#and the second option seemed like it was going to work out perfectly because the girl who initially adopted the dog has a girlfriend

[fingertipsmp3]

I love TS2 but it has some really stupid mechanics built into it

[newobsessionweekly]

You will always be my Boot

Main masterlist | The rookie masterlist

Tim Bradford x FBI!FormerRookie!reader Fandom: The Rookie

Summary: You are a former FBI agent and come back to your roots after many years. Little did you know Tim waited for you all these years.

A/N: This is my first Tim Bradford one ever and I know I need some improvement in this police area. I'm thinking about making a part two of this. Anyways, let me know what you think. Have a wonderful day, bubs! Lots of love.

Requested: Yes Words: 2.5k Requests for Tim Bradford are open! GIF not mine, credits to the owner.

The flight was exhausting and the shitty bed from that cheap motel was even worse. They'd think an FBI agent would afford a five star hotel and a warm meal, instead of that reheated noodles you had last night, but LA is expensive as shit. One thing you didn't miss about this city were those self-centred Hollywood "stars" and the exorbitant prices.

You watched the time over and over again, shaking your foot nervously. You are ready to go, but you just can't gather the courage to face those police officers again. The bathroom light is dim and you put the blame on that for your horrendous bun, not because you lost practice. You redo the bun one more time and watch yourself in the mirror. LAPD uniform hugs your curves so perfectly and the overloaded belt accentuates your waist. You allow yourself to wear a small smile today, for the sake of old times.

The tranquility of the morning was shattered by the unmistakable sound of gunshots ringing out in the distance. Instantly alert, with your heart pounding in your chest as adrenaline surged through your veins, you grabbed your service weapon and badge, slipping them into your waistband as you hurried out the door and into the cool morning air.

As you made your way down the narrow staircase of the motel, the sounds of the gunshots grew louder, sending a chill down your spine. Stepping out onto the sidewalk, you quickly assessed the situation—a group of armed men engaged in a shootout with one another only a few blocks away. Confusion made its way to your mind; why would some people from the same gang fire at each other?

As you analyse their tattoos, some have it on their neck, some on their wrist, it snapped. You recognise those tattoos from your FBI files that lay on your motel bed, two different markings, two different gangs. Dangerous ones, wanted ones.

Without a second thought, you sprang into action, ducking behind parked cars and storefronts, you closed in on the scene, your heart pounding in your chest as you prepared to confront them. There's no time to wait for backup. And who'd you call anyway?

With a burst of adrenaline, you emerged from cover and sprinted towards the gunmen, your weapon drawn and ready. The element of surprise worked in your favor as you caught them off guard, their attention momentarily diverted as they turned to face you.

"Drop your weapons! FBI!" you shouted, your voice ringing out clear and commanding above the chaos of the shootout.

For a moment, there was hesitation in their eyes, uncertainty flickering across their faces as they weighed their options. But then, with a defiant snarl, they raised their guns once more, their fingers tightening on the triggers.

Time seemed to slow as the standoff unfolded, each moment stretched to its breaking point as you and the felons locked eyes, the tension thick in the air. And then, with a burst of gunfire, the situation erupted into chaos once more.

Bullets flew past you in a deadly dance as you returned fire, each shot ringing out like a thunderclap in the stillness of the morning. You managed to hit two of them, one in the shoulder, that dropped the gun and grabbed their wound in shock and the other one in the thigh, forcing them to fall into the ground. You didn't had enough handcuffs to secure them all, so it was your priority to stop them from running away until the officers arrived.

It's crazy to see how four rival gang members united to get rid of you when seconds before were about to blow their heads off.

"I said, drop your weapons, now!" you demanded to the masked one still standing, gunshots finally stopping. You didn't see any response or will to do so and that made you place aim for their legs as well, forcing them to collapse. "Hands behind your back, intertwine your fingers."

Before handcuffing them, you pulled up your phone and searched for that one number.

"Sergeant Grey" the voice on the other side responded.

"Agent Y/L/N, FBI. I have in custody two of Crenshaw and two of Tongan. I need backup and R/A. Crenshaw bulevard with W 66th Street." you informed Sergeant Grey.

"Copy that."

Not long after you made the call, three cars and an ambulance pulled up to the address you gave. The look on the officers faces when they saw you holding one handcuffed suspect and three injured on the street, was as satisfying as catching those. Adrenaline still coursing through your veins, you couldn't help but feel a sense of pride wash over you.

"Y/L/N, FBI." you presented yourself to the officers, you showed your badge and shake their hands, each wearing a mortified expression after they heard your name. "After they're checked, let's get going. I'm late for my first day." you demanded and the six officers nodded as an understanding.

You could tell by the look on their faces, some of them are rookies. You can't forget those eyes, you had the exact same expression when you were a rookie and as Tim as your T.O. didn't help much.

"Agent Y/L/N." a serious tone came from just as a serious man. Sergeant Grey standing tall and imposing in the booking room as you walked the men to one of the benches and let another officer take care of him. As you approached the man, a big and friendly smile appeared on his face "It's so good to have you back."

"Good to be back, sir." you accepted his handshake with that small smile from the morning that you promised yourself you'd be wearing all day.

Your name was on everyone's lips as you walked through the station besides Grey.

It had been years since you last walked these familiar corridors, but as you made your way toward the meeting room, a sense of nostalgia washed over you.

"Is that Y/N?" one officer whispered to another, having the impression you didn't hear them.

"Yeah. Still hot. Heard she's working with FBI now." that remark made you turn your head in their direction, locking your eyes with one of them as he swallowed the lump in his throat and returning to his seat.

Inside, the meeting room was filled with the buzz of conversation as officers gathered for the morning briefing. All eyes turned to you as you entered, whispers and murmurs following in your wake. You could feel the weight of their scrutiny, their curiosity palpable in the air as they watched the former FBI agent return to their ranks.

"Good morning everyone. Sorry I'm late, had to take care of something so early this morning because someone doesn't sleep." he glanced at you and the murmur stopped when the eyes landed on you standing in the doorframe. "Take a sit." you nodded and sat down in the first row.

"Is that Y/N?" Lucy whispered to Nolan and Jackson. It was impossible to shake the feeling of being under a microscope, every move you made scrutinized by your colleagues.

"Hell, yeah, she is!" Jackson laid his eyes on you and gave you an appreciation smile.

As the sergeant launched into the details of the day's assignments and priorities, you found it difficult to concentrate, the weight of everyone's eyes on you making it hard to focus. But you pushed through, determined to prove yourself in your new role as a police officer.

"Today we made serious progress towards the gangs that won't let Los Angeles sleep in peace. Agent Y/L/N, first thing in the morning had in custody four men, almost as important as the gang leaders." your mind zoned out, you already knew that story. But what you didn't know and what's really eating you inside is that specific blond man.

In the corner of the room, Talia and Angela exchanged knowing glances, their whispers barely audible over the sergeant's voice.

"Can you believe she's back?" Angela muttered.

"I heard she was with the FBI," Talia replied, her voice tinged with curiosity. "Wonder what brought her back here."

"From an FBI agent to an officer? Seems like a joke to me..." Lopez paused as she looked at Tim for a moment. "Maybe something bad happened. Maybe she did something bad." the excitement of her voice was unquestionable.

Meanwhile, Tim Bradford watched from his seat at the front of the room, his expression unreadable as he observed the scene unfolding before him. Memories of your time together as rookie and training officer flashed through his mind, the bond you had shared still lingering despite the years apart.

"I heard she was the best rookie this station ever had. And it was his rookie, can you believe that!" Angela's mind was focused on one subject and one only. She is more than convinced that something has happened between you and Tim.

"Almost 100 on every exam and she was the only person this grumpy smiled to!" Talia added, making Tim shift uncomfortable in his seat, his eyes not letting the sight of you even for a second.

"That's not true. And I'm not grumpy, I do smile..." Tim responded to their feminine gossip, something he's not doing too often. He still thinks it's a waste of time this kind of conversation and one's personal life is no one's business, but maybe, maybe he wants to know more about you. "Sometimes"

He was wondering as well what could've possibly had happened to make you come back to LA, knowing very well how much you hated the city and how much you suffered the moment you stepped on that plane.

Tim's heart was below the sea's surface, buried inside the burning hell somewhere since the moment he caught a glimpse of your siluete walking around these hallways again. His hands were sweating and the lump in his throat could swallow him.

But you were nowhere far away from that feeling either. All the feelings from back then were coming alive faster than the light-speed and the memories of the time you were his rookie, the looks, the touches, the sweetness of his words alongside the glances from your colleagues made your eyes fill with bittersweet tears. You had to raise your head a little and blink as fast as you could to make those tears disappear and take a few deep breaths to calm down. You have to put this feelings aside. Now.

As the meeting drew to a close, Sergeant Gray turned his attention to you, his gaze lingering for a moment before moving on to the next item on the agenda.

"You're dismissed and be safe out there!" Gray closed the meeting and everyone rushed to start the day.

You waited for everyone to clear the room, mostly because you hate crowded places and people jostling around. You kept your head low, already full of everyone staring. When the room cleared just enough, you wanted to make your way to Sergeant Gray's office when a big, warm hand landed on your shoulder, freezing you on spot.

Some time ago, you knew by heart every single trace and curve of that hand, and now your mind doesn't disappoint you remembering it all with just a blink. His breath winding down your spine as minty as always.

You hated him. You hated yourself. Damn, you hate everyone and everything this moment.

"Y/N." his voice was as overwhelming as always and it made your feet weak. It made you weak and it hit you hard right into your bones. You didn't think twice and as you raised your chin up high and faked a confident expression, you turned to your heels to face him. Once and for all. "I can't believe you're back."

"Tim" you nodded, greeting him with a smile. This time a genuine one, wider and more powerful than the one you had forced yourself to wear all day. Not a forced one, but one that you found you couldn't hide. "It's been a while." you cleared your throat and searched his eyes.

They were staring right into your soul with the same spark and love you've missed so much. It seems like you've never changed, seems like everything is just the way it was. Like he was your TO, teaching you, teasing you, caring for you, having your back and you were his rookie, learning from him, turning into the best version of him, making him proud.

The air between you crackled with unspoken tension as you struggled to find the right words to say. The spark that had once ignited between you still burned bright, despite the years and distance that had separated you.

"How are you? How's Isabel?"

"Uh-Yeah..." he paused for a moment, the light in his eyes fading. "We separated a few months ago."

Tim wished this words would hurt more admitting them in front of you, would hurt just as much as he hurt you. But it didn't. That wound is almost healed, making room for another one to open.

"Oh, Tim. I'm so sorry" you were sincere, though not with all your heart. You knew it must've hurt like hell having in mind how much Tim loved his wife. But at some point he loved you too. Maybe not as much as her, maybe more, maybe less.

"But I'm fine, yeah. It's past now." he cracked a smile, resting his arm on the table as close to your thigh as you could feel its warmth. "What about you? Making an entrance for sure. Catching those guys from Crenshaw and Tongan, impressive. I taught you well." oh, he knows what he's doing and watching your shield breaking before his eyes, he's delighted.

"Oh, don't be so cocky—"

"Why are you here? Why now?" he asked. You rested your hand on your belt and raised an eyebrow as a response to his questions.

"You know I can't tell you." he sighed at your words, realising just now maybe the things are not how they were. You are not as open to him or talkative as before. You are not in love with him as you were before. But he's not done trying yet.

"Dinner tonight?" Tim was bold for sure and his question took you by surprise. You weighed the answer, but before you could say yes, he continued "I can't lose the chance again. I can't lose you again, Boot."

"Okay, yes!" you pushed your finger into his chest "Stop making those puppy eyes, you know I can't resist." he laughed and before you can walk away, he grabbed your waist and kissed your forehead gently. His lips lingering on your skin few more seconds, memorising your sweet scent, trying to remember it, like if he could ever forget.

"It's good to have you back, Boot!"

"Stop calling me 'Boot'!" you fought back, annoyed, but he enjoyed every moment. He missed you like hell and now all of this is hitting him hard in the face like a... boot. "I'm not your Boot" you persisted.

"Oh, you'll always be my Boot!"

[batmanisagatewaydrug]

Hi bisexual sex ed person batman

Do you think teenagers masturbating to porn is bad or neutral

And also i have another question. We know young kids and sex is not a good match. Not questioning that. But do you know why, exactly? Like why is it traumatizing for a small kid to watch porn but not for a teenager. Like how does that work

Thank you in advance. And uh. Happy saturday

hi anon,

okay, so. I need you to understand that you're first question is basically this.

like, you want me to classify EVERY teenager who's ever jacked it to ANY kind of porn as either bad or neutral? good's not even an option? jesus christ.

let's say that I think any body jacking off to anything is for the most part a pretty morally neutral act so long as they're not cranking it on public transit or while spying on someone who is unaware of their presence and therefore unable to consent.

as for your second question, this is going to be unpopular but it's actually not inherently traumatizing for a prepubescent child to see porn. don't get me wrong, I'm in no way advocating for showing your baby porn instead of cocomelon or whatever, but there's no trauma button that automatically gets switched if it happens.

which I can say with a decent amount of firsthand experience because, you know, I work with kids, and I also work with their parents to talk about the experiences that they had as children. every time I teach my class I get parents telling me about how they found porn mags for the first time when they were young, in their parents' bedroom or in a gutter or, once, hidden in some farm equipment. and a lot of their kids have seen porn online by the time they're in the age range I teach (about 11 years old), whether accidentally or shown it a a crude prank by another child.

and for the most part they're like... completely fine. the adults who saw porn as kids grew up to be the kind of thoughtful, conscientious parents who want their kids to receive quality, inclusive sex education. most of their kids find it silly, because they can't imagine why adults might want to do something that looks so weird and awkward, or they get a little kick out of seeing something adult that they know is supposed to be off limits, or they don't get it and don't think much about it at all. hell, some of those kids will experience one of their first encounters with sexual arousal; that's a thing that's perfectly healthy for kids to experience and some are early bloomers!

some kids might find it confusing or upsetting, sure, but those kids also tend to put the magazine away or close the video very quickly. kids are, you know, people, and they're pretty good at just moving away from things that bother them. and discomfort is, ultimately, not the same thing as trauma.

to be sure, some kids have a long-term bad reaction, but there are often extenuating circumstances in that case. there are obvious cases in which porn is shown to a child specifically by an abuser, but I've also found that for a lot of people what causes their long-term psychological distress wasn't them seeing porn but the way their caregivers reacted to it, making the child feel ashamed and dirty without ever giving them an explanation for why the adults in their life reacted so negatively. that can create a huge burden that leaves people feeling shaky and insecure in their sexuality for decades after the fact.

once again, I just want to be super clear on this before anyone starts trying to make it seem like I think Coolsville sucks: I don't think little kids should be seeing a lot of porn! if a kid in your life is doing that, they should be directed gently away with a thoughtful explanation of what they've been looking at and why it's not a good fit for them at their age nor a good model of what real sexuality is like. it can be difficult to suppress the urge to panic and react harshly, even if you feel it's in the kid's best interest, but they deserve an explanation that will make clear that they're not the one in the wrong.

but, again, there's not a switch in a child's brain that automatically traumatizes them if they see a titty.

