She reassures, gesturing for you to go ahead.

"Alright then." You shrug, turning away. You glide gracefully across the ice, feeling the spirit of the holidays warm you up as Last Christmas By Wham! plays over the speakers. You're doing forward and backward spins, overjoyed by the reconnection of your old passion. You're grinning madly as you smoothly skate between people, nearby children very entertained by your moves.

You try to find Chloe, who seems to have disappeared. Confused, you slow down your pace, yet keep gliding in circles. You turn and face one of the entrances to the ice, seeing the last person you'd ever expect to.

Patrick is standing there, watching you from the edge of the rink.

You forget how to stop yourself, causing the loss of balance. Before you realize what's happening, you've landed on your back. You groan loudly as the ice makes contact with your body, knowing you were going to feel it tomorrow. "Shit." You whisper, wincing as you sit up and hold your head. That's what you get for being too cocky with your strides.

You hear the scuffling of shoes beside you, looking up to make eye contact with Patrick.

He looks at you with concern, a sheepish smile on his face. "If I was supposed to catch you, I did not get the memo." He jokes, offering a hand.

You glare at him, getting up by yourself and ignoring his offer to help. "Why are you here?" You ask passive aggressively, skating past him to step off the ice.

"To talk to you!" He exclaims, trying to keep pace with you. He nearly slips at least three times before stepping off the rink.

You're flustered, and very annoyed with his presence. "Well, you've spoken! You may leave now." You say bitterly, walking over to the worker in charge of shoe rentals in order to get your boots back.

"No, don't do this right now." Patrick pleas. He awkwardly waits for you as you ignore him, retrieving your shoes then sitting down on a bench to change out your skates. "Chloe said you wanted to talk, so I came here." He admits, crouching in front of you to meet your eyes. He places a hand on your knee.

You glare at him. "Chloe told you to come here? No wonder she was on her phone so much." You mutter, taking off your skates and also knocking off his touch from your knee.

"Can we please go somewhere else and talk?" He asks, nearly begging you on his knees. You continue to pretend you don't hear him, putting on your shoes then getting up to hand over your skates to the worker, thanking him.

"You can't ignore me forever." Patrick exasperates, getting up and following you as you start walking away from the rink.

"Where's Chloe?" You ask yourself, looking around for your friend.

"She's with Art," Patrick explains. You finally look at him, confused. "He came with me." He says.

You roll your eyes, readjusting your scarf as the two of you continue to walk through the park. You finally decide to sit down on a nearby bench, allowing space for Patrick to sit beside you. You didn't feel like walking away from him anymore.

He does so hesitantly, looking at you from the corner of his eye. "We've both been avoiding each other," He says calmly, sighing. "I don't understand why."

You stay quiet, looking forward.

"Are you choosing to become a mute right now?" He asks, still no response from you. "Fine, alright then." He says, leaning back against the bench. "I've missed this, you know. Your stubbornness." He says, now looking right at you, the side of your face at least. "And you." He adds quietly.

You then finally look at him, your heart skipping a beat as the two of you make eye contact. "Anything else?" You say flatly, as if it was obvious that he would miss someone as great as you.

Patrick scoffs, laughing as well. "Nope, that's it." He jokes, sitting up straight. "I um, I wanted to apologize." His tone switches, sounding very sincere. "What happened last month was very out of line, and I shouldn't have done what I did. I guess I didn't like the fact that your attention wasn't on me for some selfish reason, but that doesn't mean I should've kissed you." He admits, sighing. "That was very uncool, and I shouldn't have led you on like that." He finishes.

You look down at the ground for a moment, taking in his words. You wanted to tell him that you wish he'd kiss you like he meant it, not that he was being selfish and thinking with his groin. You knew what was best, and feeling a little hesitant about accepting his apology.

"Can you please say something?" He says quietly, frowning at you slightly.

You look back up at him. "I'm not sure what you want me to say." You mumble, tucking a loose piece of hair behind your ear. "I have been thinking this over a lot, you know." You look up at him. "I'm also sorry for how I reacted. You didn't deserve for me to just cut you off without explanation." You reason.

Patrick smiles weakly at you. "Don't apologize please. I deserved that. Made me more insightful if anything." He tries to joke, shrugging his shoulders.

"Yeah, you needed that more than most." You joke, nudging Patrick. He chuckles slightly. "I forgive you." You finally say, smiling at him. "I-"

"But-" He starts to say.

"Sorry, go ahead." You say.

"No, you first." He insists.

You nod, taking a moment. You're grateful for his apology, that is evident. However, you have to make a decision for the better. You're not just looking to fill the void of what you thought could've been, but rather to move forward in a healthy way. If he didn't feel the same, it wasn't worth confessing to anything.

"I want us to be friends, Patrick." You say adamantly, looking at Patrick for a response. You watch as his face falters, quickly covering it up with a meek smile.

"I think that's a good idea, yeah." He says, although not sounding very confident in his own words.

You search in his face whether or not he was lying. You couldn't read him, you were never good at it. "You don't sound so sure of yourself." You say, laughing awkwardly.

Patrick shakes his head, smiling even more. "Sorry, I am. I want us to be friends." He says affirmatively, although he wasn't sure if he was just saying out loud to convince himself.

"Good." You smile. "I missed you too, dumbass." You say, raising your hand for a high five.

Patrick stares at you for a moment, laughing before smacking your hand with his own. "You're so fucking weird."

You gasp. "What? I'm not a big hugger." You say in defense.

"That's fine." Patrick says, sticking his hands in his pockets and leaning back. "I didn't wanna hug you anyways." He shrugs.

You eye him closely for a few moments before going in, hugging him from the side hastily. His eyes widen, letting your warmth fill him up before he slowly hugs you back. He wouldn't say it out loud, but he really liked the sensation of getting a hug from you, even if it was against your own wishes.

-

A few days later, Patrick is spending the night at your place. You had both met up to do homework together earlier that day, you suggesting if he wanted to come over to watch some comedy movies together.

"How is a sheet of moist supposed to make my skin look better? I feel like a snail has ran across it." Patrick asks monotonously, trying not to move his face so much.

You both were wearing sheet masks that resemble cartoonish animals, managing to convince him to do some self care together to rewind on a Sunday evening.

"Wait, don't move." You pull your phone out and take a photo of him.

He simply stares up at you from the desk chair.

"Oh Jesus." You say, laughing manically as you look back at the photo. Your facemask starts coming off, deciding to discard it entirely.

"What? Do I not look beautiful like you promised?" Patrick asks, feigning being upset. He also takes off his mask, throwing it away.

"You look just fine, now hold on."You exit your room and grab a face towel from the bathroom, dabbing the excess moisturizer before returning to your room and handing it over to him. "I also have a gua sha I'm gonna use on your face, is that okay?" You ask.

He furrows his brows at you, dabbing his own face now. "A what now?" He says, utterly confused by the item he's never heard of before.

You retrieve your gua sha from your desk drawer. "It's to de-puff your face and make sure you have good circulation. I'll be gentle, I promise." You say in a taunting manner, grabbing ahold of his chin to tilt his face up towards you.

He stares at you as you glide the rose quartz stone across his face slowly, focusing on his bone structure. "It feels cold." He whispers, staring into your eyes a little too intensely.

"It's supposed to feel good, Patrick." You tell him.

"It does." He simply says, keeping eye contact with you. The both of you stare at each other for a moment as your movements cease.

You clear your throat, walking away to sit at your vanity and use the gua sha on yourself. "This is what a lot of women do every day, you know." you say matter-of-factly.

"Why? It makes no sense. These extra serums and shit, it's like witchcraft or something." He mumbles, his face flushed red. You assume you may have put too much pressure on his skin, not that he was flustered in any way. No, surely not. "All women are beautiful." He states, moving over to your bed.

"I know you think that, most of them can't escape your wrath." You say smugly, putting away your skincare.

"What? You jealous or something?" He says playfully, laying on his side with his arm holding up his head. "You had your chance."

"Oh how will I ever live?" You sigh dramatically. "Oh right, peacefully." You remark, getting up to join him on your bed.

Patrick sticks his tongue out at you in response.

"Very mature, Zweig." You say, leaning against the headboard as you grab the remote and turn on a streaming service.

"Have you seen the new Thor movie yet?" He asks, sitting up to lean his back against the wall.

"Nope, why you ask?" You say, putting on Glee.

He groans. "Glee? Seriously? You're just like my sister."

"It's fun! just watch a few episodes with me."

"I have no options, I know." He says in defeat. "But I was wondering if you wanted to see Thor on Friday." He asks.

You almost say yes, but realize very quickly that you were unavailable, because of a date. "I can't, sorry. I'm actually already going to the movies with someone else." You say, shrugging as you focus on the television.

The day after you and Patrick reconciled, a very attractive man you recognized from campus came into your work. He hung around for an hour, simply conversating with you before asking you out on a date later on in the week. His name was Seth.

"And who's more important than me?" He says, pointing to himself.

"If you must know, I have a date." You state, grabbing your diet coke off the coaster and taking a sip.

Patrick smirks, eyeing you closely. "Ooh, a date. With who?"

"Does it matter?" You quip. "It's just some guy."

"It can't be just some guy if you, the pickiest person of all time, said yes to him." Patrick states, poking your leg. "Just tell me! Maybe I know the guy."

You purse your lips before deciding to tell him. "His name is Aaron, he studies Art History at school."

"Hmm, doesn't ring a bell. Sounds like a total fucking nerd if you ask me." He mumbles, turning his head to face the television.

"Well good thing I didn't, Patrick." You say in annoyance.

"Why are you always so defensive? I'm just asking you a question." He whines, tilting his head back.

Sorry, I just didn't think you'd care so much." You say, repositioning yourself.

"I'm your friend, I think it's fair give a shit about you sometimes." He argues. "Especially if you're dating randos."

"He's not a rando, I met him at work. Not on the internet mom." You say sarcastically, causing Patrick to laugh in response.

"Still, he could be a weirdo and you just don't know it yet." He tries to explain, speaking mainly with his hands. "He could lead you to a vacant parking lot at midnight then kill you, or other evil things." He says.

"You're starting to sound like those podcasts you've been listening to. Fucking relax." You say firmly. "Nothing is gonna happen. He's taking me to see Gravity at the movies and that is all. Dinner too, I think. I don't know where because he's surprising me." You simply state.

"Gravity? I thought you had a fear of space." Patrick says quizzically, furrowing his brows.

"Well I tried suggesting that remake of Carrie, but he hates horror movies." You admit.

"But you love horror movies?" Patrick says rhetorically, scoffing. "He already sounds like a horrible match, maybe I'm just crazy though." He says, putting his hands up before clasping them together in his lap.

"If I didn't know you already, I'd say you're jealous." You mutter.

Patrick reaches over you, taking the remote and pausing the television. "I'm not." He says firmly. "I just don't want you to waste your time on someone not worthwhile and you're ignoring the fact."

"You're not gonna let this go, are you?" You snap, laughing out of annoyance. "It's just a fucking date, it's not like I'm gonna marry the guy. Christ Patrick." You exclaim, standing up from your bed.

Patrick sighs. "I know, I know." He says. "Calm down, you're taking my word too seriously!" He argues, staying on your bed.

"Just drop it, okay? I don't wanna talk about it anymore. Clearly it's a sensitive topic for some reason."

"It's not! God, no it's not." Patrick tries to reason. "I'm sorry, it's not that serious. I just care about you."

You glare at him, crossing your arms. "You mean it?"

"I mean it." He heavily accentuates. "I hope it goes well, for your sake." He says.

"Yeah, me too." You say, although now unsure of yourself. "Me too." You whisper to yourself.

-

It's Friday, November 29th. The cusp of the true holiday season, and the end of a drought for your romantic conquests.

The date was going great, incredible even. The two of you got along swell, and any worries you had about him has dissipated as the night went on. You and Aaron just had some Italian dinner at a restaurant a block away, and had just set foot into the movie theatre. It was small, but had its unique charm that has stood against time.

"You excited for the movie? It has great reviews so far." He grins, hand in hand with you.

"I'm not great with space stuff to be honest, but I'm stoked nonetheless." You admit, smiling shyly.

"Really?" Aaron's eyes widen. "You should've told me, we don't have to see it..." He says, halting the two of you in front of the snack counter.

"No, it's fine. It's not a bother." You say, smiling.

The two of you are now in the screening room, waiting patiently as advertisements cross over the screen. Aaron is already eating his popcorn, and you're scrolling aimlessly on your phone. You see a new Instagram post from Patrick, recognizing the photo had been taken by you.

pat_zweig 【┘】 4 hr

❤︎‬ 213 likes, 9 comments

pat_zweig: naughty or nice?

You laugh quietly to yourself, leaving a comment on his post.

loverg1rl: you're getting coal in your stocking. photo creds btw? hello

You put away your phone, turning it off as the movie begins. You can't help but redirect your thoughts over to Patrick, wondering if he was enjoying his evening. Maybe you'd be watching Thor: The Dark World with him, and enjoying it a lot more than the motion sickness you're about to endure due to the outer space set up.

You start thinking about how this date would go if it was with Patrick instead, finding yourself slowly imagining him instead of Aaron. You knew it was bad, horrible even. You couldn't help yourself, he's left such an impact on you since you moved to the big apple.

Patrick Zweig was something you could not have, no matter how much you wish you could. It was pointless, everything would end in flames if you tried. Why not? You'd ask yourself, but why? You also say.

You look over at Aaron, smiling when he makes eye contact with you. Without thinking, you lean in and kiss him. He kisses you back, and it feels wonderful. This is how it's supposed to be; no pain, just pleasure. You ignore the feeling that you're forcing yourself, you just aren't used to Aaron yet.

You'll learn to like someone else, even if they're not who you really want.

The movie ends. You find yourself outside with Aaron, the cold air engulfing the two of you.

"That was insane, maybe of my favorite movie of the year." Aaron says, smiling wildly.

"It was good, yeah." You say casually, checking your phone. Patrick texted you, his name saved as the one he put in your phone as.

Patrick the Almighty: how's the date? i'm at art's. chloe's here, we're watching glee. thinking of you

You smile fondly at your screen.

"How are you getting home tonight?" Aaron asks, taking your attention away from your phone.

"Oh, my cousin is picking me up." You say, putting your phone in your pocket.

"I see, the tennis star right?" He says, referring to your conversation from dinner.

"Yes, the tennis star." You laugh. "I'm sleeping over at her house, so." You add.

"That's very cute, I haven't had a sleepover with my cousins since I was a kid." Aaron says, looking off to the side for a moment before returning his gaze to you. "I can wait with you, if that's okay." He suggests.

"Sure, I'd like that a lot actually." You say, grinning madly.

"Do you mind if I smoke?" Aaron asks, pulling out a pack of what you presumed to be cigarettes.

"Go ahead, I smoke too." You say.

"Weed?" He asks, almost giddy to hear you say it.

"Oh, no... cigarettes." You say sheepishly.

"Oh!" He says, raising his brows. "These are joints, sorry." He says, referring to the pack in his hands. He takes one and sticks it in his mouth. "Is that alright still?"

"Yeah, course. I've had it a few times before, back in Canada." You say, zipping up your jacket as the cold breeze creeps under your blouse.

He nods, lighting up the joint. "Did you... Want some?" He asks, inhaling then exhaling the joint.

You stand in silence for a moment, debating. "Yeah, sure."

