#and i’m already losing my mind over the original photo so

[tigreblvnc]

BLUE LOCK MATCHUP — @modern-day-corpse-bride

Your match is...

— Charles Chevalier

✦ How happy I am to finally be able to match this little French imp with someone.

✦ Actually, Charles came to mind very clearly when I read your bio, mainly because I think you two share a few similarities.

✦ And you both give off a similar energy.

✦ 'I’m a veryyy talkative person' There's something special about Charles—he can be very talkative, and I can totally see him chatting with someone on the field in a random way while the match is still going on...

✦ ...and also, there are chapters where we almost forget about him?

✦ Especially because when the match loses its excitement, Charles stops investing in it. We see this when he literally asks Julian if he can leave the game because it's getting boring.

✦ 'A lot of people think I’m mean but I'm not!!!' Clearly, with Charles, there's an insolence that reflects his young age and the fact that he's so good on the field that there's not much that unsettles him. He easily teases people and likes to do the opposite of what he's told. In jargon, we call that a troll.

✦ 'I’m really big on complimenting and boosting other people’s confidence' I like to think that you met during one of his training sessions at the stadium. You found something a bit funny and unusual about him, and your eyes followed his run on the field. At first, he might not have noticed you, but eventually, he realized that someone was regularly commenting on his crazy passes and turned towards you.

✦ He froze for ten seconds before signaling you with both arms raised as if you were someone he had known for ten years.

✦ I think that normally, encouragements leave him quite indifferent, but coming from someone he doesn't know at all, it might amuse him and even make him laugh a bit.

✦ At the end of his session, he turns to you and, quite unexpectedly, throws the ball at you from a distance. Just to see how you’ll handle it.

✦ Maybe you dodge the ball, maybe not, but either way, it makes him smile. He strides over to ask, "T'es qui ? Tu fais quoi là ?" – 'Who are you? What are you doing here?'

✦ You’re not sure if he’s really listening even though he’s the one who asked the questions, but he’s smiling at you widely, with his shark-like tooth showing.

✦ 'I think that the notion that I’m “mean” comes from the fact that I’m very honest.' Well, you see, I think this amuses him because he likes controversial opinions and people who aren’t afraid to say what they think. Charles finds conventional and controlled people boring. You can see it on the field—he prefers to get along with Shidou, someone more original and aligned with his philosophy of play, rather than Rin, who is very structured and strategic.

✦ 'My main love languages are physical touch and gift giving' I can’t see Charles being into giving long speeches or spending time listening to others; I think his love languages would be more like yours, maybe with acts of service included. I imagine he’s the type to rush and jump on the people he likes, climbing on them without shame (like he does with Shidou when they score together).

✦ The cool kid you never get bored with. He prefers outdoor activities over indoor ones, and he takes you to see the cool spots in Paris. The amusement park is his favorite place.

✦ A bit uncontrollable, he’s all over the place and wants to try everything with you. He pulls you by the sleeve: "Allez ! Ça a l'air trop bien !!!" – 'Come on! This looks awesome!!!'

✦ He enjoys teaching you curse words in French.

✦ Buys you ridiculous trinkets from attraction stands.

✦ Tons of selfies that he posts on Instagram, tagging you every time, even though it’s his face in 80% of the photo.

✦ Emoji abuser. His messages are unreadable, and he sends forty of them in a row.

✦ Sends voice messages too, many of which cut off prematurely (the worst kind). He records them again right after but never finishes them; he’s already moved on to something else.

✦ 'I like to collect vintage items like dolls or photos which kind of creeps a lot of people out, and I also like to hand-build with clay from time to time.' Honestly, that intrigues him. He finds it weird and judges it out loud, but it doesn’t scare him.

✦ He tries to make a clay sculpture of you and totally messes it up.

✦ He gives it to you on some random day with no particular significance.

✦ The sculpture’s aesthetic is questionable, and you can barely recognize yourself...

✦ ...But you keep it anyway, because a gift from Charles is worth gold.

A word about your match: You’re kind of the partner-in-crime duo that everyone dreads, that people secretly like a little, but that no one will admit to liking.

© TIGREBLVNC 2024 | AUGUST '24 MATCHUPS EDITION.

[footprintsinthesxnd]

The Good Die Young

Masterlist

Warnings: mentions of graphic themes, war, injury, weapons, sexual images, language, 18+, swearing, major character death. Pairings: Jake Seresin × f!reader. Disclaimer: This is a series reflecting on the true events of the US Marines in WW2. All of the characters are fictional and not based off are original characters (except for Jake Seresin) and they are not representations of the real, brave men who fought in WW2. I have tried to make all the events in this series as accurate as possible but please bear in mind this is fanfiction and i have added/ changed certain things to fit with this.

Massive thank you to everyone you followed this story for start to finish. It has been an honour and a privilege to write. Huge thank you to @desert-fern for listening to my endless rants about this series and I’m sorry for breaking your heart multiple times. I hope you can forgive me.

New Jersey July 1946

Y/n’s fingers drummed nervously on the steering wheel of Frank’s car as she pulled into the cemetery car park. Frank and Fern had invited her to New Jersey to stay with them, while Y/n sorted out her new life in the States. She had moved with Fern shortly after the end of the war and while Fern already had a house with Frank, Y/n was still looking for somewhere permanent for her and her son Jacob to live.

The cemetery car park was empty, except for a few cars parked on the far side. Y/n couldn’t quite bring herself to get out of the car, her eyes traveling over the neatly placed rows of pale ivory crosses. They seemed to go on for miles, as far as the eye could see and seemed a stark contrast to the brightly coloured lives of the young men they represented.

Frank had arranged after the war for all of his friends' bodies to be repatriated back to the states and placed together in the same cemetery. ‘They deserve to stay together’ he had told Y//n when he’d first explained what he had arranged. Y/n liked the idea that Jake was alongside Edward and Johnny and that Frank didn’t live too far away. Y/n had been devastated to receive the news of Edward’s death so soon after Jake’s. It felt as though she hadn’t just lost Jake but she was gradually losing all of them. George and Edwards's hospital ship had been hit by Japanese pilots whilst being transported back to the mainland. George survived the disaster, unfortunately losing both his legs but Edward hadn’t stood a chance. The faces of the four young men filled Y/n's mind as she unstrapped Jacob’s car seat and lifted her two-year-old son into her arms.

Y/n’s heart felt heavy as she followed the white crossed rows, the names of each one etching her memory, their ages scrawled across her heart; 18 years, 21 years, 24 years… so many lives cut short. It was at the end of the row that she noticed some familiar names ‘Johnathan ‘Shorty’ Carter’, ‘Edward ‘Mary’ Hughes’, ‘Jacob ‘Cowboy’ Seresin’. Y/n couldn’t help but laugh that Frank had included all their nicknames. Each cross was beautifully clean, each one had fresh flowers placed at the base and a picture of the soldier smiling happily in their Marine dress blues. Y/n had never seen that photo of Jake before. She dug into her handbag and pulled out the drawing of Daphne that she had kept since Jake sent it to her. She placed it carefully in its frame in front of Johnny’s cross. “You’re right, Johnny. She really was a beauty.”

She smiled sadly as she unclasped the chain from her neck and hung it over Jake’s cross, her engagement ring hanging loosely down the ivory stone. Y/n sat down before his grave, her little boy in her lap, running her fingers over his headstone and something within her broke. She let out a silent sob, her shoulders shaking uncontrollably as tears began to flow freely. Jacob just sat quietly in his mother's lap, playing with a blade of grass he had picked, seemingly unaware of the devastation before him. Y/n was pleased really that he would never know the heartbreak the world had suffered over the last 6 years.

“I’m so sorry, Jake,” she cried. “I miss you so much.” She cried for what felt like hours, all the grief that she had bottled up for all those months ,while raising her son, finally escaped through the cracks of her broken heart.

The sound of someone clearing their throat behind her caused Y/n to turn, rubbing her hands over her cheeks, no longer concerned whether her makeup was smudged.

“Excuse me, Miss, do you mind if I lay some flowers here?” The young man was standing on crutches, the lower half of his left leg was no longer there and in its place, he’d tied his trouser leg into a knot. He leaned forward as much as he could, gesturing towards Jake’s grave.

“Of course,” Y/n pulled herself to her feet, moving little Jacob to stand next to her. “Please.” She helped the young man move forward to lay his flowers beside her own before he stood back and saluted Jake’s grave.

“I’m sorry, I have to ask but did you know him well?” Y/n asked, hopeful that he may be able to shed some light on the situation.

“Not all that well. I was only with him for four months but he took me under his wing and he protected me. He was kind to me as a new marine, never once treating me any differently. He was like an older brother.” The young man looked down sadly, tears evident in his eyes. “My name is Daniel Chase.”

He reached out his hand, allowing Y/n to shake it. “I’m Y/n Y/l/n, Jake’s fiancé.”

“I know,” Daniel replied. “He spoke of you often and he showed me a picture of you once. He said it was the happiest day of his life when you had a picnic on the beach in Melbourne.”

Y/n felt tears pricking her eyes again as she listened to Daniel speak. “He was a good man Y/n, he really cared about his soldiers and his friends.”

Y/n nodded, she knew Jake cared for people but she never truly knew the impact he had on his fellow Marines.

Y/n reached out for Daniel’s hand again, “Thank you, Daniel. Thank you for sharing that with me. I sometimes feel that he’s gone forever but then I look at my little boy and I know I’ll always have a part of me with him.”

Daniel smiled back at her, “I understand. Sometimes I wonder why I made it back home and so many others didn’t.”

“I think it’s down to luck…” Y/n paused, “or whether you want to be stupidly brave.”

They both laughed recalling all the times Jake performed ridiculous tasks in the face of grave danger. And at least for now, he could rest in a quiet part of New Jersey knowing that his country was free from war and terror.

Jake Seresin was awarded the Medal of Honour for his bravery in the Pacific. His fiancée accepted the medal on his behalf.

George returned to Alabama and married his fiancée Florence. They have a quiet life in Mobile, Alabama with their two daughters and their dog. George became a construction contractor.

Frank married Fern and they have two sons. They have a nice life in New Jersey. Frank became a headteacher at the local high school.

Daniel returned to the States and after many months on crutches he was fitted with a prosthetic leg. He met his future wife ,Faye, who worked at the local school shortly after. They are married and have three children. Daniel went back to university and trained as a doctor. He became a leader surgeon in his field. His family split their time between the States and Europe.

Y/n never remarried. She became a writer for the Wall Street Journal and wrote a book about the life of the Marines in the Pacific with Frank’s help. She lives with her son, Jacob, in New York. Every year they hold a reunion in Jake, Johnny and Edward’s honour and visit the cemetery.

All who returned from the war were never the same men they were when they left, all bore scars from the conflict and each man had to carry on with life the best they could, never forgetting their fallen comrades who didn’t get to see the world in peace.

Taglist: @wkndwlff @a-reader-and-a-writer-for-all @imjess-themess @averyhotchner @mayhem24-7forever @callsignmaverick5 @ssprayberrythings @smoothdogsgirl @xoxabs88xox @luckyladycreator2 @abaker74 @elenavampire21 @classyunknownlover @okiegirl24 @flashyourgreeneyesatme @airedale17 @shadowolf993 @topguncultleader @callmemana @t-nd-rfoot @desert-fern @cherrycola27 @green-socks @jstarr86 @starkleila @alexxavicry @floralfloyd @soulmates8 @depressed-friend-blog @mamachasesmayhem @bcon24 @books-are-escapes @dakotakazansky @memeorydotcom

[mrsreginagold]

Fic: Fantasies You Hide

Fandom: Nikita

Pairing: Ari Tasarov x Nikita Mears (Nikari)

Rating: R

Spoilers: Season 3 canon divergent AU where Ari survives and joins Division to serve as Nikita’s partner. She is not romantically involved with Michael.

Summary: Nikita gets caught in a particularly intimate moment. 

Author’s Note: There is a fine line to toe when you want to veer more into spice. Originally I tried to write this out more graphically as a challenge, but I find that the more you describe, the quicker you can be thrown out of the moment that you’re trying to portray. So, with that in mind I did my best to make it clear what was going on without losing the romance and sensuality. 

On AO3

Fantasies You Hide

            Nikita Mears did her best to hide the flush in her pretty features thanks to being in such close proximity to Ari Tasarov while they shared a cab after a mission together. 

            It was her intention to keep things entirely professional now that they were partners. His turn against Gogol and joining the new version of Division that was being formed had been a welcome, ultimately pleasant surprise. He had already proven multiple times just how capable he was, and it fostered a deep trust between them. 

            That trust was why she was so annoyed that her feelings were beginning to betray her. Even when they had been rivals, the attraction between them had been too palpable to fully ignore, but she had never given into it. 

            Then she just had to go and fall hopelessly in love with him and keep it a secret. 

            She glanced to the side to witness him peering out the car window, his strikingly handsome features illuminated by sunlight and filling her with longing. 

            She was unable to hold back a sigh, which prompted her companion to look in her direction. 

            “Are you all right?” Ari’s deep, alluring voice only served to cause Nikita more distress, because no, it wasn’t enough that he was tall, gorgeous and had the most stunning blue eyes. 

            “I’m fine, just tired,” the lie fell smoothly from her tongue.

            Her explanation wasn’t quite enough to assuage the concern that crossed his face, his brows knitting together as he tilted his head and observed her. “Maybe I should come over later, check in on you.”

            His apartment happened to be only a couple doors down from hers. 

            “That’s not necessary,” she shook her head. “I’ll get home, draw a bubble bath, and decompress. I’ll be back to my usual self in no time.”

            “Still; why don’t I cook dinner for us later?”

            This was something she could easily agree to, as it was becoming a habit and Ari was practically a master chef.

            The rest of their trip was accompanied by companionable silence until they reached their destination. 

            After a lengthy shower: Nikita emerged from her steam-filled bathroom, refreshed and happy to pad around her bedroom in her favorite, lavender-colored lace lingerie while she considered outfit choices. 

            She settled on a simple black dress with a sweetheart neckline and cap sleeves, which she hung carefully on the hook on the back of her door. Then she pulled on some yoga pants and a soft tee to relax in.

            She glanced at her bedside clock. It would be another couple of hours before Ari was due to arrive, so she contemplated taking a nap. 

            The operative sat on the edge of her bed and took a few minutes to scroll through some photos on her phone, finally pausing on a recent one the pair had taken while out on a mission in Paris. 

            Her heart fluttered at how right they looked together. She truly was consumed by affection for the man, and it was probably time to do something about it. 

            She could cautiously test the waters during dinner, imagining first a confession, which led to a kiss, which then led to…

            Sighing wistfully, Nikita fell back on her bed, shutting her eyes and attempting to shove more sensual thoughts out of her head. 

            There was nothing for it as her body began to react by instinct. Gooseflesh started to prickle at her arms, and a molten, liquid heat pooled at her core.

            She chewed at her lower lip and looked at her clock again. Surely there was enough time to indulge herself before the object of her affection arrived. 

            She stood and shut her bedroom door, and then lay back down on the bed, shutting her eyes and letting her imagination wander. 

            Warmth naturally began to build when she pictured Ari bared before her, her gaze tracking slowly over the lean yet sculpted form that he kept hidden beneath his clothes. 

            Tentatively, she skimmed one hand under her shirt, wishing that it was his touch that traced over her increasingly sensitized skin. 

            It truly wasn’t enough because she wanted him, not some fantasy – even as she peeled off the layers that covered her when it became unbearable. Her own hands were far from a proper substitute, but she also couldn’t fathom requesting this of him in reality. There was something pure and innocent to their relationship that she did not want to wreck. Not yet.

            She pretended that those soft lips were against her own while clever hands mapped out paths along her flesh, his striking eyes locking into hers while he properly made love to her in her mind. 

            With a tormented sound, she arced into her own touch, panting when she thought of her lover’s talented mouth covering her bare skin with kisses, which only drove the heady lust within her further. 

            She was close. So close. 

            “Nikita.”

            The rumble of his voice echoed in her head, and she smiled, moaning quietly. “Yes, just like that.”

            “Nikita?!”

She paused. Now he sounded just a little too real. 

            Slowly, she turned her head to see Ari standing in the doorframe to her bedroom, his eyes wide and an extremely flustered expression on his face. 

            Time seemed to stop altogether before her senses returned and she shrieked, hastily grabbing a blanket to cover herself. “Why are you here so early?!”

            Wordlessly, he held up the key to her apartment. 

            She winced, remembering that she had given him a spare for emergencies. “Um. This…this isn’t what it looks like.”

            “Really?” there was a husk to his tone as he found his voice again. “You mean you weren’t calling out my name while pleasuring yourself?”

            She blushed furiously. “No?”

            “Nikita…” oh god, he was drawing out the syllables of her name. That wouldn’t make the desire she’d worked up die down at all. 

            To make matters worse, he undid the topmost button to his collar, offering her a glimpse of bare skin dusted with dark hair. He then inched carefully towards the bed. “Please don’t lie to me.” His gaze was stern, but not without the natural kindness that made her so wild about him in the first place. 

            With a heavy sigh, she flopped back against the pillows. “All right, look; I’m head over heels in love with you and this was the only way that I could keep myself from tearing your clothes off the first opportunity I got and ruining our friendship for good. For the record, I did have the bedroom door closed.”

            He sat on the edge of the mattress next to her. “Let me see if I’m understanding you correctly. You thought that a simple thing like us making love would ruin our friendship?”

            “It’s been that way for me before,” she confessed, twisting around and gathering the duvet closer to her chest as she allowed herself a leisurely stare. His handsome features were still rather flushed, similar to her own, and the tips of his ears were bright red, a sign of mortification she had picked up on thanks to their time together. “Please don’t be mad.”

            “I could never be mad at you,” he whispered, though she picked up on a hint of disappointment in his words. 

            Gently, she reached out with the hand that hadn’t been specifically occupied and gripped at his shirt sleeve. “I’m so sorry. This wasn’t how I wanted you to find out.”

            He peered over at her, the look in his eyes reflecting emotions that made her breath catch. 

            With slight hesitancy, Ari ducked his head to graze his mouth over Nikita’s in an innocent kiss, one hand caressing lightly at her cheek. 

            He pulled back just as gingerly, the ocean of his gaze searching hers. 

            Desperate for more, she yanked him back by the collar of his shirt, her lips seeking his. 

            His solid, warm form settled on top of hers after he blindly removed his shoes and socks, the embrace deepening and turning far more passionate the longer that it went on. 

            She reached between them to undo the buttons to his top, her fingers delving beneath the crisp fabric to explore the perfect tone of his chest and stomach.

            He shrugged compliantly out of the garment when she shoved it down his shoulders, his lips straying to dart light, playful kisses along the slender column of her neck. “You could have told me earlier…” his breath feathered her throat. “So you didn’t have to deal with this on your own.”

