#and like I said. if that happens I'll do what I can from here

[shanastoryteller]

Happy birthdaymonth Shana! Hope you have awesome birthday 🎂🥳 Would love some Psych, either Lassie (Shassie) centred or a contiuation of the abduction one!

a continuation of 1 2 3

He lost his son five years ago.

Henry tries support groups at Karen's urging, the warning about what's likely to happen to him if he doesn't get the drinking under control unspoken but clear. He wonders if Fenich said something to her and tries not to feel too resentful about it. The groups don't do shit, just push him into a rage that reminds him too much of his grandfather. He cuts back on the drinking enough that no one can smell it on him anymore and that appears to be enough, thank god.

His job is all that he has left. And he still would have lost that if it weren't for Gus.

It was only a few months after Shawn went missing. Maddy was off on some work trip, saying the break would be good for them. Henry had mostly resigned himself to the divorce. He'd drank too much that night like he always did and when the doorbell had pierced through his pounding head he'd groaned and rolled off the couch. He stumbled to his feet and lurched over to the door, yanking it open in a desperation to make the doorbell stop. He looks down with bleary eyes and sees Gus standing in front of him, wide eyed. "You here for Shawn?" he yawns, already nudging the door open out of habit before he remembers.

Shawn's gone.

Gus swallows then nods. He'd stopped talking. The Gusters have already gone through two therapists. His sister insists he still talks to her, but it's possible she's just covering for him.

"What do you mean?" he asks, expecting Gus to take out the pen and notebook he's always carrying around with him. He needs to call his parents since they definitely don't know he's here. Ever since Shawn went missing, the Gusters haven't let Gus out of their sight. Henry can't blame them.

Except Gus swallows and says, "I overheard my parents talking. They say you're not doing good. I mean, well. Not doing well."

Henry looks down at him in shock. The last time he heard Gus's voice was when he'd told him they were calling off the search for Shawn, that they couldn't find him and he wasn't coming back. Gus had sobbed in his arms then, hit his chest, begged and yelled and been more out of sorts than any of them had ever seen him.

"Shawn loved you," he says and Henry doesn't even flinch at the past tense. "He was really proud of you and he'd want you to be okay."

If he had anything like pride left, he'd probably feel something about the hot tears on his cheeks. "He loved you too, Gus. He'd want you to be okay too."

Gus swallows and holds out his hand. "I'll try if you will."

"Alright," he says, because what the hell else is he supposed to say to that, to his son's best friend who has snuck away from his parents and broken his silence and is looking up at him with such earnest pleading. He shakes his hand. "Deal."

The Gusters are in hysterics when he gets them on the phone. But Gus starts talking again after that and Henry drinks a little less and it doesn't hurt as much as he'd thought it would.

Gus is a senior this year. Shawn would be too if he was alive.

The both of them have good days and bad ones.

"Henry!" He looks up. "Martha wants you in the interrogation room. She's got her anonymous tipper on the line."

He bites back a sigh. Martha's a good officer. She's also a recent transfer and is convinced that some guy who calls in with the occasional tip is the same one who used to call into her precinct in Boston and she's woven a whole conspiracy theory around it. She's been trying to get him interested for weeks, but frankly the whole thing sounds insane.

Karen nudges him in the side. "Come on, it'll at least get her off your back."

Or encourage her. "Fine."

They head down, peeking around the door. Martha's face lights up and she waves him and Karen in eagerly. He's just shut the door behind him when she puts down the receiver and switches it to speaker. "Can you repeat what you told me?"

"Again?" huffs an aggrieved, young male voice. "Aren't you supposed to be taking notes or something?"

Henry can't feel his knees.

"I'm very sorry, sir, but you if you wouldn't mind," Martha insists.

"Fine. You're wasting your time going after the family in the Robertson case, their performative grief is weird, I'll give you that, but they're just attention seekers. You need to talk to the maid, the jumpy one that's in the background of the newsclips. Look under her nails."

It's different, older, more mature, slower.

He stumbles over to the table, knocking over a pencil cup as he grabs a pen with a shaking hand. He writes over Martha's notes, who's looking at him like he's lost his mind, but he's never cared about anything less.

"How many hats?" she reads aloud dubiously.

"What's that going to help?" he asks, like always, intonation and whining just the same.

"Uh," Martha looks at him but has to hold onto the edge of the table to keep from passing out. "You never know what will help. How many hats are in the clip that you first noticed her nails?"

There's a moment of silence, then faint humming, and Henry can see Shawn closing his eyes and lifting his hand to his head like he always did when he was trying to remember something. "Red baseball cap, weird little outdated doilie looking thing on the maid, and the Mom had a black veil. Which isn't technically a hat," he adds, almost as soon as Henry thinks it. "But it she only wore it in two clips, it should narrow it down. Or you could stop wasting time and just call her in for questioning. You should take better notes."

The dial tone is a shock, snapping him out of it. "No! Shawn? Shawn!"

Martha is new, she doesn't know, he's sure someone told her about his dead son but probably not his name. Karen puts a tentative hand on his shoulder. "Henry, don't do this-"

"It was him," he insists. "I have to - I've got," he stops, runs a hand over his face, and says to Martha, "Get me everything you have on this. Everything."

"Okay?" she says, bewildered, and Karen is shaking her head and Henry doesn't waste time convincing her.

He makes it out to the car before he breaks, trying to control his breathing as he takes out his phone with shaking hands and dials a number that he only calls on Christmas and Shawn's birthday.

"Henry?" Maddy greets, voice understandably concerned. He hasn't talked to her sober in years. "What's wrong?"

He opens his mouth to answer, but all that comes out is a sob. It's as much of a surprise to him as it is to her. He raises a hand to his face and finds that he's crying.

"Oh god," she whispers and he hears her voice break. "Is this about - it's about Shawn, isn't it? Did you find - was he," she takes a deep, steadying breath. "Tell me it was quick, Henry, please."

He forces out, "You were right."

There's silence on the other end.

"I'm sorry," he says, because he should have listened to her, he should have looked harder, he doesn't know how this happened or what exactly is going on. "I'm so sorry, Mads, you were right."

She swallows. "Henry. Are you saying-"

"He's alive," he says, wiping his eyes on his sleeve. "Our son's alive."

[archangeldyke-all]

Angel… I just realized when jinx said to Sevika “don’t suppose you can swim huh lefty?” Sevika just sighed and…well we all know what she said 🙂‍↕️ My point is… could you write something where reader finds out Sevika can’t swim? Love your work and reposts as always Angel 😌😌💜💜💜💜💜

this is so sweet and cute eeek

men and minors dni

"are you gonna get in the water?" you pout.

it's a hot summer day and you've dragged your girlfriend to the cold springs to cool down. only, after two hours of hiking out of zaun, instead of stripping down naked and jumping in beside you, sevika just slid her socks off and dipped her toes in.

she chuckles from her perch. "i'm happy here."

"sevika! you've been bitching about the heat all day, and i'm naked in here!"

sevika grins. "i'm very aware. enjoying the view, too."

you roll your eyes and splash some water at her, doggy paddling over to her legs. "c'mon, sev. the water's so refreshing."

sevika pinches your cheek. "not gonna happen, doll."

"you shy?" you tease. sevika snorts and rolls her eyes.

"i'm missing an arm, dummy."

you frown. "so?" you ask. "ran's missing an arm and they swim all the time."

"yeah, well..." sevika trails off. you study her for a moment, before giggling.

"you don't know how to swim?" you ask. sevika shrugs.

"never learned." she says. you grin. sevika kicks some water at you. "don't give me that look."

"what look?" you ask. sevika laughs and shakes her head, pointing at your face.

"that look. the 'i'm gonna teach sevika how to swim look.' it's not happening."

"it's not?" you ask, pouting and blinking your eyelashes up at your girlfriend. "even if we stay in the shallow end?"

sevika's already stripping out of her clothes, cursing you out the entire time.

you try to bite back your giggles as you watch her slip into the water, cringing at the cool. she glares at you. "if you let me drown--"

"i'm not gonna let you drown, drama queen." you swim over to the shallow end where sevika's standing, kissing her cheek as you stand beside her. "i'm gonna be here the whole time, holdin' onto you. okay?"

sevika glares at you a little longer before relenting, a huff escaping her lungs and her posture loosening. "i... i trust you. i'm just... scared."

you smile softly.

here she is, the scariest woman in zaun.

only, for you, she's rid herself of her mechanic arm, stripped herself of her clothes, and whispered her weaknesses aloud to you.

"look." you whisper, guiding sevika to the waist height water. "c'mere." you say, twining her arm around your waist, then hoisting her legs around your hips under the water. sevika gasps, then bursts into laughter as you easily carry her weight with the help of the water. "see how easily i can hold you? if you start drownin', i promise i'll pull you out." you seal your promise with a kiss.

sevika's smiling at you when you pull away. "alright. can't be that hard, can it?" she asks. you giggle.

"first step to swimming is floating. do you know how to float?"

"i've never been in more water than a bath tub's worth, babe."

"so, no?"

sevika snorts and nods. "no."

you grab her waist. sevika tilts her head like you're about to kiss her. you laugh. "you'll get your kisses once you can float."

"what do i do?"

"you're lungs are the most buoyant part of your body, so you're going to lay back like a starfish, thrusting your chest toward the sky."

sevika gives you a suspicious look. "and that works?" she asks.

you snort. "if you do it right." you hold your arms out and sevika turns to lay back into the water, into your arms.

"like this?" she asks, starting to spread her limbs. you giggle.

"arch your back some more." sevika snorts and shoots you a dirty look. you cackle. "don't look at me like that, you haven't earned your kiss yet. c'mon. tits to the sky, sevi."

sevika adjusts her posture, and her weight in your arm starts to vanish. slowly, you pull your arms away, letting your girlfriend float on her own. "am i doin' it?" she asks.

you nod. "you're doin' it, baby."

sevika smirks. "gonna kiss me about it?" she asks.

you laugh and bend over her, pressing a kiss to her lips where she floats. sevika doesn't let you go, though. instead, she stands with you as you straighten back up, wrapping herself back around your body as your kiss grows heated.

"mmm. th-there's more to swimmin' than just floatin' sev--" you mumble against her barrage of kisses.

"you can show me once i'm done with you. i don't think you get how hot it is that you can hold me like this."

kofi

taglist!

@fyeahnix @lavendersgirl @half-of-a-gay @thesevi0lentdelights @sexysapphicshopowner

@kissyslut @chuucanchuucan @badbye666 @femme-historian @lia-winther

@lavenderbabu @emiliabby @sevikasbeloved @hellorai @my-taintedheart

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@dancingqu33n17 @losernb @p1nkearth @leeidk87 @cinnamowor1d

taglist!!

@sevikas-baby @ghostscandys @runawaybaby3 @vikasfemme @lesbones

@chezze-its @lez-zuha @vikashoneybee @shanesevikasfuckdoll @imheadintothemountains

@ferxanda @helaenabugmom @spookymomfriendtm

[starberry-cupcake]

LAST CHAPTERS!!! I have to make another one for the extra story and all that but these are the LAST OFFICIAL CHAPTERS!!!

previously in ice cube barbie de la tumbita(1):

this happened

this is the general tag of all the collection of recaps

(1) Note: "tumbita" means "little tomb" or "little grave", there was an audio meme going around some years ago where a little girl told another little girl that santa was "en la tumbita" aka dead, which was why parents were the ones who actually bought the gifts

I'm bringing back the very niche cultural slang meme thing that I started the nona recaps with here at the end

also because that audio gives me 'nona and the kids' vibes

CHAPTER 30 (the tower!!! in tarot it means upheaval, disaster, sudden change, ESCÁNDALO)

nona aka ice cube barbie de la tumbita aka AL aka annabel lee wakes up and sees how the truck is swimming in grey stuff

THE RIVER BABY!!!

also, Annabel Lee pause, this quote from the poem, upon knowing what I know now, really hits

And neither the angels in Heaven above Nor the demons down under the sea Can ever dissever my soul from the soul Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;

coronabeer is talking sweetly to judith

sorry, j o d y

coronabeer 👏 and 👏 judith 👏 sitting 👏 in 👏 a 👏 tree 👏

individually, I feel mid about them but, together, I'll defend them forever

nona looks at camolyctor paul atreides and says "I'll take it from here"

"hold my chewed half-eaten eraser"

ice cube barbie, who is still nona for now, keeps feeling like her body is not her own

which maybe has to do with the fact that it isn't her own

funny how that works

nona tells pyrrha and camolyctor paul not to ask her questions and not to "say things that aren't said like a question but are questions"

she says "take it away" and they decide to indulge her

since she's the one who seems to know what to do in this river surfing situation

she says that the water "doesn't want to touch them" while coronabeer asks judith to come back

nona also feels a lot of people crowding behind her

pyrrha asks "what the fuck is that" and gideon goes "Told you so"

and so the tower comes up from the water, like it did for harrow, last time we heard of her

nona is trying to stay as nona by grasping the "middle of the brain" thoughts that aren't "above" and "below"

the thoughts that know what the tower is

but if she looks at those, she's gonna stop being nona

judith starts talking in that not-judith way again and goes "He left them too long—You left them too long, my salt thing"

to which nona responds "You are here. Okay, good —the water really won't touch us."

at this point, we can do nothing but trust whatever she comes up with, so buckle up

nona has to reach the accelerator but, because harrowcita's body is smol, she's like

she's also kind of having a heart attack in harrowcita's body at the sight of the tower, so everything's f i n e

"The more she thought, the more problems she had"

AIN'T THAT THE TRUTH

DON'T WE ALL

judith keeps repeating "the hole" which is kinda funny

everyone either collapses or is losing it, except for nona, who continues on

because someone has to

they are sucked into the current and a crack appears in the glass like in jurassic park 2

camolyctor paul comes in and asks nona if she can get them to the ninth

I don't know how I feel about camolyctor paul atreides yet

they don't feel camilla enough for me idk I'm feeling abandoned again, but this time I don't think I'll get my love back

unless camolyctor paul pulls a vegetto and unfuses inside the stomach of some entity

but that's highly unlikely

so I'm unwell

I know there was no other way around this and camilla wouldn't have survived anyway but I'm not handling this well you folks

I WOULDN'T PULL A RESSURRECTION FOR HER JUST BECAUSE AND RUIN THE UNIVERSE THOUGH

RIP DR REV EMPEROR JOHN BUT I'M DIFFERENT

this book series is about learning to let go huh

it's about necromancers who, for all intents and purposes, thrive in bringing back dead things but, in some clever irony, is about actually letting go, not bringing back

every book you start, you have to let go of what you were used to in the previous one

you have to let go of characters you grew to care about

of povs you got used to

of things you thought you finally understood

you have to let go of preconceptions of characters who end up showing more than you thought they would

and all this mess started because one man wants the power of never having to let go of what he wants to keep to himself

even if it isn't something for him to have in the first place

*colors of the wind from pocahontas starts playing in the background*

ANYWAY

NO PHILOSPHY IN THE MIDDLE OF A LONG RECAP

BAD LULY

uber driver nona says she can get them to the ninth but she's tired and doesn't want to let go of nona, she knows that this is what's gonna come down to

AGAIN WITH THE LETTING GO

THIS IS WHAT I'M SAYING

nona doesn't want to let people go or let herself go

even if judith is "gone, forever probably" and gideon is "used to" being dead

nona is considering letting it all go then and there and dying with the body she's using

but then camolyctor paul atreides reminds her that noodle is in the back

and BY GOD we're not letting noodle die

middle nona thoughts are brought to the forefront by the presence of noodle

and nona "drove the truck home"

CHAPTER 31 (NINTH SKULL BAYBEY!!!!!)

nona's chakra thoughts align and she wants something

they all find out they're alive and well and gideon rises

nona has lost the ability to move and doesn't quite remember how she was able to do what she did

pyrrha proceeds to carry her around again

like the 0 years baby she actually is

and gideon goes "Home, sweet home"

WE'RE BACK!!!

