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ivymarquis · 1 year ago

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Blind Date

Me: “why the fuck is this fic taking so long to finish?”

The fic: *is the longest singular piece I’ve ever written for one chapter*

Pairing| John Price x F!Single Mom!Reader Rating| M Word Count| 8.4k Kinks/Content/Warnings| Drinking (everyone is clear headed), run ins with a shitty ex, mentions of abuse from prior relationship, these two are incredibly down bad for each other, oral (m! and f!receiving), protected piv, squirting

There is a certain catharsis in lamenting your dating horror stories with men to a married lesbian who’s over a decade older than you. Kate is always willing to lend an ear, and you’re positive that she gets a kick out of your misadventures in the way so many married people did while listening to their single friends.

“I swear I’m this close to just giving up all together and embracing spinsterhood,” you grouse with a drink in your hand after the work day had concluded.

You like to think your standards aren’t unreasonable. Someone kind, with their head on straight. It felt like finding a man who respects you as a person is becoming too big an ask and you very simply would rather be alone than deal with the endless hoard of men who seem hell bent on destroying any confidence you have in yourself.

“What about the guy you went out with yesterday?” Kate inquires with her head tilted. Must be fun, listening to your ramblings with a devoted partner at home.

“Oh did I not tell you? He was engaged!”

Kate pulls a face like her drink soured on her, matching how you’d felt at the time.

“Even better- guess how I found out he’s engaged.”

“She showed up at the restaurant?” Kate hits the nail on the head on the first try.

“Bingo,” you raise your glass in a gesture of affirmation before finishing it off. “Somehow I ended up being the one getting yelled at in that situation. Un-friggin-believable.”

You don’t abuse your work privileges to creep on people you meet in your personal life, but public record could have spared you if he’d been married. Harder to find out about an engagement from a total stranger who was determined to not let you find out about it and didn’t have social media.

“There’s always the other side,” Kate teases.

“Women scare me too much, I get all nervous.” You could appreciate an attractive woman as much as the next gal but good God you just could not help yourself when it came to men. The subtle way their breathing would change before they made their move, that low timber growling in your ear. The sheer weight of one on top of you as he manhandled you into the bedding-

Dear Lord, you need to get laid. Maybe you’re fixating on it too much because you’ve had an over 2 year dry spell. That tends to happen after a baby though. Especially with a pain in the ass ex who thinks he can pick and choose when to be around (and becomes absolutely incensed each time you remind him he could be consistent or he could stay home).

Kate is thoughtful for a moment, clearly kicking around an idea she hasn’t fully committed to in one direction or another. You can see the moment she decides to proceed with the thought. “Depending on what exactly you’re looking for, I might know someone.”

—

And here you are on a Saturday night, nerves clawing at your belly like a rabid dog.

Most (well, all) of the men you’ve dated you met online. There’s almost additional butterflies beyond the first-meet jitters knowing that the date is set up by a mutual friend.

There’s more at stake, even if the stakes are relatively low pressure. If the guys you met online did something incredibly out of pocket you never had to see them again, and held no qualms divulging the events to friends. Your romantic life has been full of misadventures but has given you a handful of stories, and as strangers you never have to consider any possible fallout in telling those stories.

Your son is with your mother for the night, allowing you the opportunity to focus solely on yourself this evening. No concern about keeping an eye on him while getting ready, worrying about what possible trouble he’ll get into when your back is turned.

It is hard at times- striking that balance between wanting to be a good mom and also wanting to be acknowledged as a desirable woman who has needs. A lot of men are shitty about it. You’d grilled Kate for every detail of his reaction when being informed of your young son. You don’t need another ambush regarding your disinterest in making it work with your son’s father.

She’d soothed your nerves- he hadn’t batted an eye, was about as worried about your reaction to how often his job pulled him away as you were about him having a poor reaction to being a single mom. You both have responsibilities that have to be placed above a relationship, now go play nice and have fun.

You tell yourself you can have one drink while waiting at the bar of the restaurant you’d agreed to meet at.

White wine ends up being your pick- not quite so easy to suck down as a tasty cocktail full of liquor, but gives you something to occupy yourself with.

You’ve only had the drink a handful of minutes before hearing someone clear their throat slightly behind you, and then your name.

Kate has shown you a photo of what he looks like so you’re not caught off guard when you turn around.

He’s handsome. You expect that but it’s different seeing him opposed to just the photo. Kind eyes, a warm smile on his face as he takes you in.

At least you both seem pleased with the big reveal.

“I’ve got a table waiting for us if you’re ready, love.”

He holds out a hand to let you balance yourself as you dismount from the bar seating, allowing you to steady yourself in your heels.

His hand is warm on your waist as he guides you and you’re already smitten by the time the pair of you sit down.

You’re fifteen minutes into dinner when you decide that so long as he a) is willing and b) doesn’t say or do anything completely deranged, you are going to ride Captain John Price like a mechanical bull at a shitty dive bar at the end of the night.

Perhaps the bar is in hell but either way you have been utterly deprived the past few years and he is checking plenty of boxes for you.

“So you work with Kate?” Starting off on the easy footing- the common ground that leads you both here.

“I do. Not directly- I work more on the tech side. I’m an independent contractor, I basically built the entire system she runs off of.”

“Beauty and brains,” his praise warms you, an impressed expression on his face. “Would explain how we’ve never crossed paths if you were hiding in a backroom surrounded by monitors,” he teases.

“You’re actually not that far off the mark,” not that you hide persay, but keeping that contract keeps a roof over your head and food in your child’s mouth. That keeps you busy. The fewer people who know how to work your program, the harder you are to get rid of.

You may or may not have hidden a few kill switches. Job security you call it. Though it’s not exactly first date material to talk about how you’ve got a government agency in a mutual understanding- keep extending your contract, and the program continues to work.

Either way, you don’t have much contact with the soldiers. Maybe you have passed each other in the halls but probably not- you’re certain a face like that wouldn’t have escaped your notice, introduction via a mutual friend or no. But you decide to utilize that mutual friend to shift the conversation. He’s hedged around talking about his work- on his end, sees that as the thing that might be a deal breaker for you. Probably wants to delay that until you've at least gotten your entrees.

So you go from business to hobbies. And it’s probably not entirely fair, but you’re about to see what his sense of humor is.

“Kate mentioned you’re a big soccer fan?” You make sure your expression is wide and doe eyed as you ask the question.

His eyebrow twitches- caught, no doubt, between wanting to leave a good first impression and biting back it’s football over here, love.

You crack far quicker than you initially plan, the wide grin on your face as you let him off the hook he’s good naturedly trying not to bite.

“Beauty, brains, and a comedian, lucky me.”

“I’m sorry, I had to. In fact, it was in her terms for this,” you make a vague gesture with your hand.

“Trust Kate to wheel and deal just to get my blood pressure up,” he muses as he takes a sip from his drink.

The conversation rolls easily enough- an ebb and flow as one of you poses a question, the other answering before allowing the first to say their contribution to the subject and moving on.

He’s charming, attentive, and a good storyteller. The way he carries himself screams military without being overbearing. He’s relaxed back into his chair and something about the scene in front of you makes you want to climb into his lap like a domesticated house cat.

Being the field captain to a specialized task force it’s no shock that he’s in incredible shape and you find yourself slightly distracted on more than one occasion by his hands and forearms.

The food is wonderful though the company is better- you end up moving back to the bar for fresh drinks and to free up the table for the server.

You spend a good length of time just talking with him at the bar.

John’s attention is on you but it’s clear he’s proverbially chewing on something the further on you go.

“That is the look of someone with a question they’re not entirely positive they want an answer to,” you’ve got a habit of being a touch direct at times. Amazing how it streamlines a conversation though.

“Observant one, aren’t you?” He pauses, takes another sip of his drink. “It’s probably none of my business, but ah- is your son’s father in the picture at all?”

It was your turn to take a drink. This was always such a fun topic of conversation. Frankly the number of men who took your ex’s side when the whole custody arrangement gets brought up alarms you.

But he has a right to his son.

Fuck that.

Your child is not property and you do not give a singular shit about your ex’s feelings- especially if it comes at the expense of your son’s safety. But it saves you a substantial amount of time not wasting energy on someone who could not understand the reason for your decisions.

“The short answer to the question is no. I had already left him by the time I found out I was pregnant, and given I left because he’s a raging alcoholic- with the emphasis on the rage-,” what a nice, polite way to say he is an abusive asshole. Your gaze shifts down towards the bartop, missing the way John’s expression softens as he reads between the lines of what you say. They’re not pleasant memories, but you’re not a wounded bird anymore- you’ve tended to your clipped wings and grown new feathers. “I didn’t want him involved.”

“He ended up finding out from a mutual acquaintance, and while he claims he wants to be around, he hasn’t done much other than blow my phone up at midnight trying to throw his weight around every time he gets a new girlfriend. So I get to be the cold blooded harpy that he gets to cry about- which is fine by me. On paper he says he wants to be involved, but he’s made absolutely no effort to arrange plans or anything while sober. I haven’t seen him in over 2 years. I can’t trust him to be a safe parent, and since he’s not on any official records I get final say unless he wants to go to court over it.”

Your whole little house of cards hinges on the fact that your ex wants everyone to bend over backwards for him while doing nothing for anyone else. All it would take would be one subpoena for a paternity test and your hands would be tied. He is an incredibly functional alcoholic, so there isn’t a criminal record or anything you can do to prove he would be unfit. There’s no proof of the abuse he inflicted on you.

Which means, if push comes to shove, you would be forced to relinquish sole custody and hand your child over for unsupervised visitation.

But that requires effort on his part. And that effort is the only thing keeping your little house of cards afloat.

“Sorry that’s probably way more information than you wanted-“ good job. Everything was going great until you laid out your drama.

“No apology necessary; I wouldn’t have asked if I didn’t want to know.”

And there’s no lecture about how you should give your ex a chance, that the opportunity to raise his son could make him change for the better. No dissertation on how you owe it to your son to do whatever it took to make things work with his father (that had been a weird way to end a date, and the only reason you hadn’t gotten up sooner and left was because it was such a bizarre conversation you’d half convinced yourself the whole thing had to be a bad dream).

You’re not a wounded bird and on the one hand it’s a good thing to get everything laid out on the table, but on the other you don’t want to sit and mope about your personal troubles. You’re actually enjoying John Price’s company, and don’t want to think about your problems.

And yes you are enjoying the time for what it is but part of you can’t help but also keep an eye out for… any opportunities for a transition.

As hot under the collar as you are, John’s gaze makes warmth coil in your gut in a way that has nothing to do with the wine- he’s being a gentleman.

It’s sweet. He’s being polite and respectful and showing sexual discipline while making it clear he’s interested.

And for all your bemoaning of prior dates with other men who aren’t captains of specialized task forces about how they were too pushy and too presumptuous and a nice dinner paired with drinks doesn’t entitle them to you dropping your panties—

Yet here you sit, hours into a conversation when you’d decided 15 minutes in you want to jump his bones. And you have to be patient otherwise you’re a total hypocrite.

You’re not entirely subtle. The pair of you are perched on barstools again, much closer than the table allowed you to be with the two of you angled towards each other.