            “Didn’t know how.”

            “Well, I suppose I’ll just have to make up for lost time then,” he cast the blanket still covering her aside and set to task.

            A startled mewl tore from her throat when his elegant hands discovered her breasts, fiery kisses coasting over her shoulder as he thumbed over one deliberately.

            Her body reacted with instinct when he replaced his touch with the heat of his mouth, her back arching while her fingers threaded into his hair to ensure that he didn’t stop what he was doing.

            She was unaware of the fact that he finished undressing till he was pressed flush against her and there could be no doubt about how much he desired her. 

            Ari continued in his sensual attack, licking across her clavicle, and then moving down, further, and further until he paused right between her legs. 

            It was then that he looked back up at her, for permission, and she committed the image of him to her memory before nodding rapidly in acquiescence.

            Her pulse leapt as he devoted himself to her pleasure, her world instantly shattering from the intensity of his appreciation.

            He didn’t let up until she was completely satisfied, her entire body trembling as he brought her to a perfect release that definitely couldn’t have been achieved on her own. 

            Breathing heavily, Nikita threw her arms over her head and lay there, completely boneless.

            Ari crawled back up over her, nuzzling her nose tenderly and then bestowing a sweet kiss to her lips. “Better?”

            “Much,” she traced at the outline of his mouth with her tongue. “Where’d you even learn –         

            He cut her off with a passionate embrace, his arms curling under her back to lift her against him. “I’m not giving away my secrets just yet.”

            She all but melted into him, hitching her legs over his waist, and kissing him back just as eagerly. “That’s fine, but if I don’t have you soon I might go crazy.”

            He definitely did not need to be enticed further and joined them with a fluid, decisive thrust.

            She grasped at his biceps tightly, crying out at the feeling of being one. He felt so perfect, as though without him she had not been entirely whole. 

            They began to move, slow and steady at first, her hips canting to meet his while they found a proper rhythm. 

            Over and over, they met in ardent kisses that mirrored their entangled bodies, grace giving over to a wild, untamable hunger. 

            As they reached their pinnacle, Nikita clawed at Ari’s back, encouraging him to go faster till they fell over the proverbial edge, sated in every possible way. 

            They made love several times throughout the early evening, until Ari finally convinced Nikita that they needed food and ventured into the kitchen to fix them something. 

            He returned shortly with a tray full of sandwiches, which prompted her to arch her eyebrows significantly. “You aren’t feeding an army, you know.”

            The former Gogol agent smirked, carefully climbed back into bed, and placed the meal between them. “Perhaps not, but you’ve proved rather insatiable, so I thought I should err on the side of caution.”

            “Now you’re just being mean,” she grumbled, smacking at his arm before grabbing a grilled cheese. 

            He merely chuckled and then decided on his own sandwich. 

            They ate, cuddled together beneath the covers, occasionally feeding each other bites and conversing quietly. 

            Once they were finished, Ari took the remnants back to the kitchen, and she admired the view of him while she stretched out lazily over the mattress and waited for him to return. 

            Completely at ease with his nudity, he moved to lay beside her when he came back, sliding one hand across her thigh and tracing over the phoenix tattoo that decorated her skin. 

            Nikita shivered and curled closer, dragging her fingers through the hair on his chest. 

            He gathered her into his embrace, ducking a kiss to her temple. “How long?”

            “What?”

            “How long have you harbored feelings for me?”

            She tilted her chin, easily losing herself in his gaze. “Honestly? Since we met. But it became a bigger issue after we became partners. I just…didn’t want make us complicated.”

            He brushed errant strands of hair away from her eyes before replying. “You haven’t complicated anything. In fact – I’ve loved you just as long.”

            Her heart cartwheeled in delight. “Really?”

            His answer was to kiss her soundly, which effectively communicated more than words could, the pair sinking back onto the blankets and letting those feelings take hold yet again. 

The End

[iwanthermidnightz]

alskdj sometimes I smh at us as a fandom and also on the individual level how we lose our minds over her surprise songs on tour or each release of a rerecording we’ve already heard or seeing a paparazzi photo of her on a street in a new outfit.

it just feels like we fawn over her every move and I’m so done ngl

(also this isn’t directed at you specifically at all. I just know you’re reasonable and classy so I wanted to share my gripes lol)

I completely understand she deserves to own her work again and she’s doing that in a way that feels like it honors that, and I totally absolutely respect that. I just wish she would release them all at once and not drag it out… (respectfully).

also I’m just tired of the surprise-song-o’clock every night where we lose our minds over her performing a song we literally can listen anytime we want lol

I know it’s not serious but sometimes it feels like the fandom makes it so serious and I’m just like ✌️do your thing besties but I’ll sit this out, got better things to put my time toward

sorry for the random rant! no need to engage with it just idk 😮‍💨 had to tell someone

Hahaha I know. I think its just that its exciting for the possibility of her playing a song she’s never performed live before (for me on guitar), and songs she hasn’t played in a while or other maybe less appreciated songs stripped down. It really showcases how the most intricately produced songs are built from just her guitar or piano and sound just as great. There’s also the implications I guess of her saying she maybe picks songs that in her mind connect with each other? (I think thats what she said). I don’t put too much weight on it… but I can see how it keeps people engaged.

Also with the fawning, its because a lot of us are queer lmao 😭

With the rerecords, its the principle and I agree it honors herself and all the years she spent building what she did. For me, there’s something about hearing her record songs with her voice now that makes it so much better. I’ve played the originals over the years so many times that I memorize every part of it, and yet it’s somehow still special to experience it in this new way.

I think we knew she wouldn’t release them all at the same time. For many reasons I think. 1) it would be years before she finished recording them all 2) its fun for her and us to relive these eras and reminisce on what made them special 3) the marketing and margin for sales is too good to pass up 4) spacing the releases out feeds the constant frenzy of people always wanting content/music from her etc etc.

Overall I get what you mean. I feel this way too sometimes about easter eggs or elaborate theories that are most likely not probable which we are all guilty for. It may not seem like it but in a way I’m detached enough to be like “oh wow” and maybe get excited about something (some moments call for that) and then go about my day, this is a TS community after all. But many of us have been ‘chronically online’ since the debut days, its kind of engrained in us to at least care a little about whats going on even if from a distance. I get that its different for a casual fan. I also don’t think its helpful to make people feel bad for being excited. You never know what someone’s going through and this, whatever this is, could be the only thing keeping them afloat.

I guess what I mean is, theres nuance. At least for me. The value is connecting with people who share the same interests as you. Hope I’m making sense 🤍

[tired-and-swordless]

Writing Drabble stuff: Mirror Image

The smile you give him is practiced and with an ease, you never thought you could accomplish before Nova trained you. And Ricardo Ortega falls for it hook, line, and sinker. However, you have a feeling it’s more because he’s seeing someone else when he looks at you. You and Nova are so scarily similar in appearance that it makes you wonder about your own parentage. 

Maybe it’s not too far off, calling each other siblings the way you have. 

“Sorry didn’t mean to interrupt your uh,” he tilts his head, “Shadow boxing?”

You laugh, “Sure if that’s what you want to call it.” You know you’ve still got a ways to go before you’re anywhere near Nova’s level. Or Charge’s for the matter.

“I’m Ricardo,” he holds out a hand and you take it. Firm grip, charming smile. No wonder Nova feel head over heels. It’s too bad you’re all too aware of this man's games, otherwise, you might be tempted to flirt right back. You know though that would just hurt the only person you give a shit about.

You smile back. More formal, maybe a hint more annoyed. “Sunny.” Not your original name but let's be honest it’s safer than Ace. 

Ace who is dead and gone and a shriveled husk. Bet too high without looking at what he could lose. You don’t think even Nova was prepared for you to wake up when he touched your mind. Found the spark and blew enough fire on it that Sunny dragged himself out of the corpse. 

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you here before?” 

“I usually come at night,” you shrug,” Fewer people to deal with.”

Ricardo’s smile falters a bit,and he shakes his head a bit. “Sorry, didn’t mean to bug you. You just… You look a lot like someone I know.” 

You could let it go. Laugh it off. But you’re feeling like being a little shit. Throw some gasoline on the fire and see what explodes first. “Wait… You said your name is Ricardo? Ricardo Ortega?” 

A twitch, a falter, a little laugh like he didn’t expect to be caught. “Uh Yeah I-”

“My brother's friend?” 

That completely stops him in his tracks. Eyes going wide. 

“You are Charge, right? You used to work with him when he…” you pause as if you’re unsure how to put it before just shrugging, “You know.”

“I uhm. I didn’t know he had any younger siblings.” He’s not exactly floundering but he does look like he’s adding things to a board. You wonder if that’s where Nova picked it up from. 

You shrug and roll your eyes. “Not surprising. Nova, doesn’t really like to talk about our family. I don’t either.” 

You can almost see the strings on his board. Going picture to picture. Yours now sits near a blurry photo of Nova. Both of them tied to a blank spot. 

It’s wrong. Charge has a theory and you can almost see what it is, but you know its wrong. And maybe that’s the best way to keep the both of you safe. Look in a different direction and maybe that gives you more time to plan against the real threat. 

…

“So what’s the plan?” You sip your cup of coffee as you sit across from Nova who stares at his computer with a frown. The bottle of whiskey beside him is already half-empty. 

Going to need to work on getting him to slow down on the alcohol before it becomes more of a problem. 

“Don’t even think about touching my alcohol,” he mutters as he clicks the mouse. Searching for something? You lean over to get a better look at the screen. 

Of course it’s old pictures of Charge. “Really?” You raise an eyebrow and he makes sure not to look anywhere near you. 

“It’s research.” 

“Nova.” 

“Sunny.” 

You narrow your eyes. “You could just talk to him.” You say it even though you know exactly why it’s a bad idea. 

Blood on the ground. Tall and imposing, standing over a broken form. Hesitating. Red strings that tie Nova to a name to you to an empty spot. All together on a board. 

He winces at the same time you do. You can feel the regret and the terror. But most of all the anger. The need for revenge that drives the both of you forward. Nova might be looking in from the outside but your presence drags him back to this side. 

And the both of you sigh in sync. 

Sometimes it gets hard to tell whose who when you are this close. But at the end of the day you’re still Ace. The gambler, the cheat. The man who can take of his clothes and not have to worry about having a panic attack if someone sees him.

[m1ckeyb3rry]

I have complete faith in you I will resist Karasu for hollyhock o7

You know what’s funny I literally just passed by a tiktok explaining Nagi’s character in depth like we’ve discussed like finally?? That’s a first especially on tiktok LMAO

Bro imagine he pulls out the cops and robbers metaphor and is just towering over you the entire time defending…or when Nagi and Barou slammed their heads against each other trying to block a goal if it weren’t Barou and Nagi someone would def be getting whack-a-moled like….(and fr hot guys but at what cost….if you don’t happen to land yourself in the tabieitaken stratum or maybe Team Z you can kiss your sanity goodbye LMAO

FRR HAHAHA when they first came out I had no idea wtf they meant but now I see it LOL Everyday I get more excited for S2 it’s going to be so hype…hoping I don’t have a booked out schedule in October SHEGSH

Every now and then I think about rereading but now that you mention it I’ve gotta abstain until October LMAOOO hoping the epinagi chapters and main series chapters will tie me over

No because the younger Aiku photos >>> I’ll admit even then I’m not like the BIGGEST fan but I could see myself getting swayed at some point or another…(speaking of which they really decided to randomly drop Aiku into Barous LN LMAO I keep seeing posts about it like…did they ever acknowledge it in the main series and also the way they’re both on Ubers now is so funny)

No fr…sometimes I think considering the amount of fboy trope fics I see I’m surprised people aren’t jumping at the chance to write for Otoya and Aiku?? Like you literally have the canon example right there LMAO but who am I to tell people what to write LOL

No like?? Also Rin’s bday is in September and Nanase in January?? I’m not sure who comes first though because everything I try to think about the school system they’re set in I lose my mind but either way like ??? LMAOOO I love seeing content or fanart about PXG interactions where Karasu’s like clowning everyone I need to see more PxG interactions….him and shidou would be so funny trolling everyone and using up all the hair wax in bllk

I feel like they’ll probably sprinkle in some anime only mini moments with him?? Especially since they already decided to announce his VA surely he isn’t only talking in that one post credit epinagi scene right…I remember when they first announced his va before we heard him actually talk I was a little thrown off because I remember confusing his VA for Rin’s because they sound really similar in some roles!! I was like no way they gave him the edgelord voice LMAO but whoever the voice director is is going above and beyond the voices match the characters so well…

I’m realizing that a lot of the additional times from S1 were actually drawn out in the manga blooper/bonuses too but lately/after the third selection there have barely been any?? Hoping that means we have hope for some original scenes with tabieitaken then!!!

Maybe it’s time we come out and admit that we’re the real authors of bllk…I fear the secret’s out…HSUUDHS HAIR DOWN BAROU also never fully processed how young his sisters seem?? It’s so cute shshshsh domestic Barou truly is the man….since everyone’s getting sibling reveals I’m manifesting so hard that that means tabieita next because LET ME SEE THEIR SISTERS SHEKESODJ I bet Karasu’s older sister is so cool too ugh imagine we get crumbs of her cheering him up after being bullied or we get sweet little Karasu and his grandma moments goodbye….I feel like after that home background bait from Hiori’s LN (where he gaslit him so hard LMAO) we deserve to know the truth…cmon don’t be shy show us the Karasu household……….

I’m (im)patiently waiting to find some source material for the LNs….hopefully soon….

Also this is kinda random but the aquarium visit has never left my mind…to the point where im like please let their next day off be a group aquarium visit LMAO but it’s reminding me of how some aquariums also have like…a bird exhibit/section..? Or like a butterfly dome (or both) where you can go let butterflies and birds land on you etc imagine everyone spreads out and runs towards the sea animals and then Karasu just beelines for the winged organism dome LMAO like he is NOT leaving there the most he’ll go to is penguins maybe since they’re birds but I can see him preferring flying birds (imagine him talking with Yukimiya like why do you like one of the only birds that can’t fly??? LMFAO) maybe im projecting the bird agenda a little too hard but i mean he canonically likes hawks so…as an avid bird fan myself I’d like to think that extends a sort of affinity net over all birds (like it does with me LMAO) sooo

-Karasu anon

YAYYY omg i was literally abt to finish the next chapter last night and then we lost power 😢 the world is against hollyhock but we will prevail…supposedly we will get it back today in the evening but it’s supposed to storm AGAIN tn 😭😩 so keeping my fingers crossed that the electricity comes back and stays for good

LET’S GOOOO in my experience people on tik tok are either super educated and have great takes or they’re absolutely brain dead 😭 i feel like i encounter a LOT of dudebros in the comments sections though 😔 have you watched that one girl who’s OBSSESSED w bllk’s videos?? they always make me giggle for how ridiculous they are…atm she’s simping over lorenzo which certainly is a choice FJKDSKKS

HELP MEEE imagine aiku calls you “lil robber-chan” bruh i’d kms…or like all of their vaguely sexual soccer talk?? fine between bros but as a woman i’m raising an eyebrow if aiku says he’s “rock hard” to me at any point the way he did to isagi 😭 like erm what does you mean by that buddy 🤨⁉️ HAHA agreed omg you’d have to hope and pray you get on a team w at least one normal person who you can rely on to get the others to leave you alone (like being on a team with tabieita [mostly for karasu because lbr otoya IS the problem], yukimiya, hiori, barou, team z, or team v with nagireo just because i feel like reo wouldn’t let any nonsense slide). otherwise you’re stuck w a bunch of guys who are already lowkey crazy AND are in some weird isolation camp where they are so deprived of female connection that they start simping for chigiri 👹

young aiku is a diff man entirely…okay i also laughed at aiku just randomly pulling up in barou’s backstory??? like ig it makes sense but also the way it’s not all implied in the main series 😩 ig the author did mention that barou didn’t remember much abt aiku so that’s why?? but their friendship in ubers is so cute like that one spread of aiku dying barou’s hair for him 🥹 honestly i love ubers out of all of the nel teams they’re the only one that feels like an actual team yk?? barou + niko + aiku + aryu is such a random combo but it works so well and lorenzo is so chill despite also being a ng11 like kaiser/sae that it’s always fun to see their interactions. plus barou during the ubers games 🤤…i saw a post that barou’s arm is bigger than isagi’s leg LMAOAOA WHAT A MAN 😭

i’ve noticed people tend to HATE canon cheaters/womanizers but love writing characters to be as such?? i think it’s because turning a womanizer into someone loyal feels like you’re making them ooc whereas that trope of “fixing” a man is more plausible when you’re just returning them to their base characterization??? idk if that makes sense but i think that might be a reason for it. although i will say i have seen a lot of aiku fics he’s kinda like the toji of bllk i feel 😭 terrified for what might happen once he’s animated i fear the comments will be crazy

i do not at all understand the bllk timeline like i think it starts in november because apparently sae turns 18 during second selection?? but then i just saw a post that says apparently isagi is also 18 now?? like how long have they been in bllk KFHFKDNS i could not tell you 😭 although all of this info is also screenshots from the editable wiki so who knows how accurate it is 😔 FJSKSN but fr though i love seeing the posts where pxg is just karasu babysitting a bunch of idiots because that truly does feel like the dynamic at times 😟 like shidou rin zantetsu tokimitsu and charles all on one team…that man is working OVERTIME LMAOAOA technically shidou is older than him but let’s be real he does not act like it 💔 shidou gives me like problematic older brother that beats you up but he loves you at the same time vibes whereas karasu gives me responsible older brother who drives you to and from practice while lecturing you abt random stuff vibes HAHA i honestly wish we could see them interacting more!! karasu is part of the shidou setup along w zantetsu so they must spend time training together?? idk

THE VOICES ARE ALL SOOOOO GOOD i don’t think there’s been a single miss in the dub yet!! i agree i feel like there would’ve been no reason to hire and pay a voice actor for kurona if he wasn’t going to have a more significant role in the second season. like i said i feel like they’re going to set up a friendship between him and reo which i’m all for!! i think they would have a really cute dynamic

the secret is out everyone 😌 karasu anon and i are actually kaneshiro and nomura 🥱 i think we’ve been spot on w everything that’s come out HAHAHA like we were discussing karasu’s background and then it came out a bit in epinagi…then we were talking abt barou and now we have his ln…i sense a pattern 😦 also yes i want to see sweetheart grandson karasu + his older sister!! AND OTOYA’S SIBLINGS do they all have the same weird hair?? i’m so curious…also the background bait w karasu let me tell you i fell for that shit too 😭 got so hype that he was apparently also rich asf and i felt so bad for his sad backstory and then it turns out he was just messing around 😢

I WAS THINKING OF A BUTTERFLY DOME VISIT OMGGG WE ARE ON THE SAME WAVELENGTH!! and yes i hc karasu as a bird lover in general what w his crow aesthetic and his fav animals being hawks!! i do think he probably likes birds of prey a bit more but in general he probably just likes all birds and thinks they’re cool

[afterglowparker]

if tom still had his curls with this most recent press tour look...i truly wouldn’t know how to act.