WE'RE BACK WHERE IT ALL BEGUN

camolyctor paul atreides asks gideon where they are and congratulates nona for her parking precision

pyrrha wants to ask what that was in the river, since it wasn't an RB

but gideon hears something nobody else can hear and decides to just go on her own

so that leaves camolyctor paul and a pyrrha carrying nona to chase after her

nona asks about tsundere pash but she has to stay with angel teacher, who got scrambled around in the landing

don't know what good would tsundere pash do in this situation and I think she wouldn't even want to be there if asked, but nona has a crush or whatever this is

how tsundere pash managed to attract the earth personification or whatever, idk, but I also know nothing about attracting anyone, so who am I to doubt game

nobody can see shit and pyrrha says anastasia should have added skull-shaped fairy lights to the ninth

how many of you lovely freaks went and bought them

nona sees the light, but a literal one for now, because they find a tunnel with light inside it

they find gideon in there

gideon: found, sword: drawn, blood: on it, bodies: scattered

in moments like this, I miss camilla

nona then sees a man that looks old as sin

at this point, I had forgotten crux's name ngl

he didn't matter enough to me to give him a nickname and I just forgot his name and also maybe that he existed

camolyctor paul atreides wants to help him but he doesn't want to be helped

also, there are weird corpses that gideon tells them to look at

weird as in body horror territory again

as in some magnus archives level bs

nona keeps pointing out how different camolyctor paul is to both camilla and palmolive, which makes me sad

and they say they find it all interesting

which is very spock of them, palmolive would approve of that

gideon says that "he said they'd only be on Antioch"

camolyctor paul asks gideon where they've seen that before and gideon says in duracell bunny nephew

remember duracell bunny nephew? I was thinking about him the other day, actually

he's a character I wish I had known more about, poor kid

anyway, duracell bunny nephew had his soul detached too far from his body and Other Stuff took over, so I guess that's kind of what this is

gideon is very shocked and upset at the fact that they're there because dr reverend emperor john said they couldn't travel

I'm holding gideon's face in my hands, putting my forehead against hers and asking her patiently in which universe does she think she can believe a word that man says

gideon says that the entities use revenant magic and that they're waiting for crux to kick the bucket to use him as well, so they'll eventually get to him anyway

if they're waiting for crux to die, they can join the congregation of people who've been waiting, with gideon at the front of it

crux has time and energy to be rude af to everyone around him, especially gideon

nona interrupts the family reunion to announce that there's more of these guys coming soon, so they have to grab crux and move on

gideon is about to stay around and throw hands with a bunch of revenants but pyrrha tells her that "any kid in the Cohort knows the mission comes first"

since when is gideon's priority the Cohort, I asked myself at this point, but anyway

nona sees a figure with dark robes and a pale face swaying in the archway, which doesn't look good

nona starts the description of something that took me a minute to understand was an elevator

gideon asks crux, who had been promoted to seneschal before they left for canaan house, where aiglamene is

remember aiglamene? I liked her

crux tells her she's dead and gideon would have had a heart attack if that would still affect her body

but nona tells her he's lying

what's the point in lying if we're going where the remaining ninth is, you dramatic old bastard????

they ask crux how long the thingies have been in town and he says he has to answer because they're holding "the Reverend Daughter"

which, they technically aren't, but anyway

says they've been there for about a day

they're looking for the youngest of them, which gideon thinks is tough luck for them

they use bodies but don't seem to be interested in bones

BAD HOUSE TO GO TO IF YOU DON'T CARE ABOUT BONES

camolyctor paul is still trying to fix it but gideon says that, since it's "spirit shit" (technical term) the only thing you can do, if you're really good, is ward people so that they aren't taken

I am assuming this is a River imbalance that's going on over here, things are Happening in the River

gideon is about to say "how bad are we" but corrects to "you" in the last second, in another way to attempt to cover up the fact that she cares deeply and isn't fooling anyone

catching the tsundere-itis from tsundere pash

it's a family thing, commander wake sounds like she was very tsundere as well

pyrrha says she was there before it was known as the Anastasian and that she "painted a nursery mint green" which ????????

forgot people were born in the ninth at some point

without baby blending required

gideon makes an ass joke and nona laughs, which makes crux suspicious

pyrrha thinks nona isn't doing that badly if she's laughing at ass jokes

nona is actually falling apart, but doesn't want to bring down the mood of the operation

also, her arm gets scratched with pyrrha's zipper

they end up in a corridor with a bone gate and gideon asks for aiglamene

aiglamene arrives and nona compares her to what she thinks sriracha girlie will look like if she grows older

I can see the vision, actually

aiglamene passes a pike to sister berta, who nona says might be honesty's age, and I am reminded there were supposed to be new people in the ninth, according to dr reverend emperor john in book 2

I can't keep up with everything, so much happens at all times

aiglamene says they welcome back the reverend daughter and it's like that scene in mulan

gideon then reveals that she's very much not alive and goes "You always said I'd come back in a box"

:'(

so aiglamene goes all feral with nona, believing her to be harrowcita

which is a nice change of pace, I missed people getting angry on gideon's behalf

but gideon tells her that it isn't harrowcita in there, it's just her body

and what's left of it, because it's getting complicated to keep it alive

pyrrha starts flirting with aiglamene

(pyrrha has a type for women in command who get angry quickly)

and she calls her a "brandishment baby", which I felt like a generational name

the ninth also seems to not be in good terms with what the emperor might want and aiglamene says last time they dealt with that was thirty years before

nona is laid on the ground next to a heater to warm up a bit and someone kisses her shoe, which she thinks is very unhygienic, to the point that not even kevin would do it

we love kevin

last "we love kevin" of the nona recaps :'(

pyrrha asks what happened to her arm and nona tells her about the zipper

nona realizes that's her first wound and everyone realizes they need to keep it moving

crux calls her "harrowhark" and nona tells him she's not her

he asks her who she is, then, which is something nona is trying very hard not to think about

"There's a box and...and there's someone in that box who isn't me. I'm me. I don't know who's in that box, not really, only—when you open it—I'll be gone, because I can't survive...knowing. And I think—inside that box—there's something that looks like a girl"

I talked about this back in chapter 11!!!!!

I'm considering doing a Top 10 Best Recap Moments, this one might have to go in there if I do it

camolyctor paul is calling nona's imminent collapse "interesting" and pyrrha says their bedside manner is shit

nona says that the more she goes back, the less harrow resists because she wasn't made for it, she isn't "the right shape"

she also tells them that, when she's back, she won't help them and she'll be different, because knowing makes her not be nona and she won't be able to love anymore

pyrrha says that she was loved and liked by a lot of people and goes "what's like except a love that hasn't been invited indoors?" because the time to make sentimental speeches is here

she went "Gideon liked you" and I was like "no, she doesn't" and then remembered she was talking about og!gideon lmao

pyrrha also tells her she had bought her a birthday present she didn't get to give her

it was a tshirt that advertised "cheap moustache rides"

I had never heard that euphemism before, but now I know

camolyctor paul says palmolive and camilla wouldn't have let her wear it but they think "moustache rides should be free"

I don't know what to do with that information, so let's continue

nona says she's gonna make herself remember and promises to use the tshirt and that, then, they'll know it's her

I'd love to see THAT

she's about to not be in a cumple anymore, and we're all gonna be worse for it

CHAPTER 32 (TOMB TIME!!! LA TUMBITA!!!!)

nona can't see in the darkness but recognizes gideon's voice

the doors she's opened

in more ways the one

crux says nobody should be going in there but the Daughter and her cavalier

and gideon says "The Reverend Daughter has no cavalier living"

:'(

suddenly there's light and they feel a weird noise at their feet

nona thinks she sees coronabeer but nope

she describes yandere twin as a "washed out coronabeer"

coronabeer with the desaturation on

yandere twin starts talking in that way in which she says stuff, that tries to seem she's unbothered and everything is beneath her but she actually cares a great deal about it

she reminds me of those youtubers who think that acting like they don't care and making a show of having to drink wine in order to get through what they're talking about will make us overlook the fact that they made a 1 hour video about the topic in question, which means they do care a great deal, and acting in a "non-fangirl way" won't make them seem "more credible"

we're all nerds and losers, it's fine to care

it's ok to care, yandere twin

ANYWAY

she calls camolyctor paul "hectus", which is very uninspired, in my humble opinion of a nickname expert

btw the stuff they're standing on is "Adipose fat and mucous membrane" which I imagine kind of like the grease that collects from the grill after an asado

yandere twin is finally introduced to pyrrha and asks her whether what happened to her and og!gideon normally happens

she's relieved to hear it isn't, because probably she doesn't want chad to be using her body, even if she got to use his

pyrrha tells gideon not to do anything stupid, to which gideon replies that she's too late for that

also, yandere twin isn't drinking wine like the youtubers I mentioned, but is smoking, which serves the same purpose

gideon tells her that coronabeer is outside and she didn't have to use her charm to get her there

yandere twin calls her sister an "ill-shampooed slut"

which is A Lot

and then nona realizes gideon and yandere twin are wearing "friendship bracelets"

yandere twin pulls gideon outside the pool of goo and they do a friendship handshake

my brain is short circuiting a bit at this because last time I heard of them, they were at each other's throats

so ?????????????????????????????

camolyctor paul reminds them that harrowcita's body is on a time limit

yandere twin says harrowcita would want to die rather than open the tomb, as if she hadn't opened it already once

she asks for gideon's opinion but gideon suddenly can't read

they keep acting like besties, which's got everyone and me shocked and weirded at

they're super friendly until gideon goes like "anywayyyy gotta open the tomb, though"

yandere twin does not like that idea

she calls gideon a "three way double crosser" which is one level lower than pyrrha's quadruple crossing record

gideon is saying a bunch of stupid ass stuff

that dr reverend emperor john doesn't care if they kill ice cube barbie, that she'll be his cavalier

yandere twin also thinks all of that is bs and she can't really believe that

idk if this is actually about that or about harrow, honestly

gideon says dr reverend emperor john is very depressed and yandere twin starts talking about who he's sleeping with, which I don't care to know

gideon also doesn't want to hear it, but she's ageist about it because he's allegedly sleeping with a sixty year old guy

that's the least of anyone's concerns

yandere twin is the one making more sense, which scares me tbh, and says she doesn't know what he'll become with ice cube barbie and asks what I'm also wondering: "Is this about Harry, after all?"

gideon gets all defensive without answering the question and tells yandere twin to leave with coronabeer and stop bothering her

gideon insists on dr reverend emperor john wanting to kill ice cube barbie and yandere twin slaps her

yandere twin says he loves ice cube barbie and needs her and without her he's nothing and they need to keep him that way

which again makes me feel like I've lost part of the narrative while looking through nona's perspective

and, at that, nona starts losing her nona-ness

she begins to fall apart, exploding from the inside out, and both yandere twin and gideon run to her

someone says "Keep it together. Wherever you are, idiot, I know you can hear me. Keep it together"

I thought that was gideon talking to harrow, but I'm not sure

camolyctor paul tells pyrrha to "go" and pyrrha shoots yandere twin with a magic bullet

a magic bullet which isn't the blender they made harrow in, another magic bullet

pyrrha says she was saving the bullet for dr reverend emperor john, which would have been a much better use for it, but anyway

gideon and pyrrha carry nona while camolyctor paul instructs to "open the door"

nona, who starts talking more like ice cube barbie, refers to harrowcita as "the baby", which is funny but also accurate since she was The Baby, you know, the Ninth Blender Baby

she starts remembering when she was there before, with dr reverend emperor john, who took her there saying he wanted to show her something

I WOULDN'T PUT IT PAST HIM TO HAVE GOTTEN INSPIRATION FROM IT, TBH

the corridor has things that were disabled and others that are yet to be disabled, but pyrrha says they need fresh thanergy for it

gideon says they should kill her but, since she's already dead, it won't work

pyrrha goes all mushy for wake again and says they should kill her, that if wake had asked her she would have died with her for this

pyrrha always gets very emotional in stressful moments

meanwhile, ice cube barbie no longer nona keeps remembering that she was dr reverend emperor john's cavalier and that she loved him and he loved her because he loved "the world"

idk about that tbh but ok

ice cube barbie no longer nona says she hadn't come on purpose, she was brought by harrow, the kiss and the tear

lots of fairy tale kissing in this book series

crux says they should kill him instead

everyone wants to die suddenly

except for nona, which is ironic

gideon goes "Die for her...it's the only goddamn good you'll ever do her"

aiglamene and camolyctor paul keep insisting if crux is sure and gideon is like "can we kill him already?"

not with those words, but she's like metaphorically pointing at her watch like judge judy

ice cube barbie no longer nona keeps remembering how johnny boy cask of amontillado-ed her and she asked where was anastasia while he was doing it

crux and gideon keep arguing and gideon starts reading her pedigree receipts

she says "I want you to know who I am!" and crux goes "You died as you lived, Gideon Nav—a disappointment to me—and to God"

idk if he was being an asshole on purpose so she'd kill him already or if he just wanted to be a nasty bastard until the very end

also, I don't know if gideon really believes all this, because we haven't seen her perspective in this book, but it'd be sad if she does

I mean, I get it, she lived without an identity and being naruto-ed in the ninth for it, and suddenly she's princess amelia mignonette thermopolis renaldi

but it'd be very sad if she thinks that what makes her worthy is who she was born as or who her father is and not who she actually is

we love you for you, gideon sweetie

more so in spite of your dad than because of him, actually

you're worthy just for existing and you've done good and brave things just being you, before you knew of your background

don't fall for the emperor propaganda

gideon kills him but feels terrible still, because there are a lot of issues to unpack that killing a dreadful old man can't fix

ice cube barbie no longer nona keeps remembering and there are beetles in her memory, as well as a pool of salt water from which she drank

ice cube barbie no longer nona steps into the cold water, with harrow's heart freezing, as she remembers doing the same back then, when she first came into la tumbita

she hears yandere twin coming closer as she sees herself lying there

WHICH I CALLED???? BACK IN CHAPTER 11???

YAY ME

she says dr reverend emperor john made her ugly, which is slander to one of my favorite barbies ever

but anyway, celebratory screencap of the reason I called her ice cube barbie this whole time

she hears someone shout "No" from the shore, which I think is probably yandere twin

and she says she sees anastasia's body, all bones, ready to close the door whenever it was opened

wasn't anastasia the one who "never made it" into the bolthole? whose room was empty? who had "figured out" the lyctor thing? whose cav was killed by the emperor?

did she die there guarding the door or...?