He hands the joint over, allowing you to take hold of it.

You bring it to your mouth and inhale, holding it like a cigarette. You exhale, coughing a few times but holding your composure. "Fuck. That shit bites." You wince, taking another hit before handing it back to him.

Aaron laughs, taking the joint back gingerly. A vehicle pulls up beside the two of you, Tashi revealed in the driver's seat as the window rolls down.

"Gotta go." You say, tilting your head towards the car. "I'll see you, yeah?" You grin, giving Aaron a wink as you open the passenger seat.

"Yeah, see you." He says, inhaling his joint and giving you a small wave before you close the door.

"Well well well," Tashi grins, driving away. "He's fucking hot." She says, tapping on the wheel in sync with the music.

"Oh, I know." You say, the joint taking over your senses. "I smoked weed with him." You say abruptly, giggling profusely.

"Are you high?" Tashi asks, gasping as a smirk grows on her face.

"Mmm, a little." You grin, pressing your cold hands to your warm cheeks.

"You must've had a good time then." She laughs, looking over at you quickly. "My mom has some news to tell us once we get to the house, so I hope you can keep it together."

"What?" You gasp, turning to face Tashi. "What is it? Tell me now!" Your urge, grabbing her arm.

"Hey, I'm driving!" She exclaims, swatting your arm away.

"Sorry, sorry!" You apologize, sitting back in your seat. "Is it to celebrate your exam results?" You ask, your stomach grumbling. "I'm hungry." You whisper.

Tashi laughs profusely, trying to hold it together for the rest of the ride. "Well, kind of. It's to celebrate us both." She says, her smile never leaving her face.

"Can we go to Mcdonalds? I want a happy meal." You say, rolling the window down.

"It's cold! Don't do that!" Tashi warns, rolling the window back up with her driver control.

"But I'm too hot!" You exasperate.

Tashi groans, turning off the heat in the car. "You're too high." She argues, turning into the closest Mcdonalds.

-

You enter the Duncan household with Tashi, managing to sober up a bit after your nugget meal and finishing off the bottle of water your cousin keeps in the car as always.

"Mom! We're here!" Tashi yells, leading you into the living room.

Diane and Mike were sitting on the couch, Diane with a book and Mike with amaretto on the rocks, his usual. The radio plays in the distance.

"Hello girls." Diane grins, putting her book down. "How was the date?" She asks you directly, catching you off guard.

"Oh, it was great, yeah." You say quietly, looking down at your hands.

"He's very nice to look at, and seems to be very nice mom. He's good friends with Emeline, from my ethics class." Tashi adds, sitting down in a nearby armchair. You quickly sit down as well.

"Has Tashi told you the big news yet?" Diane grins, clasping her hands together.

"Erm, no. No yet... What's going on?" You ask, giggling awkwardly.

"We are going... To Italy!" She exclaims, waiting for your reaction.

You gasp, covering your mouth with your hands. "No fucking way!" You exclaim, cheering with Tashi.

"We're going with Michelle and her family, we hadn't gone travelling together since we were in college so..." Diane adds, watching both of your faces falter slightly.

"Michelle? As in the Zweigs?" You ask, mouth slightly agape. You quickly pull out your phone to text back Patrick.

"Yes, that Michelle." Diane says, laughing. She notices the look on your faces. "That's fine, right? You're both good friends with Patrick I figured it was okay?" She says.

You: we're going to fucking italy????

He texts you back instantly.

Patrick the Almighty: my mom just called me about it. isn't this fucking awesome??

You forcibly smile towards Diane, still a bit too high to comprehend it. "No, it's great." You say through gritted teeth, exchanging worried glances with Tashi.

Great. Fucking awesome.

-

this took awhile sorry guys,,,,, ive been watching rivals and my mind is running with ideas. see you in the next one!

[dr-futbol-blog]

Coup d'État, Pt. 6

We then get to what has to be the strangest part of the episode as, in spite of what we have witnessed during the past several scenes, Sheppard having made damn sure that McKay would not come to any danger from the Genii, we now find them alone together on the Genii home world. And indeed Sheppard had only just confirmed in the previous scene that he had been thinking about his and McKay's last encounter with the Genii in The Brotherhood (S01E16), of how their absolute monster of a commander had held McKay's life over his head and how, while he very much did not want to die now that he had only just found the love of his life, he had come to realize with absolute certainty that he would give up his own life so that McKay might live -- he had been thinking of this very thing, of his conversation with McKay over the mechanism that Kolya was hoping would kill him, and he had been thinking about it immediately before we now find them here. Why ever would Sheppard bring him here, to the proverbial lion's den? McKay himself seems baffled by the decision, which we can hear in his confused and agitated tone as he follows Sheppard through a dark and damp corridor to their underground city.

McKay: You know, I'm not sure that you've... sufficiently trained me in actual combat. I don't know how much use I'd be in a... fight-our-way-out kind of scenario.

We may note that Sheppard and McKay are basically alone together even though they are surrounded by Genii guards, and let us note that we have not seen them alone together since Critical Mass (S02E13), whence we had found Sheppard waiting to meet up with McKay, the two of them then heading together to parts unknown but probably to McKay's quarters for some... recreation, having a bit of downtime. While we got a few scenes of them alone together toward the beginning of the season when they were more on the outs with each other, and truly private moments only when Caldwell was in the city in Trinity (S02E06), connected to this episode through Teyla and Ronon's side quest (that again teaches us something about Sheppard and McKay; Ronon's baffled question to Dr. Lindsay: "You went alone with her?" his question to the barkeep: "Who are you trying to protect?" are questions we might be asking Sheppard right about now), and on Ford's planet in The Lost Boys (S02E10), when Sheppard took in after a rattled McKay to calm him down -- but otherwise we have been bereft of such scenes.

They are rare treats indeed, and we may note that when ever we do get to see such scenes, they are always the exception and not the rule. This is not business as usual between them. There always has to be some attenuating circumstance that allows us to get a glimpse of this private world shared by them. Some people take this as an example of how Sheppard regards McKay, how he thinks about him, how he ordinarily, normally treats him when that could not be further from the truth. Sheppard could not be further from his normal behaviour toward McKay as he is here, and that is the reason we get to see them alone together now, however briefly. The moment between them is unguarded, yes, but Sheppard very much has an entire rampart of defensive walls up, shielding us from his feelings.

Regardless, we do learn things about them through their interaction here. The scene is important, especially as regards what is going on with Sheppard. For one, we learn that Sheppard has been training McKay in actual combat. McKay says that he does not think Sheppard has been training him "sufficiently" for him to be able to help Sheppard fight his way out of the secret underground city of the Genii with just the two of them as, for some unfathomable reason, we do find the two of them here, now, alone and without back up. But Sheppard has been training him. We had learned before in The Siege (S02E01) that McKay thought he had gotten pretty good at doing forward rolls, we saw him perform a sniper crawl in Instinct (S02E07), and we have seen that he is proficient in firing a gun on numerous occasions (of which The Long Goodbye (S02E16) was not a representative example), and Teyla suggested in Conversion (S02E08) that Sheppard had been practicing stick fighting with someone other than her.

So, it is obvious that Sheppard has been teaching McKay "actual combat" for a good long while now, McKay just thinks that it isn't enough for this particular situation. And the reason we have never seen any example of this, and we will not see Sheppard training McKay in the future either, is because the two of them know each other's bodies in ways that could not be concealed during something like that. Their intimacy would necessarily come through, no matter how on the outs they might be at the time. But this, here, is confirmation that it has been going on. Sheppard has been teaching, and McKay has been learning.

McKay also seems to have been more than happy to be taught these things, and to be taught these things by him. Being a member of Sheppard's team is important to McKay, and he takes the responsibility seriously, he wants to be fit for field work. His soft middle, as we got to see it earlier, did nothing to hide the obvious musculature underneath. And make note of the fact that McKay is not saying he would not follow Sheppard into a "fight-our-way-out kind of scenario," clearly that is precisely what he has been both willing and ready to get into for Sheppard from the very beginning, he is merely saying that he is unsure of how well he is going to perform in the eventuality that they will be called upon to do that. He will try his best, for sure, but it may not be enough.

But at the same time, although we learn momentarily that Sheppard had told McKay everything they had learned from Ladon (unless McKay had actually been listening in on their conversation with Ladon via Sheppard's ear piece, which is also a viable possibility), McKay does not seem to understand why Sheppard had taken him on this particular mission with him -- and him alone. We do not even know whose idea it had been for McKay to tag along, his or Sheppard's, although it seems as though they had discussed the topic between them before coming. We had only just learned that Sheppard has proficient Special Ops guys that he could have taken with, since he had obviously felt like he had to make the visit to the Genii high command personally. He could have taken an entourage with him, for example consisting of the big burly marines he had escorting Ladon -- not that it would necessarily have made any difference, being that he had to go straight to the snake pit.

But clearly McKay is confused by Sheppard's choice here. And while Sheppard may have been thinking of the old Vulcan proverb of "Only Nixon could go to China," figuring that McKay is valuable enough for both the Lanteans and the Genii that taking him with would actually serve to safeguard Sheppard, it would seem... out of character for Sheppard to use McKay in such a way, basically as a human shield for himself, especially since he is more than willing to put himself up as a human shield for McKay. Sheppard had been protecting McKay from the very concept of the Genii all the livelong day -- so what gives? What changed? Sheppard does offer McKay an explanation, but not one single thing he says in it is true:

Sheppard: Well, I look at it this way: the Genii have tried to kidnap you on numerous occasions to mine that big old brain of yours. McKay: Yes? Sheppard: Well, if we get into trouble, I'll just trade your life for mine. McKay: Oh, funny. Sheppard: Don't worry -- if you survive, I'll mount some sort of rescue mission... eventually.

McKay is an asset, Sheppard knows that. McKay is not just the most important thing to him personally but is someone valued both by the Genii and t he Lanteans. We may recall that during The Siege (S01E20), Sheppard had not just been willing to let Weir go to the Genii home world alone and without an escort, he had actually done that very thing. During the time, Sheppard had been personally occupied sweeping the building hosting the control chair from the last of the wraith guerillas, taking personal responsibility for keeping McKay safe. Sheppard had sent all of his men to secure other parts of the city but no one was getting to where McKay was working, not a single soul, beyond himself and Ford, the young soldier he trusted but was still using as bait, to make sure they got the last of the wraith.

Sheppard had not just not cared that Weir had to go alone, he hadn't even cared enough to put together an escort for her, but he had not spent a single second even thinking about her safety during her mission to score them some nukes. Her safety was not a priority for him, not at a time when he needed all of his resources in securing McKay's safety, and even then he knew that it might not be enough. Sheppard had personally guarded McKay and had allowed Weir to face the embittered and recently culled Genii alone. But now, when he had felt like he had to go to the Genii alone, he had chosen not to actually go alone but had wanted and/or needed McKay to accompany him. He was asked to do the same thing that Weir had been called upon to do but for some reason, he had felt like he needed McKay to accompany him. And the question still remains -- why?

McKay had expressed his uncertainty to Sheppard, had let Sheppard see his apprehension, even fear that he was trying not to broadcast too loudly. McKay was concerned, and Sheppard was well aware of this. And so, ever unable to not try to make McKay feel better, Sheppard does something that we have seen him do before (very successfully in Before I Sleep (S01E15) when he had stopped McKay from spinning down a dark existential path by mocking the death of his alternate timeline self), which is to trigger McKay's sense of indignation which he knows will completely override his fear. When McKay is offended and annoyed at him about it, taking what he says as a personal slight, he will completely forget that he was ever even supposed to be afraid. Sheppard finds McKay's mind as easy to hack as McKay can hack their computer systems. There is none that knows McKay better than he does. As Sheppard tells him "The way I see it" here, it is not actually the way he sees things, it is not the way he personally sees things at all, it is all designed for the sole purpose of getting a rise out of McKay.

If one does not understand how Sheppard functions, it might be easy to see the situation as the polar opposite of what it actually is. One might think he is protective of Weir, given that we saw him take a shot at Kolya when he was using her as a shield in The Eye (S01E11), whereas he had told McKay to shut up while they were threatened by the same man in The Brotherhood (S01E16). But in fact Sheppard had only been able to take the shot at Kolya because it was not McKay, because McKay's life being threatened paralyzes him with fear. It is easy for Sheppard to act as a swashbuckling hero when there is less on the line but when he is truly afraid, he is very cautious at making any moves lest he make the wrong one, he does not want his own actions to cause harm on the person he cares about. Sheppard had let Weir traverse into Genii territory alone but even though he has brought McKay with him now, he would never have let McKay go to them alone. It is seeing that reflection in Weir that allows us to view Sheppard's feelings toward McKay even when he is trying so hard to hide them.

What Sheppard says about McKay's "big old brain" being of interest to the Genii may be true but what is not true is that it is the way Sheppard "looks at it". The way he looks at it is that the Genii have tried to kidnap McKay numerous times and he has been trying to take precaution against that happening again ever since the first time the Genii were mentioned in this episode. The Genii have not just wanted to mine McKay's brain, they have purposefully tried to use him against Sheppard several times, and it could very well be that he thinks the safest place for McKay to be is right next to him, where he can see him, where he can make sure that no one can get to him without Sheppard knowing about it. Also, Sheppard's mention of McKay's big old brain connects to his earlier mention of the fact that he could have been Mensa, which indicates that when he is talking about trading McKay's life for his own here he actually means the opposite, that he will use his own life to bargain for McKay if it comes to that -- and not even for the first time with the Genii. Also, although Sheppard himself is likely not thinking about that right now, McKay's big old brain is not the only big old thing that he appreciates about the man (although that he would never share with other people).

McKay's response to Sheppard's line about trading his life for his own is a deadpan "Oh, funny," indicating that he both thinks that Sheppard was kidding (Right? Right?), and that he does not find it very amusing. McKay does have notoriously poor self-esteem but it is doubtful that he thinks Sheppard is being serious here, even if some people take scenes such as this as indication of Sheppard not even liking McKay, that he finds McKay a nuisance when he is not performing some kind of magic science to save all of their asses, and irrelevant at best. But again, this is not normal behaviour for Sheppard, this is Sheppard in a foul mood such as we have rarely seen him before. And while he may not intend to hurt McKay, merely to irk him enough to forget being afraid, what he says here nonetheless is hurtful to McKay.

And it might be even doubly so if Sheppard and McKay ever had that discussion about how much Sheppard had hurt McKay by trying to sacrifice his life for him. If they have had that discussion, McKay had communicated his heartfelt plea for Sheppard to never to do that again, at least not without him, then Sheppard's flippant response here might come across both callous and cruel. And while it may not be Sheppard's intention to hurt McKay, he is having such a bad day that he seems to have real trouble not taking it out on everyone around him and hence, because he just feels so damn jaded, he takes a dig at McKay that goes deeper than he means it to. The guy who had been ready to sacrifice his life for McKay a few months ago is now talking about trading his own life for his, hilarious. It reminds him of the side-splitting hilarity of Sheppard offering to trade his sense of humour for beans back in Underground (S01E07), their first encounter with the Genii.