[idwt-money]

Roomies

MDNI 18+

1.7k words

Noah Sebastian x Fem!Y/n

CW: unprotected sex, slight breeding kink, fingering, little eensy weensy bit of dirty talk

You and Noah had been roommates for a year on the dot. You both took the day and threw a small “celebration”. You had movies, snacks, your favorite fast food places and of course, alcoholic beverages.

Your movie options were wide ranged, from comedy to horror. Horror was your personal favorite but you didn't mind comedy at all.

You were watching The Shining, currently, such a classic movie. You could never get tired of it but Noah was so over it. You had forced him to watch it at least 25 times with you.

“Y/n, this is so boring!! I've seen this movie at least 30 times and you, even more!” He groaned.

“Whatever! It's my favorite!” You pushed off his annoyance and turned back to the movie. You had a bowl of pretzels, popcorn and chocolate chips. It was a good snack to just snack on while you mindlessly watched the movie.

Noah had his own bowl that he had now got up from his laid-back position on the couch, fully sitting up.

“Noah, move!! You're completely blocking the screen.” You rolled your eyes as Noah smirked and chuckled.

“Oh no! What a tragedy!” He sat facing you now, still covering the TV.

He leaned in close and you knew what would happen. You had no time to run away before Noah's hands were on your sides, tickling you.

“No! Noah oh my god!! Let me go!!” You tried to be mindful of your upstairs neighbors but your voice turned into more of a screech.

Noah completely ignored your pleas and continued his business. You wiggled and squirmed and you were now against his chest. You tried your best to get away from his grasp but it was no use.

Luckily, Noah had stopped, giving you a chance to breathe.

“We're going to get a fucking noise complaint because of you.” You mumbled.

“Yeah, whatever. The landlord is a douche anyways.”

Noah's arms were wrapped around you, keeping you safe and sound. This wasn't anything out of the ordinary. You were both single and sometimes just needed to feel loved.

You wouldn't lie, you found Noah attractive. His tattoos were appealing and his muscles had become more defined since he moved in and his hair had such a nice cut. You would joke about his scar from the lip piercing he had ages ago.

You and Noah had started off as strangers but now you were more inseparable as ever could be.

You were falling asleep as Noah was rocking you both back and forth on the couch, it was pretty late but luckily neither of you had work in the morning. It had worked out perfectly.

“Don't fall asleep on me, now.” His voice was low and rough but yet so comforting.

“Hm? I'm not!” You looked up at him and smiled.

“Seems like you might be.” He softly laughed.

“Nuh uh.” You shook your head.

He gave a soft kiss to your forehead. Usually, they would be friendly and would just be a soft peck, but this one was different.

It lasted longer, his arms tightened around you and he pulled you closer. For a split second, you thought something might have been wrong with him.

“Are you okay, Noah?” Your eyes gave concern when he pulled away.

“I'm perfectly fine, angel.” He smiled.

Angel was a nickname he used often with you when he was being cutesy. A blush rose to your cheeks, your face now being flushed pink.

“You look like one of those anime characters when they blush. You know, with the three blush lines?” His eyes were focused on yours, one hand now playing with their hair.

“Angel?” He sounded anxious.

“Yes, Noah?”

“Can I kiss you?”

A moment of silence was shared between you two before you nodded.

He took it slow and gave you a spiderman kiss. You smiled into the kiss and held onto his arm. When he pulled away, you pulled him back in.

You wanted this for a long time without even knowing.

This kiss was deeper, more meaningful. The first kiss was to seemingly test the waters. To see if either you or him had felt like it was right.

It felt more than right.

In no time, your tongues were dancing around each other and Noah's hand (with permission of course) was starting to explore your body.

His left hand groped your tits while his right hand was slowly dipping into your panties. He was taking too long for your liking, so you took it in your hands and moved his fingers under the waistband of your panties, letting him feel the pool of wetness he had caused you.

It caused him to break from the kiss, letting a soft moan escape from his lips. Instead of going back to your lips, he kissed along your neck. His middle and ring finger started to move along in small circles on your clit. Every so often gliding them up and down your cunt to collect the new wetness that had pooled up.

You leaned your head to the side and watched his hand move from your cunt to remove your pajama pants and underwear.

“Fuck I bet your pussy looks so damn pretty, angel.”

He took in your scent, the perfume you worse drove him up the wall. He could devour you in seconds if you'd allow him.

He had you open your legs, sliding his fingers through your cunt once more before plunging them into you. Your breath was caught in the back of your throat. God only knows how long it's been since you've been fucked, let alone fingered, by another person.

“Oh, god…Noah-” You started to grind against his hand, feeling his free hand grip you tight. You could feel his cock harden and twitch under your back. The way you're moving your body only made it worse. Your back rubbing against Noah's cock was making him go crazy.

His fingers curled up into your g-spot, causing you to shutter and snap your legs closed.

“Don't you dare. Keep them open, angel.”

You tried your best to do as he said. It was so hard. The pleasure was all too much and your body was on the verge of taking a mind of its own.

“Noah- oh god, Noah..” Your cunt tightened and clenched around his fingers, signaling how close you were to him. Noah didn't have to say anything to you to let you get yourself over the edge.

It crashed into you. After fucking yourself for so long, having someone else touch you was undescribable.

Your nails dug into his arm and you slowly came down.

When you had gained your energy back, you turned around, facing Noah, sitting on your knees.

“Take your shorts off.”

“Are you sure, angel? You don't have to-”

“Noah, shut up. Let me have you.”

With no further questions, Noah threw his clothes somewhere in the living room. His cock was utterly beautiful. It had a pretty pink tip, veins running up and down the shaft and god it made you drool.

You spit onto it, stroking it once or twice, so it wouldn't hurt as much when you sat on it.

You desperately wanted to wrap your lips around it and suck him dry, but he denied.

“I won't last long enough, please just let me feel you. Fuck, please, angel.” His words were more so pleas than directions.

You took your shirt off, along with his as you started to crawl into his lap. Once the rest of your clothes were discarded, you sat down on his cock.

Your mouth hung open as Noah's eyes rolled back. You steadied yourself by putting your hands on either side of Noah's shoulders. Noah took charge and placed his hands on your waist.

“Holy shit. You feel like heaven on fucking earth.” His voice was breathy and it made your pussy flutter around him.

You started off by grinding on his cock, letting yourself adjust to his size. He was bigger than you expected and definitely bigger than anyone else you had slept with before.

“You're so fucking big. Holy shit!”

He smirked and started to slightly bounce you up and down. Once you caught onto the pace Noah set, You took it into your own hands.

Noah made a ponytail in his hand and softly pulled your head backwards. He placed a fat hickey onto your neck. He knew you'd be pissed, he knew it would highschool behavior but fuck, he couldnt help it. It looked so perfect on you. Made by him.

Your eyes rolled back and you let your legs do the work for you. Noah was meeting you halfway, thrusting his hips to fuck even deeper into you.

You swore you could feel his cock hitting your cervix with every thrust.

You knew you'd be sore as fuck tomorrow but it'd all be worth it for the sex you were having with the man in front of you.

“Fuck, you have no idea…how long…I've wanted to do this..” He spoke between catching his breath.

You heard the wet noises from your pussy and your skin hitting together. Weirdly, it was such a hot sound, knowing the cause made you even wetter. You were dripping down your thigh and onto Noah's pelvis bone.

You both were an absolute mess but it felt so good. Neither of you could think straight and all you wanted was to feel was Noah's cock pump you full of his babies.

Noah knew all of your ins and outs. You had many conversations of your kinks and fantasies, solely as friends. Mostly when you were drinking or getting high, but nonetheless, he remembered them all.

“Wanna feel my babies, hm? Feel me stuff you full of my cum.” His words were harsh but his body language was so soft and gentle. Despite his cock completely abusing your cunt.

You nodded, tears building up in your waterline.

“God, yes please Noah. I wanna feel you.”

You felt your stomach tighten up, like a rubber band that was ready to explode.

“Pl-please!!” You cried out

“Cmon, angel. Do it with me. You got it, baby.”

Sweat was building up on his toned chest, making him look even more attractive, if that was at all possible.

Within the next three thrusts, Noah had painted your insides. It made you feel so warm and fucked out. It was utter bliss.

You collapsed on Noah's chest, heaving for air.

Noah's hand ran through your hair as he thanked you.

“Want me to run you a shower, angel?”

[bekolxeram]

Continuing on the theme of things I've missed while S7 was airing, we have to talk about the (failed) first date. I admit it gave me too much second hand embarrassment that I usually skipped it on a rewatch. Once I managed to brave through that I realized I did miss something important, so here is another scene breakdown. Again, it's just my own interpretation.

The title of 7x05 is You Don't Know Me, that seems to be the theme of the episode: the Wilsons figuring out Mara's trauma, Eddie finding out Marisol's former nun training, Buck trying to navigate the whole dating a man thing, but they all end up making an effort to make the relationship work.

The date scene starts at the end of the actual date. We don't see much of the getting to know each other stuff, but judging by their faces, it's gone pretty well. At this point they don't know about each other's movie preference yet, so Tommy picks a place where they can decide on arrival, with Buck's input. That also signifies the nature of this date, they're literally "keeping their options open" and just seeing where it goes, without any major expectation.

Buck still seems visibly nervous, but Tommy reassures him that they're just two guys having dinner, it's a very ordinary thing that nobody cares.

Buck pretends he's at ease, Tommy points out he seems a little tensed, but he understands Buck's worry. Tommy speaks about the masculine nature of their job and tells Buck that people are more accepting than he thinks, which sounds awfully like it's from experience.

I think Buck sees it too, so he asks Tommy, who seems perfectly confident in his sexuality and masculinity, if he's been always out on a job. Tommy tells Buck about the 118 under G*rrard, this explains to the audience why Tommy seemed to be straight and a part of the boys club back in S2.

So Tommy was at least aware of or questioning his sexuality at the 118. Mr. "my girlfriend is totally coming next week" and "single is much easier than scaring women" was full blown lying about his sexual orientation. Chances are he does understand Buck's nervous fumbling, as he's probably done worse in the past.

Here comes the seemingly recurring theme of Buck making things all about himself, whether you agree with this or not, he does have a tendency to get stuck in his own head. Tommy assures him yet again that he's not accusing Buck of anything, he's just sharing his own experience to empathize.

Tommy looks a bit surprise when Buck tells him it's his first date with a dude. It's probably new information to Tommy.

And then Buck tries showing Tommy that he holds no prejudice towards queerness because he's an ally, completely oblivious to the fact that he's also one of them. Tommy tries to follow as much as he can.

Tommy senses that Buck is spiraling, trying to pull out random stuff just to bring the date back on track, so he flirts with him just to lighten up the mood and for the third time of the night, reassure him of his interest in him and the rest of the night.

Then Eddie and Marisol walk in, and Buck panics. I know Buck tells Maddie later that he "makes it seem like they were just hanging out", but if you go back to this scene, Tommy is the one who covers for Buck and takes the initiative to agree with Eddie and tell him they're just doing normal bro hangout stuff.

7 seaons in, we all know Buck doesn't have the best luck with first dates. The more he likes someone, the more likely it is for him to mess it up. So of course he has to self-sabotage here and drag Tommy into the closet with him, even though Tommy's already covered for him and Eddie is ready to move on. Tommy doesn't like mad here, he looks disappointed.

For what it's worth, Buck's hot chick comment actually makes things worse. Look at how confused Eddie's reaction is.

This snarky joke from Tommy has caused some controversy among part of the fandom. Some believe that Tommy could've outed Buck with it, but I beg to differ. Eddie knows Buck very well, Buck has always dated women. On the other hand, Eddie has never heard of Tommy dating a woman, he might have attributed it to the recency of their friendship, but that's why he immediately makes the connection in his head that Tommy is gay when Buck comes out to him later in the episode. Even if Eddie had superhuman intuition and understood the double entendre of this closet comment, Tommy would be outing himself, not Buck.

Here is another controversial moment: Tommy doesn't explain anything to Buck until the Uber is here, and he just leaves him there. First, Buck is a grown man, he can get himself home, there is no concern for his safety. Second, Tommy has every right to leave the date if he doesn't vibe with it. When Tommy tells Buck he's adorable, I don't think he's referring to Buck's overall demeanor. I think he means that Buck's nervous fumbling into queerness doesn't scare him, he actually finds it quite endearing. But after reassuring him 3 times, even going as far as telling Eddie, someone they can trust, that they're just hanging out, Buck still feels the need to make the hot chick comment and push them both into the closet, Tommy realizes that things would not go any better if they continue the date. Buck has not fully processed the fact that he's bisexual and he's dating a man. I'm sure Tommy really likes Buck as well, he want to make it work, so to him, the best course of action at the moment is to take a step back and let Buck figure things out himself first.

To Buck this may sound like Tommy is letting him down easy, but I think Tommy is consciously not shutting anything down here. He absolutely will see Buck around, he's still Eddie's friend. Tommy knows they will have to talk about it in the future, but for now, it's best to put a pause on things just to give Buck some space to process. What Tommy doesn't know is that Buck has been dumped so many times that he thinks this is it.

Therefore, not only does Tommy never intend to out Buck during the date, he is willing to keep things ambiguous for Buck's comfort. Ultimately, it isn't enough for Buck, so Tommy takes a step back for Buck to figure things out on his own.

[neiptune]

i got nothing to believe unless you're choosing me

cw: 2k wc, blank blogs don't interact, hurt no comfort (ish), something is wrong and tobio can't quite put his finger on it, excuse the angst i promise i like him

Kageyama Tobio has never been particularly skilled at picking up on social cues but he’s certainly learned how to read your cues. It doesn’t mean he knows how to properly voice his concerns.