Your dress looks good on you. A jewel toned blue that compliments your skin beautifully, the hemline stopping above your knees and loose enough to bounce tantalizingly when you hit your stride walking.

It’s not exactly an olive branch, but it is an offering of sorts when you carefully take the leg closest to John and cross it over the other. The hemline of your skirt slips up your thigh, exposing more of your leg. It stops just shy of exposing the top of your stockings and the clip to your garter. It does show just a hint of the darker border to your stockings, the lace peeking ever so slightly before transitioning to the sheer material that covers the rest of your legs.

You’re incredibly pleased with yourself when his eyes flick down for a split second and linger before snapping back to your face. Got you. He tries to hide behind being caught with a sheepish clearing of his throat. It’s adorable, really.

Your cheeks are starting to get sore from all the smiling and laughing that’s occurred over the past few hours. But he’s pleasant company so it’s a discomfort you’re happy to deal with.

You look past him for a split second- nothing in particular catching your attention but just taking in the scenery of the restaurant behind you. Your eyes are back on him in a moment only for your brain to process what it saw after a delay.

There’s no fucking way-

Yes. Yes there is. Your ex is mingling in the background, and you don’t even realize the smile on your face has fallen to a flat line like all the previous giddiness is draining out of you and pooling on the floor below.

It would not take a captain of an antiterrorism task force to see your sharp shift in disposition, so John notices immediately.

“Everything alright, love?”

Maybe he won’t see you. Maybe, if there is a God and he is merciful, your ex won’t look in your direction, won’t see you, and you can continue your cheerful plan of trying to seduce your date.

And whether there is not a God or he is just not merciful- either option remains with you having the same shit result. He turns his head and makes direct eye contact. God damn it.

You look back to John. You’d hoped you could move past talking about your ex for the evening. “Remember how I said I haven’t seen my ex in over 2 years?”

There’s a twinge of relief on his face- the look of a man grateful to not be the cause of your displeasure.

“Let me guess- he’s right behind me?”

“Not quite “right behind”, but yes. Hopefully he’ll just-“ a short huff off agitation leaves you as you cut yourself off.

So much for hoping he’d simply mind his business and stay with his group. He’s making his way towards the pair of you at the bar, and you can tell he’s had a good number of drinks in his system just looking at him.

You’d become extremely proficient at gauging how drunk your ex is at a glance. A skill you developed while still with him and one that doesn’t seem to have faded.

This is, you know without question, going to end up being absolutely humiliating for you. You just know it.

“I am going to go ahead and apologize now for whatever is going to come out of his mouth,” you inform John.

His hand finds your knee, giving a light, reassuring squeeze. “It’ll be alright, love.”

“Well what do we have here?” is the warning shot letting you know he’s not going to show any form of civility.

“Hello, Michael,” you greet cooly, mind spinning a hundred miles an hour trying to figure out how to end this conversation as quickly as possible.

“You don’t have time to answer my texts but you’ve got time to go out. That’s good. Good to know you’ve got your priorities in order,” he starts.

“Answering your texts isn’t even remotely on my priority list, you know that.” You’re trying incredibly hard to keep yourself from being outright nasty but a whole lot of old wounds float up to the surface at the sight of your ex.

Maybe your new feathers aren’t as filled out as you’d initially thought. You feel raw and exposed and it’s difficult to think. You know what you should do, how you should handle it- and there’s still that one little part in your brain that is keeping tabs on John and his response to all of this.

“Your priority should be my son-“ he starts,

“-who is with his perfectly capable grandmother for the evening, thank you,” you finish for him, jaw set tightly. “Why are you here?”

The direct question is aggressive but you know the cycle with him too well to allow him to steer the conversation. He’ll run you in circle after circle until you’re so frazzled you can’t discern left from right.

“Can’t say hello and introduce myself to your new fella? Come on now, where’s your manners?”

Your eyes widen as Michael reaches a hand out- there is no way this asshole is about to grab you in public.

Quick as a snake, John runs interference and drapes his arm across the back of your chair, his fingers holding the shoulder furthest from him lightly.

The entire length of your back and shoulders are blocked by the SAS captain, forcing Michael’s hand back as there was no easy place for it to land that wouldn’t also be touching John.

Up until now, John has been quiet and assessing the situation. Not bowing up or trying to assert himself- letting you deal with your ex and navigate the situation for yourself.

The look on his face is downright unpleasant to put lightly. This is the man in charge of an elite task force, who barks orders at soldiers who drop everything at once because he told them to-

-and you don’t feel so exposed anymore. You find yourself sitting up a bit straighter only for John to gently stroke his knuckles against your shoulder in a soothing gesture. The gesture isn’t a miraculously grand one, but one that makes you realize you’re not alone in this situation even as disorienting as it is. And if you’re being honest with yourself, the upright posture and shifting of your thighs isn’t so much a stress response to your ex as you keying in on John’s response to the whole situation.

“John, Michael- Michael, John. There, now you’re introduced.” Go away now please.

Your ex is too drunk and too full of himself to see the writing on the wall, and continues to poke the bear. “Well, since she doesn’t seem to want to give a proper introduction-“ he sticks an arm out, and you can’t help but notice how the simple gesture causes him to need to correct his balance. Good lord it was barely dark out and he’s already-

Well. Not your problem. Not anymore, at any rate.

John is sitting to your left, his right arm the one that’s draped across the back of your chair. The pair of you flash a quick look to each other, John lifting his arm from your chair to take Michael’s hand and-

God.

Damn.

It.

The exchange is actually as hilarious as it is embarrassing (You can’t quite decide if it’s all the second hand cringe variety, or first hand because Look, John! Here’s the father of my child! I sure know how to pick a partner! Is still coiling in the depths of your stomach). You’d prefer if it simply never occurred at all.

You can see your ex’s forearm flexing as he shakes John’s hand. The microexpression that flicks across your date’s face confirms your suspicion- Michael is (for some reason) trying to use an overexaggerated grip to establish some sort of dominance in the situation.

The quick really? that reads on John’s face rapidly turns to a bemused and subtle if that’s how you want to play then, a barely noticeable shift in his own grip resulting in Michael wincing.

“Captain John Price,” his tone is easy, betraying none of the pissing contest your ex instigated and is failing miserably to get one over on John.

Your ex mumbles his full name, clearly realizing that whatever his brilliant little plan is a) isn’t so brilliant to begin with b) he might just be alert enough to acknowledge the fact that he clearly has no true plan. He came over with the intention of being an asshole and has been flying blind the entire time.

There’s one woman from the group your ex split off from who is watching the three of you keenly. If you were to guess, she is probably his new girlfriend.

You can’t help but wonder- does she know enough to know that this is routine behavior for him? That he throws himself headfirst into a situation he hasn’t planned out- isn’t sober enough to plan out? Situations that don’t need to occur just so he can throw his weight around? Too petty to give a genuine “Hello, how are you? It’s been a while. I want to talk to you about Sam when we’ve both got some free time?”

Everything is vindictive. Constantly worrying about not being undermined and being respected to the point he gets in his own way. Actively sabotages his own opportunities. In dire need of therapy to work through his issues because you know the alcohol is how he copes and you’d sympathized at first but the reasons became excuses and then he’d started blaming you and-

-John places his arm on the back of your chair again and you pull yourself out of your mental spiral.

“I think your date is waiting for you, Michael. Best not to keep the lady waiting.” John observes, his tone neutral despite being a clear dismissal.

“You’ll be hearing from me later. I want to see my son.” Michael’s ignoring John’s presence but taking the hint.

You don’t fling a final barb at him. The venom has been drained out of you and you just want the interaction over and done with. Let him have the last word. You just want him gone.

You merely cast a look over at the woman who is Michael’s date for the evening and hope she’s got better sense than you did- that she leaves before he sinks his claws in her too.

The weight that settled in your stomach upon first seeing him is finally lightening up on you. You know you’ll wake up tomorrow to a barrage of phone calls and text messages that you won’t answer. It’s probably not good you’re so desensitized to the idea that it barely registers as a problem. Merely one of life’s many inconveniences.

“You alright, love?” John’s voice helps you shake the last of the tendrils that cling to you.

“Yes. Sorry. Wasn’t expecting to run into him of all people tonight, is all.”

“Never fun being ambushed, is it?”

You take a bit of a risk- you know enough about his job but he’s steered the conversation away from it every time the topic would naturally shift that direction. You know how Kate’s work can go and you assume his is very similar. “Well you’d certainly know more about that than I would.”

It works. The two of you break out in grins, and you find yourself no longer worrying about Michael and your focus readily settling back on John where it belongs.

At some point- long after the single cube in John’s drink has melted, and the condensation of your wine glass has soaked the bev nap underneath it, and more importantly long enough that you don’t feel that you’re fleeing the restaurant- the suggestion is made to go back to John’s. “No more surprises, hm?”

You gladly follow him. You’d taken an Uber to get to the restaurant, anticipating drinking and hoping to go home with him, so you have no worries about your own car.

You can easily see him being the type to give you a quick, chaste kiss on the doorstep after safely dropping you at home. In another universe you’d appreciate the restraint, enjoy fleeting touches over the course of a few dates that get more intense each time before finally finding yourself in his bed.

In this universe however, you don’t have to wait. Don’t want to, either. You get to indulge your earlier impulse of crawling into his lap, knees spread wide on either side of his waist. Lowering your hips allows you to feel him and what exactly he’s packing between his own legs. Your hips cant in short motions and heat coils heavy in your gut.

From the feel of things he’s proportional and John is not a small man. There’s a brief flicker that runs through your mind that you might be in over your head with him. The pent up lust and desire stifles that flicker. You’re more than game to see what a night with him ends up being like.

His hands are warm against your skin- one cupping the back of your head and keeping you close as the pair of you make out, the other settles on your hip and keeps you steady as you grind down on him.

You are possessed with the desire to get his cock in your mouth.

It’s cute how his face follows yours as you pull away from him.

“Help me with my dress?” Your question is perfectly innocent as you turn your back to him, presenting the zipper that runs down the length of your back.

His pleased laugh warms you, a shiver of desire and anticipation running down your spine as his breath fans across the back of your neck.

You’ve got a surprise waiting for him underneath your dress, partially revealed as one of his hands holds the top of the dress steady while the other draws the zipper down.

You gave him the hint you were wearing stockings when you’d baited him back at the restaurant, letting the heavy fabric of the dress fall to a heap around you before kicking it off to one side.

Turning back to face him, John seems quite enraptured with his surprise.

The lingerie set is a matching shade as your jewel toned dress, the garter belt clipping to the sheer black thigh high stockings.

There’s always that split second hesitation when revealing yourself to someone- the anxiety of if they’ll be pleased with what’s presented to them.

John is the first person you’ve been with since you’ve had your child, and the slight anxiety quells quickly at the look on his face.

John looks like he wants to eat you alive. Any insecurity is knocked firmly aside by desire quickly ramping back up.

Placing one hand on his thigh to steady yourself as you lift a leg to take your shoe off, John is quick to stop you. “Leave them on for now, love.”

It’s a request but it’s not. Really that doesn’t surprise you- he is someone who is likely used to having his whims accommodated to. You find yourself having no urge to defy him, nodding in compliance. If John wants your heels to stay on, then they’ll stay.

