#and she knows it. it would've been all too easy to end up like B. and she sees a lot herself in it in the worst possible ways

[butrememberthesong]

actually on a similar note

[bettyfrommars]

I'm on Fire

biker!eddie x fem!reader x biker!Steve

Chapter 15: Snap Your Fingers, Snap Your Neck

summary: tensions are high as the last few chapters come to a head. Now that Craig has you, and none of the gang knows where you are, panic ensues. Eddie has to deal with an unwanted interaction with an ex, while Steve finds out the truth about Charlene. Astrid gets a bad feeling and thinks Steve might be hurt, meanwhile you decide to take matters into your own hands and deal with Craig in order to escape. wc: 10.7k

masterlist playlist

WARNINGS: 18+ONLY, angst, a gun, typical series violence, gunshots, reader being held against her will, abusive ex, stabbing, hand to hand combat, some violence toward women (which I do not condone under any circumstances), manipulation, dark themes, reader fights back, revenge, hurt and comfort, sex with someone other than reader (not Eddie), premonitions, murder, being chased, aggression. protective!eddie, protective!steve, slightly gigolo!steve. Header photo is not meant to be reader.

author's note: In this chapter, I'm making up for the fact that 90's tow truck driver Eddie and the rest of the MC would've had beepers, but, alas, I failed to mention them before. I've been staring at this for so long now, I need to post it. Really hope you enjoy, and I look forward to hearing what you all think.

"It ought to be easy, ought to be simple enough Man meets a woman and they fall in love But this house is haunted and the ride gets rough you’ve got to learn to live with what you can’t rise above If you want to ride on down in through this tunnel of love."

Tunnel of Love, Bruce Springsteen

-------

(This chapter starts of exactly where part 14 ended)

Just as Robin was about to reach out and catch Steve’s elbow, the bride, Daphne, jumped in front of her. 

“You made it! I’m so happy I could cry!” Daphne hugged her tight and, over her shoulder, Robin watched Steve and Charlene disappear into the crowd, helplessly. The wedding was packed, but she was sure she could find him as soon as she was done with a polite chat.  

She figured there wasn’t anything too bad that could happen in five minutes.  

A minute or two into acting interested in the conversation Daphne and one of her bridesmaids was having, Robin turned around to gesture at you—to make the introductions—-but you were nowhere to be found.  Daphne talked for a bit longer and Robin pretended to listen, but she was distracted, and the bad feeling in her gut was making her fidgety.

Good Vibrations by Marky Mark and The Funky Bunch ended, quickly to be replaced by What I Am by Edie Brickell, and Robin excused herself to go and look for you, apologizing to the bride profusely.  Telling Steve that Charlene was an obsessive psycho didn’t feel as important in that moment—-she knew Steve could handle himself.  But you? You were being stalked by a notoriously abusive ex and now Robin had no idea where you were. She should not have run off like that without you, and now she was kicking herself.

As Robin turned on her heel trying to spot you in the crowded lobby, Steve and Charlene were about to bypass the people on the dancefloor and make their way up to the hotel room.  Steve didn’t know what was happening, at first, when she made the bold move of grabbing his hand in the crowd and pulling him closer.

“Hey, hey now,” he said in her ear over the twang of the music.  “Should we be doing that where people can see us?”

Charlene sent her hand down to massage his cock, and then she leaned in and licked his earlobe.  “I don’t care anymore,” she replied, leading him out of the low-lit reception hall and down the hallway. 

Steve didn’t really know what that meant, and he hoped she wasn’t getting the wrong idea.  If she wanted to flush her marriage down the toilet—-awesome—-but Steve didn’t want to be the reason.  He had no intention to continue to see her after that evening, unless she was paying him, and he had every intention of making that clear in the elevator, but then she was on her knees with his cock in her mouth and he forgot what he was going to say.

—----------

Eddie rumbled into the parking lot on his chopper, ignoring the valet as he tried to tell him which way to go.  He parked as close as he could to the building, sliding in next to a limousine, even though there was no parking space there, and gave a blank stare to the guys who were about to try and ask him to move it.

He yanked the main door open, eyes darting around the people in the lobby.  He had no idea where to start looking for you, and that filled him with a frustration that made a growl escape his chest. The crease in his forehead softened when he felt two arms go around him from behind, but then one glance down at the hands, and he knew it wasn’t you. 

“What the—” the relief he felt at the idea of turning around to kiss you was abruptly stifled.

“Hey baby,” Melanie cooed.  She reached up to brush his bangs off his forehead like she used to in the old days, but Eddie moved his head away and blocked her hand.

He looked around before leaning forward to whisper curtly, “you just can’t take a hint, can you?”

Melanie settled back, bracketing her hands on either side of her hips.  She had on an impossibly short, sequined lime green dress with dark red lipstick and it looked like she should’ve been on a stripper pole, not at a wedding.  “Why do you hate me so much, Eddie? I gave you the best years of my life, the least you could do is be civil with me.”

Eddie frowned, moving to walk by her.  

“Please, Eddie!” She screamed it, catching his arm.

Eddie hitched his shoulders up to his ears in frustration, cringing at the way so many people turned to stare at him.  He moved in a circle, checking the crowd for you as he went, and then came back to face Melanie with weary reluctance.

“What do you want from me, Mel?” He asked, hoping it would be a quick fix so he could continue on with his night.  

Melanie slid the tip of her tongue along her top lip.  “Listen, I know I hurt you, okay? I know it was bad.  But I’m a totally different person now, I’ve changed.”

Eddie cocked his head. “Good for you.  What does that have to do with me?”

“Let me prove it to you,” she reached for his arm again and he let her hold it this time, hoping to speed things along.  “Have a drink with me and let’s talk.  I really miss you, Eddie,” she could tell he was about to interrupt and she put her hand up to stop him.  “You told me once that I was the love of your life, that you’d never love anyone more than me, and I know a part of you meant it.”

Eddie cringed at the memory of the young, impressionable boy he was back then, so pussy drunk that he didn’t know which end was up.  Did he mean it when he said it back then? Yes, from the bottom of his horny soul.  Did a part of him still feel the same way? Not a single drop.  What he’d felt for Melanie all those years ago paled in comparison to the level of devotion he had for you.  He was a man now, determined not to make the same mistakes that plagued him in his boyhood.

Eddie took a deep breath, eyeballing the crowd again.  “Okay, listen to me,” he took hold of Melanie’s bare arm, holding her firmly, and tilted his chin down to look her directly in the eye.  “What we had has been long over for years now.  I don’t know what I’ve done to possibly lead you on to believe there could ever be anything between us ever again, but I need you to get it through your fucking head that I don’t love you anymore.  Things will never be like they were.  I wish you well, but I don’t want you in my life, even as a friend.  I need you to respect this. Nod if you understand.”

“Do you not want me in your life because your new girlfriend will get jealous?” Her mouth fixed in  a mischievous grin, as if she’d completely missed the point of everything he just said.

“Fucking, goddamn it Melanie,” Eddie hissed, and then he ran both of his hands through his hair and gripped his fingers in at the roots, snapping his eyes shut to try and calm his frustration.  “I can’t do this right now, I’ve got more important shit going on,” he shook his head and dropped his hands, turning to head in the opposite direction.  “We’re done, totally done.  Forever.  I don’t want to ever see you again, Mel.  Don’t call, don’t show up.  Just go back to wherever and stay there. Have a nice life.”

He was a few steps away when she shouted to get his attention again.  “I know where your girl is, if that’s who you’re looking for,” she had her arms crossed and a bored expression on her face when he turned to regard her again.  “She left with some dude, if that means anything to you.  They were holding each other pretty close and if you ask me—-”

But the last word got caught in her throat as Eddie barreled down on her, gripping her arms so tight, his rings pinched her flesh. He shook her a few times, making her eyes go wide.  “You’re hurting me!” She balked.

“Tell me where they went,” he spoke with so much force, he accidentally spit on her.  

—----

Robin caught sight of Eddie and started to make her way to the other side of the lobby, relieved, but then she saw who Eddie was talking to.

She made a face and stopped in her tracks for a beat.  “Melanie?” She asked it to herself, under her breath.  Robin knew she was the last person on earth Eddie would want to see, let alone be standing in such close proximity to.  Eddie started to walk away, but then he turned back around and grabbed Melanie with a force that made Robin gasp.  He could be a violent person, sure, but never with women, and it worried her to think of what she might’ve said to him.

Everyone was getting drunker and more oblivious to the people around them, so she worked hard to maneuver her way through the clueless party goers as What is Love by Haddaway jolted from the dance hall.

“Hey, Eddie!” She cupped her hand over one side of her mouth to shout it, but then she watched helplessly from a distance as Eddie and Melanie went down the hall and disappeared from view. What the hell was he doing with her—where the fuck were they going?

—-----

Craig had a room in the hotel, and that is where he took you.  

As much as you were afraid of Craig, you also knew how to handle him in situations like this.  To fight him, to argue with him, would only make things worse.  He wasn’t the type to feel much empathy for any of the pain others felt; his pain and emotional distress were the only things that mattered. If you fought him, or if you tried to run, he wouldn’t hesitate to terrorize your friends.  The thought made you shiver—you couldn’t let him get his hands on anyone else.  He could take whatever he wanted from you in exchange for their peace.

Craig was also extremely stupid, and as long as you placated and went along with him—you’d have more time to think about your next move instead of struggling and wasting your energy.  You didn’t put it past him to drug you and throw you in the back of his SUV, so you put on your Academy Award winning “this is fine” face while your mind raced for a plan.

Once he closed the door to his hotel room and put the deadbolt on, he took you in his arms, pulling you in for an embrace.  “Ahh, now–isn’t this nice?”

You nodded against his shoulder as your eyes darted around for something sharp.  “It really is.  I’m glad you came to find me.”

He pulled away to smile down at you; thin lips stretching to expose perfectly white teeth. “See, now, there’s my girl,” he tipped your chin with the crook of his finger and then planted a kiss on your forehead.

You were sure he brought you up there to have sex with you, and the thought made your stomach churn—-you were prepared to rip his balls off before that happened.  Craig was really strong though, and he could kill a man twice your size with his bare hands, so you had to find a way to battle with your wits.

“Have a seat,” he motioned to the bed in front of the TV, and then he grabbed the remote.  “You wanna check and see what is on pay per view? We can order room service.  Are you hungry?”

Such normal questions for such an abnormal and unfortunate situation.

You sat down cautiously, keeping your back stiff and straight.  You noticed a huge black duffel bag sitting on the floor, and it looked like the type of thing he usually carried all of his weapons in. 

“This is okay,” you gestured to the episode of Three’s Company that popped on.  

He handed you the remote as he bent down to kiss your temple. “I’m going to wash my hands.  Stay here, alright?”

You gave him a wink.  “Of course I’ll stay here, sugar plum.  There’s nowhere else I’d rather be.”

He sighed, offering a dreaming expression. “I’ve missed you so much, it hurts.”

“That’s sweet,” you offered, turning your attention back to the tv as he went around the corner to the bathroom.  You got up and walked slowly to the window to see what you could see, talking to him all the while to keep him satiated.  “I could definitely eat.  Maybe room service wouldn’t be a bad idea.”

You held the rod and slid the curtain open a few inches, realizing you were above the middle section of the parking lot.  Could you see your car from there? You didn’t have time to check; it was too dark and you heard the water shut off in the bathroom.

“Tsk, tsk,” he said, stepping back out into the hall so he could see you as he dried his hands off.  “Step back from the window, honey, I don’t want you to ruin our fun with one of your clever ideas.”

“Oh I was just curious,” you were casual about it, making a point to leave the curtain open a bit. “If any of my friends were looking for me.”

“Oh they might try,” he undid the buttons on the cuffs of his white dress shirt and rolled up each sleeve, exposing faded military tattoos on his forearms.  “But I booked this room under an alias.  Plus, no one saw us leave, so your friends will be scrambling around like chickens with their heads cut off.” He emphasized the word “friends” in a sarcastic way, as if they weren’t that at all.  

“I’m sure they’ll just think I went home,” you said, which was the furthest from the truth.  You thought about Robin going crazy trying to find you.  You wouldn’t be surprised if she worked her way up every floor, knocking on every door.

He sat down on the bed next to  you with a bounce and took your hand, lifting it up to kiss the back of it.  “Have I told you yet how beautiful you are tonight?”

“A few times,” you couldn’t help but lean away when he came in closer. “You told me downstairs and in the elevator.”

He wrapped his arm around the side of your hip and pulled you to him.  “C’mon now, give daddy some sugar,” he cooed, diving his lips in for another attempt.  

But you dodged him again.  You could feel yourself blowing it, and you knew you needed to comply in order to find a way out of this, but the thought of being intimate with him made you want to dig your own eyes out with a spoon.

“I don’t know if I’m ready…for that,” you managed.  “Too soon, I think.  Just give me a little time…to get used to you again.”

Craig grabbed your jaw, squeezing your mouth together so tight, your lips puckered, yanking your head to make you look at him.  His eyes were dark now, narrowing on you.  His tone was ice cold, “Oh but you’ll kiss him won’t you?  That filthy dirty biker?  You make me sick.” 

You swallowed hard, and in your mind, you considered the ballpoint pen next to the pad of paper on the desk.  If you could get a hold of it, you could stab him in the side of the throat.  

But, if you made the decision to wound Craig, you had to be willing to go all-in.  

You had to be willing to end him.

—-------

Steve waited to cum until he was back in the hotel suite.  Charlene got on the bed and sucked him off the rest of the way while she came using the vibrator she carried around in her handbag.  It turned Steve on to know that she always had it with her—he’d never been with a woman who was so incredibly sexually charged before.  

He came on her face, and then she licked it up and rubbed it down her breasts.  They got in the shower together after that, and the thought crossed his mind that he should go down and have a drink with you and Robin, but then his dick took over again and he forgot.  

The suite was huge, and while Steve lounged on the sofa in one of their complimentary robes looking over the room service menu, Charlene sat down on the bed to rub lotion on her legs.

She smiled over at him.  “The life of leisure looks good on you.”

Steve lifted his arms up and glanced down at himself.  “You think? Yeah, I could definitely do with some more of this.” The fridge was fully stocked with booze and sparkling water and other goodies, and Steve had raided it like a little kid at Charlene’s urging.  He was on his second fancy beer and third bag of pretzels.  

“You should come with me to Greece this winter,” she worked the lotion down around her manicured feet, feeling suddenly too shy to look at him.  “My friend has a house there, and we could charter a yacht, play on the beach, eat and fuck until we pass out. And then do it all over again the next day.”

Steve flipped the page on the menu, eyes glancing over the seafood section as he plucked at his bottom lip thoughtfully.  “Sounds good.  I’ll have my secretary clear my schedule.”

“I’m serious,” she laughed, rolling over onto her stomach to face him, kicking her feet up behind her.  “Wouldn’t you like to spend more time with me?”

Steve shut the menu and met her eyes.  “Well, sure, I mean, but I can’t just take off for a week to wherever, sweetheart.  This man of leisure is living paycheck to paycheck over here.”

“Oh, you wouldn’t have to worry about that,” she assured him, resting her chin in her palm. “I’ll pay your rent and whatever else you need. Give you some spending money. You won’t have to pay for anything, unless you want to buy me something pretty.”

“Yeah?” Steve smirked. “What’s the catch, angel? You gonna sell me to the highest bidder for some black-market organ donation once we get there?”

“No catch,” she shook her head.  “It’s just hard to find good companionship these days.”

He sucked his bottom lip through his teeth. It all sounded a little too good to be true, but he would be lying if he said the offer wasn’t tempting.  Fucking Greece? He’d only been out of the state a few times in his whole life, and it had all been for MC related stuff.  