Your shoulders are tense when he describes how the training is going in agonizingly specific detail over dinner, the inflection clothing your good morning and have a good day hasn’t been particularly warm or affectionate lately, even when his body felt heavy from muscle fatigue, as if he was trying to move through mud, but he still suggested a comfortable movie night on the couch, you refused and went to bed early because you were tired. What could be possibly tiring you?

Tobio doesn’t mean to be an asshole but knows he can easily come off as one, so he doesn’t ask. He doesn’t get annoyed when you anticipate his usual goodbye kisses by briefly pressing your lips to his cheek, doesn’t investigate further when you start suspiciously timing your morning showers just perfectly to miss the exact moment he usually heads out. You still make him breakfast and pack his lunch and reply to his texts and pick up when he calls.

But you barely touch him anymore and it’s with a heavy heart that Tobio realizes that it’s almost never him that initiates physical contact anyway. It’s easy to melt in your hands and nuzzle his face in the crook of your neck and tighten his arms around your frame once you climb on top of him or gently cradle his face or start running your fingers through his hair.

You ask questions and reply when he asks about your day, friends, family, but you don’t smile as often and when you do it doesn’t even reach your eyes. He doesn’t remember the last time he heard your laugh.

There’s a weird feeling infiltrating his heart and it sucks that Tobio only realizes something is wrong when focusing becomes increasingly hard. He doesn’t see the ball or the court just as clearly, can’t think of how to run his team’s offense, suddenly forgets all the Italian vocabulary he’s worked so hard to master.

There’s an odd emotion that clutches his chest, it’s cold and it scares him because he knows that, whatever it may be, it’s his fault. Somehow, he has disappointed you. You, of all people. The person who moved across the freaking globe to support his career, who accepted to leave family and friends and life behind out of nothing but love. Fuck. What did he do? How did he do it?

Tobio wants to ask but he doesn’t know how. And suddenly his world seems on the edge of shattering, so much that he thinks leaving you alone and giving you time to figure it out on your own isn’t exactly proving to be a successful strategy. You’re drifting away and Tobio isn’t sure you aren’t already where he cannot reach you.

The apartment you share is significantly close to the gym and it came fully furnished. Yet you insisted on adding some little personal touches, dragging him to ikea over the weekend and asking him opinions on napkins, bath mats, duvet covers, dish towels. You’ve never been one of those people who ask for someone else’s thoughts only to follow your own taste in the end and that is why he actually felt invested enough to pick things he actually liked, albeit hesitating, hyper aware of just how differently you would’ve picked. But you never once faltered as he pointed towards the less exciting, not really colorful options.

“You’re back early” is the soft greeting Tobio gets as he takes his shoes off, leaves the gym bag by the door because he knows if he’s a second too late the courage will melt away and leave him a sweaty, timid, confused coward.

“I’m not very hungry but we have some leftovers you can heat up” your eyes have only shortly darted to him before settling on the show you’re watching on tv once more.

“I was hoping we could talk” he feels a weird lump in his throat and suddenly swallowing seems hard. Is his voice coming out weird too? It feels weird. Like he’s watching the whole scene from the outside, you turning to look at him as he mechanically makes his way to the couch, sits reasonably afar from you.

You look at him with what feels a weird mix of apprehension and distress. Are you anticipating the topic? Would you have preferred to be the one to bring this all up? But just how much longer did you want him to wait, exactly?

The tv is turned off.

“Yeah. Yes, we should talk”

Tobio recalls feeling nervous a couple of times in his life, maybe the worst anxiety he’s ever felt was the one creeping onto him the night before the 2021 Tokyo olympics. But this? This feels so much worse. It’s dreadful. There’s no outcome he can predict, only one he can pray against.

“Something is wrong and I want to know what it is” he knows he’s picked the wrong words, the wrong tone, from the sigh you heave. “I mean, I feel that something isn’t right. Please tell me how to fix it” and then, much more quietly, “I miss you”.

Your eyes soften at that but, much to his horror, also fill with fresh tears.

He’s made you cry before. Out of anger, frustration, petty arguments, sharp edged comebacks. But right in this moment Tobio feels you’re about to tell him there’s nothing to fix anymore, that it’s too late. Those are the kind of tears he’s never made you shed.

“What did I do?” his uniform sticks uncomfortably to his sweaty back, he didn’t shower in order to get home as fast as he could.

“You didn’t do anything, Tobio”

Well, that’s not exactly the truth, but he didn’t do anything out of the ordinary. Nothing you haven’t been used to throughout the years spent together.

“Please. I really want to understand” it scares me he wants to add.

“This is nothing I can hold you accountable for. It’s always been like this, after all”

“What has always been like this?”

“My place in your life” you smile sadly with a slight shrug of the shoulders “I always come second. It’s fine, I know I do, really. I guess it has just been weighing extra heavy lately”

Tobio blinks once, twice, genuinely surprised and even more confused. “I love you” he articulates slowly, as if to express what should be the most obvious thing on earth “the only person I love as much as you is my sister. But it’s different, she’s family”

“I would never expect you to love me more than it” you carry on as if he never interrupted “volleyball was there first, I get it. Please know I actually get it. But it’s just… not always easy”

Tobio gets that feeling he sometimes gets when trying to fall asleep, the oh-no-I’m-plummeting-from-a-fucking-skyscraper one. His body jerks the same way, an involuntary contraction to the last words he was expecting to hear. “I don’t understand” because volleyball is different too. It’s a comparison his brain can’t process the right way. You’re the person he’s in love with, volleyball is the one thing he has dedicated his entire life to. He doesn’t dare put you both on a scale.

“I know you don’t” you reply softly, cheeks now stained with tears that put a knife through his heart “and maybe it’s on me because what else did I expect?”

“I love you” Tobio scoots closer now, takes your hands in his “I will be better at proving you how much I love you” it sounds desperate and pathetic even to him as you shake your head.

“And I love you, Tobio. But you’re just… never here. You’re either training or staying for extra trainings or on the road or playing, always playing. You forgot my birthday, which is no big deal because I know how tired you were and it’s not like it hasn’t happened before. But then you forgot our anniversary. You forget the promises you make. You don’t come home for dinner or meet me at the restaurant or pick up the groceries. You can barely keep your eyes open while I tell you about my day” he watches you choke up on your words and it’s like someone is toppling a bucket of iced water over his head. So he was right. It is his fault. But he did worse than disappointing you, he hurt you.

“I just think… I need to go home for a while. I miss my family, I miss my friends. And, well…”

“I promised we’d travel home for our anniversary” he murmurs, realization hurting his chest and twisting his insides. He tightens his hold over your hands.

“Yeah” you offer another grim smile “yeah, you did”

Tobio has no idea how to fix any of this. He just knows he might lose you forever if you step on that plane without him and the thought alone is enough to make his eyes fill with tears too. “Don’t go. Please, I’ll make arrangements, take some time off, and we can go together. I promise-” he shuts his eyes the second the word leaves his mouth, disgusted. This is what he has sounded like for the past months. He feels sick.

“I have my ticket ready. I need to go alone, I think it will do me good” your thumb travels over his uncharacteristically chapped knuckles “I might even surprise Suga at his school”

But all Tobio hears is that you’re leaving. Without him. “Don’t do this. I need you” he flinches when you free one of your hands to wipe a tear from the corner of his eye.

“I don’t think that’s true, Tobio. I think you have one priority in your life and that it’s unfair to ask everyone else to be okay with being eternal seconds”

“I don’t love it more than I love you” he bites “it’s a fucking stupid comparison. It’s a sport and you’re a person”

“Would you stop playing if I asked you to?”

He stays silent, petrified. That question also feels unfair and so unlike you. “You would never do such thing”

You chuckle but there’s no actual humor in your laugh. It’s empty and so exhausted. “You’re right, I’d never. But that still isn’t the answer I would’ve hoped to get”

“So what, if I don’t give up on my entire life it means I don’t love you enough? Is this the yardstick by which you’ll decide if you’ll break up with me or not?” he hopes he seems angry because he’s desperate more than anything else. He feels inadeguate and, for the first time, wrong for you. Like you’re a perfect match but a one-sided one. Could he ever be a match for anyone, honestly?

“But I did give up on my entire life, didn’t I?” you lean forward, press your forehead to his shoulder because looking into his pained eyes is torture “for something that now feels like the shell of what we once had. You say you miss me but I’ve been missing you for far longer, Tobio”

He aches for the way your body shakes as you try to muffle your sobs, his arms around you don’t feel nearly enough. Tobio wishes he could rip his chest cavity open and tuck you inside, right next to what’s sure is a bruised heart. Maybe then you’d believe how deeply sorry he is. Maybe then you’d feel loved once more, you’d be safe from his selfishness.

“Don’t leave me” Tobio whispers it into your neck, lips grazing your skin. He wants to be better, knows he can be better. “I wouldn’t be who I am without you”

“I don’t want to stay and end up hating this, or you. I want to shield the love I have for you and I can’t do that if I stay here. It's like I'm... fading” your voice isn’t but a murmur “you understand, right, Tobio?”

He shuts his eyes, time and space and his house and the room you’re both in cease to exist. He doesn't. But he thinks the least he can offer, at this point, is understanding.

“Yes. I do”

[abditorial]

You def fed the people with the dry humping post LAWD 🧎‍♀️🧎‍♀️

May I humbly request a continuation with inumaki 🙇‍♀️🙇‍♀️🙇‍♀️

The song says lady boner gone but tbh lady boner is definitely still here…

Since you asked so humbly! 🤭

YOUR ACTIONS ARE DOING ALL THE ASKING,

I CAN FEEL YOUR BODY TREMBLING.

More dry humping ♥︎

FT. Toge Inumaki

X READER

WARNINGS: 18+, AFAB reader, Toge says actual words that aren’t verbs like “yes” “okay” and so on, semi-public sex, eventual penetration, creampie, not proofread (i’ll do it later leave me alone…)

It was just like Gojo to make a big deal about his own birthday. Plan a huge surprise party for himself at one of, if not the, most expensive restaurants in Tokyo and offering to pay for everyone who showed up as well as inviting all his students and co-workers. While he was rather charming, most of his friends tended to come from work or were his students and half of them found him annoying so he basically had to bribe you all to show up.

As expected you were sitting at one end of the table with the rest of the second years, which really only consisted of your boyfriend, Maki, and Panda. Yuta was still overseas… Lucky bastard getting to skip an awkward dinner party that was mostly just Gojo and Itadori having loud conversations about nothing important while the rest of you whispered amongst yourselves.

“Toge, what do you plan on getting?” Communication was hard as his lover, because you had to be careful what you asked and he had to be careful how he responded. Verbs weren’t allowed in day to day conversations because he feared he’d accidentally end up using his cursed speech on you. This was a simple question, though. He could answer truthfully without consequences. But he didn’t; Your boyfriend fell silent.

This piqued your curiosity and you lifted your gaze away from the menu to make sure everything was alright. However, you found yourself blushing profusely when you were met with a look that could only be described as hunger. Hunger for you. He was nearly undressing you with his eyes, letting his gaze drift all over your body and take in how gorgeous you looked in your nice low cut top and jeans that hugged your hips perfectly. The way the necklace he got you rested on your collarbone and dragged all his attention to your chest.

“Toge!” You whisper yelled at him, glanced around the table to make sure nobody was watching, and then gestured to the obvious tent in his pants. He finally looked away to where you could only see the tips of his ears going red. “Really? Now?”

“Salmon…” The way he said it was very pathetic, because he knew he should be slightly ashamed but all he could think was the dirtiest of thoughts.

“…” You gave a huff and leaned in to whisper, “I’ll meet you in the bathroom in like five minutes.” Don’t forget the light smack on the arm and a “hurry up!”

Exactly five and a half minutes passed when you were excusing yourself from the table and rushing off to the bathrooms. You had never been to this restaurant, and to your dismay the only options were bathrooms with various stalls, meaning you were very much at risk of being caught. After successfully sneaking you inside the men’s restroom, Toge had pulled you both in the furthest stall from the entrance. He had no problem finding out what he wanted from you, because he was also positioning you just right.

Your ass flush to his crotch, which was still raging hard and seeming like it didn’t plan on ‘deflating’ any time soon. You pressed your palms up against the stall door to keep yourself steady while you bent over because if anyone knew how much Toge enjoyed seeing your spine arch to amplify how plump your bottom was it was you. As expected, he was already giving a low groan of his approval.

Starting off at a slow pace, his hips were moving just like they would if he was really inside you, feeling your warmth. Shit, if it weren’t for the fact you guys were at your teacher’s birthday party maybe he wouldn’t have hesitated to take what he wanted. But since he was such a gentleman he figured he would avoid making such a big mess around all your guys’ friends.

A whine fell from your lips, and almost instantly he had leaned over your bent figure to cover that pretty mouth with his hand, grunting a low “Roe,” in your ear that was pretty clear it meant ‘shut up’. Of course he couldn’t really say that, Toge was too addicted to the soft moans you made to make you silence yourself entirely.

You squeezed your eyes shut, trying to focus on anything but the feeling of his hard on poking at your ass, or how his cold hands were pressed against your tummy, sliding up your shirt to make you shiver and squirm. He was damn near panting in your ear, trying to keep his mouth shut about how badly he wanted to be inside you or to feel your mouth around his cock to keep it warm.

“Toge,” You whined as quietly as you could. You didn’t want to get caught. How embarrassing would it be for a friend to walk into the bathroom and catch you two in the act, hearing your voice and knowing automatically what was happening? He grunted as a response, another way to tell you to keep your voice down. “Please, Toge…” But on the other hand, your begging was so cute. “I want you inside me so bad.” Well, if anything this night has told you how easily you can make him hard.

He pressed his lips to your neck, trying to resist your request and instead just focus on leaving you sweet kisses. Yet he couldn’t hold back from the way you grinded back onto him, your every movement clearly desperate. With a huff, your boyfriend straightened himself out and made quick work of your clothes. Fingers carefully yanking your jeans down by the belt loops, hissing when he noticed the circular stain in your panties that told him everything he needed to know. He teasingly brushed his hand against you, cupping your sex and letting his hand drag upwards over your ass and to the waistband of your underwear, taking his sweet time to slide them off and let them drop to your ankles.

You were trying to be silent when he initially slid himself in, but good god did you miss the feeling of him being inside you. The feeling was clearly mutual too, because he was, once again, hunched over with his face buried in your neck to stifle his little, pathetic whines. As much as he wanted to lose himself and just rail you like it was all he knew how to do, every thrust was slow and passionate to avoid making so much noise.

“Can I-?” You didn’t let him finish his sentence, because you already knew what he was going to ask and what your answer was going to be. With the nod of your head, he was pulling back to hold either side of your ass, rutting his hips forward as far as he could before painting your insides white.