He guides you between his legs, enough space between his knees for you to slot yourself in. With him sitting on the bed he’s shorter than you standing straight up in your heels. Bending down to give a quick, teasing kiss you let yourself drop to your own knees.

“You don’t have to-“

“I want to,” you assure him with doe eyes and are rewarded with him settling into the bed as your hands go to work on his belt.

Unable to resist teasing him, you mouth at his bulge through the thick fabric of his pants. You’re rewarded with a soft cant of his hips, having his belt undone and working on the button and zip of his pants in record time.

Your earlier suspicions are correct. John is a big boy in more ways than one. You want him in your mouth- now.

While you’re occupying yourself with getting his pants off, John shucks his shirt and shoes.

He is, simply put, delicious to look at. From the broad muscling to the thick dark hair running from his chest down his abdomen. He doesn’t have the hard chiseled abs of a man who lives in the gym but the sturdy build that comes from having useful, functional muscle that’s put to work.

And that’s incredibly hot. He’s girthy as hell in your hand as you give a few strokes before putting your mouth on him.

You’re not entirely certain if deep throating him is going to be an option, but by God you’re going to try.

“Bloody hell, love.” John grunts while you bob your head up and down the length of him. You’re gauging just how much of him you can get in your mouth- where your threshold is before your gag reflex wants to kick in.

He’s petting you. Doubtless trying to fight the urge to fist your hair, his hips struggling to stay still on the bed.

You want him to. You feel feral, all the pent up sexual energy you’ve been storing for God-knows-how-long welling up all at once. You want this man carnally and your brain presently thinks having your hair held in place and your throat fucked is a fantastic idea.

John clearly has other plans, restraining himself and letting you work at your own pace. That low, deep breathing paired with his soft grunts and voiced encouragements stoke the flames of your arousal hotter.

Eventually you do need air, pulling off of him for a moment. Your hand works his shaft and teases the tip of him as you lean forward to run your tongue up and down the length of him, dropping a bit lower to lave at his heavy sac. He jolts which only encourages you to do it again.

You know your eyes are one of your better features- you’ve heard the compliment enough times both in and out of the bedroom, holding John’s gaze as you lick him back up the length of his shaft and circle the head once before having caught your breath enough to wrap your lips around him once more.

The second time around you’re able to get a bit more of him down your throat, but not all the way. What you can’t reach you stroke with one hand, the other resting on his thigh to help balance yourself as you work. You can feel the tension building in his thigh as he gets closer, pleased with yourself.

It’s a heady feeling. You don’t know exactly all the dirty details of his job but understand enough to know you’ve got a powerful man at your whim right now and that scratches a deep seated itch in you.

“Good girl,” his praise washes over you, warm and welcoming. “Just like that-“

You’re intent on sucking the soul out of him, all doe eyes and hollowed cheeks with those painted red lips. Eventually he gives into the urge to grab a fistful of your hair. He doesn’t do anything to interrupt the rhythm you’ve settled into, letting you move as you see fit.

He bites out your name and you feel the muscles in his leg drawn tight. “I’m getting close, love.”

It’s not quite a question. You give your not-answer by doubling down on him. You’re so close to having him in your mouth all the way to the base. You don’t want to back off. What you do want is for him to finish down your throat.

You get your wish. John’s fist tightens and you let out a grunt as his thrusting results in your nose pressed against his public bone.

The taste of him doesn’t really register as he spills inside your mouth, your focus on breathing through your nose and keeping your gag reflex down.

He’s petting your hair again, praises falling freely from him and soft apologizes. “Lost myself for a moment there, love. You alright?”

You keep your mouth hilted on him for a moment to prove a point- you’re fine, he didn’t push you past threshold- before finally releasing his softening cock.

He’s pulling you up to him after that, an open mouthed kiss that flusters you considering he just came in your mouth. “You’re just a treasure,” his voice purrs in your ear. “Only fair I return the favor, hm?”

He guides you to lay on the bed, knees hanging over the edge before he turns to settle between your legs.

He starts at your neck. You’re ticklish at one spot his lips, squirming in his hold with a giggle. “Sensitive, hm?”

You nod out a “mhm,” that breaks into a breathy moan as he works his way down your chest. Rather than removing your bra his hands work to pull your breasts free from the cups before paying particular attention to your nipples.

His hands are warm as they roam your ribcage, the heat of his body seeping through the lace of your outfit as his fingers trail across your skin and the delicate material.

“You’re so soft, love,” you don’t quite know how to respond to the compliment, mewling wordlessly in pleasure at the attention.

That seems to appease him as he kisses his way down your sternum and to your belly, the expanse of most of it covered by the fabric of the garter belt.

His eyes flick up to your own as his lips travel closer to the apex of your thighs. Where you’ve been lying patient and pliant in his grasp, the eye contact draws something tight in your core and you squirm again.

The next thing you feel is teeth as he nips you. “Be a good girl for me,” he tells you, soothing the soft throb of his bite with his tongue.

You force yourself to still as he moves lower, lower, lower- taking his time and having you thoroughly worked up before moving to the next patch of skin.

When he’s down far enough he slides one of your thighs over his shoulder, that arm looping under your arm and banding across your abdomen.

It’s his turn now to mouth at your clothed sex.

He pulls the gusset of your thong aside after a moment of teasing, his lips descending on you.

“Oh,” your hand immediately finds purchase in his hair, a pleased whimper escaping you at the feel of John’s tongue.

John feasts on you. There’s not much else that can be done to describe it. It’s lewd and wet as he laps at you, the flesh of his tongue doing little to soothe the burning ache inside you and only ramping it up.

Those eyes are wicked as he gazes up at you from between your thighs. The hand resting on your lower stomach is pressing ever so lightly, like John wants the pressure there but not too much yet and you’re once again struck with the idea you might be in over your head with him.

“John, please,” you beg. It feels good but you need more, lust clouding your brain as your hips rock against his face.

“You need to be patient, love. I’ll take care of you. Just relax, hm?”

It dawns on you that he’s probably running down the clock until his refractory period is up. That he doesn’t want to get you going too quick and then be stuck not quite ready to perform.

It’s an assumption, and you’re not 100% sure that you’re correct, but it’s a solid enough option that you move forward with that in mind.

The thought almost makes it easier to relax into the bed- the idea that John is going to pleasure you with his mouth until enough time has passed and he can get it up again. That he’s not just mindlessly toying with you with no end goal in mind.

It feels good you’re just stuck being greedy and wanting more stimulation despite knowing that won’t happen until John decides he’s ready to give you more.

You almost jump when the fingers you’ve been waiting for make their presence known. His mouth moves to focus on your clit, lips making a seal and sucking on it. You cry out, hips canting as his fingers gently rub at your labia.

He starts with one, gently sliding it in and out of you. Your back arches in satisfaction of having something to clench on and rub against. It’s more satisfying than just one of your own- that was for sure.

“That’s it love,” John praises you while easing a second one into you.

The second finger is what you were looking for, stimulation wise. John pets and strokes you, thumb gently working over your clit in soft circles before putting his mouth back on you.

He doesn’t just find your g-spot. John’s fingers are placed so they hone in on that spongy bit of tissue tucked inside you. He doesn’t let up on it, tongue working on your clit as you arch your back helplessly and moan.

That pressure is back on your abdomen, the hand not currently stroking you to nirvana pressing down on your belly.

You moan and buck against his hold. Your orgasm is creeping up on you and it’s like he’s determined to make you squirt.

“You keep that up and I’m gonna make a mess,” you warn him- not entirely certain how he’ll respond to the prospect of you squirting on his face.

John looks delighted and you realize that yes, you are in over your head with him.

There’s a mischievous glint in his eye as he pulls back from you, “You promise, love? Don’t tease me.”

Oh dear God- Next thing you know he’s reaching over you to pull a pillow from the top of the bed, wedging it underneath your hips before returning to his place between your thighs.

You’re flustered at how eager he is to see you squirt. His mouth is back on you, sucking on your clit and making your legs shake as two fingers go right back to abusing your g-spot, his free hand pressing on your belly increasing the pressure that is mounting by the second.

There’s nothing else for you to do but grab a fistful of his hair and hang on. “Please- oh! J-John! Right there,” at your encouragement he locks in on the spot that’s got you arching your back and your thighs trembling.

“That’s it, pretty girl. Show me,” he’s moaning encourments against your skin and you feel like a bow drawn tight and ready to snap. You’re so, so close.

The sounds he draws out of you- both from your mouth and between your legs- are filthy and vulgar and you don’t care at all as he gets you teetering just on the edge.

You’re practically gasping for breath, eyes screwing shut as the hand not buried in John’s hair fists the sheets next to you. You babble his name, chants of John all your brain can muster.

All that pressure coiling in you snaps and gushes out, literally and metaphorically.

“Good girl, making such a mess for me,” John’s praise has you flushing hot while his fingers work you like he’s making sure he can wring out every single last drop.

He stops when you have nothing left to give him, a trembling mess shivering in his hold.

Your brain at some point made the windows shut down noise, needing a moment to settle as you process what John just did to you.

This is the hardest you’ve cum in ages, certainly better than the orgasms you’ve given yourself during your little dry spell.

You return to the land of the living with his lips on yours, tasting yourself as he soothingly strokes your side. “You back with me?” He asks, eliciting a nod from you.

“Please tell me you have a condom,” your tone is pleading. You still want to ride him but you’ve learned your lesson about practicing safe sex. Once was, in fact, all it took for things to go off the rail.

“I do,” he stands, moving to the nightstand and opening a drawer.

Now that your legs feel somewhat compliant you sit yourself back up.

No sooner than John’s got the condom on then you’re guiding him back down, having him lay on the edge of the bed.

It takes a bit of maneuvering, getting yourself situated so your heels don’t catch on his sheets, but you’re straddling him with the leg closest to the edge of the bed hanging over the side as the opposite leg folds underneath you. You hover over him while getting everything lined up. The position of your legs allows you to alternate which one is supporting the brunt of your weight, a factor that is going to be fairly important once you’ve hilted yourself on John.

Even with how pliant your body is it takes a moment for the head of him to breach you.

“Oh,” you let out a breath as you sink down on him. You’re not able to get all the way to the base of him on the first go, getting your weight underneath yourself and lifting almost completely off of him before dropping down again. You get a little further this time, a moan escaping you.

“That’s it, love. Nice and easy,” his voice coos in your ear, that low timber having you liable to melt.

He’s thick. Not in a way that’s insurmountable to manage, but you have absolutely no complaints with how he fills you and anticipate being pleasantly sore in the morning.

Two more slow bounces have you sinking low enough to hilt yourself on him, taking a moment to enjoy the sensation of sitting fully on his lap.

One of his hands braces on your hip, the other his thumb circles your clit. You squirm at the stimuli, relishing in the feel of him before getting to work.

This is what you’ve been drooling over all night. Your reward is very well earned in your opinion. Moaning lowly as you bounce up and down, your movements are initially slow and languid but pick up speed as you get your bearings. John’s heavy exhales and grunts when you clench only serve to wind you tighter.