“You could even bring Oliver,” she continued, looking down at the bedspread.  “I could pay for a nanny to travel with us, so we could have time alone.”

That made Steve frown, and he searched his mind for how she would know that he had a son, but then the moment passed.  He must’ve mentioned him at some point, accidentally.  

But Charlene seemed harmless enough.  Just a bored housewife with a smoking hot body.  

She got off the bed and slinked over to stand next to him.  He ran his hand up her leg under her robe until he was able to grab the apple of her ass, and then he spanked it.

“Did you decide what you want from the menu?” She asked, mussing up his hair. “Or we can still go out to dinner if you want.”

Steve tilted his head all the way back to look up at her, letting the menu slip to the ground. “Are you on the menu?” He asked, moving his hand around under the robe until his fingers found where they could sink in.

“For you? Always,” she said, and then she bent down to catch his mouth with hers.

—-------

Eddie had Melanie by the arm, and she tried to jerk out of his grasp, but he was way too strong---way too pissed off.  

“And then where did they go?” Eddie was scowling at the numbers on the three different elevators.  “Which floor?”

“I SAID I DON’T KNOW,” Melanie hissed, finally wiggling her arm away.  “Jesus. I never saw you worry about me like this before.”

“Fuck,” Eddie started to pace.  He was losing it, and he didn’t know where to start looking or how to find you.  He wanted to rip the whole building down with his bare hands.

Another man’s voice stepped into the equation.  “Hey, what the fuck are you doing to her? Leave her alone, you freak.”

Eddie spun around, eyes like daggers.  It was some douchebag he didn’t recognize in a tux, even taller than Eddie, with a lime green bow tie and cummerbund, clearly there for the wedding.  From the looks the guy was sharing with Melanie, it was probably her date.  

“Just stay the fuck out of it, whoever you are,” Eddie warned.

Melanie stepped back with a little smile on her face, enjoying the tension over her that was building.

“I asked you a question, man,” the guy in the tux with the short blonde hair said as he came up behind Eddie to jab his palm into the back of his shoulder.

Before anyone could comprehend what was happening, Eddie turned and swung on the guy.  

Robin came into view and screamed, covering her mouth with her hands.  

Eddie’s fist was like a brick, and the guy went down hard. The elevator opened and the four people inside yelped as he crashed in, with Eddie in hot pursuit.

Two people rushed out of the elevator, but another couple stood huddled in the back corner, afraid to move.  Eddie lurched forward to grab the guy by the front of his coat and yanked him to his feet to pull him out of the compartment just long enough to send a jab to his ribs that made him double over, and then he pushed him down.

The elevator closed again with the frightened passengers still inside.  The rest was a blur for Eddie as he got on top of the guy and started wailing on his face.

“Eddie, stop!” Robin tried to grab his arm on the back swing and the force almost knocked her over, but she did not relent.  “DINGUS STOP!”

Somehow, the nickname seemed to snap him out of it, and, with a few sharp intakes of breath, Eddie got to his feet, panting, standing over the guy.  The dude on the floor was somehow still conscious, but he probably wished he wasn’t one side of his face was mangled where Eddie’s rings broke the skin and there was blood dribbling from his mouth.  

There were people gathered at the mouth of the hallway now, watching with slack jaws, and Robin was worried someone had already called the police.  “Nothing to see here, people!” She called out, waving her hand, begging them to disperse.  

Eddie was about to drop down and punch the guy again—just because—but Robin used all of her strength to forcefully push him back.

Eddie snapped his attention to Melanie and pointed at the guy on the ground.  “Is this yours? Both of you get the fuck out of here before I—-”

Robin had only ever seen Steve like this—never Eddie.  Normally, he possessed the most patience and composure out of everyone in their friend group.  

She slapped him softly on his cheek to get his attention.  “Hey, listen to me.  I need you to fucking focus right now,” and then she snapped her fingers in the air in front of his face.

Eddie huffed a few heavy breaths out his nose and adjusted his Coffin Kings leather over his white tee.  There was a sheen of sweat on his face and a few pieces of his hair clung to his cheek and forehead.  Melanie was able to help her date to his feet, and Eddie watched them go with hard eyes and flared nostrils, silently begging the guy to throw him a dirty look or say something stupid.  Thankfully, for Robin’s sake, the guy wobbled away with his arm over Melanie’s shoulder without a single glance back.

“Focus,” Robin repeated, snatching his chin. “Your girl is here somewhere, and I can’t find her.”

“Yeah, I know,” Eddie jerked his head to evade her grasp.  “She’s with that fucking psycho and I have no idea where to start looking.” He shut his eyes tight and winced.  “I fucked up, Rob.  I should’ve killed that guy when I had the chance.  Now he has her.  If he hurts her, Rob….”

“Hold on,” Robin frowned as she took in the information, her body flushing with guilt.  “You know she’s with that Craig creep? How do you know?”

Eddie didn’t want to talk—he wanted to move.  

Outside, through the glass front of the building, he watched a police cruiser pull up through the crowd. It did have its lights on, and whoever was driving didn’t seem to be in a hurry, but all the same, he hit a button on the panel and took hold of Robin’s arm, ready to pull her in when the doors slid open. She followed his gaze to the two cops that were now heading into the building, and panic seized her.

It was taking too long for the elevator to come, so when the one across the way opened, they darted there instead.

A woman got out of the elevator as they stepped in and quickly hit the button for one of the higher floors.  A delivery driver carrying Chinese food was about to get in with them but decided against it at the last moment.  

Once they were alone, Eddie answered her question.  “Melanie saw them,” he breathed, falling back against the wall. “The description fits, and she said he had his arm around her,” Eddie cringed.  The thought of him touching you made him want to punch something.  

“Shit,” Robin said under her breath, feeling the thick weight of uncertainty hang in the confined space around them.  “You don’t think he’d actually do anything to her, do you?”

Eddie eyes glazed over and shook his head, concentrating, unable to form words.

“Nice dress, by the way,” he said, referring to the strapless blue number that she now regretted ever buying, let alone wearing.

“Shut up.” She returned.  

The doors opened at a floor that wasn’t theirs and Eddie told the two people waiting there to take the next one before he slammed the button again with the side of his fist. 

Robin started to gnaw at her thumbnail.  “Steve’s here somewhere too,” she let him know.  “He came with that Charlene woman, the one you used to bone.”

Eddie froze, giving her an incredulous look.  “And you let him?”

She held her arms out, raising her voice.  “I just realized who she was a little bit ago.  What am I, his fucking keeper?  Besides, she offered him so much money to take her to this stupid thing, I don’t think he would’ve cared.”

Oh, Steve would care if he knew the whole story, Eddie thought to himself.  And he’d really care if Charlene started targeting his family when he tried to end things with her or move on with someone else.  

When the elevator finally dinged and opened at the floor they chose, there stood Steve.

In a white bathrobe carrying a bucket of ice.

With his sunglasses on.

—--------

After being scolded by Craig, you disarmed the situation by pressing your lips to the side of his mouth. “Baby, why don’t you get comfortable so we can snuggle? Like we used to.”

He crawled on top so that you were both on the mattress.  You needed to build a decent level of trust with him in a small amount of time and letting him have some intimacy was the quickest way to do that. 

He got on his back, with his head on the pillow, and pulled you up alongside him so that your cheek was on his shoulder.  He lifted your chin to give you another kiss.  “Isn’t this nice?” He asked, rubbing his nose on yours.

“It really is,” you lied.

It took a lot not to try and scratch his face and knee him in the groin right then for what he’d done to you, for what he’d done to Jester.  For the pain that Eddie would go through when he couldn’t find you.  

But you found your center and took a cleansing breath.

You had formulated a part of a plan, but you had to be patient.

Soon.  

—---------

When Steve came back into the penthouse with the extra ice, he didn’t have the patience to wait for room service to bring, he was different, and Charlene noticed it right away.

She could see it in his face, the way he refused to make eye contact with her when she dropped her magazine to her lap to greet him and tell him their dinner was on the way.

Without a word, he grabbed his clothes and went into the bathroom.

“Stevie?” She called out to him, anxiety tightening in her chest. “What took you so long? Is everything alright?”

Steve shut the bathroom door first, and then he mumbled, “yeah, I’ll be right out. Just need a second.”

He let his robe fall to the floor and braced his hands on the edge of the sink, naked, letting the information Eddie had just shared with him in the hall absorb.  He tossed his sunglasses on the counter, so they skid across and landed against a hand towel folded in the shape of a swan.  

He ran the sink and splashed some water on his face, letting himself peek in the mirror at his reflection over the tips of his fingers.

As close as he was with Eddie, they weren’t in the habit of swapping partners, and if Steve had known that Charlene was that “rich, older woman he hung out with once in a while” a few months ago, he never would have gone that far with her in the first place.  

Water dripped cool down his tattooed chest as he looked down at his cock, lolling out at the triangle base of the muscular indents at his hips.  He patted a finger on the shaft so that it bounced.  “I hope you’re proud of yourself,” he whispered to his dick.  

Not only was Charlene someone that Eddie had fucked, but she’d also tried to make Eddie’s life a living hell when he tried to move on with you.  She’d paid a private investigator to stalk Eddie, tried to break the two of you up, and was the reason you got fired.  Eddie warned him not to trust her, and to not let her sink her claws in and try to keep him like a pet.  

He put his pants on and wet his fingers to run them through his hair, squaring his shoulders at his reflection, wondering how he’d get the rest of his money out of her.  She’d paid half up front, but now he needed the rest, and then he wanted to get the fuck out of there.  Eddie and Robin were headed to do some investigating, and he said he’d meet them in the stairwell in about 20 minutes.  

Charlene was hovering near the bathroom door when he opened it, and she searched his face for a trace of the person he was before he went to get ice—but it was no longer there. 

Her Stevie was gone.  

“Hey,” he said as he brushed by her to put his shirt on.  He left it unbuttoned as he turned, fixing the collar.  “It’s late, I need to get going.”

“But,” Charlene looked around, her mind racing with ways to keep him there. “The food will be here soon.”

He’d been trying not to meet her eyes, but when he did, his stare was frigid.  “I’m not hungry anymore.  I just need you to pay me the rest of my fee, and I’ll get out of your hair.”

He went to the couch to put his shoes on.

“Steve, please tell me what is going on? I thought we were having a good time, I thought—”

“You thought what?” He asked snidely. “That I’d do all this for free? Out of the goodness of my heart?”

He was about to be a real asshole, but then he remembered that he had enjoyed his time with her, and under different circumstances, he would’ve stayed to fuck her all night even if he wasn’t getting paid. But he had to end it—he needed to cut ties before things turned into a shitshow like they had for you and Eddie. He couldn’t afford that level of drama in his life, not with Robin and Oliver at risk.  

She rushed up to him and started kissing his chest.  “Can you just stay a few more hours? I don’t know what is bothering you, but I know I can take your mind off of it,” she sank lower, kissing his stomach, about to get on her knees.

“I said no,” he repeated, grabbing her arm to pull her back up to face him.  

“But, why—”

“Why didn’t you tell me you used to fuck Eddie?” He blurted, scowling at he ground.

A hard swallow clicked in her throat as she searched his eyes. “I-I didn’t think it would matter.  Eddie and I aren’t—”

“Is that why you bailed me out of jail? Was it all part of your maniacal plan to get back at him or some shit?”

“Absolutely not. Steve, I really care about y—” she reached out to touch his face, but he moved away, stepping further back.  He looked hurt and confused and disgusted all at once.  

“Don’t act like you give a shit about me,” he warned. “I don’t think you’re even capable of caring about other people.”

At that, she bristled, and her cheeks burned red. She froze so still that, if not for her blinking, one might have thought she’d turned to stone.

“You know what? Forget the rest of the fucking money,” he walked to the nightstand and put his wallet in his back pocket. “It’s not worth it to me anymore. I’ll chalk it up to a couple orgasms and a free meal.”

Charlene did not respond, she only wet her lips as her eyes stayed fixed on one spot on the carpet.  

He went over and paused his hand on his jacket that was hanging over the back of the couch. “Actually, I could probably sell this suit and makeup the difference so yeah—we’re even.”

When Charlene finally spoke up, her voice was different; it had an edge to it.  “You’re awfully ungrateful for someone who should be on their knees thanking me.”

Steve chuckled a low laugh. “Listen, baby, the sex was great, I’ll give you that, but it wasn’t that great.”

“I’m not talking about the sex,” she turned and tilted her chin up at him. “I’m talking about how you still have custody of your son and he’s not several states away with Tina right now.”

Now, it was Steve’s time to turn to stone.

When he finally blinked, he made a face like he was staring into the sun. “What the fuck did you just say? How do you know about my son? About Tina?”

Charlene would’ve said anything to make him stay, and she was oddly pleased that this did the trick.

She shrugged. “I know that it didn’t take much money at all to get Tina to come here and cause some trouble.  Shame she signed her parental rights away, but there are always ways around that, considering how much blood you have on your hands.”

Steve reeled back, almost knocked off his feet at the weight of the confession. He had to grab onto the back of the chair at the writing desk to steady himself as his head swam. Bile rose in his throat as if we were about to puke.

“You’re the reason I almost lost my son?” He whispered it, overwhelmed with the realization that Charlene was to blame for all of it:  Every disaster that had befallen them since the day Eddie met you.  All of the pain, all of the worry, all of the sleepless nights.  

Charlene folded her arms over her chest.  “If you think I can’t prove you have blood on your hands, try me.” Her eyebrows darted up a few times. “Eddie too.  He left a bloody fingerprint at the crime scene when he killed a man in my driveway.  All I ever do is try to keep the two of you safe, and this is the thanks I get?”

Steve’s mind barely had time to register that his body was moving—-he knocked the chair to the ground and lunged after Charlene.

His hands were around her throat so fast she could barely take a gasp of air at the end of her sentence.  He took her to the ground, slamming her into the floor.  She coughed and her eyes bulged.

“You tried to take my son away from me?” He was shaking; his eyes bloodshot with rage, but also wet with emotions. His lower lip trembled, and his face was beet red.  

She held onto his wrists where he was choking her, sputtering, trying to catch air.  She squirmed underneath him, but if her knees made contact with his stomach or groin, he couldn’t feel it.  

"Kill me," she gasped, and Steve released his grip a little but did not relent.

“I should kill you,” He hissed, searching her face.  He realized then that she had her hands locked on his wrists to keep him there, not to push him away.

“Please,” she wheezed.  “Please…kill me.”

With a string of curses, Steve pushed off of her and jumped back, planting his arm on the edge of the coffee table to steady himself as he tried to collect himself.

Charlene sucked in a few gulps of air and stayed on the floor where she was.  

Steve wobbled and stumbled a bit as he stood, trying to catch his footing. He looked down at his trembling hands, and then over at Charlene.  

“I'm sorry,” he breathed.  It took a few sold moment to find his composure. “Listen, stay away from me, stay away from my family. Stay away from my friends.  I won't tell you again.”

It had taken all of his strength to not crush her windpipe just then, and he hated that about himself.  He hated that, on top of everything else, Charlene was the reason he’d laid hands on a woman in anger for the first time in his life.  Wayne and Robin would be very disappointed in him, no matter the circumstances.

His son would be disappointed in him.

“Steve,” Charlene rolled over onto her side. “Please don't go."

He fixed his collar again and left the jacket.  He grabbed his smokes, and fumbled the lighter, trying to compose himself.  The thought occurred to him that he should go over and help her up and make sure she was okay, but then he remembered…then he remembered all of it.  

Without another word, he left.  Once he was out, and the door clicked shut behind him, she continued to shout his name and tell him she was sorry.  He could hear things being thrown around the room; the sound of glass breaking as it hit the wall.  Steve kept a quick pace, only faltering once to shoulder check his balance against the wall, dizzy, but was already in the stairwell as her declarations of remorse echoed down the hall.