It was quite awkward shuffling out of the restaurant with only the excuse that “something came up” while you were trying to not let his cum spill from your panties. That ‘something’ being your boyfriend’s dick. Again.

If Inumaki was talking with someone and he told them to go fuck themself as a joke would they actually do it??

It’s a little hard to write for Inumaki because I have to avoid phrases that can be seen as instructions or taken literally. But it’s worth it because I love him

As always, requests are open!!

[leona-hawthorne]

hello hello, congrats on 1k once again!! 💘 for my first request, i’d like it to be latte art, please! my house is ravenclaw and my favourite class is charms ✨

KIRAAA i love you, thank you for requesting bb!! 😚 i know you love theo so i chose to do him for this one specifically 🤭 hope you like it 💌

1k celebration navigation latte art

ミ★ SHOW OFF... theodore nott

The day was supposed to be simple, really. Charms was your favorite, after all. Even when it came to complex spells, you always seemed to find your rhythm quickly, something your professors had taken to mentioning with a satisfied nod every now and then.

Today, though, your rhythm had apparently vanished without a trace.

You could feel it slipping the moment Professor Flitwick assigned the task: enchanting objects to float in controlled patterns, and then slowing it down as it was moving—paired work optional but highly encouraged. Naturally, you chose to work alone, not out of stubbornness but simply because you were used to it. Besides, it was Charms—if there was any class you could ace solo, it was this one.

But the quill in front of you had other ideas.

You held your wand steady, casting the spell with a confidence that came naturally to you. But just as you whispered Wingardium Leviosa, your quill seemed to have a mind of its own. Instead of drifting up in the delicate arc you’d pictured, it shot forward in a wild, unpredictable path, veering toward the back of the room. Horrified, you watched as it spiraled, narrowly missing one student, only to make a perfect landing… right in someone’s lap.

And that someone happened to be Theodore Nott, the quiet Slytherin boy who sat near the back. His gaze flicked up to meet yours, one eyebrow arched in faint amusement, like he couldn’t quite believe what just happened. A blush crept up your cheeks as you walked over, hoping no one else had noticed.

You hesitated, but before you could offer a stammered apology, he picked up the quill between his fingers, turning it over as though examining it for some hidden charm. "I didn't expect this from someone who's supposed to have perfect control in… everything," he said, his tone smooth and low, edged with the faintest hint of teasing.

"I—it's usually fine," you replied, flustered. "I don’t know why it did that. I always get the levitation spells right."

He extended the quill back to you, his eyes piqued with interest. "Do you? Perhaps I should watch your technique more closely."

You managed a laugh, though your heart hammered in your chest at the way he looked at you—uncharacteristically focused. As you reached to take back the quill, Theo didn't let go immediately, and the corners of his mouth tugged into a barely-there smirk. "Or maybe you just need a demonstration," he added lightly, as if making up for his earlier teasing.

"I’m pretty sure I know how to levitate a quill," you countered, aiming to match his cool tone. But he was already flicking his wand, casting the spell with a practiced ease that made the quill hover smoothly between you.

The quill floated perfectly, following the path you’d envisioned for your own attempt. You tried to ignore the spark of admiration that bubbled up, focusing instead on the spell. “Show-off,” you muttered, a grin sneaking onto your face despite yourself.

“Only when necessary,” he replied with a laugh that was more a soft exhale than anything else. Theo lowered his wand, letting the quill hover above his hand for just a second before it drifted toward you quickly. “Arresto Momentum,” he murmured under his breath, the quill coming to a slow halt directly in front of your face.

You felt your smile grow. “Alright, alright. I get it, Mr. Perfect.”

He shrugged, feigning nonchalance, though you caught the way his gaze lingered. “It’s an easy mistake to make,” he said. “For some people.”

“Uh-huh. And I’m guessing you never make mistakes in Charms?”

He gave you a wry smile. “Not when I’ve got an audience.”

It took you a second to realize he meant you, and when you did, your cheeks warmed again. Theo let the silence stretch out just a little longer before he added, “Though, I’d expect someone like you to be better with this sort of thing.”

You tilted your head. “Someone like me?”

He chuckled. “You know, all that… bookish focus you’ve got going on,” he said, looking away almost shyly as if he hadn’t meant to say that part out loud. "You'd think it would translate."

“Well, there’s a first time for everything,” you said, brushing off your slight embarrassment. “Though I’m starting to think having a partner might have been a good idea after all.”

“Is that a request?” He raised a brow, his tone light but with just enough intrigue to keep you on edge.

You glanced at him, taken aback by the unexpected offer, but somehow not entirely opposed. “Are you volunteering?”

He gave a faint shrug. “Why not? Better than sitting here waiting to be your next target.”

You rolled your eyes but couldn’t suppress a laugh. “Okay, fine. Let’s see if I can redeem myself, then.”

The two of you stood there, caught in this back-and-forth, and you couldn’t help but wonder why you’d never spoken before now. Theo, who everyone whispered about as aloof and impossible to read, had this unexpectedly easy charm. That lingering smile of his had a way of making you forget all the little mistakes you might have just made, as if you were the only person in the room worth paying attention to.

“I’ll try not to disappoint next time,” you murmured, just as Professor Flitwick clapped his hands to call for the class’s attention again.

As you walked back to your desk, you glanced over your shoulder one last time, catching Theo watching you with an expression you couldn’t quite decipher. He gave you a slight nod, and you found yourself smiling—thinking, maybe, that a little levitation mishap wasn’t such a bad thing after all.

[cultofdixon]

Bring me back to your embrace

Daryl Dixon • She/Her Pronouns • The Whisperers’ nuclear plan was discovered in a cave that they were going to get rid of. But things don’t always work out perfectly • ANGST/SFW • TW: Injuries / Broken Bones / Claustrophobia / Anxiety Attacks

Requested by: Anon

Listen.

You can take on herds of walkers

You can take on egotistical assholes

Hell, you can get back up and on your bike after a nasty spill

But the one thing that’ll get yea

Are small spaces.

Boy, was it a mistake following your partner on this risky shit regarding Alpha’s “nuclear plan”. What was Carol doing?!

The group was now in the cave with the undead and everyone was startled by Carol’s screaming in the direction toward Alpha. It seemed like her plan all along to trap them in there or who knows? It was risky going in there in the first place but none of them were going to lose another of their own after recently losing Siddiq.

Daryl and Jerry were trying to get Magna up onto another level but she slipped. It was too high and they needed to find another way across the sea of walkers.

“I don’t see a way across” Carol shouted to the others as Daryl shined his light around.

“Whoa whoa, go back” Aaron exclaims catching Daryl’s direction to retrace and shine against some rocks that looked more like a lily pad way of crossing. “We could use those to jump across”

“Nice” Daryl couldn’t have agreed more as Y/N winced at the thought of messing up.

“Oh you’ve got to be shitting me” She groans as Kelly brought herself over to see for herself.

“Wait. For real?” Kelly frowns as Aaron nods with a sadden look, it was their only option.

Daryl felt the tug on his shirt and quickly turned to Y/N who had her anxiety written clear as day on her face. He brought himself close enough to press his forehead against hers.

“You’re gonna be alright. It’ll be quick. Only real trouble”

“You don’t know that”

“Yeah, alright. I don’t. But I do know, I’ll keep yea safe” Daryl didn’t part until it was clear to her that he meant that.

Even if she was the last to cross and reached the last platform before the ledge everyone else was on. Daryl reached out for her, a bit tempted to jump back and throw her because the walkers were getting antsy. It was becoming more stressful than it should’ve.

“Y/N, you know I’ve got you”

“Shut up! I know I’m just. Please. Not now” Y/N groaned kicking back a walker that got too close and that caught her off balance which led Daryl to instinctively reach out to catch her. Thankfully Jerry and the strength that man has, grabbed a fist full of his vest yanking him back the second he had a full hold on his girl.

Once they were both on the other side of the sea of walkers, Daryl practically latched onto Y/N.

“You okay?”

“Yeah…” Y/N panted, shaking a bit from the shock of almost becoming food and hiding her face in his chest when he tightened his arms around her. “I’m okay” she mumbled as he rubbed circles around her back for a moment before they had to continue on their way out of there.

The smallest, almost incident was taken note by Magna and annoyance with a bit of rage started to brew in her.

There was a moment where Daryl separated from the rest to look for another way out. Everyone kept close and checked on their supplies to see what rations they have left.

Connie gently tapped Carol’s shoulder signing if she’s okay and she sighed. “I’m fine. Just a little winded”

“She��s claustrophobic” Daryl chimed in after the path he went down came up empty, so he went down another.

“Why didn’t you think of that before you got us all trapped down here?” The venom in Magna’s voice pierced Carol’s attention. But given her current state, she couldn’t entirely focus on anything but her breathing.

“Hey. It’s not the time for this” Aaron interfered but Magna wasn’t backing down.

“Why not? Seems like we have plenty of it”

“Magna. Don’t.” Y/N frowns, getting pushed aside so Magna can get up in Carol’s space.

“What the hell were you thinking, huh?” Carol should’ve pushed her back. “Running off like that by yourself.”

“Hey! We ain’t got time for this shit” Daryl quickly stated when he drew himself back to the group. Taking notice of everyone’s tension. “We got in this mess together. We’re gonna get out of it together. Now follow me”

The archer led the group thinking he found a way out of the walker filled caves. But it was more of a bigger opening without any threat, a place to make up camp and collect some cave water. Daryl sat with Y/N using her lantern as their light source while others had their own from flashlights to lighting up walker limps.

Magna quickly ran up in front of the two out of breath. “Hey Can I…Can I get matches?”

“You should try to take it easy for a minute.” Daryl advised as Y/N patted the spot beside her.

“I can’t.” Magna sighs. “I need to do something” she watched him go into his vest pocket taking out the box of matches handing them to her as she quickly shot out a thanks and continued on for the search for an opening. Some were growing anxious.

Daryl was about to ask his partner if she was alright given Y/N’s tense expression, but both their attentions drew to Carol planting herself in the empty spot on the other side of the archer.

“I never told you I was claustrophobic”

Y/N shot Daryl a look as he gave her a don’t worry about it type expression. It was something he remembered back to the CDC. They both remembered.

“If I only knew what you told me, I wouldn’t know shit”

“Look who’s talking” Carol whispered to him keeping her gaze away.

“It’s like I can’t even turn my back on you anymore” Daryl frowns messing with his bandana. “It’s bad enough I got Aaron running around with that skin freak. Now I gotta worry about you all half-cocked every time you go outside”

You’re not her parent. You don’t have to always watch her Y/N sighs bringing herself up on her feet going to check on Connie and Kelly. Ignoring Daryl’s questioning expression.

“I’m sorry”

“I begged you to talk to me” Daryl stated. “I wanna be there for you…I do. I don’t know what to do anymore” he kept his saddened expression when Carol finally looked at him.

“I can’t…stop thinking about it” Carol choked. “I know I have to, but I can’t”

The silence grew louder in the cave as Y/N sat next to Kelly this time, still shooting a concerned expression to Daryl hearing Carol still.

“I don’t want to just kill Alpha. I want to hurt her”

Y/N forgot for just a moment about Carol’s true intentions against Alpha. She wasn’t the only one that lost that day but it still didn’t make her thought earlier okay for her to think.

“I want to make her regret everything” Carol fought back her tears while her voice still wobbled. “I want her to beg for forgiveness and then I want to kill her”

“If I went through all the shit that you went through, I’d probably feel the same way” Daryl stated giving Y/N a certain look before turning to Carol. “Unless you tried to stop me”

That brought an uncomfortable yet familiar old feeling back in Y/N’s chest. She quickly hugged her knees close closing her eyes.

“You gotta quit all this” He continued. “You gotta …people you care about are starting to get hurt”

“I didn’t mean for any of this to happen…I know I have to…I know…I-I have to s��-“

“You gotta not bullshit me. Don’t bullshit me.” Daryl scoffs slightly. “You gotta promise…I gotta know we’re on the same team. We fight for our future” he shot a glance to Y/N who wasn’t looking at him at the time before back to Carol. “We don’t fight for revenge.”

“I promise”

As Carol leaned against Daryl, Connie brought attention back to Y/N. Gently tapping her boot for her attention only to be met with tears of her own that she is struggling to keep hidden from the archer. He’s taking care of her, I need to take care of myself she was she thought.

Are you okay? Connie signed to her and her movement caught Kelly’s attention as she instinctively wrapped her arm around Y/N’s shoulders when she noticed for herself.

No, I’m not and I can’t be here Y/N wiped away her tears in a break of her signing. She wasn’t the only one to lose a family member because of Alpha and the Whisperers.

Before more could be signed, Magna shouted which alerted everyone to get up to the commotion bringing themselves to where she was and the Whisperers that jumped her.

One managed to get the upper hand on Y/N and attacked her from behind, but before they could do more damage then they’ve already have…Y/N suddenly flung the skins’s body over her own and without a second thought stepped on their skull crushing them to their death.

“Are you alright?!” Daryl didn’t care about how fragile the caves could be when he shouted. He quickly scanned her person noticing the cut on her shoulder. “Shit. Jerry you’ve got—“

“Yeah I got bandages” Jerry quickly went through his pack as Daryl didn’t even wait for Y/N to say anything when he carefully exposed the wound by moving her shirt down.

“Daryl it’s just—-“ She pushed his hands away. “It’s fine!”

“No it ain’t!” Daryl hissed, taking the offered bandages to carefully patch up the wound and taking her face into his hands after. “It’s not fine. None of this should’ve happened. We shouldn’t be in here. You shouldn’t be in here…” he’s been anxious the entire time and it’s mainly been revolved around her. He didn’t want any of this.

The group eventually found a small crawl space that left Carol having a claustrophobic moment and Y/N having her own but hers was more leaving her mute for the remainder of the time they were down there. However much longer that may be.

“Hey…you’re okay” Daryl reassures, gently taking Y/N’s face into his hands knowing she’s anxious from the crawl space and simply wanted to remind her that she’s fine.

She will be fine…

There was a tense moment with Jerry being stuck and walkers crawling through but they managed. Even managed to find a collapsed spot that led to the outside.

Connie warned everyone that they had to be careful with what they pulled out or everything will collapse on them. With causation, they looked for a weak point that didn’t danger the rest of their surroundings. Ultimately, Daryl pulled that weak spot and gave them all a spot.

No one knew Carol found dynamite.

Except for Daryl.