“You feel good, pretty girl? Hm? You like bouncing on my cock?”

You flush- a ridiculous notion given how you’re quite literally hilted on his dick-, face hot from the dirty talk.

The hand on your hip helps guide you to a pace that’s pleasurable for the both of you, eyes rolling as he thrusts his hips in a way that makes you see stars. “Yes! John- yes! Oh it feels so good,” your voice a low purr as he delivers on every fantasy you’ve had this evening.

The stretch of him in you feels absolutely incredible, knocking the air out of you on each bounce. It doesn’t take long until that knot begins to form again, growing steadily as you rise and fall in his lap. The press of his finger circling your clit draws staggered moans, bracing on him for support.

“Been thinking about this all night,” John grits out. “Wanted to flip you over the bar top and have my way with you right there on the dining room floor.”

You moan at the confession, feeling less like a rabid dog with no impulse control now you know you’re not alone in the intense desire that had struck once you’d laid eyes on him.

“Probably wouldn’t have- ah! st-stopped you,” you tell him. The grip on your hip tightens at that, another moan escaping you as you bounce on him.

Your eyes roll in pleasure, cunt practically fluttering from the way he keeps getting you to clench. The thickness of his girth doesn’t just let him keep hitting that spot in you with lift of your hips so much as the mushroom tipped head of his cock drags across it.

“Aren’t you just a fucking treasure,” he praises.

Your thighs are burning, eased by the position of your legs and John’s grip helping you but becoming more present with each wet clap of your sex against his lap. It almost helps you tip closer to another climax.

Your eyes squeeze shut, a staggered breath escaping you.

“Eyes on me,” he tells you and you comply immediately.

“John, please I’m so close,” your thighs are shaking again, threatening your already precarious balance.

“You need more, pretty girl?”

You shake your head. “No-no. Just don’t stop. Please don’t stop!”

And bless him, he doesn’t do anything to fuck up your rhythm. The fingers circling your clit keep the same tempo and pressure perfectly, his free hand still helping guide you up and out of his lap before sitting you back down.

You know you’re about to come but are caught off guard by how sharp it is as you squirt for a second time.

The sight of you spurting across his abdomen nearly severs any control John has left. The next thing you know John’s abandoned your overstimulated clit in favor of rolling you onto your back, your heels clattering to the floor from the motion. Your legs go instinctively to clamp around his waist for security- only one of them does, the other stopped by wet fingers gripping your thigh by your knee as he spreads you open. His weight is held on the forearm bracing next to your head by the time you process the shift in position.

“You alright, pretty girl?”

You can’t quite get your words out but manage a nod. “Ye-yeah,” you eventually stagger out as he waits for a verbal confirmation.

With the comfort that you were fine, that gives John the assurance he needs to seek his own pleasure.

More than satisfied with your two climaxes, you lay limp and pliant in his grasp while he chases his own end.

The wet squelch of his cock splitting you open with each thrust was loud and obscene although you were too far gone in the blissed out pleasure to care. Your whole body feels delightfully tingly, your head swimming pleasantly.

You clench down on him a few times, more for his benefit than anything else. You’re spent but more than willing to help him across the finish line as he buries his face in the crook of your neck, muttering praises that are punctured with short, sharp thrusts before he stiffens as his own climax hits.

The two of you have both broken into a light sheen of sweat by the end of things. After a moment to recuperate John stands with a “I’ll be right back.” (And you unabashedly enjoy the view of his ass while he retreats to the bathroom.)

True to his word he returns shortly, evidently having disposed of the condom with a towel in hand for you.

The pair of you get yourselves clean and sorted. Before you can decide how you want to ask, John seems to already know what the question is.

“You don’t need to leave, do you?”

Again it’s not entirely a question, but still gives you an out if you want to take it.

You don't want to take the out.

#john price x reader #captain john price #john price #x single mom reader #cod x reader #cod mwii #my writing #now I gotta name this bitch because I totally plan on a whole series and the other characters can’t be calling her love all the time lmao #i wrote and coded this whole thing on my phone because my laptop has once again quit on me #john x love

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yanderes-galore · 1 year ago

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Silent hill time, so Darling is Silent Hill and meets James. They decide to help each out but it seems like Pyramid Head is fixated on Darling, which makes her terrified (I mean who wouldn't be?) So basically James against Pyramid Head? Since PH is part of James I think that would be kinda hard for Darling. -🐈anon

This has very interesting implications so sure! I am sorry the end is garbage, this was mostly just me exploring the idea since I found it really cool.

Yandere! James Sunderland vs Pyramid Head

Pairing: Romantic - Rivalry

Possible Trigger Warnings: Female Darling, Obsession, Violence, Trauma, Guilt, Manipulation, Delusional behavior, Stalking, Overprotective behavior, Possessive behavior, Attempted murder, Dubious relationship.

A rivalry between James and Pyramid Head creates an interesting dynamic.

Pyramid Head is part of James, a manifestation of his guilt... his tormentor.

Having them both go after you is like two sides of one coin.

James may be calmer, softer, and more caring.

While Pyramid Head is rougher, violent, and possessive.

Everyone finds their way to Silent Hill for one reason or another.

Most of the time to find something or someone.

They have a purpose and reason for being there.

You have your own reasons for going but either way... you meet James.

Silent Hill is filled with all sorts of different monsters created by the trauma of others.

Even the people in the town are paranoid, all there for their own reasons.

When you meet James you're weary of him.

Yet the man appears to be calmer than the rest of the people here.

More confused than anything, actually.

With some minor chat about the town and all the weird stuff happening in it you two convince each other to stick around.

James even asks if you've seen the monsters.

Even though I imagine the monsters are different for everyone, for this concept you also see what James sees.

James is mostly a quiet man when it comes to his past.

You don't even learn about who he set out to look for until later.

All he tells you is he's here for a reason... you reply with the same response.

Something brought you here... maybe it was even fate that you met James?

James is bad at consoling others yet he does try to look after you as you travel together.

James is a depressed, delusional, and reckless man.

Despite this, James himself shows the softer side of his yandere type.

He genuinely cares for your safety in this town.

Even more so when he hallucinates to the point of seeing you as his wife.

James feels he should protect you from the horrors of this town.

You're a young woman who appears just as confused as he is...

He just wants to... protect you from these demons.

James himself displays his overprotective and caring tendencies as a yandere.

In a way, him protecting you from the monsters of Silent Hill is like him trying to defend you from his inner demons.

He is the type of person for you to run to when you feel threatened.

He's appears harmless... yet not quite.

James is still the person who manifested Pyramid Head.

A beast you meet later in your journey.

Pyramid Head is a manifestation of James' toxic traits.

When you meet the monster it's stalking you and James from the shadows.

James may even say it's been following him.

Pyramid Head is much worse than normal James.

The beast follows you like a hungry animal.

It lumbers towards you at times with strange deep breathing.

Pyramid Head appears to be overly aggressive, possessive, and violent towards James.

It's an executioner, one made to punish the man of his sins.

Towards James, it yearns to hurt and kill.

Towards you... the beast expresses desire.

It's still rough with you but doesn't entirely try to hurt.

The monster grabs at you in desperation when it sees you, it roughly tries to take you for its own desires.

Pyramid Head is a monster created by James... yet James also tries to defend you from it.

It's sad yet oddly poetic.

Despite this you are correct, this pair up would be difficult as you could never fully get away from them.

James keeps you close to him as he feels he has to protect you.

Plus he begins to see you as the wife he lost to his own selfishness.

James is delusional... maybe his wife really did die.

Maybe you're her reincarnation... and he was meant to meet you (as insane as that sounds....)

As James' obsession gets worse, Pyramid Head gets fiercer.

As the two are connected, both obsessions fester the same.

As James begins to fall more in love with you in his delusions... Pyramid Head grows more restless in pursuing you.

Things may get worse and worse until one of two things happen:

James overcomes his inner demons and sticks with you after...

Or you both succumb to Pyramid Head.

The overall idea of this concept is what makes things interesting.

For the most part it is your typical yandere rivalry.

But the fact it's technically James fighting with himself is what's cool.

Part of him wants to cater and pamper you... hoping to heal his inner pain this way.

The other part wants to harm others to keep what he wants... the part that's a monster.

James came to Silent Hill to find his wife... yet in the end he found you to fill that empty void...

Unfortunately this means you're caught in the crossfire of a war between him and the monster he could be if left unchecked.

#yandere silent hill #yandere silent hill 2 #yandere james sunderland #yandere pyramid head

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pavo-ocxllus · 2 years ago

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❝ 𝐲𝐨𝐮'𝐫𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐠𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐭𝐲! 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐲 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭…! ❞

romantic shenanigans ensue when you start working for an infamous law firm and most definitely doesn't have to do with my recent hyper fixation on law at the moment.

𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠…

detective!shikanoin heizou as the number one detective at fontaine legal firm. as well as the pursuit of justice, he's also on the pursuit of you!

forensic scientist!albedo who's disillusioned from the thrilling profession of delving into the ground zero of crime scenes. though, with a case such as you, he might be wrong.

police officer!xiao who takes his job too seriously and instead of trying to arrest childe, he should be arresting you for stealing his heart ;)

prosecutor!cyno who's presence in the court is as vicious as his horrible puns. though—you can't deny that the tension between the both of you rival that viciousness.

pre-law!gorou with a strangely strong sense of smell and hearing, he possesses a not so strange sense of justice (and you!)

rival attorney!alhaitham who can't seem to stop meeting your path—or rather, crashing into it. with the (admittedly one-sided) feud stemming all the way from freshman year of university, it eventually led to the two of you unfortunately falling (in love?) into the same case.

interrogator!kaeya who's personality alone could be enough to pin this whole fiasco on him one bad day and simultaneously believe he's an angel on earth the next. somehow, his talents as an interrogation officer is the only thing about him that stays consistent, and perhaps something else...

mob boss!childe that can't stop finding different ways to drive you crazy. from remaining to do things that make the case worse against him to his endless teasing, the fact that he's actually innocent is the most daunting factor of working with him.

delinquent!arataki itto who is clearly innocent of his involvement in diluc's case. what kind of incriminating evidence does an anonymous tip have that made everybody believe he almost assassinated him?

and defendant!diluc, the man of the hour and whose car accident acts as the center that three cases revolve around. why does one have the motive to kill the wealthy wine tycoon, and most importantly, who was responsible?

𝐟𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠…

klee, who despite her strange nonchalance towards explosives and having alarmingly close access to ingredients to make them, is quite the adorable young girl that loves you, her big brother albedo, and the two of you together very much!

hr!kuki shinobu who is absolutely done with heizou's fontaine legal firm's antics. she does have the qualifications to work as an attorney rather than at human resources, but she wouldn't want to work with itto more than she already has to—and he doesn't even work there!

attorney!yanfei as one of the few sane people working at fontaine legal firm. though she rarely get's involved in the daily chaos of her workplace, her fiery spirit in the courtroom knows no bounds!

part-time barista!kaveh that was (begrudgingly) ordered by alhaitham to get a job so he could stop pathetically drowning in student loan debt and his latest architectural project. horrible with drinks and customer interactions outside of his usual field, it's safe to say he'd rather be in crippling debt.

hu tao serving as the proprietor of wangsheng funeral parlor and as a partner in crime to itto and heizou, much to everybody's annoyances. queen of "it was getting a little chummy around here," she is a reliable source of information.

and perhaps more?