—----

Craig ordered Chinese food from the restaurant up the street and had it delivered.  For a second you thought you might be able to get word to the delivery driver that you were being kept there against your will, but what would the delivery driver do? Get himself killed, probably, or pretend like he never saw you because who in their right mind would want to get mixed up in that?

It may have taken 20 minutes to eat your meal, but for you it might as well have been hours.  He liked to coach you on how big your bites should be and how long you should chew your food.  If you chewed too loudly or too fast, it would agitate him, and he’d stop you to make you start over.  

It was all you could do to muscle down each bite when you weren’t even hungry, and it took every ounce of your willpower not to scream.

The fortune cookies were interesting because the paper inside yours said “this too shall pass”, while Craig’s was blank.

“I’ve never seen a blank one before,” you said nonchalantly, closing the lid on your take-out container.  You could see the inconsistency was bothering him; he kept turning the paper over as if he’d missed it somehow.  With his obsessive personality, you expected him to call up the restaurant and ask for another cookie.  

But, he decided to let that one go and tossed the blank fortune into the pastick sack that the food came in.  

You knew he’d want to clean up the area right away and sanitize the table again, so you took your opportunity.

“Can I use the bathroom?” You stood up, picking a piece of sticky rice off of your dress.  

“May I,” he corrected, pushing his chair back exactly where it had been before he sat down. He lifted his eyebrow at you.  “May I use the bathroom is the proper way to ask that.”

Your throat was tight as you swallowed, biting back a rage that was surely bubbling in your eyes.  You forced a smile that cracked your cheeks.  “May I?” 

“Of course you may, silly goose,” he walked over to brush his finger along your cheek just before he leaned in, and your nostrils flared at the unwanted touch. “Don’t take too long.  I’ll miss you,” he cooed after he pecked you on the lips.  

Safely in the privacy of the bathroom, you locked the door quietly and gave a long, silent scream into your palms. Tears jerked at your eyes and mouth, but you sucked them back, squaring your shoulders. 

You stared at your reflection in the mirror, wondering if you had the guts to do what needed to be done.

If you didn’t already have the guts, you needed to find them—fast.  

You’d asked Craig earlier what the plan was, and he’d made it very clear that he was taking you back to your place the next day so that you could pack your things and then return with him to Michigan.  He casually mentioned that he knew where Oliver was spending the night—-just throwing out small details he thought you should know.  In case you fought or refused to leave with him.  

You realized now that he would never stop coming for you, not while he was alive.  

You turned the faucet on so that the noises you were making wouldn’t be so obvious as you went to work unwrapping the soaps and scattering things around the countertop.  You flipped all of the towels on the wrack around and unfolded them, making them as messy as possible.  You got the bottoms of your shoes wet and made a bunch of dirty footprints around the floor tile.  You relieved yourself quickly on the toilet, but then yanked some off the toilet paper down so that it pooled on the floor.

“Hey, pumpkin?” You called out to him over the sound of the toilet flushing.  “Do you have some toothpaste I can borrow?”

He came over to the door and tried the handle.  “There’s some in that black bag by the sink.  Why is this door locked? Please put the cap back on properly when you are finished.”

You waited a few beats before unzipping the small, black bag, quickly eyeing for anything else you could use but, toenails clippers and a toothbrush weren’t great weapons.  Unless you had time to widdle the end of the toothbrush into a shank like they do in prison.  You put the cap of the toothpaste back on, but you left everything on the counter.  

Before you opened the door, you moved the bathmat so it was crooked as it hung over the side of the tub, and you unhooked the shower curtain from two of the rings.

“Ahh,” you said as you exited, looking refreshed.  “Much better.”

He was just walking to put the trash outside in the hall when you took the initiative to hug him.  “I think I made a bit of a mess in there, baby.  Sorry about that.”

When he shut the hallway door again, he came to flick the light on in the bathroom and his shoulders fell, his face pinching tight.  “This is unexceptable,” he mumbled. 

You took note that he forgot to dead bolt the front door in his haste.

You could hear him cursing you under his breath, but also knew that he wouldn’t be unable to function until he tidied up that room and put everything back exactly the way it was.

“Sorry lover,” you yelled, sweetly, turning the sound on the tv up.  It was an episode of Golden Girls this time. “I was going to take a shower but decided not to.”

He had to shut the bathroom door in order to fix the shower curtain, and that was when you hurried to grab the red lipstick out of your purse.  With your heart racing so fast you thought it might explode, you eased back the curtain to the window over the parking lot and wrote on the glass with the lipstick, and then you gently pulled the cream colored curtain back in place so that it didn’t make any sound as it skidded along the rod.  

Craig opened the bathroom door again, but he would be cleaning and organizing for a while—so you forced a fake laugh over something that happened in the show, to make him believe you were just chilling, and then you grabbed the ball point pen you’d noticed earlier and put it in your back pocket.  It wasn’t much, but it would have to do.  You made a mental note to always carry at least a pocket knife or pepper spray with you at all times.  

Wait….

You suddenly remembered the travel-size can of aerosol deodorant you’d put in your clutch for Robin because it wouldn’t fit in hers.  

You took that out, and tucked it under the covers.  

At the last second, Craig stuck his head out to see where you were, and you just happened to be relaxing on the bed with your head cradled in your hand, face lit up with amusement at the screen.

—------

Alone at her place, on the way from the kitchen to the living room with a mug of tea in her hand, Astrid felt a pain shoot through her heart that was so sudden, she dropped the mug and it shattered to pieces on the laminate floor.  She clutched her chest and swallowed back the taste of bile, trying to steady herself, bracing her hand on the stove. 

After a few deep breaths, the flash of agony subsided, and a glance up at the clock told her that Steve was probably still at the wedding.  

Her head swam, and her ears went blind as if her head was submerged in water.  

A gun shot? 

The thought occurred to her, but then it passed. 

Was she experiencing another one of the symptoms of the strange connection she had with Steve ever since they were kids? Or was she having a panic attack of her own? She’d been thinking about the tarot reading she’d done for him; the warnings she’d been moved to share with him.

And then that charming, goofy grin he’d flashed her as he came in for a kiss, making light of her sudden and deep concern.

Driven by some type of inexplicable instinct, she stepped over the broken ceramic, toed into her shoes, and grabbed the keys to her old truck, hoping the engine didn’t fail her this time. 

She also hoped, for some unspecified reason, that she wasn’t too late.  

Too late for what, she wasn’t sure.  

—-------

“First things first,” Robin paced in the stairwell between the 3 and 4th floors while Eddie gnawed at his lip, his arms crossed stiffly over his chest.  “I’ll go down and see if I can find out from the front desk which room Craig is staying in.”

“They’re not just gonna hand that information over to you, Rob,” Eddie bit, trying not to take his frustration out on her.  His own mind was racing, not only because of you, but also at the thought that Charlene had crossed yet another line and was trying to fuck with his friend.  He couldn’t worry about Steve though—he had to trust that he would take the information he’d given him and do what needed to be done for that situation. 

It was then that Eddie’s beeper went off, echoing off the walls.  

He unclipped it from his belt to check it and found that it was from Wayne.

Alerts on his beeper from Wayne that were not during business hours always made his heart stop for a second.  

“Shit, I gotta find a phone,” he mumbled.

Robin started taking the stairs down, motioning for him to follow. “We can sneak around to the payphones in the lobby. This way.”

Turns out, the cops weren’t there for Eddie, they had just been strolling by to check on the event. Robin batted her eyes at the guy at the front desk and asked for a peppermint while Eddie checked out the scene.

Wayne wanted to let him know that Bones and the rest of the Coffin Kings were on their way.  

Eddie leaned against the payphone as Wayne advised him to wait for the rest of the MC before he made a move; it wasn’t safe to go up against a guy like Craig alone.

“Be careful, son,” Wayne told him.

“Take your meds and get some rest,” Eddie returned, which was just another way to say ‘I love you’.  

“You need me there?” Wayne asked.  “You need me to go and check on the boy?”

Eddie looked across the lobby at Robin who was on her way back with a handful of red and white peppermints wrapped in plastic and her tongue out in a goofy expression.

“That’s not a bad idea,” Eddie murmured.  “Check on Oliver just in case. He’s with his friend Paul at Raina’s.”

He also knew that Wayne was much like him, and in a situation like this—he needed something to occupy himself so that he didn’t go mad.

He hung the black phone back onto the receiver and let Robin feed a round candy into his mouth; he started chewing right away instead of sucking on it, crunching down so hard his jaw clicked.  He didn’t want to think what Craig was capable of now that he had you all alone, all to himself.

What if he put his hands on you? What if he….what if….

Eddie growled in frustration and punched the cement wall.  

He hissed in pain, knuckles zinging, and then flapped his hand in the air.  

“I need to go slash that fuckers tires so he can’t go anywhere,” Eddie told Robin, and she nodded; agreeing.

They told Steve to meet them down in the parking lot, and now they’d have more muscle as the rest of the kings rolled in.

But Eddie was losing patience, and—even worse—he worried he was losing you.

—------

Craig was in a bad mood when he was done cleaning the bathroom, and you knew he would be—but it was a price you were willing to pay. 

He turned the TV off and stood in front of him, glaring down his nose at you.

“What have you been up to while I’ve been busy cleaning up your mess?”

You sat up and batted your eyelashes a few times.  “I’ve just been missing you, that’s all.”

His open hand slap came hard and fast across your face and it stung like hell. 

Your eyes were watering as you slowly brought your head back to face him again. 

“Are you done being a little pig?”

You sucked in your bottom lip, nodding. “Yes.”

You winced, because you thought he was going to slap you again, but he grabbed your chin like he’d done before and squeezed, making your mouth pucker. “Say you promise.”

“I promise, baby.  I promise.”

“Good,” he released you.  “Now we can finally enjoy our evening.”

You sank from the bed and got to your knees in front of him, and his hooded eyes followed your every move.

“If I can’t be a pig, can I be a whore?” You purred, moving to unfasten his belt buckle.

“You are such a fucking whore,” he hissed. “And you know how much I hate whores.”

You undid the button and pulled down the zipper. He groaned a little as he watched you reach inside his boxers to pull his cock out. He tilted his head back, feeling your warm breath on the tip as you stroked him and he pushed his pants further.

“Fuck yeah,” he said to the ceiling. “Suck me dry like the whore that you are.”

You spit on the tip and jerked him a few more times, unwilling to touch him with your mouth, as you reached around for the pen in your back pocket and clicked the point out.

“Yes, baby,” you whispered.  “Let me take care of you.”

On the next breath, you jabbed the pen up into his balls as fast and as hard as you could.  

In that first second or two, while he was still in shock, wailing, you stabbed him with it a few more times. 

Jab jab jab

Blood gushed out and he fell to the ground whimpering screams that could not be fully formed inside the crushing pain.

He clutched his wound and rolled over, giving you enough time to scamper away.  He lurched for you as you darted across the bed, thinking you wanted to grab for the deodorant spray, but then you just said fuck it and let out a feral yell as you dropped down with your knee in his face, and then you brought the pen down again....

You were aiming for his eyeball--hopefully his brain---but it stabbed into his cheek instead.

His scream was so piercing, you thought it might break the window

Was he dead or going to die? Probably not, but this was your only chance to get away and you had to take it. You ran as fast as you could, fumbling at the handle of the door as you heard his shrill, gurgled moans behind you.

—------

Steve found his way down the stairwell and stopped to take a breather.  He’d been walking awhile, and his adrenaline was through the roof, so he paused to lean against the railing and light a cigarette.

“Son of a bitch,” he said on the exhale as smoke billowed out, and then he wet his lips. The worst part about finding out what Charlene did, was that Steve had honestly started to like her. He felt like he’d been tricked into dubious consent because he never would’ve let himself have any feelings if he’d known even half of the truth.  He put two fingers to his throat to check his pulse, certain that he was in the middle of a panic attack.  The nicotine did its job to calm him down, it also got him to slow down and breathe, if only to support his habit.

His attention perked up again when he heard a scream and a thump coming from the floor above, and then more screaming, as if some dude was being murdered.

—-----

On the highway, Astrid struggled to catch her breath, and the constriction in her chest made her swerve into the gravel and fishtail before she righted the truck again while the duet Jackson by Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash played through static on the radio.  

She could see the lights of the hotel up ahead through the trees.

—-----

Eddie found Craig’s SUV in the parking lot and stabbed its tires with his utility knife, thinking he should have one of the guys bring the tow truck around and impound the fucker. Robin tried to open the doors and cupped her hands around her eyes to see what was inside.

Behind them, a car was pulling in off the highway; the headlights behind them cast their shadows over the pavement.

they heard the brakes squeal to a halt and a woman yelped.

Eddie’s attention went to the side of the building and he caught sight of something scrawled in red on one of the windows.  

—-----

You turned a corner at the end of the hall and ran like the devil was on your heels, passed several vending machines and a pool, until you broke through into a dark stairwell and made your way down on foot.  

You were afraid to look back.

The fear of hearing him enter the stairwell behind you had you in such a hurry that you tripped twice and caught yourself.  You were barefoot, and you were pretty sure you’d stepped on a thumbtack or some glass because the pad of your left foot stung like hell, but it did not slow you down.  

You wiped something wet out of your eye with your arm, assuming it was blood, and regretted that you didn't stay to make sure you killed him like you knew you should have.

In that moment, as you stumbled down the stairs afraid for your life, you felt like going to prison for such a thing would've been worth it.

You finally shot out into the night air and took a deep breath.

You came out around the backside of the hotel, where there wasn’t much illumination but for three lights up high on a ledge.  You only paused for a second, but kept going, passing dumpsters and an employee entrance before you caught sight of the highway and headlights making their way onto the property.  

—-------

Charlene darted from the hotel and out into the street, desperate to find Steve to explain, to let him know she regretted all of it, without looking where she was going. Before one of the valets could stop her, she almost got hit by an old truck cruising in at twice the speed it should have.

Only a hair away from the grille, she turned to throw the driver a dirty look.

Astrid was startled as well, but with her foot on the brake, and her eyes locked on Charene, she revved the engine.

—-------

When Craig stumbled into the elevator with a dark stain seeping through the crotch of his denim and a punctured face oozing blood, everyone in the compartment cleared out, muffling their screams as they went.

He heaved and grunted and thumbed the button for the lobby as he scowled down the hall at nothing while the doors slid shut.  

He had two loaded guns shoved in the waistband of his jeans and he intended to use them.  

—-----

Eddie stepped closer to read what it said on the window with a tilt of his head. It read: “Eddie I love u” and it was written backwards so that it could be legible from out where he was, not inside the room.

“Baby,” he whispered with a catch in his throat.

Forgetting about everything else he was doing, and the chaos that was going on, he took note of which floor that was and started to book it back inside, but then that was when you came into sight, limping around the shadowy corner.

You had blood spatter on your face, and your dress was ripped.  It also looked like you hurt your foot somehow and your face broke into a sob the moment you saw him.

—------

Astrid parked her truck right where it was, with the headlights still on as she got out to find out where the boys were. She grabbed a shovel out of the bed in case she needed to use it as a weapon.

She was about to say something to Charlene when they heard the gunshot and both women ducked down, shoulders pressed together behind the side of the truck.

—-----

Craig exited the building on a rampage—not caring who saw him or what it looked like as he shot a bullet into the air.

He stepped out between you and Eddie, and you called out to him.

“I’m right here, Craig,” you said, stepping further into the light from the shadows.  “Please just, leave them be.  I’ll go with you wherever.”

Craig turned to give you a sneer of a grin, his white teeth now pink from all of the blood in his mouth.

“Oh, honey, it’s too late for that.”