I'm sure you'll correct me in the replies

unless it's a spoiler for the story or the stuff I have yet to read

nona, who is now more ice cube barbie than nona, says her last nona thing and goes "well happy birthday to me, I guess" and head dives into ice cube barbie body

EPILOGUE (first house skull means trouble every time)

ice cube barbie proceeds to break her chains

now here it all turned into shakespeare all of a sudden so I had to go over this a couple times

and the descriptions of the people are like "child 1" "child 2", so

be patient with me here

these books make me feel very dumb very often

yandere twin comes in for the kill but harrow stops her and says that, if she tries to kill ice cube barbie, their vow will be nullified and she'll kill her

yandere twin tells her she doesn't know what she's doing and harrow says "Not lately, but now"

yandere twin says she's half dead to which harrow replies "I am as one half-dead, but you would be two-halves dead, bitch"

I feel like I'm having a stroke

I feel like they're not really talking like shakespeare in the park, that's how ice cube barbie hears it, but idk at this point

yandere twin goes into her mocking flirty kinky territory and says "I only die of longing for thee"

and harrow goes "Then perish"

ice cube barbie then gets up and smacks yandere twin across the tomb

skeletons start coming up but when ice cube barbie lifts the sword, they all go like "better not"

now we're stating to call ice cube barbie "alecto", which I'm not gonna do, because that nickname was signaled upon me by apollo himself

and, now that I think about it, if this book was gonna be part 1 of alecto and then author got carried away, makes sense that it's the same bitch

anyway, pyrrha calls to ice cube barbie and she goes "he has never appeased me, and now all he has done was teach me how to die"

ice cube barbie remembers "the vow" and turns to harrowcita

she raises her sword, but then remembers her from her dreams and doesn't strike her

harrowcita tells her she's loved her all her life and that she can kill her if she wants

which would make this a very very bad day for gideon

ice cube barbie is angry but lifts her up and kisses her and draws blood, because she can't be not feral about anything

ice cube barbie is confused of why harrow isn't appeased by this because that's "how meat loves meat"

gotta teach this earth entity about different kinds of love

through harrow's blood, ice cube barbie understands what she is

at this point I went "a blender baby?"

but she says she's "the blood of the tomb keeper"

so then I got that she meant anastasia lol

ice cube barbie apologises for dr reverend emperor john killing anastasia's cav

testing my memory, these people, had to double check who samael was

she swears to harrowcita the way she swore to anastasia and says "I am in your service until you bid me the favour, and whatsoever you appoint I shall perform, and consider the vow rendered. This is what I promised, until such a time as you deal with me as you see fit"

what was going on between ice cube barbie and anastasia????

harrow thinks she's not worthy of the vow

but ice cube barbie kneels, offers the sword and cuts harrowcita's hand so her blood is on the sword and goes "Notwithstanding, I offer you my service"

and then gideon, very angrily, shouts from the shore "Get in line, thou big slut"

we love gideon

there's a time skip then and ice cube barbie ends up in dr reverend emperor john's ship

she says she still finds the river dead

dr reverend emperor john is butt naked, drunk and looking a mess

ice cube barbie seems to be carrying an unconscious harrow around in one arm

which means we keep separating gideon and harrow and this is the slowest burn ever

I don't even know if they're endgame, at this point

that tagline I really have issues with, the one about the "lesbian necromancers in space", made me expect something entirely different by this point in time

ANYWAY

ice cube barbie is carrying the sword in her other hand

she uses it to stab dr reverend emperor john in the heart

but that just wakes him up and he says "Annabel, good morning"

I reached my quota of images per post for the second time in the recaps lifespan

BUT THAT'S IT!!!! Next time, I'll have the story and the other extra stuff that's at the end of the book and we'll see what we do next!

Some of you have said you'd be interested in me doing Alecto when it comes out, even if you'll be busy with more important fandom input than these silly recaps at that time, others have been interested in me potentially doing this with Murderbot, but before any of that, I'm thinking of doing a couple extras of some stuff, like a top 10 Best Recap Moments, maybe with the best things I predicted or something, you guys can cast votes if you want!! Until next time!!! ♥

[enhaeil]

BEAUTIFUL ! ☆ 엔하이픈

"the way that gucci look on you amazing ... but nothing can compare to when your naked"

beautiful - bazzi

sensual moments with enhypen !

c/w: suggestive esp more in hyung line ... nothing explicit tho actually fluffish!!

heeseung

you saw a couple on Instagram who bonded by cooking together while only wearing lingerie and boxers, and decided to try it with heeseung.

several aromas filled your kitchen as music blared on your bluetooth speaker.

you were standing by the counter, stirring something in a bowl while heeseung watched the meat cook on the stove. as it simmers, heeseung makes his way behind you, wrapping his arms around your waist and swaying to the beat of the music playing.

"mm, aren't you supposed to watch the food!" you say, giving his hand a light slap as it starts to roam lower.

"oh i'm watching the food, baby. i'm watching ..." he says, biting his lip as his eyes roam to your ass that's peeking out your lingerie dress. you'd be lying if you said you didn't want him to take you right here and now, but he could at least let you finish cooking first.

"go do your job, then maybe i'll think of giving you some." heeseung has never moved so quickly.

after several attempts to touch you and a few 'almosts', the food is completely cooked, and you and heeseung are chowing down, despite the sensual tension that could'nt even be cut with a knife.

as you guys finish the last bites, a silence falls over the table before you're the first one to speak.

"race you to the bedroom?"

jay

tonight, jay rented out a room at a luxury hotel. there was no special occasion. no valid reason. he just wanted time with his wife.

you guys just got back from the dining hall, both wine drunk and full of food. despite your drunken state, you didn't fail to notice how handsy jay was with you the whole night, and it continued in the confinement of your room.

as you stood in the mirror, you feel jay come up behind you, the heat of his body sending chills down your spine.

"you looked so beautiful tonight, love." he says, pressing a kiss to your bare shoulder. he lets his hands roam over your waist, pushing you closer against him as if he wishes you could morph into one ... and he does.

you tilt your head to the side, giving him full access to press kisses against your neck, his hips absentmindedly pushing into you from behind. once he presses a kiss on your weak spot, you can't help but let out a soft moan.

"jay ... i need you, like now."

he doesn't waste a breath, as he picks you up and lays you on the bed, licking and kissing the parts of your body that are already revealed to him.

tonight was gonna be a long night.

jake

what a mess of a first date.

the food was burned, your dress ripped in the most embarrassing way, and now ... your power decided to go out.

you and jake sit in the middle of the floor, huddle next to each other while the thunder roars outside. there's a bit of an awkward yet comfortable silence between you two as you sit with two phone flashlights and a candle.

"22% ... what's your phone on?" you ask jake, breaking the silence.

he sucks his teeth before responding, "15...".

although it's dark, you can still feel his eyes lingering on you before he turns away. he speaks up again.

"some first date, huh?" a moment of silence passes before you burst into laughter. jake shoots you an obviously unnoticeable glare as you laugh like he just told the funniest joke on earth.

"wh... whats funny?" he says nervously, not wanting to make a fool of himself anymore.

"jake ... this date has been horrible.." you say in between wheezes and laughs.

"ouch ... you wound me woman," he says, placing his hand on his chest in offense.

"no, no," you begin as you scoot closer to him, which jake doesn't miss. "it's not you, it's just ... i can't believe all this happened in one night. it's comedic almost."

jake nods and lets out a small chuckle. "i can see how that would make you laugh. at least we tried!"

your laughter finally dies down, and a silence falls again. "you know ... I really do like you, y/n. since sophomore year.."

you turn towards him, trying to make out his features in the dark. "yeah? even after all this?" you say tilting your head curiously, which he can barely see but can imagine.

"if anything, I'm even more in love with you."

another silence falls between you two, but your actions are loud. before you know it, your lips somehow find his in the dark, and all that's heard is the smacking of lips and the patter of rain.

maybe this date wasn't so bad after all.

sunghoon

"hoonie..." he hears the voice of his sweet wife call out for him from their shared closet.

he's there within seconds, ready to fufill her every need.

"yes, baby?" you turn around to look at him, and he swears he stopped breathing for a second. how can someone get more beautiful every time he sees them?

"can you help me? i can't zip my dress on my own." you say, delicate hands still trying to reach for the zipper behind you.

before you could struggle anymore, sunghoon is behind you, calloused fingers pressing against the small of your back as his other hand reaches for the zipper.

he's careful as he zips up your dress, not missing the opportunity to let his fingertips brush against your spine, a reminder of the times he's had you in this exact position.

he finally zips it to the top, fixing your hair back to how you styled it before pressing a kiss on your temple.

"you look so beautiful."

"but I can't wait to see this dress on the floor later."

sunoo

the stress of the world had been getting to the both of you, so when sunoo recommended a self care day, you couldn't turn it down.

sunoo stood behind you in the shower, fingers making soothing patterns in your hair as he massages the shampoo into your scalp. you can't help but lean into him, body relaxing.

once done, he turns and lets you do the same. your shower is filled with kind words, back scratches, and passionate kisses that said everything the both of you were too tired to say verbally.

you both hop out, helping eachother dry off and lotion up, before throwing on your robes and heading to your mirror to do face masks.

you dont miss the opportunity to take some cute pictures to savor this memory among the many you've already created. once the face masks are off, sunoo offers to give you a massage to release the tension you've built up throughout the week.

you quickly nod, letting him work his hands into your calves before making his way up to your thighs. you don't miss the way his fingers accidentally or intentionally graze against your bare body, but pay no mind to it.

you guys later doze off in eachothers arms, bodies still bare in the night.

jungwon

you and jungwon make it to the roof of the building just as the city grew quiet. jungwon layed out the blanket and snacks he brought before getting comfy and patting the spat between his legs.

you get comfy in his embrace, letting the heat of his body warm you.

you guys watch as the lit city becomes even brighter now that night has fallen, until your eyes wander up to the sky, trying to make constellations out of nothing.

"that's definitely a strawberry..." jungwon says matter of factly.

you shake your head, munching on a cookie he baked just for this occasion. "nuh uh! it's clearly a puppy!" you argue back.

he tickles your sides as a rebuttal, causing you to giggle and kick your legs.

after a few moments of silence, you notice an oddly shaped pattern in the stars.

"hey, what about that one? it looks weird .." when you get no response, you call out for him, looking back.

"won?"

as you turn around, you immediately lock eyes with your lover, him staring at you as if it were you that was the night sky.

"wonnie, you're staring at me more than the stars!" jungwon just smiles before leaning in to press a passionate yet needy kiss against your lips.

you place your hand on his face to ground yourself before you guys both pull apart to catch your breath.

eventually, layers of clothes are removed, a silent thank you that the world is asleep.

niki

when you told niki you wanted to have an artsy date, he didn't expect this.

he's sitting there on a stool, wearing his usual black tanktop and sweats, hair falling so perfectly. to niki, this was just his 'around the house' look. to you, he was art and deserved to be painted.

"hold still, nik, i'm just finishing up some lines." you say, looking between him and the canvas.

you peek from behind the paper, observing him to make you get every detail. niki notices this, causing him to be extra antsy, as if he were trying to hide the fact that you make him nervous.

"riki, don't make me come over there and tie you down." you say, warning him.

"jokes on you, i might like that!" he says as he wiggles his eyebrows, earning an eye roll from you.

you continue working for another 10 minutes before finally setting your paint brush down.

your paint covered hands fold together as you admire your work, and niki rushes over to you to see it, his eyes lighting up.

"you even painted my beauty marks. i thought you'd forget those.." he says, eyes darting as if they couldn't decide whether to look at you or the canvas.

"I've worked on memorizing the pattern of those marks every night to go to sleep. i could never forget."

niki swears he just fell more in love with you.

he takes your hands in his, not minding the paint, as he brings them up to his lips. he then takes his finger, dipping it in some of the remaining paint.

a/n: hi

"i think it's my turn to paint you."

[slimybeth69]

Hungry Man

Chapter 3- I Know The End 6.7k

Chapter Summary- Close my eyes, fantasize Three clicks and I'm home When I get back I'll lay around Then I'll get up and lay back down Romanticize a quiet life There's no place like my room

warnings/tags: dark&sneaky!Joel/crazy&unhinged!reader, DDDNE (this chapter may be hard to read for some- please be mindful of the content you consume), dubious ethics, Joel being protective, slightly mean!Joel if you squint but mostly gentle!Joel, reader goes through it again in this chapter (get used to it, sorry) brief mentions of blood.

a/n: hi. I hope you like this chapter :)

The house is so quiet compared to the mall. There was always something making sound– animals or insects, the structure itself shifting and settling after years of decomposing. There wasn’t a completely silent night in the last eight months and now Joel doesn’t know how to fall asleep anymore. 

Even with you fast asleep beside him, he can’t seem to calm his racing mind. 

How’re you gonna keep her safe? 

Joel looks down at you, watching your eyes move behind the lids while you sleep. Your breathing is slow and steady. He wonders if instead of your usual nightmares that maybe tonight you’re dreaming good things. 

While he’s lost in thought, you make a soft, sleepy sighing sound and wiggle your body closer to him, snuggling against him as tightly as you can. Joel wipes a stray eyelash off your cheek carefully, and then ghosts his index finger across your forehead. 

You sigh again, but don’t wake up. 

Why doesn’t he hate you? You took from him– took his time. Took the precious, unpromised time he had with Ellie and JJ, with Tommy and his nephew Ben. 

He should hate you for that. Should hate you for the way you treated him– kept him tied up and chained like a dog. He mindlessly rubs at his neck while the thoughts race– while his feelings swirl around like a tornado inside him. 

You don’t hate her though– you understand her. 

He does. He understands you more than he would like to admit. He’s had so much time to think about the things he’s done, and the kind of man he is– and he understands why you did what you did. 

Joel has done things he wouldn’t have normally done for the sake of caring about someone. The hospital plays in his head over, and over again. The night he lost Sarah. 

He thinks about the person he helped shape Ellie into– and he wonders if it’s a good thing. Joel thinks about the things Ellie did with Tommy after the attack. Joel wonders where she would have ended up without him around. What kind of person she might have turned out to be if he hadn’t ever agreed to take her to Salt Lake. 

She’d be dead– no doubt about that. 

Ellie had been a kid– she is just barely not a kid anymore in his eyes. 

You’re grown– set in your ways and clearly traumatized. Joel wonders if he’s doing the right thing by bringing you here. 

He wrinkles his nose at the scent of you– he hadn’t noticed it much before with everything going on, all the emotions. Now that everything is settled, and he has a little time to think, let things register, the smell of his brother and his brother's house and the soap his family uses wafts through his nostrils and it makes him angry.

Joel wants you to smell like you. 

No, you want her to smell like you. 

Something wicked grows inside Joel because that voice inside him is right; he does want you to smell like him. He wants everyone who comes close to you to recognize you as his because you are– he meant what he said and he hopes you know that. 

There is too much thinking happening. Too much noise inside his head and too much silence around him for his body and mind to relax. He wants to get up and go look for something to drink, something to settle the storm and ease him into rest. 

He knows that if he leaves and you wake up to an empty bed, all hell is going to break loose, so he stays next to you and lets you sleep. Lets you get your much needed rest because he knows that you’re capable of going an ungodly amount of time without sleep. It used to scare him how long you would be awake before crashing out for eighteen to twenty hours at a time. 

This next week is for you– getting you used to being in a house and a schedule. Getting you used to being around people. Then he’s going to get you working– he’s already thought about how you’ll like working in the barn. You like animals, seem to be good with them and know more about them than he does– and there is a whole building full of them. 

Silently, he boasts about how smart he is for thinking about it. He isn’t going to stick you in the kitchen where he knows you’ll be miserable. And he isn’t going to get you on patrol duty until he knows you won’t run away. 

She’s gonna try. 

Yeah, you will try. You’re scared now– won’t admit it– but you’re scared. The second you get an ounce of courage– which you will– you’ll try and take off. Joel will come look for you, and he will find you– and you will not like how he makes sure you don’t run off again. 

He might never let you leave. He hasn’t really decided yet, but he’s thinking about it. 