IMPORTANT...

i'll attempt to have a taglist! hopefully, it doesn't end up as a whole-ass nightmare, but how it works is that i will reblog the start page every time i update the routes with the taglist in tow and hope for the best! if you want to be added, you can message me or send an ask! though, just to be safe, you can turn on notifs!

there's a lot of possible routes cuz i'm lowkey a sadist, four "bad endings," ten "good endings," a neutral ending, and maybe a few secret endings (who's gonna get them first?? 👀)

there isn't a set schedule for the time being! where i live in, i'm busy with preparing for a standardized test (staar will be the death of me). please be patient with me!!

𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠… heavily inspired by law dramas, tears of themis, shojo manga, manhwa, the works; fluff, hurt/comfort, interactive fic, angst

𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬… heavily inspired by law dramas and tears of themis (so i wouldn't have to do too much research lmao), definitely not realistic MAJOR CHARACTER DEATH DEPENDING ON WHAT ROUTE YOU TAKE LATER ON

𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐚 𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐠 𝐧𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐥 𝟏𝐬𝐭, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟑 (𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐨)

#𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐧 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐞.!#𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠: [𝐲𝐨𝐮'𝐫𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐠𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐭𝐲! 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐲 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭...!].!#kaeya x reader #diluc x reader #gorou x reader #heizou x reader #shikanoin heizou x reader #arataki itto x reader #itto x reader #cyno x reader #alhaitham x reader #childe x reader #tartaglia x reader #albedo x reader #xiao x reader #genshin impact x reader #genshin x reader

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thedemises · 7 months ago

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. . . LONGING! featuring bennett!

contains! . . . genshin impact, BENNETT!!!, possibly ooc bennett, awkward bennett, eula lawrence mention :O, kinda angst kinda fluff, one-sided love, unrequited love, idk romance properly 😃, gn! reader, second person pov, reader is not the traveller but implied to be the traveller's other companion besides paimon, reader is mentioned to not be the most expressive (though is mentioned to be kinda overprotective at one point??), reader likes someone else but that someone else isn't really hinted to be anyone but feel free to imagine that character as someone ig, reader is quite reasonable and considerate as they decline and let down bennett's confession and they stay friends with him (bennett still likes them romantically tho even when his feelings are never gonna mutually reciprocated). notes! . . . (this was supposed to be a drabble but got carried away 💀 this idea just randomly popped up at 3:19 AM of 4/15/24-) can we just have readers who aren't like too expressive?? I know there are some works that have the reader whose personality is more introverted, but there's kind of barely any :// and im talking about where the reader is not very expressive here but not to be mistaken or considered as cold or aloof 😧 kinda like albedo or smth-

“if only they'd look at me like they look at them...”

amongst the many people who reside around and about, bennett obviously isn't the most luckiest person to walk on teyvat since fate had other plans and gifted him the curse of bad luck for the entirety of his life.

though at least he had some luck to have some friends there for him—especially having you around. you weren't the most expressive, quite like miss eula, yet did what you can to show your appreciation for the friendship others have made with you throughout your journey. sure, your expressions (or, therefore lack of) were difficult to read but bennett couldn't care less—he knows you care.

and he kind of likes that aspect of you.

bennett knew you wouldn't be here on mondstat for long since you and the traveller have a long way to go until the traveller has found their long sibling, yet he secretly wishes to have you stay here for a little longer than the intended time.

though he isn't good with it, but he tries to. however yet clearly, love wasn't within his reach as lady luck never seems to stick around him.

staring

you love somebody else.

you likesomeone else.

not him—of course—some person has already taken your main interest, so it's evident that bennett doesn't have much of a chance to confess.

you already have somebody in mind that you feel attracted to; and bennett's heart aches with an ugly feeling blooming in his chest, but he doesn't have anything to do something about it.

sitting nearby with his elbows rested atop his knees as bennett's cheek is pressed against his balled up fist that he leans against ever so slightly, the boy quietly chews his bottom lip as he stares at your direction with a look in his green apple-eyed gaze. longing. longing for every action you take.

he longs for the way you give subtle feather light touches to person you're fond of. he longs the extra quick glances you give the oblivious individual when they're not focusing on you. he longs for your careful and gentle words of affirmation and reassurement. he longs the softened gaze you fixate on the person beside you, seated slightly a bit closer than intended yet making no movement to shuffle away. he longs for that expression you don, your checks lightly flushed and batting your lashes as you glance to the side a few times but not too obvious to be pointed out so quickly by your crush.

bennett longs for the way you look at them like that—he dreams that one day, you'll stare at him the same way you gaze at them.

however, when will that day ever come?

...

“uh.. can i tell you something..?”

a vibrated hum coming from you was what bennett got as a response, signalling him to continue whatever he'll tell you while as you efficiently work on a report that is needed to be done soon—of course, you don't waste time to do your paperwork almost immediately.

behind you awkwardly stood bennett, ears and checks flushing in such shade of pinkish red that one would assume he might be ill from travelling through dragonspine just to get to your current location, where'd you be inside your work quarters. y'know, working. but fortunately, the boy luckily wasn't sick with a cold he could've accidentally caught.

“err...” bennett starts uneasy and not sure with whether if he should say it or should he not, nervous with uncertainty of how you'd reply and possibly express about—you're quite unpredictable, after all.

“... ithinkireallylikeyou.”

“...”

“..?”

for once you blink almost dumbfoundedly and halted the movements of your hand that firmly grasps the quill pen, an inch away from creating another black stroke against the paper's flat surface. with how he spoke with such haste, you didn't quite catch what he nervously chirped out loud, but yet you still managed to piece together what he'd been attempting to say. he doesn't notice the way you nonchalantly stare at the almost finished report before you, considering your back is faced towards him.

“... you like me?”

“yeah,” bennett shuffles nervously, his body swaying a little as he glances down at the floor, “i like you. I really do.” he repeats it again, voice trailed off at the end like he's mumbling instead and you quietly blink at one random spot on the paper that you were staring at, the pause in the conversation stretching too long to be even considered comfortable.

“hm.”

... hm.

hm, huh? ... wait, just ‘hm’? is that all? bennett's questions all were left unanswered because, well, he was internally monologuing after all. who would even hear him and his scattered thoughts besides a mind reader? not that there is one that he knows of.

“well,” you begin after clearing your throat, just to break the silence yet you still don't turn your back to even glance at him, “it must've ache to have feelings for me while having the knowledge of my romantic interest focused on a different individual.”

yeah, it did. “uhm, yeah. i do know that you have feelings for someone else..-”

“yet you still decided to tell? knowing of the expected rejection either way?”

after finishing the last words of your report, you stop writing and change your position in your seat to where you can face bennett so you can confront him properly.

“look at me,” you state to the boy with a head of short pale hair whose eyes were directed downwards at his feet, as if too embarrassed to look at you with a proper gaze—or perhaps he didn't listen to your words at all as he probably was too focused on his scrambled thoughts circulating crazily in his head.

your own eyes squint at this, facial expression staying unchanged but you seem to appear a bit impatient as you lowly utter to him, “look at me properly, bennett.”

said boy's head shoots up at his name being called out, looking alarmed at the tone you used and you, unfazed, took this as a sign to continue.

“i don't reciprocate your feelings—” well, he already expected that kind of response. “—and I consider that it is good that you've told me, about your interest in me that were previously contained but now let out to someone who can be trusted with whatever you were hiding.”

...???

“it's good to not bottle up your own emotions, and I'd feel guilty if it took you some lasting time till you had the courage to inform me of your romantic feelings. i hope you'd seek for someone else who'll appreciate you as much i do.” with a ghost of a sincere smile on your face, bennett goes quiet. he takes in all of your words into some deep thoughts and consideration. you're reasonable with your words and quite considerate, you're like that with most people you'd come across—depending on your overall mood.

(as your friend, bennett also knows about the... (over)protective trait that you possess; and there wasn't a time he could recount of you showing even the slightest ounce of hesitancy whenever a friend of yours is in anything that could and would be considered a sign of danger.

he still recalls the day he'd been verbally insulted by a guy who wasn't content with what bennett unintentionally had done this time caused by his own bad luck—only for said guy to abruptly stop the moment he saw you standing from behind bennett and glaring at his direction with a look in your eye that silently indicates, “shut the fuck up,” while holding what seems to be a bowl containing mysterious and possibly not-so harmless glowing thick liquid that had bubbles forming and popping at the surface. the smell was toxic, even from a mile away one could still sense the scent of the smell—that was how bennett knew you were right behind him when he saw the guy suddenly freeze up on the spot).

bennett understands why you'd prefer not to be with some boy given the burdening gift of bad luck (even if that actually wasn't the case—you're mostly unfazed), he still is upset but at least you politely turned him down than outrightly declining him on the spot.

“I do have my hopes up of being your friend still,” you added, to which bennett briefly nods at before lightly shaking his head and waving hand side-to-side as if to decline such thing.

“no no- of course we'll stay as friends! i'm glad that you let me down that lightly there and didn't feel disgusted when I told you that.”

you shake your own head as well, “nonsense. why would i ever act irrationally? to something such as that? i have encountered few people throughout my travels where they'd attempt to do the same thing as you did, but i would always be certain and straightforward when refusing to reciprocate their attraction towards me. making immoral decisions is not my cup of tea.”

his hands subconsciously fidget with his glove's fingertips as he dons a small smile featuring on his lips, a short chuckle almost coming out of him if he weren't trying to stop it while he listens to every word you speak from you heart. gazing up, bennett turns to you, “yeah, thanks.. i'll be going off now, see you later.”

in response, you pay him one last nod before turning your back to give attention to your work once again as you utter a “shut the door as you go.” under your breath. the boy does what you asked; he left the room and closed the door in the process, the steps of his boots are muffled and grow quieter the further away he is from your door.

...

... yeah, perhaps only in his fantasies will that ever appear to exist, he supposes. he still likes you, even after accepting the fact that you'll never see him in that perspective.

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thestupidhelmet · 10 months ago

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AU T7S where Jackie Doesn't Exist on the Show

Season 1

Donna and Eric's transition from friendship to romance takes longer, giving Hyde more opportunities to interfere with the process. Eric grows more insecure that Donna might have romantic feelings for Hyde, not him, so he starts to back off. Donna takes this behavior as a sign that Eric wants to stay just friends.

Donna, however, makes clear to Hyde she only wants to be friends with him, and he finally gets the message when she dates David Milbank.

Hyde and Eric bond over their unrequited feelings for the same girl.

Kelso "dates" Pam Macy, who isn't at all monogamous. Still, Kelso loses his virginity to her at Prom. His Apollo Rocket of Love explodes on the launch pad, and Pam Macy tells everyone at school. Kelso can't get a date at Point Place high afterward. He's ridiculed by boys and girls alike, and he considers changing schools.

Fez is largely unaffected. He finds a different girl to fixate on, one who isn't in a relationship.

Season 2

David Milbank reveals his true interest in Donna is sex, not her thoughts or writing. She dumps him before they've gotten past first base.