You locked eyes with Eddie across the way and he started towards you, ready to breech the gap, regardless of the consequences as Craig turned the gun on him.

Eddie kept his pace, getting closer.  “You better be ready to use that, man, before I get my hands on you.”

With Craigs finger hot on the trigger, there was a sudden yell from somewhere in the bushes as Steve flew out of nowhere and tackled Craig to the ground. Eddie took that split second to get over to you, to hold your face and make sure you were okay.

The gun went off again, but the two were a tangled mess on the ground.  Steve beat Craig’s skull into the pavement a few times, and jammed his thumb into the once good eye, but Craig clocked him with the butt of the gun and it stunned him for a second.

It all happened so fast.

Steve was able to crack Craig’s hand against the ground and he lost his grip on the gun, and it skidded away, out of reach.

There were motorcycles thundering near in the distance as Craig yanked the other gun from his waistband and shuffled back to take aim.

Eddie spread his arms out and moved in front of you to act as a shield..

And then there was a gunshot from somewhere else, but the bullet only skimmed Craig’s shoulder. He yowled, but he did not faulter.

Charlene tried to aim at his skull for a second one with trembling hands, but Craig turned the gun on her and Astrid before she could, and he got a shot it, just before Steve reared up to take him to the ground again. The struggle turned them over several times, but then in a blink, Steve was on his back again, but he was able to wrestle the other weapon from Craig.

Craig reared up to bring his fist down into Steve’s face just as Astrid was about to bring the business end of the shovel down on his head---

but then there was a shotgun blast from out of the dark.

Blast…click…Blast…click…Blast

You ran up behind Eddie and put your arms around him.

Craig’s body spasmed in the air where he knelt above Steve as the power of the shots knocked him back.

There were smoking holes blown through his head and his chest.

With one final, open-mouthed pause against the beam of the headlights, and a choked gurgle, Craig’s dead body slumped to the ground.  

Panting, Steve unsheathed his knife and got to his knees; ready for more just in case.

Everyone’s eyes followed the line of fire to the source.

And there was Wayne.

He stepped out of the shadows in his Coffin King's denim kutte with “Uncle” on the front pocket, lowering the double barrel.  He tipped his chin to both of the boys and squared his shoulders.   

A crowd had gathered from inside, including the bride, and the woman who had just caught the bouquet, and Melanie. Even Erika was there as someone’s date. They whispered to each other as Craig’s blood pooled into a little river on the uneven pavement and made its way to the gutter.  

From inside Astrid’s truck, the chorus to the song I’m on Fire by Bruce Springsteen was eventually drowned out by the fierce rumble of motorcycles as the entire MC entered the parking lot and flanked the scene.  

Part 16

----

whoa, who knew this would be such a family affair when this fic first started? This world has come to mean so much to me, and I'm so grateful to those of you still riding along.

As always, your comments mean the world, and, if you enjoyed it---reblog it---because it's the only way this fic will ever be seen by anyone but us 🧡

----

Taglist: @notsobubblybaby @eighty6babyyy @unfocused81 @aysheashea @etherealglimmer@manicmagicmayhem @dream-a-little-nightmare@chaoticgood-munson @ms1oftheboys @emxcast @rhirojo@bexreadstoomuch @micheledawn1975@falling-solar-system @secretdryrose@kurdtbean @whatwedontdointheshadows @miarosso @seventhlevelofhell @corrodedcoffincumslut @lofaewrites @goldyghoul @chloe-6123 @kelsiegrin @chelebelletx @stylesxmunson @dandelionnfluff @lilpotatobean2-deactivated20230 @clincallyonline17 @tlclick73 @eddiemunson95 @sidthedollface2 @hideoutside @truffleshuffle12 @tenthmoon @texasblues@emilyslutface@mmunson86@onegirlmanytales@layla-loves-ed @dashingdeb16 @eddiiiieeee @michellecrusher

[darlingmisa]

hi! I had this nasty dirty thought about abby for a long time and I-I think.. you would write it perfectly [feel free to ignore me please, don't write it if it's not something you would like to explore, really 💌 and thank you for all the abby works they make me so happy 💌 she's my comfort person and you're such a good writer, it's so beautiful to read about her from you 🫂 but let's go back to the my dirty thoughts

public!sex with abby

like, reader and abby in public and in front of them this homophobic woman who notices their small interaction so she knows they're together ; reader is the only one who noticed the disgusted look on the woman's face so she brings abby's hand near her private parts (abby doesn't know she's doing it to have some nasty session with her and to give that person a full good dirty show)

ending up with them going back to abby's apartment and reader finally telling her what just happened = abby laughing and saying she would've done the same

okay this is too detailed maybe you don't like it but as I said, don't mind me if you don't feel like writing something about this 💌 have a good day/night 🫂 and sorry for bad eng!

Put on a Show...

cw... nsfw, female reader, public sex, a bit of aftercare, homophobia, reader being bold as hell

wc... 854

a/n... It makes me so happy to hear how much you love my writing! I've been trying to figure out how to write this for a while bc I was just so nervous but it was strangely easy and I reallyyy enjoyed writing this one!!

You and Abby were nestled in the corner of the small local coffee shop only a few minutes from your shared apartment. It was a weekly thing, a little evening date where the two of you could just relax and talk, a break between your busy schedules.

Abby had been holding your hand from across the table, gently running her thumb along your smooth skin as you talked. She was too caught up in the way your eyes sparkled and how your silky voice traveled through her ears to notice what had grabbed your attention a few minutes beforehand. The strange woman who had sat perfectly across the cafe, and the way she'd been eyeing you and your girlfriend the moment the two of you entered hand in hand. Sending you dirty looks, knowing you were looking right back.

Usually, you'd ignore the homophobic looks or even comments you'd get towards your relationship, but today felt different, something snapped, and you quickly moved to Abby's side of the booth, barely breaking eye contact with the lady.

Abby seemed a little confused, letting out a small "You okay?" as you pushed yourself against her side, and her confusion only grew when you quickly grabbed her hand and brought it to your thigh. This wasn't abnormal, but it also wasn't something you usually initiated, let alone in a public space. She wasn't one to complain though, as continued drawing small circles with her thumb into the plush of your thigh.

That worked for a bit. The lady seemed to go back to her work, ignoring the slight pda you had started just to piss her off a little. Everything went back to normal until you looked back up a few minutes later to see her staring once again. This time though, her stare held pure hatred, one so strong that made you shiver a little bit under her gaze.

Something in you told you to keep going, to go further with your actions. And so you did, you hushed Abby before she could even say anything as you inched her hand up to gently cup your mound. "What's all this sweetheart?" She mumbled in your ear, sending more heat down to your core. The way her warm breath hit your ear, combined with the risky feeling of doing something so raunchy in public made you wetter than ever.

Whining out a small, "Don't worry about it, Abs. Just touch me," You kept your hand on top of hers, making sure she wouldn't take away that delicious pressure as you slowly ground your hips into her hand. The friction caused you to let out a small moan, that was more of a huff of breath than anything.

"Quiet baby, if we're doing this you can't get us caught." Abby's voice seemed to be lower than before, and it shocked you to see how… into this, she was. Not once did she complain, letting you grind in her hand and get off in the little booth of the coffee shop, all while you continued eye contact with the lady who now looked extremely flustered.

Eventually, the woman had enough of watching you stifle your moans and roll your eyes to the back of your head when Abby rubbed that one spot just right. You watched her pack her things and leave with an aggravated sigh just as the tight coil in your stomach snapped. At this point, she was far forgotten, the only thing on your mind being Abby, Abby, Abby as you felt yourself soak through your jeans and right into the palm of her hand.

You laid your head against her broad shoulder, looking up into her eyes for the first time since you started this whole thing. "Home, please." was all you could get out, still working on catching your breath.

"Of course, princess" Was her only response, as she helped you stand on your, now weak and slightly wobbly, legs and walked you to the car. Abby quickly buckled you in before speeding home to get you cleaned up. and an explanation.

By the time you were back home, sitting on the bathroom counter with Abby gently cleaning between your legs like she always insisted, you were exhausted. Something about it being so public took a lot out of you, and you were fighting sleep at your girlfriend's soft and gentle touches.

"So," Abby began, "wanna tell me what that was about?" She had finished cleaning you up, now just holding your face up to keep your eyes on her. "That wasn't like you at all."

Your words came out in the form of a whine, sleep laced in each breath you took. "She kept staring… Looking so mean because we were together…" You averted your eyes, the ground below you becoming much more interesting. "It was like we were disgusting to her or something… so I showed her." Abby let out a small giggle, exhaustion taking over her features as well.

"So that's what it was about? If I had known I would've put on a little more of a show."

[zylophie]

Furina meeting someone in fontaine who somehow doesn't know them... Sounds refreshing and fluffy!

꒰⌗´͈ ᵕ ॣ`͈⌗꒱৩ — furina

✿ — ♬ ⌨️ᶻᶻᶻ : x/modmafuyu is typing... ✉!

✿ — ↻ SYNOPSIS : Furina meeting a fontainian(reader) who doesn't know her.

✿ — ♯ GENRE : Fluff(mostly), bittersweet

✿ — ⊜ CW : Nil

✿ — ↠ NOTE : Hi hi Anon~ Thank you for requesting~ I had a lot of fun making this fic and I hope you'll enjoy reading it ! I know you wanted fluff but I accidentally made a bittersweet ending. Hope that's alright!<3

Timeline would be Furina still acting out her role. So that this fic would not go too far out of character.

Just a warning, 4.2 spoilers.

[h/c] - hair color

[e/c] - eye color

✿ — ♪ REMINDER : reblogs & likes are appreciated, in doing so will motivate us to continue delivering stories to you, thank you for all of your supports ~ !

Extra: if you would like to request, click here and read the writing rules for each writer !

✿ — ♭ ⁿᵒʷ ᶜᵃˡˡⁱⁿᵍ... : ...No one

✿ — ► ᴺᴼᵂ ᴾᴸᴬᵞᴵᴺᴳ : Furina

CLICK CLACK CLICK!

A petite girl was seen running out of the Palais Mermonia in the Court of Fontaine. As she took off running as far as her legs could take her.

-----------------FLASHBACK-----------------

"...Miss Furina, I do hope you know the prophecy will come sooner or later. Even if Fontaine hasn't experience any deleterious flooding.. yet.. We must act fast to ensure all our citizen are safe and won't live in fear. Who knows how long till they believe in those 'rumors'"

"I do know that! ...I promise I'm doing something useful to help everyone."

"I can clearly sense that you are hiding something from me. Please, just tell me what is it that you are covering up."

"I-I'm telling you! I'm not hiding anything. I am your archon, could you PLEASE stop doubting me?!"

...

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

'How much longer..'

pant pant pant

'So lonely..'

pant pant pant

'Please let this show end..'

THUD

The petite girl collided with the ground due to exhaustion. She began looking around, upon seeing no one, she felt a little relieved to see that no one had spotted her being in a mess from earlier.

..Well probably except for the Chief of Justice.

'..Way to go Furina, if he wasn't already suspicious of me, he definitely is now..'

As the girl slowly picked herself up from the ground and continued to wandered mindlessly, wanting to get her mind off things for a bit.

Furina strolled leisurely while admiring the scenery upon her. She usually doesn't have time to be curious and as carefree while playing the role of the archon.

'Where am I anyways? I've.. Never been out of the city before'

As Furina came across a sunny and bright view. Where the sun is beaming while waves crash into one another, accompanied by golden rocks.

Although it is an unfamiliar surrounding, Furina only felt comfort feeling the breeze of the atmosphere as she slowly trotted over to the sea.

'What is this place? I've never been here but it feels really easy to relax..'

As Furina slowly took in the sunlight and windy zephyr and sighed. If only she could adventure and explore the world even more..

Being lost in thought, the petite girl did not notice someone in the distance sneaking up behind her.

'..It's really hard being an ar-'

"BOO!"

"AHHH?!"

Furina out of instinct, quickly lifted her arms into a defensive pose to shield her from whatever is coming after her.

"Ahaha! You should've seen the look on your face."

As Furina slowly opened her eyes, she saw a unfamiliar [h/c] person with [e/c] eyes. Realising they were a fontainian, she immediately cleared her throat.

"What look? I was preparing to attack you, you're lucky I took the flight response or else I would've seriously injured you!"

Furina folded her arms looking really displeased with whoever scared her.

"Ahaha.. Sorry, you just looked a little bit depressed. Anyways, I'm [name], nice to meet you. Now, may I ask why such a beautiful lady was looking quite down?"

"B-beautiful?!"

"Mhm! I've heard my friends say that the hydro archon was really pretty. At this rate I might mistake you as them!"

[Name] looking quite content with their response, giving a close-eyed smile.

"Ahem! A-Anyways, to answer your question. I was simply dreading about my workload. I'm fine, don't worry about it."

"Oh really? Guess it isn't a big issue. I'm glad."

'They're glad? I'm just some stranger though, I'm not sure why they're that relieved..'

"So, how's the beach? Pretty relaxing huh? I usually come here after I run my errands."

"Oh.. So this is called a beach, I've never seen one my whole life until today. It really isn't that bad at all to spend a day off here."

Furina then turned her view back to the waves, wanting to treasure this moment before returning to her dull stage.

Suddenly Furina felt something. Only to turn to see [name] placing a rainbow flower in her hair.

"Eh?! What's up with the sudden flowers?! Forget that, how did you even get them?!"

"I did mention I run errands, and that is when I go flower hunting to find beautiful flowers to add to my garden. I decided to give this rainbow flower to you as a gift. It's fitting for a beauty like you~!"

"W-wha-"

"Also, just want to ask, do you work for the hydro archon? You called me a mortal, surely the hydro archon must've have cute colleauges!"

"..."

[Even-More-Fluff Ending] - Optional to read

"Do you not know who the hydro archon is?"

"..Not really, I live on the country side, but I do hear adventurers say that she is dazzling and charismatic. Although it fits into your description.. Surely I'm not talking to the hydro archon."

"...Yeah you're right, I'm not the hydro archon ahahaha! I-I'm her coworker. Yep, pleasure serving under her!"

'God damnit Furina! What are you doing?!'

'...'

'Maybe they are the person I can confide in.. However I know that's impossible, but it does feel nice to not need to put my guard up as high..'

[Bittersweet Ending: continuation of Even-More-Fluff Ending] - Optional to read

When Furina returned to her office in Palais Mermonia. She sat in her chair recounting her recent encounter with [name]. Hoping to see her again.

So she began having meetups with [name] more frequently. Of course, this caught onto Neuvilette's attention since Furina never leaves the city much. So he decided to follow her on one eventful day.

Only to see the archon with a mortal. He didn't know much about this other person that was with Furina so he decided to interrupt their conversation.

"Miss Furina?"

"Huh?! Neuvilette?! W-What are you doing here?"

"Well the hydro archon has been frequently leaving the city for quite a while so I wanted to check it out. Whose this other person you're with?"

"W-wait.. Furina?! You're the hydro archon?!"

[Name] stared in disbelief, immediately apologising for their rude behaviour towards her.

'Well there goes my identity.. Oh well it was pretty fun while it lasted."

[soulnottainted]

How about :3c for whichever romantic f/o this fits best: “God. You look adorable/etc. (when you’re blushing).” | AND/OR | A smiles fondly when B starts to blush and draws them closer, allowing them to hide in their embrace. (-dragonsmooch)

@dragonsmooch @jocelynships @featherstiitch

FIRST DRABBLE WITH BORIS! It took me a couple hours to write this and I hope you'll like it! Some dialogue my friend Adam aka featherstiich threw at me last night and I needed to incorperate it somehow too!

tw: slight mentions of alcohol, smoking, death

A heavy sigh escaped the PI as he took a long drag of his cigarette, papers and notes scattered on his desk. If he wasn't an investigator, he would've looked like a maniac: the scattered papers plus the rings under his eyes from lack of sleep would suggest it so easily if he was spotted on the street. For the most part though, he was stuck inside his tiny office which he split for the other half being his living quarters. Five of the eight totems he had collected thus far. Who knows what hell would be unleashed if they were all put together. That wouldn't happen though, as Boris made the decision early on, that once all of them were found, they'd be hidden some place to not fall into the wrong hands.