[venus-haze]

All Shook Up (Austin!Elvis x Reader) Part 1

Summary: You’re one of the biggest musicians in the United States, getting your start in the industry while you were just finishing high school. After years of what felt like non-stop performances and your songs crawling up the charts, you’re the musician all the others are looking to beat. Always looking to keep your career relevant, you write a duet with one particular musician in mind, the controversial and oh-so dreamy overnight sensation Elvis Presley.

Note: This is based off of an anonymous request. The request originally asked for smut, but I definitely want to make this a series, so that’ll be in a later part. For now, this can be read as a gender-neutral reader and takes place around when Elvis released his first record with RCA (so 1956-ish, obviously it won’t be completely historically accurate). Please do not interact with my blog if you are under 18 or post ED/thinspo content. Requests are open🔮

Word count: 2.9k

Warnings: None for this part, but this series will include sexually explicit content in the future. Do not interact if you are under 18.

Part 2

A workaholic almost to a fault when it came to your music, you had just finished recording several songs for a new album that was set to release soon, with a promotional single already at the top of the charts. Its coveted spot at #1 had only lasted for a few weeks, until your song was kicked down to #2 by Elvis Presley. You’d never heard any of his music before, but you’d certainly heard of him, and the accusations of scandalous dancing and salacious hip thrusts at his shows certainly piqued your interest. You’d gone out and bought his self-titled album, and you couldn’t deny it awoke something in you. Despite your album being almost completely finished and promotions well under way, you decided to throw a wrench in the works, and at two in the morning, drafted a duet for you to sing with Elvis.

When you’d presented the idea to your manager of several years, Ray, at a meeting early the next morning, he was understandably exasperated. You knew you could be a real pain in the ass to Ray sometimes, who’d guided your early career by pushing you to be as authentic as possible so you wouldn’t lose yourself in the industry, but also, as you could clearly see through your desired duet partner, controversy sells. You had developed a ‘devil may care’ approach to your public image in the process, which only made your audience more enamored with you.

“Elvis doesn’t date, at least publicly as far as I know, but as soon as there’s whispers of the two of you working together, those magazines will be on fire,” Ray said.

You rolled your eyes. “Listen, sooner or later there’s going to be rumors I’m dating him anyway, so I don’t care.”

Sometimes, you had to laugh at the man of the month that the tabloids linked you with. They were going particularly wild over a photo of you and Marlon Brando sitting together at the Copacabana. While he had only leaned over to whisper something to you over the noise of the nightclub, the photo had made it look like he was leaning in for a kiss. It was chaos from there, from claims you had been in a secret relationship for years, to supposed sightings of the two of you eloping in Mexico–he had sent you a clipping of that article and a note that read ‘Sorry I didn’t get you a wedding gift’ which had made you snort. Of course, some of the indecent escapades that were hidden from the front pages had actually happened after you’d left the club with him, but you weren’t about to let those rag mags know they had gotten one of your flings right for once.

Ray shook his head. “His manager–I don’t think he’ll agree to it if he knows you’re who he’d be working with.”

“Then don’t tell him, and let Elvis come down here and decide for himself,” you said.

“Alright,” Ray said. “I’ll call and see what they say. Just don’t set your expectations too high.”

The rest of the day was filled with photoshoots and interviews, being shuffled from one skyscraper to another by Ray’s assistant, Jeanne, who had become an aunt-like figure to you through the years, signing autographs and posing for photos in between. The highlight of your day was when a woman showed you the tattoo of your name she’d gotten in a heart on her arm. Later that night, you continued working on the song in the privacy of your New York apartment, which you had bought outright after your first album went gold. You weren’t sure why, but despite Ray’s warning you not to get your hopes up, you felt like everything would fall into place. 

A little before midnight, your phone rang, and you knew it’d be Ray.

“So, what’d they say?”

“His manager said that Elvis is interested, so–”

“I told you!”

“He has a gap in his touring schedule next week, so he’ll be in the city for a few days doing his own promotional stuff. I’ll go ahead and tell the label to keep a recording booth open for you,” he said.

“Ray, you’re the absolute best.”

“I know,” he laughed. “Night, Y/N.”

You wished him a good night, hanging up the phone with nothing short of a self-satisfied grin on your face. You were too excited to sleep, and instead made your way onto the balcony, welcoming the cool night air as you sat on one of the chairs set out, looking at the city below you. You’d been living in New York for years now, and loved how there was always something to do if you wanted to–restaurants and clubs open at all hours, streets bustling with people, subways running day and night if you really wanted to get somewhere. It was the perfect place to be at this stage in your life, your career, and you wanted to take advantage of every bit of it while you could. 

Fame was fleeting, you knew as much, one bad album and it could all be over. You remember seeing people in clubs, their careers on a seemingly upward trajectory and then never hearing from them again. It unfortunately happened more often than you’d like, even though they were technically competition, you felt bad. Your knowledge of this drove your workaholic tendencies. You could weather the constant rumors and even the occasional scandal, but you always had the underlying fear that at some point people wouldn’t be interested in your career anymore. So you wrote constantly, whatever idea for a song came up in your mind, in case it could be something.

You shook these thoughts from your mind. Your career was established, and you had enough people covering your songs that you could never record another song and be okay. You couldn’t deny it, though, you loved the spotlight, the fans, every celebrity did, no matter how bashful they acted. You didn’t go into this business to not be recognizable, not when you owed those people everything. So you signed every piece of paper shoved your way, took every photo requested, no matter how tired or busy you were because without them, you wouldn’t have a thing.

It was late now, too late to still be awake when you had a day of meetings with label executives the next day. You got up from your seat on the balcony, closing the French doors behind you as you walked back into your apartment. The clock on the wall read a little past one in the morning, and you’d have to be up at six to eat, get ready for the day, and to make it to your label’s office at eight. You went into your room, climbing into bed, but still found that sleep eluded you for the next half hour or so.

The morning you were going to meet Elvis felt like it came far too quickly. You’d spent the week obsessing over the song, and still didn’t think it was good enough. You forced yourself out of bed, shuffling into the kitchen to put a pot of coffee on, hoping that and your morning shower would wake you up. You found yourself stuck on what to wear to the studio, wanting to impress Elvis but not look like you were trying too hard. Finally settling on a happy medium, you just barely finished getting ready before you could hear knocking at your front door.

“Y/N! C’mon it’s time to go!” Jeanne shouted through the door.

“Let yourself in, I’ll be done in a second!” you yelled back.

“You ready? Got everything?” she asked as you shoved what you figured you’d need into your bag.

You nodded, “Got it.”

She went over your itinerary for the day as you rode down the elevator. You greeted the doorman, Bill, as you left the building, getting into the car waiting outside before anyone noticed you. The drive to the label’s office was quick, but you got held up signing autographs and talking to fans, one of whom was visiting from Texas and cried when you hugged her. Moments like that always touched you deeply. 

Jeanne waited for you near the door, becoming more impatient as you got closer to being behind schedule for the day. You gave her an exasperated glance as you continued talking with your fans, slowly making your way over to the door before thanking them all and disappearing inside.

“I know you care about them, Y/N, but some people don’t like to be kept waiting,” Jeanne said.

You nodded in concession. “I know.”

Most of the morning was spent in and out of meetings, which were frequent whenever you were about to release a new album. For how long you’d been in the industry, you always hated them. It was the same song and dance every time, out of touch old men casting doubt on your skills only to be proven wrong with the next hit you came out with. You couldn’t help book it out of the room as soon as the last meeting finished. All you had on your mind was that you’d be meeting Elvis in less than an hour.

You had lunch with Ray and Jeanne in their office, ordering from a local diner. Your eyes were practically glued to the clock as you ate, mindlessly shoving fries in your mouth as you pretended to follow their conversation. Ray’s phone rang, and your eyes shot over to it as he answered.

“He’s here. His manager wants to meet with me first, says Elvis is waiting in the studio on the seventh floor,” Ray said.

“See ya!”

“Y/N–”

“What?”

“I’ve looked into his manager, past deals he’s made and all that. If you want Elvis to do the song with you, you’re going to have to give him half of the songwriting credits, same for if he covers any of your songs,” Ray said.

You raised your eyebrows. It was a bold demand, no other artists required such a thing when they collaborated with you, let alone covered your songs. You knew it was a fishy as hell deal, especially when so much of the money you made came from royalties associated with your songwriting credits. Still, you felt sure in your decision to want to do the song with Elvis. “Fuck it, give ‘em half.”

“Alright, but if he makes any other big requests I’m telling him I have to run it by you first. I know you want to work with Elvis, but I’m not going to let you get swindled,” Ray said.

“Thanks, Ray,” you smiled.

On your way down to the studio, you attempted to hype yourself up, which you felt embarrassed about, as you were the one with the more established career. Shaking your head, you reminded yourself that you were the one who had reached out to the budding star, not the other way around.

You walked into the studio, seeing a tall man with greased up black hair and a pink suit standing around, his matching suit jacket thrown over a nearby chair. The photos in the papers definitely didn’t do him justice. There were plenty of guys in the music business who had close to no talent and were riding on looks alone for as long as they could, but Elvis was the whole package, the real deal. He looked up at you, his blue eyes wide as he watched you approach.

“Y/N Y/L/N,” he said almost breathlessly, a starstruck smile on his handsome face, “I would’ve never imagined that it was you wantin’ to work with me. I think I have all your records, drove my mama crazy playin’ them all the time.”

His voice was deep and sweet, with a sincerity that made you nearly swoon. What a sweetheart.

“I’m a fan of yours too, Elvis. As soon as I heard your album I said to myself, that is someone who I don’t mind knocking my songs down a peg or two on the charts. Why not work together?”

“‘Course,” he nodded eagerly, “whatever you have in mind.”

“Perfect! We can have our managers work out the boring details,” you said, taking his hand and leading him to the nearby piano. “We’ll work on the music.”

You’d typed up the lyrics on two sheets of paper before you’d left your apartment that morning, but made sure to let him know that you valued any input he had.

“I don’t really write my songs. I’ve never been much good at it,” he said, a blush creeping up on his cheeks. “I mean, I’ve written some lines here and there.”

That was one thing that made you stand out among your peers. While most record labels had in-house songwriters to write for different acts, you almost always wrote your own music. It came naturally to you, but you knew that wasn’t the case for most other artists in the industry.

“That’s okay,” you assured him. “I got the words, but I know you have a great ear for music.”

He picked up his guitar, nodding along to the song as you played. The melody was simple enough, but you knew if anyone could make it exciting, it’d be him. As you got to the second verse, it was like magic how he transformed, playing out a rough riff on his guitar that sounded exactly like what you were hoping for. You excitedly handed him a copy of the lyrics, and you were shocked at how naturally everything came together. In less than two hours, the two of you had a song that you knew would dominate the radio waves for months.

The two of you called it a day, collapsing onto the nearby couch. Elvis had come out of his shell in the short amount of time the two of you had been together. He was nice, with a sense of humor that made you want to talk to him for hours. You were surprised to find he was about the same age as you and had been working as a truck driver prior to getting into music. He’d already known that on the day you got your high school diploma, you also got one of the biggest record deals in history with your label. Coming from similar humble roots as him, he admitted that your success as someone with little connections in the music industry had partially inspired him to pursue music.

“Hey,” you said, feeling bold, “my manager told me you don’t date. Is that true?”

“The Colonel thinks it’s better for my image if fans think I’m available.”

“Oh, so they can think they actually have a chance with you,” you said.

“I don’t lead no one on,” he said, “but I guess.”

“I’ve gotten with fans before,” you admitted. “It gets messy, though, especially the more famous you get. I think it’s easier to date other celebrities now.”

“Like Marlon Brando?” he asked.

You shrugged. “I wouldn’t know.”

“Y’all ain’t datin’?” 

“No, he’s just a friend, and so is every other man those magazines try to say I’ve dated.”

He was silent for a moment, thinking over what you’d just told him. “In that case, you wanna go out sometime? I’m only here for a few more days and–”

“Elvis, I’d absolutely love to,” you said, getting your pen and a stray piece of paper. “Here’s my address. I know I’m available after six tomorrow. I’ll tell the doorman to let you in. Do you like Italian?”

“I–yeah, I like Italian.”

“Well, there’s a fantastic place in Little Italy, a bit of a dive, but we’ll have plenty of privacy–if that’s okay with you.”

“Privacy is okay with me,” he said.

You smiled, pressing a kiss to his cheek. “Can’t wait.”

He was about to say something to you but was interrupted by Ray and a strange man who you assumed was the Colonel entering the room. Ray made introductions, and you and Elvis waited to see if they’d come to an agreement.

“Well, you two will be recording, what I have no doubt will be the next duet for the ages, in the next few days!” the Colonel announced. “Provided of course, the lyrics are appropriate for the collaboration.”

You wanted to defend yourself, but Ray beat you to it. “C’mon, Y/N isn’t looking to put her or Elvis’ career in jeopardy.”

“Yes well, pardon me, Y/N, but I do keep an eye on the papers, and you do have a bit of a reputation,” the Colonel said. “As you may know, my boy does too. He will do this collaboration with you on a strictly professional basis, but I want no confusion among the press about his relationship with you.”

“I understand that,” you said, displeased that you’d have to break the date you had just agreed to with Elvis.

The two managers rambled on, but you were admittedly too upset to pay attention. You and Elvis snuck glances at each other until the Colonel announced that Elvis had another appointment to get to. 

To your surprise, Elvis gave you a hug before he left.

“I’ll see you tomorrow night?” Elvis whispered in your ear.

You bit back a smile. “You better.”

[to-the-stars8]

Distracted

Jason Todd x Female Reader AO3 Summary; Not just anyone can distract the Red Hood. So this is just a little one-shot that was going to originally go into my Learning to Love Slowly series, but I felt like it didn't really fit. That, and I was too tired to finish the chapter I was already working on for that series. rip. Warnings; NSFW MDNI

Jason was sitting in the car waiting, a part of being a crime lord/ vigilante that wasn’t spoken about much due to the lack of excitement. It had been over an hour, everything had been prepared, and now all that had to be done was for Black Mask to show up. As he sat there, he tried to keep his mind off you since you were so distracting and that was the last thing he needed despite it being exactly what he wanted to do. Jason tried to keep his hands busy, checking all his guns, double checking that everything was in place but it all went back to you. 

He let himself slip for a second. Letting himself wonder what you were doing right now. You were more than likely in bed, asleep, or up late watching TV, something you had been doing lately. Just as the thought passed through his mind his phone vibrated in his pocket. 

He took out his phone, looking down at the text notification that had come from you. Pleasantly surprised, he opened it. 

Hey honeybee, hope ur having a wonderful evening!! I’ve just been thinking about you! <3

Jason smiled under his mask as he typed back a reply. 

Thinking about you too sweetheart. Can’t wait to see you later tonight xo 

Within seconds he got a reply. Dying to see you later tonight jaybeans. Wanna see what I’m wearing?

The text made him do a double take. Now, he hadn’t expected that. Usually, when he was out on patrol, your messages were short. You knew he had to keep his mind clear when fighting and dealing with other crime lords. For a second, he thought about not replying just so he wouldn’t be diverted from the task at hand any further, but curiosity gnawed at his stomach. So he said yes. 

A few minutes later, just when he had thought you fell asleep a picture popped up on his phone that made his whole body lose all function for a split second. 

Jason had forgotten you were staying at his place for the weekend, so it surprised him when you were in his room on his bed. You were sitting in front of a full-length mirror casually leaning back a bit with one holding you up while the other took the photo. You were only in your underwear and a too-big t-shirt with a Red Hood logo on it. In the picture, your legs were spread enough that he had a perfect view of your red panties and the slightly damp spot in the middle of them. 

The panty shot along with the bedroom look in your eyes made Jason run a hand over his clothed cock as he thought of taking all of that in person. He sure as hell looked forward to seeing you tonight. All he wanted to do was to kiss and hold you now. And putting his hands in all the most inappropriate places that you would allow.

Shit, he needed to focus. Black Mask was going to be there any minute and the last thing he needed was a hard-on in the middle of a meeting. He shot two quick texts back, not really thinking, before turning his phone off just as the garage door opened. 

—

You were surprised by the texts Jason had sent, but you were sure it was because he was busy. Momentarily, you felt bad because you had let your mind be led by the wrong part, but looking at the texts a bit longer you didn’t seem to mind. 

In fact, you were more than pleased. Not everyone could distract the Red Hood. 

Def smash on sight

Gotta go BM will be here soon

[earlgreydream]

brat.

| Bucky Barnes x reader | smut |

warnings: smut, mild degradation (not meant seriously), spanking, dom/sub dynamic, general chaos

a/n: I can’t deal with the pressure of my life, I need James Buchanan Barnes to make me let it go

Bucky had been agitated since you had sent him naughty photos of yourself while he was in the middle of a meeting. He had glanced at his phone and immediately turned it face down and continued speaking. After the meeting, he sat at his desk, looking at the photos you’d sent. His favorite was one where you had your tits out, wearing just little black panties, along with a black ribbon tied around your neck.

He’d originally been the one to tie the ribbon around your neck, about a year ago. He’d hooked his fingers in the satin and dragged you forward like it was a collar, making you blush and shy.

Now, you wore the ribbon around your neck whenever you were in the particular mood for Bucky to make you feel owned.

You were always under constant stress and pressure to perform well, having to control and manage everything, both at work and school. The only place where you could let it go, relinquish all control, was in the bedroom with Bucky... or on the kitchen counters, the bathroom of a club, his desk at work, and anywhere else he could get his hands on you.

When you were alone with Bucky, you became playful, soft, and sweet, and it turned him on to no end. Bucky truly thought you were the most gorgeous and hottest girl in the universe, and he practically worshipped you.

That is, except when you were being a needy brat, like today. Sending him naughty photos at work (unprompted) was strictly against your rules, and you knew you played a dangerous game with him. Bucky wasn’t one to play around when it came to testing the boundaries.

Secretly, that was why you did it. You wanted Bucky riled up, to come home and be rough with you. You wanted him hard and unrelenting, to have you screaming and writhing for him. You were tense from your stressful week, and he was too, and there was no better solution in your mind to release that built up tension.

He shut off his phone as his boss walked in, asking him about a project, and Bucky struggled to focus on what he was being told, too distracted by the image of your soft tits swirling in his mind.

“Thanks, Barnes.”