Joel settles down beside you again, and this time you stir, sleep clinging to your panicked voice as you ask where he’s going. He nuzzles his nose into the side of your face and splays one of his hands across your stomach, resting it there innocently. “Ain’t goin’ nowhere,” he reassures with his lips pressing softly against the corner of your mouth. 

You hum quietly with your eyes still closed and place your hand on top of Joel’s and hold him there– lightly encourage him to keep touching you. “Good,” you yawn quietly and melt back into the bed. 

With his eyes closed, he thinks maybe getting you acclimated won’t be as hard as he thought it was going to be. You’re here in his bed, sleeping like you have no worries in the world while he sits up awake, fearful and anxious of the future. 

----

“Mister!”

Joel’s eyes shoot open, heart already racing because he can hear the fear in your voice. He doesn’t have time to ask you what’s wrong when a loud, heavy pounding on the front door makes you flinch. 

Joel sighs loudly. He shouldn’t be annoyed at people coming to visit, but it feels like it’s too early in the morning for company. The thudding doesn’t cease, and Joel looks at you regretfully, “Gotta go see who–” 

Your hand darts to his, gripping it tightly. “Please don’t let’em take me,” you plead with him, eyes wet with tears before he has time to ease your worry. “I’ll be good! I promise! I’ll be g-good, just don’t make me go with’em.” 

The bangning on the front door wont stop– that paired with the sound of your begging and the fact that Joel only three, maybe fours of sleep is making his head spin. 

Joel shakes your hand off of his and climbs out of the bed, waving your worries away with a flick of his wrist as he heads to his dresser. “No one's gonna take you,” he has much less patience for all of this today than he did yesterday. 

You’re out of bed, following close behind to the dresser with your fingers worrying at the hem of his t-shirt. “Like I ain’t heard that before,” you tug desperately at the fabric as he pulls on a pair of jeans. 

Joel swats your hand away, the annoyance seeping in while the front door nearly gets knocked off its hinges downstairs. “Would you cut it out,” Joel swats at your hand once again and tucks his shirt into his jeans. 

“Who is knockin’ like that this early!?” You exclaim, holding your right hand towards the bedroom door. “Someone who sounds like they want somethin’!” 

Joel shakes his head at you and combs his fingers through his hair to look somewhat presentable. “You comin’ down like that or do you wanna get dressed?” He looks you up and down, still wearing all of his boxers and t-shirt from last night. 

Your eyes go wider than Joel thought possible and now he has to hold back a smirk. “Comin’ down!?” 

“Could stay here…’n wait for me–” Joel reaches out to run his index finger between your slit, to tease you for a moment through his boxers, but you’re pushing his hand away, closing the distance between you and grasping at his shirt again in desperation. 

“Joel!” The muffled, female voice coming from out front sounds angry. “I know you’re in there! Open the fucking door!” 

Your head whips around and you look at the door that leads out into the hallway. “Who is that?” You ask, the fear replaced with new piqued curiosity. “That don’t sound like Maria– who is that lady?” You turn to look at him again, brows pinched together tight. 

Joel can’t hide the smirk, he can barely hold back the chuckle you force out of him. “‘Cause it ain’t Maria,” he gently grabs you by the scruff of your neck and places a chaste kiss to your forehead. 

“Who is that woman tryin’ to barge in here so early in the–” 

Joel grips the back of your neck a little tighter and you scowl up at him but go silent. “Sounds like y’might be a little jealous–” 

With your right hand, you ball your fist into Joel’s shirt and pull yourself closer to him. “Don’t like other ladies knockin’ on your door like that,” you growl at him, the fear from your voice and plastered all over your face is gone. 

There she is.

Joel snorts softly to himself, shaking his head from side to side. “You’re somethin’ else,” he massages the side of your neck with his index finger and thumb gently. You soften slightly against him and he kisses your forehead again and lingers. “Go shower– you smell like my brother's house,” he grumbles against your skin. 

“Who is–”

“It’s just Ellie,” Joel lets his hand slide down your spine and over the curve of your ass. “No one you need t’be jealous of,” he teases as he palms and squeezes your ass playfully. 

You look him up and down suspiciously, eyebrows still furrowed, lips in a tight line, “You sayin’ there are ones I should be jealous of?” 

Joel laughs and gives your ass a good smack, pushing past you gently. “Take a shower ‘n you can come down after. There is stuff for you in the dresser,” he points to his dresser and then leaves the room to attend to the constant knocking downstairs. 

----

“The fuck have you been?” Ellie pushes the door open before Joel can even greet her. “Been knocking for almost ten minutes.” 

“I’m fully aware how long you been makin’ that racket,” Joel shuts the door behind her as she barges into the house like she still lives here. “S’nice to see you too, I guess.” Joel scoffs softly and shakes his head. 

He hadn’t expected a welcome back party, Joel hadn’t even received one smile since he’s been back. Not from Tommy– he never expected one from Maria– and now Ellie. 

“What the fuck do you expect me to say, Joel?” Ellie’s headed into the kitchen and Joel follows close behind. “Been gone for eight months and then you come back and don’t even bother coming to see me?” 

Joel grabs the glass jar of coffee beans he put in the cupboard after Tommy left last night. “Got in pretty late– didn’t wanna wake you and Dina and J.J.” 

Joel goes about making coffee while Ellie softens, changing her tone quickly. “You okay? Look like you been through some shit.” 

Joel nods his head, staying quiet. He’s listening for the shower upstairs but he doesn’t hear it. Doesn’t hear any noise and he wonders what you’re doing. 

“Thought you were done gettin’ yourself into shit,” Ellie chuckles but Joel doesn’t really hear her. He’s too busy thinking about how there is a pistol tucked into the pocket of a jacket he has hanging up in his closet. He wonders if you’re looking for something like that to use on him. Come down here blasting– taking everyone in the room out so you and Puddin’ can make your great escape. 

“Joel?” 

His train of thought is derailed, and so he turns to look at Ellie, “Sorry kiddo.” He’s greeted with a look of worry- like something bad could happen to him at any minute. Like he’s fragile and could break. He doesn’t like that. “I’m fine,” he sighs. “Just did a lot of walkin’ yesterday and didn’t get a lot of sleep.” 

Ellie sighs loudly and leans back in the chair she had taken a seat in. “Shit, and I come over banging your door down first thing in the morning,” she’s shaking her head. “I’m sorry– Tommy came over this morning and told me that you were back–”

“What else did Tommy tell you?”

Joel’s bathroom is different from Maria’s. Less welcoming– more plain and sterile looking– but your soaps are here. The little bottles and bars of the things that make you clean and smell good. Some of them make you feel soft after you use them. 

You’re warm from the inside and the tips of fingers tingle as you run them along the worn and water damaged label of one of the bottles. You notice that he brought his soap from the mall- the one you found for him shortly after he came to stay with you. 

You don’t shower. You choose to stay in his clothes instead and inspect what he has for you in his dresser. You start at the bottom drawer, but it’s only his things. The next drawer is the same– only Mister’s clothes. 

The next drawer, the one second from the top has significantly less clothes in it– but they’re yours. The ones you had at the mall, folded and tucked away neatly under the cash register in the mattress store– they’re here in Mister-man’s dresser, in a drawer just for you. 

The tingles creep up your hands and wrists and into your forearms as you shut the drawer and turn around, taking in the bedroom that you slept in last night. 

Felt good to sleep– it’s been a while. 

Miss out on things when you sleep and you’re at risk– it’s dangerous. 

It did feel good though. It felt good to sleep with a door between you and the outside world, and to have a roof over your head that didn’t have holes in it. There was something nice about being in a house again– but it still made you feel so uneasy, and your stomach was tied so tightly into a knot that it made you feel like you could be sick. 

A pink snout peeks out from under Mister’s bed, and sniffs rapidly. Then a gray and white furry face follows and his beady little eyes stare up at you. 

It shouldn’t be as dramatic as it is, but you drop to your knees with a thud and Puddin’ runs out from his hiding place and jumps into your lap. 

“I’m so glad you’re okay,” you press your face into his fur as his little scratchy nails dig into your shoulder and cheek. “Mister took real good care of you?” 

The small marsupial doesn’t respond, he just continues trying to burrow into the neck of your shirt so he can curl up and go to sleep. You bring him into Mister-man’s bed and curl up with him under your shirt. 

Safe. He’s downstairs with his daughter, probably making his horrible coffee. Nothing bad is going to happen. 

He’s tellin’ her what you did– he’s gonna tell everyone what you did. They’re all gonna hate you. Gonna talk ‘bout you ‘n laugh at you. Judge you. 

It’s been so long since you’ve had to worry about what anyone thought about you. You didn’t worry about doing things the normal way, or being normal, or anything other than what made you happy and feel good. 

Last night you had no time to think about anything before sleep overcame you. There were no worries when Mister and his endless, perfect body heat kept you warm and comfortable. 

Now you’re alone because he’s downstairs with his daughter. You think about how lucky Ellie is that she gets her dad and didn’t lose him. A different kind of jealousy pangs deep inside you. Another reason being alone was so easy was because you weren’t constantly reminded that everyone you had once known is dead. The one person from your past had turned on you, treated you like a tradeable form of currency that he could pass around to keep the people who fueled his addictions happy. 

You miss your dad and your mom. You miss the home you knew and the room you had with your books and things in it. You miss life the way it used to be. 

Wouldn’t have Mister-Joel though. 

Meeting that liar is the worst thing that ever happened to you. 

That’s not true. There had been worse things to happen to you– worse people like Christoper and Theo. The worst of them all had been Elias. 

With every ounce of mental strength you have left, you pull yourself out of your head and settle back into Mister-man’s warm, safe bed. You press your face into his pillow and inhale deeply, taking in the intoxicating smell of his sleepy, musky scent. 

The image of your clothes in his dresser flashes into your head again. Your face gets warm, and your insides feel like they’re vibrating. 

He didn’t have to do that. He didn’t have to make space for you in his life like this. You wonder what the plan is, or if he even has a plan to begin with. 

He just wanted you here. Just wanted you close to him. 

He’s going to chew you up until there ain’t nothin’ left.

The voices go back and forth with each other for a while; you stay quiet and listen to them bicker about knowing what Mister wants. How they know best. 

You think you might not know anything anymore. You had been so smart and so independent out in the woods because there had been no one else around to tell you that how you did things was wrong, or stupid, or that you could do it better this way or that way. Now– thinking about doing anything without Mister-man around makes you want to cry. 

----

“S’just me,” he whispers into your ear as he slips into bed beside you. His voice calms you before you have time to panic. “Y’never showered,” he rubs his hand up and down your upper arm. “Still smell like Tommy and Maria’s house.” 

“I found someone,” you yawn, lifting your shift a smidge to expose Puddin’, who makes his own sleepy sound, peers around the room with tired eyes, and then curls himself into a ball, wrapping his paws around his tail. 

Joel groans quietly in displeasure, “Not in my bed– critters don’t sleep in my bed.” He doesn’t force Puddin’ out, or make you put him on the floor. He wraps his arm around you, careful of the opossum, and settles in, sighing contently. 

You smirk, eyes still closed and sass him playfully. “Ya’ didn’t have a problem with it when it was my bed.” 

Mister snorts softly against the side of your face and pulls you closer. “Shut up and go back t’sleep. We ain’t doin’ this again tomorrow.” 

“Doin’ what?” 

Bein’ free.

“Bein’ lazy,” Mister-man yawns tiredly. “We’re all gettin’ up early ‘n doin’ chores,” he very gently and playfully jostles the sleeping animal under your shirt. “You too.” 

Puddin’ lets out a squeak, and shifts away from Mister to continue snoozing under the dark fabric. 

The next time you wake up you’re cold, and alone. Even Puddin’ is gone. 

The room looks different. It’s the same room but everything looks… gray and dull. 

Maybe it isn’t the same room. 

How terrible would it be if it had all been a dream? All of it– the mall, the Mister-man, Puddin’! What if none of it was real, and you’re back in the bad house, with the bad men who hurt you. 

Hide. 

The door in the corner of the room looks like it leads to a bathroom– it feels familiar. There is a lock on the door you can see from here, and there might be a small window that you should be able to squeeze out of if you try hard enough. 

Smart girl. 

Joel will be right back! He’s coming back! Don’t panic! 

The dark voice is too late– the anxiety has set in and now you need to move, need to be somewhere where no one can get you, because Joel isn’t here. He’s probably not even real!

Your brain and body aren’t in sync yet, and your legs move swiftly, but nowhere near gracefully. You fall out of bed and land on your chest. Pain shoots through your shoulder and up your neck, down your spine. You whimper, and start to crawl towards the door only a few feet away. 

There is a sound downstairs, a clattering, and then footsteps. Fast, heavy footsteps that you can follow by their thudding through the house until they’re racing up the stairs, possibly taking them two at a time. 

Comin’ to get you. Gonna take everything from you. 

It's as if you get to the bathroom at the same time the footsteps enter the bedroom. You slam the door shut, and turn the lock.

The door begins rattling violently in its frame. The voice on the other side sounds angry, but you can’t even make out what it’s saying over your own hysterics. 

“Go away, go away, go away,” you sob softly, covering your ears with your hands despite the searing pain in your shoulder. “Please go away.” 

The banging on the door doesn’t stop, it doesn’t soften or slow. It gets louder, and faster. More demanding. The door handle turns from left to right uselessly.

You close your eyes, and press your palms against your ears as hard as you can, trying to drown out the overwhelming loudness. This room is going to close in on you, the walls get closer and the space itself gets smaller and smaller. 

Whoever is on the other side of the door is mad at you. The tone of their voice tells you that they’re angry but you still aren’t listening to what they’re saying. 

“I’m sorry!” You wail loudly, hoping the person trying to get you can hear. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” You’re not sure why you’re apologizing, but you must have done something wrong for the person to be so upset. 

The door stops rattling, and for a moment you think your apologies worked, the angry entity on the other side of the door must have gone away. For a moment, you think you can breathe. 

Then there is one, loud thud against the door. The frame shifts slightly. 

“No! No! No! I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” You scream and shuffle backwards on the floor, jumping when your back touches the outside of the tub. 

The person either kicks, or slams their shoulder into the door once again, and you can see the wooden door bow inwards towards you ever-so slightly. 

This time the frame around the door splinters. 

Wonder what they’re gonna do to you when they get in here. 

You’re whimpering, praying, hoping that something will intervene, that something will save you. As you climb into the tub, trying to hide, wondering if the drain would open you up and swallow you whole if you wished hard enough– the wooden frame that keeps the door shut finally gives out as the person forces themselves into the bathroom, and pieces of wood go flying through the air. 

You scream in terror, the debris landing in your hair, and on your back. You grip the shower curtain in your right hand and tear it down off the bar above you accidentally as you pull yourself further away from whoever is behind you. 

The curtain falls down on top of you, cloaking you in darkness. This makes everything worse. The dark makes it all too familiar. 

You try to rip the fabric off of you, try and get yourself free but now there is another set of hands on you, groping at you– touching you. Getting ready to take things from you and hurt you. 

Gonna take all you got to offer, Sug.

You shriek loudly and kick out with your feet at your attacker. “Get off me!” 

A strong, calloused hand wraps around the entirety of your ankle and squeezes. Skin on skin, you can feel how hot and alive the other person is, and it makes you want to implode on yourself. 

“Pl-Plea–Please don’t,” you sob, already feeling defeated, already knowing what’s about to happen to you. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” 

The hand slides up your shin and thigh, under the shower curtain, closer to your core– but it bypasses it completely and continues traveling up your torso. Fingertips graze your chin, then your lips and before you can stop yourself, you open your mouth. The thick digits slide between your lips, and then across your tongue. 