In the meantime, it was a doozy of a time trying to locate totem number six. A guy name Sly Tony mentioned that he captured something in his basement. Boris though he was off his rocker, but come tomorrow night he would see what was going on over there. If Sly was truly telling the truth, the creature could lead Boris to the next totem perhaps. But tonight however...

A few soft knocks came from the door, which made Shuster almost jump out of his chair.

Damn, take it easy, will ya, you ol' geezer? It's just the door, just loud enough that a baby could've knocked! God, I need sleep.

His lanky form begged him not to get up, but his brain insisted otherwise. It was either a client who was at the door, or one of the employees from Louie's down the street, who liked their regular so much that they offered to deliver his pizza pies to his door whenever he called for one. Not many had that luxury, and Boris didn't have many of 'em, so he would take that luxury any day. Disheveled, he went to answer the door, not even bothering to grab his coat or hat for appearance's sake. That would've been a mistake because of who was on the other end of the wall. Before he could turn the knob, he heard.

"Boris?"

When Boris heard who it was, it snapped him out of his zombie-like state like he had been hit by lightning. He scrambled to grab his trench coat, almost knocking the coat hanger down in the process and threw his hat on. He tried not to turn to cause suspicion by his guest, but Boris hurried over to a small mirror on top of his sink to adjust his tie, to not look like a man who had been up for almost 48 hours trying to get close to a lead, thriving off of coffee alone.

"Just a minute, doll!" he called, "Almost ready!"

"No rush," he heard her insist back through the door.

Dammit, he forgot. Out of all things to forget...

What day of the week even was it? She said it was for Fri...Oh. It was Friday already. Shuster you sonnofa, she's a one-in-a-million gal and you forgot you had a date with 'er! Don't make her wait any longer!

With one last look and pulling down his fedora a tad, he turned and made his way to the door for a second time, this time opening it to reveal her. And oh...she was a beauty!

"Hello Boris," the soft, quiet, but light voice swirled the PI's mind before warming his heart. Kelsey bashfully clasped her gloved hands across her stomach. She wore a dark green coat with brass buttons overtop a hint of a mint dress underneath. Matching earrings adorned her, silver cat eye glasses framing her rounded face.

Being exhausted didn't let a grin differ a centimeter from Boris' lips at the sight of her, "You're prettier than Miss Monroe." A slightly calloused hand made its way to gently cup her cheek, the detective stepping closer to have Kelsey hid in his much taller shadow.

A soft laugh made both her dimples show, as well as a slight blush washing over them as she brushed the compliment off, "I'll never beat the likes of Miss Marylin." Ever since he met her and before that, she had insecurities of her bigger body. Unfortunately, sometimes, it gnawed and ate at her, any compliments passing her by like a taxi ignoring a patron who desperately needed a ride home.

"No?" Boris asked surprisingly taken aback, before the hand that held her cheek went to lift up her small chin to look into his eyes, "You look adorable, stunning, when you blush. You give her a run for her money, Angelcake. Plus, your beautiful figure in front of me? I don't know how you haven't been kissed to death yet, doll. It surprises the hell out of me, that's for damn sure."

There we go. That made her cheeks bright pink!

Shuster chuckled softly. He found out it didn't take much to make her this way, but it was endearing to him. Many women wanted Boris over the years, making themselves known to him so quickly and longingly, but he was never interested. Temptation was something that he didn't mess around with. Sure temptation could overthrow him when it came with a slug of whisky and another cigarette, but when it came to dames, he never bit the bullet.

It was ironic however that Kelsey and Boris had met at the hell hole of temptation, the Kitty Kat Club. A seductive voice insisted from inside the club to Boris who was smoking against the brick wall outside, to come on inside and dance with her. People had been disappearing from the club for awhile at that point, and Boris knew for certain that the lure the woman gave him was one step in the process for never being seen again.

And then Kelsey with a few of her friends could be heard, about to go into the club. Clearly Kelsey didn't want to be there, but she wanted to appease her friends who wanted her to have fun, let loose, and drink. Once the group went inside, the detective watched from afar, sneaking into the club to see what would happen. One of the seductive women who ran the club handed her a drink and Kelsey took the slightest sip.

Then things took a turn, as Kelsey screamed for help before passing out. The drink had been laced with a sleeping agent and the beautiful women around her, including her friends, transformed into she-devils, ready to pounce and devour their newest victim. Luckily Boris took care of the she-devils one by one, also spotting the fifth totem, a vase, on the liquor shelf behind the bar. When it was dead silent, surrounded by the bodies of the supernatural women and also the dead victims that had been the audience for the singer Madame Murie, the detective ran over to the latest victim. He checked her pulse. She was alive. Scooping her up into his arms and then retrieving the totem that belonged to the Strengoit legion, he brought them back to his office. From there, Boris took care of Kelsey until the affects of the poison wore off.

The rest was history, as Kelsey befriended Boris, knowing now that supernatural evil existed. There wasn't any turning back now, and Boris led her into that understanding together. And then he fell for her...oh so quickly. He didn't think it would ever happen. Now the two were on their 6th official date, among the many times Kelsey would stop by his office on the way to the laundromat or the market every week.

"I'm surprised you didn't fall for one of the She-Devils that night," Kelsey said quietly, awkwardly smiling, the insecurity in her voice despite the PI's sickeningly sweet words making her cheeks go into a reddish tone.

"She-Devils?" he responded, putting a hand on his hip, the bottom of trench coat giving a slight sway as he did so, "Angelcake, at least try and say someone possible. They're the farthest thing from ya— "

Then he leaned closer to her face, just near the tip of her ear, hands holding her shoulders so she couldn't hide in his coat just yet, knowing she would try and do so. Shuster's voice became almost whisper in tone, "and that's why I love you so much. You've got a golden soul under that sunshine smile and body. They had nothing. "

He could hear Kelsey's breath hitch, which made him hum in amusement at her sweetness.

"Yeah," she responded, finally remembering to breathe, "Yeah you're right..."

As predicted, Kelsey tried to get closer and hide her face in the crook of Boris' coat, and at a moment's decision, he let her right on in.

"I mean...they tried to drug and kill me," Kelsey continued, murmuring into the fabric, "Those...Those bitches from below never stood a chance."

The sudden swear from her made the PI laugh out loud, making it reverberate and echo as Kelsey had her ear pressed to his chest. His arms wrapped strongly around her figure before he pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "See? That's the kinda self talk I wanna hear from now on, hon." Then he opened his coat so he could reach down and peck her cheek, which made her giggle slightly. "Now doll, you ready to take a walk on the town?"

"Mm. But Boris?"

"Yeah doll?"

"When we get back, you're gonna sleep. I can smell the amount of coffee under here. And I'm gonna stay just to make sure that you do."

"Is that a threat?"

"No, but if you don't get any sleep, I won't visit for two weeks."

"Well damn," the lanky detective patted her back as the two huddled together just outside his door, holding her close to him in his embrace, "That would be quite the let down, wouldn't it? Well...alright. I guess I fold my cards."

Not even a second later, his hand cradled the back of her head, lifting it to kiss Kelsey ever so softly.

"Thank you," the petite lady pulled back, smiling up at him, with all the care in the world, her blush in all that time now red as a tomato, "Now lead the way. You know the city better than I do."

Boris kept an arm wrapped both her shoulders as he led her down the stairs and out the front door, and then down the front steps outside. He gave her a wink and another kiss on the head, "You got it, Angelcake, you got it."

The two of them walked into the night, lit by the soft glow of the street lamps. Uncertainty flooded Boris' future, but he knew that if this lovely lady stayed in his life, things would look up. They already have. Whatever happened with the totems, Boris would make sure Kelsey stayed as far away from that whole situation as possible, when the time were to come. For now, his mind had been fully taken off the case for the first time in a long while. It would do him good to do so. He was a good man, but also a mad man for what he had gotten himself into with all the mess of the damn totems. Kelsey offered him sanity, just by her company being alongside him: that was a deal he could never refuse.

[monards]

i still think the way the general idea of symbiotic relationships as a can be applied to both of magnolia's most prevalent relationships in the game makes me sooo emotional.

Magnolias and Doves are entirely different organisms; so obviously they have no relationship in that regard, however they still benefit each other in a ton of different ways. Doves often nest on the branches of magnolia trees; and can help with things such as seed dispersal and tend to drive pests and other insects away from the tree; helping its growth-- but obviously, they can come and go as they please, and aren't really confined to one tree or place. And even more; Doves and many other birds don't have any real impact on Magnolia trees and other similar plants. And that relationship is SO well demonstrated between Magnolia and Dove!!!!!! Dove was never confined to Magnolia; we know she has interests and beliefs outside of her, and has in all insistences we've seen her explicitly established that she doesn't full heartedly agree with everything Magnolia does in one way or another, be it through her saying Magnolia had been too harsh with Orion, was being too secretive & suspicious, and attempting to finally have her arrested for her crimes; showing that she still very wells has a separate code of ethics, morals and beliefs in spite of whatever Magnolia herself may have believed or followed at any point. Plus, Dove never had any true and huge lasting impact on Magnolia. Dove, as long as she was married to Magnolia, did manage to help her. But that was purely situational. Since, even if Magnolia was likely far more composed and morally-there while with Dove; that definitely went STRAIGHT out the window the moment they got a divorce and she ended up leaving all her coworkers to die, while going along to become a mass murderer, too. Even though Dove did have some effect on Magnolia, most of those real changes were transient and for the most part only manifested in Magnolia's relationship with Mint.

Mint is an invasive species; meaning as a whole, they're hard to get rid of and more often than not leave lasting effects on the fauna and environment around them. And that's EXACTLY what happened between Mint and Magnolia!!!!! Mint, unlike Dove, dug his way into Magnolia's life. While Dove would always be on the surface and need to worm her way in herself; Mint would already have 'roots' in the ground and be able to far easily effect Magnolia as a whole. And he did!!!!!!! We know that having Mint obviously changed Magnolia,, a lot. She obviously mellowed out a lot; and Dove herself notes that Magnolia would've never taken this course of action if Mint hadn't been someone she explicitly loved and was in some way attached to; a DIRECT contrast to her generally easy abandonment of Dove in their divorce. Even more, in both endings, Magnolia WILLINGLY changes a great amount just for Mint-- with in Ending A, her sacrificing the chance she could very well be caught or worse by leaving to the city to give Mint a better life, and Ending B where she gives up Mint to live with Dove- despite how much she loved and was attached to him- because she knew she would never provide him the life he deserved; when we know that previously, Magnolia would've never sacrificed that much for someone. As seen through a certain ex-wife she has, (cough cough)

[ominous-feychild]

✦ Crow's Character Asks and Quotes ✦

commissioned art by Neige; here's her instagram!

Would you do something illegal if you were getting paid a large sum of money? (You can choose the illegal thing)

Crow: I mean, aren't I already being paid to do illegal things for lots of money? Breaking and entering, very consensual information-gathering, theft of evidence, falsification of identity, planting of evidence when and where necessary... wait, who's asking again? Change of answer: I would never. 😘

What is your favorite non-human creature in the world and why? (Gods count)

Crow: That's easy! My familiar, Aria! I don't care if she's connected to me, she's not human--and don't you dare make a joke about me not being human either! I am cursed, not something else! And why do I love her? I mean--is she my favorite non-human creature? Well... there's a lot of reasons. For one, she's my familiar. Like, she chose me. Even if she's a crow, too, because she's taken on a bit of my curse... I mean, that's my fault isn't it? Ha... no, I think she's fine. She's still able to sing, and that seems to be enough for her. I guess I like that about her, too. Eh, this is all too gushy. Next question!

If you were forced to kill one person you have met, who would it be? (Not yourself)

Crow: *looks at the people they've gotten thrown into prison* Yeeeeaaaaah, there's a lot of options there. You really want me to pick one? Look, I already only spared them because it was against the law and my father would've been upset about it. If I'm going to go against their wishes... I'm going to pick a lot more than just one. 😉

"What's your relationship with your family like?"

Crow: Oh, my father's great, yeah. ... What, you were expecting more of an answer?

"Do you have any hobbies? if so, what ones?"

Crow: Psh, nothing as boring as reading. (*Precariously leaning back against a bulging doorway. There's a creak and then--CRASH!!!*) SHIT--

(*Furiously opens the door. An endless pile of books comes falling out. Except... they're all related to their cases? Huh. Is their hobby... working?*) Yep. That's my hobby. Working. Tell my dad that, would ya? 😘 (Oh I think we see something deeper in the closet--) NO!!! DON'T YOU DARE-- (*we zoom in to see countless artistic collages made out of cut-outs from pictures in their books and magazines.*)

...

(*Crow, face burning, melts into the shadows and hides in shame.* But??? That's a cool hobby??? WAIT, COME BACK, AZA--)

"Do you dream often? what about?"

Crow: Ha, no. Do most people remember their dreams? (They're lying. They remember. Their dreams center around failure. Failure, and a desperation to prove themself.)

"What is the one thing you would not wish on your greatest adversary?"

Crow: A pointless end. If you have to die, you should die for something. Something meaningful. Something you care about.

"What's your relationship with your family like?"

Crow: Sike!!! Bet you thought I wasn't going to answer this question. 😘 How cruel of you to think so lowly of me!!! 😭

I wasn't kidding, my father's great, I love him. He taught me everything I know about--detective work and all, heh! We don't always see each other because he's usually working on cases, but he's given me everything I need to succeed in life and I'm thankful to him for that. So hopefully I'll make him proud on this case with Frey! 😉😊

✦ Quotes ✦

"Move over! I wanna watch too."

Crow: *teleported through shadows to get to a better vantage point* Crow: "Excusez-moi!" *at the same time as slapping them aside with their wing* (note: they are not French.)

"A little help, please?"

Crow: "Ey! Over here! HELP!"

"Unhand me!"

Crow: *combat mode: engaged. Duck into their own shadows and teleport to get a moment to process the scene before reacting further.* Crow: *calmly, making eye contact* "you have less than five seconds to let go of me. Five. Four--"

"Okay, someone has to come up with a plan!"

Crow: *deadpan* "Don't make me break out Plan B. Trust me, you do NOT want Plan B."

Original posts: Asks 1, Asks 2, Quotes ALL ABOUT CROW HERE! (note: will be uploaded soon!)