“Yeah, sure.” He called back half-heartedly, picking his phone back up once he was alone.

~you’re going to fucking regret that, baby~

~I doubt it. X~

He was practically seething at your response, ideas of how to get you in line already forming. He was fed up with your bratty attitude, and his annoyance just built over the course of the afternoon.

When he was finally finished with work, he drove home faster than normal. The door smacked loudly against the wall when he entered, alerting you he was mad. Your heart jumped in your chest, and you felt a pang of regret at your insolence.

“Y/N!” Bucky’s voice echoed, and you nervously walked down the hallway in one of his oversized button downs.

He stopped for a moment, taking in the sight of you. You looked small and meek, innocent in his big shirt. Ribbon was tied around the base of your neck, and your eyes were shining as you gazed up at him.

“Hi, daddy”

He almost melted at the sweet sound of your voice, at the utter innocence you seemed to hold. He dropped his keys in the dish by the door, snapping out of it. He stared at you with a hard gaze, entirely unamused by your earlier behavior. You sank into yourself, taking a step back. He stepped forward, and you continued until he had backed you against the wall outside of your guest bedroom at the end of the hall.

“What do you have to say for yourself?” Bucky asked you, waiting for an apology.

I’m sorry daddy, is what you should have said, attempting to win over the last bit of forgiveness he was willing to give you. Instead, you decided to dig yourself into deeper trouble, unable to resist the temptation to goad him by being a brat.

“I could’ve gotten myself off in the time it took you to get home, maybe even more than-” you didn’t even get to finish your sentence before he was on you.

He hooked his fingers into the ribbon, jerking your small body against his. His silver eyes blazed, threatening you to struggle.

“Do you think you’re fucking funny?” He growled, and you stared back at him, suppressing your fear.

“A little, actually.”

That did it.

“Get on your fucking knees, you insolent brat!” He snapped, jerking you downwards so you were kneeling in front of him.

Your knees bit into the hardwood floor, and the ribbon left a faint red ring around your neck from him dragging you by it. His hand went up your neck to your cheek, and you flinched as he sharply tapped your face. It wasn’t enough to be a slap, Bucky would never hit you in a way you didn’t like, but the sharp smack made arousal drip from your core.

You wanted him to run his fingers through your hair to guide you, like he did when he was feeling softer, but you knew that you’d pushed him too far to receive any sort of help.

He grabbed your jaw and forced your mouth open before burying himself in your throat. He did it in one quick movement that had you gagging, choking on his length. Bucky didn’t care about your fight to breathe, snapping his hips at a brutal pace, stretching your throat. You did your best to open for him, but tears slid down your cheeks from your lack of oxygen.

“Y/N, look at you, letting me fuck your throat like a little whore.” His words dripped with condescension and you looked up at him with glassy eyes.

You moaned around him, sending vibrations that pushed him closer to the edge.

“You’re going to swallow, got it?” He ordered and you made a noise of approval, feeling his cock twitch in your mouth. He came in thick spurts, his cock deep in your throat. You swallowed his seed as well as possible, gasping as he pulled out of you. You lost your balance and put a hand on his thigh to steady you. He stepped back, letting you fall forward, barely catching yourself.

You whined in protest, and he grabbed you by the hair and jerked your head back to look up at him. Your chest was heaving as you drew in oxygen, your face was sticky with tears, and your mouth was salty with his taste.

"You look so pretty on your knees for me," Bucky's tone was mocking, a slight Russian accent hanging off his words, a silent threat hanging in the air.

"I did so good, sucking you off like you wanted-" you were about to ask if he'd take care of you now, and he just let out a short laugh.

"You think you're getting off?" He spoke as if it were completely ridiculous.

"Yes?" You tried, and he shook his head.

"Then you shouldn't have been such a little brat. Brats don't get to come."

"But daddy-!" You whined in protest.

Your mouth snapped shut when he dragged you up to your feet and tore his button down off of you. You shivered in the cold air, and his fingers hooked into your panties, pulling them down your legs.

"You're fucking soaked, Y/N. Is this just from sucking me off?" He embarrassed you.

"Y/N!" He snapped when you didn't answer, fed up with your disobedience.

"Yes," you breathed, blinking back fresh tears of anxiety.

"I'll give you something to cry about." He threatened and you bit your lip, knowing it wasn't an empty threat.

"Safeword?" he asked, making sure you were able to communicate with him if it was too much.

"Falcon," you answered obediently and he nodded. He took your wrists in his hands, noticing the way your hands were trembling. He kissed your smooth skin, though his gaze didn't soften.

"On the bed. Now." He pointed, and you bent over the edge of the bed, your ass on display for him. You hid your face in your arms, hiding the embarrassment visible on your cheeks from being so exposed.

A shaky whine escaped as you heard his belt snap, fear prickling up your spine. He watched you squirm on the bed. He knew you hated being smacked with the belt, and he leaned against the wall, watching you nearly lose your mind in anticipation. He was curious to see if you'd continue the bratty behavior, or if this was what would finally cause you to break, and his fingers twitched as he ached to turn your ass pink.

As soon as the tension began to leave your body, and you settled on the mattress, he landed the first blow with the leather on your ass. You screamed both from shock, and the welcome pain that blossomed across your skin.

His dark laughter echoed in your guest bedroom, and chills made your body shudder. You were getting what you wanted, this had been your goal from the beginning. You also knew that you were completely safe, that Bucky loved you dearly, and this was just a bedroom scene, not meant to truly hurt you. Despite both of those facts, the fear was very much real. Bucky was incredibly intimidating, especially when he was mad.

"Four more, alright?"

"Yes, daddy."

Dry sobs burned your throat as he spanked you quickly, leaving pink stripes across your fair skin, but light enough they'd disappear by morning. It was more psychological than physical, and it was causing you to nearly shake with arousal. It was dripping down your legs, and Bucky noticed, adding to the shame of just being spanked. He took a step toward you, squeezing your ass in his large hands, making you whimper in discomfort. He slapped your skin, and you struggled to contain your pained yelps. It wasn’t near as bad as the belt, but the sting spread through your skin as he continued your punishment. 

You sighed in relief when he finally finished, wrapping his hand around your throat and pulling you up so your back was against his chest. He gave your throat a squeeze, making your eyes roll back. He kissed your shoulder before biting down into your smooth skin. You squirmed in his grip, mewling softly. 

“I’m sorry,” you breathed, looking up and meeting his gaze. 

“I know you are, baby,” He kissed your mouth for the first time, and you melted into his hold, ignoring your soreness. 

“Hands and knees for me, doll.” 

He released his grip on you, lightly tapping your thigh to get you to climb up on the bed. You moved onto the bed, but your arms were unsteady, so you dropped down to your elbows, letting your back arch.

“Can’t hold myself up,” you murmured apologetically, not wanting him to think that you were being bratty. He kissed your bum, and you sighed quietly at the tender action. 

“I want to come, daddy,” you begged, hoping he had softened.

“I’m sure you do.” 

You squeezed your eyes shut, knowing that you weren’t going to get what you want. Bucky’s hands wrapped around your hips, holding you steady as he stood behind you. You squirmed as he rubbed the head of his cock through your folds, a choked noise leaving your throat as he brushed your clit. You were on edge, but you knew if you spilled over, he would spank you until you were bleeding.

He noticed the shudder it caused, and his voice came deep and threatening. 

“Don’t you fucking dare.” 

“I won’t!” you promised, wanting to be good for him. 

“Better not.” 

He thrusted forward, rolling his hips until he was buried all the way in you, making you yell and grip the sheets in front of you. The stretch burned, your body never quite getting used to his size. Usually he eased into you, but he clearly didn’t care about your pleasure right now. 

He began to snap his hips against yours, using your body to chase his own release. His hands slipped off of your hips and snaked around to your front, going up to your breasts. He squeezed roughly and pinched your nipples, pulling them between his fingers, making your vision spark. You shrieked at the sensation, and you tightened around him. You held back your orgasm, fighting against the urge to release. 

“Your cunt feels so good around me, doll. If you keep squeezing me like that, I’m going to lose my mind,” Bucky murmured, his words getting lost in your mind.

You tightened around him purposely, feeling him twitch before painting your insides with his release. He groaned deeply, continuing with shallow thrusts as he emptied himself into your heat. When he pulled out, he stared at your swollen sex, his release dripping out, and down your thighs. You screamed as he slapped the sensitive area, arching your back. You whimpered out a beg to ease up on you, and he moved you to lay on your back. You were barely there, whimpering out apologies pathetically, and he kissed a line from your belly up to your lips.

“You’re forgiven, doll.” He said, kissing you sweetly.

“Please, I’ll be so good.” You were desperate, throbbing around nothing, and you wanted to release the tension your body held so bad.

Bucky watched you beg, almost inclined to put his head back between your legs.

“Fine.” He sat on the bed, pulling you to straddle his thigh. You looked at him in confusion as he held your hips down.

“You can ride my thigh and get off that way, or you can quit complaining.”

Your eyes widened, and your face burned in humiliation. You hesitated for a moment before giving into your needs, rolling your hips and dragging your core over his thigh. You squeezed your eyes shut, burying your face in his shoulder as he quietly mocked you and how desperate you were. Your thighs started to shake, and he bounced his leg, making you come with a scream as you bit down lightly on his shoulder. 

“Daddy, no,” you complained as his hand snaked down to pinch your clit, sending shocks through you.

“Watch your mouth.” He ordered, grabbing your jaw in his free hand, disapproving of your protests. He overstimulated you, turning your pleasure into torture. You struggled to catch your breath as you writhed on his lap, begging him to let you ease up. You swore at him, and he smacked your already stinging core. You yelped at the pain, letting him have his way, too exhausted to protest further. 

You could’ve cried again as he finally eased up, deciding you had adequately paid for your misbehavior. After, he spent the entire evening showering you with attention, showing his soft side and loving on you.

[eyrieofsynapses]

Redemption Panel Highlights and Reactions

GATORS

i.e., Beth Riesgraf and Christian Kane (mostly Beth) talking about filming the scenes in (what I presume is) The Rollin’ on the River Job, where they’re pulling some stuff out of the water, and finding out the next day that there was an absolutely massive alligator pulled out of the same place just a little while after they filmed it

Beth’s impression of the wildlife folks warning them about the alligators

Beth scaring the hell out of Noah Wyle by yelling “GATOR” at him just after he finished his scene

seriously that was an absolutely WILD part of the panel

Everyone showering Aleyse Shannon with literally all the love!

Aldis Hodge in particular big-brothering her, and also the older actors calling her out for not giving herself enough credit, and Dean Devlin talking about how she blew him away at the auditions with her ability to turn on a dime

Seeing Kane with his glasses off wiping at his eyes, momentarily thinking “you okay dude?” and then realizing that he was laughing so hard he had tears in his eyes

(same)

The The Bucket Job clip! I’ve been a bit meh on a lot of Redemption, just in how it didn’t feel quite right, but that is possibly the absolute closest I’ve seen it get to the original in the best way. Brilliant

Which comes as no surprise since BETH RIESGRAF directed the episode!!! And apparently put an insane amount of effort in!

Beth’s utter delight and joy at both directing the episode and having the crew behind her

THE CHAIR

So apparently she and Christian went to town on the fight scene and he winds up tied up in a chair somewhere along the line and there’s a whole wild scene, which I am really looking forward to

Beth knowing how insanely particular he’d be about things like zip ties vs rope and what kind of rope e.t.c. e.t.c.

Apparently this is also tied into a VERY DEEP scene with Eliot? It sounds like they’re going to go super hard on his backstory, which is terrifyingly exciting

Just. Beth and Christian going very hard on that episode together

Speaking of: the panel’s going amazingly, I’m laughing so hard my stomach hurts, things are relatively light, and then, of fucking course—

Kane hitting us over the head about Eliot being a mass murderer who can’t be redeemed, is trying to stay static so that he can maintain the place he’s in, and is thus LIVING VICARIOUSLY THROUGH HARRY

What the FUCK. This is of course incredibly insightful and perfectly on point (because it’s Kane) but also, EXCUSE ME, OUCH, why would you DO THAT to us?

Everyone talking about having their families on set and their kids!

Beth’s son growing up on the original Leverage set and now going into being a director himself!

Gina’s daughter also growing up on set!

Noah Wyle’s daughter is playing Harry’s daughter I REPEAT NOAH WYLE’S ACTUAL DAUGHTER IS PLAYING AS HARRY’S DAUGHTER

Gina Bellman remaining relatively stoic throughout much of the panel (seriously, this woman, how the heck does she do it) and then losing it when they’re asked about running/inside jokes

A lot of them are, of course, apparently not appropriate to be spoken on-panel

(A lot of the others are the little inside ones that are special enough not to be ones they want to share, which is sweet!)

Everyone collectively losing it over having LeVar Burton on for The Bucket Job

Devlin and everyone laughing about collecting the various Star Trek people on Leverage

Beth talking about Burton coming over while she’s getting ready and asking her if she’s living on coffee and water, her laughing because he was absolutely right, and then him gently reminding her to remember to eat, which is the sweetest thing in the world oh my gods

Kane apparently choreographing an intense scene with Burton and being scared out of his mind, because Burton really wanted to go for it, but to Kane it was like he’s a figurine that’s not to be messed with because he was so worried about hurting him

Kane choreographing a massive amount of the show, which I knew already, but seriously, this guy blows me away

Gina and the crew talking about how he’d be away for a day of shooting a fight and all of them would be missing him and thinking about him

Family Vibes

Everyone talking about how they’re very noisy and loud together on set and it’s a bit like walking into a group of people having Christmas dinner (or something to that effect) because they’re just Like That together

Aleyse being the most surprised by Beth when she met her because she was like a little angel of light during the auditions but turned out to be an absolute ball of wild energy on set

Gina going “wait you were a MODEL” at Beth

Aldis talking about how much he loved how Parker and Hardison’s relationship had developed and grown!

Also, Aldis apologizing when the New York (iirc) background noise got loud and everyone going “no no we get you”

His outfit is ON POINT today

Gina saying that Christian is the goofiest and wildest out of them in terms of humor

(she goes “some of you may not know this,” which, fair, but also, if you’ve seen more than ten minutes of this guy outside of character you know he’s an absolute ball of sunshine)

Gina, Beth, and Christian talking about how they’d challenge each other to stay off sweets back on the original set, because they knew they needed to stay in shape and also just because they’re competitive (apparently all of them are major sweet tooths) and hide brownies and things from each other, while Aldis is just. doing pushups. eating all the healthy stuff. and then wanders into the room with a literal cupful of chocolates

(and Aldis going “well yeah I have to work off the sweets SOMEHOW”)

Beth explaining that sometimes they’d order a “Kane burrito” from Christian and he’d alter it slightly

Like, you know, chopping up hot jalapenos super fine and mixing them in, and Beth practically not being able to talk after the first bite

Apparently Aldis still went back a lot even after that

(Christian just seems very pleased with himself over it)

(THESE PEOPLE)

Gina goes “hey we should have an episode where we all swap roles,” Devlin going “WAIT FOR SEASON ONE TO BE DONE,” and then somebody (maybe the moderator?? I don’t remember exactly) going “uh actually. We did that”

Cue immediate scramble of “WAIT WHICH JOB WAS THAT”

(paraphrasing) “Yeah you remember the bit where you put on Parker’s harness and went off a building?”

Turns out half the cast had actually forgotten that that existed and only remember when reminded

The original cast all think of the episodes as “jobs”!!!!

Everyone talking over each other, Devlin going “it was with Sterling when we blew up the offices,” deciding that it was the season one finale, and then trying to figure out what episode title it was (eventually they figure out it’s the David jobs)

Moderator and Devlin accurately commenting that the fans know the show much better than they do

Noah Wyle very correctly explaining how Electric Entertainment is like a family and Devlin just. Keeps people

Aleyse and Aldis talking about typing when they’re hacking and going “WHAT THE HECK DO WE TYPE”

Aldis goes “yeah I just type all the bad words that we’re not allowed to say”

Aleyse saying that she’s always a little worried they’re hiding a Word document behind the blue screen and they’re going to pull up what she’s typing at the end of the day and print it out and put it in her trailer going “what the HECK is this”

Noah talking about filming The Golf Job and just getting to direct Jason Marsters and Christian together

Apparently their dynamic in that episode accurately mirrors the one with their characters in Angel!

Which promptly goes straight to the comment that it was very hard to make Marsters look like a golfer (pfft)

(Also apparently Christian plays golf for fun with his friends? Not necessarily something I would’ve thought of!)

Aleyse happily talking about how she loved the dynamic on set and it was very different from what she was used to

Also Aleyse talking about doing stunts and everyone else praising her for going whole hog

Beth especially praising her for the bit where she’s hit with the paralysis injection (I don’t remember which ep it’s from) and her acting for it, because it was incredibly hard to drop off screen in the particular way she did

Aleyse promptly answers that she was terrified with some of those, especially one where she had to keep a clock from falling and breaking

Everyone discussing how they see a new aspect of Breanna’s character in The Train Job

Also, to get serious for a moment, Kate Rorick in particular talks about how Breanna’s part of Gen Z and how we didn’t get the “days of yore” where everything was chill. We’ve basically been living in a world of hostility the whole time. It’s something I deeply appreciate, as someone who’s part of that group, and I love how they emphasize that for us.

This panel was pure chaos and I loved every moment of it! My stomach was actually hurting from laughing so hard, I swear. They had me cackling well over half the time. I would happily take panels double or triple the length of this, this was amazing. I also adore how the second you drop these six people in a room together, they immediately take off and literally just run and give you everything you wanted and more. (It is also evidently very hard to get them to STOP talking.)

I’m also just going to stop and take a second to fawn over the effects for the 3D room. It’s gorgeous—I love how they replicated the headquarters, especially with the stained glass ceilings! Super impressive, especially with all the photos, and I just love the whole thing. Kudos to whoever put that together.

Anyway, I’m definitely missing some stuff too; seriously, there wasn’t a second wasted in this thing, they were cracking some kind of joke or dropping some really interesting piece of information practically every thirty seconds. (And I haven’t even gotten into the clips OR the bloopers. I miiiight do a separate reaction purely for those.) It’s still up right now if you missed it and you want to watch it! I’ll probably watch it again, honestly.

[ourloveisforthelovely]

Walburga Comes for Dinner (one shot)

Regulus Black AU

Summary:  Walburga comes for dinner and sees her children for the first time in a very long time. (goes with the Dinner with the Dursleys and Tuesday night dinner one shot...see below for links)

Pairings: Regulus Black x Reader 

Rating: T

Dinner with the Dursleys 

Tuesday Night Dinners 

_______

This will be interesting…

That was the thought that went through your mind when Regulus stepped through the front door after a long day at work. Joanna immediately waddled over to her father, hopping up and down screaming “daddy” until he was able to get his coat off and pay attention to the child.