Daryl did talk her out of lighting it herself, but when she slipped and it fell…the friction from the rocks had been enough to light the dynamite. Making their structure much weaker than anticipated. It was now a ticking time bomb (literally) to get out there before everything collapsed and another explosion occurred.

“Come on!” Jerry shouted from his position as Y/N helped Daryl get Carol out of the hole from the inside.

Daryl wanted to reach in and grab Y/N but Aaron was already in there helping Jerry and the two helped Y/N. But when the men got off the rock, the eruption happened along with the explosion followed…causing Y/N to go flying in a direction none of them could see because of the dust cloud.

“Y/N!” Daryl shouted shoving Aaron and Jerry out of his way to search the rubble. Even for more than just Y/N. Kelly’s cries matched Daryl’s and he couldn’t help the anger growing inside of him.

“No!” Kelly cries running over to the pile of rubble after Daryl came over pulling rocks off of where they crawled out of.

“Daryl…” Aaron frowns. “It’ll take us a week to clear this…even then—-“

“Can you help me?!” Daryl shouted knowing he needs to get Connie and Magna out but…also find a body.

Kelly went on about the possibility of Connie and Magna being alive within the cave system. That they needed to be alive themselves in order to save them which meant they had to leave before the walkers came to the sound of the blast.

“Come on” Aaron extended his hand to Daryl to help him off the rubble but before he took it, they all heard shifting within the rocks.

The archer instantly went toward the sound while the others had taken it with caution but Jerry at least went to help even if they didn’t know what it was.

“Oh my god” Carol still panted from getting out of that mess herself and her reaction was toward someone emerging from under the rubble.

“Y/N—-oh my god. Baby—-“ Daryl quickly dropped to her aid as Y/N gently pushed him back to give her some room to completely crawl out. Her sharp inhale brought only more anxiety out of the man as he practically manhandled her to see what was wrong.

Jerry brought himself over to help Y/N up with Daryl but was hesitant which made Daryl finally notice her arm was broken.

“It’s worse than it looks” Y/N groans using her uninjured arm to grab onto Daryl as Jerry carefully grabbed her by the bicep to help her up to her feet. The loud wince that left her led to both letting go after she straightens up but Daryl only continued to check her.

Concussed most likely

Broken right arm

Head lac

The shoulder lac from earlier

This all could’ve been avoided Daryl frowns turning to Carol with a bit of pain and rage in his expression.

“Go ahead and say it to me. I deserve it” Carol sobbed. “Just say it to me”

Y/N gripped Daryl’s shoulder giving a him a look to not go there. A lot has happened, they don’t know if they are dead or alive. If Kelly is hoping for life then they should as well.

“You were right about everything. Just say it” Carol watched Daryl pull his gaze away but she wasn’t having it and grabbed him. “No, please!”

“Carol…what good is it going to do?” Y/N frowns wanting to comfort her friend even if this was her mess. But hell…if given the chance and having more of a risky mindset, she would’ve done the same.

“You cared about her. And now she’s gone because of me. Please, just say it” Carol begged for the blame at this point. “I got your partner hurt. I got them trapped under there…please just—-“

“Stop” Y/N interrupted what was just a one sided discussion as she brought herself over taking Carol’s hand with her uninjured one. “Let’s go home. Take me home and let’s just…forget for right now. There’s no blame here. I’m…exhausted.” She tugged at her friend knowing she can’t tug back or she’ll hurt her further.

The concern in her expression struck Daryl and he instantly headed off, letting the others take his partner home which led Aaron to question what he was doing. There were many ways to get into those caves, he will find another to bring them back hopefully.

But after a few hours, he came up empty and kicked himself mentally for leaving the others to help get Y/N home.

The door slowly creaked open and Y/N instantly turned toward the archer who hesitantly walked in thinking she was asleep. But instead she was wide awake struggling to put a shirt on given her arm situation. Thinking about how they dealt with broken arms in the apocalypse, gives me an aneurysm.

“It’s worse than it looks”

“You uhm…need a hand right?”

“Yes” Y/N exhaled a laugh as she tossed the shirt to Daryl before sitting on the edge of the bed, wincing from the pain in her ribs.

Her sides were bruised, the lacerations were stitched and patched, and her broken arm was snapped straight but given no casting tape—they had a few ace bandages and literal duct tape to keep it together with the help of a sling. The blast really threw her.

Daryl set the shirt on the side before taking the sling off carefully in order to get her shirt on. “Did they cut off the one you wore in the cave?”

“Eh they didn’t have to but given my arm was being a bitch to set earlier, they just did it. Rosita did a good job patching me up”

“She’s learned a lot from Siddiq…and yknow. You can’t treat yourself”

“You wouldn’t let me if I could” Y/N let him take her arm gently bringing it through the arm hole and then the rest was easy. Once her shirt was on, she felt Daryl’s eyes glue to her instantly. “I won’t fall apart if that’s what you’re thinking”

Daryl brought himself to sit with her and all she received was his worry filled silence. Y/N took his hand with her left hand feeling him squeeze gently.

“She’s going through a lot. She’s lost a lot”

“That doesn’t excuse my behavior”

“Mm. I…agree. But sometimes, you’ll ignore the red flags with your best friends and family.”

“I shouldn’t have left you, or made you feel I didn’t care about how you felt when we were stuck under there”

“Well, I was jealous. Then realized, if I had thought it out…I would’ve done the same thing if revenge was my thing. I would’ve done everything in my power to make Alpha feel maybe just an ounce of what I felt when I found my brother dead to her right hand’s…hands.” Y/N frowns keeping her gaze to the floor but squeezing his hand back when he did such again. “The pain I’m feeling now isn’t worth it but I can’t get mad at a miscalculation.”

“Magna…and Connie—-“

“There were tons of tunnels down there. They are probably banged up but I have some faith that they are out there making their way back here. Even then we’ll be looking every chance we get”

“How could yea be so optimistic, and forgiving? I still gotta…figure that out for myself”

“The forgiving part maybe. But not everybody can be optimistic and that’s fine. Just as long as you don’t tear the people around you down constantly.”

All Daryl did next was nod to her words. He wanted to check on Kelly, but she currently stayed with them and after returning back the exhaustion of everything that happened had hit her hard. He’ll check on her in the morning, and now all he wanted was to stay with Y/N. To keep an eye on her but in some way, it was the other way around.

“You should shower and come to bed”

“What about—-“

“Our village when we were gone took care of the kids and Dog while we were out there. Even before we got back they’ve been taken care of. Dog even chased a squirrel according to RJ.” She laughs softly keeping it small to be mindful of her ribs. “So get cleaned up, and we can just. Sleep today off and start again tomorrow”

And that’s what he did. Washed today off and got into comfortable clothes for the night, and climbed into bed beside Y/N being mindful of her injuries but still kept close enough to feel her.

They will be okay

Alpha will meet her end soon.

[dead-tired-cm]

DPxDC idea

This started as just an idea but I couldn’t stop writing

Edit: Now officially called The Adventures of a Cat and Her Stray and being post on Ao3 soon

Hear me out, the same basic gotham/batfam just replace Catwoman with the Catwoman from Batman Returns(the Tim Burton version) because she is semi ghostly/liminal with her whole nine lives thing. I personally think this version of Catwoman should be included more in DPxDC.

Like the tropes of Danny running away to Gotham, running into [insert dc character], living on the streets(optional), and ClockWork telling him that something needs to be returned to the dead(optional) would work perfectly. Idk if the last one is actually a trope but it’s in a lot of fics.

Basically Catwoman has a little unmarked grave where she got pushed out the window with a small cat statuette, someone steals. ClockWork wanting to make sure his son figure the prince of the dead is safe and maybe an excuse to see how he would do with a common royal task. Catwoman gets word it’s stole and goes to steal back.

It’s kinda like that one Spider-man meme where they’re pointing at each other.

putting the read more cause this got longer than intended

Like obviously Danny can sense/knows of the death around the batfam(and gotham in general) and how none/only one of them talk about it. So he just leaves it, that’s the family’s own issue, maybe he’ll get back into the hero thing later but he needs to focus on staying off the GIW’s radar.

As he’s still settling in, ClockWork sends him on a small errand. Just steal back something(a little cat statuette) that was taken from an unmarked grave, should be easy and simple but his ghost sense as he finally finds what CW sent him for.

At first he thinks it’s one of the batfam but remembers that the only one who actually makes his ghost sense go off is Red Hood but Danny is far from Crime Alley. That’s when something, someone moves out of the shadows. It’s Catwoman and to him, she reeks of death. He stands there for a second, Catwoman was going for the same thing he was stealing. Was she just going for it just because it was a cat or was it connected more?

On Catwoman’s side, she’s had to do a double when she realized that this was a teenager, a child. She hadn’t accounted for someone else wanting to steal the statuette but then again it’s hers. The statuette was left in the alley where she had lost her first life. She had gotten word that it was taken. Why would someone else want it?

She didn’t let her guard down, even though it was just a teen, there was something off about him. Mainly the way his eyes reflected like a cat’s when light hit them and how he seemed to notice her before she showed herself. She was about to speak when the kid opened his mouth.

“I’m gonna assume this is yours?”

[blue-rose-soul]

"Great Alastor Altruist* died for his friends!"

This scene has been spinning in my brain since Thursday. Like a lot of other people, my first thought was that this was an indication that Alastor had grown to care for Charlie and her friends at the hotel. And it's not because of the words he says. Even if you're watching without subtitles and don't see the quotations around that phrase, it's pretty obvious that he's laughing at the very thought.

"Me? Alastor? Dying for them?"

"Ridiculous."

"Absurd!"

"Utterly laughable!"

No, what makes me think that there might be a kernel of truth there isn't the words by themselves. It's the look on his face as he says them.

This is the part where Alastor's angry snarl breaks and he begins to look genuinely afraid. He clutches his chest. He digs his fingers into his scalp, drags his hand down the side of his face. And that's a perfectly reasonable reaction to nearly dying! It's very human! But I think it's very telling that this expression doesn't settle on his face until he's talking about dying for someone else. Before this he looked more angry than anything, and he lapses back into anger up until he begins talking about trying to find a way out of his deal.

Now, don't get me wrong, I understand why anyone would think otherwise. The thing about Alastor is that, despite how blatant it is, his mask works. Like I stated earlier, I find myself searching every word, expression, and gesture from Alastor for double meaning. Ostensibly, there's no one here for Alastor to lie to**. No one he has to put up an act for. But his smile, which he's already fully admitted is faker than fake, remains firmly in place. I wonder if putting up an act is so second nature to him at this point he can't help but do it even when he's alone. Maybe he tries to fool himself as much as other people.

I believe that he has come to care, but I can't fully believe it. I won't be surprised to be wrong. But there are some scenes that just don't make sense to me if he really doesn't care at all.

His chat with Niffty the night before the extermination, for example. Niffty isn't really someone he needs to trick. He has power over her, whether it's because he owns her soul or because of her blind devotion to him. It's telling that while everyone else is hanging out together, sharing drinks at the bar, Alastor keeps his distance and positions himself above them. At this point, Alastor seems to care about them the way we, the audience, care about them; as entertainment. He's enjoying watching their story unfold up close, but that's all there is to it. He admits to Niffty that one could get accustomed to being with them. Not him though! He's above all that.

Then the battle happens. At first, Alastor's role in the battle didn't require him to assume too much risk. He was on crowd control, limiting the number of exorcists the rest of the hazbins have to deal with at once. And he slayed a not insubstantial number of angels in the process***. But then Adam broke through Alastor's shield and singled him out. It would have been reasonable for Alastor to put some distance between himself and the Lead Exorcist. Charlie did say it was his job to deal with Adam, but as I've already discussed, Alastor really had no hope of winning that fight alone. Maybe if he'd escaped right then and there, or fought Adam alongside Charlie things would have turned out differently. Granted, I don't think his pride would have allowed him to take either of those options.

Regardless, the end result is that Alastor did come very close to dying for a cause that wasn't his. Considering what Adam did to the hotel, Alastor's pretty damn lucky he's not in two pieces here.

Now, I don't think this means Alastor is immediately going to turn around and integrate int o the hazbin family. Immediately after this line where he mocks the idea of dying for Charlie's cause, he gets angry again, leans further into the Radio Demon persona and starts contemplating ways to escape his contract. I think, that like someone recoiling after accidentally touching a hot stove, Alastor's going to pull further away from them. One thing I am certain about is how Alastor feels about his leash; he hates it. He wants to be rid of it. He doesn't know how to do that yet, but he's working out a plan and having Charlie in his corner is part of that plan. Giving a genuine shit about her or the other hazbins is not part of that plan. It's another leash, not as literal as the one connecting him to his patron but just as binding.

Alastor realizing he might actually care about these people may just make him more dangerous to them than if he just didn't care at all.

-

(*The word 'altruist' here being used as a title, not a name. Like something you'd see in a newspaper headline, or on a headstone.)

(**There do seem to be some odd eye motifs in the environment, but at no point does Alastor give any indication he is aware of them or acknowledge their presence in anyway. And I highly doubt he would have said certain things if he believed his patron was actively watching him.)

(***Taking this opportunity to go off topic a bit to call the Vees out on their hypocrisy. For all their bluster about 'taking the fight to Heaven' and how 'pussy' the older Overlords supposedly are, I didn't see any of them on the battlefield. Alastor was. He fought as long and hard as he could. There was nothing cowardly about him living to fight another day.)

[caustinen]

Omg I’m actually so in love with your Hollywood au 😭😭 do you have any headcanons for them? Like how they started dating, or what they do on a daily basis, general domestic things!!

Hi!! Sorry I took so long to reply but your ask sent me SPIRALLING — this whole au was such a random quick thing and I never expected it to go anywhere, but thinking of a response to this I got so into it I might actually manage to write something!

Just the first meeting hc got so ridiculously long that I’ll respond to the domestic hc’s (I HAVE SO MANY) on a separate post and tag you! Thank you for the inspiration luv 💘

HOLLYWOOD AU! First meeting:

Their first impressions are not very good… John hasn’t made it big yet but he’s definitely getting some attention so he decides to relocate to Hollywood and find a good PR-team around himself despite having always thought that the marketing/branding side of his profession is capitalistic nonsense — and while he has changed his attitude to the exctent of ”if you can’t beat them join them”, he’d still expect all the suits to be cold business men who don’t care about the art of it all.