Divider from @cafekitsune

[unproduciblesmackdown]

billions sure seemed to settle on the people with Less Power who have in-universe supporting roles to the more powerful players ultimately doing better than the central men do (and not quoting hitler & raring to launch nuclear attacks as much, so nice job) & deserving to walk away, but where then it's like okay & so what about the people with less power than Them who had supporting roles to Them. so the pyramid scheme here crumbles as each more burdened tier may fall alway, is the extension. & billions is like oh no no it isn't. because the people in a lower tier than These [better than the central men] parties have less power b/c that's what they Deserve, of course. then you can turn to all the instances of billions, with the central men it knows are shit & refuse to change, having those central men express "other people have less power than me b/c that's what they Deserve, of course," and billions like "oh god. sickos. not true, & we're freeing those people these guys wrongly think are inferior" like okay and whoosh lightning fast swap that [central men / their support network] juxtaposition with [that support network / the Lower Ranking people who work with Them] and nope billions is just going "no yeah This power imbalance is objective & righteous. the Winners deserve to do whatever they want" like you do see how it falls apart (they do not, presumably)

and that as always the pyramid scheme is also a sierpiński triangle b/c you look at any point & zoom in & as always when [well a hierarchy is objective] is thee way, as soon as you have multiple people in a situation there must be an establishing of the hierarchy in that situation. and there we go in the finale where it's like the [s1 yay axe wags wendy sooo cool even if i guess don't let people die] continues and like taylor in s2 did get in in time with enough thought & with enough intention that the character be in Juxtaposition with everything s1ly, and they belong to the adequately deserving group of characters in the end and certainly with Any effort at giving them some focus, but they cannot disrupt their Deservingness by disrupting the Deserved Hierarchy and i.e. Not deferring to wags, wendy, axe. taylor & sacker (& philip) team would've had this wrapped up in two to four episodes; instead we have way too much focus on wags & wendy not doing anything except getting in the way, or being sooo cool, & at least taylor interacting w/axe was more characterful material for taylor, but they don't even really get to criticize anyone for getting in the way or being sooo cool terrible now or prior, like, okay look just ask axe why he's not being as totally epic as you know he truly is, and don't be helming this shit that's always Actually been most relevant to this once-newcomer character who was written to inherently contrast with all the s1 epicness, wonder why that relevance is. step aside and let our hero wendy through please while we all kneel & clap & think about our inferiority to her

then just bonus mentions like that i guess rian was supposed to also be contrasting but she just turns out yet another bog standard axe cap bully who happens to so totally be a woman, we remind you, yet different from bonnie in that she also is less overtly aggressive, despite this she's So deserving but not so much that they ever made room for something besides [if you removed her from the series it'd be so easy to make it so that pretty much nothing changes] despite that she was supposed to be like, relevant. even better we have our beloved ben kim who billions cared to have in every episode (if some eps cut post production?) and who was here in s1 but to first illustrate like where my 50something fellas at these damn young whippersnappers think they're sooo smart but NO only axe. which is why he deserves to be epic boss boy. and later on it's like well yes he's lower tier than these other characters but it's because he's Too nice. to truly become a winner you simply need to Believe you are one & act accordingly confident (i.e. it's still Deserved, his fault, he needs to step up & stop acting Like he belongs in loserdom) and we like get any material for him here & there & eventually tuk (zoom in on Multiple People, tuk is lower tier than ben, presumably billions considers that once again this is indeed Deserved) and in the end well he's still here, hooray, still so Unstrategic and An Pussy so we all see that, though we may pity him, his lower tier status is still brought upon himself, and hey also we need people to fill in the ranks for epic boss boy again so come stand over here okay thanks byeee

[synergysilhouette]

Choices Review: Queen B

Heads up, thoroughbreds! This should've been a GOC book for sure: female bullies are a thing for guys, too, and we can care about fashion, popularity, and seduction.

Book 1 follows your adventures as a transfer student to one of the most prestigious colleges in the country--so of course everyone has to be rich, stuck-up, and status-obsessed. Oh, and it comes with a popularity contest known as "The T" which you must climb in order to overthrow mean girl Poppy Sinclair (who looks like Regina George, but could never). You're joined by several allies (if you can afford them), your roommate Zoe, and your professor. Sounds easy enough, right? You can be flirty, be mean, be kind, and it'll show at certain points of the story. But while it is fun, it isn't without some drawbacks, in my opinion. I already ranted about how manipulative MC is to their professor, who doubles as their LI, but in case you missed it: she is the WORST. The professor flirted with her at a bar before knowing she was a student, and shuts it down when they find out. If you choose to romance them, MC essentially guilt-trips them into a relationship by saying "I'd never want to ruin your career," despite not really having done or said anything to show it. You desperately try to get them to open up, and when they finally do, you find out someone tries to implicate you being in a relationship with them (even if it's not true), and you cut them off without explanation in order to spare them--AKA doing exactly what you didn't want them doing and then getting mad when they want to see you. It's super unfair, and it kind of sucks if you only romance men, because they're the only male LI option (a rare situation in Choices for multi- LI books), and you're doing them SO wrong. As for Poppy, she's a Regina George clone, but a pale imitation. Based on this story, I think using Courtney Shayne would've been better, and it'd give her an edge. Is it too much to ask for a multi-faceted mean girl who could be into academics or athletics? Possibly being the product of an affair doesn't make you all that interesting, Poppy. Zoe and Carter are just fun times, though; no notes for them! I'm SUPER curious as to why MC would be hanging out with their professor at the end of the book during vacation if they're not romantically involved, ngl. I feel like that should've taken into account who we romanced.

Book 2 is more of book 1 redux: your professor is under investigation this time around, and there's a new queen on the horizon who wants to take us down along with Poppy, who occasionally sides with us to take her down. The new baddie on the scene keeps their identity a secret, hidden amongst your new friends, but it was pretty obvious to me who it was--she didn't try hard enough. Perhaps it's because "mean girl" stories are generally one-and-done rather than being a series, but this just felt like they were trying to recapture the same story as book 1: sex, drama, and popularity, with no real variant for it. I don't really have much to say about it, looking back on it. It was just kind of...eh. Pretty to look at, but lacking in interesting content. And don't think I forgot how they called Professor Kingsley thicc in book 1 and then said they "lacked volume" when they tried twerking (cringe to the MAX; idc if you're one of my favorite Chocies LIs).

Overall, it was a fun ride, but the sequel did more of the same thing. It didn't really do anything new or crazy. Call me when you've got something rave-worthy.

Kisses,

SS

[tuiyla]

speaking of Quinn and religion, one thing that's always baffled me is that I do think S1 wants to set up the black comedy of the "Queen of the Chastity Ball" getting knocked up, and it's supposed to be a whole commentary on celibacy, religious hypocrisy, etc. But I've never fully understood why they didn't truly lean into that? Because what the rest of Quinn's arc through S3 shows us is that honestly she's NOT a hypocrite about this. She believed in waiting. She was sincere in her faith. Her big slip-up was super dubious and a one time thing. For how much we've been told we were meant to hate Quinn in S1, I wonder why RIB didn't have her sleeping with the entire football team except Finn, having her play the nice girl around her parents then being knowingly cynical about using her religion as a disguise. It would still even work to contrast her with Santana, one being unapologetically sexual, the other hanging onto her pristine rep while doing the exact same things privately. It would've been such an easy way to make sure the audience sees her as the villain and tbh, might have better fit the dark humor of S1. That they didn't go that path is more proof to me that RM was ALWAYS writing Quinn as an empathetic character, even if he wasn't aware of it.

Alright alright, not gonna put off answering this because it's an amazing topic I wanna keep discussing or as long as y'all have thoughts.

Completely agree, they never lean into it. Not nearly as much as this ostensibly satire show should have. I often think about that, the deliberate irony of framing Quinn as ultra-religious and having her be the president of a damn Celibacy Club just to have her get knocked up. After having sex once, too. A better show would have a) leaned in and b) examined how society treats those who cross the madonna-whore threshold. Even in terms of the cheerleading stereotypes that the Unholy Trinity all check, it's ultimately Quinn who gets portrayed as a whore because she's the one with "evidence" that she's had sex. Brittana are much, much more promiscuous, yeah, but there's something about teen pregnancy as the ultimate symbol of sexual transgression. But, like you say, Quinn wasn't actually a hypocrite about all this.

I think she was also scarred from the pregnancy emotionally, understandably, but the only times she uses her sexuality after this in high school are when she's clearly unhinged. I.e. trying to make another baby with Puck. She wants to take things slow with Sam, completely understands Joe's perspective, and I for one seriously doubt Fuinn ever actually had sex. All that happened with Beth's conception was Puck taking advantage of her. But Glee season 1 just,,, does not get this. They so badly want Quinn to be this hypocritical bitch who cheats on her boyfriend and gets knocked up and isn't all that virginal after all. But even if we didn't see the actual scene, and oh boy do we, that narrative would still be dubious. Simply put, Quinn isn't the character Glee thinks they're writing.

I've said this so many times in so many ways but the bottom line remains the same. The writers did not know what kind of character they were writing. And there's a lot to be said about how RM reacted to that, goddammit I still haven't talked about that Rolling Stone interview, but at the end of the day we just have these facts within the show itself. And this is how I try to explain my frustrations with season 1 to people. Later seasons Quinn is a whole convo, too, but s1 always feels particularly insidious to me.

In terms of how you would have written it, yeah I think that would have worked better with what they were trying to do. There's still the contrast to Brittana so a chance for Quinn's redemption, but this villanizing would at least make more sense. She really would be a hypocrite and not just... a victim. But no, instead they wrote the story of a clear victim. I don't give a fuck if she happens to be rude to Finn and lie to him, yeah that's messed up but the dude is also actively cheating on her, so. Lest we feel too bad for him. It just sucks so much that RM was so, so unaware of the Quinn he was writing. Makes season 1 in particular incredibly frustrating to me, I can't believe there are people out there who consider this to be her best season. Why do you hate her so much?

[stillness138]

finally got the time to yap about hotd

so people are upset and disappointed with how chood and bleese were done. i will admit to having only read an extensive summary of the book, but i didn't mind it. i'll get back to it but first some general thoughts tm

but reading different reactions and comparing them to mine kinda made me think about how this show adapts the source material in general. i really, really like the show, despite it having specific points i definitely disliked or was also disappointed with (especially in episode 9). because i think it is overall a great adaptation. and not necessarily of the text of Fire&Blood - a text that is harder to adapt to begin with because, as people seem to keep forgetting, it is told exclusively by in-world characters with their individual biases - but rather of the themes, topics and messages this story (and really asoiaf as a whole) is trying to convey.

and people seem to have lost sight of those a little bit too. this thing is about an oppresive, unsustainable patriarchal system that harms just about everyone in and around it. the most drastic change - Alicent being Rhaenyra's childhood best friend - is an excellent piece of adaptation because it allows them to say so much about the topic at hand, more than George did. [a side point, but this fandom, just like the witcher one, should also take a step back from treating grrm as someone who can never err and whose word is holy. the man has a morbid interest in writing child torture porn to illustrate a point he already made 3 books ago. he aint special, and he sure isn't the best thing since sliced bread.] [but actually, on this topic, the choices of where to have nudity, sex, sexual abuse, violence and gore are also made with thought in this show and my god is that so refreshing to see, ESPECIALLY in this universe.]

i would've done the first episode of season 2 differently, would've only set b&ch up at the end and built tension through the whole of the next episode, but i obviously haven't seen the rest of the season. no one has save for unenthused journalists but throwing hands in the air about the lack of this or that is kinda silly. it's literally just the first episode. i'm ready to do the stanczyk and eat my words if i'm wrong, but stuff like pact of ice&fire, how alicole came to be, even more reactions to Luke's death, why the castle was completely devoid of guards,.. may yet be subjects in conversations later on.

the ep manages to have a unifying theme, that being parents' relationships to their (deceased) children, and it gets that across well enough. yes there should have been more of Aegon and Helaena's time with their kids but also, this would've never reached the level of setup the red wedding had. they're not really comparable.

another opinion i've seen and disagree with is that b&ch is portrayed as an oopsie. what do you think Daemon answered to "and if we don't find Aemond?" and why do you think "does she look like a son to you" is said? they knew what they were doing. if anything, their surprise is to how easy it was to get to Helaena. and that is set up too. if Aegon took her seriously, like, ever (this is something he exhibits all the way back in the Driftmark episode), maybe there would be at least some guards. she foresaw the danger and he could've attempted doing something about it or at the very least ease his sister/wife's worries, but he was too busy using Jaehaerys to humiliate Tyland Lannister. [truly the dad to end all dads in this series.] i want to see Aegon wracked with guilt over it, because he definitely directly underestimated the situation.

he is also left with either his wild card brother or his daughter to name the new heir. where have we seen that before. and the not so secret third option is to put Helaena through another pregnancy to hopefully get a son out of it. that's what Maelor would be forced to live with. knowing that he only exists because of a terrible tragedy and the system's requirements for a suitable heir.

i do agree that the show leans towards Rhaenyra's team quite a bit, but i don't think they're being too sanitized. again i'm ready to be the fool, but Daemon has 9 more episodes to openly admit to ordering Jaehaerys's murder.

if the bag was fumbled on anything, it was delivery, but not adaptation itself. this isn't the show of women screaming in horror as men threaten to assault their six year old children. it is a show about a system that manifests as an abuse cycle and ends in tragedy one way or another, and that can be conveyed in a number of ways.

[addictwoapen]

hatred of the name or hatred of the thing itself

i've always hated my name. Brooke never felt like an accurate representation of who I am and my personhood. It never seemed true, always something removed from myself. When I introduce myself as Brooke, I feel detached. Like I'm looking into myself from the outside.

I don't know where the hatred of the name came from, but it did stem from a few literary characters named Brooke who were always mean and rude and generally disliked. I didn't want to be her and felt I was fated to end up the same.

There have been countless times I've asked my parents how they came up with my name. It isn't a family one, my middle name unremarkable as well. Not Marie but another M regardless. They refrained from Elizabeth as a middle name because my initials would have been B-E-Z (be easy) and I don't think my dad wanted his only daughter to be construed as a slut.

But there is no fun history behind my name. My brothers both have generic names as well. Nothing fun, nothing familial, nothing with lots of thought.

I think for someone who feels all too much all the time I wanted my name to mean more than it does. Just a name picked from a list that didn't sound horrible with my father's last name.

Not that my grandparents have outstanding names, one Diane and one Joanne, but I think I would've liked to be a Diane. If I ever wanted kids I would name my daughter after Diane. She's a strong woman with a fierce intelligence and curiosity that has never left her in her 83 years. I would want to pass that onto my daughter, I think.

I don't know what Lauren wanted to pass onto Brooke with that name. I don't know if she thought that much about it, but I wish she did.

The legacy of "brooke" is relating to a "brook" or a small stream. With some origins in the 18th century. However, a pretty name for a body of water turned into "babbling brook". I've heard this insult well into adulthood from men who don't like the fact that I'm not softspoken or quiet about my opinions.

Maybe Brooke doesn't feel like a big enough name for me. It feels too small for my personality (which has been described as "big", although I'm still unsure if that's a character flaw or not). And I wish my name was more reflective of who I am. Kind and forgiving, but not forgetful. Smart and reflective, but abrasive at times. Sarcastic and funny, sometimes witty when I want to be (or when I've had a few drinks). I contain multitudes and I don't feel my name is reflected in that.

[lowkeyerror]

Power Dynamics pt 2

Wanda Maximoff x Reader

Word Count: 1888

Warnings: None

An: So it's not Friday, whoops. Also I'm feeling kind of a series to this one so lets see how many parts it ends of being.

Masterlist

Pt1

"Again"

You expel the magic from your palms, you try to tame it, but you struggle.

" Again"

You expel the magic again, this time trying to focus your energy on one specific spot.

" Again"

This time a guttural scream comes out of your mouth and the magic goes everywhere. It feels good for a moment, then you drop to your knees.

You could feel the gravel against the material of your pants. Sweat covered the entirety of your back.

Through heavy breaths, you spoke," I can't."

" The problem is your control. You grip the magic too tightly, and it falters, you let it run wild, and it explodes. You have to find a balance," Wanda offers her hand, and you take it.

You glance at her," You say it like it's easy."

She plays with magic in her fingertips," The magic inside of me is tenfold of what you have inside of you. Every time I use it to its full capacity, it consumes part of me. Tell me what you think the solution is."

You furrow your eyebrows," You don't always use your full power."

" Trying to focus your full power will never work for where you are now. Tomorrow we'll work on sectioning out your power."

You shake your head," I can do it now."

Wanda raises an eyebrow," You just collapsed."

" I'm fine."