They start to pull away, but you bite down hard before they leave your mouth completely. 

Good fuckin’ girl, Sug!

The person howls in pain and you try to push yourself backwards, away from the sound but there isn’t anywhere to go. You’re in the tub, in a giant bowl and your back is pressed against the side of it. 

“Go away, go away, go away, go away,” You plug your ears with your index fingers, close your eyes. 

Honey, it’s okay. It’s alright. You just forgot where you were. You’re safe. 

It doesn’t matter. You’re nowhere, now. 

It’s just light. It’s just white, and bright light surrounds you. It feels warm, it feels comfortable and safe, and it feels like home. It also feels entirely like nothing at all. There is a voice repeating the same phrase over and over. It’s a soft, sweet voice that reminds you of good and love. It reminds you of hugs, and sweet things, and the feeling of your chest being full. 

You can’t make out the words, they’re all jumbled together, or sound like they’re being said backwards. It doesn’t matter, the voice is what feels good. The consolation of the voice alone is enough for some reason. 

In your heart, the one that’s beating so fast in your chest it feels like it could explode or give out at any second, longs to tell the voice you miss it. You wish you could hear it more. 

Then real light, not bright, warm, white light, but the soft yellow glow of the lightbulbs encompasses you, and someone tall and broad is standing above you. 

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” You shake your head, and hold your hands up to protect your face and neck. “I’m sorry!” 

You need to breathe, honey.

Don’t. Pass out. It’ll make it easier. 

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” you can’t stop. You want to, you want to stop and take a breath, gather your thoughts– but why think when bad things are about to happen?

There is a sputtering, wet sound from above you and then you are being soaked with ice cold water. 

You gasp loudly– a long, deep breath in– and your lungs expand and your head stops spinning. Water gets in your mouth and you spit it out. It’s washing over your face and down your neck and chest. It’s already seeping into your clothes. 

A large mass is in front of you, and then kneeling– pinning your legs between theirs. A hand, calloused and strong, grabs your face, pinching your cheeks together. 

“Jesus-fuckin’-Christ, look’it me!” It’s Mister-man’s voice, it’s his hand on your face, it’s his knees on either side of yours. 

You open your eyes, and he’s glaring at you, his brows stitched together angrily. All you can do is whimper. 

“What th’fuck is wrong with you!?” He releases your face, but mashes his fingers against your lips and then holds them up for you to see. “Fuckin’ bit me!”

They’re red, stained with blood. His middle and ring finger are bleeding. Now you can taste the metallic tang of it still lingering on your tongue.

“I- I d-didn’t mean to,” your eyes flash between his bloody fingers, and angry eyes. “I didn’t mean t’bite you. I really didn’t,” you can feel your sinuses starting to tingle, and your eyes burn. “I jus’ woke up all alone and– and it looked different,” you try to explain, but the words don’t make sense, not even to you. “I got scared.” 

Mister’s face softens and his shoulders slump forward slightly, but he doesn’t say anything. This time, when he reaches for your lips, he wipes them gently, cleaning off any blood that still remains. “Didn’t think you’d wake up ‘fore I got back,” he murmurs softly. 

The water cascades through his hair, soaking it and matting it to his forehead. There is a steady stream dripping off the tip of his nose, and his clothes are completely wet now, too. You pulse at the sight of him, wet and hovering over you this way. You feel guilty for hurting him, for biting him so hard he bled. 

“Where did ya’ go?” You ask mindlessly, not even really thinking before the words come out. Your brain feels like mush, like it’s been chewed up and spit out and then stepped on. 

Joel turns at the waist, and adjusts the knob for the water, and then turns back to face you. “Was gonna go get us somethin’ to eat,” he explains cooly.

Now the water is warm and getting hotter, and feels good on your skin. “You was gonna leave me here all alone?” You whisper in disbelief, mouthing hanging open slightly.

Mister-man helps you undress silently, and discards all your wet clothes outside of the tub; then follows suit. He stands behind you, pressing himself against you so you can feel the slight swell of his belly against your back. His hands snake around your midsection, and pull you close to him. 

“Ain’t got nothin’ to be scared of here, babydoll.” He whispers into your ear. “S’only scary up here,” he punctuates the last word with a gentle kiss to your temple. “Gotta stay outta there.” 

He’s right.

You lean back against him, try and relax your tense body. “I dunno how,” you sigh, and with that confession it feels like weight has been taken off of you. Like Mister-man is lifting you off of your feet, but he isn’t. He’s still just holding you, swaying you discreetly; it’s so soothing. You are small in his arms, he makes you feel tiny and fragile even though that isn’t always the case– you love it. 

Mister lets out a low hum from deep in his chest, “Have ya’ ever tried?” 

The honest answer is no, you’ve never really tried. These things don’t normally happen, you don’t normally get stuck in your head like this. That’s not what you tell Mister though. “It’s hard. Just get caught up in it all– sometimes so fast I don’t even know it’s happenin’.” 

Mister nods like he understands, and sighs. “S’long as I’m around, you’re safe. Remember what we talked ‘bout in the woods?” 

“But you weren’t around,” you snap at him, frustrated with his useless words. “You weren’t here.” 

“I was just downstairs,” he explains gently as he starts to work his fingers into your hair. The faint smell of your soap wafts through the air, and it makes things seem less scary. Just a little. He scratches at your scalp with his nails and doesn’t miss a spot. 

“Feels good,” you moan softly, leaning against him again for support while he massages all your fears and worries away. 

He turns you around slowly so you’re facing him. “I ain’t always gonna be right by your side,” he whispers, and keeps his index finger under your chin, shielding your eyes with his other hand while the water washes the shampoo away. “But if I’m breathin’...” he pauses to make sure you’re listening. “You’re safe. Promise you that.” 

You wrinkle your nose at his words. “How’re you gon’ keep me safe if you aren’t right here?” You hold your right hand out at your side. 

Joel raises one eyebrow as he continues to rinse the soap out of your hair. “Same way you did,” he shrugs his shoulders. He’s satisfied that all the shampoo is gone, and he reaches for the bar of his soap sitting on the side of the tub. 

You watch, expecting him to start washing himself, but instead he drags the soap across your skin, washing away all the sweat and sleep from the last several hours. It smells unmistakably like Mister. You’re perplexed, studying the lines in his face as he concentrates on making sure he doesn’t miss an inch of you. 

“I have my own,” you motion to your other bottles and containers of soaps and shampoos. 

Joel glances in their direction and shrugs, sliding the bar of soap along your lower stomach, and then down between your legs. He’s thorough, but gentle. His touch is innocent, moving from your core, down your thighs. He kneels in front of you, washing your shins and calves, then finally your feet. He holds your ankle, lifting each one a couple of inches, cleaning the soles and between your toes. 

When he goes to stand, he’s slow, and winces, sucking air between his teeth harshly. 

“You hurtin’?” You reach for him with your right arm, and let him use you to stand up fully.

Joel grimaces the entire way to his feet, and begins to wash himself with the same bar of soap, ignoring your question completely. “I know gettin’ used to this place ain’t gonna be easy for you,” he starts to explain again. 

For some reason, what says embarasses you. You want to crawl inside your own skin and hide from the rest of his words. 

Mister-man doesn’t seem to notice as you pull your chin into your chest, and stare at the bottom of the tub, watching the suds and water race down the drain. “M’ gonna help ya’ as much as I can, but we can’t be together every second of every day– we weren’t together like that at the mall.” 

You roll your eyes, thankful that he can’t see. “Wasn’t no one else ‘round at the mall,” you grumble quietly. 

Joel snatches your chin in his hand and tilts your head to look up at him. “What’d you say?” He growls, eyes narrowed directly onto yours. 

The muscles in your jaw tense, and you tear your chin from between his fingers. “I said there wasn’t no one else around at the mall.” 

Mister snorts, and shakes his head from side to side. He smirks as he goes back to washing under his arms, and then his shoulders and chest. “Think I’d let someone do something to you?” 

“How are you gonna stop’em if you ain’t around, huh?” 

Joel leans in so his face is only an inch from yours. “Ain’t nobody even gonna try,” he’s still smirking. “Wanna know how I know?” 

You don’t respond, you just continue to stare at him.

“‘Cause everyone here knows that I’d hunt’em down and fucking kill them if they did,” he continues, just barely a whisper. “You forget what I did for you in the mall?” He adds, pressing a quick kiss to your lips before he stands upright. 

Part of you had forgotten in the tangled mess that was coming to Jackson. You don’t really remember what he had said– not exactly. 

Little scenes from the trip to Jackson play over and over again in your head, being shocked to the point of tears, Mister-man having to put the choke collar back on you when you wouldn’t stop trying to run. 

Finally, once you had exhausted yourself to the point of falling over, Joel told you the truth. Told you that it was a larger settlement, and that you would be expected to work, and have to talk to people. 

You do remember him whispering in your ear when he slipped his cock into you out in the woods, “Nobody’s gonna hurt my crazy lil puppy. Ain’t that right, baby?” 

You sobbed into his neck, “I ain’t crazy.” Clinging to him like you could be sucked into the center of the earth. You remember your clothes and hair being soaked, and clinging to your skin with a fresh layer of still wet mud; Mister’s hands were dirty with it when he tried to wipe your tears away. 

You remember that it suddenly sounded like thunder, and the ground was vibrating under your back. You remember the snorting of horses, and the authoritarian voice that shouted at Mister-man to get off of you. 

You remember that he didn’t get off of you, he actually thrust a couple more times until someone pulled and cocked a gun. Only then did he leave you with a sickeningly wet squelch, keeping you pinned underneath him while he situated himself back into his jeans.

You don't remember much else after that, really, not until you got to Maria's house.

Mister-man rinses his body and then reaches around you to shut the water off, and then he carefully dries you. He tuts quietly when he reaches your shoulder, bruised and swollen, but doesn’t say anything. 

Mister wraps the towel around you, and then wraps one around his waist and guides you into his bedroom. He goes into your one drawer, barely half-filled with your things, and picks out a shirt. He pulls it over your head, and is smirking down at you when you reemerge. 

“You up for a walk to the mess hall?” He asks, wiping a stray drop of water that is running down the side of your face. 

You blink up at him, wrinkling your nose slightly. 

He cups your face and rubs his thumb across your cheek, “S’where we can get somethin’ to eat.”

As if on cue, your stomach lets out a deep, loud rumbling sound. You are hungry– possibly starving. You can’t remember the last time you had anything besides a handful of raspberries and crackers. It’s been a while since you sat down and ate with Mister. 

He helps you into a pair of jeans, and then puts a clean pair of socks on for you, and helps you into one of his long-sleeve flannels. He rolls up the sleeves so they don’t overhang your hands. 

“Are there gonna be other people there?” You try to sound nonchalant, like you don’t care if other people were there. Inside, your heart feels like it isn’t moving at all, and your mouth is fuzzy and dry. 

Mister-man is tucking his shirt into his jeans when he looks at you, one eyebrow raised slightly. “Does it matter?” He sees right through you, and shakes his head as he zips and buttons his jeans. 

You shrug and sit down on the edge of his bed. “I was just askin’,” you mumble under your breath. 

He doesn’t hear, or chooses to ignore you as he finishes getting dressed. He walks back into the bathroom, and when he returns, his hair is combed back, away from his face. Mister-man’s face looks endlessly tired, like it’s been etched into his being. 

He stands in front of you with his hands on his hips, furrowing his brow at you. “What’s the matter? Y’still worried ‘bout them?” He tips head towards the door. 

You shrug again, looking everywhere but his eyes as he takes a step closer. It doesn’t matter how hard you try to avoid it, he pinches your chin between his thumb and forefinger and makes you look up at him. You force a closed lip smile at him, and shake your head from side to side. “Nah…” You blink up at him, the small, strained grin still on your face. “I know you’ll take care of me.” 

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[theoceanoasis]

Hot Rod gets turned into a spark eater by the Quintasons to be used hunt down his friends and put a end to their attempts to free their friends from the loop. While hiding the team quickly come up with a plan to trap and try and cure Hot Rod and Soundwave volunteers to be bait.

However their plan doesn't go exactly as they hoped, as Hot Rod quickly pounces on Soundwave pinning the mech down. Everyone watches on in horror expecting Roddy to try and tear Soundwave apart only to quickly become confused, then flustered as they watch Hot Rod open his panels purring as he tries to get Soundwave to open his own panels. All the team can do is wish Soundwave luck as he takes probably the wildest ride of his life.

The next morning Hot Rod wakes up fully cured and confused when he notices the blue paint transfers on his hips. Poor Soundwave is on the berth next to him sore, drained but satisfied. If that's Roddy as a spark eater he can only think how wild he is when is regularly charged up.

-🤭

"You don't think he can get in here... Right?"

Clobber looked at the entrance nervously, and Dead End crossed his arms.

"I don't want to find out."

"What are we going to do now that Hot Rod is a spark eater?"

"Kill him."

Everyone glared at Dead End, even Soundwav,e surprisingly.

"What? It's the only way to stop those things."

"It's not the only way. Give me a little time and I'll be able to make a cure."

Outside, they heard a spark eater shriek.

"I don't know how much time you have."

They all waited around anxiously as Perceptor came up with a cure. Hot Rod had been working on freeing the others when he ended up captured and turned into a spark eater by the Quintessons.

Whirl stood guard by the door, looking nervous.

"Perceptor, are you almost done with the cure?"

"I think so. Although I still need to test it."

"I don't think we have the time for that."

"What?"

"Hot Rods found us."

They all watched as the spark eater came closer. Dead End pulled Perceptor towards the elevator, not willing to risk being trapped in a room with one of those things.

"I don't think he'll be able to get in."

Clobber confidently said right before Hot Rod managed to get inside. Whirl jumped back, almost being grabbed, and ran towards the elevator along with everyone else.

"We need to get out of here."

"We need to use the cure."

Soundwave grabbed it, ordering the rest of them to get in the elevator and go down below.

"I'll stop him anyway I have to."

Turning away from the others, Soundwave threw the cure at Hot Rod, which ended up not working. Cursing, he knew there was only one option left, even if he didn't like it.

Before he could pull out his blaster, Hot Rod pounced on him. He knocked the blaster away, and Soundwave braced himself, expecting to be eaten.

He was surprised when Hot Rod opened his panel. His body practically vibrating as he whined and clawed at his panel, trying to get it to open. He gave him a confused look, wondering what was happening. Hot Rod's wet valve pressed against his interface panel. Causing him to groan as he felt his spark harden, despite the danger.

Hot Rod purred, giving him an eager look, and his panel opened with a snap. He looked down in surprise, not expecting that, and Hot Rod wasted no time.

Hot Rod woke up hours later, cured and having no memory of what happened. He looked around, confused and wondering why he was cuddling with Soundwave. Shifting in his spot he felt his valve twinge with pain and he looked down to find blue paint transfers on his interface array.

"What happened?"

He moaned subconsciously, cuddling closer to Soundwave. Still tired, he decided it was a future him problem and fell back asleep, wanting to get more sleep.

Soundwave lay awake, equally exhausted and satisfied. If that was what Hot Rod was like as a spark eater, he wondered what he was like as a normal mech. Looking at his comm, he needed to text the others and tell them that everything was alright. However, he decided to get them both cleaned up and at least somewhat presentable. He wasn't interested in receiving the shovel talk from Perceptor or Whirl.

Looking at Hot Rod, who was sleeping peacefully, he frowned, noticing his belly was slightly distended. He lightly put a hand against it, wondering if it was a side effect of being a spark eater. It was something he'd ask Perceptor later after he got some sleep and they got cleaned up.