Upset, Donna seeks comfort in Eric, who confesses that he's always liked Donna's thoughts. "In fact, I've always liked ... you."

Donna is shocked, happy, and pissed she didn't know this fact earlier. She asks Eric why he acted like he wasn't into her romantically. He says he thought she liked Hyde that way. "Hyde?" she says. "No, Hyde liked me. I liked you."

"You did?" Eric says. "I still do," Donna says, and they begin their romantic relationship.

Laurie, bored, has sex with Kelso in his van. But since he's not in a relationship, it's a one-time occurrence. Unfortunately, it adds fuel to Kelso's obsession with her. With his reputation at school in the toilet, he pursues Laurie to the point of stalking.

Laurie seeks help from Red, who not only threatens Kelso in the garage but also bans him from the house.

With all that's gone wrong in Kelso's life, he grows increasingly depressed. All his friends try to help, and the truth of Kelso's age comes out. He's eighteen.

Hyde suggests Kelso drop out of school, like most of Hyde's cousins did, and get a job. Donna says Kelso should get his G.E.D. at least. She, Eric, and Fez help him study for it and ultimately get his high school degree.

Living at the Formans' house has helped Hyde emotionally, but his nurturing instinct isn't being nurtured. He becomes more closed off and distant, despite giving support to Donna, Eric, and Fez when they need it.

Season 3

Donna and Eric have trouble navigating their misunderstandings without Jackie's advice and perspective. Hyde is helpful but not enough to make up for Jackie's absence. The resentments build up on both sides, and Donna and Eric break up under different circumstances than they do in "Promise Ring". Instead, they believe they're incompatible as a romantic couple.

Kelso enlists at the police academy after being pulled over for speeding. He believes becoming a cop because will negate his reputation for being a bad lover.

Fez's life is less stressful without chasing after someone (Jackie) who isn't interested in him romantically.

Hyde grows increasingly cynical after his dad (Bud) uses him to pay rent.

Season 4

Donna never dates Casey Kelso because Jackie isn't there to set them up. Donna and Eric date a string of people who they don't truly connect with.

Donna, though, grieving her mother's absence, leans on Hyde far more than she did on the show. Secretly, they start a sexual relationship. For Donna, it's a coping mechanism. For Hyde, it's much more. But Donna eventually connects to the emptiness she feels, and what follows is the grief she's been avoiding.

Hyde, without the insight of Jackie, resents Donna for using him and breaking his heart -- even though deep down he believed Donna hadn't suddenly fallen in love with him. He pushes past his own pain, however, and helps Donna and Eric reconcile.

Fez and Rhonda's relationship thrives without Casey's influence and Donna-influenced-by-Casey's confirmation of Casey's perspective.

Kelso sets fire to the Point Place Police Academy on Flare Day and is transferred to Kenosha.

Season 5

Eric and Donna work on their communication issues, among other difficulties.

Hyde moves out of the Formans' house once he turns eighteen, despite Red's reassurance and reasoning. After what went down with Donna, Hyde wants to run get away from the reminders of what he never really had. He leaves Point Place, and everyone is upset about it -- especially Kitty.

Fez and Rhonda consummate their relationship.

To honor Hyde, Eric, Donna, Kelso, and Fez spray paint his name on the water tower. But Eric, through Fez, learns Donna and Hyde were sleeping together last year. Fez says, "I'm happy you can put aside your anger at Hyde and do this for him." Eric says, "Anger? What anger?" Fez says, "Wow, you are even more secure than I thought! If Hyde had slept with my Rhonda, I would kill him."

This revelation tarts a fight between Eric and Donna. Fez and Kelso try to intervene, but Fez gets shoved off the water tower.

At the hospital, Fez's immigration status is discovered. Rhonda marries him so that he can stay in the U.S. and because she loves him.

Eric breaks up with Donna, feeling betrayed by both the fact she slept with Hyde and kept it a secret. He leaves Point Place after graduation to search for Hyde.

Season 6

Kelso and Brooke have sex at the Molly Hatchet concert, and Brooke becomes pregnant as a result.

Eric finds Hyde in Milwaukee. Hyde had gotten seriously hurt at his car mechanic job and needed a kidney transplant. Through this, his true paternity is discovered. W.B. is a match and gives Hyde a kidney.

Hyde's built a new life for himself with his newly discovered family. Eric confronts him about Donna, and Hyde explains the depression and terror and grief Donna was in after her mother left and she and Eric had broken up. "Think about it, man," Hyde says. "Under what other freakin' circumstances would Donna have sex with me? She was miserable."

With his new understanding and empathy, Eric forgives Hyde. Hyde both kept Donna from hurting herself with risk-taking behavior and helped her and Eric reconcile. Eric also lets go of any sense of betrayal he feels toward Hyde and Donna both.

Eric returns to Point Place and apologizes sincerely to Donna (and tells her he found Hyde, etc.) Donna apologizes, too. Not for sleeping with Hyde because better him than a stranger who could have hurt her, although she understands why her being with Eric's best friend hurt Eric. She's sorry for not being truthful with Eric and depriving him of the chance to make choices about their relationship based on the whole truth.

Eric and Donna reconcile, again, before going to college together.

Only Fez, Rhonda, and the Formans are left to help Kelso handle the fact he impregnated Brooke. Kelso, having learned of Hyde's whereabouts, drives to him in Milwaukee -- taking a leave of absence from the police academy.

Hyde sets Kelso to rights. W.B. also steps in, sharing how he wished he'd known he had a son, his grief at missing out on Hyde's upbringing, and sorrow for the trauma Hyde experienced at Bud and Edna's awful parenting.

This week with Hyde and his family convinced Kelso to be in his kid's life and prove to Brooke he's worth of it.

In the series finale, Betsy is born. Kelso holds her in the hospital room while Brooke looks on, tired but happy. Red and Kitty reunite with Hyde in Milwaukee. Fez and Rhonda decide to go to culinary school together so they can one day own a bakery. Eric proposes to Donna while they sit on the Vista Cruiser's hood.

Jukebox Ask Game

#that 70s show #that '70s show #jackie burkhart #eric x donna #michael kelso #steven hyde #fez #ask game #jukebox ask game #my meta #my essay #meta #essay #ficlet

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kings-highway · 3 months ago

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How do you feel about AtsuKageHina?

m 🤔

i don't like it, to be honest. And that's mostly because I've got some kind of vendetta against AtsuHina in all of it's forms. I don't like it. I think it's slightly more tolerable with Kageyama in the mix, though. BUT. The point of these asks is to seriously consider it and treat it well so I will see what I can find.

my first instinct is to dwell more on Atsumu/Kageyama, because while I do think AtsuKageHina can really only exist as Atsumu joining an established KageHina, I think their dynamic could really make or break the polyship.

I think, obviously, they'd have a lot of intense rivalry over volleyball and then also Hinata, especially since Kageyama is on the opposite side of the net so to speak. Atsumu being more of an ass than usual complaining about Hinata "telling the Adlers all their secrets" and Bokuto/Sakusa being like "dude it's not that serious" but it IS it IS that serious (to him) (he hasn't realized he has a crush on Hinata)

I think there's also some really interesting possibilities in, like, AtsuHina coming first, bonding on the Adlers and falling in love, and Atsumu just realizing that Hinata has always had this fixation with Kageyama and even if he trusts that Hinata loves him, he knows that Kageyama exists on a kind of different spectrum? Like it's not about romantic love, necessarily, for KageHina.

BUT Ignore the more plot-heavy descriptions I do really, really like the idea of AtsuHina being a thing and then both being aggressively in love with Kageyama who's just Autistic and On Another Team and so they're barking and growling from the other side of the net and Kageyama is just like "yeah this is totally about volleyball :)" and so oblivious to the fact that he's being pursued so heavily (and in Hinata's case, as been being pursued for a WHILE.)

I also think this ship could work as AtsuHina and KageHina as a love angle, rather than a completed polycule, even though I think Atsumu and Kageyama would have the most interesting dynamic as a trio.

Hinata would absolutely call them "his boys" whenever they're going anywhere. "Got my keys, got the volleyball, got my boys, let's hit the beach!" vibes

Hinata going to Brazil would fracture the group for a bit, Kageyama and Atsumu not really knowing how to be in a relationship without his energy, and I think they would break up for a bit and then be absolutely tormented by it, like... they don't even tell Hinata really (who they're maintaining as long distance) but they "mutually agree" to step back from each other because it just doesn't feel right and then like cue some kind of "standing outside your window with a sign" scene or a confession in the rain where they realize that they really did like each other.

Atsumu can absolutely fill a similar rival role as Hinata for Kageyama, in terms of passion in the relationship, but I think Kageyama is like... weird territory for Atsumu. Because Atsumu is mr "best setter in Japan" but Kageyama as we know is a proper prodigy. And Atsumu probably finds him beautiful in a really abstract way, why like's obsessed with the way he holds his pencils and mugs of tea and the way he stretches and just can't get enough of him because Atsumu has never in his life had a setter he thought he could look up to (he's arrogant! he's always thought he was the best) but now there's this gorgeous, passionate, and LOUDLY talented setter who just sweeps him off his feet and goddamn it feels good to be able to idolize (worship?) someone. Its just an entirely different kind of Love I dont think he's had the opportunity to do. Make him breakfast in bed and let him be the passenger princess.

Side note: Osamu would hate this ship. RIP to the second twin could you imagine him putting up with this shit?

Overall Rating:

Me, Personal Interest: -4/10

Concept/Potential: 8/10

(as much as I don't like AtsuHina or this ship I'm not gonna pretend like I don't get it I know where you people are coming from)

#my phone is at 6% but i am always open to talk about rarepairs #haikyuu atsukagehina

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comphetkoncass · 2 years ago

Text

trendsetter (i had depression before it was cool)

tim&kon, hints of romantic timkon 2.3K also on ao3

Conner's a good friend, but it's not just being a good friend that told him exactly how to be there for Tim in the Paris underground. He knows how to navigate depressive spirals because he's been there a time or two himself.

/////

The Mario Kart loading screen is dark, and after at least two hours of gaming, it feels like a welcome break to Kon's overloaded senses.

But before Kon can truly relish it, Tim recognizes the still and quiet, too. The feeling of finally being alone together, for one fleeting moment, before the bright noise colors their walls again.

"I don't think I thanked you enough, for Paris," is all Tim says. "So. Thank you. For being there. For believing me. I know with the timeline changes, it's all a little fuzzy. But I remember that you gave me something to hold onto. I needed it. Just -- thank you."

If Kon is being honest, it takes him a minute to realize exactly what Tm means. They've been to Paris a lot over the years for various hero business. But Kon thinks, there's probably only one thing Tim would be thanking him for. Tim's voice doesn't sound as empty and hollow as it did back then, but Kon can still hear it like an echo.

"You don't have to thank me for that," he says. "We're friends. It was important to you."

"Still." Tim's eyes don't break from the screen. Earlier he was fixated like the game was a case; now Tim just looks distracted. Thinking back to the time before, when everything was a mess and he was falling apart. Kon is just glad he can say -- confidently -- that Tim is no longer on the ledge. "I know my reaction to you coming back to life was -- lackluster."