And just to underscore, everything that Sheppard says here is a lie. He does not think that McKay's value is only in his brain or that he would use McKay to get an advantage. He would never trade his own life for McKay's, and if McKay was in some kind of trouble he would mount a rescue immediately, like we have seen him do before, and he would worry himself sick over his safety and well-being. And if McKay did not survive… This whole exchange, Sheppard trying to project nonchalance and indifference so hard here because he cannot deal with the thought of McKay dying. He is in complete denial about it. He has brought McKay with him to one of the most dangerous places he knows because he is unable to come to grips with how much the thought of losing McKay frightens him.

Cowen: Doctor McKay! Oh, and it's Lieutenant Colonel Sheppard now, I hear. Sheppard: Somebody's been paying attention. Cowen: I'm afraid I don't have much time, but please tell me, what can I do for you? Sheppard: Well, we're just checking in, saying hi, since we really haven't been in contact since the last culling. Cowen: We barely survived the last culling...

Cowen, the leader of the Genii rounds a corner and puts an end to the exchange the two of them were having, making their way forward in the narrow and dark hallway where we may note that Sheppard was leading the way, using his body to shield McKay, and where he felt the need to turn back and look at McKay while they were talking, which we have seen him do before. Using his own body to protect McKay and needing to see his face when they are talking is consistent behaviour from Sheppard. When he shakes Cowen's hand, Sheppard also draws his hand behind his back so as not to have it between himself and McKay while they stand there side by side.

It is notable that Cowen mentions McKay first. Sheppard has certainly been a thorn in the side of the Genii but McKay is more important to them, had been purported to become a hero among their people if he had helped them finish their bomb, and since the Genii place value on weapons of mass destruction and know McKay to be the foremost expert in them in the galaxy, they do put value on his life. Cowen's demeanour is friendly but disingenuous, and McKay does not seem to know how to take it whatsoever, seeming completely unnerved by the about face of this absolute madman. Cowen greets Sheppard as Lieutenant Colonel, and although it had been mentioned he has spies all over the galaxy, the fact that Cowen knows this about him really should have tipped them off about Ladon being a double agent. Although Sheppard has obviously been using his new title liberally, since the Genii do not really have any knowledge of Earth titles it was only Sheppard using his title to quip at Ladon that would have communicated that he had, in fact, been recently promoted. Cowen is polite in mentioning it but none too stealthy about where he gets his information. But Sheppard does not seem to catch up on this, seeming both proud and pleased that someone would take the time to acknowledge his promotion and simply having no bandwidth left for the cloak and dagger of it all.

While Cowen and Sheppard are both playing pretense and they know they are both doing it, negotiations between parties often requiring a veneer of fiction that both parties understand to be a fiction, McKay on the other hand seems incapable of putting on a pretense. And because he knows Sheppard is lying, he can barely keep the knowledge that his compatriot is lying under wraps. He is clearly uncomfortable, he is afraid of Cowen and probably a little bit hurt by what Sheppard had just said to him, and so he merely listens to the other two talk, standing by Sheppard's side like it was his rightful place. While not a diplomat, Sheppard is making an effort at coming across as personable, using his charming persona to try to get on the good side of the Genii. It is difficult to tell how well it is working as their leader is not only smarmy but is humouring the Lanteans because it fits with his own plans. One of the objectives of this meeting was to establish whether Cowen is power hungry galactic emperor to be, and while Sheppard is fairly good at reading people, Cowen is a difficult man to pin down.

Cowen: I can't help but think how close to extinction we came as a people. Our former ambitions have been tempered by the real world, I'm afraid. We've been busy trying to fulfill our people's most basic needs. McKay: You know, we could help with that. Sheppard: Yeah, with supplies, even manpower. Cowen: And why would you do that? Sheppard: Well, we probably wouldn't be here if it wasn't for the nukes you gave us, so we owe you one. Cowen: We are a proud people, Sheppard, but we do know how to accept help when we need it.

Listening to the harrowing tale of how the Genii had barely survived the culling McKay suddenly pipes in, having completely forgotten to be afraid again. We can see his compassion, the way McKay genuinely cares about people when his brain is not otherwise occupied, and unlike Sheppard, McKay is honest in offering their help to the Genii, seeming to have completely forgotten all of their previous encounters in his need to do something for a people that are suffering.

Sheppard is not as quick to forget, but he takes McKay's suggestion and runs with it, elaborating on it even though he is not quite as genuine with his offer as McKay. The way Sheppard emphasizes the word "manpower" is curious, almost like he is insinuating something or at the very least subtly making it clear that Atlantis has superior manpower, they have men enough to even spare. And it is true, in a sense, since Earth seems to have more people than the entire Pegasus galaxy put together. There is often a subtext to such political meetings, and like Teyla had pointed out to Ronon in Trinity (S02E06), the words that are spoken are often meaningless. It is the intent of the parties that is significant, and Sheppard is reminding Cowen of the fact that they are a force to be reckoned with.

Cowen is suspicious of their motives, knowing the sordid history between their peoples. The Genii would never have helped the Lanteans unless there had been something in it for them. Sheppard admits that they probably would not be there today if it hadn't been for the Genii, and while he is talking about Atlantis, it is also true of the two of them, of Sheppard and McKay. For both good and for ill, they would not be in the place they are right now if it had not been for the Genii nukes. The nuke that Sheppard had flown into the hive had gone ways into ascertaining their survival, but it had also severely damaged their relationship and they were still, to this day, trying to pick up the pieces of what had been broken then. Sheppard seems nonchalant as he says these things, but he is deeply affected. We can see by his careful enunciation of the words, the way he actually performs his facial expressions that he is trying very, very hard to keep hold of his emotions. What he is referring to here, it had been one of the most difficult moments of his entire life and he is making it sound like he is describing a walk in the park. And while Sheppard is grateful for the Genii for providing them with the nuke, he is never going to trust them.

Sheppard: And on that note, we've been contacted by a Genii named Ladon. Cowen: Ah! At last the real reason why you're here. What has he been saying? McKay: Oh, something about... Sheppard: ...conquests of other worlds using your atomic weapons. Cowen: He's been telling the Manarians that I've been slaughtering our own people for food. Ladon blames me for Kolya's disappearance...

With the pleasantries out of the way, Sheppard finally gets to the topic that they had actually come here for, which was to let the Genii know of the planned coup against them, and he makes the transition smoothly enough. Note that when he says "we have been contacted," he looks at McKay because although he is obviously referring to Atlantis, for him "we" means most of all himself and McKay. Cowen of course at least thinks that he knows all about it so he too is having to act (badly) like this is both news to him that the Lanteans would know about it but also that he is well abreast of the insurrectionist elements within his people. He also goes a little overboard in describing the kinds of lies that Ladon might have been telling about him because the reference to slaughtering his own people for food is a case of the lady protesting too much. He wanted to jump ahead of the accusation and just managed to make himself look guilty, kind of like a husband telling his wife "I didn't cheat with your sister!" before anyone even had the chance of volleying accusations against him, she was only asking where he had been.

And if that is something that the Genii really had been forced to do following the culling of their home world, if they had actually been in straits as dire as to require them to resort to cannibalism, it is not only pretty dark but also may explain why they seem so desperate to neutralize the Lanteans. And the face that McKay makes here, the small nervous laugh when he says this indicates that he does not quite know what to think about this. He does not know whether it was a joke or the grim reality of things, and he is pretty sure he does not even want to know. They had faced some hard times on Atlantis but never that bad.

But important here is the fact that Sheppard seems to have told McKay about what Ladon had said to an extent that McKay thinks he knows all of it, and the fact that we find the two of them literally finishing each other's sentences again is evidence of this. It is a callback to Underground, where we first saw Sheppard and McKay begin to do this, how they were developing this mental accord between them, started speaking as though they were of one mind. This, Sheppard picking up what McKay is laying down is definitely the hallmark of two people who are very close to each other. What is more, even though Sheppard probably had not brought McKay on for this reason, it is actually fortunate for him that he had because McKay's responses are so genuine that they actually rub off on Sheppard, they make Sheppard's disingenuous demeanour come across as more honest because McKay is unwittingly corroborating what he is saying. Even here, the two of them are working very well together -- much better than either could do alone.

Cowen: -- and while, yes, it's true I neither respected nor liked the man, I had nothing to do with his presumed demise. Anything he tells you is a lie. Sheppard: He's trying to mount a rebellion. Cowen: Let him try. He commands a couple of dozen men and has no weapons to speak of. Believe me, the city's plumbing is of more concern to me right now. But still, you didn't have to tell me. Apprising me of Ladon's plans was the act of a friend. Sheppard: Well, if you want to contact us, we have a new number.

Cowen mentions Kolya, and Sheppaard keeps his face perfectly schooled. He does not let on a single thought or emotion even though, like we saw earlier when Ladon had mentioned his name, Sheppard definitely has a lot of negative emotions connected to the guy. Cowen tells them that he neither respected nor liked Kolya, possibly as a ploy to get into Sheppard's good graces. What their personal relationship had been like, we do not know and it is not Cowen's intention of actually revealing anything about himself to them, merely to try to play to their sympathy.

But while Sheppard definitely did not like Kolya, he could at the very least respect him. Kolya was a worthy adversary, a shrewd and cunning warrior who had known how to play him like a fiddle. Sheppard definitely had respected him, and Cowen telling him that he had no respect for a man that Sheppard both knew not at all and knew intimately well tells him that Cowen is a fool. He thinks that Cowen is a fool and probably suspects that he would have been unable to kill Kolya, or at the very least would have needed to use some underhanded way of neutralizing him. Sheppard hates Kolya but he can, at the same time, think that the man deserved a better end than assassination at the hands of some power hungry buffoon. Cowen may have intended for this to endear himself to Sheppard, but it has the opposite effect.

Sheppard very pointedly does not react to what Cowen says about Kolya, he skips right on over it and coolly mentions that Ladon is planning a coup. That is what they had come here to tell Cowen, as a gesture of good will. Given that Cowen knew about Ladon approaching the Lanteans, this is partially a test of their loyalty and given that they had come to rat out the man who had offered them something that they seem to desire very much, the Lanteans pass this test with flying colours. For some reason, Cowen mentioning the city's plumbing concerning him makes Sheppard smirk and he and McKay exchange a look which is then followed by Sheppard looking down, seeming abashed. This has to be in reference to something that is known only to the two of them, either because there has been some issues with the plumbing on Atlantis or because they figured it for innuendo of some kind. What ever it is, they seem to agree this is neither the time nor the place to be thinking about it, and so Sheppard plasters on his fakest smile and tells Cowen to get in touch with them when ever. Hopefully never.

Cowen: I've known for some time that Atlantis survived the wraith attack, Colonel Sheppard. I hope you'll accept it as an act of good faith that your secret is safe with the Genii. My men will see you to the gate. McKay: Well, that was refreshing! He didn't try to kill us even once!

Cowen's assurances that the secret of their survival is safe with the Genii does not seem to make Sheppard feel any better, and he certainly does not feel good knowing that the Genii had been onto their ruse for a while now and he had no idea. The Genii had been keeping tabs on them without their knowledge and there had not been even a hint, had been nothing to alert them to the fact that they were being watched.

And this does not bother Sheppard just because it concerns the security of Atlantis but it is a blow to him, personally. If the Genii can spy on them without their knowing, who else might be observing them without them having any idea about it? And what else had the Genii seen? They tried to be careful being around each other, but it was impossible to be careful all the time. If a whole planet was able to keep track of them, what chance did they have of keeping what ever they had hidden from people on Atlantis? Having found this out, it had shaken Sheppard's sense of security, his feeling of control over his environment. Sheppard did not feel safe, and he did not feel like he could relax himself around McKay, and he hated this so much. Where McKay looks awed and relieved when he shakes Cowen's hand, Sheppard looks deeply sad. He almost looks like he is about to cry.

It seems like Sheppard is actually choked up enough as to be unable to speak as Cowen bids them farewell, and we see from the set of his mouth that he is trying to keep many different feelings from spilling out, most of all his fear. it is now that it is starting to seem like they might be able to walk out of here no worse for wear that he is actually allowing himself to feel some of it, just like it had been only after they had reached McKay at the bottom of the ocean that he had allowed himself to feel the full fear of almost having come to lose him. McKay makes a good-natured comment, sounding pleased that their visit had gone so well, and Sheppard can only cock his eyebrow, and this seems to be an example of that wordless communication between them. Sheppard does not say anything to McKay using his voice and his words but it seems like McKay is still able to get his meaning perfectly.

Sheppard and McKay both lean into each other's space here, and we may note that they turn to leave by turning toward each other, just like always. But I want to call attention to the camera work here. Sheppard and McKay walk toward the camera close to each other in the narrow corridor and then stand next to each other, turn toward each other and leave, and throughout this scene there is nothing at all that comes between them. We have two examples of the camera dividing Weir and Sheppard from each other, the two of them coming from different sides of the camera, and these scenes are in contrast. Most people will not pay attention to the technical composition of scenes but it is clear that they are creating distance between Sheppard and Weir and maintaining a sense of intimacy between Sheppard and McKay, and again no one is forcing them to compose the shots like this, it is something they have chosen to do. They are contrasting Weir and Sheppard with Sheppard and McKay, to create a sense of more intimacy existing between the latter.

So why had Sheppard brought McKay with him? Sheppard cares about McKay's safety, that much is obvious. He did not bring McKay with him to put him in jeopardy. But neither would be use McKay to ascertain his own safe passage, trusting the Genii to value McKay sufficiently to not want to harm him unduly. It may be true, but Sheppard would not use someone he loves in such a way. And yet, even though McKay may have extracted some promise from Sheppard that when in situations of certain doom, they would face death together -- it certainly seemed at the start of the season, in The Intruder (S02E02) that Sheppard sacrificing himself without consulting McKay had been discussed between them, that they had made some pact to face danger head on together -- and yet it may be not for McKay's benefit that Sheppard had brought him along, but for his own.

Sheppard harbours a lot of fear, and it seems like the more he has learned to care about people, the more fear he has in his life. Occasionally his fear is overpowering, and in spite of all his strategies for dealing with fear, he is barely able to keep it at bay. Sheppard needs McKay because to him, McKay is brave. It is McKay's bravery and courage that he needs here, walking into the lion's den. McKay is not afraid to show his fear and choose to walk up to the gates of hell with him anyway, which makes him a braver man than Sheppard could ever be. And he needs that by his side, he needs McKay to make him strong and unafraid when he is feeling anything but.

Continued in Pt. 7

[helloalycia]

𝐒𝐓𝐔𝐏𝐈𝐃𝐋𝐘 𝐉𝐄𝐀𝐋𝐎𝐔𝐒 [𝐅𝐎𝐔𝐑] — 𝐀𝐋𝐘𝐂𝐈𝐀 𝐃𝐄𝐁𝐍𝐀𝐌-𝐂𝐀𝐑𝐄𝐘

one / two / three / five / masterlist / wattpad

summary: as you try to avoid witnessing Clayton making moves on your girlfriend, you start to hang out with the help some more, only making Alycia jealous in return.

warning/s: none.

author's note: super delayed (my bad), but here’s the final part! hope you guys liked this one :)

Alycia's parents were treating her to lunch today, so I busied myself with icing the cupcakes Millie let me help her bake yesterday, and also the little 2-tier cake I'd baked for Alycia as a surprise.

It was fun, I wouldn't lie, even though I was terrible at baking and icing and anything creative in that aspect. But Millie was great company and it was a nice enough distraction from the utter boredom I otherwise would have felt with Alycia being gone. 

"So, how did you and Alycia meet?" Millie was asking as we dyed our icing.