Gale on the other hand expects all actor clients to be self-obsessed nepo pricks; he’s been climbing in the industry steadily for years and enjoys the challenge of bringing the best versions of people out and finding them their best options (he takes pride in being very good at what he does) but since initially he ended up in the industry through his love for film, he’s also often annoyed by the up-and-coming stars who only care for the fame.

Loud, relaxed and seemingly no-care-in-the-world John fits this prejudice perfectly, as does John’s expectation for an uptight, borderline rude PR-executive in a suit — at the end of the meeting he chooses a much more laid-back seeming guy called Brady to represent him, and Gale is relieved he’s not stuck with him, he really is, despite the teasing, annoying smile of that bastard refusing to leave his mind for the rest of the day.

Their second meeting is somehow WORSE, in a week or so a meeting runs long so Brady invites John to after-work drinks. Gale looks so different out of his suit (now in a white t-shirt and black pants that hug his waist tightly, hair mussled and curlier after a long day of running his hands through it) that Bucky is absolutely blinded for a second and goes to introduce himself flirtily. Gale stares at him for a bit before informing him they met last week and while John is able to laugh it off with the others, this doesn’t exactly help with Gale’s image of him (why can’t i get that smirk off my mind when he couldn’t even bother to note me??)

It doesn’t help that Bucky gets very drunk and keeps seeking his company, not caring he’s only receiving grunts as reply to his stories told draped over the blonde’s shoulders as Gale sips on his non-alcoholic beer (he also shares the Buck story and starts calling him Buck like in the show), and whatever progress John might’ve done to make him almost smile a couple of times is undone immediately as he flirts with everyone else just as much when he leaves Gale’s side, cementing him in Gale’s mind as a playboy who’s gotten a bit too into his own head with his modest success lately and decides to forget all about him.

After that they run each other a couple of times at the office and social gatherings, and things are civil enough, they chat briefly each time but there’s some strange tension between them that makes Gale uneasy and John confused and a bit frustrated because he usually gets along with everyone but this man just seems to be immune to his usual charm; he can’t understand why the man is seems so cold and barely ever speaks up, that sweet smile he rarely sees him show others is completely wasted on him in his opinion.

They only properly meet again at a premier of John’s new movie a couple of months down the road, the first one under Gale’s firm, and end up in the backroom between the red carpet and John walking into the theater post-film (Brady is busy with organizing everything) and it’s TENSE, they’ve never been in a room by just the two of them and John is obviously nervous wreck which makes him antsy and Gale isn’t making any effort to make small-talk to ease his nerves (he’s not a natural at that okay, and esp with John he doesn’t know what to say)

Only when John is basically doubled over on the couch groaning into his hands as the film approaches its end Gale is forced to interfere. ”Why are you so upset?” ”They’re gonna hate it.” Gale is thrown off, never expecting to see this vulerable side underneath all that loud confidence. ”They’re not gonna hate it.” John scoffs. ”And how would you know?” Gale frowns, annoyed. ”Listen, it’s not Casablanca but you had to know that walking into the project, and you give it enough life to keep the tension up ’till the end. This is your best work since Thorpe Abbotts so just sit back and relax.”

John stares at him, mouth open, despair forgotten for a while. ”You know my work?” he asks, blindsighted, and Gale blushes and turns away. ”Maybe. I go to most films they show in my local theatre so don’t make too much of it.” John doesn’t have time to digest the words properly before he’s ushered to take the applause of the crowd, but it stays with him.

Things shift after that. John starts to pay attention to what Gale says, and realizes while he might speak rarely, when he does it’s always meaningful and thought-out. When Brady wants to make him do some new audition tapes he asks him to bring some of his collegues for second opinions, and he’s satisfied to see Gale roll up to the little studio they’ve rented one afternoon.

Wanting to impress Gale apparently works wonders because he feels like he reaches a new level with scene they’re working with, and the feedback reflects this. Even Gale gives him an approving nod, which somehow sends butterflies down his insides.

He turns his show-off when they go for drinks as a group next time to actually have a conversation with the blonde, and it turns out Gale is OBSESSED with old hollywood — whenever things were bad in his childhood home (often) he’d hide himself into the world of fiction of all kinds, and he’s seen an obscene number of films and loves learning trivia about it too, film star biographies are his favorite genre of books. He used to go to his little local movie theatre so much he was eventually offered a job there and could help with picking the movies, but his brief dreams of being an actor were never realized as he knew he needed a less pecarious job to give himself the stability his childhood home didn’t offer.

Learning these pieces of information draws John even more facinated with him, and Gale seems to be laughing at more and more of his jokes too. Once Gale lets his guard down he has also started to see John underneath the bravado, and makes mental notes to check out the books he recommends and he might even lightly flirt back these days, secretly enjoying the those dark, observant eyes fixed on him and squeezing into a surprised smile.

All in all, it’s been going better for a while until a faithful day, when they’re doing another auditiong tape. Bucky’s been rejected from a film he really wanted earlier that day, and his previous film has gotten some lukrwarm reviews upon getting into streaming services, so he’s in a shitty mood, and the unimpressed faces Gale keeps making annoy him to no end.

They call it a day and they agree to meet at a bar closeby to start the weekend and get everyone’s spirits up. The beer only serves to make Bucky more upset tho, espescially when he sees Gale hitting it up with someone who walks up to him, laughing at his stuff and looking relaxed in a way he never quite does with him. A bit drunk and a lot angry he follows him to the bathroom, Gale noticing him as he walks in with the same swing of the door. He turns around and greets him, the smile from talking to that whatever dude still lingering on his lips being John’s final straw.

”Oh, so you can be happy? Thought it was fucking impossible to achieve.” Gale’s smile immediately drops and his posture shifts, arms crossing over his chest. ”What are you talking about?” ”You’re always making those faces no matter what I do. You’ll ruin your pretty face with all that frowning.” ”What on earth are you-” ”When I try to talk with you. Or when I do a scene and you’re supposed to help but you just keep looking at me like I’m an idiot. I don’r get it.”

Gale starts to get upset too now, something John has never seen before, his calmness finally breaking. ”What do you want me to say?!” ”I don’t know, be fucking supportive for once?!” ”I am being supportive by being honest! Do you think that was the best you can do?” It surprises John, but he’s already too worked up to back down. ”Well what if it is?” They’ve gotten closer to each other in the empty men’s room, and Gale’s hands are no longer crossed, he’s pointing at John’s chest and staring him down. ”You have so much goddman potential, John Egan, and it’s killing me to see you waste it like that. Reach for something bigger. Get more complex charachters, more nunaced scripts. If it takes you hating me to hear that then so be it.” John scoffs despite the blush trying to creep to his cheeks. ”Well since you know fucking everything maybe you should help me find those roles.” ”I’m not your agent, or your publicist, or your mom, or your boyfriend, I don’t see how it’s any of my-” They’re practically yelling at each other, and without thinking John takes the wrist of Gale’s hand poking his chest to his and pushes it down so they’re chest to chest, noses almost touching, so close they’ve gotten. ”Maybe you could just help me out if you didn’t hate me so much.” John isn’t yelling anymore, and all of Gale’s nerves are on fire, he can feel John’s breath on his cheeks, his own pulse pounding in his chest. ”I don’t hate-” And that’s as far as he gets before John crashes their lips together, the small movement inevidable as the sun coming up each morning.

Gale makes a muffled sound into the kiss and goes to grab his shirt, pulling him closer as John reaches to cup the back of his head. The kiss is just as messy and teethy and perfect as the months of growing tension between them has promised. Gale wants to climb him and bite him and drag him down the floor, his own desire punching air out of him as John stumbles until his back hits the wall, his big hand protecting his head from the hard impact. They are lost in it until their lips are swollen and bruised and they’re both more than half-hard after being pressed so tightly together, and Gale bites his abused lips to silence a moan trying to escape him as John dips down to suck and lick on his sweaty neck, his own hand tangling in his curls and pulling and feeling victorious as John makes a choked sound. He pulls until their eyes meet again, and he’s sure his own pupils are as big as John’s as they stare at each other for a moment, both of them trying to catch their breath like they just ran a marathon. ”You drive me fucking insane,” Gale grits at him, and John laughs a short sound. ”I drive you insane?! You’re the one prancing around… Being all, you know, intelligent and sexy with your James Dean features and Paul Newman eyes.” Gale stares at him for a little bit, mouth open, before pulling him into another kiss.

They go back to Gale’s eventually (Gale comes back to himself enough to realize he does not want to be caught with all his collegues on the other side of the bathroom wall) and they make out for a while more, little less heated but just as passionate, but when it’s getting more intense again John has a moment of clarity and pulls away. He’s drunk and tired and overwhelmed and he doesn’t want this to be just a hook-up. Gale understands but asks John to stay the night anyway and he ends up sleeping on his coach that night. It’s a bit awkward in the morning because neither of them really knows what to say and John’s just about to leave, thinking this was a mistake after all, when Gale suggest they’d watch a movie, and the nervous hope in his face grips John’s heart enough to realize there’s no walking away from what he’s started to feel for this man. They watch a film, and another, and by the third the funny commentary both of them make has shifted into the movie playing in the background as they make out, Gale in John’s lap, and it feels right.

John ends up staying the whole weekend, they just watch films and make dinner together and get to know each other. John is scared he’ll overstay his welcome but Gale makes it feel natural, and the exciting newness of it all is addicting, and perhaps exactly because they’ve had to overcome so many of their own prejudices about the other everything feels more vibrant and exciting. Seeing Gale relaxed and smiely and silly and nervous as he rolls his eyes at him when he sings along to the radio as they cook makes his heart miss a beat. He’s completely prepared to not go further than kissing for now but after a delicious, footsie heavy dinner on Sunday evening at Gale’s kitchen they finally end up in bed, and it feels just right that their first time together is slow and searching and absolutely perfect, and they get the final confirmation that their chemistry seems to be working out pretty fucking well.

After that weekend, John never accepts a role without running it by Gale first (they often read them together naked in bed on the weekends, making each other giggle while dramatically imaging the scenes while leaning into each other amongst the fluffy pillows), and within a year he’s a rising star and his name is on everyone’s lips, but he’s only got one pair of lips in mind.

It isn’t just smooth sailing after that either, navigating a relationship and his career and the publicy, but as slow as their love might have started it’s all the more steady for it, and it never stops growing.

SORRY THIS GOT SO INTENSE!!! Literally all of this came to me as I thought how to respond to your ask so thank you for being a major motivation 🖤

[navigatebetweenthelines]

Because a lot of you seem to be conflating intelligence to mean a single thing im going ro spell it out for you

DAZAI!

quick on his feet. He reads body language pretty well. he knows what to expect. His disadvantage is that he tends to project his own expectations onto others and this clouds his judgement. He is "intelligent" in the way thar he has a great capacity to improvise in tricky situations. He doesn't know everything he just always makes sure to have a plan B C D E F and G. Thats it

RANPO!

he knows all the facts about any given situation. His biggest disadvantages are that his judgement is shoddy at best and he doesn't always know what to do with that information. He is used to disregarding information for the sake of peace but that often means he ends up too close to the wrong people. He forgives EVERYONE he gives everyone a second chance. For as much as he sees the bad in a person he sees the good. He is unreliable and inconsistent. The good this about him is that as soon as he realizes his mistake he never makes it again.

POE!

JUSTTT as smart as Ranpo. He can GATHER as much information as Ranpo but it takes more effort. He has a lot of resources and technical know how. He knows technology, he knows politics, international law and most importantly people. His biggest advantage is that he knows exactly how to pressure people into doing what he wants. His mysteries are tailor made so that people can only escape when they realize what he wants them to. It is becuase of this that he saw society as a farce. That's why Ranpo and him are such a good team. Ranpo can see everything and Poe knows what to do with it.

Louisa!!!

She can slow down time when she's focused THAT'S her ability. She is capable of thinking of every possibility and coming up with dependable statistics. She's smarter than Dazai but less of an asset because her analysis relies on what she is aware of. In the world of BSD there is ALWAYS something no one is aware of. She isn't as capable of recovering quickly from a miscalculation so she really only has one shot.

Chuuya!!!

He doesnt need to use his intelligence most of the time because he can pretty much brute force his way out of most things. His intellegence relies on instinct. He has GREAT instincts. He knows when a situation has gone sour. Of course he doesnt usually verbalize it because with Dazai he doesn't need to and when he's alone why would he announce it to an enemy. He knows when he's safe and when he isn't. His biggest disadvantage is that he doesn't always listen to those instincts. In terms of priorities he almost always puts himself last and that leads to a lot of problems.

NIKOLAI!!!

Nikolai is similar to Chuuya except a bit more extreme because no one's life is his priority. His motivations are unclear and he always goes for the most imoral option. He isn't concerned with a specific desired outcome it is the inconsistency of his own actions that drive him.

FYODOR!!!

Kinda like Poe, in that he knows how to work people, but to a lesser extent and a little like the chameleon that Dazai can be but to a greater extent: he KNOWS people. He knows what a person wants more than anything and he promises that to them.

His biggest advantage is that he is smart enough to ally himself with people who have nothing else to live for. Sigma, Nikolai, Bram (before Aya), Nathaniel and Fukuchi are all outsiders. They are alone but desperately want to feel like they belong. Fyodors biggest disadvantage is that if those people find belonging elsewhere his influence on them shatters. He seems to be aware of that? Idk it's too soon to tell.

Mori!!!

He isn't crazy smart. He's just sadistic and cruel. He picks easy targets (children) and slowly takes away their agency. He undoes them until they have nothing to live for and they then become perfectly obedient adults. His biggest disadvantage is that he relies on the chain of abuse and that isn't sustainable as a dynamic for power. Chuuya and Akutagawa have no one above them to preassure them to listen to orders now that Dazai is gone. Also the extreme amounts of abuse he relies on is impossible to ditch out to EVERYONE. That's why he relied on the chain of abuse but that's failing. Mori isn't smart. He's a coward. He takes the shortest path no matter the resistance.

FUKUCHI!!

isn't smart either. He is just THE BEST chameleon. He hid in plain sight. He knows war and war tactics. He's a great spy and facilitating a strong bond with the target is a spy strategy.

They are not all the same stop conflating their perspectives as "knows everything". It leads to a lot of misunderstandings and a lot of misinformation. DAZAI IS NOT RANPO! He doesnt know everything. He's just really good at pretending he does.