"You made up for it." Kon's a little distracted, too. He taps one of his fingers against the game controller, separate from the buttons. Impatient, suddenly; not enough input from his side of things to make the game occupy all of his brainspace. He wishes it would. If he was racing Bart at the version of the game that was triple-speed, then maybe this would work, but he's racing Tim on normal speed, and- "You're happy I'm back. You're happy a lot of people are back, man. You couldn't just focus on me, I knew there were other people you were still either grieving or trying to save. It's all good."

Tim almost-smiles, but it's as much a purse of his lips. "You don't think you deserved a little more of a welcome-back?"

Kon actually rolls his eyes. "Does it matter? We're not going to mess with time travel, so if you're bummed about how you responded, don't be, 'cause it's not like we can change it."

Tim huffs though his nose.

"Besides, I've been there. Where you were." Kon says it like it's no big deal, but he feels Tim tense next to him. Kon fixes his eyes a little more pointedly on the game, despite the creeping suspicion that Tim is watching him, now, instead of Rosalina. "It's -- everything. When you're that low, everything good is so far out of reach. When I saw you, I just figured... it'd be nice to give you what I wanted most back then."

"And that would be?"

Tim's voice is scarily even.

"Well. I mean, in lieu of getting all my dead- you know whats back," Kon says, and feels their ghosts like an itch in his spine. "...I could've used a friend."

Tim crosses the finish line first, but Kon doesn't look at him. The grip he has on his controller is tenuous at best. He's gripping it so tightly with Kryptonian strength that he thinks it should have shattered -- but his TTK is wrapped securely around it.

Physicists would love him.

"A friend," Tim repeats. "Kon..."

"Or," Kon says, swallowing very hard as the screen darkens again. "Just- someone who would just sit next to me and not make it weird, even if I felt like the biggest waste of space and most dangerous ticking time bomb on the planet. Even if I said I didn't need it."

Tim makes a sound like he's wounded. Which -- for Tim, is barely more than a choked-off breath. Not even vocalized, just a change in his breathing, like he's trying to control his heart-rate and junk.

Kon can't not listen to his heartbeat, though. Tim's right next to him, and he's never been very good at tuning out Tim's heartbeat when it's so close. Not when it's so familiar and comforting when he needs something to keep him grounded.

"Anyways," Kon continues. He presses the home button on the controller, and as player one, it takes them back to the loading screen. "You really don't need to thank me for anything, Tim. I just wanted to be there for you."

Kon wants to play the stoic hero so goddamn badly. But when Tim grips his knee and swivels Kon towards him, there's a small part that can't help but be relieved.

Conner Kent is many, many things. And a good friend is one of them. But whatever makes Superman the perfect, self-sacrificing, empathetic-but-stoic hero never got written into Kon's DNA.

"I didn't know what it felt like back then," Tim says, facing Kon now. And there's something so intense on his face that Kon breaks out into a sweat. Can't ignore that he's said something real, something that's given Tim this visceral of a response. "If I didn't know what it was like, I can't apologize for not knowing exactly how serious it was, especially when you shut me out."

For a second, Kon's heart reaches his throat.

This, he realizes. This is why he doesn't open up to people. Tim's reaction is so Bat that for a second, Kon actually wants to fly away and bury himself under a rock actually, because getting belittled for not reacting well to a major depressive state is, wow-

"Kon- Shit, that wasn't the best way to start out," Tim suddenly says, and Kon realizes that his face must reflect his feelings, because he feels like he's hovering on the ledge again, stripped of his powers again and about to jump without a flight ring. "I have a point. One that isn't-" He lets out another huff through his nose, frustrated with himself. "One where I don't act like an asshole."

Tim rests his hand on one of Kon's. The hands that are gripping the controller so tightly that it could shatter it the instant his TTK gives out.

Kon realizes Tim is trying to get him to let go. His chest does something funny; his heart beats all sorts of wrong. But he lets out a breath and, importantly, lets Tim take the controller from his hands before he breaks it.

"I was trying to say," Tim says, carefully unplugging the cord and winding it around the controller. "If I had known what it felt like, or what you'd needed, I would have been there. I thought you wanted to be alone, and I wanted to respect that. I never would have let you hide away like that, if I'd known."

Kon can't look at him. He stares instead at the cord and controller and the way the console is still glowing.

He reaches for the power button. It manages not to crack upon contact.

"I wasn't telling you this so you could feel bad," he finally says, and holds out a hand for Tim.

Tim stares at him a moment.

"Your controller," he says, and Tim's face has the tiniest flicker of hurt before he acquiesces his controller. Damn it. "I mean it. It was a while ago, and I just wanted to be there for you when you went through it. Now you know, so it's no big deal."

There's something in his friend's eyes. "I'd say it's a pretty big deal. I should have-"

"We're even, anyways," Kon interrupts him. "You did visit me both times, I was just in too deep a funk to let you in."

Kon can see the gears turning in Tim's head. Trying to pinpoint exactly when this happened.

So he decides to spell it out for him. "Once in Cadmus, with Bart. You guys helped me get my life a little more in order then, actually -- I'd been sleeping basically all day for weeks, and living on coffee the few hours I was up." He cracks the faintest smile. "I've always been a trendsetter, I guess."

Tim doesn't laugh.

Kon tries to pivot, rubbing the back of his neck as he leans away. "Anyways. You can guess the other time it got bad -- I mean, you came to the farm. I heard you. I just couldn't bring myself to answer. That's my own fault. So we're even. You tried, you just didn't know how to reach me."

Tim looks grieved at the very suggestion. Even with no lights on in the room, and the sun having set hours ago, Kon's night vision has always been pretty good. The shadows on Tim's face are haunting. "Has it happened again since you've been back?"

There are things Kon thinks probably could have set it off again. Having people skim over his death because it's too painful for them, nevermind that he was the one to die, for one. But that's an old hurt, now, years after the fact. Being erased from this timeline and forgotten by all his friends hurt more. Losing his entire timeline and all his civilian relationships; knowing that no one in this reality would perfectly remember their old lives. That was worse than coming back from the dead.

Worse, though, was knowing he didn't have the power to save his loved ones. That Tim had been killed, basically -- but snagged away to an alternate time instead. Either way, Kon had been none the wiser on Gemworld, and Tim could have died permanently, if not for that extradimensional save.

He wants nothing more than to save his friends. That's all he wants.

This timeline makes Kon feel so completely out of his depth.

He's tired, he realizes. It really is late. Maybe he ought to turn in for the night. Spend some time at the farm, or maybe visiting old haunts. See what all is different.

Something squeezes in his chest.

"Kon?" Tim's voice brings him back.

"I'm good," he says. "Thanks. For asking, noticing -- you know. But you can put those detective skills away for right now. I'm alright."

Tim's face tells him he absolutely does not believe him.

Kon sends him a trademark grin, and gently -- very, very gently -- punches his arm. "Relax. I'm a little tougher than you're giving me credit for right now. Which, boo. I just kicked your ass in like eight rounds of Mario Kart, could a depressed person do that?"

"Parks n Rec hasn't been quotable in two years," Tim says. "You need new material. Something that isn't bad 90s and early 2000s TV or a sitcom."

"Recommend something that doesn't suck and I will," Kon says. He stands then, exaggeratedly stretching. "You staying the night here in the Tower?"

He knows for a fact that Tim plans on going back to Gotham using a zeta tube. He's just being polite, reminding Tim that he doesn't expect anything more than Mario Kart and someone who cares without being overbearing.

"Yeah, actually," Tim says. Kon stares after him. "You still got the pullout bed? I'm not tired yet, and you've got a thing for falling asleep to TV, so. I could put on something that doesn't suck, and I can make fun of you for falling asleep to it anyway."

Kon feels something in his throat tighten.

A small part of him wants to chase Tim away and sit by himself in the dark. Let memories and increasing isolation drive him into a new type of forcefield; one that not even Kon will be able to control if it gets strong enough.

Tim turns the TV input to a streaming service before Kon can say no. "You'll like it," he says. Looks up at Kon, the tiniest shred of caution in his eyes.

Kon knows what he's playing at.

Unwilling to be driven out. Just this once.

The pressure on his chest loosens, just for a moment. "If you say so," he says instead of no. "You got me to watch the Wendy reboot last month and it fucking sucked, it was so boring. Even if the original show wasn't great at least it was never dull. But." He pauses. "If you're really staying over- Let me grab the blankets."

The smile on Tim's face is small, but it's there. "If you thought the reboot was bad, wait'll you see the movie. They fucked up everyone's character so bad -- I barely recognized Wendy."

Kon laughs as he pulls out the trundle, grabs a stock of old blankets and sheets that he can't remember buying in this timeline, which might not mean anything. "No. No way. How bad?"

"I tried to buy the movie studio just to prevent them from making the sequel," he admits. "But that's alright. We'll always have the original. Or -- you know. Other shows. New stuff, to watch together." Tim gestures to the TV. "There's a couple I think you'd like. C'mon, watch just one episode of Stranger Things with me, okay? If you hate it we'll put on something else."

It doesn't take much work, putting on sheets with TTK. It takes even less work, somehow, sitting down on it with Tim against his side.

"Okay," he says.

Three episodes in, Kon is still awake. Tim's on his shoulder, though, asleep -- and that means he's alright, and he's not leaving tonight. Whatever breakdown Kon is -- was? -- on the verge of, is going to be postponed a little while longer.

A friend to sit by you, he thinks. When everything's in a fog and the only thing you can manage is to screw up -- that's what he needs most.

He eventually falls asleep, long before the missing boy is found, and long before the mystery of the Upside Down is solved.

Netflix asks Kon, in the morning light, if he's still watching. He blinks, and Tim is solidly asleep against his chest. He thinks, maybe, everything will be okay.

#timkon #kon-el #conner kent #tim drake #cdw writes

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utilitycaster · 2 years ago

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My head has been spinning recently just thinking about the sort of backlash that Laura and Marisha would get from fans if Imogen and Laudna didn't end up together.

For example, I can imagine them roleplaying a conversation in which one of pair reveals they have a crush on someone else in the party, and the other supports them fully in that endeavour. I can only imagine the people who would say "she looked away when she said that line so she's lying!!!" or "they're just denying their feelings for each other"

C3 is the first campaign I've managed to catch live, so I'm not sure if this sort of shipping happened in C2 or C1. I feel like Beau/Yasha would be most likely to have caused similar reactions, but even then, I don't think I've seen this amount of protectiveness over a ship that is this vague. Marisha and Ashley at least made it clear from e1 that their characters had (at the very least, one-sided) romantic interest.

Hi anon,

I've gotten a few questions to this effect and have declined to answer some because it does feel a bit like borrowing trouble, even though I will fully admit some of my private DMs look not unlike this. So I'm going to try to answer this with as much sensitivity and thoroughness as I can despite a number of frustrations (not with you, to be clear) and let this serve as my answer going forward unless anything drastically changes. I am making it non-rebloggable, under a cut, and will be blocking any clownery.