[daphimpala]

Scared To Choose

"Joshua it isn't that easy, I can't just pick up and leave everything I know," Y/N yelled as her and Joshua argued.

"But you expect me to leave my kids behind," Joshua yelled back.

"I never said that I just need time to figure out all the what ifs is all," Y/N yelled back with tears in her eyes.

"What are you talking about what ifs nothing is gonna happen that you have to worry about," Joshua replied in a calmer tone.

"What if we don't work out and I'm stuck in a place where I don't know anyone," Y/N said as she started to cry.

"Baby if that somehow happens I'm not gonna leave you in my hometown I'll bring you back," Joshua said in a worried tone.

"I'm just scared is all, I'm giving up everything to move with you, I'm sorry," Y/N said as she started to calm down a little.

"Look I'm not gonna make you dependent on me, you can work if you want to, you can make your own money and we have my money don't worry," Joshua said in a reassuring tone.

"Are you sure I won't be a problem for Jey Uso," Y/N said in a worried tone.

"Ma, Jey Uso is gonna be bragging about you and so am I," Joshua said as he wiped Y/N's tears away.

"Are you sure, I won't be a problem," Y/N asked worriedly.

"Nah you won't if they don't like you, then they don't like me or jey use either," Joshua said pulling Y/N into a hug.

A COUPLE OF MONTHS LATER

"I'm so proud of you baby congratulations," Y/N said as she hugged Jey.

"We did it baby I beat him and took his belt," said an excited Jey Uso.

"Remember to call your boys they were worried and you know they wished they were here," Y/N says reminding Jey.

"Oh, I have a surprise for you but later, need to get somethings done first," Jey said cheesing hard.

"What do you have planned and should I be worried," Y/N asked Jey as he took off.

A FEW HOURS LATER

uceyjucey just made a post. That was the notification that lit up your phone. The photo was a black picture which worried you a bit. You were worried until you read the caption.

uceyjucey I appreciate all the love from my fans and the haters because I know you be watching. I also want to thank my family and the women that helped me get here yourusername. She's gave up everything for me and also helped me push myself to get here where I am right now as the NEW WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION. I'd post her but she don't do pictures. I STILL LOVE YOU MA!!!!

Y/N was looking for Jey when she bumped into him with tears in her eyes and a big smile on her face. She hugged him tightly and said I love you too.

"So you saw the post," Jey said nervously.

"Of course I did silly," Y/N said.

"I haven't checked the likes and comments yet I'm nervous," Jey said scratching his head.

"I love you and that's all that matters to me," Y/N says reassuring Jey.

"I knew it Trin I told you they be over here lying," Jimmy Uso said feeling betrayed.

"Ahh I'm so happy for you guys also congratulations on the win Jey," Naomi says pulling Y/N in for a hug.

"I'm sorry you didn't win but I had so much fun watching you fight,"Y/N said as she hugged Naomi tightly.

"She is right Uce congrats, and you little miss best friend you mean to tell me you left everything behind for him, why," Jimmy asked in a joking tone.

"Hey Jimmy it wasn't an easy choice to make but I'm glad I did," Y/N said looking at Jey with a big smile.

"Ok now can the teasing be done I'm starving c'mon lets go," Jey said while laughing.

"I second that," Y/N said.

The two couples leave to get food leaving everything else in the distance.

[luckyarchivist]

Hi there!! Hope you don't mind the ask, but I saw you reblog my post about what I think of the updated demo. Thank you for adding ur thoughts to it <3 and sorry it spoiled a few things. I didn't go too in depth because I didn't want to reveal EVERYTHING that happens, but there were some things I needed to spoil for clarity's sake. To me, the whole thing just felt like we were frogs being tossed into boiling water straight away, unlike the prev version of the demo, where we entered cool water first. Anyway, I'd love to hear your thoughts about it all. I'm a big fan of all your touchstarved analyses, and I immediately thought of your "honesty and Ais" post when they took out that ONE line and replaced it with a flirty comment (trying to avoid spoilers here too haha, but you made a post on it!). Take care!! And I hope you enjoy the rest of the demo!!

Hello, allswell! I'm back, and I've played Leander's route. Don't worry about your post's spoilers; I went in knowing I'd be spoiling myself, you gave plenty of warning.

I wanted to tell you about my general thoughts on his route (since...that's the ask) and also answer your question in tags of "whether Leander's manipulation is more subtle in 1.0 or 2.0".

I also want you to know that my original, full answer to this ask was so long that I'm just going to post it separately 😭 I realized I had waaaay too much to say about Leander's post-tavern route. So, for now, I'll try and generally sum up my thoughts and answer your questions.

First: What were my thoughts on Leander's route?

I loved it. I loved it. Not necessarily all the minutiae—

Are you fucking kidding me with this line? What the hell?

—but overall I really enjoyed it.

Anyone visiting from afar can read my initial notes about Leander's route in my longpost, but going into this, I definitely had some things I was looking for. Mainly, I wanted blushy Leander back.

Of course, I also read your post, allswell (and please read their thoughts if you're interested, other readers!) where you expressed feeling like Leander was now too easy to see through and too suspicious because of the loss of his cute, friendly personality.

I would say, for both of us, that we're at a disadvantage in the sense that we already know Leander is Not Good. We know all about the marketing; we've been reading people's analyses and headcanons. And we connected all of those to The Baby, 1.0 Leander. 2.0 Leander is not the inoffensive pookie bear of the previous demo version, so it's much easier to be on guard around him because he's not as pathetic as before, even when he's not really being suspicious.

So, when going through his solo route, I told myself that I would be happy as long as Leander's new scenes felt like a satisfying accompaniment to his new archetype as the not-so-holy savior of the city. And I really, really felt like they did.

What absolutely enchanted me was the ways in which Leander and MC's interactions already embody "the cult of one": a level of emotional manipulation and abuse like you'd see between a cult leader and their followers, on the smallest possible scale. I'll go into these cult elements more in my to-be-written analysis(? Series of observations?), but I happen to have been watching a lot of cult content on YouTube recently and could not tell you how excited I was to recognize the signs so lovingly recreated in Leander's solo route.

This moves me quite neatly into your other question.

And that is: Do I think Leander's manipulation was more subtle in 1.0 or 2.0?

Before I answer this, I want to talk about my differing views of Leander 1.0 vs. 2.0, assuming (as the devs have said) that Leander hasn't changed, just that more of his later character has been revealed earlier.

In 1.0, Leander is playing a part. He is acting as someone who is very silly and very promiscuous and endlessly kind, despite his abilities as a mage and a leader, because that is what draws people in. That facade is his main weapon; it makes people lower their guards and trust him, even when anyone with some sense would be wary of a super-powerful magic user with an entire militia they can order around. It's an appeal to emotion. And I fell for it!

But that's not him, or rather, that's not the truest version of him. As a player, you get the shock of seeing his "true face" later in his route, and perhaps that is where his "monstrousness" comes from.

In 2.0, Leander is himself. And we see in his route that the cute, blushing Leander, who speaks highly of friends and foes alike, is not absent — he's still there, because that is him, too. It's just not played up to such a comical degree. That is because 2.0 Leander uses his authority to get people to trust him, rather than appealing to their emotions with cuteness.

Not only that, but this Leander is free to rely on his clout as a mage and a local political figure publicly because he has other weapons of manipulation that fit his image: he's an skilled wordsmith, and in that, an emotional puppeteer; he's the head of a tightly knit group that is clearly protective of him. If one thing doesn't work, he moves to the next. And it's much less jarring for a person (the MC) to learn that their righteous and gifted hero has a soft, obedient side than to learn that their subby little boyfriend is running his gang like a military cult. So, if needed, 2.0 Leander could bring that 1.0 facade out later in the story without causing MC mental dissonance; it's just another tool.

In this scenario, the player already knows Leander's nature, even if MC does not; their horror creeps in as they watch their MC struggle to leave the web Leander is weaving for them. It's possible that, if you choose certain choices while playing his route, you may not even realize the depth of his manipulation until it's too late.

So, was Leander's manipulation more subtle in 1.0 or 2.0? I think that depends on what the player is more susceptible to. I'm the type of person who's a sucker for a boyfailure, so 1.0 Leander would sneak up on me. But for those who need a knight in shining armor, one who they know will protect them no matter what, 2.0 Leander is the perfect predator.

[broadwaybaggins]

For the May prompts:

Kingdon, juice box.

AU, I think, from the other stuff I've written for these two. On his first day, his very first fucking day, back at work from rehab and six weeks of outpatient therapy and multiple-times-a-day meetings after that, there's another MCI. Thankfully, not a shooting this time. Frank didn't know whether he'd be able to handle that. It's an industrial accident at a chemical plant, bringing in chemical burns (some severe, he treats more than a couple that he knows aren't going to make it once they get sent up to the burn unit), blunt force trauma, ruptured eardrums and broken bones in a never-ending barrage. They must treat 40 people in the first hour alone and Frank already knows Santos will never stop crowing about the guy with the piece of rebar in his chest. It's past time to clock out when things finally settle, as the accident happened right at the start of the plant's second shift, and he bypasses his locker completely to go sit outside and breathe the fresh air, or he would, if it wasn't currently pissing down rain like he's in the middle of a damn monsoon. The south stairs would have to do. He tries to sit, then finds he can't fucking sit still, his body still humming with adrenaline. Abby, if she could see him, would be driven crazy by now--she hates when she's restless, his wife. Ex-wife, Frank reminds himself. Soon to be ex. Divorce is hard to get used to. That thought makes his body almost scream with the urge to move. He jumps to his feet and starts to pace, and upon his fourth circle of the stairwell landing, that's when he almost runs right into Mel. Most of her hair has fallen loose from its braid. Frank has to physically hold himself back from acting on the ridiculous impulse to brush it back, tuck it behind the shell of her ear. Blame it on the adrenaline, he tells himself. "Hey." "Hey."

Like him, she's ditched her trauma gown and has her hoodie zipped up against the chill of the stairwell. She gives him a little half-smile and he bounces on the balls of his feet. "Everything okay? We get any stragglers?" "No, things are calming down. More of the minor injuries are being rerouted to smaller centers to take some of the burden off of us. I came to check on you, actually. See if you needed a pick-me-up after all of the excitement." He gives her a wry, sarcastic smile. "Unfortunately I think you'll find I'm very limited these days in what pick me ups are, uh, sanctioned." She holds out two juice boxes, one bright green, one red. "Vending machine didn't have a whole lot of options and I wanted to save our stock for people who needed them after the incident or if they donated blood. I can offer you apple or fruit punch." "Fruit punch for me," Frank said quickly. "The more sugary sweet, the better." "Excellent selection. I might've had to fight you for the apple juice. Here, sit." She hands him the juicebox and they both lower themselves onto the cold concrete step, punch in their straws, and stare at the boxes for a second. Finally Frank holds up his. "To another MCI, come and gone," he says softly. "We've got to keep meeting like this," "Pardon?" He grins. "I mean next time, let's try not to have a mass-casualty happen on our shift." "But if it does, we can definitely handle it." "I'll fucking drink to that." They clink their waxy cardboard juiceboxes together, share a tired smile, and drink. And the next day at work, when he's finally able to slip away for lunch, he spies Mel waiting in the cafeteria, sipping from a water bottle, with an unopened fruit punch juicebox sitting at the spot in front of her. Waiting for him.

[dawnbreaker-mylove]

Your Best Devoted Boy

Pairings: Zayne x afab!reader

Synopsis: Zayne was raised to be a perfect saint—quiet, obedient, untouched. But he’s also twenty, in love, and barely holding it together. You’re everything he’s been told to avoid. Loud where he’s silent. Free where he’s caged. And beautiful in a way that makes his faith ache. He knows he shouldn’t want you. He knows what happens when he slips. But he’s slipping anyway. Zayne was never allowed to choose. Until you.

Warnings: Religious Trauma · Canon Divergence · Controlling Parents · Abuse · Emotional Repression · Corporal Punishment · Forbidden Romance · Tragic Love · Power Dynamics · Coming of Age Under Oppression · Loss of Autonomy · Religious Guilt · Eventual Smut · Slow Burn · Angst · No Fluff · Manipulative Authority Figure · Major Character Death · Sad Ending · Hurt/No Comfort. There are no real-life religions referenced here.

Chapter 3: I Think I'll Regret This

The fluorescent lights of the convenience store buzzed above them, too bright after the quiet shadows of the church. Zayne squinted as they stepped inside. It was the first time Astra had ever allowed him something like this—something normal. Something ordinary. He stayed close to you, unsure what to do with his hands.

Caleb took a deep breath, arms stretched wide like he was about to sing. “Ah, yes. Can you smell the crimes we’ll be committing tonight?”

“We’re just buying snacks,” you laughed, nudging him.

“Exactly. Crimes against nutrition,” he said, smirking as he headed straight for the fridge section. “Also, capitalism. But that’s beside the point.”

Zayne drifted down one of the aisles, slowing at the wall of colorful noodle cups. He stared, almost mesmerized. You came up beside him, leaning in slightly.

“You look like you’ve never seen instant noodles before.”

He glanced at you, uncertain. “I haven’t. My mother cooks all our meals. She never served us these.”

“Oh, shit?” Caleb’s voice echoed from across the store. “You guys eat like, bougie home-cooked dinners every day? That’s kinda fancy.”

You rolled your eyes. “Ignore him.”

Zayne didn’t respond, just kept looking at the rows like they were a puzzle he couldn’t solve.

By the time you and Caleb made it to the counter, arms full of candy, soda, and various questionable snacks for you to feed and corrupt, Zayne had wandered over to the magazine rack. His eyes caught on a glossy cover: Cosmopolitan, bold pink letters promising 25 Secrets He'll Never Forget.

He tilted his head, curious.

Then—

Two hands clapped down on his shoulders. Zayne jumped.

“I never pegged you for that kind of guy, Zaynie,” Caleb drawled, voice dripping with amusement. “These your private time materials?”

Zayne blinked, face blank. “Private time?”

Caleb looked at you, scandalized in mock horror. “Oh my god. He’s pure.”

You had to bite your lip to stop from laughing.

Zayne, still confused, looked between the two of you. “What does that mean?”

And just like that, the aisle filled with the sound of Caleb’s wheezing laughter. “Come on, dude. Stop playing. You never…” Caleb made a vague, up-and-down gesture with his hand.

Zayne blinked. Then, slowly, he looked down at his own hand and mirrored the motion, his brows furrowing. “What does that mean?”

You and Caleb burst into laughter. Not mocking—just stunned.

“Wait,” you wheezed, holding your stomach. “You’ve seriously never…?”

Zayne tilted his head, genuinely lost. “Never what?”

Caleb gaped. “You’ve never masturbated?”

Zayne’s face remained blank. “What is that?”

Silence. Heavy and stunned. Your eyes met Caleb’s in slow horror.

“Oh my god,” you whispered. “He’s dead serious.”

After you paid for your snacks, the both of you took it upon yourselves to teach Zayne what self-pleasure was—and how to do it. He listened with the wide-eyed horror of a Victorian boy learning about Bolognese sausages for the first time.

“I don’t do that,” Zayne mumbled, eyes downcast, ears red. “It’s a sin.”

“What?” Caleb’s shoulders slumped. “Then what do you do when… little willy is up?”

“Caleb, ew!” you wheezed, half-laughing and half-choking on your drink.

“It’s a genuine question, Pip!”

Zayne didn’t flinch. He just answered, voice flat and solemn: “I pray.”