[vaguely-concerned]

ohhhhhhhohohoho taash half-accusingly telling rook 'what would you know? you act like you haven't lost anyone' is soooo good and hits so perfectly for rye in particular (who incidentally was showing his true credentials as varric's spiritual son in giving good advice he has never, ever, not once in his life, actually followed himself. and probably never will! (also the only option at that point in the convo that doesn't give you approval interestingly. taash rightfully doesn't quite buy what rook's selling there lol.) of course it's okay for you to be sad and feel abandoned because your parent figure is gone even though she never meant to leave you. not me though. obviously. that's just going to have to be an untended open grave of a wound in my heart forever there's nothing for it). it's such a good hint as to how odd rook's reaction to varric's death must seem to the rest of the team even as they eggshell tiptoe walk around it. of course no one wants to be the first person to broach the subject with rook. would YOU want to be the first person to break through that weird serene lack of reaction and find out what's hiding beneath it??? because none of the potential answers to that have the outlook of being entirely comfortable. (the real answer being, of course, 'oh shit blood magic empowered denial stage!!!'. which is also not great but would have been good to know sooner probably lol)

in general I LOVE the relationship I've been able to set up and keep developing between these two. there's such a solid throughline that there is so much affection in this relationship... but taash consistently picks up on rye's bullshit (as much about what he tells himself and thinks about himself as anything else, I don't think he means to be deceptive necessarily he's just out of touch with a lot internally), on the lack of complete authenticity that's there however well-meaning. and (probably wisely) keeps that last little bit of distrust and distance because of it. no one in the world could want to help them more earnestly than rook, and his protectiveness and tenderness for them is genuine and from the core. but beneath it all rye is not in a place with himself to be what they really need because at the end of the day and in many ways they're probably already further along in the quest to be true to themselves without apology or obfuscation than he is. and also he's going to get their gf killed inadvertently in a hot second so like. layers. layers of stuff and resentments and broken promises never quite made and reflections never quite faced going on here despite everyone's best intentions every step of the way lmao (which could be the subtitle of this game in many ways so that works out excellently thematically). 'I feel like I'm always letting you down and I'm so sorry' cycle keeps grinding on.

at the same time taash is working through ways to reconcile with and find ways to live with their mother and the memory of her in all her shortcomings because they love her and she means so much to them that they don't want to let it go completely, 'I just have to find a way to hold you that doesn't hurt me so much even if that means I can't clutch you as closely as I might have wanted once'... they're having to do some of the same process with rook. forgiving someone for what they couldn't be for you and finding other ways to get what you need -- not because this person ever meant to let you down, but because they simply don't have the capacity for whatever reason not to, a bit. there's going to be an oh how the turntables moment at some point down the line where taash rounds on rook to bark 'hey asshole forgive yourself already. you can't be everything to everyone and no one's asking you to be but you. and if anyone is asking you to be that they're dicks because that's unfair. stop beating yourself up I don't like having to watch my friends be bullied.' and rye will have to lie awake staring at the ceiling for a couple of nights after that probably. but maybe there's some hope he'll finally listen.

(I think the only person who gets rye completely unfiltered is lucanis by the end. which is not at all reflecting on the rest of the crew -- RYE rarely gets rye completely unfiltered all of those relationships are still very important no matter what lol. but I think lucanis has both the eyes to see through to and understand the truth and the unflinching 'I said all in and I meant all in' nature to accept what he sees without hesitation or quibble when he does, which makes rye finally let the walls come down after the fade jail when everything is in shambles inside. the full mutual People think that intimacy is about sex. But intimacy is about truth. When you realize you can tell someone your truth, when you can show yourself to them, when you stand in front of them bare and their response is 'You're safe with me'—that's intimacy and so on and so forth deal. which basically is what that big romance scene is about and why it's. everything.)

[seenoversundown]

For Death Or Glory : Chapter Fourteen

Jake Kiszka x Charlotte (Fem OC)

Warnings: PG-13 (not smut but heavy petting), drinking / alcohol, smoking, anxiety mentions, light mentions of grief, fluff, Jake being a sweet little man, and descriptions of Elder Emo culture.

Word Count: 4k

Summary: Charlotte gets swindled into hanging out with Jake, really had to twist her arm. Which turns into long night of getting to know each other.

Author's Note: I have a wildly strong attachment to this chapter. Maybe because it’s how I don’t my early adult years or because it feels like a true New England chapter in my head, either way— I love this chapter a disgusting amount. It also sets up next week.. perfectly 😏😘

Crush - Tessa Violet "You make it difficult to not overthink, And when I'm with you I turn all shades of pink, I wanna touch you but don't wanna be weird."

“What are the odds I can sweet talk you into going to this show with me?” his voice rings through my phone. “As friends… obviously.” His sweet little laugh fills the air.

“Mmm, what kind of show are we talking about?” The smirk on my face would be undeniable if he could see me right now. I’m supposed to be doing some work, but instead, I’m pacing the house. 

“Some of the bar regulars kinda have a band and gave me tickets to go see them,” he tells me.

“Your brothers don’t want to go with you?” I ask. Seems odd that they wouldn’t want to go with him, especially if it’s people they also probably know.  

“Well.. Josh has to work and I don’t think Sam would come,” his voice trailing off a bit. 

“Danny?” 

“He’s also working– I can’t leave Josh completely alone there,” he tells me, making me laugh at the idea of him being afraid to leave Josh at the bar alone. 

“Well then,” I say, through a sigh, “I suppose..” 

“I mean, if you don’t want to come hang out with me…” overdramatizing his sad tone, which I can’t say didn’t make me chuckle at him. 

“Oh, stop,” I quip back. “What time do I need to be ready?”

“Doors are at 8 p.m., but it’s within walking distance of the bar, so if you want to meet me there… Well, here.” 

“Alright, but you have to supply me a drink if they’re going to start screaming.”

I can hear the smile on his face when he says, “Sounds like a deal.”  ⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

As we walk up to the venue, everybody is in tight black skinny jeans and beanies. Oh no, it’s gonna be all heavy music, isn’t it? I just follow him closely, staying just behind him as we get closer to the doors. I just look around, taking in the atmosphere and trying not to look paranoid. 

He glances over at me for a second before talking to the person at the doors. We only stood there for a second before we were let in. Pulling open the door and letting me through, the venue is small, and there’s a fair amount of people here. 

“Should I just buy you a drink now?” his lips basically grazing my ear to ask.

“Considering the crowd, I’m going to say yes, please,” I try to speak up so he can hear me, making him laugh.

“A deal is a deal, come on,” he says, holding out his hand. My fingers intertwine with his as he leads the way over to the bar. His grip on me is strong, which I’m grateful for, considering the amount of people we’re weaving through. 

“What are you feeling tonight?” he asks. “I don’t think I’ve seen you drink a beer, so I’m sorry in advance.” 

“Whatever they have for Downeast works for me,” I look over at him as he's reading the list of options. Finding it difficult not just to admire him; his side profile really is something to write home about. 

He walks up to the small bar that they have, getting the bartender's attention quickly and ordering. He looks back over at me, pulling his eyebrows together for a split second as I stand there, probably looking a little lost. I mimic him, scowling at him. I don’t know what kind of conversation we’re having right now, but the corners of his lips start to creep upward as we stare at each other. That must be the smile Quinn was talking about. He slightly bobs his head back and forth to the song playing through the speakers, and I can’t stop myself from laughing at him. My laugh pulled the full smile out of him, teeth showing and all. He really is cute. 

After grabbing our drinks, he comes back to me, holding my drink out to me. Excitedly, I took it from him before pushing him in front of me to lead the way. I stay as close to him as I can, hooking one finger into his back pocket so he can’t get too far away. 

He finds a spot off to the side for us, not too close to the stage, as the first band starts. The first scream into the microphone makes me jump; candidly, this isn’t my genre. I can hear him giggling next to me as he sips on his beer. Shooting him a look, even though I can’t hold it for very long before I’m laughing with him. 

“Am I supposed to know what he’s saying?” I say, leaning into him. 

“Absolutely not,” he says, taking another sip. It’s wild to see him drink at all, especially just a beer. Seeing him act so normal outside of the bar is almost refreshing. It’s nice to see him be a person and not be worried about whatever is going on in that building. Maybe we have more in common than I thought. 

People were still filtering in while the first band played, and now we’re watching as the next one is about to go on. It’s funny to watch them have to soundcheck their own stuff, but I haven’t been to many shows this small. 

The lights go back out, and the band loudly announces their presence. This time, I was a little more prepared for it, but what I wasn’t expecting was the crowd. 

I hear the singer say something about a “pit,” and before I know it, everybody is thrashing around. What the fuck? I’m sure I look terrified, never having been to a show like this. I can’t take my eyes off the slew of people basically just throwing punches and shoving each other. It spreads like wildfire as more and more people start joining. 

Very suddenly, Jacob’s arm wraps around me pulling me back to him. His chest rose and fell against me, his arm still wrapped around my waist, his hand resting against my stomach.  Oh okay. 

His face leans closer to my ear, “I should have warned you.” 

I tilt my head back against his chest so he can lean towards me, “It’s okay. It’s mesmerizing,” I giggle, knowing it sounds silly. 

His other arm wrapped around me, carefully holding his drink still. My heart flutters when he does it. I let myself relax against him, and his arms tighten slightly. This is making being here worth it. 

We stayed like that through most of that band's set. He would keep moving us further from everyone, which I appreciated—but never moving his arms from around me except for the occasional sip of his beer.  ⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

“Jake!” startles me as the two regulars from the bar approach us. They all do that one boy handshake that will never make sense to me before one of them turns to me. 

“Oh! I’m sorry I didn’t know you came with someone,” one of them says. 

“She was gracious enough to come keep me company,” Jake says, glancing over at me.  

I stand there listening to them and sipping on my drink when I feel something brush against my thigh. Without being obvious, I look down, seeing his hand suspiciously close to my leg. He taps me a few more times as he talks. Does he not realize what he’s doing? 

I occasionally chime in but mostly just listen as they go on about the other bands that are going to be playing. Watching as he would laugh with them and really just take him on while he was out in the wild. His free hand settled on my lower back, just softly scratching, which was weirdly comforting. 

“Wanna go outside for a minute?” one of the boys asked loudly. Jacob looked at me wide-eyed, but I just nodded at him. 

“Yeah, for sure.” He tells them. His hand quickly found mine before we made our way through the venue. He kept squeezing gently until I would do it back.

Once making it outside, the few guys who had been talking to him all started lighting cigarettes, Jacob included—keeping it as far away from me as possible when he wasn’t actively inhaling and breathing the smoke straight up to try and not have it near me. I had never said anything about him smoking or even in general, but it’s ..nice that he doesn’t want to force it on me. 

Although I usually find smoking to be a little less than pleasant, for some reason, watching him is different. Maybe my cider just hit harder than I expected, but how it sits on his lip and how he casually holds it between his index and middle finger. Why is it… hot? 

As we stood there, I continued to listen from inside, not really knowing what to say. I stood close to him and occasionally peeked at my phone, but the people-watching here was a little too good that I practically forgot I had it with me. I don’t know if he was worried about me or if he needed comfort, but he was subtly holding my hand, only our ring and pinky fingers intertwined. 

“Do you wanna head back to the bar?”

I look over at him, “If you want to,” not wanting to feel like I’m making him leave. 

“I was mostly here for them,” he whispers, “plus we can make Josh give us better drinks that way.” 

“Are you trying to get me drunk again?” I tease him quietly. 

“I would never dream of it,” he says with a little wink before turning back to the little group that’s formed. He said his goodbyes with the weird handshake hug again, and they all waved at me as we walked off. 

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

We sat at the end of the bar for a while, watching Josh make drinks. Just talking about the show and how he feels terrible for making me go through it. 

“It wasn’t that bad,” I admit, “watching everybody was fun.” 

“It’s a special kind of crowd, isn’t it?” His smile sneaks out with that one. He sips on the last of his drink, sliding it over for Josh to grab. Tapping on his phone screen and looking back over to me. 

“I may let him leave since it’s calmed down,” he starts, “are you going to head home? I can escort you to your car before I relieve him.” 

What if I don’t want to go home? What are you talking about? The most relaxed I’ve felt has been when I have basically fallen asleep on the phone with him.. What if I just.. stay? 

“I think I should probably stay here, don’t you?” I ask him. “Just since I’ve been drinking and whatnot.” Something possesses me when I bat my eyelashes at him a few times before sliding my hand onto his thigh. His cheeks flush instantly at gestures. 

“You’re so right,” he chokes out. “You can stay with me.” The excited nerves flow through my body when he says it. 

“I’ll just keep you company while you close,” I tell him, “it’ll be like last weekend!” Smiling at me as he stands up, he quickly glances over to see Josh fully invested in a conversation with someone when he moves around the bar, standing in front of me. He holds a hand out towards me; instinctually, I reach my hand out to him. He pulls it to him, pressing his lips against my knuckles for a second, giving me a slow wink as he lets go gently. 

I said ‘goodnight’ to Josh after he was able to head out for the night, and then there I sat. I was just having little conversations with Jake when I could and scrolling on my phone when he was busy. I was intensely ignoring the email my boss had sitting in my inbox.  ⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

Finally, we hustle up the stairs to his apartment once the bar is closed. He quickly unlocks the door, peeking in first. He grabbed my hand and pulled me into his room faster than I would have expected. 

“Make yourself comfortable,” he whispers, “I have to go say hi to Josh but I’ll be right back.” He lingers for a second before letting go of me and disappearing into the dark hall. 

I crawl into his bed, mostly sober this time. Remembering how comfortable it was and the way it smelled like his cologne. He finally wanders back in after talking to Josh for a few minutes. 

“Well, don’t you look cozy,” he says quietly, giggling to himself as he sets his stuff on his nightstand. I nod a few times, curling the blankets up around me. 

“Are you tired? I can go so you can sleep,” his voice more timid this time. My eyebrows pull together. Is he really trying to still give me space? I silently shake my head at him for a second, trying not to laugh. 

“No, come here.” I reach my arms out towards him; seeing his smile when he realizes that I want him to stay is priceless. 

“Uh.. I feel like this is a dumb question,” his sweet face slowly turns red, “Can I just .. not wear these?” he asks, tugging on the belt loop on his pants. 

“I think it’s safe to say we’re past that, Jacob.” 

He laughs to himself, “Right.”  

It’s so cute how he’s so nervous—watching him slide his jeans off and toss them into his dirty laundry. I can’t help but check him out as he goes to turn the light off. Why does he have a nicer ass than me? 

He lifts the comforter a little to let himself in but also lets the cool air in. 

“Hurry, it’s already warm in here,” I giggle as he quickly pulls the blanket back down over the two of us. My heart starts to beat a little harder now that he’s next to me. He’s so warm. Instinctively moving close to him, my hands have a mind of their own. Grabbing his arm and lifting it up, I curl myself up into him. 