“Good, Joanna. Get him buttered up.”

You thought as Regulus came into the kitchen snuggling his face against Joanna’s head.

“You look pretty, darling.’’

Regulus commented, looking you over. He was ready for nothing more than a quiet Thursday night. By quiet this meant having dinner, giving Joanna a bath, getting the child in bed without her needing twenty hugs while making Regulus look for a random spider under her bed that she was convinced would eat her toes, and alone time with you. People at the Ministry were driving him batty and Regulus didn’t have the patience for any calamities that night.

“I’m pretty too.”

Joanna said in an extra sassy tone that earned a smile from Regulus.

“Of course you are love. You’re the prettiest little girl ever. Why don’t you go play with your dollhouse?”

Joanna, appeased with Regulus’ comment, didn't fuss when he put her down. She toddled off. Regulus waited until Joanna was quietly amused before wrapping his arms around you.

“Now, as I was saying, you look beyond pretty...absolutely ravishing is more like it.”

You relaxed in Regulus’ arms enjoying the moment of quiet uninterrupted alone time. As much as you didn’t want to, you knew that you had to break the news to him.

“Guess who is coming to dinner?”

“Merlin, I don’t feel like entertaining.”

Regulus groaned. You had expected this reaction. Things were only about to get more interesting.

“It’s your mother.”

Regulus’ mouth dropped. He hadn’t seen his mother in ages. She wasn’t there when Joanna was born or through your pregnancy. Walburga had sworn that she would never speak to Regulus as long as he was married to “that mudblood girl.” Regulus was just fine with his mother’s promise. He had no use for the woman if she was going to insult his wife. All Regulus needed to be happy was Joanna and yourself. Walburga no longer fit into the equation of his life. When Regulus stopped believing in the “Black family way” he realized how messed up everything truly was.

“Why?”

Regulus said, crossing his arms over his chest. You put down the bowl that you were holding. To say that you were looking forward to meeting Walburga was a far stretch. You would much rather it be your mother and father coming for dinner.

“She wants to see you. I suppose she’s feeling guilty about not seeing Joanna yet. Maybe she even feels a bit guilty because she is getting old and has no son to look after her now that your father is dead.”

Regulus mumbled something under his breath before going off to search for the bottle of fire whiskey. He needed some liquid motivation if his mother was going to be stepping foot inside of his home.

“She can go to a home for the elderly. I am not looking after her. I was the good son long enough.”

Regulus commented before smiling coldly.

“Watch this.”

He said before picking up the muggle telephone and calling Sirius. You had picked up your teacup and were keeping an eye on your husband. He was up to something and you had a sneaking suspicion on what he was going to do

“Hey, it's me. Want to come over for dinner?I know you never wait for an invitation. See you at six.”

Regulus hung up the phone before grinning at you.

“He can’t wait to see his mother.”

You shook your head. Now things were about to be a shit show.

An hour later there was a knock at the door. Regulus stood up knowing who that was. Walburga fucking Black was back to ruin his life and cause problems.

“I’ll get it, love.”

He commented before going to the door. Walburga stood on the other side with her usual snobby expression. She forced a smile as she looked at her youngest son. Regulus was handsome and well put together as always.

“Regulus.”

“Mother.”

Regulus kept his tone cold and icy. Walburga expected Regulus’ off-putting and unfriendly attitude. She assumed that he was still angry over her calling you mudblood. In Walburga’s mind, she was correct. Her “darling boy” married a less than desirable woman and this seemed to wedge between the two.

“Come in.”

Regulus said, keeping his eyes locked Walburga’s unfriendly face. He reached out and stopped her before she was able to get too far inside.

“I’m warning you now. If you are the least bit rude to my family, I will not hesitate to throw you out.”

Walburga glared at him. She wanted nothing more than to throw a few nasty mudblood comments out but decided if she didn’t want to die alone it would be in her best interest to be decent.

“I understand.”

Walburga looked around the homey living room. The house was very nice. Clearly, Regulus was doing well for his family.

“Daddy, come play with me.”

Walburga’s head snapped up the moment she heard the little voice that she had been wanting to hear for some time. She would never admit it but she had wanted to see her granddaughter from the time that the birth announcement came in the mail. Walburga had sent Joanna an “add-a-pearl” necklace as a way to say “welcome to the world” and that was that.

Regulus never took the time to send Walburga a photo or anything. Now before her stood the most lovely child that she had ever seen (with the exception of Regulus, of course).

Walburga watched as Regulus bent down to pick the little girl up. Joanna’s raven curls wildly fell down her back as she pressed her face into her father’s cheek. It wasn’t until Joanna pulled away from cuddling Regulus did she notice the new face in the room. She looked at Walburga carefully. Clearly, the little girl was well versed in “not talking to strangers.”

“Joanna, this is your grandma.”

Walbruga forced a small smile as Joanna put her head on Regulus’ shoulder.

She’s shy...just like he used to be.

Watching Regulus with Joanna, made Walburga’s heartache. Had she really lost so much time with her own son? While Walburga had wanted no part of being a mother originally, after losing Sirius then Regulus walking away for a muggle-born she realized how much that she actually loved her children.

“You can sit down, mother. I’m going to check on Y/n.”

Walburga immediately did as her son said as Regulus sat Joanna down.

“Keep grandma company.”

Regulus said softly. Part of him was screaming about leaving his darling baby alone with the hateful old woman but he knew Joanna would cause Walburga more annoyance. That in itself would be amusing enough. Besides, from his place in the kitchen door, Regulus could see the two perfectly.

You had just pulled the ham out of the oven when Regulus stepped into the room.

“Everything okay?”

You questioned. Regulus shrugged.

“She just walked in the door and I already feel like the love has been sucked out of me.”

You put the oven mitts down and wrapped your arms around Regulus’ shoulders. Kissing him softly, you chose to ignore Walburga who was watching the whole thing.

“I’ll suck something else out of you later.”

You said in a low suggestive tone. Regulus slightly blushed to know exactly what you meant and he would argue.

“That sounds tempting. We can throw her out, put the baby in bed, and have all evening alone.”

Before you could respond the back door opened and closed. Sirius stepped into the kitchen and smirked looking at Regulus and yourself.

“It's a wonder I only have one niece. The way you two snog there should be three or four kids running around here.”

Regulus rolled his eyes.

“One is enough. What about your love life?”

Sirius’ amused expression faded.

“Moony can’t get pregnant.”

Regulus put a hand over his face while you quietly laughed.

“How are we related?”

Regulus questioned as Sirius moved to go into the living room to see what his precious little niece was up to. He froze the moment that he saw the biggest demon from hell parked on his little brother’s couch talking to Joanna.

“Oh hell no.”

Sirius snapped before turning to make a line for the door but was stopped when Regulus brought him to the ground.

“If I’m stuck with her then you should be too.”

Sirius fought the urge to scream.

“You’re just evil!”

“Is everything alright in here?”

Both Sirius and Regulus got off of the kitchen floor as Walburga came in. Her cold grey eyes locked on her eldest son. The disappointment returned in full force as she looked between both Sirius and Regulus. While Regulus was dressed in a nice suit, Sirius looked like he had just gotten out of bed in tight clothing that he had worn for a few days.

“Sirius.”

“Walburga.”

Sirius decided not to call her “mum” to antagonize her. Regulus fought the urge to put a hand over his face as he remembered you standing beside him.

“Mum, this is my Y/n.”

Walburga’s vulture-like gaze turned to you.

So this is the girl that stole my baby from me.

Walburga thought before muttering a quiet and unfriendly hello. You only nodded. It was probably best that you kept your mouth shut. You were afraid that you would start going off on the woman for the way that she did both of her sons.

“Uncle Siri!”

Sirius had to tear himself away from watching you plot evilly as Joanna came running to him holding her hands out. He quickly reached down and scooped Joanna up, pressing a kiss to her cheek.

“Jojo, where have you been all of my life?”

“In the living room. Did you bring me my pony?”

Sirius laughed as Regulus immediately started shaking his head.

“Do you want your daddy to kill me?”

“No, daddy wouldn't notice it if you stuck it in the back garden and tied it to a bush.”

Joanna commented, adding a sneaky little blink. Sirius laughed again.

“First things first, sugar, your daddy is standing right over there and can hear. Let's get you ready to eat.”

Dinner started off smoothly. You tried to speak quietly to Walburga but were only getting one or two-word responses. If you needed any more proof that your mother-in-law didn’t like you...this was it. You could feel Regulus tense beside you.

“It's okay, love.”

You whispered quietly as Sirius leaned back in his chair. He gave you an eyebrow wiggle before speaking.

“So, mum, what got you out of the stone-cold manor? Did you get that steak out of your heart finally? You have surely missed a lot of Joanna’s life...although she doesn't look very concerned.”

Joanna was happily ignoring everyone and nibbling on her little plate of noodles. She didn’t seem the least bit concerned with anything that was going on around her.

“That’s very amusing, Sirius. I thought that the two of you should know that I am remarrying.”

Both Regulus and Sirius dropped their forks as your eyes rolled up, clearly shocked.

“Is that supposed to be a joke?”

Regulus questioned. Sirius started laughing so hard that he had to put his head down.

“Is the guy desperate or already on the verge of death? Did you meet him on evil witch weekly’s personal page?”

Walburga frowned. This was clearly not the reaction that she expected. She had planned on Regulus being a little more supportive than her elder son.

“You’re not funny, Sirius. I decided to meet someone who enjoys my company?”

Sirius snorted.

“Does he enjoy you smacking him around or just ignoring him like you did dad?”

Walburga put her fork down.

“Regulus, do you have anything to say?”

Regulus chuckled. This whole situation was completely ludicrous.

“I thought that you only loved yourself.”

Walburga stood up and threw her napkin down on the table.

“I thought that I would get some support from my son. I didn’t come here to be made a fool.”

Walburga turned and stormed from the house without another word. Joanna was the next to speak.

“Granny needs a nap.”

Sirius nodded and stood up to take his plate to the sink.

“Sure does, Jojo, a nice nap in a big wooden box...six feet under. Who wants cake?”

_________

@amelie-black @vixen @fandomsxxregulus @realgaytrash @acciosiriusblack @fific7 @jessyballet @knreidy1 @wolfstar4lifee @saturntomars @sxsalvatore @georgeweasleydumbhoe @zievyimas @buttercup-beeee @justfinishthis @vvipgot7be @whymyparentscheckmyphone @criminalyetminimal @bennyberry @mimisparkle12 @teletubiswszpilkach @siriuslyceleste @dumybitch @quuenofblacks @lucasfilms77 @spiderxalmighty @moonythemilf @fangirlforever2412 @brokencasbutt67-writer @authoressskr @moldy-old-boot @hankypranky @summer-novak @emiwrites3reads @shaylybaby2032​ @li0nh34rt​ @tas898 @deanwherescas @untoldshortsofthefandoms @knight-of-gleefulness @stuckinsaudi1 @shadows-and-padlocked-hearts @sprnaturallover​ @shitfaceddaniel​ @wontlookaway​ @mycuddlycorner​ @rubyroscoe1 @hazncalsgal 

[oneoftheprettynerds]

Just My Type: Dark!Steve x Reader (Mob AU)

Chapter 2 in the Lipstick and Crayons Series.

Chapter 1: Welcome to the Darkside

Main Masterlist

A/N: This chapter is 2K words more than the last chapter and I’ve second guessed every single line in this one. This story is getting a lot of traction guys and I’m equal parts happy and scared. Thank you for the nice comments, they do encourage me. Also I’m just ranting feel free to skip this note haha. Your support in any form: like, comment or reblog is appreciated greatly. Also you can dm if you want to be friends, God knows I need those. Hopefully, this chap was worth the wait. Also, I made a poster for this on the main masterlist so check that out, it might be foreshadowing dome plot.

Warning: Eventual Non-Con, Sickening Threats, Mob Themes, Violence, Death, Manipulation, a mild mental breakdown, Cheap Tricks later.

Genres + Characters: Mob AU, Single Parents AU, Steve Rogers x Reader.

Summary: Steve can't ever repay you for what you did. After meeting you, Steve believes his broken family is the missing piece in the puzzle of your own wrecked one. Indebting the crime lord to you has been the biggest mistake of your life, cause now you can't get rid of him, no matter what. Loyalty and favours go a long way in the mob.

Chapter 2: Just My Type

It had almost been a week since the incident and you had barely gotten a wink of sleep. When you drove back to your house that night, Steve surprisingly didn’t argue as you had expected. After that friend of his whispered something in his ears, you only assumed he was needed elsewhere and you couldn’t be more thankful for that. They escorted you to your car and Steve thanked you with a strained smile, words genuine but eyes calculating. You didn’t even wonder what went inside his head. You were thankful for the peace and quiet of your own car, content to just get out of the area and into your humble abode.

After you put the already asleep Grace to bed, you couldn’t bring yourself to get out of her room. You just sat on the floor beside the bed, hand intertwined with hers as you rested your head beside her tummy on the mattress.

Your adrenaline wore off and your limbs ached as your thoughts finally settled into place, the gravity of the catastrophe a few hours prior hitting you. Tears made their way down your cheeks as you realized that you both could have very well died tonight.

One bullet could have sealed each of your lives and you were basically defenseless had Steve not saved you against the creeping assaulter. You couldn’t commend yourself for even defending yourself against one attacker, the guilt of killing someone harboring in your tired head. Your quiet whimpers eventually wore you out, while Grace’s shallow breaths lulled you to sleep.

You didn’t manage to sleep for long though, every time your eyes closed, horrific images flashed in your mind. A blood curdling scream here, heaps of dead bodies there, with distant exploding sounds all around. You could see men clad in black holding guns to Grace’s head and whensoever you woke up, you just wondered how much more creative your mind could get, making these visuals so realistic.

When 8 AM rolled in, you didn’t wake Grace up even though it was Monday and you had work. You got up, changed into a long tee after a shower and called your office and then her daycare. You knew you would have a hard time going back to your normal life, to become trusting enough to leave her alone.

Your assumption about yourself was right. You took almost the entire week off, which your boss generously allowed you to after hearing your traumatic experience, which soon made the city news headlines. All your colleagues checked on you, almost once in the five day break you took, and sweetly enough offered to bring you anything you needed.

It was kind of them, but none of them could bring you what your heart genuinely craved: peace and assurance that you and Grace would be safe.

Even though Saturdays were off, you did go to work to see what you missed and where to start on again. You went in because you knew that the random spurt of resolution you got in the bathroom to collect your life, wouldn’t last.

To ease back into your normal life, you gathered your guts, called a babysitter and left home. You couldn’t bring yourself to leave Grace at the daycare just yet. One of your good friends offered to come in to the office and help you, even on the weekend and you were quite grateful to him.

When you both decided to take lunch in the nearby dining place, you both got to talking, the conversation obviously originating from ‘How have you been?’ and ‘Is Grace okay?’. You reminisced about how you used a photobooth to hide, grotesquely and uncomfortably chuckling when you remembered Sarah calling you her mom and how her dad saved you all.

You deliberately left the part where you killed someone and Steve shot someone too. You hadn’t come to terms with it yet and you stiffly restricted your mind whenever it tried to go down that lane.

He sensed how the conversation was becoming tense and distressing for you and briskly redirected the topic.

“I hope the dad was hot though?” He wiggled his eyes creepily and you snorted at his vulgarity, light for the first time in days.

“He was easy on the eyes; I will admit that.” You played along, recalling your girlfriends and how you used to ogle people.

“Don’t be a homewrecker though, I don’t support cheating.” He said nonchalantly, checking his phone as a notification bell rang off.

“He’s a widower.”

His eyes snapped up and met yours as his head tilted in confusion. “That’s a strange fact to know about someone you met for a few minutes.”

Steve’s even stranger comment about his dead wife popped in your mind and before you could stop yourself, you blurted that out as well.

“He even said and I quote, ��She deserved what she got.’” He put his phone down, weirdly amused.

“Ooh Creepy! Do you think he is one of those husbands who kill their wives and bury them in the backyard? The podcasts always say that the psychopaths are visually handsome and charming. And his statement was quite vague and spooky.” He continued munching, and you felt that now Aiden was really paying attention unlike before.

“Steve did have a gun while searching for Sarah, come to think of it.” You drank your tea and awaited his response. What you did not expect was his eyes to widen and worry to cloud his features.

“Um Widower Steve with a toddler Sarah? At the place where The Vices attacked?” He mumbled, grabbing his phone and doing God knows what on it. Your eyebrows furrowed and before you could ask him what was up with his antics, he resumed.

“This is a long shot but I really hope your Steve didn’t look like this.” He positioned the phone in your vision, and you could already tell it was Steve by the sapphire blue of his eyes piercing through the screen into your soul. The picture was a month or two old, his hair was much longer when you met him than in the photo.

“This is him.” Your eyes met Aiden’s and worry visibly took over his features as his forehead creased and jaw tense.

He looked around the restaurant, finding it empty in the afternoon. He leaned and whispered, “This Steve of yours is dangerous.”

You interrupted Aiden, even though you already knew Steve was, the sight of his armed men still fresh in your head, and inquired, “Why do you say so?”

“It’s just like the fictional stories we hear from our parents, except here, in this city of ours, every myth holds true. There are really powerful men, untouchable by law, who reign the city silently and live luxuriously. Every shady, under the table deal you’ve heard of, transpires. Illegal trades, fraud schemes and bounty hunters are not fictional, they exist here. These men kill whatever hinders them and trust me, you don’t want to be the deer caught in their Jaguar’s headlights.”

Ice froze in your veins again, resembling the fear you felt that night but now because of your deemed ‘savior’. You convinced yourself that you had not wronged him in any way, instead had saved his daughter’s life.

“Are you in contact with him? If you are, distance yourself cleverly, don't block him immediately.”

“No, we just parted ways near my car, he thanked me for Sarah and was called away. It’s almost been a week and he hasn’t reached out if that’s what you mean. We didn’t exchange contacts and I don’t think I even told him my full name.” You explained yourself as if you were on the witness stand in court, trying to convince yourself more than Aiden.

“Pray that he doesn’t remember you more than that, if at all. I’m being totally honest here in telling you this, I’m genuinely worried for you and Grace. You are smart but he is powerful. He has unimaginable resources and if you become more than a speck of dust on his windshield, you are screwed. There is no exaggeration here.” You took his words to your heart and swore to be careful, if not for yourself then for Grace.

The rest of the day went by and you found yourself dwelling on and worrying about Aiden’s words. At least he put it out there as it was. Heeding his advice, you did google Steve on your phone, finally finding him in the topmost news headline when you added ‘Buck’ in the search bar as well.