The other man blinks. “What? Does some divine force come into your bedroom and suddenly your boner’s gone?”

Zayne shrugged as if Caleb nailed it. Now he can't help but groan, tugging his hair like he couldn't believe this tomfuckery.

“Don't people pray when they feel some sort of lust?”

“NO!”

“Try it,” you offered Zayne a small cake. At first, he examined it on your hand before taking a bite. His eyebrows shot up slightly before he plucked the cake out of your hand. “What is this?” He asked, taking another bite. “It's good.”

You chuckled, brushing the crumbs off your hands. “It's carrot cake.”

The giddy expression on Zayne's face shifted to disappointment and maybe even disgusts. He gave the cake back.

“What? You don't want it?”

Zayne nodded.

Caleb narrowed his eyes at him. “What? Do carrots offend your god, too?”

“No,” Zayne grabbed another bar of chocolate you introduced to him earlier and took off a big bite. “I hate carrots.”

You couldn't help but laugh aloud, the sound echoing through the empty parking lot. Zayne stares at you, slightly taken aback but he couldn't help but smile. If only you knew how mesmerized he looked. As you regained composure, you and Zayne looked at each other, smiling and the world had stopped around you. Your gaze landed on his lips. You remembered how they felt against yours: warm and soft. Untouched. Is this why people prefer the purer things? Because they felt good?

Zayne breaks eye contact first, looking down on his wristwatch. “I have to go,” he stands from the bench.

“What?” Caleb raises an eyebrow. “It's barely nine in the evening. Your dad says you can stay out for a bit.”

You looked at Zayne, silently agreeing with Caleb, but the look on the other man's face shows you that there's no room for argument.

“I'll make it up to you guys,” he promised. His eyes flickered towards you for a brief moment before he looked away. “I'll head home now. Good night.”

9:00

Astra said to be home by ten. That gave him an hour.

So why did his chest feel tight, like he was already late? Zayne glanced at the time again. Still early. Still safe. He rubbed his thumb over the worn strap of his watch, trying to ground himself. “You’re just overthinking,” he whispered. “It’s fine. You’re fine.” The street was quiet as he stepped up to the door. He let out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding.

The second his hand touched the doorknob, though, that tightness returned—deeper this time. He hated how his body remembered things before his mind did.

Still, he turned the knob.Inside, Astra was already there, standing by the doorway like he'd been waiting for hours. He didn’t speak right away. His expression was unreadable, but his eyes… Zayne recognized that look. Trouble. “Father,” Zayne said, quietly. He reached out, instinctively, to take his hand the way they always did.

Astra didn’t move.

“You’re late.”

Zayne froze. His heart skipped, then began pounding. Was his watch wrong? Did he walk slower than he thought? His eyes darted past Astra to the wall clock. 9:17.

“You said I could be home by ten,” he managed, voice shaky, unsure.

“I said no such thing,” Astra said—his voice sharp, too loud in the quiet house. Zayne flinched. “You’re late.”

Behind him, Qiangwei stood just outside the hallway. Her eyes looked hollow. Red-rimmed. Had she been crying? Zayne tried to step forward, to ask if she was okay, but his legs wouldn’t move.

“But you said—”

Astra slammed his hand against the side table. The sound cracked through the room. Keys and photo frames jumped.

“Don’t twist my words, boy,” Astra hissed.

Zayne flinched, his gaze dropping to the floor like it weighed a thousand pounds. The scolding continued, his father's voice rising and falling with disgust. Words like disgraceful and disobedient sliced through the air, sharp and familiar. But they didn’t land—not really. Zayne wasn’t listening. His thoughts had fogged over, thick and dull, like cotton stuffed in his ears.

He only blinked back to awareness when the shouting stopped. Astra was staring at him, unblinking.

“Answer me, Foreseer,” his father said, voice low and cold now. “Were you listening to me?”

Zayne opened his mouth, but nothing came out. His throat tightened. His chest burned. He didn’t know if he was about to speak or sob.

Tears welled up in his eyes, hot and sudden. He hated that they came so easily. He felt small… so small. Like a useless, pathetic child standing before a monster.

“Speak!”

Before he could crumble, a figure stepped in front of him. Qiangwei.

His mother’s presence was quiet, but firm. Her arms didn’t rise, her voice didn’t shake. She simply placed herself between them like she always did, like she had learned to do.

Astra blinked, taken aback. His expression shifted, startled for a heartbeat before hardening again.

“You dare defend him?” he barked. “You defend a sinner?”

“I’m not defending anyone,” Qiangwei said, calm as ever, though her voice carried the weight of exhaustion. “My love, you should rest. You’re tired.”

“Don’t give me that!” Astra snapped. His eyes burned through her, but his words still struck toward Zayne. “He deliberately disobeyed me.”

Even as her shoulders sagged with weariness, Qiangwei stood firm. Between father and son. A wall made of softness that refused to fall.

“I’ll speak to him,” she said gently. “But please—just rest. You’re tired, aren’t you?”

Astra looked like he wanted to say more, to yell at Qiangwei too, but instead he sneered and walked towards his office. “Make me coffee,” he commanded before slamming the door.

Mother and son both gasped for air like they've been holding it for a while. Qiangwei then wrapped her arms around Zayne's broad shoulders, kissing his hair as their bodies shook.

“What happened?” Zayne asked, his forehead on his mother's shoulder. “Why was he angry?”

It took a while before the older woman breathed out, “I'm sorry. I crossed him and you got involved. I spoke to someone I'm not supposed to”

“Who?”

Qiangwei cups her son's cheeks as if he were still a child. She could still see that look in him, when he's thinking deeply, putting the pieces together. It hurts her to see Zayne with copious amounts of potential be trapped in a box like this. She shook her head.

“Get some rest, my son,” Qiangwei lets go. “Don't trouble yourself further.”

Zayne sat on the edge of his bed, the weight of the day pressing down on him. His back leaned against the headboard as he replayed every moment in his mind—the harsh words from Astra, the ticking clock as he walked home, the suffocating silence that filled the house when he arrived. What had he done wrong? Was nine o’clock too late? Should he have rushed back earlier? He ran his fingers through his hair, tugging at the strands in frustration, feeling the sting of unshed tears threatening to break free. Just then, his phone buzzed, pulling him from his spiraling thoughts. He glanced at the screen, seeing a message from Caleb.

“Miss you bro,” it read, accompanied by a picture of you and Caleb at a diner, the two of you grinning as you held up half-eaten burgers.

For a moment, the tightness in Zayne's chest loosened. His gaze lingered on you, caught mid-bite, your face scrunched up in surprise as you weren’t quite ready for the camera. That glimpse of you, so familiar and carefree, pulled him out of his own head. He felt a small flutter of warmth, the kind he hadn’t allowed himself to feel all evening. He let out a shaky breath, staring at the image for a long time. There was no need for words. Just this picture, this simple reminder that there was something beyond the cold walls of his house. Something good. Something normal. Zayne decided against replying to Caleb. He hovered for a second, thumb poised to drop his phone on the bed—but something stopped him. His gaze lingered on his contacts list. Your name stood out. He didn’t think. His fingers just moved. Still out with Caleb? he typed. He stared at the message as if willing it to disappear, but your reply came not a minute later.

I'm home. Why?

His heart flipped. Zayne glanced toward the window by his desk. The curtains swayed ever so slightly, catching the faintest breeze. He looked back at his phone and typed: Nothing. Then he turned the device to silent and left it on the bed. He couldn't risk bringing it. Astra probably had a tracker on it, hidden somewhere. Of course he did.

Zayne crossed the room quietly, fingers brushing the familiar edge of the window frame. He checked the opening—still wide enough to fit through. He used to sneak out of this same window as a child, skipping nap time to play with you and Caleb. But now he was sneaking out for something else entirely.

He looked over his shoulder every minute, hoping no one was following him. Zayne quickened his pace, his breath shallow, his hands stuffed deep into his jacket pockets. When he finally arrived at your apartment complex, he slipped through the lobby unnoticed and took the elevator up, praying to whatever gods were still listening that this would go well—even if every step he took felt like a sin.

The elevator doors slid open to your floor. He walked to your door, hesitated, then knocked. A few seconds passed. Then a few more. His mind began to fog.

What if you were asleep? What if this was a mistake? Why was he here?

The door creaked open.

“Zayne?” Your voice was laced with surprise. “What are you doing here? It’s late.”

“I—” The words caught in his throat. He couldn’t say it. Couldn’t explain the crushing weight in his chest, the storm in his head. But then you reached for his wrist and pulled him inside. And just like that, the heaviness lifted. “Take a seat,” you said gently, guiding him toward the couch. “Have you eaten yet?”

He shook his head, hands trembling. His eyes followed you as you moved through the kitchen, pulling leftovers from the fridge. Then something caught his eye. “Is that beer?” he asked, almost innocently.

You glanced over your shoulder at the cans neatly lined in the fridge door. “Yeah, why? You want some?” You chuckled, lighthearted, meant as a joke. But when he answered, “Yes,” your smile faltered.

part I | part II | part III | part IV | part V

Taglist: @babyx91 @idiashusband

[kangshxrtie]

3. MAKE U MINE | KIM NAKYOUNG

pt. one pt. two

sypnosis — choi y/n and kim nakyoung do some baking... or at least they try pairing — kim nakyoung x actress!reader trope/genre — mutual pining, fluff, and slight smut includes — zhou xinyu and kim yooyeon word count — 944 words

“they’re doing maintenance on my place, but i really need to bake these cupcakes for minju’s premiere,” you said, frustration clear in your voice.

“you can use my dorm kitchen,” nakyoung offered without missing a beat.

“i don’t want to impose on your members like that.”

“most of them have schedules today—i’m basically alone here,” she said, her tone dipping just slightly into something almost pouty.

“oh, so this is really about you needing company,” you teased.

“maybe a little,” she admitted. “plus, i can help you bake the cupcakes.”

“you can bake?” you raised an eyebrow, skeptical.

“i’m sure you’d be a great teacher,” nakyoung said sweetly.

“that somehow makes me more nervous.”

“i swear i’ll be a good helper,” she insisted, half-laughing. “i won’t even touch the frosting unless instructed.”

you paused for a moment, then gave in with a sigh. “fine. i’ll come over.”

“yes,” she said, triumphant. “just text me when you’re outside so i can let you in.”

“got it,” you said before hanging up, already smiling.

"okay, so first, we need to get proper attire," you say.

"and that would be...?" nakyoung asked, scanning the room for anything that resembled "proper attire."

"just stay here. i'll find it." you quickly went off and returned with two aprons in hand. with those secured, the two of you began gathering all the necessary ingredients for the cupcakes you planned to make.

you glanced over at nakyoung, who was mixing the dry ingredients with the most serious face you’ve ever seen on her, like messing up was the end of the world.

then, her expression shifted. a devious smile appeared on her face as she glanced at you. 

"what was that evil—" you barely got the words out, and before you could process what was happening, a handful of flour flew straight at your face.

nakyoung burst into laughter, clutching her stomach. "oops! sorry, i didn't mean to!"

"oh, you totally meant to." you grinned, reaching for your own "ammo."

nakyoung dodged with ease, still giggling. "kinda funny how you apparently have good aim but still can’t hit me!"

you took that as a challenge and threw another handful; this time, a direct hit to nakyoung’s face.

"best aim in the choi family right here!" you declared proudly.

nakyoung gasped, wiping flour off her face. "oh, so you wanna start a war?" her grin darkened as she grabbed the entire flour bag, lifting it threateningly.

reacting quickly, you ducked behind the counter, narrowly avoiding the attack. "nakyoung!"

while you were busy celebrating your escape, nakyoung used the opportunity to scoop flour from the bowl and dump it straight onto your head. it rained down over your hair, shoulders, and face.

"ahh—shit!" you barely had time to react before another wave of flour hit you.

"nak—" another hit. at this point, there was no winning.

defeated, you dropped to the floor. "alright, alright! i surrender."

"oh my god, i finally won something!" nakyoung cheered.

you stood up, brushing off some of the flour before stepping closer to nakyoung. "wait, nakyoung..." you reached out, brushing some powder off her cheek. "you got a little something right here."

nakyoung blinked, momentarily lowering her guard. that was your moment. with one swift motion, you hit her with the last bit of leftover flour.

"oh, do i?" nakyoung chuckled darkly. without hesitation, she grabbed an egg from the counter and cracked it over your shoulder.

your jaw dropped. "you did not."

"i did. what are you gonna do about it?" she smirked.

you narrowed your eyes. "oh, you wanna play dirty?" you grabbed an egg and hurled it at her shoulder. it cracked perfectly, yolk sliding down her arm.

"oh, it’s like that?" nakyoung laughed as she reached for another egg.

before long, an all-out food war erupted in the kitchen, with flour, eggs, and even a bit of frosting flying through the air. neither of you backed down.

nakyoung eventually managed to grab both of your wrists, pinning them above your head. "just surrender now, y/n."

you smirked from underneath her. "i already won."

she raised an eyebrow. "i literally have you pinned down right now."

"i know." your grin didn’t fade.

before nakyoung could respond, the sound of footsteps approaching made both of you freeze.

xinyu stepped into the kitchen and immediately stopped in her tracks, taking in the sight of nakyoung straddling you, both of you covered in flour and egg. she tilted her head, an amused smirk forming. "well... that’s something."

nakyoung instantly scrambled off of you, face burning as she covered it with her hands.

"what’s going on here?" xinyu asked, clearly trying to hold in her laughter.

you cleared your throat. "we’re... baking."

"is this your normal process?" xinyu raised an eyebrow. 

"yeah, getting messy is part of the whole experience," you nodded, keeping a straight face. 

"don’t say it like that," nakyoung elbowed you. 

"right. well, i’ll just pretend i didn’t see anything. carry on." xinyu just shook her head as she walked right back out of the room.

the second she left, you exhaled. "at least it wasn’t one of our sisters."

"yeah, hopefully, xinyu won’t tell mine," nakyoung groaned. 

she wiped a bit of icing off your cheek, then licked it off her finger, her eyes lingering on you a little longer than necessary. "baking with you is so fun."

you swallowed. "y-yeah. super fun."

clearing your throat, you quickly redirected to cleaning up. the two of you wiped down the counters, swept, mopped, and scrubbed the walls. by the time the kitchen was spotless, you had finally settled down enough to restart the baking process.

[magical-girl-coral]

💕 for the ask game.... narabees please my leige.....it can be as cutesy or them being awful for eachother as you want... go crazy

Gonna make this a part two to the last fic I wrote you for about them

Send me emoji(s) and I'll write a drabble

"EVERYONE, IT'S TIME TO PLAY SPIN THE BOOOOOOOOOTTTTTTTTLE!"

Nara woke up from her little trance thanks to some lunatic with a megaphone in one hand and an empty wine bottle in the other, forcing her to wake up back to the real world where a very wet Kristen was now grinning even more wildly than before.

"Spin the bottle? We's fucking miss this!" She jumped out of the pull and grabbed Nara by the arm (great goddess her muscles were glistening and flexing), making them both bolt straight into the manor. "Last time this happened, Aelwyn got jumped on by Ivy, Gorgug made out with Oisin three times and Adaine got her kisses in from five different lesbians. You're gonna love it!"

Nara's face was beyond on fire. It was molten lava. "Wait, wait, I'm not ready for this-!"

But it was too late by then. Next thing Nara knew, she was sitting in the circle with the most beautiful women she has ever seen and some okay to decent looking men. Looking at Fabian hurt her though. She was sure he was a lesbian when they met and that fact is going to haunt for the rest of her life.