"It was actually at a job, working over the summer at one of her parents' camps," I answered. "Though, back then, I definitely didn't know she was the daughter to millionaires."

"Would that have changed anything if you did?" she asked with an amused smile.

I shrugged, weighing it up as I'd never really thought about it. "I'm not entirely sure... I think if I knew before speaking to her, I may have avoided her. But that would have been based on a preconceived idea that she's stuck up and spoilt, y'know? Obviously, I spoke to her because she was my buddy at the time and we got along from there. And by the time she told me about her parents, well... she's lucky she's cute."

Millie laughed at my joke. "That's adorable. You guys make a lovely couple. And you're right about getting to know Alycia. I've worked here for a year or so, mostly for her parents, but the few times she's visited and we've interacted, she's been kind."

I smiled, knowing that sounded like Alycia. Nothing like her parents, thank God.

"So, how did you end up being a private chef?" I asked curiously.

We passed time as we decorated, talking about how she went to culinary school, what she did when she wasn't baking and her love for it all. It was refreshing, especially because I'd never met anyone who did this for a living. And after she helped me not make a fool of icing the cakes, but also assisted me in decorating Alycia's, a waiter entered the kitchen to let us know of Alycia's return.

"That's your cue," Millie encouraged, before nodding to the cake in the box on the counter. "Knock 'em dead."

A little excited, I smiled gratefully before grabbing the cake and heading to the front door with hopes of finding Alycia. They were still outside, I noticed, when I glanced out the window, and then I realised they weren't alone. Her parents, her and fucking Clayton of all people were getting out the car, chatting and smiling. Had he gone to lunch with them? What the fuck? I literally stayed behind so Alycia could have some bonding time with her parents, not him.

Frustrated, I stepped away from the window and realised my anger had gotten the better of me because I'd unintentionally squeezed the box in my hand and, consequently, the cake.

"Fuck," I mumbled, before backing away from the door and returning to the kitchen.

"How did she– wait, what happened?" Millie started, but stopped herself when I tossed the cake box on the counter.

"Fucking Clayton and his fucking lack of boundaries," I muttered with irritation, before leaning my head in my hands on the counter to contain myself.

"Oh, Y/N..."

I'd never discussed anything of my feelings towards Clayton to Millie, but it was pretty evident how I was feeling right now. I thought I was over it, especially after Alycia's reassurances last night, but clearly I wasn't.

"It doesn't matter," I said with a heavy sigh. "It was stupid anyway. Just throw it out. It's basically bird food now anyway."

No doubt giving me a disapproving look, Millie grabbed the box and said, "Don't be silly."

I glanced up when I heard her shuffling about, only to see her taking the cake out the box and cutting a decent enough slice that wasn't destroyed by my inability to contain my anger.

"Go," she ordered, pushing the plate towards me. "Give this to your girlfriend."

I narrowed my eyes at the cake. "She's too busy with Clayton."

Millie gave me a knowing look. "It's her dad, not her, now go." I just about rolled my eyes when she added, "Don't be a child, Y/N."

Grumbling to myself, I straightened up and grabbed the plate. But not before glancing at her and saying, "You're getting too comfortable with me."

She cracked a smile, resisting the urge to laugh, before wafting me away with her hand. I groaned inwardly before returning to the front of the house, where Alycia, her parents and Clayton were just entering the atrium. As soon as Alycia spotted me, her face lit up and she ran to me, almost making me drop the plate as she hugged me. Admittedly, it made me forget why I was annoyed in the first place and I immediately returned the hug.

"Ooh, what's that?" she asked distractedly, eyeing up the cake slice. "My surprise, perhaps?"

Unable to stop my smile, I was about to reply, but was instantly cut off by her father.

"Oh, that can't be Millie's handiwork, surely," he said with a loud laugh. "What on earth is that decoration?" Glancing at Clayton, he added, "This is why you have to be picky with the help."

Clayton laughed at his joke whilst I tried very hard not to throw the plate at his head.

"Dad!" Alycia scolded with a look. "That's not nice!"

Her dad played dumb, then looked to Clayton for approval, which only boiled my blood more.

"Y/N, what is it?" Alycia asked, expression softening when she looked back to me.

"Nothing," I managed to say without flipping out irrationally. "Just leftovers from a practice batch Millie made." Swallowing hard, I took a step back. "In fact, I should probably throw it out. It's not that nice anyway."

Alycia frowned, about to speak, but bloody Clayton of all people spoke up.

"Alycia, your dad and I are going to get a drink, would you like to join us?"

Seconds away from smashing this plate on his head, I rolled my eyes and turned to leave instead. Storming back to the kitchen a second time, I made a beeline for the bin.

"Seriously?" Millie asked with playful disbelief. "You still haven't–?"

"It was a stupid idea," I snapped, setting the empty plate before her, before leaving to get some fresh air.

—

Not even half an hour passed when Alycia found me returning to the house after a well-needed sulk around the property.

"Y/N!" she called once she spotted me by the outdoor dining area. "I've been looking for you everywhere!"

"I haven't been very far," I said nonchalantly.

She frowned guiltily, eyes flickering between mine. "I didn't know Clayton would be there. My parents took me out and he was already sat there at the table."

"He always seems to be present, don't you think?"

She sighed. "I know."

I lifted an eyebrow questioningly. "Seriously? Why not doing something about it, Alycia?"

She raised her eyebrows too. "Don't you think I'm trying?"

I tried not to scoff as I crossed my arms. "Well, not hard enough."

Definitely surprised by my attitude, she gave me a look. "Y/N."

I looked down at my shoes, knowing my anger would return if we discussed this any longer. "Forget it. See you at dinner."

"Y/N," she started as I began to walk away.

"Or maybe we'll see Clayton, who knows?" I said sarcastically, before rolling my eyes as I left, ignoring her calls.

It wasn't her fault, I knew that, but she wasn't exactly telling her father to back off, at least not well enough. I was uncomfortable and her parents were doing a pretty great job at making me want to leave. So, why couldn't we?

—

Dinner time that same evening was awkward as hell and I was counting down the seconds before I could leave to go up to our room. Her parents were chatting, talking about the business and Alycia, and I was staying quiet because I seriously couldn't be bothered. The only relieving thing was that they hadn't invited Clayton.

At one point, the dessert was brought out – the cupcakes that Millie let me help her make, though she did ninety-nine percent of it – and her dad felt the need to comment.

"Ah, see? This is Millie's handiwork," he said with a smile as the waiter placed some cupcakes before us all. "None of that rubbish from earlier."

I bit my tongue as I distracted myself with my cup of tea. Alycia glanced over at me, wanting to say something, but as usual, she didn't.

When the meal was over, Alycia and I headed straight upstairs for bed. I never usually went to sleep so soon after eating, but I didn't want to stay awake and have to talk things out with Alycia, not when I was still so upset at the situation. So, after getting ready for bed, I jumped right in and laid down, turning my back to Alycia who was still unchanged from her day clothes.

"Y/N?" she called gently. "Can we talk?"

I closed my eyes, frowning to myself. "I'm tired."

I heard her sigh from behind me, and though a small part of me felt bad for treating her like this, the rest knew that it wasn't fair how I was being treated this whole trip. The sooner we left, the better. But for now...

"Okay," she muttered. "Goodnight, I guess."

I didn't say anything, but the door closed and I assumed she'd gone into the ensuite to get ready for bed, too.

—

I'd hoped going to sleep would put me in a better mood, but when I woke up the next day, I was only reminded of how shitty everything had been and my mood still remained.

There were only two days left before Alycia and I could go home, but for now I had to suck it up. I still wasn't in the mood to talk to Alycia, so I avoided her the best I could, which I soon discovered was ideal because none other than fucking Clayton was back at the house again. Apparently it wasn't for Alycia, based on what the staff chatter had to say, but rather for a business meeting with her dad. Either way, it was an excuse for him to be around and I would have rather stayed away.

Deciding that Millie was the only other person here that I knew and felt comfortable enough to be around, I went to bother her as she worked in the kitchens. Plus, I owed her an apology after my outburst yesterday.

When I found her, she was preparing some ingredients for something and almost didn't notice my presence until I stopped by a stool at the counter.

"Hey," I said with a small smile.

When she saw me, she returned my smile with a relieved one. "Y/N, hey. How are you doing? You seemed really upset yesterday."

I leaned in the palm of my hand nervously. "Yeah, look, I'm sorry for snapping at you. It wasn't very nice, especially not after you tried to help me with the whole situation."

"It's okay," she assured. "I can see how annoying it must be to find out Clayton is always around. I'm guessing that's why you're here now."

I sighed, trying not to get worked up at the mere mention of him. "Yeah. I hope that's okay. I just can't stand being around him. And Alycia isn't helping the situation, so we're kind of not talking."

At this, Millie gave me a disapproving look. "You can't just not speak to her. You know this is an awkward spot for her. It's her parents, not her."

"I understand that, but how about me? I'm at my girlfriend's house to hang out with her family and instead of that, they're trying to show her off to another guy right in front of me. Why do I have to be okay with that?"

Millie sighed, shrugging as she worked. "You're right. It's shitty. But you need to communicate this to Alycia, not avoid her."

I put my head in my hands and groaned quietly. "Can I avoid her a little longer? I'm not in the mood."

Chuckling quietly, Millie nodded. "I suppose so. Maybe I can teach you how to make fresh pastry."

Glad she was letting me stay, I smiled for real and jumped off the stool. "Thanks, Millie."

It was probably a terrible sign that I enjoyed spending more time with a pastry chef than I did my girlfriend's family, but I didn't care. If they couldn't bother to make half the effort with me that I was making with them, then I couldn't change that. Besides, there were only two more days left. I could surely survive that.

After spending the morning with Millie, chatting away mindlessly and watching as she worked because it was better than watching TV for hours on end, it was soon lunchtime. We were supposed to be having an outdoor afternoon tea for lunch, with some baked goods that Millie and a few of the other chefs had prepared in advance. I was stood outside with Millie after she set the table, the two of us talking by the doors, when Alycia found me.

Millie and I's conversation ceased as soon as Alycia stopped by us, glancing at me with a tense jaw.

"Alycia," I greeted, still mildly irritated.

"Can I speak to you, please?" she asked with a raised eyebrow. Before glancing at Millie and adding, "In private?"

I looked at her with disbelief, but before I could say anything, Millie nodded awkwardly.

"I should get back to work," was all she said, before returning to the kitchen.

When she was gone, I looked back to Alycia. "That was a little rude, don't you think?"

Alycia's green eyes stared holes into mine. "What are you doing?"

I was confused. "What?"

She crossed her arms with annoyance as she asked, "Do you like her?"

Absolutely baffled now, I raised my eyebrows and stared at her. "What? Are you joking right now?"

She clenched her jaw, unimpressed. "All you keep doing is avoiding me and hanging out with her instead. What gives?"

The audacity of her to make such assumptions was laughable, to the point where I had to stop myself from doing so.

"Wow," I said with both irritation and impatience. "You're kidding me, right?" Judging from her know-it-all expression and the patronising glare she was giving me, I knew she wasn't. I continued, "Maybe if you stopped appeasing your dad's wishes this whole trip and hanging out with Clayton all the time, you'd see that I'm bored! Millie is the only bloody person I can hang out with here!"

Alycia scoffed frantically, shaking her head and looking away. "That's hardly fair."

I widened my eyes as I gave her a questioning look. "Isn't it?! What's not fair is that I'm here to bond with my girlfriend's parents and, instead of doing the same, they're trying to set you up with a new man whilst I'm literally right here!"

"That's not what's happening–!"

It was my turn to scoff as I cut her off. "Sure it's not. Because he just so happens to be around all the time, doesn't he?" Giving her an angry glare, I said, "He drools over you, Alycia. And do you think I like watching him check you out? Because I bloody don't!"

She opened her mouth to speak, but just on cue, someone approached us and interrupted, and it was damn Clayton.

"Sorry to interrupt, ladies, but Alycia–"

"Oh, for fuck's sake!" I shouted at him, before losing my patience and shoving past him to return indoors. I didn't have to deal with this – it wasn't fair!

Storming up to our room, I shut the door and tried very hard to contain my frustration, but it was too late, I was already fuming. It wasn't fair! I didn't deserve to be treated like this! And I wasn't going to stand for it anymore. Being here was only making me miserable, so I had to leave. Alycia could stay the rest of the trip with her parents, but they didn't want me here and I didn't want to be here.

Pulling out my suitcase, I grabbed as much as I could from the wardrobe and threw it in, deciding to pack everything up. Clayton and Alycia's parents could live happily together, but I didn't care to see it.

I was midway through packing when the door suddenly opened and Alycia appeared.

"Y/N, we need to talk," she said sternly. "Not argue."

"I'm not interested," I said dismissively, throwing another shirt in.

She must have realised what I was doing, finally paying attention, as she lost her irritation and looked to me sadly. "You're leaving?"

I narrowed my eyes at her. "No, I just thought the suitcase was a looking a little empty. What do you think?"

"Y/N!"

I ignored her and continued to pack, moving to grab some toiletries from the dressing table.

"Please, let's just talk this through," she tried again. "I don't want to fight."

"Neither do I, but I can't be here anymore," I said, throwing my toiletries in my bag. "We can talk it through at home. You should stay the rest of the week."

"We're literally talking right now," she pointed out, making me roll my eyes. "C'mon, just sit. Please."

I met her eyes with a hardened stare. "Not in the mood."

She frowned and then her jaw clenched and I saw her impatience shining through. "Y/N."

I was stubborn, but so was she, and I refused to let her get her way this time.

Returning to my packing, I planned to ignore her presence until I finished, and even when she rounded the bed to approach me, I blanked her out. A little too much, in fact, as I didn't realise she'd pulled out some handcuffs from her back pocket and snapped them onto my wrist, connected to hers.

"Alycia!" I scolded. "Unlock it right now."

She pursed her lips, shaking her head. "Nope."

I bit back my irritation. "Maybe when you were a kid this sort of behaviour was cute, but it's not now, so let me go."

"Talk to me then," she insisted. "I don't like how things ended before and I don't like seeing you upset."

"Well, I'm not in the mood to speak to you right now and I just want to leave," I retorted. "So, respect that."

Her gaze softened. "Please."

I outstretched my free hand. "Key. Now."

Just when I thought I'd have to wrestle it from her, she sighed and gave in. "Fine."

As she patted down her pockets, I pushed my hair from my eyes and groaned inwardly. "Where the hell d'you even get handcuffs anyway?"

"Toy set from when I was a kid," she mumbled, before I watched her pat her pockets some more. Judging from the worried look she had, I couldn't imagine the news being good.

"Alycia, give me the key," I repeated, growing nervous, and she tensed her jaw with annoyance. "This isn't funny."

"D'you see me laughing?" she snapped, before checking her back pockets and coming up with nothing.

I tried to pull my wrist from the metal cuffs, but it pulled her wrist too, making her yelp, and that's when I realised she really wasn't joking.

"Alycia, are you insane?!" I shouted, already stressing because of what this meant.

"Just shush!" she ordered, though the guilt was seeping through. "Panicking doesn't help!"

I gasped sarcastically. "Sorry if we're bloody handcuffed together and I'm panicking! Because in case you didn't realise, darling, we're handcuffed together!"

"I know!" she shouted right back, before giving up with her futile searching. In a quieter voice, she said, "I've lost it. I must have missed my pocket when I put it in."