Let's rip off the bandaid right away: for some reason, and I have my theories but they are unconfirmed at in some cases, rather ungenerous, Marisha and Laura's characters have been heavily shipped in all three campaigns despite a chemistry I would call middling at best. I think the most generous way to put it is that while Ashley was working on Blindspot, they were often the only two women at the table (though one must look a bit askance at how Veth is often ignored as a female character, despite unambiguously being one). So I suspect that a lot of it comes from simply wanting an F/F romance between main cast PCs during Campaign 1 and having no good options, and then...remaining fixated on that particular cast dynamic, despite, as stated before, chemistry that has never particularly impressed me.

I did not watch Campaign 1 live, so I don't know what the discourse was at the time. I did watch Campaign 2 live and your prediction is accurate. The ship that caused similar reactions was actually Beau and Jester; you can still find people who claim it was a "mistake" to pursue Beauyasha instead and that Beauyasha "came out of nowhere" and was "for the straights." You are also entirely correct that people will grasp at the weakest of straws to support a ship, though, in all fairness, this is not remotely limited to femslash shippers but is a general shipping problem. (The worst offender during Campaign 2 for that, in my opinion, were people who shipped Caleb and Jester and who became creepily obsessed with Laura's expressions late in the game; that is also incidentally still the ship that I think has the most parallels to Imogen and Laudna in terms of canon character relationship vs. fanon perceptions.)

I do expect that if Imogen and Laudna do not get together, for whatever reason, there will be considerable denial. We've already seen some misplaced vitriol towards Ashton, and the response among shippers towards Imogen has, as I've pointed out over the past two weeks, been wildly inconsistent and deeply ungenerous in a desperate attempt to twist her actions in favor not just of the ship, but towards a highly specific idea of the ship as soft girlfriends against the cruel world, instead of a complicated codependence with the potential for becoming something more. I and others have also pointed out that the ship has gone from "they are already in love" to "a QPR would also be totally cool" which is rather unkind to QPRs.

I should also acknowledge the elephant in the room. I am well aware that I am probably public enemy number one on the Imogen/Laudna server where they come up with such bon mots as "bone-dry takes". I suspect this is because I genuinely enjoy both Imogen and Laudna as individual characters and write about them a lot, but in doing so, acknowledge the cracks and tension within their relationship. So on some level, even though the ship could absolutely still happen, they've already kind of started with some of the behaviors you mention, which is rather disappointing.

Anyway, I think this is all to say that this is a general problem in shipping across the board that is not confined to Imogen and Laudna nor F/F ships, but because that specific ship is both, as you say, vague, and yet has an extremely popular and extremely narrow fanon interpretation, it's in particular focus this campaign. I think you're correct that there will be backlash should it not happen, though I would be pleasantly surprised and deeply humbled if there is not. Fortunately I have found that Critical Role is fairly impervious to fandom backlash in terms of the decisions they make in-game, because let's face it, people will push back on anything, including such necessary parts of story as "dramatic tension" and "conflict." If you listened to them you would make the world's shittiest story, and because there are frequently multiple conflicting ships, you can't please everyone. I'm here to watch a story, and I do think ships are intrinsically part of character arcs, so if the ships serve the characters, whatever they are, I think it will be a worthwhile endeavor.

#answered #Anonymous #cr tag

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gachagon · 2 years ago

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hello! i was about to sleep + doing my nightly 'read a fanfic to bed' routine until i saw that your requests are open (and i haven't requested in a long time too 😭) and i got curious!

may i request a drabble for nagi wherein reader eventually realizes that he doesn't have a single romantic bone in his body – and she feels like their dates so far (arcades *a nagi staple*, coming over to his house anytime bc his parents arent around to watch movies) are very low-effort in itself and she feels bad for wanting more than this because nagi has been a very nice boyfriend but he just doesn't go out of his way and she doesn't know how to express this to him without sounding shallow or asking too much from a literal high school student – she ends up overthinking that maybe she's too intense for someone like him but nagi eventually realizes this and feels bad himself but he's also at lost at what to do and communicating makes him uncomfortable so he tells everything he knows to reo to be greeted with a taken aback reo who goes 'not even a single gift? even a little trinket? what do you two even talk about? WAIT YOU'RE IN A RELATIONSHIP? how did that happen? is it pity dating? you like her? WHAT' kind of thing and nagi realizes that relationships are a two-way street and that cuddle dates just don't cut it anymore

Hiiii I really liked this idea and thought it was pretty cute. I don't really get to write a lot about Nagi most of the time, even though he is one of my favorites! I cut this a bit shorter and was going back and forth with how I wanted the conversations to go, but in the end I think I nailed it and made it really cute! There were moments I thought "Geez I'm making Nagi too much of a bad boyfriend" lol so I also just kept going back and forth with the tone.

Here is the short drabble anon!

Words: 1.3k

Pairing: Nagi/Fem!Reader

You and Nagi have been going out for a few months, however you notice he's not the best when it comes to planning dates. In fact, it's starting to get to your head and you wonder if he likes playing games more than he likes being with you! You decide to talk to him, about it

You and Nagi Seishiro have dated for a few months now, and at first you were so ecstatic to finally have gotten a chance with your crush that you had purposefully overlooked a lot of his flaws. Sure Nagi was a bit lazy when it came to school, and he was kind of slow to talk to (you normally did most of the conversating when you were together), but he listened to you anyways and always made sure to help you with your studies after school. Nagi had his own hobbies, but unlike most people he was just incredibly serious about it. You could understand that, seeing as you were also quite passionate about your own club meetings, and Nagi even supported your club by going to the meetings with you, or waiting after school to walk home with you.

These were all things that you had decided weren’t worth the trouble of looking deeply into, everyone has their issues. Your friends complained to you that they didn’t think Nagi was that attentive, but it didn’t matter to you what they said. You enjoyed all the walks, and the one sided talks, and on the rare occasion that Nagi was really focused on something he’d even ramble to you about the latest game he’d been fixated on.

You were determined to make it work, so you decided you’d take things a step further and started to invite Nagi out on dates. Though, all the places he suggested you go to were not…the most romantic choices you’d have picked out.

“Do you want to come over and play Dragon Quest? My parents won’t be home for a few hours…” Nagi would ask.

“We could go to the arcade…they’re having a competition with one of the fighting games.”

“They’re selling copies of a new game at this cafe, let’s go and get 2 and play it.”

No matter what, it always went back to games. There were some days you almost thought Nagi was more enamored with games than he was with you. It got to a point where you spoke with your friends about it, and of course they agreed but you couldn’t bring yourself to believe that. “Maybe I should just talk to him about it…I mean he is a bit spacey.” You say to them. “Sometimes it’s like he’s in a world of his own, you know!” And yet this too was something you also had in common with Nagi that you couldn’t fault him for. The more you talked about his flaws, the more you realized you held the same ones.

So you decide to do it, to talk to Nagi and to ignore your friends who desperately want you to break up with him over this. Frankly, you think they’re kind of bad at advice anyways, seeing as you're the only one who has a partner now. You talk with him after your club meeting, and broach the subject as nicely as possible.

“Hey Nagi…I was wondering if maybe we could, oh I don’t know…do other things besides going to the arcade for dates?” You said, and Nagi looks at you confused.

“But I thought you liked going to the arcade.” He said.

“I do! It’s just, well I don’t know how to put it…” You look away for a moment as Nagi searches your face for an answer. “It’s just-the arcade, gaming cafes, all those places aren’t really…date places. They’re places you bring your friends.”

“But you are my friend.” Nagi said simply.

“Ugh, I know that! But I’m also your girlfriend! You should take a girl to places that are romantic, you know.” You crossed your arms. “Especially if you’re dating her.”

Nagi’s head tilted to the side, it looked adorable but you decided to ignore it. “Really? I thought…those places were romantic?” Nagi shrugged casually. “We were having fun together, so I thought that was all that mattered.”

Oh my gosh he hasn’t got a clue…You think hopelessly to yourself with a sigh. “Oh, just forget it, Nagi.” Maybe my friends were right…Maybe he should date someone who’s not so clingy…You sulk off alone without Nagi to your house, not even sparing a glance back. However, unknown to you, Nagi is not finished with the problem.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

“I think my girlfriend’s mad at me.” Nagi laid on Reo’s very expensive couch in his room while he spoke. Reo was his only real friend, so when (Y/N) walked off by herself, Nagi knew he had messed up. Though he was incredibly confused on how.

“Wait, what? You got a girlfriend??” Reo asked from his bed. He leapt out of it, and immediately began to bombard Nagi with questions as he shook him by his shoulders. “When did that happen?”

Nagi shrugged, “I don’t know. I think maybe…a few months ago?” He said. “But that’s not the issue. I think she’s gonna break up with me, dude.”

Reo sighs, and rubs his forehead. “I can’t believe this. You get a girl to go out with you, and the moment I even hear about it, you’ve already messed it up.” He said. “Well what did you do?”

“That’s the thing, I don’t really…know?” He had thought he was doing everything “right”. He liked walking her home, and staying with her for her club. Sometimes she would talk for hours about everything she did that day or even that week, and Nagi liked listening to all of it. He wasn’t much of a talker, even Reo couldn’t get a lot of words out of him most days, but he loved listening. And he had a lot of fun with her on all their dates. “I thought she was having fun on all the dates we went on…it looked like she did, anyways? She was smiling and laughing, and we play games together all the time. But today she said none of that was ‘romantic’ enough. I just don’t get it.”

Reo shook his head, “You can’t just bring a girl to an arcade and internet cafes all the time, Nagi. Have you ever brought her to, I don’t know, a fancy restaurant? A scenic view? The movies?” Reo listed all these places off, and Nagi answered no with each one.

“Well…what makes something romantic?” Nagi asked. Is “have fun” not part of romance? What else was he supposed to do alongside all the other things?

“Atmosphere! And intent, it has to be places that really intrigue her or that speak to her interests. A place where you two can talk a lot, as well.” Reo explained, and Nagi cringed inwardly.

“Talking…I see…” He was terrible at that. He never knew what to really say to people, oftentimes his mind would run blank unless it involved games. Listening was just so easy, and he could fill in his half of the conversation with questions about the other person’s talk. Though, now that he thinks about it, that’s not really a conversation. It’s more of an interview…or worse…an interrogation.

“Tell you what, the next time you see her, you have to get her a present to make up for it. And! You have to take her out on a date, a real one that’s super romantic!” Reo exclaims, and Nagi agrees.

“Okay. I know all about her…I have the perfect gift in mind.” Nagi had always thought gifts were meant to be given during special occasions, but now he realized that he should’ve been treating these past few months with (Y/N) like a celebration. “She’s in this club, and she’s really into (insert reader's passion/hobby). So I think I’ll get her something as a surprise.” And this time…it won’t be a game.

Nagi rushes out of Reo’s room to hurry and prepare the present and even to plan out where he would take (Y/N). As he rushed out the door, Reo called after him. “And make sure the place you pick for your date is actually a place girls like! Otherwise, she really will dump you, dude!” He yelled.

“I will!” Nagi called back as he slammed the door behind him. He was prepared to fix things tomorrow for certain, he would get the perfect gift and plan the perfect date. Nagi was ready to set this right, even if it meant never going on another “arcade date” ever again.

#bllk #blue lock x reader #nagi x y/n #nagi x reader

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