Said host was also standing over them with the wine bottle and the authority of a battle master. "Alright, here's the rules; if a bottle is cocked and landed on two people, we roll it again as threesomes are not in the rule book. In this house, we honor the cock."

From somewhere near them, Nara heard the groans of a tired goblin.

"Secondly, if two people got horned up from a make out session, please leave to use one of the empty bedrooms upstairs. We know you think you hide can your boners well. I can safely say you cannot."

An embarrassed blue dragonborn from the left of her blushed and coughed into his fist.

"And finally, if you are in a committed monogamous relationship, you have no right to be surprised if your partner comes over pissed off. You have crossed a line neither of you discussed before so this is fully on you. Are we good?"

Everyone agreed with him.

"Good. Now as your wonderful host, I shall be the one to spin and quickly leave because my girlfriend isn't here and I need to go sulk somewhere private with The Ball. Enjoy yourself to all!"

And with that, the game was on.

The first few rounds weren't too bad. The bottle landed between Ragh and Gorgug with Mary Ann giving a thumbs up as they made out. It landed next on Lucy and Ivy, who gave each other a quickly friendly kiss before departing. Afterwards it landed on Oisin (the blue dragonborn apparently) and Ruben, with the former jumping on top of the wizard and landing in a good comedic theatrical kiss.

Nara laughed with the rest of the ground, feeling some of the tension leave her shoulders.

Until the bottle of course had to land between her and Kristen.

Cause why the fuck not?

Kristen shifted in her seat, the top of her shoulders blushing with her face. "We don't have to do this if you don't want to. It's just a game after all."

Nara glared at her. First she stole her girlfriend, now she's poking at her pride?

Oh it's on.

Nara stood up, walked to Kristen, grabbed her by the back of her stupid head and smacked their lips together hard enough for it to echo across the first floor.

During the fifteen seconds of their kiss, Nara had control over the movement of their lips. She decided where to move what and where to how they both like it. During that time, Kristen gently cupped Nara's cheek with delicacy that would have angered her more if it didn't feel so nice. By the time they were done, Kristen was on her back, her pupils were fully dilated and her lips looked plump and pink.

Nara stood up and dusted her dress. "I believe I proved my point. If you don't mind, I shall excuse myself for the rest of the evening."

She left without bothering to hear what the others had to say, going around the manor and finally finding a room that didn't smell of alcohol, drugs or sex.

She closed the door shut and flung herself onto the bed, screaming as loud as she could into the bed until her vocal cords gave out. She then gathered herself together and knelt by the window, crossing her hands together in prayer as she stared at the moon.

"Great goddess of the moon, the wolves and of my heart. She who lights our way in our darkness nights, guides us through the blackest hour, and feels our heart with hope, please do not let me fall in love with this fucking disaster of a lesbian."

[sashimi020]

chaos meets guitarist p2 [manjiro x reader]

p1 | ?

a/n: SLKDJFDS i had no idea what to do for this chapter. i would've written the part where they all played uno n shit but got too tired. ALSO. i know i wrote that hina was a teacher in the previous chapter, i went back and edited it because i felt like it would be really fitting if reader met the gang like this tbh. might even make them make a trip to the nahoya twins restaurant!!! lmk if you guys would like that. LMK IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE TAGGED!

thankfully your neighbour seemed nice enough. maybe you guys could even be friends! that is, if you could be slightly more social. that first interaction was fairly weird, wasn't bad by any means, on the bright side you supposed that you had something to laugh about.  you ponder on the morning as you wander around the streets of the apartment, eventually stumbling on a quaint looking mom and pops bakery. 'it looks really cozy, maybe.. i should- the food's probably really good honestly' you think and step inside. 

you push open the door and your senses are instantly overrun by the comforting smell of bread and chocolate. small, light chatter fills the air of seated customers enjoying their breakfast. you make your way to the counter. 

a short, pink haired woman turns around with a cheerful smile that reaches her eyes, "hello! welcome, what would you like to have?" "oh.. um.. actually this is my first time here, would you be able to suggest anything?" "oh! of course! um-" "hina! hina where's the order of coffee beans? i can't find the packages anywhere.." a guy peeked his head out from the closed off kitchen area

he gazed at the lady with the brightest blue eyes you've seen, anyone would assume they were contacts. "should be in the boxes outside mitchi!" the lady chided, "look properly! ah, sorry about that," she turned to you and gave you a heartwarming smile. "so, um, our specials for this week include the pumpkin tart, raspberry pie and.. " she listed off a few options, "yeah um.. i'll have the tart please, oh. actually could you make that two?" you quickly say. maybe you should get an extra for the sweet neighbour. 

you thank the the warm lady and leave the bakery. you were definitely going to come back, maybe next time you could get to know the lady more, she seemed so kind… 

wow. you seriously need friends. 

__

emma shoved mikey through the door and slammed it with a frustration that mikey was familiar with. she huffed, draken raised an eyebrow in response. "he ruined my first impression!" mikey groaned, "let go already! jeez, i said i was sorry,-" "no, I  apologised for you! you stood there like an idiot and-" emma gasps recounting the incident in her head once more, she gripped his shoulders and turned him to face her "you called her pretty! that's the first fucking thing you said!" she said in a tone filled with curiosity and accusation,

"woah, woah, woah, slow down," draken interrupted "okay, what exactly happened?" emma sighed exasperatedly, mikey freed himself from her grasp and collapsed on the couch. "mikey ran up the stairs and crashed into our new neighbour" "it wasn't my fault!" "who runs up the stairs?!" emma chided. draken chuckled. emma sighed "well, she seemed pretty nice about it so that's good. i invited her over today evening so we can properly meet her then, and mikey, you're going to properly apologise" "we'll see her again?" he said with a weirdly foreign twinge of hopefulness in his voice, draken and emma shared a glance. 

"yeah guess so. don't hog the cookies if you want her back" draken snorted. mikey instantly complied.

_

a few hours passed, it was evening now, you wonder if you should go over now. you'd finished cleaning and were practically jobless, so you grab the tart, muster up all the courage you have and knock on the door of the apartment.

you ignore the sinking feeling of nervousness in your stomach as you hear the door unlock. 

"yo, you're our new neighbour right? c'mon in, emma told me you were coming over," a guy, embarrassingly taller than you spoke up. "oh, yeah.. yeah" "i'm ken, ken ryuuguji, nice to meet you" "f/n, l/n, nice to meet you too.." you suddenly felt slightly bad that you'd only bought two tarts. emma returned from the kitchen holding a plate of fresh cookies "oh! hi! you're here!"

"hi, uh. well, actually i didn't want to intrude or anything um, but you .. seemed pretty nice this morning so i just bought you er.. this tart from a bakery at the end of the street," you pause and glance at draken, "well- i only got two, sorry, i kind of assumed you lived alone," you place it on the table

"oh! oh my god, how sweet of you!" emma giggles. draken stares at the packaging for a second before opening the box "oh hey- this is from hina and mitchi's bakery." he turns to you, "they're our pretty close friends" draken explains "oh! that's so nice.." you respond, "i should properly introduce you to her sometime, yeah, their stuff is always so good! it's mostly thanks to hina though, she comes up with most of the specials. their hot cocoa is insanely good" emma interjects. "also thanks to takemitchi's affinity to follow hina's orders" draken chuckles 

the three of you sit down and talk for a bit, you take small bites out of the pastry. it's clearly made by skilled hands. no doubt about it. you find out in the conversation that the both of them are together, which was so sweet! you also learn a bit more about mikey, the culprit who was responsible for your fall in the morning. 

"so, actually, we heard you playing guitar the other day! it sounded really cool. have you been playing for long?" you flush, "you guys could hear that? oh.. sorry i'll keep it down, um, i've been playing since i was a teenager.. oh uh, i actually moved here to work with a friend on a music teaching business" "woah, that's super cool!" emma gushes, you chuckle bashfully "well it's nothing much right now.. but yeah.." 

in the midst of your conversation mikey burst through the apartment door, "emma! i got your freaking groceries, are you happy now? can you stop threatening me n-" he instantly cuts himself off when he notices you. "oh.. you're-" emma interrupted him, "that's my brother, don't mind him, oh! and you need to apologise properly for today morning y'know?!" emma chided back at him "oh- really there's no need for that it was just an accident-" you interject, "i'm sorry, that was pretty reckless for me to do" mikey, who you would later come to learn his real name was manjiro, apologised. 

draken raised his eyebrow, this was probably the most sincere apology they've heard from mikey. it was rare that he'd even verbally apologise, even more so rare that he seemed so genuine. that to, to a stranger! 

"it's totally alright, my name's y/n, by the way, nice to meet you" you greet him with a newfound confidence from emma's hospitality. his lips tugged into a small smile, "manjiro, manjiro sano" 

__

a few hours passed, you didn't expect the time to slip by so quickly, the four of you played uno, had dinner and watched a movie. with your newfound friendships and the promise of meeting up again next weekend, and a box full of warm cookies, you walked back into your apartment unit and wrapped up the eventful and rewarding day. maybe getting used to living in this new place would be easier than you thought.  tags: @manjirosfairmuse @dollrndo @dancingnewcat @idk-what-myurl-shouldbe

[idl3dr3ams]

my poor friend's dorm is straight up haunted 😭😭😭

She's been having a CRAZY experience in uni but at least until now it was all human craziness. this is just wiiiiiild

her friend's mom got holy water for them I'm sobbing

[isles-of-man]

Erik watched Emily make her way around the shop, her movements graceful despite what they'd just done. He couldn't help but smile, feeling a mixture of satisfaction and disbelief. Ten years. Ten years of wanting her, and now she was his.

Once she disappeared into the back room, Erik adjusted his clothes and ran a hand through his disheveled hair. His phone buzzed—a reminder that he had papers to grade. Reality crashing back in.

"I'll text you the details," he said, adjusting his clothes and running a hand through his disheveled hair. "But fair warning, I might get distracted thinking about what just happened and send you something inappropriate instead."

Back in his office an hour later, Erik found it impossible to focus on the stack of undergraduate essays. Every sentence he read dissolved into memories of Emily's moans, her taste, the way she'd whispered "come hard" in his ear.

"Fuck it," he muttered, pushing away from his desk. The papers could wait. He pulled out his phone and opened his voice messages. Something compelled him to record his thoughts while they were still raw, still burning in his mind.

"Em," he began, his voice low and intimate. "I'm sitting here pretending to grade papers, but all I can think about is how you felt wrapped around me. How wet you were. For me. Ten years is a long time to wait, but Christ, it was worth it."

He leaned back in his chair, lowering his voice further. "Tonight, I want to explore every inch of you properly. I want to taste you, feel you come against my tongue. He hesitated, then decided to push further. "I've always had this fantasy of you bent over my desk while I spank you. Just hard enough to leave my handprints on your perfect ass. Would you like that, baby? Or maybe you'd prefer my tie around your wrists while I taste you until you're begging me to stop."

He paused, feeling himself hardening again at the thought. "I never told anyone this, but I've always had a thing for light restraint. Nothing extreme—just the idea of you tied to my bed, completely at my mercy while I worship your body. Or maybe you'd prefer me tied up, completely yours to command?" He laughed softly. "God, I sound like a teenager. You do that to me, make me lose all my professor composure."

Erik shifted in his seat, lowering his voice to almost a whisper. "I want to take you in every room of my house. I want to fuck you in the shower, bent over my kitchen counter, on top of my washing machine. I've had ten years to imagine all the ways I want to please you, Emily." He groaned. "Fuck, Em. I'm getting hard again just thinking about it."

He cleared his throat. "For tonight, though, I've made reservations at Marcello's at eight. Wear something you wouldn't mind me slowly removing later. Something that makes you feel beautiful, because you are. You always have been."

He paused, suddenly feeling vulnerable. "And Emily? Thank you for waiting for me, even if neither of us knew we were waiting. I'm not letting you go either."

He ended the message and sent it before he could second-guess himself. Then he reached for the papers again, a smile playing on his lips as he imagined Emily's reaction when she listened to it.

his words echoed like the sweetest melody in her mind. emily just rested her forehead against his as she just panted hardly.

"come, baby..." she whispered, her eyes closing. she wanted him to seal their love for each other, to make it official that they weren't friends anymore: they were lovers. "i want to cherish this memory for the rest of my life. this corner will be my favorite from now on." she smiled at him and kissed her lips deeply, feeling all of a sudden incredibly happy.

feeling his vigorous thrusts, emily moaned louder. she was worn out, but loving those thrusts he was giving to her. he was full of passion, making her feel so desirable, so beautiful. she kissed him deeply, finally feeling complete with him by her side, ready to have this dreamed life she often imagined with him.

as he reached his own orgasm, emily felt him emptying himself deep into her. her face showed her ultimate pleasure as she watched, admiring him coming into her. "that's it, baby... come hard..." she whispered, loving being now full of his cum. this felt right, he was finally claiming her as his for good.

emily held him tight into his arms as she just kissed his neck, almost rewarding him from this incredible effort he made. not only he carried them both, but he made them both cum hardly. she smiled and caressed his face tenderly. "let it out..." she whispered, kissing his lips tenderly.

hearing him panting, the woman rested her forehead against his and just tried to recover her breath. this was the most beautiful sexual encounter she had in her whole life. she smiled as she looked at him in the eyes, her green ones looking exhausted. "i won't forget this either..." she promised, this time having her arms wrapped around his neck as she hugged him tenderly. she laughed at his words and whispered: "and i will be thinking about this constantly." she added: "this corner is where our story starts. it will be our corner."

she chuckled and nodded. "it was more than worth it." she kissed him tenderly before whispering: "i love living dangerously. we almost got caught but this was hot." she laughed and sighed. "good that all your students are away, though." his kiss made her moan gently, her tongue caressing his as she couldn't get enough of him. not after ten years. she smiled as he slowly pulled back and cleaned them both. she bit her lip, thinking how she wanted to introduce her pussy officially to him later. so he can admire it and enjoy it.

his words made her laugh tenderly as she shook her head. "you don't need to apologize.. this was incredibly hot, erik. and nothing stops us from having dinner." she said sweetly, slowly landing back on the floor and pulling her panties back on. happy to hear that he wanted to take her out tonight, emily nodded. "i will be more than happy to go on a date with you tonight, erik." she kissed his lips tenderly before resting her head on his chest for a few seconds, still recovering from this wonderful orgasm.

"i must run an errand this afternoon." she said, knowing that she had to see her doctor. looking back at him in the eyes, emily kissed his lips deeply. "i will close the shop now and run this errand. text me where you want me to be and at what time. and what i should wear." she smiled sweetly before adding: "i am not leaving your side, ever again." her tone was genuine as she slowly walked around the shop, shutting down the shades and getting ready to wrap up. with her phone, she made a quick appointment for her doctor, who told her she could come in 30 minutes.

closing the shop, emily kissed erik one last time. "i have to run to my appointment. but please text me." she bit her lip, knowing she wanted to know more about him, about his kinks, fantasies and dreams. "i can't wait to see you tonight." she squeezed his hand tenderly, looking at him one last time before reluctantly leaving to the direction of her doctor's practice.

[annihilatius]

I'm unironically getting interested in a 10 year old Minecraft roleplay series that hasn't been updated in 7 years and will never actually be finished because the two people that made it together got divorced and don't even record stuff at all anymore so there's barely any fandom anywhere and any fan content that exists is (the vast majority of the time) stuff from 8 years ago when it was still being made uploaded by inactive accounts I'm so fucking ashamed of myself