I groaned loudly, attempting to sit on the bed, but she of course came with me and I had to remain standing.

"Look, let's just go back downstairs and retrace my steps," she said hopefully. "It'll show. And if not, there's gotta be some tools somewhere."

I stayed quiet, not wanting to snap at her even more when I was already pissed off and she was the last person I wanted to be handcuffed to right now. Instead, I let her lead me downstairs and around the living room and old playroom, with hopes of finding the key on the floor somewhere. But we searched everywhere and there was nothing. Not wanting to give up, Alycia assured me we might be able to find some tools in the shed outside. But of course, it was just our luck when there was nothing there either.

"No offence, but you're terrible at this," I told her bitterly, before flagging down the pool boy who was nearby. "Hey, mate, are you alright to give us a hand? Alycia over here has handcuffed us together and we need something to unlock it with."

The pool boy, more of a man in all fairness, glanced at our handcuffed wrists. "Have you tried the key?"

I closed my eyes, containing my constant frustration that didn't seem to leave me today. Thankfully, Alycia responded so I wouldn't have to.

"We lost the key. We were thinking something like a screwdriver or a hammer. Anything else, really."

"Hmm...," he thought to himself. "I'm not sure about the wrist part, but I can definitely separate you by chopping the chain with a butcher's knife."

How hadn't I thought of that? It was genius!

"Yes!"

"No!"

I blinked, looking to Alycia. "I'm sorry?"

"Y/N, are you insane?" Alycia asked with disbelief. "That's so dangerous! What if he missed?!"

I opened my mouth, stunned. "Are you– are you kidding me right now, Alycia? Insane? You bloody handcuffed us together! The only insane one here is you!"

Taking that as his cue to leave, the pool boy turned on his heel and left Alycia and I to bicker.

"How dare you!" she exclaimed, not even attempting to disguise her annoyance anymore. "Sorry if I had to take extreme measures to talk to my girlfriend!"

"I said I would talk about it back home!" I reminded her, before yanking our wrists towards me. "Now c'mon! I don't want to be handcuffed to you any longer!"

"I said no!" she said, yanking me back as I attempted to walk away.

Frowning, I pulled her towards me. "We're using the knife, dammit!"

"I said no!" she repeated firmly, yanking me back towards her.

"Alycia!"

"No!"

"We're going to the–!"

"You're not listening–!"

"Alycia–!"

And before either of us knew it, she'd yanked me too hard, enough for me to go tumbling right into her and knocking us both into the pool. The cold water shocked the anger right out of me and I immediately tried to resurface, gasping for air. I made sure Alycia was okay beside me, momentarily stunned, and when she was pushing her wet hair from her eyes, the realisation settled in and my anger returned.

"I can't believe you just did that!" I shouted.

"Me? You're the one who fell into me!"

Swallowing hard, I began to swim to the stairs. Thankfully, she got the hint, and we both returned to our room dripping wet.

"We'll go to the garage in town first thing in the morning when it opens," she suddenly said when we were stood there making a mess on the carpet. "They'll have tools."

I resisted the urge to glare at her. This was probably the biggest fight we'd ever had and, right now, I hated her.

"I'm showering," I said without giving her much choice. "Come on."

Yanking her into the ensuite, I shut the door and grabbed a towel, mumbling to myself, "I'd have a bath but I can't because tweedledum is handcuffed to me..."

"I'm not stopping you," she said defensively. "Go for it."

I glanced at her, trying to see if she was joking, but when she wasn't, I thought what the heck? I deserved a nice, relaxing bubble bath. Though preferably one that didn't include her. Unfortunately, I couldn't manage that, but I could still have the bath, so I filled it up as I undressed and forced her to sit on the edge of the tub, look at the door and be quiet. Being Alycia, however, she couldn't manage that, and she was nonstop talking about how she didn't like Clayton or what her dad was up to or anything about this week so far. And I'd finally had enough.

"Alycia!" I snapped, opening my eyes. "The whole point of this is for me to relax. Be quiet, please."

She sighed, but thankfully listened, and I closed my eyes again, trying to forget that she was attached at the wrist and sat on the edge of my supposed-to-be relaxing bubble bath. Just when I thought I was doing better, she suddenly moved, making me open my eyes, and then I saw her jump into the bath with me, sitting opposite me and with her clothes still on.

Widening my eyes, I looked to her. "Alycia!"

"I'm sorry," she said with a pained voice, ignoring my shock and her current situation. "I know I need to do more. This week hasn't been fair on you. But my dad doesn't listen and I don't know what else to say. I don't mean to appear ignorant. I care about you, Y/N, so fucking much."

The sincerity in her voice was convincing enough, but I was still staring at the fact that she was soaking wet and fully clothed in the bath with me.

"Say something," she pleaded.

"You're wearing clothes?" I said with disbelief.

She rolled her eyes. "Forget that. Just talk to me. Please."

Despite the stupidity of everything, it was the distraction I needed to finally tell her how I was feeling. I hesitated, not planning to do it whilst sat naked before her in a bubble bath, but she clearly wasn't going to leave, so it was now or never.

"I've tried to be respectful, but your parents don't like me, Alycia," I started, meeting her eyes. "I can't stay here any longer whilst they do what they're doing. I just want to go home. This whole week has been a train wreck."

She sighed dragging her hand down her face. "I know."

I sighed too, looking down with embarrassment. "I know you don't like Clayton. But seeing him with you doesn't feel good. It's not that I don't trust you, but I can't help it if I feel jealous sometimes. Especially when I'm here because of you. I don't know. It just sucks."

She rested her cuffed hand on mine, rubbing her thumb gently. "I feel the same with you and Millie. And it wasn't fair of me to accuse you of anything. I was just pissed because you already hated me and she was making you smile and I got stupidly jealous."

I frowned, meeting her eyes. "I'm sorry to make you feel like that. I don't hate you, Alycia. I've just been upset. I'm not usually the jealous type and it got ugly."

"You're not," she agreed. "Neither am I. I guess this whole trip has just pulled us apart, huh?"

I hummed in agreement, leaning on the side of the tub with my elbow. I didn't know where to go with this. Her dad wasn't listening and that couldn't be changed. So, now what?

"I love you," she said, earning my attention. "I want to make things right. And that starts with you being comfortable. So, we'll leave tomorrow."

"It's your family, we can't just leave."

She lifted a brow. "Wanna bet?"

I gave her a knowing look. "Alycia. No. Look, I'll go. You stay. I'll see you back home in a few days."

"I'm not staying without you, and you don't want to stay, so we go together," she insisted, moving closer to me, unbothered by the fact that she was chest deep in water. "Besides, I don't really want to stay either. Not when my girlfriend is being shit on time and time again."

That was all I'd wanted to hear, selfishly enough.

"You're sure?" I asked. "I'll stay if you really want me to. And I won't sulk."

She cracked a smile. "I'm sure, love. We've been here long enough."

I nodded, relieved. "Thank you, Alycia."

"Thank you," she corrected. "For being so patient."

I gave her a small smile, before nodding to her clothes. "Take them off, idiot. You've already made a mess from jumping in here."

She laughed, pulling off her clothes whilst still in the water, only making a further mess of water on the floor. I rolled my eyes but gladly pulled her towards me, struggling at first but managing to keep her between my legs and hold her tight.

"Sorry, I was jealous," I mumbled into her shoulder.

She kissed my cheek and leaned back. "Me, too. And I'm sorry I couldn't try the cake you made me. It looked really nice."

I sighed. "No, it didn't."

She began to smile, her body moving slightly as she held in a laugh. "Yeah, no, it didn't."

I squeezed her playfully, making her laugh properly, and refused to let go.

[dreadsuitsamus]

Anytime | Kensei Muguruma x Reader |

author's note: this hurt a little bit to write lmao and i apologize in advance if it hurts you too

pairing: kensei muguruma x fem!reader

warnings: reader and kensei are divorced, a little bit of angst and jealousy

"I'm on my way."

It rings in your head, over and over, as you sit on the side of the road and wait for your ex-husband to come save you. Stomach a pit and each and every nerve wired and frayed, tears nearly brim in your eyes at the anticipation of his arrival. Being stuck on the side of a road you're sure hasn't seen a single driver on it in at least a week is one thing, and it's another when you've got three flats and an ex-husband with a hefty I told you so locked and loaded.

Your divorce with Kensei was finalized over two years ago, but the sad fact remains that he's the most important person in your life, and vice versa— which is why you informed him of this last-minute road trip, only to be warned against it.

"I don't think your car can handle that trip. Put it off until I can make sure everything is functioning properly."

And like a fool, you neglected to take it seriously and off you went to the festival. Perhaps it's why you had as great of a time as you did— karma was evidently waiting with a dish best served cold.

Your heart jumps at the sight of a black Silverado truck pulling up. He hates that damn truck, much preferring his fuel-efficient Elantra, but you've left him with no choice today. You're so distraught you can't even take much time to appreciate those long legs of his as he steps out of the truck; sometimes you wonder how you could be divorced from the most handsome man you've ever known.

Dressed in jeans with the platinum chain you'd gotten him many moons ago attached, boots and a black button down shirt, your gut tells you he was busy when you called. Looking so fine… He was on a date, wasn't he?

It burns.

With a resounding sigh, you meet him in the halfway distance between your cars. Kensei's never been particularly talkative and mouthy unless angry, and though there's certainly some simmering beneath the surface, he's calmer than you initially expected. He passes you a bottle of water and a protein bar before going to inspect the damage, subsequently sighing and rubbing his temples with his long fingers. "I'm amazed that your luck is so shit that you only got three flats so your goddamn insurance wouldn't cover it."

"I'm still trying to figure out how I only got three."

"Divine intervention." Kensei mutters bitterly and starts to roll up his sleeves past the delicious forearms that once would hold you up against the inferno that is the rest of his body at night. "When's the last time you even got these rotated, let alone changed?"

"I don't even know what having them rotated means."

Kensei sucks in a sharp, irritated breath and steels himself; it'll do no good to get upset this early into the project. He just… Wishes you fucking listened to him. About anything, at this point. "New rule. Get it done every time you get an oil change." And thank God your car is one that will bug the hell out of you about your service interval— he doesn't want to consider what your oil and other fluids would be like otherwise.

"Okay." You mumble and crack open the water, taking a long pull from the cold drink. It's refreshing and perfect, pulling your spirits up just a tad as you start to feel a little bit better physically.

"Eat that protein bar." Your ex-husband demands, heading for the bed of his truck and lowering the tailgate. He's got everything he needs for the swap— including time. "I know you, you little shit. You're running on a refresher from six hours ago and had a hearty helping of hopes and dreams to eat, didn't you?"

You scowl as you chew the protein bar. It's terrible, like every protein bar you've ever tried, but at least he got one that doesn't make you want to vomit. "I didn't call you here so you could lay into me about my eating habits."

Kensei's brown eyes cut to you as he lowers a tire to the ground. "You rather me go off about the rest of the shit you got yourself into now, then? 'Cause I was saving it for later."

Rolling your eyes, you look away from the man you married six years ago. He huffs and resumes himself, setting up a workstation and prepping your car to start swapping the new tires on. You find a spot nearby him, settling down onto the lawn chair you took to the festival as he begins cracking off lugnuts. Sparing a glance your way, Kensei feels a bit of a tug at his heart despite his rage. You may be his ex-wife, but you've never been bad to him a day in his life. "How long did you sit here before you called me?"

"About two hours." You sigh, finishing the water after forcing the protein bar down. "I tried to get my insurance to help me. They wanted to charge even more because it's a Sunday and I just don't have the money for all that. I considered just camping out for a night and having them come out tomorrow, but…"

Kensei shakes his head. He was waiting for your call or text announcing you were back home; that plan would never fly as long as he's in your life. "We gotta get you a new insurance policy, babe. You're done paying for one that would leave a woman stranded like that."

"Yes sir."

Silence settles in for a while as you watch Kensei work. A light bead of sweat trickles from his temple to his neck, and then he tosses his tools down to carefully slip the buttons open and take off his shirt. If it's somehow possible, his biceps are bigger than they used to be. Leaving himself in a white tank top, he tosses the shirt your way. "Keep that clean for me, yeah?"

"Mhm." You slip into the oversized shirt, his handsome smelling cologne flooding your senses. He's not slick at all; it's chilly out in this wasteland, and rather than simply ask if you're cold, he'd rather ensure you won't be.

His unstoppable air of authority wraps you up, even now.

"Were you busy?" Tumbles out of your mouth after the beat of silence lasts too long. He's finished one tire already and it's really hit you how much you relied on him during your marriage.

It's no wonder he didn't fight to salvage it.

"No." He lies through his teeth and it's easy. Just a little too easy.

It's no wonder you served him divorce papers.

Huffing softly, your brow draws together. "Yeah, right. You got dressed all nice just to come bail me out? Bullshit. I'm smarter than you give me credit for, Ken."

"And yet, you went on this trip without getting your car checked out." Kensei snaps right back, irritation creeping up and warming his neck and ears. "If you didn't wanna wait for me, fine! Why not take it to Abarai's place?" He's got a point— You've known Renji for years now, and he'd always make time for a friend, his business needs be damned. He'd have it done in a day, easy.

Still, the embarrassment of being scolded like this lights your temper. "I told you, Ken, this trip was not planned. I had a friend up north mention the festival and we decided to go to it and meet up."

"Even if I accept that answer, which I don't, there's no reason for you to let your car get this bad! I don't even wanna look under the hood! Why do I always have to take care of your shit for you?? Time and time again, you fuck up and then you call me to bail you out!"

Your eyes widen with a series of blinks. He doesn't sound pissed as much as he's simply… Tired. Upset. Kensei being angry or frustrated is not foreign to you— on his surface, it's the only emotion he knows. But as his wife, you saw the softer side of his feelings. He does get sad, he does cry and he does have bad days like anyone else. And as you take in his tirade… The realization hits that those glimpses of his belly showing were almost entirely gone by the time of your separation.

That marriage was already doomed by the time you attempted to save it. Serving the papers to him wasn't supposed to do anything but show his true colors— he'd fight for you, or he'd give up. And Kensei chose the latter.

"Ken." You murmur carefully. "What were you doing when I called you?"

Kensei throws the tools down, rubbing his hands over his face. "I was on a date."

You'd rather have been left on the road to die than hear him say those words to you. The sinking feeling in your stomach threatens to send that protein bar back up just at the thought of him sitting at a restaurant with another woman, treating her in the same ways he'd treated you way back when. Kensei dating isn't unusual, per se. He's a single man, attractive and still quite young…

But he's yours.

"And you came for me?"

Kensei's hands drop to his lap. "For better or worse, babe: that's the promise I made you."

"The wedding vows don't particularly mean shit after the divorce." Tears of shock and hurt fill your eyes, though you refuse to blink and let them fall. He will not make you cry again, ever, but… The turn of your head to look away from him sure does accidentally force them out.

Kensei drops his head— he hates it when you cry, and hates himself for being the reason. He should've just lied again, brushed it off and moved onto the next flat. It wouldn't have worked though; the guilt he shoulders when he lies to you eats him alive, and it triples due to the look on your face when he does lie. You know he's not telling the truth, every time he tries it.

"I don't know why you think I'm the type of man to leave any woman stranded, much less you. You're the exception to every rule I have, always have been."