Instead of fighting you, Wanda shrugs her shoulders," Show me then."

You picture the full scope of your powers. To you, it seems like an endless pit. It's hard to imagine yourself not grabbing all of it.

The shift in your eyes is all that you need to realize that Wanda was right.

The energy clashed with your body, sending you into shivers.

" Real it back in," Wanda instructs you.

" It's endless," your hands shoot over your ears, trying to squeeze until the power is quiet.

" Hey, hey, Y/n. Look at me, look at me, " You feel Wanda grip onto your forearms.

Your eyes shift to hers," I can't."

" You can. Breathe with me, okay?"

The redhead begins to take deep breaths, and you do your best to mimic her. At first nothing changes, but Wanda doesn't deter from the breathing exercises.

Eventually you can feel the power receding. Your grip on your head loosens and your breathing evens out. You shut your eyes for a moment.

" Are you with me, Y/n?"

At the sound of Wanda's voice, you open your eyes. The panic on her face is evident.

" I think I should just give the power back," you say, more to yourself than Wanda.

" If you couldn't handle the power, the black vortex would've taken it from you already," Wanda argues.

" It can do that?"

She nods," The powers of the black vortex can be given up by the user or rescinded by the force itself."

" I don't think I can do this."

" It's only been 2 weeks. I'm not letting you quit. Now go shower and regroup, so we can check the Darkhold."

Honestly, it was surprising to know the woman had so much faith in you. You had wanted to quit a lot in the last 14 days, but Wanda wouldn't let you. She was the perfect mentor for you. Though you didn't want her help before, now you couldn't imagine progressing without it. She had shown you so much in such a small amount of time.

She kept to her word and was strictly professional with you. It was strange because you were in control of the relationship. You noticed the witch holding back at times. You appreciated it, but a part of you was curious to what would happen if she didn't.

There was no doubt in your mind that your feelings for Wanda were going to resurface. It was only a matter of time. Being this close to her, made you crave her more than you were willing to admit.

When you exited the shower, you found Wanda in her usual spot with the Darkhold floating above her lap as her powerful magic surrounded her. The years may not have been kind to Wanda in experiences, but the same could not have been said for her looks. She had aged gracefully in the time you had been apart. Her presence was compelling; alluring even. Seeing her in this state sent a plethora of emotions through your head.

She turned to look at you," You ready?"

You felt your heart stop under her soft gaze. She had always been soft with you in the past. The memories were like a double-edged sword. They were nice for the most part, but were they real. You still had questions for Wanda, more than you could ever ask, more than you felt like you had permission to ask.

It was such a convoluted situation. There was no way that you could ask about it without hitting a nerve. That nerve being, Vision. The line was too delicate to cross. He was dead, and desecrating his memory brought no joy to you. You didn't like him, you couldn't; but he was an Avenger, just like you. Now that he was gone, all you could do was respect him.

" You're thinking about me."

Your eyes lock on her," Sorry, I'm ready."

You took a seat across from her, mimicking her pose. Your legs were crossed with your forearms resting on your thighs. The book was floating between the two of you. The energy that emulated from the book called to you. Not actually to you, but the power of the Black Vortex.

" Can I see your hands?"

Your hands were black from the palm and fingertips. You laid them in front of you with your palms facing upwards, allowing her to reach out. She had the same darkness at their fingertips. As her hands came into contact with yours, she began to speak," The black represents the amount of dark magic in your body. It's chaotic, but it can be controlled."

" Why do I have more than you?"

She lightly traces your palms," The Black Vortex is powered solely by dark magic. So every ounce inside of you is dark. My magic is not entirely dark. When we were with the team, I didn't know how to tap into the dark magic, so my hands never changed."

A question sat at the tip of your tongue, but you held it back. You were curious as to how Wanda had found the magic in herself.

There were vague details of Westview floating around in your mind. You didn't exactly know what happened, but you had heard about it.

" You can ask if you want to."

You peek at her through your eyelashes, but she's still focused on your hand.

" What happened in Westview?"

She freezes for a small moment," I created a fake reality, forcing people to play the roles I cast them in. I had a family, I fought a witch, and then I left the town."

There were a lot of details missing, but you could tell it was a sensitive topic. You stay silent.

" I want to try something out, but you have to trust me."

With her hands laying flat on top of yours, you watch as the black color fades from your hand and begins to cover her own.

When she stops, your hand is still black but not as much. The magic doesn't feel as heavy, it's control over you has weakened immensely.

" What did you do?"

" I took some of your power. I can give it back if you'd like, but I thought it'd be easier to teach you without so much chaotic energy."

You play with the magic, energy dancing on the tips of your fingers. It doesn't feel heavy like it did before. You could picture an end to it, which made it more manageable.

" This is better," you send a small smile her way.

She returned the smile. Then a silence washed over the pair of you. You saw the witch gear up to say something, but stopped herself.

" What is it?" You say and she shakes her head.

" It's nothing," she tries to brush it off, but you don't let it go, giving her a questioning look.

" I... what did you do after Thanos?"

You sighed heavily," Nothing, for a long time. I felt empty without yo- the team. I didn't know what to do. So I did nothing, lived a boring normal life for a few months. Then Stephen found me."

You chuckle as Wands rolls her eyes," What did he want?"

" My help. He said that I was wasting my potential; that the world still needed saving. So I played hero with him for a while. I felt underappreciated, and that made me realize I always felt that way. The forgotten Avenger on the news and in the compound. The only time I felt seen... was when I was with you."

She reaches for your hand, but you fold them on your lap. Your gaze laser focused on your knuckles.

" Is that why you wanted the power of the Black Vortex?"

Your brow furrowed," We stumbled across it, accidentally. I asked what it was, then he told me. That was all I needed to hear. With a power like this, everyone would finally respect me. I guess you could say I'm in my villain era"

" You aren't evil, Y/n."

You hum in response," Well, I'm here with you, aren't I. I know you don't wear the title hero anymore."

She waves her hand dismissively," I'm no hero, but I'm not a villain. Labels today don't mean much anymore. I'm simply powerful."

" You've always been powerful," you argue.

Wanda briefly takes a serious tone," Not like this. There's a monster inside of me, and it takes so much for me not to unleash."

You shrug your shoulders," Why not let it out?"

" Because when I do things like Westview happen."

" And? Weren't you happy there?"

She gives you an incredulous look," I was... but those people-"

" Fuck those people, Wanda. This is what I'm talking about. How much have you lost from these people? They don't even sympathize with you. After everything you've lost, don't you think you're owed something?"

She abruptly stood," How about we call it for today?"

The gentle tone of her voice said enough. She couldn't have this conversation with you right now. The woman had respected your boundaries, so it was only right for you to respect hers.

" Sorry."

She gives a sad smile and goes on her way. You stay in the room, reminiscing. The world had been cruel to you, but it had been even more cruel to Wanda. Every time she made a choice for herself to be happy, it backfired.

She broke your heart, but to think that losing you had no effect on her was not fair. You had to remind yourself that you knew Wanda. You knew what kind of person she was. She had her reasons for doing what she did, while that didn't invalidate your feelings, it did give you a better understanding.

You both deserved more from the world. Once you became strong enough, there would be no one who could stop you from seeking justice. Not just for you, but for Wanda too.

[chiefdirector]

Peter Parker (Tom Holland) A-Z Dating Headcanons

A – Anger (What was their first fight about? Any big or recurring arguments?)

Your first fight would be when you discovered that he was Spiderman. He would tell you after Germany, and say it was to keep you safe, but you would've been hurt by the secrecy. You would forgive him as you come to understand his point, but that would always be a burden on your relationship.

B – Best (What would they say is the other’s best trait?)

Yours: He thinks that yours is your patience and kindness when it comes to him being Spiderman. He knows it not easy to keep this secret, especially when its not yours to keep. He's forever grateful that you haven't spilt it and stayed by his side

His: His best trait, in his opinion, is what he can do under the Spidey mask. He knows he can help people, so he thinks his best traits are to do with that.

C – Camera (How do they document their relationships? Who likes to take pictures? Or videos?)

He has a camera that he found in a dumpster and refurbished (not the same as his camcorder). Stark offered to buy him a new one but he said no as he had taken a bunch of photos of you on there. He used you to practice, he could see himself as a photographer in the future.

D – Dates (What are their dates like?)

Very simple, but dont mistake simplicity for lack of effort. Peter loves movie dates where it's just you and him making fun of some old movie that May has raved on about. Pizza is usually on the table for these dates.

E – Early (What was the first month of dating like?)

Akward! Baby boy doesn't know what's up and what's down when it comes to dating. Don't worry, he'll get used to it and become the sweetest boyfriend ever, but he won't know his rights from lefts initially.

F – Friends (How is their relationship with each other’s group of friends?)

Ned, I think, adores you. He finds its fascinating that you would date Peter, so he is quite amused by your relationship. He tries to form a friendship with you. MJ, like anything, seems impassive, but I think she likes you too. She won't admit it though.

Peter, on the other hand, tries to get in with your friends, but again, our boy is awkward. I don't see it going overly well.

G – Gifts (Do they like giving each other gifts? What kind?)

I think that Peter would be terrible at receiving gifts. Like bickering to stop them because he doesn’t know how to react to receiving nice things especially before he met Stark.

Peter loves giving little handmade things for you that he “rescued” from a dumpster and built into something new.

H – Hugs (All things involving hugs)

Peter is super cuddly, a proper cuddle bug (cuddle spider ? ). This boy is c l i n g y and it’s the best thing ever. His hugs feel like home.

I – Inside Jokes (Do they have any?)

Anything and everything. This boy is gen z so everything is a joke to him, and rightly so.

J – Jealousy (Who gets jealous easier? How do they show their jealousy?)

I don’t think he gets jealous easily but when he does, he tried to play it off cool and all and it doesn’t work at all. Peter gets super sulky and it’s up to you to fix that.

K – Kiss (How do they kiss? Who usually initiates?)

First: Like the inital days of dating, it’s awkward but endearing. He doesn’t want it to go wrong so he over thinks it and makes it worse for himself.

Peter loves giving, and receiving, small pecks for kisses. They’re cute, quick and easy. The perfect kiss for someone whose always on the go.

L – Love (How do they first say those three words?)

He mumbled them in his sleep. You had recorded it and shown it to him in the morning where he confessed properly accompanied by a massive blush. You ended that conversation but returning the sentiment.

M – Movies (What kinds of movies do they watch together? Is it a regular Netflix ritual?)

Peter is up for trying anything once! He particularly has a favourable standing on Sci-Fi and all of the sort. (He does cry at Marley and Me though)

N – Nicknames (Things they call each other)

Nicknames aren’t really Peter’s things and he isn’t particularly fond of many of them though. He will point at the bins and, affectionately, say “hey look, (y/n). It’s you.”

O – One (Tell us about the moment they realized they were with the one.)

When you accepted him for who he was, Spider-Man and all. He knew right there that you were his soulmate and partner-in-crime

P – Pizza (What is their favorite food to eat together?)

Anything he can get his hand on. Baby boy has a fast metabolism and needs to keep up with him. No matter how much you fill your pantry, Peter will empty in in 12 hours max

Q – Quit (Do they break up? Almost break up? What happened?)

If you were in danger, he would try to split up to keep you safe but would later come to regret that choice and beg you to figure him/take him back.

R – Rainy Days (How do they comfort each other on dark days?)

Movie marathons of your comfort films/series’. Peter isn’t the best with words, listening or saying, so actions are the best course of well… action

S – Soft (Something one of them did that turned the other into absolute mush)

Wearing his shirt!! Boy isn’t very possessive, he trusts you, but seeing you in his shirt does something to him!!! Boy is s o f t for you if you do this!!!

T – Texting (Do they text each other a lot? What do they usually talk about over the phone?)

Peter texts if he remembers. I think he is very scatterbrained so he thinks he’s responded when he hasn’t. Or more commonly, he writes his answer but forgoes to press send. May hates this habit.

U – Unique (Tell us about some of their odd habits that surprised one another.)

Peter sings in the shower. 100% teasing material.

V – Vanity (Something they’re proud of in themselves and their partner)

Peter is proud of you no matter what:

Got 100% on a test - that’s his girlfriend. You did better than him. He’d be so starry eyed.

Painted something - wow! Look at how talented you are. Can you do one for him?!?

Got out of bed and ate something on a down day - He’s so proud of you.

W – Wedding (Tell us about your wedding head canon if they’ve gotten that far. Or if not, have they talked about it?)

He hasn’t thought much about it. He’s still in high school. Marriage is far far far down the line. But if he had an opinion, it would to be a simple affair. No mess, no fuss.

X – X (Something they hate about the other)

Nothing! Peter sees everything about you, good or bad, as something precious because it’s you. And he loves everything about you.

Y – Youtube (What are they like online? Do they post about their relationship constantly?)

Peter has a private Instagram account where he shitposts. He is also on tumblr, but won’t admit it. (His tumblr account just his 3000 followers)

Z – Zoo (Are they into animals? Do they want pets? What kind?)

Peter would like an dog but he won’t get one. He isn’t home enough between school, and being the friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man. It wouldn’t be fair but he can dream.

Masterlist | Buy me a coffee?

REQUESTS ARE OPEN [inc. NO WAY HOME]

[sylver-drawer]

Hfjkfngokumdbud I am happy to entertain!! So um, here. Have some more:

Exactly. Her life in Korea was only used as a deux ex machina for her to stick by Claude. If she truly yearned for parental figures she would've, should've, yearned for Diana too. Should've longed for Diana more than Claude. One died for her, and the other... well.

Give me Athy's survival instincts. Give me a skittish and cautious Athy. Give me Athy who collects and saves money because you never know, never know when shit will hit the fan. Have her be unwilling to use up her secret savings. Let only Lily into her heart and absolutely nobody else. Let her not trust Claude o n e b i t. Having Lily and Athy planning together for an escape just in case could've been a great way to show them bonding, to show them as accomplices, as family. But WMMAP doesn't do Found Family, it seems :')

We have nothing to go off of regarding Duchess Alpheus. Except what you mentioned. Not even a name. And I am MAD.

Now that you talk about it... Villainesses are never given the same narrative weight as male villains and honestly that's just misogyny. Rosalia would've made a fine villain (look, her stirring up shit against Athy, and Jenny is torn and conflicted because she loves Athy, she really does, but Rosalia... Rosalia looks like her mother and Jenny yearns for Penelope, the woman she could've loved. Would make a fine parallel with Athy who also yearns for Diana, the woman she could've loved. Just... COME ON) Also like, many manhwas feature a female MC acting cute to gain the approval of her male relatives (father, brother, etc) and it's honestly... I don't jive with it -_-

Claude is... he just lacks any rhyme or reason. He only has one (1) thought and that's murder. Seriously dude, couldn't you have more depth?? How can people love him when he's such a blatant tyrant??? Have him kill people because he's paranoid. Have him be standoffish and stricter and harsher with higher nobles but have him be more lenient towards lower nobles and maybe the common folk. Now that could be a way to make lowborn folk love him.

He absolutely has no rights and justification for being shitty towards kids.

And YES YES YES HAVE HIM BE RELUCTANT TO SPEND. He shouldn't be carting off all the riches in the world to Athy. Have him scoff at and look down upon grandiose display of riches. And him not giving all that much to Athy just makes her all the more paranoid and save up more and more because she obviously can't count on him for money. Have her study vigorously and try to start a side hustle or something. Have her connect more to the common folk! Trade! Business! She could've been a banger of a businesswoman!

And Jenny... Oh poor Jenny she deserved so much better than what the narrative gave her. Have her and Athy choose each other in the end, over everyone else. “Fuck this, fuck the world, fuck you, we're together forever now” and have Athy teach Jenny or sumn. Girl was raised to be naive! (Presumably so that she'd be easier to control as a puppet monarch) Let Athy believe in Jenny's potential!