‘With 38 lawsuits pending against businessman Steve Rogers, the filers have lost all hope in prosecuting him. All cases are being drawn out for indefinite periods of time by the Chief Justice Bruce……’

Aiden was right.

Businessmen was code for illegal mob heads. Cases being stretched on meant he was, in fact, invincible, at least to the common man’s fists.

You flickered through several titles, each one more surprising than the last. He was believed to be involved in the carnival attack, alleged for three hit and run cases that he didn’t lose but the witnesses swore they saw him driving and was also rumored to have brought in quintals of drugs just last week, but the packets just evaporated into thin air and there was no proof of their existence in the first place even on incessant searching.

Every crime of his made you shudder and you mentally thanked Aiden for pulling you out of your oblivion. Your mind raced and heart palpated and you cursed yourself for being so drastically unaware even after living here for almost four years. Technically speaking, Steve and you were even, him saving your life and you saving his daughter’s. No logical reason came to your mind for him contacting you ever.

You wished as Aiden said and assured yourself that your paths would never cross again, Steve not having reached out in a week, so hopefully never again.

That thought went out the window when you reached home to find a box awaiting you. Hannah, the babysitter you had called, informed you it came around 5 in the evening and was exclusively to be opened by you today.

Your mind raced as you paid the babysitter, your hands sweaty as you tried not to think about the gift and its sender. There was an apparently clear answer to who mailed it but you refused to accept that, courtesy of Aiden.

The box was of the height of Grace, it was black with red hearts painted across it; some red roses also sparingly adorned it. You opened the lid and found tons of red tissues and a multi-flower bouquet adorned with mostly red roses and a few purple and pink flowers.

Because of your frequent gardening in your backyard, you knew all the flowers’ meanings. To sum it all up, red flowers, especially roses were used for courting someone. Pink meant admiration, purple for beauty and you knew the ‘violet’ flowers were for loyalty.

As your nerves increased tenfold, you willed yourself to get it over with and empty out the box first, ignoring the little card in your bouquet, saving the ‘best’ for last. You find a mini bouquet inside but unlike yours, it had chocolates of every kind. You did read its card and cringed when it was for Grace, bothered not by the deed but by the doer.    

Further inside were some animal plushies, face masks, perfumes, scented body lotions and shampoos. Your head hurt thinking about the ‘single mother care package’ delivered to you by someone you refused to acknowledge.

As Grace sat in her playpen occupied, you dared to pick your card and read its message, your heart beating unrealistically fast for someone who refused to accept the cruciality of her situation.

~

I can’t thank you enough in this lifetime for saving my little princess. The gift of your help is more than anything money could ever buy for me. Please accept this invitation of mine for dinner tomorrow night, 7PM at La Bonne Nuit, as a symbol of my sincere gratitude for everything you’ve done. I’ll gets the kids covered and pick you up, you just be ready and look as amazing you always do.                                                                                           Sincerely,                                                                      Steve Rogers

                                                                                            ~

You stilled as you read it over and over again.

An invitation, your ass. Even in writing his authority portrayed, there was no question and hope for you coming, he just stated that you’d come. Looking pretty as always? You just met him once, in the middle of a calamity, covered in dirt and blood.

All the red roses and gifts screamed his romantic interest but you illusioned yourself into thinking they meant gratitude. You wouldn’t be able to digest it all otherwise.

Knowing what you knew now about Steve, you understood there was no denying the dinner tomorrow. You had to get out of his clutches and distance yourself, but as Aiden had so rightfully said, cleverly.

That night you laid in bed mulling over your next course of actions. You had called the gift shop to return the unwarranted presents you received but they said it was non refundable and anonymous to trace. You bitterly snorted in their face, they put a card with Steve’s name on it for heaven’s sake!

You didn’t flinch even when you realized you never gave Steve your address, neither for mailing stuff nor for picking you up. There was no number given to call him and thank or to call him and deny. The bastard had planned it all out, and you felt like you were driving in a one way lane, going deeper into the tunnel. Somewhere among your all-relentless fretting, you managed to finally sleep.

 When the doorbell rang, your eyebrows furrowed. It was just 6 PM and you weren’t expecting anybody else except for Steve. You had already begun getting ready, having developed a habit of keeping an extra margin of time now having a toddler. You still had to assemble Grace’s essential backpack, fill it with her meds and bottles.

While still putting on your diamond earring, you made your way to the door, unlocking it to find a redhead grinning at you. Before you could interact with her, a small body clung to your legs and you looked down to find the azure eyed kid that put you in this mess, Sarah, smiling up at you.

“Mama! You look pwetty!” She looked up in awe and now aware that she didn’t have a mother, you were even more so coerced into accepting this title rather than telling the kid that 'you are semi orphaned'.

“I’m Wanda, Sarah’s nanny. Mr. Rogers told me to pick her friend, Grace, up for the night?” So, this was what Steve meant. Bringing Sarah was proof enough of her legitimacy, but behind her you saw ‘Buck’ salute you from the driver’s seat of the black car. One of these days, you needed to learn his real name.

You invited Wanda inside and Sarah ran to Grace immediately, grabbing and whining while asking Grace to give her some popcorn she was munching on, her fist generously full.

In your open plan kitchen, you grabbed two plastic bowls, filled them with each with the tub of popcorn that sat in the microwave and handed each toddler one, fortunately quietening Sarah. Sarah obeyed Grace, in first thanking you, their ‘mama’ and then following her to her open playpen.

You faced Wanda again who sat on a barstool and kept on beaming. If your annoyance at her amusement showed, she sure didn’t let it falter the smile.

“Mr. Rogers told me you’d worry about your daughter, but I assure you she’d be in more than capable hands.” All you could focus on was how self-reassured she was. “I’ve served him for almost two years, the last family I served, I was there for 8 years and before them, I was employed for 3. I know the general bedtime and snacks, all I need from you is information about her allergies.”

You nodded and told her about Grace, her meds and what all you packed. When you got to know that her family owned the daycare Grace went to, you were finally somewhat convinced. After seeing them off, it was about fifteen minutes later, that the devil disguised in Prada showed up at your door.

You grabbed your purse and your keys. Wiping your sweaty palms on your dress, you opened the door. Steve stood there, a smirk lodging on his handsome face. His blue, three-piece suit perfectly paired with his cerulean eyes was impressive to say the least.

He was dressed to kill, and it appeared as if you were his first victim.

As your eyes took him in from top to bottom, his did the same lazily, taking their time, resting at certain places for longer period than others.

“You look stunning.”

You knew you did. You wore one of your more expensive dresses when you found out La Bonne Nuit to be one of the few seven-star hotels in the country. In hindsight, if you’d have dressed worse, maybe he’d have left you alone.

“Thank you.”

“Shall we?” He offered you his hand and you obliged with your palm in his. Your other hand pulled the doorknob while you stepped out, all alarms already set-in place. He waited while you locked and put the keys in and when you were done, with a soft kiss along your knuckles, he pulled you along.

The act surprised you, your stomach turning and your gut wrenching and you wondered if you’d be able to process the food after all, with your upset digestive system.

Like a proper gentleman, he opened the door for you and when you settled, he took his position at the driver’s seat. The silence was painful for you, your overthinking finally filling ideas in your head that you avoided contemplating about all day, focusing on Grace.

He was relaxed though; his humming was proof enough.

Mid way through, your thoughts were rudely interrupted when a hand housed itself on your knee. You glanced to find Steve’s palm slightly rubbing your knee. If it was meant to be assuring, you certainly didn’t feel like it.

You frowned and looked up to Steve who still had the arrogant smirk on his face, eyes straight ahead on the road, giving no indication of his inappropriate touching.

You wanted to swat his hand away but a brainwave dashed through your head and a disturbing thought made you halt, that whether he carried guns to restaurants as well, since carnivals were no big deal.

You ignored his hand and continued looking outside, pretending to ignore it as well as he did. Your scowl was a huge giveaway though.

You didn’t know that, but when your eyes found their way out, his finally rested on your face, the smirk growing even more.

Thankfully, apart from the incongruous touching, the dinner went okay-ish. The food and wine were impeccable, perfect even, the restaurant on the hotel’s top floors was so picturesque. You tried to savor your one-time experience there, knowing you’d no way be able to come back there.

Well, you tried to relish as much as you could while your mind still sat there, wary of the human in front of you. If you’d ignore your journey here, Steve was nothing short of a true gentleman, often making you wonder if you had imagined his hand on you.

This ‘friendly’ date you were having was probably one of the best you have had, he had left no expenses. He appeared to be interested in your work, about your childhood and about Grace’s but you swiftly avoided his questions about her father. He was growing a tad bit too comfortable for your liking and you still refused to entertain the idea that this was a ‘date’ date.

When you were finally onto dessert, the last course of your meal, your table was shadowed by the broad frame of a brunette and his date. He clapped Steve’s shoulder and Steve rose to hug him, you awkwardly smiled.

“It’s been far too long since you’ve been here, Cap. Why don’t you and your gorgeous date stop by my penthouse for a bit? We could finally go over the papers you sent me, in person?” He winked, they discussed something more and then went away, his date bowing and trailing after him as well.

Steve claimed his seat again, and finally told you about the interrupter. “That was my good friend, Tony Stark, always in a hurry. I’ll introduce you to him when we meet him later.”

“I think I’ll be heading home; you need not worry about my introduction, I hardly think we’ll ever run into each other again.” His eyes narrowed and you clarified, “Me and Mr. Stark, I meant.”

That’s good, don’t associate yourself with more of his kind.

“He was so kind in inviting you though, it would be rude to refuse.”

“It’s already late, Steve. And I’ve never left Grace alone for a night yet. What if she’s antsy? What if she is bothered? What if she feels unsafe? She's only used to very few people, and after last week, I-” You had started the sentence hoping to use Grace as an excuse but every word of yours succeeded in making you more apprehensive.

The carnival night flashed in your mind, along with the nightmares and you started panicking even more. Your hands clammy, your dessert spoon fell in your lap as sought your phone in your purse, hoping to call Wanda for an update. You felt like a terrible mother, who left her child with a stranger, only a week after she suffered trauma, just to go on a date with a mobster.

Steve reached across the table and grabbed your fidgety hands and as you wriggled to get your hands free, he softly called your name. Voice stern but vocals gentle. Your blurry eyes snapped to meet his while he guided you to breathe deeply, in and out.

His firm hold convinced you to listen to him, you’d never free yourself of them otherwise.

When you had calmed a bit, he withdrew his hands and fetched his phone. Your thoughts slowed down, and you wondered if anyone here was judging you. Your little scene, mercifully, went unnoticed by the other affluent people dining here.

Steve handed you his phone where four colored frames rested, the screen showing you Grace and Sarah cuddled in a frilly, pink four poster where Wanda sat too, her lips moving.

The feed was live and the screen muted, both the toddlers’ eyes fluttering close slowly, on the bridge of sleep.

You handed the phone back to Steve and drank your water while he rubbed circles on the back of one of your hands. You never freaked out like you did right now, always collected and never giving into anxiety. What had happened to you?

Well, In your defense, you had never experienced a disaster either.

“The kids are safe; I’m never putting either of them in harm’s way ever again.”

Your mind did catch the plural in his statement but you promised yourself you would not let it get that far and continued drinking your water, emptying the entire glass.

“The HD image you just saw was by cameras Tony recently developed. His technology is amazing, I’ll take you to his lab sometime.” You appreciated his attempt to redirect the topic but you also focused on how tech-savvy his friends were as well.

You hummed and agreed, trying to be ambiguous with your answer.

When you finished your dessert, you hoped he’d forget about his ‘friend’ Tony but to no avail.

“His penthouse is two floors above. He owns this hotel as well in case you didn’t notice.” He led you to the elevator as you recalled the Starks Group logo you saw earlier sometime.

Some AI named Jarvis opened the elevator doors for you in the living room of Tony’s penthouse. It was even more magnificent than the restaurant earlier, the place illuminated by several hues of different colours. Steve chuckled and strung you along, introducing you to a ginger-head named Pepper, who was Tony’s date earlier and went to search for his acquaintance.

She offered you wine but you politely declined, opting for water instead. She brought your glass to you from the extravagant kitchen and you both sat on the barstool there instead of the living room. Too anxious to say the wrong thing, you stayed quiet until her voice filled the deafening silence.

“So, Steve almost never brings dates around. You two serious?” She questioned, leaning towards you, waiting for some gossip, no doubt.

“Oh no! We aren’t dating. He just invited me for a friendly dinner. We merely met the other week.” You deliberately left out the part where there was bombing by crime families and attack on the common man.

“Honey, in the mob life, you don’t just introduce random people to the fam.”

Oh, she wasn’t being shy about the whole mob ordeal. It seemed weird to hear it from her, since you and Steve hadn’t used the word yet. Maybe he figured you already knew considering the circumstances you met in or how famous he was.

“We really aren’t romantically involved. This dinner was just a gesture of gratitude if I’m being truthful.”

She chuckled, as if you were a kid making stories and quizzed, “Gratitude for what?”

You trapped yourself into that one. You didn’t know how to answer her and your brain downright blanked. Surprisingly,, Steve came to your rescue and two voices interposed your conversation.

Steve called your name and as you turned to the men, he continued, “She’s the one who saved Sarah the other night. You know the story, Wilson probably got it printed.”

“Impressive, really. Hey, I’m Tony and I see you’ve already met Pepper, my fiancée.” He shook your hand and kissed your knuckles, much like Steve did earlier in the day. You bowed, smiled and mumbled a ‘nice to meet you as well’. They escorted you to the elevator and Tony continued.

“Well, it’s not everyday Steve brings brave and extraordinarily attractive women around. Welcome to the family, sweetie. She’s a keeper, Cap.” He winked while saying the last sentence and before you could correct him, Steve ushered you inside the elevator, bro-hugging him. As the doors closed, Pepper winked at you from behind Tony and a shudder ran through you.

Okay you had to make it clear, get on the same page.

As the elevator music filled the silence, you started, “Steve, look we aren’t-”, “I served in the army, that’s why Tony calls me Cap, short for captain.” And crudely got interrupted.

“I never wanted to get into the army, I thought people were fools to sacrifice the one life they got. But I went to make my mother’s dream a reality, I really loved her, you know? Sarah is named after her, my mother.”

His voice broke at the end and as much as you wanted to redirect onto your former topic, you couldn’t. This amiability of yours would be the death of you.

“She died alone in her bed; I was dispatched too far away to even make it back for her funeral.” He mumbled but you heard him clear as a sunny day, and he leaned back onto the wall for support while you awkwardly rubbed his shoulder to return the support he provided earlier during your mental breakdown.

He closed his eyes and gathered himself, taking deep breaths. As the elevator dinged, his eyes opened and he gave you a strained smile.  

The car ride to his mansion was painfully silent, his mind too sidetracked to focus on harassing you again. With all that you went through today, you almost forgot about that.

His mansion was enormous, twenty guards stood outside and even more patrolled the lawn. He took you inside his house, the interior even more detailed and scenic than Tony’s temporary residence.

You just concentrated on swiftly getting Grace and Uber-ing back. As Steve showed you earlier, Grace and Sarah hugged and slept and it was a meticulous task to untangle their limbs without waking either of them up andnd get Grace with her back-pack. You thanked Wanda on the way out, hoping to avoid Steve but somehow he stood outside before you, leaning on his sleek black car. He opened the door for you before you could refuse the ride. You settled with Grace in the backseat itself, trying to be smart.

He just summoned one of his guards to drive and sat alongside you in the back. You didn’t let the annoyance at his clinginess show though. You just focused on Grace who drooled over your shoulder.

Hopefully, there won’t be any point of exposure to him ever again, your circles didn’t match, both social and professional. Your Venn diagrams didn’t overlap anywhere. This should be reason enough to avoid meeting ever again.

He didn’t try anything even this ride around. You doubted it was hardly because of the toddler or because of the driver. He did as he pleased, if he wanted to he could very well grope you. Luckily, he wasn't in the mood.

When you reached your dwelling, you stepped out hastily, thanking him in a whisper. You fumbled to get your keys out, but since everything you held slowed you down, he caught up with you without even trying.

He took and held Grace’s bag while you drew the keys out, Grace still on your hip. He handed you the bag back, “So this is it, I guess?”

“Yeah, tonight was a total delight. Thanks for the dinner and everything, really.” You put up your best façade, hoping to convince him.

“It was, thanks to you. The company matters the most.”

You awkwardly chuckled and you sensed him leaning in, his eyes flickering shut. Your eyes closed as you turned your head to avoid him, so that his lips would peck your cheek.

They never came.

Your eyes opened to find his and he chuckled, leaning in once again swiftly, catching you off guard this time. He didn’t meet your lips though, he kissed the corner of your mouth, lips overlapping for a fraction of skin.

“In due time, baby.” He stepped back and strolled to his car leisurely, content in his own world.

You opened your door and slammed it shut, the peck feeling wrong on so many levels. It felt more sensual than a lover’s kiss, leaving room for intimacy and longing.

Your thoughts ran a hundred kilometers an hour, the most absurd but nauseatingly true being, this was a date and it was not your last encounter.

Steve smirked outside in his car, the dinner an absolute success in his opinion. Tonight just made him feel that you both were more than compatible for each other. You needing him during your mental breakdown, him relaxing under your shy touch, Tony’s approval, not that important though, and your anxiety for Grace was the best part, because he, more often than he’d like to admit, fussed about Sarah the same way, agonizing and fretting her well being.

A text lit up his black screen and his grin widened even more if possible.

‘The Stark cameras are up and working, Sir.’

[gohyuck]

the purge: society

pairing: firefighter!san x reader

genre: purge au, angst, some fluff

warnings: mentions of violence (especially violence against cops), murder, blood, injury, weapons (guns, knives, metal baseball bats)

word count: 2.4k

note: this was originally meant to be a drabble and it’s still pretty short so i didn’t get to elaborate on the characters but honestly maybe i’ll explore a purge universe with ateez someday because this was fun (i’ve never watched any of the movies though so i’ll have to get on that)

“What the fuck?” 

He hadn’t expected to see anyone left alive on this street.

“Shut up and get down,” You hiss, reaching your good arm up to grab onto the man’s jacket collar before unceremoniously pulling him towards you. He stumbles, falling gracelessly onto you. A scream bubbles up in your throat as he accidentally puts pressure onto your already free-bleeding bicep, but you get ahold of yourself just in time, only letting the quietest of wounded moans escape you. 

“You’re the first person that hasn’t tried to kill me before talking to me all night - oh, shit,” The stranger trails off, swearing when you effectively stop him from speaking further by placing your switchblade right under his skin. It’s only then that he even pauses to take you in: your back is up by the police car door, sure, and your left arm has a massive gash in it, but you’re armed. There’s a pistol laying idly in your lap, kept company by a metal baseball bat. 

Not to mention, the knife at his neck. 