Your lip wobbles. It's true, you've always been the one to break Kensei's rules. He said he didn't date coworkers. But he dated you. He said he wasn't after a serious relationship. He married you. He said you shouldn't see each other after the divorce. Yet, he was calling and asking how you were doing not even a week later.

He's always loved you.

It's quiet for a while, and eventually Kensei gets back to the entire reason he's here. Clouds are rolling in, and he'll be damned if he gets caught in the middle of a rainstorm right now. His chest cavity feels empty and he wants nothing more than to crawl into his bed and sleep these horrible feelings away.

"Why?" You ask after a while, your few tears mostly faded now.

Stop, stop, stop! Stop asking questions, stop crying over your ex-husband moving on!!

"Why what?" Kensei mutters as he torques the lugnuts on the second tire.

You sigh to yourself, a beat of silence taking over again. Kensei's amber eyes flick over to you, snuggled into his shirt and avoiding his gaze as you curl into your chair. You're at war with yourself, that mental battle clear as day on what he can see of your face. His heartstrings tug, and next thing he knows he's wiping his hands and kneeling in front of you, cupping your cheek in his hand so you'll look at him.

His thumb swipes away a small tear. "Babe. Talk to me. You're not gonna feel better otherwise."

Your chest heaves at his touch, at his sincere eyes and warmth that keeps you so in love with him even now as a shudder wracks your entire body. "You keep your promises to me. You're always there when I need you. But why didn't you fight for our marriage?"

Kensei's silver brows raise before knitting together. "You wanted to leave. I wouldn't force you to stay if you weren't happy."

"I wanted you to care! I wanted my husband to tell me he still loved me and that we could work it out, but you didn't! You let me leave without so much as asking why!"

Kensei withdraws his hand. "Of course I cared! Does this—" He gestures back to your car. "Look like I don't care?? You had my whole heart in your palm, and you broke it! But I still come for you! All I want is for you to be safe and happy, and if it's not with me, so be it! You matter more to me than I ever have!"

"I've never wanted anybody else." Your eyes burn with fresh tears. You've never so much as entertained another guy for a potential date, let alone go out with someone after the divorce. There's nothing but your love for Kensei stopping you, but foolishly you hoped he would do the same; how unrealistic and unfair of you.

How many dates has he been on with this woman? Has he kissed her yet? The entire idea makes you want to scream and cry and cuss an innocent woman out for banging your husband. Ex or not, he's still so much of your heart that to lose him would ruin you.

"Then why divorce me?" He murmurs, standing and stepping back. The clouds are darkening, and he feels a hefty drop on his shoulder. "Why put me through a divorce if you wanted to stay together?!"

Anger boils inside your stomach, blood churning at an incredible pace as you rocket out of the lawn chair and fill the space he's created between you. "Why not fight?! If you love me as much as you keep saying, why didn't you fucking try?!"

"I already told you!" Kensei yells right back. "You wanted to go! So I let you go, because it's what you fucking said you wanted! You ended our marriage over a goddamn test, like the six years we spent together were some kinda fucking joke to you. You can't accuse me of not caring when you ended a four year marriage over petty shit!"

"I gave you a choice, Ken! I served the papers, but you signed them." You poke his chest harshly as two raindrops bounce against your forehead.

"I'm not having this argument with you; the shit's been said and done with for almost three years." Kensei turns his back to you as the rain starts a steady fall to swap out the last tire and get the hell away from you.

"Is she pretty?" It's beyond petty, so stupid and childish but you've got to know. If he likes this woman, or God forbid loves her, you'll never call him again. You'll die cold and alone before even considering reaching out to him, as an ex-wife to an ex-husband should.

Kensei stops in his tracks. "Yeah."

"Do you love her?"

"Never."

"Why?"

Kensei looks up at the sky, the gray clouds swirling as the rain descends. He closes his eyes and breathes deeply, and it's the same as always every time he's left to gaze at the back of his eyelids— you and him on the night of your wedding, laying together in bed and giggling like teenagers at the prospect of your happy life together starting.

He turns, white tank top half soaked as he comes back to you and holds your face like porcelain. This beautiful face drives me crazy… "Nobody's ever gonna be able to be you."

You whimper and a fresh set of tears mixes in with the rain as Kensei leans down and kisses you, his passion so pent up that he's picking you up and pressing you to his truck before you can make heads or tails of anything. His shirt is swiftly bunched into your hand as the surprise subsides and the gratification fills you to the brim, your lips and tongue sliding with Kensei's in a messy reunification. Too long, it's been too long since you had this, since you felt his warmth on you and reveled in it.

His silver hair is silky between your fingers and he groans as you massage his scalp with your nails. He's always been a bit like a cat in that sense. Your legs around him and his arms around you tighten as you urge your bodies closer, leaving no room for even Jesus now. The rain pours around you, leaving you drenched by the time you've got no choice but to pull back, lest you die making out with your ex-husband.

All in all, not the worst way to go.

Kensei kisses your cheek gently, his lips lingering as he maneuvers to open the door to the passenger seat and shield you from the onslaught of rain. Peppering small kisses while he wipes the rain from your face, he turns the truck on and sets the heater up to keep you from getting sick.

He strips himself of his tank top once he's left you safely in the truck, tossing it in the truck bed before running to finish up the last tire change with this lucky break in the rain. Your fingers come to touch your tingling, smiling lips and you close your eyes as the space of Kensei's truck encompasses you.

By the time Kensei's back, his tools and your old tires all loaded up, you're beyond sleepy. Scooping you into his arms, your husband walks slowly and kisses your temple as he carries you to your car. "C'mon. Time to go home."

You steal a kiss off his lips, and by the time you're back in town, you weigh every option as you sit at a red light behind Kensei. Taking the next turn leads you home, but going straight will bring you right to Kensei's apartment building.

The light turns green.

[misc-obeyme]

THE THREADS THAT BIND

CHAPTER THREE

MASTERPOST for summary/info/chapter list

a/n: Solomon makes an appearance! This story takes place in the OG timeline so Barbatos doesn't hate him lol. However, I like to think that Barbatos is not generally inclined to ask Solomon for help, especially if it's something he believes he can handle himself.

GN!MC x Barbatos | word count: 1,829

Warnings: Solomon lol, but otherwise there is a time when MC is dealing with pain from the curse again, though briefly

That day at RAD, Barbatos stayed by your side as you went to each of your classes. Lucifer and Diavolo were the only people that knew what was going on. Everybody else seemed too nervous to ask either of you about it. You supposed this was because if anybody got too close, Barbatos would smile at them. It was the terrifying smile he sometimes used and it was more than enough to deter any probing questions.

There were some people who were less affected by that particular smile, though. You were sitting between Solomon and Barbatos in class when Solomon leaned over to you and said, "I see you've been cursed and gained yourself a butler attendant."

Of course Solomon could tell you were cursed. It would be weird if he didn't notice. You were about to tell him all about what had happened when Barbatos cut in.

"It is none of your concern," he said lightly.

Solomon sat back and laughed. "I'm sorry, but I have to disagree. This is my adorable apprentice. I hardly think them being cursed is none of my concern."

"It was an accident," you said, trying to intervene before things got problematic. "I was practicing a spell and got it wrong, that's all."

Solomon frowned. "You must have gotten it really wrong if you cursed yourself instead."

You felt Barbatos's hand on your leg, squeezing tightly. He was likely thinking of earlier when you said he should tell Solomon the truth. You patted his hand underneath the table, hoping to reassure him that you wouldn't give away his secret.

You smiled at Solomon. "I don't suppose you know the counter curse for something like this, do you?"

Solomon looked you over, as though he was calculating the full effects of the curse itself. "I'm not sure," he admitted at last. "Is it a binding curse?"

"It has these threads," you said.

You were about to describe it more, but Solomon interrupted you. "Ah, okay, it's a thread binding curse. It hurts you when Barbatos leaves your side, doesn't it?"

Solomon was the best sorcerer in the three realms, of course he knew about the curse. But you were still surprised. "Yeah, exactly," you said.

"I don't know how you managed to do that to yourself, MC," Solomon said with a playful smile. "But I can sense that there are those who believe that it's none of my business, so I'll just take your word for it. Let me look into this curse, okay? I might be able to find the counter curse for you."

"That would be great," you said. "Thanks."

The rest of the class passed without incident. Though you were sure it was only a matter of time before Solomon found out exactly what had really happened.

-

When you were done at RAD for the day, Barbatos escorted you back to the Demon Lord's Castle. You spent the evening following him around - sitting in the kitchen watching him make dinner, lingering around while he did laundry, following him to Diavolo's office to check on the prince and bring him tea while he worked. There was something easy and casual about it. You found yourself doing little things for him without even realizing it - handing him a spoon in the kitchen, helping him match socks, arranging the cookies on the plate he brought Diavolo with his tea.

The two of you also spent some time reading through books about curses, trying to find the counter curse for your current predicament. Barbatos didn't comment on the earlier conversation you'd had with Solomon at RAD. You wondered if Solomon would find the solution before you did. The likelihood of that happening seemed pretty high to you.

As you were reading through various books, your D.D.D. went off almost continually. The brothers were not happy about the fact that you weren't coming back to the House of Lamentation for the foreseeable future. You were sending them messages trying to console them, letting them know that you still cared about them, that you'd be home soon.

Even as you sent those messages, you felt a little guilty. You loved the brothers, of course you did, but you found you really enjoyed being in Barbatos's company, too. Dinner had been especially pleasant with Diavolo there, the three of you chatting about this and that.

Diavolo had been extremely concerned about the curse when Barbatos told him about it. He was not pleased, not just because of his butler being cursed, but because an exchange student like yourself had been cursed as well. Barbatos had managed to convince him that it would be all right, that you would find a way to break it in time. And Diavolo seemed to trust his word. And so did you.

Eventually, the day came to a close and you began to get tired, yawning now and again. You tried to hide it, keeping yourself focused on the books in front of you, but you should have known that wouldn't work.

"I think perhaps we should go to sleep now, MC," Barbatos said, closing the book he was reading and looking at you carefully. "We can continue this research tomorrow."

"All right," you said, knowing it would be pointless to argue with him. "But I feel like we're no closer than we were when we started. I hope Solomon is having some luck."

Barbatos stood up from the table, gathering the books in a neat stack. "I appreciate you not divulging the truth of our situation at RAD earlier today."

You sat back and crossed your arms. "I only did that because you were squeezing me so hard. I still think you should tell him."

Barbatos shook his head. "I must ask you not to interfere with this."

"I won't," you said, mostly because you didn't want to upset Barbatos. You supposed it was a matter of pride for him. He likely felt he should be able to handle a bothersome sorcerer on his own.

You stood up from the table and followed him as he led you out of the room. It wasn't long before you were at the door to your guest room. He opened it for you and then followed you inside.

You looked around the room. You had enough things for now, but if this went on for much longer, you'd have to go back to the House of Lamentation just to pick up more clothes.

You sighed a little and turned to Barbatos, who was standing just inside the room. "Aren't you going back to your room? You must be tired, too."

Barbatos chuckled. "I'm afraid my room is too far from this location to allow you to sleep comfortably if I do that."

The truth of this statement hit you like a ton of bricks. Of course he couldn't leave! Last night, it was clear that he had spent the whole night in the chair beside your bed. He wasn't thinking about doing that again, was he?

Then again, you weren't entirely sure just how far he could go before you started to feel ill. You frowned. "Are you sure?"

Barbatos blinked in confusion. "Fairly certain, yes."

"Let's test it," you said, moving past him and back out into the hall.

He followed directly on your heels. "MC, I must insist-"

"No, I need to know how much distance we can have between us," you said, starting off down the hallway.

Barbatos followed you. "MC, this is really unnecessary. You'll only-"

You stopped and turned around abruptly, putting a hand out. This caused Barbatos's chest to bump into your flat palm. He frowned.

"Just humor me, okay? Stop moving. Stay right here," you said.

Barbatos was clearly not pleased with this idea, but he took a single step back from you. The way he remained still indicated to you that he wouldn't follow you again.

You turned back around and started walking. You found you felt perfectly fine. Perhaps it wasn't as bad as you had previously thou-

It was like you had crossed an invisible threshold. You felt the same nausea as you had before when you had first woken up and Barbatos left your room. As you kept going, the headache sprang up. You forced yourself to continue. You were feeling sick, but it wasn't so bad that you couldn't walk. You weren't even slowing down, really. So you kept up your pace, continuing on down the hall.

And then it hit you. The sickness was one thing, but this was different. It was a pain that seared through your heart. It was an emptiness, a hollow that yawned in your spirit, miring you heavily in something you could only describe as despair. As though you had lost everything. The pain was overwhelming and you fell to your knees, hitting the ground hard before catching yourself on your palms. Tears were streaming down your face.

The pain eased almost immediately as Barbatos nearly ran to your side, his hands on your arms. You looked up at him and it felt like that hole had been patched, carefully and thoroughly. Like you were whole again. You stopped crying, but you were suddenly so tired. You sighed and let your head fall again.

"MC," Barbatos said.

"I'm sorry," you said. "You were right. I didn't believe it was that bad."

"This is the nature of the curse," Barbatos said. "As you see, it is better if I stay close to you. I will simply sleep in the guest room beside yours."

You almost groaned. Of course he would do that. You had forgotten there was a room right next to yours. That should be close enough for you to be okay.

You reached out, holding onto his arms. Barbatos understood immediately and helped you stand, though he didn't let you go. You couldn't stand without him at that moment anyway, so you leaned on him heavily.

"So you'll be here?" you asked, indicating the door next to yours as he helped you back down the hallway.

"Yes," Barbatos said. "You should be all right with that short distance."

You started to regain your strength, finding you could walk without his assistance by the time you got back to the bedroom door. You pulled away from him gently, carefully wiping the tears off your face.

You forced yourself to smile at him. "All right," you said. "Then… I'll see you in the morning."

"I look forward to that moment," Barbatos said with a smile. "Good night, MC."

"Good night, Barbatos," you said, watching as he actually bowed to you briefly before going through the other door.

You went back into your own room and sat on the bed, sighing. You had forgotten just how horrible that feeling had been the first time Barbatos left your side. You wouldn't be making that mistake again. You felt heavy as you stood up and began to get ready for bed.

masterpost | chapter one

chapter two | chapter four

masterlist | Thank you for reading!

[loveandmurders]

Hi I love your daughter angst story so much. Could you make a angst to comfort daughter story where the Sinclair brothers finally give in and let their teen daughter kill tourists with them but a tourist seriously injured their kid and they’re scared she’s going to die, but she wakes up after a day or two and they have a loving family moment? Thank you! (Ik this one is dark and depressing but I love reading stories that make me cry)

Hello love, thank you so much for this request! I'm always happy to write some angst for you all :)

Hope you'll enjoy this <3

I WANT TO KILL TOO

Warnings: no proof reading, angst/comfort, murders, reader is a killer, violence, fight, blood, a lot of pain.

Lately, you had trained even harder than usual with Bo and Vincent to show them that you were ready to kill people. None of them really enjoyed those training because they didn’t want to hurt you and because they were worried of what you were going to ask them next. It was true you had gotten very good. You could be even quicker than Bo in your movement sometimes and you were almost as good as Vincent with your knives. Bo also taught you how to aim and shoot and you had practised quite a lot lately as well, on your own.