My face is tucked into his neck as his hand draws little shapes on my side. Without thinking, I press a few little pecks into the side of his neck. 

“What made you want to stay here tonight?” he breaks the silence. 

I can’t tell him yet. My throat was instantly tight at the thought of telling him why. 

“I didn’t want to drive after I drank. Just wanted to be responsible or whatever,” I lie. 

His hand grabs mine from its place on his chest, bringing it up and placing a kiss on my palm before bringing it back to its spot. 

“It’s cute when you try to dodge the truth. Try again,” his taunting tone makes me smile into him. 

“I just..didn’t want to be alone tonight,” I admit, hoping he doesn’t press further. I’ll tell him at some point, but just.. not right now. I know I have to come out with it eventually, but I still haven’t said it out loud to anyone. 

His arm pulls me against him as he presses a kiss onto my forehead, letting his lips just rest against me. Feeling him just breathe for a second against my skin. 

“I’m sorry, hun,” he mumbles against me, “I’m happy you’re here.” My eyes start to well up; he’s too much.. I prop myself up on my elbow so I can look at him. 

“Me too,” I squeak out. My finger tracing his jawline as we look at each other. My eyes move to his cheekbone, letting my hand cup his jaw and my thumb gently run over his soft lips while he just watches me. I don’t know how I’ve gotten here. Laying in bed with this man who looks at me like I’m the reason the sun comes out in the morning. 

He kisses my thumb as it grazes over him again, pulling me out of my thoughts.  The corners of his mouth are slightly curving up. He reaches up and tucks some of my hair behind my ear. 

“You're pretty cute,” he winks at me. His eyes look more tired than I’m used to, but maybe it’s just because he’s comfortable. 

I lean towards him, placing a small kiss on his nose. Then, peppering his face with little pecks as his smile widens, followed by giggling as I sneak some under his jaw.

“Did you tell Josh that I’m here?” 

He shakes his head, “Nope.”

“Why not?” 

“Just wanted to keep you to myself for a little longer,” he tells me, making my heart flutter a little at the thought that he’s savoring our time together. “Plus, if he knows, he’ll insist on talking to you for hours, and then I wouldn’t get to enjoy this.” 

“As fun as that sounds,” I managed to get out, “This is pretty nice.” I gently pat his chest a few times. 

“I can go get him at any point if I’m boring you,” his smile on full display, “He’s like a toddler; just endless energy.” 

“Jacob,” I try to sound serious but am failing by the second. “I listened to you tell me about pirates for hours the other night. You’re far from boring.” 

“And you,” he says, holding the side of my face with his hand, “are an angel for listening to me.” At this moment, I would listen to him all day long, telling me about absolutely anything. 

We lay there for a while, talking about mindless things as he occasionally ran his hand down the back of my head. He tells me about how he worked at the Shipyard with Danny and how his parents dipped out of Maine the second Sam went off to college. I offer stories of living in the middle of nowhere and ridiculous situations with work.  

Reaching over and tapping his phone screen, holy shit, it’s 5:00 am. 

“I didn’t mean to keep you up so late,” I try to hide my embarrassment, just thankful that it’s dark so he can’t see my face flush a little. 

“Did you already forget what my job is?” his question laced with a laugh, “I’m always up this late.” I drop my head onto his chest, laughing at myself. As if we hadn’t spent a handful of nights talking until the sun was about to come up. 

“It’s late and I’m tired, alright?” 

“Why don’t you try to sleep then?” his voice sounds so sweet. 

I sit back up, my hands on either side of him; we just stare at each other for a second. His lips parted as I ghosted mine over him. Feeling his hands grip my sides as the kiss deepens. My body warms when he pulls my leg over his waist, feeling his body beneath me. I found my hands sliding up into his hair; his heartbeat was strong enough that I could feel it over my own nerves. His hip bones pressing into my ass has my mind wandering to dangerous places. 

He pushes us up, so I’m sitting on his lap with one hand holding me to him. I don’t know what possessed me to lift the bottom of his shirt, sliding my hands around his waist. His skin is so warm and soft, and I just want to kiss every inch of his body. Breaking away from the kiss, he pulls his shirt off in one quick motion—well, that’s hot—tossing it to the side before coming back to me. 

“Wait,” I whisper. Grabbing the hem of my shirt, pulling it off, and revealing my bralette. I can see his eyes light up, even in the dark, as he glances down at the plunging neckline. “It's only fair.” 

His jaw goes slack as we’re both sat there in just our underwear. Timidly, his hands find their place on my waist, and I slowly drape my arms around his neck. It’s hard to believe that we didn’t knock our teeth together, smiling into every kiss. The little noises coming from both of us, every breathy almost moan, making me more intoxicated with him.   

His grip on me tightens, tugging me closer to him if that’s even possible. My hips have a mind of their own, subtly pushing down into him. The smallest amount of friction sends shivers through me. He didn’t move away.. So maybe he doesn’t mind? Deciding to test the waters, I push myself up on my knees slightly, definitely not on purpose, putting some pressure against his subtly hard cock– making him moan into me. His hands pulled me back down, hard against him this time. This tortuous game we’re playing makes every kiss a bit hotter, feeling like a teenager again as I randomly grind my hips into him. 

“Are you trying to kill me?” he whispers, the sound of his raspy voice alone, almost making me moan at this point. 

Letting out a small ‘mmm’ against his lips, “Is it working?” I ask quietly. 

“I swear to god,” he starts, in between kisses, “if Josh wasn’t down the hall..” 

My heart races at the thought, my mouth moving faster than my brain can filter, “What if we’re quiet?” 

His sweet laugh against me, “Mmm, as tempting as that is,” stopped to press a few kisses into me. “I wanna be able to hear all the pretty sounds you’ll make.”

“Jacob,” I moan into his mouth. I’m not entirely proud of how that snuck out, but he is so hot sometimes. We spend another minute with my hands tangled in his hair and his hands slowly making their way down to my ass as he smiles into the kiss when he grabs a handful. 

“Hold on to me,” he mumbles into me before turning us over. Carefully setting me against his pillows, hovering for a second, I can’t help but glance down. His chest and stomach are on display, and god, is he gorgeous. When I thought seeing him in just sweatpants was bad, I had no idea how much worse it would be when I could see the outline of his hard dick on top of that. It is a mouthwatering sight if I can say so myself.

He looks down at my barely clothed body, taking a deep breath before looking back up at me, “I mean this in the most respectful way possible, okay?” My eyebrows pull together, trying to figure out where he’s going with this.

“Okay..”  

He lets his head fall back a bit before finally breathing out, “You’re so fucking hot, my god.”

“Oh, stop,” I whine; my face feels warm instantly as his eyes rake over me. 

“I’m sorry, I don't think I can,” he says, pressing a kiss into the top of my shoulder. “Have you seen yourself?” he asks, carefully brushing some loose hairs out of my face. How he went from being a typical boy to suddenly his normal sweet self is beyond me. 

“Jaaaake—“ 

“Alright, alright, I’ll stop. But I’m not happy about it.” Flopping down next to me with a little grin on his face, he lifts his arm for me to join him. 

He ends up pulling me into him, my head finding a comfortable spot tucked into his chest. We tangle ourselves together, my leg thrown over his hips with his hand immediately staking a claim on my thigh. I slide my free hand up his chest and neck, gently holding the side of his face, and tilt my head up to place one more kiss on his cheek before settling into sleep. 

Breathing him in and relishing in the warmth of this extraordinary man. I’m a breath away from falling asleep when I feel him pressing his lips against my forehead and mumbling, “Sweet dreams, honey.”

Chapter Thirteen  

Chapter Fifteen

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[lunarthing159]

[ Gunshot, Rosette, & Canvas ]

A VSAU-AU Fanfiction For @rhapsoddity And Community.

Characters: Sheriff/Jimmy, Wither/Sausage, & Spectrum/Scott

Content Warnings: Detail of Injury, Non-Consensual Hypnosis, & Hot AU Men (Thanks Rhaps).

Extra Tag; @wilbygoesbrrrr Take Your Villain Saus Man

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Stillness.

It was all so still.. quiet.. tranquil..

Almost too much so for The Sheriff's tastes. This place is usually bustling with villains, or even simple criminals by this hour.. yet still.. nothing..

Heroes rarely ventured into the alleyways of this part of Empires City, it was labeled 'not of immediate concern' a long time ago and hasn't changed since. "Tch, figures." He would scoff under his breath at the thought. The whole job of heroes is to help people, and yet they ignore the areas that most need help. Typical, unfortunately.

Oh well, that means more work for The Sheriff to do instead. Hooray!..

Making his way from rooftop to rooftop using his lasso, Sheriff scoured his usual rounds, checking each and every alleyway for even the slightest motive. Even hours later, as he was already slowing down and yawning along the way, he kept searching.

He kept moving.

He kept slowing down.

He kept watching.

He kept yawning.

He kept looking.

He kept rubbing his eyes.

The Sheriff kept Searching

And the searching would seem to pay off.

A simple paper, tucked away in an alleyway corner. A letter, it would seem. The alley walls were lightly coated in city moss, adorned with glass panels & windows leaned onto the sides at the dead-end.

Bingo.

Sheriff decended down from atop the building, using his lasso for the first half and some ladders for the second. "There we go!" Picking up the paper, it read as follows;

To my newest accomplice,

I presume your travels have been well. As I last heard of you, all things are set on your end of our plan. The target has been found, we can begin stage two.

Turn around~

There was no time to react.

The moss along the alley walls came to life in an instant, rushing out towards the sheriff. There was no time to dodge. There was no time to flee. Within moments, he found himself bound within the vines, sprouted thorns digging into his clothes and skin.

And he knew exactly who was causing this.

"Hello there, little cowboy."

Wither. The Thorned Rosebush. The Garden of Decay. The Mania Flower.

He wore a scarlet red mask to cover his eyes and a shirt of the same hue, buttoned down just enough to where his upper chest was visible. He adorned a navy coat that flowed down to his knees with a collar that perfectly framed his medium-length brunette hair and beard. And his smile,,, one that terrified the souls of many, any, & all who have found themselves in his path and wake.

No matter his title to you, you only had one option,,, one chance of survival...

To Run.

Sheriff spent as little time as he could to collect his words, even as his body was thrown into the ground and his arms were bound above his head. He did his best to keep up his usual demeanor, to not showcase his fear,,, his terror. "Well hello there, I know I've shown myself to be a fan of ropes, but this is no way to showcase your own~"

"Oh?" Wither seemed to inquire, only stepping closer. Sheriff prayed the other didn't see the nervous gleam his eyes have no doubt obtained. "Then just how should I show you? Just how much would you like to see~?"

Oh. Oh Sheriff was in over his head. Wither kneeled right infront of him, not in some act of bowing, but as almost a tease, a taunt, a flaunt and display of the other's power in this situation. Sheriff darted his eyes around them, looking for any exit to this situation.

Sheriff let out a cry, the vines tightened, but only around his skin. The thorns dug deep into the flesh, drawing blood and loosening just enough to let him bleed. Dispite the many pains Sheriff has found himself in, he couldn't prevent tears welling up in his eyes. They were trapped there because of his mask, and the salt began to burn, bringing more tears to trap themselves.

"Adorable, do keep up the act, vigilant. Your suffering is delicious." Wither would taunt him, bringing a single finger to swipe across his cheek, causing another wound. Only a small slash, but it was all adding up to the pain Sheriff felt.

It was all too much, even for him,,, the act could be kept up no longer. "Stop,,," it felt so pathetic to beg, but he had no other choice. He couldn't try and writhe out, it would only dig the thorns farther into his arms, legs, & torso. He can only sustain so much damage and guarantee he can make it home. It's all he could do,,, all he could do was beg.

And Wither would only seem to grin wider at his suffering. Perhaps he actually did feed from pain? Who could say. "Don't you worry, I have no intentions to hurt you further. Keep your eyes open, Sheriff. It's time for stage 3~"

What?

And there it was, just outside his peripheral, endless colors began to warp where there was previously only darkness. The visuals creeped into his sight, coating the world around him in shifting and spiraling hues. There was nothing to stay latched on to. There was nothing to stay grounded to. There was nothing to stay focused on. It ate away at his focus, only intensifying every moment it stayed. And Sheriff knew exactly who was working together now.

"Hello there, Rosette~. It seems you've done your part rather well."

"no No NO-"

Not him, not them- anyone but Them.

But it was them. It was, in fact, Wither & Spectrum,,, working together... for... what? What would they need? What could they want? What,,, does Sheriff have to do with this? He,,, didn't know.

And somehow, that terror,,, it distracted him. The world around him began to shift, nothing stayed the same too long. He could hardly make out the walls of the alleyway anymore, only colors,,, endlessly shifting colors,,, endlessly moving colors,,, endlessly spiraling colors,,,

It was... mesmerizing, and any normal person would have fallen victim right here and now. But Sheriff wasn't normal, at least not like this. There had to be a way out, he had to stay strong-

Wither moved to be behind him, wrapping his arms around The Sheriff in a grapple almost adjacent to a hug. Sheriff struggled to not lean into this embrace. Spectrum made his way infront of The Sheriff, gently cupping the other's face within his palms. Sheriff desperately tried to avoid looking as deep as he could into such beautiful eyes. Both villains whispered words to The Sheriff, he tried not to listen, he couldn't hear them, he listened, he couldn't make out what they were saying.

"Hush, --wboy"

"J--- -isten"

"-o thin---g"

"Relax n--"

"D--'t str--gle"

"Fall~."

And fall he did, ever so simply. The colors coated his mind so easily, covering up any thought he may have had and preventing him from forming new ones. They kept swirling in his vision, trapping his mind within it's spirals, falling farther and farther down. All will of fight left his limbs, falling limp within the hold of the one behind him. The world and all in it seemed to fade away as he kept falling further away from it.

His mouth would stay gently open, no tension to keep his jaw closed. His eyes would lose focus, not looking at anything in particular as the world itself seemed to escape him. No thoughts to form, no form to fight, no fight to give. The Sheriff, He could only Be.

Mossy vines untangled themselves from his flesh, retreating back to their posts along the alley walls. Two grins faced the empty husk of a figure, as they knew their plan had succeeded. The bright magenta hue that overwhelmed a previous eye color spoke it all.

They just got a new little puppet~

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Ello! Thanks For Reading! Hope Y'all Enjoyed Your VSAU-AU Villain Yaoi Scosage / Toxic Flytrap Husbands Content :>