“What the hell are you doing, walking around unarmed and with a first aid kit? Also, how the hell are you unarmed and with just a first aid kit? What the fuck?” You let the questions out in a rapidfire fashion, and he can’t help but clock the slight rasp in your voice. It’s easier to recognize than the pained wheeze you’re trying very, very hard to suppress, but neither escape him. He’s trained to notice the little things, anyways. 

“You need to bandage that shit up,” The man ignores your questions, moving his head just enough to miss your blade but also enough to be able to look you in the eyes. “How long has it been bleeding?”

“That’s none of your business,” You grit out. “Answer my questions or I’ll kill you right here and now.”

“If I answer yours, will you answer mine?” For some reason, he doesn’t seem to be panicking just yet. His gaze is sincere, but it’s too solid to be that of a bona fide idiot. You suck in a breath of air. Threatening him would be so much easier if he didn’t seem like a nice guy. It’s hard enough to live through the night, you don’t need guilt on your hands, and you know you’re going to feel guilty when you kill him. And you will kill him.

You need that first aid kit. You’ll do anything for it.

Anything, starting off with lying. 

“Sure,” You reply, steeling yourself for any sudden movements he might make now that you’re faking amicability. Maybe he’ll believe you to be vulnerable and try for your pistol or your bat, or maybe he’ll be properly cruel and finish off your arm. You don’t want to think about it. He lets out a sigh of relief, and you can’t help but wonder if you’ve actually affected him after all. “Now speak.”

“Not unarmed, there’s a police-issue pistol in my jacket and a tactical knife in my jeans. I’m not totally nuts. First aid kit’s for my buddy, though, I’ll be real, you need it way more than him.” There’s something resembling concern in his expression as his eyes flit between your torn arm and your face, but that barely interests you. You haven’t truly registered anything after ‘police-issue’.

You lean in, pressing the edge of your knife against the skin directly above his adam’s apple. For the first time since you’d cornered him, your mystery purger’s breath hitches. His eyebrows draw together in confusion. It’s no matter. You no longer regret the fact that you’ll have to tear his jugular out yourself. 

“You’re a hog, huh,” You stare him down, any sympathy you might’ve had gone. For a moment, it seems as if he has no concept of what you’re saying. A second passes, though, and his gaze clears. 

“Firefighter,” He responds, though the word is garbled due to him attempting to keep his movements to a minimum. You pull back slightly, very slightly, to let him explain. “I… found a dead cop, jacked his pistol. I’ll show you my ID, if you want.” 

“Let me see it.” You nod your head at him as if giving him permission to live a little longer, though you both know full well that identity theft and identity fabrication are legal, too. Might as well see how much effort he puts into a fake. The man waits until you pull back just a bit more, enough to let him slowly reach his hand into his back pocket before producing a lanyard. 

You grab it out of his grip with your hurt arm, not willing to move your knife too far away from his throat. You simply don’t have a good enough read on - you glance down - San Choi, ACT Firefighter, Employee ID: 018-102-4 to allow yourself any leeway with him. 

His gently smiling face stares up at you from the plastic card, protected only by a clear sleeve connected to a red lanyard. San’s photo has black hair and an undercut, styled so his forehead is on display. A pair of dimples makes a guest appearance, and, overall, he seems like a genuinely sweet guy. The ID looks real, too, so maybe you aren’t totally fucked. 

The San under your knife has bleach blond hair that almost falls over his eyes, though you suppose you can’t blame him for skipping out on the hair product tonight. He seems slightly tanner than his photo, his skin beautiful even now as dust from the aftermath of the explosion starts to settle against it. 

Right. The explosion. 

Recalling the events leading up to you meeting San forces you to remember that you have a gaping, bloody gash in your left arm. You’re honestly lucky to be alive, having ducked and used the car you’re against for cover from flying debris after a building down the block had exploded. You’d just finished driving your knife into a cop’s side - third cop of the night, eighth of your career as a purge cop killer - to make sure that he was dead when you’d heard the bomb go off, and you’d dropped before even thinking about it. Something had hit your arm on the way down, and when the adrenaline had finally left your system, you’d taken note of your blood-soaked sleeve. 

You’d closed the car door after that, sealing your third murder of the night in the vehicle just so you could lean up against the door. It had been 6:31 in the morning then, and you had figured that someone would come by and kill you in the last moments before legality ensued again. You’d assumed that you’d fight, of course you would, but your arm being totally fucked definitely put a damper on your belief in your ability to overcome anyone or anything else. 

Instead of the disgruntled, trigger-happy purger you’d expected to eventually find, though, you’d been found by San Choi. San Choi, who’s currently staring at your wounded arm like it’s grown eyes and can stare back. 

“Come on, let me fix it up,” He pleads, lifting the kit up with the hand that’s farther from you. “You might not trust me, or whatever, but the purge is about to end as it is. I have a paramedic friend, Seonghwa, who’s taught me the basics of -”

“Shut the fuck up.” You tell him, though you’re quickly losing your bite. He obeys regardless. God, your arm really, really fucking hurts. Before pulling your knife back, you check the watch on your wrist. 6:47. Stay alive for 13 more minutes, 780 more seconds. You’ll be fine. You take the shakiest breath you’ve ever taken. 

You pull your knife away from him. 

Nothing happens. 

“I’m going to use an alcohol free wipe and then wrap gauze around your arm, okay? You’ll just have to hold out until we can get you to a working hospital after that,” San speaks as if he’s talking to a child, or a scared animal, and you can’t blame him. He doesn’t seem like a purger, but you technically are one. You wouldn’t put it past yourself to attack on a whim if you were him. He, very slowly and with his hands in your full view at all times, opens the kit and pulls out the requisite materials. 

“Gonna need you to rip your sleeve off above the cut.” He continues, leaning back as you bring your knife up to your clothes and slit the cloth right above your wound. You tear the remainder of the sleeve off your arm before throwing it behind you somewhere. San gently grabs ahold of your elbow - his palm is calloused in a way that tells you he lifts regularly, and you’re sure of this as he discards his jacket and you watch the muscles ripple in his arms under his thin black shirt - and places the wipe against your cut. 

Your reaction is instantaneous: now that you’re completely past the adrenaline stage, the feeling of something, anything against the gash has you reeling to cry out. Before you can even process that you’ve made a sound, a hand presses hard against the back of your head, shoving your mouth against San’s. 

He doesn’t know how else to shut you up. 

His lips are chapped, but the sensation of being kissed so suddenly jars you out of your pain. San attempts to pull back, and you can already feel the apologetic wince he’s about to give you, but he brushes over your wound with the wipe again and your pain doubles back. It’s you that pulls him in this time, pressing your lips to his sloppily but forcefully as if it’ll alleviate the burn in your arm. 

Kissing him only slightly muffles you at best, but you no longer care. The purge isn’t over yet. You could both die at any second. Hell, San could kill you at any second. His hand moves from the back of your head to cup your face as he leans in towards you to deepen the kiss. His lips are chapped, yes, but they’re soft. He tastes like mint and copper: there’s a cut in his lower lip. You don’t mind. 

San pulls away for a moment, but only does so to grab the gauze from the kit. Once he’s wrapped it around your arm once, twice, thrice, he leans back in and your mouth accepts his own eagerly, your other hand coming up to drape over his shoulder. Neither of you know why you’re doing this, kissing a stranger with such fervor as one of you bandages the other up, but you both know that there’s really nothing else to do. 

It’s only after he finishes taping you up that the two of you pull away fully. His eyes are still just as kind as you’d thought them to be at first, though his lips are far more swollen than they’d been mere minutes prior. You admire your handiwork, eyes tracing his features as he admires his own, thumb very, very gently running over your gauze. Both of you raise your heads to smile sheepishly at each other at the exact same time.

Three things happen in rapid succession. 

“Good?” San’s voice is barely above a whisper, a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. Just as you’re about to speak - 

“San!” A voice, low and hoarse, interrupts you, and you look up to see the barrel of a gun pointed directly at the space between your eyes. You’re frozen in place for a split second before you start reaching for your own pistol. Your fingers brush the grip when - 

The clock strikes seven, and sirens go off all around you, signalling the end of the purge. 

The gun is out of your face. Your hand moves off of your own.

“San,” The owner of the gun pays you no mind, suddenly, his entire focus on San. The gun-owner reaches a hand out, and the firefighter beside you takes it, allowing himself to get pulled up to his feet. “You okay?” 

“Yeah, Yunho, I’m totally good,” San responds, giving the taller man a cat-like grin of reassurance. Yunho’s got a fireman’s helmet on, and you suppose it’s good as protection. He must be a fellow firefighter, then. He’s tall, and though he’d seemed nothing short of severe mere moments ago, he seems softer, kinder now that the purge is over. The transformation is enough to give you whiplash. His right hand is wrapped in bandages, and this catches San’s sight at the same time it catches your own. “What the hell happened to you, though?” 

“That policeman you killed had buddies,” Yunho replies with ease, but you don’t miss San’s wince. Seems like he hadn’t just happened upon that police-issue pistol. You can’t help the small grin that fights to make its way across your face. “They tried to get into the station, we had to fortify ourselves. We’re mostly fine, just that Woo’s lost a finger. He’ll live once he stops whining about it. We were mostly worried about you, honestly, taking fucking forever just to find a first aid kit. Who’s this?”

Yunho moves the topic of conversation over to you so naturally that you barely even realize what has happened before San is reaching a hand out to you to pull you up to a standing position. You grab ahold of your pistol, though you shove the bat off your lap before allowing yourself to be brought up. Without thinking, you practically plaster yourself to San’s side. Now that he’s for sure what he told you he was, and now that you’re no longer in danger of dying, you can’t help but feel inexplicably connected to him even though neither of you know each other. San wraps an arm around your waist naturally, and neither of you miss Yunho’s eyebrow raise. Neither of you acknowledge it, either. 

“This?” San asks rhetorically, turning his head slightly to look at you. He’s smiling again, and you find that you want to see it more often. Maybe you’re experiencing the onset of delirium. You hope not. “This is…” 

“(Name),” You reply, being honest. There’s no need for you to lie. Besides, you owe San answers, right? You stick your uninjured arm out, letting Yunho shake your hand. San’s grip tightens around your waist. 

“I’m (Name).”

[mandareeboo]

SU Music Rankings

Bc I can and I wanna start some Disk Horse rip. These are all in order of preference, with explanations, etc. It’s a long bitch. That said, I’m not counting little short jingles or small joke songs like Little Butler. This is the meat and potatoes of SU music- just under 30 songs. I might do the rest if people like my takes lol.

I scored it mostly on three bases- how dear it was to my heart, how much/often I relisten to it, and also what it means to the plot. That said, little fun songs don’t automatically go farther down than big, plot-heavy songs either! It’s a strange little balance.

Special Note: I don’t dislike any of this music! I love SU and that includes its bumps and glitches. I just pick favorite children lol.

1.) Change

Was there ever a more Steven moment than when he wiped the blood off his face and kissed it into sparkles? I think not. 

If “Be Wherever You Are” is an ode to young Steven, then this is teen Steven’s. Talking about change, and how much and how little it can do. How he holds his arms up for Spinel to hug him, so trusting. How he seems able to just. Break into soft tears at will, and not to be manipulative- it’s just his kind nature. The warmth in his voice. Fuck yesssss.

2.) Change Your Mind

This song is only fifty five seconds and it’s EVERYTHING to me. It really felt like someone was speaking the words I’d always held deep inside of me, unsure of how to say. It feels like a goodbye to someone who never really loved me. 

As much as I enjoyed Future, if this was the finale of SU, I would’ve been perfectly okay with that.

3.) Drift Away

This song gave me legitimate shivers the first time I heard it, and it still haunts me to this day. Spinel stayed, and waited, and all she got was a transmission thousands of years later. Fuck.

4.) Here We Are In The Future

THE MOVIE IS SU AS ITS BEST AND I WON’T BE SWAYED ON IT. Steven being a teen who loves his weird family but is growing just a bit sarcastic to their drama. The adorable love he and Connie share. His slow realization that he will always be working, always have things to do, is both somber and real. The Crystal Gems won’t be safe with one epic battle. They’ll be safe with years of hard work and love. HIS LITTLE HANDSHAKE WITH AMETHYST.

This is a helluva bop and a great way to summarize the main character’s backstories.

5.) Let’s Only Think About Love

Did ya’ll know that Zach Callison killed his throat with that last note? He gave his all for this performance in a vocal range he no longer comfortably do and by god did it SHINE. The FLAIR. The FORESHADOWING. All of the Gems all being awkward about Rose and Steven trying to bring them to the present. Peridot having a mini-existential crisis in a cute yellow dress. I love Zach Callison’s normal singing voice but man is that a fucking bop. Nothing will ever beat it.

6.) Here Comes A Thought

This bad boy helped me out a LOT with some mental issues I was dealing with in high school. I was unmedicated, unsupervised, and full of anxiety. I’d have break downs when I tried to speak about certain things. I couldn’t function. This song inspired me. It helped me feel okay with my intrusive thoughts.

And the episode! -chef’s kiss-. Once again bringing up the morally gray area of training child soldiers. Connie expanding her social group. Steven’s trauma hauling ass in that second half. The ANIMATION. Stevonnie’s gorgeous singing voice. GOD yes.

7.) It’s Over Isn’t It?

Just barely squeaking above Stronger Than You, this ballad is everything gorgeous. The whole episode is. I think Mr. Greg stands in the top five of my episodes for the entire show. It even got nominated!

There’s just so much about this song that I love. The gentle melancholy of Pearl’s voice. How the crew had to redo the shots for this bit bc Deedee went so fucking hard. The hard cuts between Pearl, remembering the love of her life, and Steven, who has begun to feel like he took her away. I’d recommend this song to anyone, regardless of what they do or don’t know about SU, simply bc it tugs so many heartstrings of love, loss, and responsibility.

8.) Stronger Than You

Did you realize this episode aired SEVEN years ago? This bitch was what got me into SU! Hearing about Ruby and Sapphire made my little gay heart so happy inside, and then getting a whole song confirming that they were a couple, that their love powered the strongest Gem on the team? Aaaaaaaaa

To this DAY I get excited when I hear Estelle start singing. This song is timeless. This song will live in media history. God I fucking love this song.

9.) Other Friends

I’m not the biggest musical person, so I hadn’t heard of Sarah Stiles before her casting as Spinel, but JESUS CHRIST the lady went hard. She went SO fucking hard. Sarah Stiles started on 100 and somehow just kept CLIMBING. You can just hear the sheer manic energy building in her voice, the anger and resentment. 10/10 Sarah Stiles is a queen.

10.) Independent Together

This made the list entirely bc the crew was like “you’re gonna get a himbo ass Steven-Greg fusion singing with Opal while Garnet flies across the moon on Lion while floating” and I am forever thankful to them for it

11.) Who We Are

Bismuth deserved more songs. ‘Nuff said.

12.) Peace and Love (On the Planet Earth)

It Could’ve been Great is EASILY one of my favorite s2 episodes. I love the entire concept of this song. Of Steven making music to reflect how much Earth means to him and his family. Of him teaching Peridot some self-care. Also Peridot’s singing voice is really cute and squeaky. 

I know it’s silly, but I would’ve really enjoyed a flip around of this in Future! Like Peridot reminding Steven how much he loves music, that he needs to take time to relax for himself, maybe with a new verse or just a remix of the original song!

13.) Something Entirely New

I watched this episode as it aired, and I legitimately almost cried. I love Charlyne Yi’s voice so much ya’ll- her raspy, not perfect singing voice against Sapphire’s deep soothing lull is great.

And to have Ruby and Sapphire’s meeting be the way it was- for Ruby to bemoan Sapphire losing Homeworld, to being stuck with a single Ruby, while Sapphire is a noble who has always been taught everyone in her “caste” is vitally important (and has, in her own mind, taken that to mean every Gem, as she should) and how they come together and make each other happy. Good shit good shit.

14.) I’m Just a Comet

The fact that Greg’s music career never really blasted off pisses me off to this day bc Tom Scharpling’s voice is fucking BUTTER. Also the song really feels like a jab at his parents now that we know the kind of dynamic he had growing up. “This life in the stars if all I’ve ever known” is definitely him wiping away their existence after reminding them (and himself) the things they used to say about him.

15.) Do It For Her

This episode. This fucking episode. This episode got me permanently hooked on SU. I’d just binged season 1 and was kinda meh about it overall after the bop of Stronger Than You. “Oh,” I thought to myself, foolishly, “I’ll probably just casually watch this from time to time.”

Like three days later Sworn to the Sword aired and that was it. I was hooked! Pearl’s gentle training song turning darker and darker, Connie’s accompaniment from nervous to determined to fully into such a toxic mindset. The fact that SU had the BALLS to discuss the repercussions of training child soldiers, now and later. This episode was everything to me, STILL is everything to me.

Six years and well over 100 fanfics written later, I think it’s safe to say this show swallowed me whole and never let go.

16.) System/Boot.pearl_final(3)

I debated putting this on the list because it’s not anything crazy important, just a way to show things are Wrong, but I had to do it entirely bc Pearl is so damn SALTY.

Like telling us about the Gems makes sense, she felt like she was given a duty, but she went so damn petty. WHY is that Ruby alone. Gross. This Amethyst is a trash dump. Wtf are you people.

17.) Full Disclosure

This episode really feels like a turning point for SU. Before, the show had its dark moments- but now we’re in the thick of it, and it’s not going away. Full Disclosure felt like an rebuff to the idea of returning to any normal we’d established in season 1. Gems are actually a giant species now. Gems tried to kill us now. There’s this Yellow Diamond bitch who got namedropped. Something about a Cluster. 

The song itself is BALLER, with its ingenious use of Steven’s ringtone and photos as he tries to decide whether to clue in Connie on all this nonsense. Meanwhile we, the audience, already know damn well Connie about to yeet some common sense into him.

18.) What’s the Use of Feeling Blue?

I’mma admit it- I’m a Yellow Diamond stan. I’ve always loved her- her anger, her poise, her hardworking nature. I actively argued against the “Yellow Shattered Pink” theories back in the day. But, man, when this arc leaked? I got so overexcited I was too jittery to watch it for like two days. It’s easily my favorite arc of the series. The sheer alien nature of the zoo, the Famethyst, and absolutely Patti Lupone’s beautiful ballad. Goddamn. Yellow singing to Blue to try and help her regain her old status, the warble in her voice as she reminds Blue she misses Pink too, the movement of the bubbles as she talks about attack. It gives me shivers to this day. FUCK.

19.) Tower of Mistakes

This is, fun fact, that only SU song I have completely memorized. The story itself is kinda funny! See, we lost internet at my house for a solid 5 to 6 months when these episodes aired, so I only got a very brief window to view them all. But this was the first Amethyst song in a long while, and I didn’t want to forget it! So I keep replaying it in my head for ages. And that’s still definitely a thing.