Lester was always a little bit uneasy when he was spotting you fighting with one of his brothers, especially now you had become good at it. At first, it was all fun and cute. You were often falling in your parents arms and giggling. But now, you were deadly serious about this all and your parents were always the ones to tell you it was enough for the day. You would have been able to keep going forever otherwise.

The twins couldn’t deny that you almost kicked their asses this week. Almost. They were still a lot more experienced than you, and a lot stronger. But you learnt how to fight people bigger and stronger than you that way. You felt powerful and you felt ready. You wanted to help your parents with the family business, it was your duty as their heir and only daughter.

You helped dress the table as Bo was finishing to cook the food. You were in a good mood, softly humming to yourself. You had planned everything you were going to tell your parents and you were certain they were going to accept this time.

You finally all sat down at the kitchen table and started to eat in silence because everyone was a little bit tired today. The tourists had been very hard to kill the past few days.

“Wanna help ya” you started.

“With what?” Bo asked, even though he already knew the answer.

“With the tourists! I’ve trained well, haven't I? And I’m good at findin’ people when they’re hiddin'. I’m sure I could’ve been useful last night. And I was worried for ya…” you continued.

Your parents exchanged a look.

“Not sure ’s a good idea, baby” Lester started

“I’m a big girl now, I can do it” you replied with determination “And it’s unfair of y’all to keep me away from the family business! I’m a Sinclair, and I’m workin’ hard to be allowed on a hunt” you pouted.

The twins groaned at that. They could only agree with that kind of reasoning but they weren’t too sure about it still. Vincent was the one who wanted to allow you the most though, because he perfectly understood your will to kill and shed blood.

“The three of us’ll talk 'bout it, and we’ll tell ya tomorrow mornin'. Give us some time to think 'bout it” Bo finally said and you smiled and nodded. 

You let the subject go, like a good girl. It was the first time your parents talked that way, so you knew you had a chance to win this.

And you did.

At breakfast, the twins greeted you with a serious look on their expression. Lester wasn’t there. He was the one who voted against it. You were positively shivering in excitement when the twins told you they agreed to let you kill with them next time tourists would come by. But they needed you to obey some rules so they could be certain nothing bad would happen to you.

Rule 1: you had to obey whatever Bo and Vincent were going to tell you, even in the middle of a fight.

Rule 2: you needed to stay with Bo or Vincent pretty much all the time, so they could intervene if something bad was happening.

Rule 3: you were forbidden to play with the tourists. You killed them as quickly as possible and that was it.

You agreed with everything. You were so happy. You ate and rested well that day. The twins really hoped they didn’t make a mistake.

You were with Bo when the tourists arrived. You had been impatient all day, almost thinking no one would come today. And Lester almost didn’t show them the way to Ambrose. He really didn’t like that plan, but the family business needed to keep going and he knew you really wanted to be part of it. 

You were in the garage, chatting with your father when you heard voices. You stood up, so excited once again. You stretched to get ready for a fight. You could tell how tense Bo was, more than usual. He brought you closer before the newcomers could hear him, wrapping an arm around your shoulders.

“Ya’re careful, baby, 'kay? It’s a not a game and if someone has to get hurt it’s me, not ya.” he whispered to you and you hugged him.

“Don’t worry, father. I’ll do good” you promised but it didn’t really reassure him. 

He felt like it was a mistake.

It had been a mistake.

You respected all the rules they gave you, but they didn’t think about one thing: that you would do anything to protect your family.

Anything.

Maybe the twins should have thought about starting with a small and defenceless group of tourists. Those ones were angry and ready to do anything to survive.

Anything.

You managed to kill one girl by slicing her throat open next to the garage. You turned around to look for Bo, hoping he saw you being so good at killing. But Bo was struggling with a man who seemed a lot stronger than him. And another one came from behind and violently hurt his head, making him collapse on the ground. You were so afraid. Not for yourself, but for your father. When the man grabbed the gun and aimed at Bo, you didn’t even think. You put yourself in front of Bo and you stabbed the man as he shot you. You both fell. 

You fell on top of the big man and you sliced his throat open to finish him off as you clung at your chest. You wanted to make sure he died before you did. You had never been in so much pain in your life before, it felt like a fire was consuming your chest. You were pretty certain you were going to die, especially when you noticed how quickly you were losing blood. At least, you would die doing what you had wanted the most, you thought, before losing consciousness. 

The other man panicked and ran away from the garage. He didn’t want to kill a teen, and he thought you were dead so he forgot about Bo. He ran away. Vincent found him on his path and finished him off too, without a care in the world.

Bo woke up after a few instants. But you didn’t. Blood was all over your clothes, spreading even more with the time passing by. You had cough that red liquid too, tainting your lips in a worrisome way. Your heart beat was so slow when Bo grabbed you.

“No, no, no, don’t do this to me” he whispered to you as he carried you back home. 

He didn’t know if there were any tourists left, but he needed to take care of you before it was too late. He cut off your shirt and was terrified. The bullet was so close to your heart. He wasn’t sure how to remove it. Vincent. He needed Vincent’s hands. They were a lot more assured than his, especially for a job like this. Fuck, where was he?

Vincent arrived soon after. He had heard Bo running back home, so he was worried something happened. But he didn’t imagine it would have been that serious. The twins instantly went to work on you. Bo called Lester and asked him to check Ambrose to make sure there was no one else in town. It was rare for Lester to be directly involved in the murders but they had no other choice at the moment. Lester agreed without asking questions, he had heard in Bo’s voice anything he needed to know. He knew things went badly for you.

You were still alive when they finished removing the bullet and sewing the deep wound. You were still breathing when they washed you the best they could. Your heart was still beating when they brought you to your bed.

But they didn’t know for how long.

“It was a mistake. We shouldn’t’ve agreed with that plan” Bo was the first one to say it, because it happened under his watch.

The three men were in your bedroom, watching over you. They couldn’t think about anything else at the moment. They didn’t know what to do to help you. The situation was making them feel sick.

“What happened?” Lester asked

“Ain’t really know. A fucker hit my head and when I came back to reality, two tourists were dead and she'd been shot” he told his brothers

Vincent didn’t comment on the fact you had been able to kill more tourists than Bo. He knew it wasn’t the moment and that he shouldn’t be proud, especially when you were in between life and death. But he was certain that if you survived this, you would be the best killer of all of them.

One of them stayed always with you. They very often checked on the wound. They worried even more when you started to get a fever. If the wound was getting infected, they weren’t too sure what they could do. And they couldn't bring you to the hospital because of… everything. But Lester was eager to rot in prison or even to be sentenced to death by the justice if it meant saving you; the twins were still hoping your body would be strong enough. You had always been in good physical condition, and you were their little fighter. Lester convinced them though and they all agreed that on the third day, they would bring you to hospital. They would lose everything, but at least, there would be a chance to save you, and it was all that mattered.

They spend two awful days, filled with concerns, guilt and fear.

Until you opened your eyes.

Lester was holding your hand, softly stroking it. He was silently praying for you to wake up. This morning, your fever broke so the men had hoped you were doing better. You moved a little which instantly caught Lester’s attention and he came closer to you. You struggled to open your eyes, it felt like your lids were too heavy. At least, the darkness of the night didn’t upset you, like the sun would have. 

“Hey, darl” Lester whispered and you turned your head toward his voice.

Your eyes were still blurry so you moved one hand to rub them. You winced in pain, and suddenly you remembered what happened. You almost sat up, if Lester hadn’t prevented you from doing so. You looked up at him with wide open eyes now.

“Father’s ok?” you asked with fear and Lester shushed you and nodded.

“Let me get everyone” he added “Calm down” he softly ordered and you did so. 

You felt weak and covered in sweat. You couldn’t wait to get a shower. And to get a bunch of painkillers. And more than anything, to feel better so you could get back on killing people.

Bo and Vincent were cleaning up Ambrose when Lester screamed at them to come over, because you were awake. They ran to your bedroom and Bo was the first one to hug you. He was careful of your wound and quickly checked on you. Vincent hugged you as well and removed his mask to kiss your cheek. Bo and Lester’s eyes held relief and joy. Lester was glad you opened your eyes. Bo was so happy he didn’t fail you and that you were still alive. But you could read something different in Vincent’s eye. He was proud of you. He gently stroked your hair and you leaned into his touch.

They made you drink water and have a little bit of food, before asking you what happened. You told them and Vincent kissed the top of your head at the end of your little story.

“Told ya to not worry 'bout me” Bo told you, even if he was grateful you saved him, a thing he would never admit to anyone.

“I can’t do that” you shook your head as Lester smiled down at you. You had always been such a good daughter to them all. His smile flattered at your next words. “How long do ya think before I can get back on a hunt?” Vincent hid his smirk as Bo facepalmed.

“Ya almost died, wasn’t it enough for ya?” he asked you and Lester nodded at that.

“But I didn’t die. And I killed two tourists. I’m sure I can do better next time, right, dad?” you turned toward Vincent because you felt he was on your side and he nodded, to his brothers’ dismay.

You already did very well, daughter. He signed to you and your eyes lit up.

You had always known Vincent was the most dangerous of them all, and being praised by him meant a lot to you. You hugged him even more.

Because you refused to rest, the men agreed to help you go downstairs and watch a movie with the three of them. You picked a slasher horror film, obviously. Bo brought popcorn and you laid down on the couch, as it was the best position for your wound. As the killer was threatening his victims, you fell asleep like it was a lullaby to your ears. Vincent smiled down at your peaceful face. Lester put a blanket over you and kissed your forehead. Bo watched you with the feeling that maybe it hadn’t been such a mistake.

[my-castles-crumbling]

Hey Cas ,

So i need some advice about a recent situation and last time I sent to you an ask you gave me wonderful advice.

So my older sister and my parents have never had the best relationship with each other but it seems like they have only gotten worse over time and when I was younger I didn't really see it but as I get older I see how bad it really is,anyway my older sister recently graduated high school and we were going to have a graduation party for her on a Sunday evening. She has never been the most like bubbly person but on the day of her party she was extra mopey and while we were getting the party ready she just kinda wandered around the house and it didn't really bother me but apparently it really bothered my parents and I could tell that it was getting on their nerves.So me and my two younger sisters (6 & 10) are upstairs just chilling in our room when we hear our parents yelling at my older sister and I didn't hear all of it but the gist of it was that she needed to cheer up and show that she appreciates the work we are all putting in to help with the party but they like yelled cuss words at her and she started crying at some point and they told her to get out of their kitchen and get some composure and I'm.not sure when but during therm screaming they told her not to be herself and I think that is terrible and me and my little sisters just kind of listened to it and my 10 yr old sister had to comfort the 6 yr old one while she was crying because I was to shocked. I've heard my parents say some pretty ugly things before but this was worse.

Then three days later on the ride back from the doctors office my dad asked me if I was ever upset about the fact that I'm adopted and I said no because it never really bothers me and he told me that it was okay if I am but it doesn't seem like that's true because of the way they are with my sisters issues with being adopted ( I think it might be abandonment issues) and I'm not sure how to feel about that.

So I also found out that apparently my mom told her friend about it and that makes me upset because it's not her friends business.

Then not only do they do that a few days ago my mom had me help her go through my older sisters room to see how much money my relatives sent her for college and when I tried to sort of hint at the fact that I thought that what she did was wrong by saying that I would be really angry and feel very violated she lectured me about how my older sister doesn't pay the bills and she would never have found out otherwise and she's only doing it because she is interested in my sisters life.

Ok sorry that was longer than I thought it would be but my question is am a bad sister for helping my mom and then not telling her what happened just because I don't want anymore conflict in the house and I think it really scares my younger sisters and I don't want them to have to deal with this but I also don't want to betray my older sister. I'm just feeling very torn because I can't protect everyone.

Thank you so much for your time sorry this is so long

❤, caught in the middle anon

Hi hon!

You are NOT a bad sister. Your mom is being kind of shitty for putting you in this position- SHE is the adult, and she should know better. Like...she shouldn't be encouraging you to go through your sister's things.

Remember, it's not your job to protect everyone. yes, you can be a good sibling and look out for your sisters, but you're not a parent! It's okay to do what is best for you- and if that's keeping the peace then that's fine! You aren't the one causing the problem here, you know? So please don't feel guilty for coping with it the best you can <3

[blackhakumen]

Mini Fanfic #1165: Hanging with the Mario Family (Super Smash Bros Ultimate)

6:21 p.m. at the Marios' Residence's Living Room..........

Peach: (Clasps her Hands Together and Happily Squeals at Everything Shown to Her on The Marios' Family Photo Album) Mario!~ You never told me you were even more adorable growing up too!~

Mama Mario: (Happily Sighs on the Fondful Memories) Ah my two maschios were the most precious beings their father and I could asked for~ (Got Up From Her Seat and Hugs Mario) It times like these where I want to continue holding them close to my arms, never letting go for anything or anyone that says otherwise! (Starts Kissing on Her Son's Cheek)

Mario: ('Groans in Embarrassment') 'Maaaa please.....At least don't do it in front of the princess.....

Mama Mario: But how. ('Mwah') Else. ('Mwah') Am I. ('Mwah') Suppose to. ('Mwah') Show. ('Mwah') How much. ('Mwah') I miss you!~ ('Mwah') (Continues Kissing her Older Son)

Papa Mario: (Chuckles Lightly) Ah let your mother have this one, son. It's been a long while since we've last seen you boys that it's kinds hard for her keep her own excitement in check completely, you know?

Mario: ('Sigh') Yeah, I noticed. Sorry Lu and I took too long to call you guys up until now.

Papa Mario: Nah don't worry about that. We all know how super busy two are now that you're all-star heroes! (Let's Out a Proud Hardy Laugh) I should've realized from the getgo that my own boys would have this much potential. (Starts Wiping a Tear or Two Off From his Eyes) ('Sniff') As if I wasn't anymore prouder than I already was before without a worry in the world.....

Mama Mario: (Rolls her Eyes) Please. Your papa gotten worried for days on end the moment you two left the house on that day. (Starts Snickering) I can't tell you how many times this poor piagnucolone started sheding tears whenever your names get brought up in any conversations nowadays.

Papa Mario: (Quickly Glares at his Wife) Marísa! Hush.

Mama Mario: (Pouts at her Husband) Oh don't you start hushing me, signore! You cannot hide what's inside, not like you were ever good at it to begin with.

Mario: (Chuckles Fondly at his Parents Bickering at Each Other) Grazie, mama, papa. But really, you two have nothing to worry about. Lu and I will keep having each other's back like we always do.

Peach: (Happily Hugs her Plumber Right Beside Her) And we'll continue to make extra sure that they'll be taken care of in a huge family of ours. Your teddy bear of a son is in good hands, ma'am and sir.

Mario: (Turns to His Girlfriend with a Deadpinned Look on his Face) Really, Peach?

Peach: Oh hush. You know you love it~

Mama Mario: Awww~ You really see my son as a Teddy Bear, your highness?

Peach: (Happily Nodded) Indeed I do!~ (Starts Snuggling Up on her Embrace with Mario) He may keep denying it all he wants, but he's the most adorable sweetheart of a man I am oh so happy to fall in love with, c'mere~ (Starts Kissong on Mario's Other Cheek)

Papa Mario: (Let's Out Another Laugh) I always knew you have the Mario Men's Charm within you, my boy, but I didn't think your own cuteness would played a huge factor in all of this as well!