And oh yeah we know jack shit about Felix. He's just there to be Claude's loyal knight. That's it. And absolutely nothing else. Where's his father? Is he the Duke's son? What does the Duke think about his (son?) serving a tyrant who's especially harsh with higher nobility? Like, there's zero interaction between Felix the Duke, if I remember correctly. Just... ?????

ALSO YES ABOUT LILY'S PARENTS. DO THEY LITERALLY NOT EXIST??? Like, I could think of an explanation to integrate into the story right away and they (Spoon and Plutus?) didn't???? Like, have her work in the Ruby Palace without her parents' consent, have them constantly write her angry letters to come home and have her refuse to comply, have a small Athy find the letters and she and Lily have a heartfelt moment or sumn because Lily chose Athy. Have Athy love Lily all the more for it because guess what, it's not easy for you to stand alone against a hostile world. It's not like having these details can be that hard.

(I'm the one who came up with the Athy-runs-away-to-Siodonna AU because I wanted Diana to have an impact... I did it with LP!Athy but it could very easily work with WMMAP!Athy too. Like, after Claude lets and watches her drown Athy could just go “oh god oh fuck he doesn't care he might've saved me this time but there's no guarantee that he'd do so next time” and just... bolt. Ditch the Ruby Palace, ditch Obelia and go where her mother lived...

For the record though— what do you think about Empress!Jenny and magician/advisor!Siodonnan!Athy in the Siodonnan LP!Athy AU? It's... highly underdeveloped as of yet but maybe I could make posts about it...)

Sobbing at the fact that you’ve reminded me how terrible the world building of WMMAP is.

Remember when Athy ran away and was looking into a magician’s guild or something like that? Or that she had to get a magician’s license to be legally allowed to use magic? Where did that go???

Also remembering how terrible Plutus is with family dynamics. Not even talking about SBAPOD, but the example being Beware of the Brothers, and we already know how that went.

I swear, manwha authors don’t know how to write healthy family dynamics,,, it’s just the father (and ALWAYS the father) spoiling the main character with riches effortlessly and the main character protesting once before going “this is fine”. We’ve never, never, seen Claude and Athy actually bond emotionally. It really took Claude falling into a coma and nearly dying before he could accept the fact that he hurt Athy so bad and had to apologize for it (and she had to pressure him into apologizing essentially too? “And?!”)

On that topic, a I will never shut up about how Claude is never the one to initiate father-daughter time. Think about it—all the times we’ve seen them bond, Athy is always the one who goes to him. She enters his study, annoys him in his room, lazes there before one of them eventually brings up a tea party for a break; we never see Claude ever seek her out himself. The only time we did? Was when he almost killed her (which is hella sad and dark now that I think about it more).

Why is it that in these stories, it’s always the child who has to initiate reconciliation and bonding time? I’m so tired of adults who can’t adult for once to the point the child has to adult for them.

Also, I would love that AU. Athy really since the beginning never felt like she wanted to be empress exactly. Even in the climax arc, she was forced to because her dad was out of commission and her uncle was evil. She’s already worked herself to death in her second life, why for the life of her would she ever want to work again in her third? (now including the fact that she realized her first life was LP and that she worked hard to get her father’s love and attention only to fail)

LP Athy didn’t get attention. She didnt stand out, but that makes her strong suit of an adviser being so much more interesting. Reminds me of Kyesook from Akayona—he’s hella shady, doesn’t stand out and blends in with the crowd, but he’s intelligent and consults with Soowon about various things. Athy, who’s lived in the palace her whole life and knows her way around the boundaries within the castle walls added to her knowledge of being a Siodonnan diplomat? It would be so powerful.

Learning magic in Siodonna would be so cool too, and builds world lore. How do other countries use magic? WMMAP really fails to implement an exact magic system other than Lucas’, “Everyone has magic but just doesn’t know how to use it lol”. Again, what of the magician licenses? How do other countries use magic to improve their kingdom? We know different colors means different intentions of using magic, explore that more. Could there actually be a country that uses black magic to improve their kingdom? How would Jennette’s existence, a child imbued with black magic, be referred there? Obelia’s existence, how they seem to use magicians for such trivial things when it can be used for so much more.

One thing I missed from the novel was Cabel existence. Not because it would introduce another love interest, god no, but rather it would introduce citizens from other countries interacting with the main cast.

How would Cabel interact with Claude, a tyrant emperor who she’d blood nearly every week like it’s an episode of his new TV Show? Compared to the royal family of Alberta who, iirc, their family is on good terms with? Seeing as Cabel was the only one even the slightest bit disgusted with Hari and Eugene’s relationship, he’d probably be the ONLY voice of reason within the cast honestly. I dislike how in the novel, his presence only existed as “Ijekiel’s friend from another country who fell for Athy and he had a fight with Lucas over her”.

On the topic of Lucas actually. He’s a horrible teacher, and he’s embraced that fact. He may be all powerful, but he sucks at teaching. The only reason why Lucas is the main love interest is because he has no existence otherwise it seems. He can’t be ‘just a friend’ because the fans will rage, and he can’t be a mentor figure because he sucks at actually teaching the girl.

Siodonnan Magician Mentor Athy would put Lucas in his place so fast. Athy and him fighting over diplomatic issues and asking for Jen’s opinion while they’re fighting because she’s the empress. We need more Lucas and Jen interactions too, without him dehumanizing her. They could actually have a good dynamic. Lucas knows all magic, but most likely knows black magic the least so he spends time with Jen to study more about it. His bluntness would actually help expand Jen’s knowledge without coddling her like Ijekiel (I believe in the novel Jen actually expressed her likeness to Lucas because of his unfiltered honesty toward her, even if his words were a bit cruel?).

[dualnaturedscientist]

Constance didn't take very long to get ready to leave with Carl. She had quickly called Stewart to let him know that she would not be home if he happened to have come back before she did. It wasn't any problem to him, simply telling her to be safe and that he loves her. Carl was surprisingly quick. Especially when he was troubled like this. He only noticed that Constance was barely able to keep up with him. Looking back, he stopped and allowed the former villainess to catch up with him. Carl had a sheepish expression on his face. "Sorry, I didn't mean to leave you behind like that. I got caught up too much in my thoughts." Constance honestly understood that. This was something not quite so easy for him to do. "No need to apologize, Woody. I forgot how fast you could get. Alright, I'll try to keep up with you." Carl smiled, he appreciated her patience quite a bit. He slowed down enough for her to actually keep up with him. They made it to the bus stop just in time, the bus had just pulled in as they walked up. That was a relief, it would've been another half hour wait if they had missed it. It wasn't a very long wait before they were dropped right outside the library. To Carl's relief, he had spotted Matthew still in the building. Constance made sure to follow behind closely. Unfortunately for them, they also spotted an aggravated hero and a seemingly inconvenienced Eudora. Matthew and Alex were having a good time. Carl couldn't help but feel immensely protective of Matthew. He beelined right to his husband, placing himself between Matthew and Eudora. He couldn't help but glare harshly at the rather gaudy woman. "Oh, great. Even more unwelcome pests. Excuse me, can't you see that actual important people here are trying to talk?" She huffed at him. Carl wanted nothing more but to wipe that infuriating expression on her face. It didn't matter what expression it was. They all ticked him off to no end. "You don't seem to realize that you're the pest here. Can't you see that my husband wants nothing to do with you?" Eudora laughed in a shrill way at that. Everything about this woman was able to get under Carl's skin so easily. Constance had frozen upon seeing the woman. She was expecting to see Matthew but not her. Not this vile woman. She wanted to be just as angry yet it made her feel devastated, just as devastated as the day they first met. Though Constance refused to show it. Staying a fair good distance away. She looked at Eudora with cold eyes. Her expression is unreadable at this point. "That may be but he took off with something that belongs to me!" Carl huffed at that. This woman was just digging her grave with him. "And what exactly would that be?" Eudora smirked at that. "Why, my picture of our father. Isn't this just a peachy coincidence?" Matthew glared at her. "Don't speak to him like that. Here. Take it. Take it and leave." Matthew practically shoved the now wrinkled photo into her claw-like hands. "Gee, thank you. Now. Since we have something in common here, we should have a discussion. Without the pests of course." Matthew shook his head furiously. "No! I want nothing to do with you!" Carl's eyes had widened when he realized just exactly what that witchy woman had said. Oh no. That b*tch spilled the beans. The news, by Matthew's expression and body language, wasn't broken gently. He couldn't help but feel so terrible. Not only did he learn about who his sibling was but also the way he learned it. "I'm not so easy to get rid of. So we're going to have that talk sooner or later. It's your choice of when. But rest assured, you're not getting away from me. Not at all, brother dearest." Matthew felt his skin crawl at that. He hated the fact he was not only related to Corbin but to this crazy woman as well. The only silver lining here really was it also meant Melina was his niece. That Carl had come there, so now he wasn't as alone. He appreciated Alex being there, make no mistake. Yet Carl made things much more bearable to handle. “Don't call me that. Please… Just don't.” At least he had one good relative.

Heart of chaos

A year had passed since the B.E.A.W Labs organization had fallen. Since all the events had taken place. Becky being taken along with Bob. The poor girl being experimented on by a cruel scientist who had no love for anyone but himself. Matthew had broken out of the facility with her, Carl and Steven. Gene's true identity being revealed along with losing his Dr.Two-Brains persona. Shocking revelations unfolded. Betrayals and redemption. Things had calmed down significantly since but that didn't mean life had been dull. It certainly wasn't for Fair City. Especially with the villains, heroes and its eccentric inhabitants livening up the city. Becky had been making a wonderful recovery. Though she still wasn't at her full recovery Becky was still making so much more progress than the year prior. Gene still had identity issues, dealing with the loss of Squeaky. Though he didn't go through it alone. The still mad scientist had his family and friends help him through everything. Matthew and Carl took up residency within the city. A house that wasn't too far from their sons. Life in this place was definitely lively and peaceful in comparison to the hellish place many innocent souls were imprisoned in. Matthew was less exhausted than before. Relaxing within the living room in his son's house, watching whatever was put on the television. Matthew felt his eyes beginning to droop. Sleepiness hitting him out of nowhere. He simply allowed himself to doze off, not fighting it. Knowing that he was safe there. It wasn't until he felt weight on him that Matthew opened his eyes. Usually a dog or cat would be the cause for this but Matthew met many eyes. Fluffy had snuck into the house yet again. A small warm smile spread across his facial features, patting the spider on its head. Fluffy leaned into Matthew's hand, making soft happy noises. It was funnily cute to him. Though he understood as to why Gene was so afraid of him. Even Carl was squeamish around the giant spider. “Aw, who's a good boy? You are! You're a good boy!” Matthew couldn't help but baby talk the arachnid. He looked up, wriggling his chelicerae in response. As to say ‘Me! I'm a good boy!’ He chuckled at that, giving Fluffy gentle scritches. It was like a huge puppy in a spider's body. Though the peacefulness was interrupted by a sudden shout. “NO! WHY IS IT HERE AGAIN?!” Gene was in the doorway of the living room. Looking quite terrified at the huge arachnid. Fluffy instantly moved around on Matthew's lap to look at Gene. Excitedly jumping off of the supervillain's lap in favor of his son. He bolted right for the mad scientist, causing him to yelp loudly and make a run for it. “SOMEONE KEEP THAT ABOMINATION AWAY FROM ME!” Matthew gave a small laugh. “Can't help but feel abit rejected there.” Archie, who was quiet until then, responded. “I know that feeling.” This caused Matthew to jump up startled. “Don't do that! I'm old. Also I could accidentally blast you.” Archie blinked in confusion. “You didn't notice me? I came in with Fluffy. He got loose and snuck into the house. I just came to bring him back before he got to Gene. Too late for that now.” Archie frowned. “I can't help but be jealous at how much Fluffy loves him. Though Gene is terrified of him. That spider just won't listen to me when it comes to his favorite person.” He shook his head disapprovingly. “You want me to help you?” Matthew was being genuine with his question. He didn't want his son dying of fright from the giant arachnid. “That would be greatly appreciated. I have to take him back home. He can't avoid taking his medication this time.” Matthew got up, stretching first before doing anything else. This earned him a strange look from Archie. “What? I said I'm old. If I don't stretch I'll pull a muscle.” The hero shrugged. “Let's go get him soon. I have to look after Charlotte as well.” Archie always had the brightest smile when Charlotte was brought up. Either by him, Sunshine or anyone else. It was sweet. “Alright, alright.” They were completely unaware of an enemy observing them. Waiting.

Miss Power growled in frustration at the display she was witnessing through a window to the Boxleitner or rather the Woods household. A display she thought was very disgusting. How badly the alien conqueror wanted to charge right in their and obliterate everyone in her sights. She couldn't do her usual tactics and tricks right now, not after what she learned after coming back. She was still ticked off after that little alien brat Wordgirl and her parents dupe and tricked her into leaving the planet in defeat. There was no way she could go back to her planet and face her people with such a shameful stain to her otherwise brilliant record. Fueled by revenge and hatred, Miss Power spent her time preparing, training, and waiting so she could exact her revenge against those who wronged her, against the little hybrid girl and her freak of a family that humiliated her. Sadly when Miss Power and her loyal sidekick Colonel Gigglecheeks did decide to return, they were not prepared for the recent changes that had happeend in their absence. Miss Power did not care much for this Darius person or B.E.A.W labs, she had seen those like them a dime a dozen before on other worlds. The alien wished she could have congratulated the person who tortured and dehumanized Wordgirl and her sidekick. If it was up to her, Professor Ross Moran would receive high honors among her people for his actions. She did give her condolences at his unmarked gravestone. While the recent trauma Wordgirl and her sidekick have suffered gave Miss Power an opportunistic advantage, the alien conquerer unfortunately could not risk using it especially with her grandfather around. Miss Power was amazed at hearing about the past and recent exploits of Maddrix the Malicious. She was shocked that someone so bloodthirsty and powerful was the father of that scientist who used to have a mouse brain attached to his skull as well as a weird cheese obsession. To her disappointment, Miss Power could clearly see the man was too human and had regretted his actions in the past. Actions that would have made him highly respected among her people despite him being human. Still Miss Power wasn't going to risk striking back while that old coot was still alive. Age did not always equate to weakness according to what she had been taught. Even though he was old, Maddrix was clearly still powerful. It was likely that her and Gigglecheeks would wind up dead by the man's hands before they could claim revenge and victory. A chittering sound snapped Miss Power out of her musings. She turned her head to see her sidekick give her a concerned look. He chittered again and asked 'So what are we going to do?' Miss Power smiled and scratched her sidekick's head which he enjoyed. "Don't worry Colonel Gigglecheeks. We'll get our revenge soon. We just need to learn more about Mr. Malicious and what weaknesses he might have so we can use it to defeat him." Miss Power cooed. She then took her sidekick and flew off without anyone being the wiser. Miss Power was brash and bold and could be tricked sometimes, but she was no fool. The alien conqueror learned long ago that the best way to win your battles was to be prepared and know your enemy more than they know themselves. Carl sighed with relief and slight exhaustion as he sat down in a comfy chair. He had just finished sweeping the floor of his and Matthew's home. Now all he had to do was sit and relax until his husband got home. Carl wanted to try a nice 'mom and pop' owned restaurant that one of Gene's friends, Chuck, had recommended to the man. Carl had been itching to get out and do something more and more recently. If he had to be honest, he was getting bored. In the past, Carl had his job and work as a scientist to keep him occupied along with spending time with his husband and kids. Unfortunately after his 20 year imprisonment, Carl couldn't step in another official science lab ever again without a severe anxiety and panic attack @dualnaturedscientist