Anyway will never not be sad that this entire song was about making it up to Garnet for Amethyst’s perceived slights with Sugilite (which was a two-way road), only for Garnet to pressure her into fusion later when pissed and never discuss it again bc Garnet probably never thought twice about it and Amethyst has the emotional openness of a clam that’s just been told its ugly. Helluva way to make someone feel like shit, G. Helluva way to bottle that shit, Ames.

20.) On the Run

I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a million times: Amethyst! Needed! More! Songs! 

The dichotomy between Steven’s play and Amethyst’s honest desire to run away from home is so well-done, especially when you consider a lot of Steven and Amethyst’s actions are playing together. The song is also near and dear to me simply bc it’s my favorite Amethyst episode to exist (well, maybe second to What’s Your Problem, but not by much). Moments like these are all the proof I need that they were right to fuse first.

21.) Be Wherever You Are

This tune really just feels like an ode to who Steven was as a kid. Trapped on an island with no way home, and he’s just happy to be with his friends. The stars are beautiful and not oppressive. Also that one animatic with Lars and the Off Colors playing in the Homeworld Kindergarten to this music was iconic and made this song get stuck in my head for a solid month.

22.) Familiar

I ADORE how the crew use bright neon colors to show how alien Homeworld can be. And Steven recognizing that the Diamonds treat him how the CGs used to, and how prepared he is to “fix” a broken family. It’s a soft, gentle tune about melancholy. Also the Pebbles are beautiful.

23.) Let Me Drive My Van Into Your Heart

Such a cute little love ballad, but every time I listen to it now I just imagine the heart attack Rose must’ve had at the line “And if we look out of place/Well, baby, that's okay/I'll drive us into outer space.” like there’s a Vietnam war flashback if I ever heard one

24.) What Can I Do?

I’m kind of neutral on this one? Rose and Greg both have great voices, but the song itself lacks many lyrics. I think it was definitely a good way to show Rose’s flaws in thinking.

Also, I’m shocked they managed cram that much vaguely sexual innuendo into two minutes, followed by how Not Hetereo that dance between Rose and Pearl was, and not get their asses chewed by it. You go guys.

25.) Cookie Cat

I love a lot of the vibes this song has. The lyrics are so damn prophetic, but they also sound like the kind of weird 90s commercials I grew up on. It’s been like two decades since I saw the Shirley Temple commercial but I’ll be damned if I don’t remember “Animals crackers in my soup! Monkey and rabbits loop-de-loop.”

26.) Giant Woman

I am. NOT the biggest fan of Steven’s original singing voice. I feel bad saying that, since it was just Zach Callison as a kid, but he never jived well with me for some reason. So I wouldn’t listen to this on the fly. 

The song itself is still really good though, with all sorts of fun animation of Amethyst and Pearl being bitchy to each other. It’s a bit sad in hindsight to see tiny Steven trying to get his moms to get along. Ahh, season 1.

27.) Strong in the Real Way

This song has SUCH a strong start. Pearl reflecting on Sugilite’s problems, but the show making sure to show us that Pearl’s lack of enthusiasm towards her also lends itself to jealousy as well as just general malaise. How much she cares about Steven, and wants him to grow up strong. 

And then Steven just kinda. Ruins it? I appreciate his enthusiasm for tryna bulk up but to take what was starting as such a rich, personal song and broadcasting it to random strangers just makes me a bit sad. Almost a bit angry on her behalf?

28.) That Distant Shore

I KNOW this is gonna create some discourse, but I’m just not the biggest Lapis stan. I love her voice. I love the visuals of the song. And I get why she felt afraid and needed to flee.

But Lapis never got to take responsibility for her own actions. And, in the end, the song feels hollow to me- because we all know she’ll never talk to anyone about it, know she’ll burst back in and destroy the barn, and no one will ever question it. I like Lapis a lot, but I feel like her arc never was fully finished. She never got help. She never learned to feel safe.

29.) Dear Old Dad

I’ve yet to meet a single human being who likes this episode tbh. There’s some great discussion about what kind of parent Greg is from it, and what kind of dynamic he has with the Gems that he felt he had to fake an injury to hang out with his son. Honestly the first half was fine and dandy. It’s just that then they Greg just went out of his way to drag Steven away from missions and such. It never jived well with his character before or after.

Also, is it just me, or does Zach himself sound like he hates the song as he sings it? There’s no passion or heart in his voice. It sounds like they told him to read off cue cards and he did. Tom Scharpling’s best attempts didn’t save this one for being a skipper. But the episode, unfortunately, isn’t, so it gets a spot on here.

[writing-in-april]

Soured Nostalgia

Spencer Reid x Female Reader

Summary: When Reader moves their stuff in to Spencer’s apartment they find photos that he kept over the years. One photo of the past springs up memories of Spencer’s precious relationship with Elle.

A/N: hey heeeyyy everybody- here’s a fic I’ve been really excited to share with everyone. It’s my eleventh fic for my 30 fics in 30 days!!! This was the original request (I made it a little different lol I hope you like it)I had a fun time with it mostly cause I totally think Spencer and Elle had something going on at some point 😉 Plus I got to incorporate older angsty post prison Spencer and mention how he used to be a little baby ☺️ I’m curious to hear y’all’s thoughts about the Reidaway ship, or really anything so feel free to drop an ask to my inbox here. Thanks for reading and hope you enjoy!

Warnings: 18+, Smut, Joking about being jealous???, Reidaway in the past, Spencer being sad about the people who’ve left him, Sub Spencer, Only a bit of dry sex, Masturbation, Unprotected sex, Use of a belt to restrain, A few taps on the cheek, Reader’s hand is around Spencer’s throat for a second

Main Masterlist Word Count: 3.2k

Reminiscing on the past was difficult depending on how the story had ended. Memories that may have been happy could turn too painful because of the ending result. Age turned the memories into unreliable accounts as well, unable to truly remember how things had been back then and how you had truly felt.

Memories were still something to hold onto and cherish even though they got twisted with age and opinion. Nostalgia, a sentimental or wishful affection for the past, was an addictive feeling even if it made you cry. It remained addictive even if most of your past memories had hurt you with no sentiment attached. Everyone always chased the euphoric feelings they had when looking at the ghosts of their past. Sometimes even when looking back you can find something that had once soured had turned sweet again.

Spencer had many memories that he was no longer able to look back upon for a host of reasons. Most often it was because he could no longer bear to look back on a memory of someone who had left him. Whether it was his Dad, Gideon, Hotch, Blake, Elle, and many others, looking back at them just made him often feel like everyone in his entire life had left him.

That wasn’t true of course, he still had his Mom- and you. Even with his Mom there were still many of his memories with her were still stained with guilt, though that had gotten better with time and with your help.

You had begun helping him find the benefit in looking back, trying to make the soured nostalgia a bit sweeter again. It was getting easier as time ticked by for him to open up to you about everything in his past, the good and the bad. At first you had been staring at a wall that he had been building higher and higher throughout the years, it was daunting how tall it was. When you helped take a sledgehammer to it, making it crumble beneath your effort, he pulled away for a while. He felt comfortable by himself behind his own Great Wall until you showed him the benefits of sharing the secrets he held behind it. But, you still stayed, helping him as much as you could until he was willing to open up.

It had been many months since you started your effort to help him break it down. At some point in the last months you had both fallen into a relationship, a romantic one. What had once been a platonic relationship forged from shared interests evolved into a romance emerging from the rubble of his wall.

He had even given you a key to his apartment at one point, which he had never done with anyone except the bureau. Emily was the one that really had it, but that was strictly for work reasons. This was a show of trust which was much more helpful than his wall that had reached the heights of a skyscraper.

A simple key soon turned into you staying at his place more often than at your own. You had casually mentioned one day while watching one of Spencer’s favorite documentaries that you basically lived here now. It was a true statement, most of the clothes you wore on a daily basis had been given a spot in his dresser and the toothbrush you kept there was not the one you used for travel- that one was at your place. You had begun to put your mark on Spencer’s life in a more permanent way than before.

When he had spontaneously suggested the next day that you should move in with him, you knew that your small comment had stuck in his brain. It was easy to agree to, you had said you basically already lived here, plus living with the love of your life sounded like a dream. You only had a few things that you wanted to bring over and it was mostly decorative stuff that you could’ve let go if Spencer hadn’t insisted that he wanted you to make the space your own.

While turning the space that was once solely Spencer’s into something for you both, you had found a small clear box with a blue lid, filled with pictures. Spencer didn’t have a lot of personal pictures framed, there was one with you and him by the bed, one with the team by his desk, one with him and Morgan on the living room wall, and one with you two and his Mom also hung up in the living room.

When you had shown him the box he could tell you were curious, letting you look through it without a moment of hesitation. In the past Spencer would have been wary sharing his memories with you, but now he’d let you look. If only you could get him to look at the box with you.

You weren’t surprised he didn't want to look with you once you saw the people littered throughout the snapshots. Varying people that had left were in most of them, even some you never met.

Ones with Hotch and Gideon- even one from a long time ago with his father buried at the bottom. As you browsed through them you were glad he was able to hang up that photo of him and Morgan, at least they had parted with some closure. It also helped that he still saw him regularly, he had never fully left like some of the people from his past.

One picture in particular stood out to you, it was another team photo, they seemed more carefree in this one compared to now. There was baby Spencer, before you had known him, in a birthday boy hat smiling with the rest of the team. You guessed it was around his 23rd or 24th birthday, going by the slick back gelled hair he had sported in his earlier years. He seemed so much more different back then, perhaps more carefree compared to now. But, he also seemed much more unsure of himself, maybe a bit self conscious. In the photo you could tell he was nervous, just by the look in his eyes. He still had that same look in his eyes whenever he felt nervous.

Then you looked closer at where his eyes were focused on, there was a clear line of sight from him to Elle. Elle was way less nervous in this captured moment compared to Spencer, though from what you had heard she had always been like that.

Your gaze on the photo was broken when Spencer then came into the living room where you were sitting on the couch.

You decided to test the waters to see if he might want to take a look at the photo with you, “Why do you look so nervous in this photo?”

He stopped the path he had been taking, then stood still for a second before deciding to sit next to you on the couch. Straining his neck he gazed over at the photo you were holding in your hands. It was silent for a while as he looked over it, stopping to look at his old team. Some of the team still remained intact, namely JJ, but she wasn’t the same as she had been all those years ago. You let him take it from your hands, so he could look at it closer. He cleared his throat a little, though his voice still came out slightly raspy when he spoke, though he didn’t answer the question you had asked him,“It’s the only picture I ever had taken with Elle…”

“I know you guys were- close.” You didn’t ask your previous question again, sensing that it was still too much to talk about in specifics. What he was telling you right now was even more than what he told you, only telling you that she was his first, everything. Any supplemental information was from talking discreetly to JJ about it one night because you were somewhat curious.

Tiptoeing around the relationship you knew that they had previously was like walking through a minefield. You tried the best that you could to avoid making him too upset. When you got him to open up, it wasn’t by forcing him to talk all at once. Busting the wall down was done brick by brick, not all at once.

“I’m glad you aren’t jealous of her.” His comment was said with less sadness than before. It was nice to see a glimpse of the weight coming off of his shoulders, even if it was just for a moment.

“What? Do you want me to be jealous of her?” You teased, lightheartedly so he wouldn’t dwell on the sad aspect of their past relationship. He smiled softly which deepened when you playfully stuck your tongue out and crossed your arms.

“No- you’ve got nothing to be jealous about…” Any playfulness in his voice was erased as his sentence trailed off. You didn’t say anything for a moment in case he wanted to continue his thought. And, after a moment of silence he did, “I haven’t spoken to her since she left…”

“I know- I was just joking about being jealous. I know how much she meant to you…” His eyes moved away from you, at first you thought it might be because he was still feeling the pain of losing her all those years ago. But, there was something else in his eyes, it naturally made you curious, “What are you thinking about?”

“If you were jealous- what would you have done?” His mind must have shifted away from thinking about the ending of his memories with Elle, which was a step in the right direction. At least he wasn’t avoiding the topic all together, he was still talking about her in a sense.

You bit your lip, thinking about what direction you could take this in. You weren’t going to lie, your mind had gone straight into the gutter at his suggestion and by the look on Spencer’s face so had his.

“Hmmm…” You pretended to ponder while you moved from where you were sitting on the couch to sit on something better, Spencer’s lap. Straddling him then with ease you looked down at his face tracing his cheeks with your fingers. His pupils were blown wide now, almost completely devouring his iris that had become a small ring. He didn’t say anything yet, waiting for you to continue your thought obediently, “I think I would do things to you that I suspect she never did.”

He gulped hard, hard enough that you could hear it. You continued to trace your fingers along his face, sometimes picking a lock of his hair to twirl, waiting for him to say something else like you knew he wanted to. It only took a few more seconds of your touches and your eyes staring into his own before he asked, “C-Can you show me?”

You stopped your movements, pausing for dramatic effect before crushing his lips onto your own. He squared into your mouth at first, clearly taken off guard by your sudden kiss. Before he had processed what was going on enough to let you, you forced your tongue into his mouth, earning you a delicious moan from him.

When you moved again suddenly, separating your mouth with his for just a moment, he tried to chase your lips. Pushing a finger to his lips you then used that to push him back into the couch, then answering his question, “Gladly.”

You kept your finger on his mouth to seal them shut. He could have opened it easily to respond to you, but he wanted to see what you might do next.

Instead of going back to kissing him you started to pull his belt off of him. It was difficult with one hand, taking much longer than it would be with two. But, you still kept your finger rested in the position most people use to shush someone.

Once the belt had finally been pulled from the belt loops of his slacks you finally removed your finger from his mouth. He still remained quiet, his eyes following your every move intently. You then went to work, pinning his hands above his head, then beginning to restrain them with his belt.

“Did she do this to you?” Goading him while you looped the belt around his hands. You made sure to go as slow as possible while you restrained him just to make it last longer until you gave him what he wanted. You even began to grind down on his cock a little bit, it obviously ached to be free from its confines in his trousers by how strained the slacks were getting.

“No!” His voice was broken and breathy, exactly how you wanted it as you tightened the belt around his hand a little more.

Once you were satisfied that the belt was tight enough you got off of him to remove the shorts you had been wearing, along with the rest of your clothes. Normally when you were naked and Spencer was clothed it would be when you were underneath him as a sort of power play. In this position, where he couldn’t move without fear of consequences while you restraddled him completely naked was almost even more empowering.

To play with the dynamic even more you had him remain confined in his slacks for a while longer, while you touched yourself. You were already quite wet from seeing Spencer in this position and exerting that power by pumping your fingers in you while he could do nothing had you dripping onto his slacks.

Spencer’s jaw had gone slack while watching you moan above him, completely speechless from your actions. It was almost comical and entirely too easy to tease him about, “Close your mouth you might catch flies.” His mouth clenched shut at that. It soon fell slack again at your next words while you brought yourself closer to the edge with your fingers, “What? Did she never do this for you?”

All Spencer could do was sit there and take it, shaking his head side to side, only a little so he could keep his eyes on you. You decided to be merciful, pulling your fingers out of you just before you orgasmed. You wanted to finish at the same time as him anyway.

Finally, you pulled his aching cock out of his slacks. It was throbbing in your hand as you spread your wetness with the fingers that had been inside you. Because you had edged yourself earlier, you couldn’t take teasing him any longer. You lined the head of his cock that was red and weeping up to your entrance, sinking down as fast as you could take him. While you sunk down you rubbed your clit in slow circles, not enough to make you orgasm, but enough to make it easier to take him.

Once you had fully taken him you wasted no time, immediately beginning to build up a fast pace. And, of course you couldn’t help but goad him again,

“Did she make you feel this good?” Your pace you had chosen was rough, bouncing and rolling your hips with reckless abandon while he had to take it without being able to move. He could have thrusted up into you even without the use of his hands, but he had one too many of your punishments in the past to be willing to break the rules so explicitly. Now if he ever broke the rules now it was him subtly bending them. Though, you could tell by the way his eyes rolled back into his head that he had no intention of doing that tonight. It felt too good to be used like this by you.

He still had not answered you though, not on purpose, but you still needed an answer. Tapping his cheek a few times, just hard enough to get his attention. It caused him to whine, but he still didn’t give you an answer. Since that didn’t work you decided to ask again, “I asked you a question. Did she make you feel this good? Did she use you like this?”

To add an extra edge to your words filled with a deadly tone you reached one of your hands forward to grasp around his neck. To make him look at you directly you forcefully tilted his neck, eyes once again trained on yours. He finally found it in himself to answer, “It felt good with her, but it feels best with you! I love you!”

“Good.” You simply stated and dropped your hold on his neck so you could return it to its place on his chest, using it as leverage to help you continue your fast pace. Your orgasm was fast approaching, his cock hitting you in the perfect spot, all you needed was a bit more stimulation. When you brought your hand down to run fast circles onto your clit, you soon fell apart above him. Spencer couldn’t help but look up at you in awe, speechless at how beautiful you look while you writhed on top of him.

Your own release pushed Spencer close to the edge and he started to beg, “I’m gonna cum! Please, can I?”

His hands had tightened into fists above him, knuckles going white over the effort of keeping them right where you had placed them originally. You were pleased with the way he had begged, glad that he had asked permission before even thinking about cumming. You still left him in suspense for a bit longer as you continued to work yourself on his painfully hard cock. Pressing a few kisses to his exposed skin under his collar was admittedly just to torture him a bit longer before you finally gave the command.

“Cum for me then.” Spencer followed your command eagerly, taking only two more of you bouncing on top of him to release inside you with a groan. While he rode out his release his lips captured around one of your pebbled peaks, sucking hard to get one last moan out of you.

Slumping forward after you had both finished and you had taken the belt off his wrists with the promise you’d lotion them up after you cuddled. You rested your head on his shoulder, wanting to stay as close as possible for a little while longer. He started tracing his fingers up and down your spine, relaxing you even further, almost to the point of falling asleep.

Before your eyes closed shut in post coital sleepiness your mind wandered a bit back to Elle. Elle had been an important figure in his life, his first real connection with someone special. Sure you teased about being jealous, but you thought it was important to tell him that you were ok with him thinking back on her. You knew he loved you. It most likely would take time till he was able to think or talk about her without a sharp pain in his chest, reminding him of how it all ended.

He hadn’t told you exactly what had happened, but it wasn’t hard to fill in all of the gaps. You turned your head, eyelashes fluttering when you nuzzled into his hair. Then you spoke quietly just enough so the sound could travel the short distance to his ear, “You should frame the picture, you look cute in it. And, I meant to say it earlier, I love you too.”

Ask Me Anything

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