Mario: (Glares at his Father) Oh don't even start going there, old man! My cuteness hasn't played a part in any of this at all! (Crosses his Arms While Pouting) Besides, doesn't change the fact that I'm still the oldest of the two........

Papa Mario: ('Heh') Yeah, and the shortest. I bet the princess could pick you up in her arms with little to no problem.

Peach: Oh I've picked him up multiple times already, sir. It's like carrying a couple of grapes~ (Continues Kissing on Mario)

Mario: (Starts Blushing) Peach!

Mama Mario: Ohhh baby!~ (Starts Pulling on Mario's Other Cheek) You look so precious when you blush like that~

Mario: Mom!!

Papa Mario: (Starts Bursting Out Laughing) AHHHAHAHAHAHA! Ah my boy's a cute little grape now!? (Continues Laughing his Ass Off)

Mario: ('Groans in Embarrassment') (Can't say I'm surprised by how THIS is turning out.....I wonder how everyone else in doing.....)

Meanwhile in the Other Room

Niece: (Eyes Widened in Awe) Wooooooah......So you're able to do all those crazy Chaos powers without breaking a sweat?

Shadow: (Simply Nodded) More or less. I'm only able use some of my more destructive abilities once I take these Inhibitor Rings off which would severely over-exert my own body if I'm not too careful.

Niece: Awesome......(Turns to Hat Kid) And you not only own a space ship, but also beaten up planet filled with mafia guys, star in multiple movie films, survived through a dark, scary forest with some evil shadow guy offering people to sign his contracts, and beaten up a muscle girl with mystical powers, all in a couple of days?

Hat Kid: (Happily Nodded) Yep!~

Niece: (Smiles Brightly with Stars Spinning Around in her Eyes) That is so cool! (Extebds her Habds Out to Shadow abd Hat Kid) You guys! Are like....The Coolest guys ever!~

'Clears Throat'

The trio turns to see Sonic standing at the other side using his the front of his knuckles to rub his chest in a bit cocky manner.

Sonic: Aren't you uhh....Forgetting someone there, kiddo?

Niece: .....No. Not really. (Turns Back to Shadow and Hat Kid) So anyways, I-

Sonic: (Zooms in Right in Front of the Girl) Come on, you gotta at least be somewhat familiar with who.i am. (Casually Shrugs) Buuuuut if you're still not aware, allow me introduce myself: Sonic the Hedgehog the name and-

Niece: (Rolls her Eyes in a Deadpinned Expression) "Speeds Your Game". Yeah, I know who you are. Doubt you're the fastest, but still....

Sonic: (Eyes Begins to Widened) Not the fastest- Kid, did you NOT just see how fast I got over here just now!? Not to toot my own horn, but I'm pretty quick on my own two feet, ya know?

Niece: Yeah. So does the Roadrunner, Quick Silver, The Original Flash, the Current Flash, Kid Flash, Reverse Flash-

Sonic: How many Flashes are there?

Niece: A lot. And they have twice more speed, a lot of charisma, and more power than you could ever hope of having.

Sonic: ('Scoffs') Yeah, well, hate to be a rain on your parade there, squirt, but most of those guys you've mentioned, have their speed powers given to them one way or another. (Smugly Points at Himself) I was practically born to be fast from the start.

Niece: So does the Roadrunner and he's way more cooler.

Sonic: (Eyes Widened in Disbelief) Seriously!? All that guy does is say 'Meep' and keeps running away from that coyote guy on a daily basis!

Niece: And he never got caught ever since AND he outsmarted him numerous times without even trying. You could a learn a thing or two from him considering you keep letting that evil, fat scientist guy you keep butting heads with.

Sonic: (Bends his Upper Down While Glaring at the Girl in her Level) Okay, first off, the evil, fat scientist is named Eggman, and second, I find it real bold of you to think that I.....(Continues Arguing to Mario and Luigi's Nonchalant Niece Whilr the Others Watches)

Shadow: (Already Has hie Arms Crossed) I know this our first time being here....(Forms a Smirk onnhis Face) But I think I'm starting to like that cousin of ours already.

Hat Kid: (Giggles Softly) Yeah.

Meanwhile at the Dining Room

Aunt Marie: (Doing Dedede's Long Hair on One Side) My goodness!~ I have seen many good look hairstyles in my prime time, 'hon, but this.... HAIR of yours just looks so drop dead gorgeous on you!~

Tifa: (Doing Dedede's Hair on the Other Side) Tell me about it. We've live together for while now and I still can't believe how pretty it looks........

Dedede: (Let's Out a Relax Sigh) Yeah.... It's a blessing growing with up long, luxurious hair in my royalty days, it's so good that it could even make Rapunzel cry in shame. (Starts Laughing)

Grandpa Mario: (Points at Dedede In Front of Him While Talking to Cloud Next to Him) You telling Mr this fat pinguino's suppose to be a king or somethin'?

Cloud: Former king. He's been exiled and replaced from his own kingdom a long while ago.

Grandpa Mario: Exiled, huh? (Starts Snickering) What did he do? Steal a bunch of food or somethin'?

Cloud: (Forms Small Smirk.on his Face) Not the exact reason, but he HAS done that a few times beforehand. Oh and get this: This the guy who used to kick his ass on a daily basis too. (Shows Grandpa Mario a Picture of Kirby on his Phone)

Grandpa Mario: (Eyes Widened at The Picture in Question) Mama Mia, THAT'S the guy!? He looks like a pink little bouncy ball with feet.

Cloud: Exactly. He kept losing so bad he eventually became friends with him. Not surprising considering Kirby's an actual sweetheart, but you know? Street Cred looking bad or....whatever.

Grandpa Mario: Assuming he even had one to begin with it.

Cloud: (Chuckles Lightly) Yeah. I doubt it.

Dedede: (Glares at the Two Men in Front of Him) Heyeyey! (Points at Cloud.....) I heard that. (.....Then Pointa at Grandpa Mario) I heard that. Now quit gossiping over there so I can have my beauty salon session in peace.

Grandpa Mario: (Watches Dedede Close Back his Eyes Shut Before Turning Back to Cloud) Has he always been this full of himself?

Cloud: ('Sigh') Yeah, but we still love him regardless. For the most part.

At the Other Side of the Dining Room.......

Uncle Tony: (Standing Next to Uncle Arthur) So you tellin' us that you were born and raised in a desert like settin'?

Uncle Arthur: Which has like four separate kingdoms that you and your folks rule over?

Daisy: (Standing Next to Luigi on One Side) Yep! Which would sorta, possibly make me an Empress if something ever happens to my old man. Buuuuuut considering how stubborn he is and how insanely tough each of the kingdoms' guardians are, the chances of that happening is slim to none.

Tony/Arthur: (Starts Nodding in an Impressed Manner) Alright!/ That's super nice./Mmhmm.

Tony: (Turns to the Pink Haired Lady Standing Next to Luigi on the Other Side) And what about you, little lady? You said you're a model of some kind?

Lilith: (Happily Nodded) Yep-Yep!~ A runaway model to be completely exact. Though, whenever I'm not traveling across the glove with big sis, I'd usually spend the rest of my time lone watching over this huge mansion we've been living at for years now. (Places her Hands on Both her Cheeks While Bashfully Twisting Herself From Side to Side) Wasn't long until I've finally met the prince and princess of my dreams on that faithful day in the Mid Summertime~

Tony/Arthur: Ooooooh!~ (Puts on Teasing Smirks on Both Their Faces)

Arthur: Our little nephew's your prince you say?~

Luigi: (Smiles Sheepishly) I....wouldn't exactly go that far.....

Lilith: (Places her Finger on her Chin) Yeah, that sounds a tad bit plain now that I think about it.

Daisy: (Hugs Luigi's Arm on her Side) Besides, he lot more than that~ He's a sweetie~

Lilith: (Hugs Luigi's Other Arm) A Greenie~

Daisy/Lilith: And our one and only hero~ (Gives Luigi's Cheeks Their Respective Kisses)

Luigi: (Smiles a Bit Bashfully by his Girlfriend's Sweets Affections) Yeah.....What they said~ (My two heroes~)

Tony: (Let's Out a Wholehearted Laugh) Hahahaaa! I always knew our green bean has it in him!

Arthur: (Smiles Brightly) The Mario Men's Charm never fails!

The two uncles share a hi-five together before chuckling among themselves.

Lilith: (Raises an Eyebrow a Bit in Confusion) Mario Men's Charm?

Luigi: ('Sigh') It's this charm that has been past down to the family's name for generations to come. At least that's what our dad keeps telling us since we got into middle school. (Rolls his Eyes) A mess of three years that was......

Daisy: How messy are we talking exactly?

Luigi: A few bullied moments here and there, a couple awkward rejections and a start of puberty to boot. It was a miracle I was able to survived all of that.....

Peach: (Happily Walks into the Room Along with Mario and his Parents) Hello, my lovelies!~

Luigi: (Turns to the Gang) Oh hey guys, how it's- (Eyes Suddenly Begins to Widened at What Caught his Attention) Peach, is that a photo album you're holding right now?

Peach: (Happily Nodded) Yep-Yep!~ We looked through the the entire page.

Luigi: (Hears the Sound of Glass Breaking in his Head) The.....Entire.....page......

Mario: (Already Has a Deadpinned Look on his Face as He Makes his Way to the Front Door) Yep.

Mama Mario: The photos we've taken in that album has brought so many wonderful memories over the years that we couldn't but show the princess everything.

Papa Mario: (Smiles Brightly) And what kind of house host we would be if we don't share this experience with everyone else in here, am I right?

Tifa: Ooh! I wanna see 'em.

Dedede: Me too!

Lilith: Me three!~

Aunt Marie: Oh my gosh, you all are going to love every bit of it. ('Sigh') So many lovely memories combined into one book.

Cloud: (Shrugs) If it beats watching De's hair getting done all night, then I'm game.

Grandpa Mario: I've read through that book many times now. Never disappoints.

Tony: (Chuckles Lightly) Ah man! We can't wait show you all a few pictures Lu was involved in.

Arthur: Heheheh Yeah! If you thought he's shy now, wait until you see him he when he was a little munchkin.

Luigi: And that's my cue to get some fresh air.

Daisy: (Turns to her Boyfriend) You sure you don't wanna stick around for the whole thing, babe? I'll make extra sure no one makes fun of you for every photo they show us. And that a certain "someone" doesn't go blab them all out for shits and giggles. (Glares Directly Towards Dedede)

Dedede: (Notices Daisy Glaring at Him Before Sucking Through his Teeth) Man, why you glaring at me like that for?

Daisy: I dunno, De. Why did you felt the need to blurt out my full name for everyone in the mansion to hear, huh?

Dedede: Girl, that all happened last Christmas ago, I said I was sorry!

Daisy: I know. And I still got my eyes on you! (Points Two of her Fingers at Dedede With a Menacing Look on her Face) Like a hawk.

Dedede: ('Gulp')

Luigi: (Chuckles Lightly) Thanks, dear, but I think I'm sure on this one. Have to make sure Mario isn't lonely out there, you know?

Daisy: True. Try not to be out there for too long, 'Kay? (Gives Luigi a Peck on the Lips) I'll miss you~

Luigi: I'll miss you more~ (Makes his Way to Outside) We'll see you in a bit.

Meanwhile Outside in the Front Porch of the House

Mario: (Looks Up at the Nightly Skies Letting Out a Relaxed Sigh)

'Door Opens'

?????: Enjoying the star watch tonight, bro?

Mario turns to see his younger brother standing by the door.

Mario: (Smiles a Bit) A little bit, yeah. I need a refreshment after a trip down the embarrassing memory lane.

Luigi: (Sighs as He Walk Towards an Empty Spot Where Mario Standing Next to) Embarrassing is right.....Couldn't bear to last a second in there without seeing some those photos again. Especially the ones from middle school.....

Mario: ('Sigh') I don't blame you one bit, bro. They were really rough to look through. But Peach seems to like them a lot, so....there's that at least. Maybe the others will too.

Luigi: Probably. (Looks Up at the Stars While Letting Out a Relaxed Sigh) Looks like another year's about come to close.

Mario: Tell me about it. felt like went by a little more quicker than usual.

Luigi: Yeah, but it was about to end eventually sooner than later, not that i mind it completely.

Mario: (Nodded in Agreement) True, true. We really came a long way, going from two plumbers to actual heroes.

Luigi: You can say that again. It's been a few years now and I still can't believe it.....

Mario: I couldn't either to tell you the truth, but despite all the challenges, the craziness we've faced together and separately, I'm glad we've managed to push through till the end. (Turns to Luigi with a Sincere Smile on his Face) And I have you to thank for it, Lu.

Luigi: Wait. (Eyes Widened in Genuine Surprise as He Points at Himself) Me?

Mario: (Chuckles Lightly) Yes, you. You're my one amd only bro, aren't you?

Luigi: Well-

Mario: Upup. I know what you're gonna say. "Mario, I don't deserve all the credit you're giving me! I'm just a sidekick, remember?"

Luigi: (Comically Glare at his Older Brother) Mario, I don't sound like that at all!

Mario: Really? Could've fooled me?

Luigi: ('Groans in Annoyance')

Mario: (Chuckles Lightly) Kidding, kidding. But seriously though, I can't imagine ever being where I am now, if it weren't for you being there, supporting and helping me all the way through. You're really amazing for that, you know?

Luigi: (Heart Begins to Melt in Genuine Happiness) Bro.....Thank you. If anything, I should be thanking you for always looking out for me after all these years, teaching me how to be brave, become my own man, and what not. I really appericate it a lot

Mario: (Smiles Back) I'm happy to help. I know I don't say it as much as I should, but I'm really glad and proud to have you as my brother, Luigi. So....from the bottom of my heart. I wanna say.....Thank you. For everything.

Luigi: Yeah. (Happily Hugs Mario with a Bit of Tears Falling Down From his Face) Ditto, bro.

A Few Days Later Back at in the Streets of Smash Town........

????: Curses....Damned all....All this time.......I have traveled across the lands of time for so long....To find myself place......A place, where I could call it my home.....and be at peace......

....ey.....

????: But.....I wonder.....How long will it takes for my body and soul to keep going?

.....ude.....

????: How long will my legs and feet will last before they weaken and bring me down to my absolute lowest?

.......upp.....

????: How long will my spirit of endurance to keep me company until the sickles of doubt and misery brings it's horrid face, viciously binding me around in my weakened state and restraint me until the day I perish, until the day I give out last breath to this cursed reality and it's miserable PILE OF-

WAKE UP!

'Smack'

????: (Jolted Up From the Ground He Was Sitting On) SECERTS!

The young man in blond, short hair, wearing a mage like attire starts panting all over the place as he sees three figures standing in front of him. Two maidens and an another young with a black wings attached to his back, as if he's an angel of darkness of some kind.

Cheerful Girl: ('Gasps') Miski, you did it! He lives!

Darken Angel: He wasn't dead to begin with, Kyoko. He just had himself a dirt nap.

Tough Girl: Must've been a real nice one if he slept for this long. (Squats Down to the Boy's Sitting Level, Poking him with a Stick) Hey. Sleepyhead. You hungry?

To Be Continued......

Thank you, Charles Martinet, for giving the Mario Bros and countless other characters their voice for us to love and enjoy for 29+Years.

And Thank YOU, the readers, for taking the time out of your regular schedules to read these wacky fanfics I keep making for 5-6 years now. Expect more to come real soon.

Happy New Years

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