#and the seeing a work as a map to unlock to mine for material for your deeply mid fic

[utilitycaster]

I think three things ultimately frustrate me about the "you should care about poorly written women" argument.

First: there's well-written women. There's plenty. I'm going to find them, actually, and leave this badly written stuff behind, and maybe the writer will do a better job next time.

Second: you get people passionately defending poorly written women in old favorites in wildly regressive ways. Like just admit LOTR has like 5 named women and only two really do anything. Stop forcing a progressive label it doesn't deserve. Tolkien is dead and isn't going to become a feminist posthumously so deal with the story as it is instead of trying to justify it. They're not well written! It's fine.

Third: you get the argument that people are more accepting of poorly written men. This is almost certainly true but you can't control a fandom, so bringing this up is mostly a waste of time. What you can do is ignore poorly written men even harder than poorly written women. Mourn the women's squandered potential and pretend the poorly written men don't exist and then find works with well written women like I said in step 1.

[sombersummerskies]

A Sage's Regret: Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Mired in Muck

Word Count: 6157

CW: None

Want all the chapters? -> Masterlist

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Cool air blew past you, your legs hanging over the edge of the island cliff. You watched the clouds float by below. You ran your fingers through the grass, which you’d noticed was an odd golden-yellow color while up here in the sky. The shadows around you swayed as the tree you sat beneath moved back and forth in the breeze. You take a bite out of an apple (a golden one, which you’d found while scavenging this same sky island) as you ruminate over the events of the last few days.

After recuperating in Lookout Landing you assisted Purah and Josha in the activation of the new Skyview Towers. Purah had designed them using the old Sheikah technology, these would be the replacements of the old towers, collecting map data and changes in the land of Hyrule. She had made them with good timing as well, they would be powerful enough to map the data of all the new sky islands as well.

The process of this data collection, however, was an entirely difference experience. With the Sheikah Towers, you simply had to climb to their peak and then scan the pedestal. With these new Skyview Towers you would be, for lack of a better explanation, launched into the air. The first time you experienced it you’d been caught completely off guard.

Purah had given you a new paraglider and you stepped onto the platform. Suddenly robotic arms had shot out of the ground, no doubt repurposed from guardian parts. They’d grabbed you and attached a spool of cord to your belt which plugged into the Purah Pad. Before you could react you were launched into the air, a good thousand feet at the very least.

It had been terrifying, yet, simultaneously quite beautiful. The land of Hyrule had always been full of gorgeous sights, and seeing it all from so high up in the sky was thrilling. You’d been able to collect the data, giving you a detailed map of Central Hyrule and its sky. Then you soared down through the air, using your paraglider to make a somewhat graceful landing in the front of the laboratory. Purah had been thrilled, and you promised to continue activating each tower to fill out the map.

You sigh as you pluck a blade of grass from the ground, rolling it between your fingers. Far below you on the ground, you could see a gaping hole in the land. A deep dark chasm with a steady stream of gloom pouring out of it. Apparently multiple of these had appeared all over the land during the Upheaval. You had worked with Josha and the scientist Robbie to explore one of them.

When you’d lept into your first chasm it had made your skin crawl. The walls of the rock were covered in a thick layer of gloom, and the descent was long- miles beneath the surface of Hyrule. You’d landed in a place called the Depths, an entire layer of the land that had been previously unknown.

You had worked with Robbie for a handful of hours, discovering Lightroots which would illuminate the darkness. The cavernous depths were expansive, full of flora and fauna which were brand new to you. Long-bodied fireflies and purple rosebuds which would burst into puffs of smoke on impact. You’d pocketed a fair amount of this material for use in battle in the future.

Unfortunately for you, nothing in the Depths seemed to be something that would aid you in your search for the princess. Robbie unlocked the camera rune on the Purah Pad for you, and you allowed yourself to wander for a few hours. But when nothing showed up that would help you understand Zelda’s disappearance or the Upheaval, you returned to the surface.

It was then that Purah informed you of what was being called the ‘regional phenomena’. Days after both you and the princess had disappeared, four of the primary settlements around Hyrule became impacted by disastrous new problems.

To the north, the Goron had halted all of their mining operations and Hylians in the volcanic region were reporting food which was making the Goron act strange. To the west, the Rito were suffering from a severe cold snap, and a blizzard had been swirling above the Hebra mountain for two weeks now with no signs of stopping. Then to the south, the Gerudo were fending off a seemingly permanent sand shroud, where the locals reported that new monsters lurked in the desert.

What Purah had told you about the Zora in the east had you the most concerned, however. Sludge had begun to rain down from the skies, and it had contaminated their rivers and water sources. Beyond that, the sludge seemed to be killing off the wildlife and poisoning the Zora that came into contact with it.

You couldn’t even attempt to kid yourself, you were worried. The water of Zora’s Domain was a lifeline for its people, and if it had become polluted you weren’t sure how long the Zora would be able to withstand against it. You had immediately thought of Sidon, the concern for him ebbing in your mind. How was he handling the disaster? Had he fallen ill as well?

It’s why you found yourself sitting atop this cliff. The map on the Purah Pad says that you’re in the North Necluda Sky Archipelago. From this vantage point, you could look down at Hyrule, and when you flicked your gaze to the northeast you had a perfect view of the Domain. The palace stood proud among the highlands, but the sight of mud and sludge raining from the islands above it made you feel sick.

As your eyes trailed across the pristine architecture of the domain you couldn’t help but think. Would you even be wanted there? After the engagement and your subsequent fallout with the prince, you weren’t sure if you could handle seeing him again. The emotions were still too fresh, too raw in your heart.

“Don’t be ridiculous,” you mutter, flicking the grass away, “there are people in need. Can’t just sit around and wallow in my shame.”

‘Besides, I have a feeling that investigating each of these phenomena can help me find the princess.’

You toss the core of the apple aside and look down and the land below you once. If you were to glide north it would be a straight shot to the Lanaryu Wetlands, and from there you could travel on foot along the Zora River to reach the domain. You would need to be sure to cook some elixirs as you traveled, unsure if the sludge would have an effect on your body as well.

‘No time like the present.’

You push yourself off the cliff and soar through the skies.

…

There were new monsters.

In Lookout Landing, you had been warned of this. Ever since the Upheaval there had been reports all across the land of previously unknown beasts. Some of which matched descriptions in ancient texts, but hadn’t been seen in thousands of years. You could only assume that when the mummified man lifted the castle and his gloom infected the land, it had brought new enemies along with it as well.

Some of them were easier to handle than others. Certain camps of Bokoblins would have a bigger, meaner-looking Boss Bokoblin that tagged along with them. While their size was intimidating, they were just as stupid as their subordinates, and could easily be disposed of with a few well-timed hits. Flying monsters named Aerocudas soared through the air, and there had been multiple times where you’d been gliding and one had attempted to dive toward you. Luckily they seemed to be as weak as Keese were, a single arrow to the head being enough to take them down.

Your first encounter with an Evermean had given you quite a fright. You had been traveling south through Hyrule Field when a tree suddenly uprooted itself and began barreling toward you. After the initial scare, you were able to quickly fend it off by using fire fruit to light it ablaze. In many of the new caves lurked a new creature called Horriblins, gangly-looking beasts that crawled along the walls and would throw stones at you. They weren’t too smart either and their attacks could be easily dodged.

Not all the new foes were so simple, though. Disgusting things called Like Likes hung from the walls, their fleshy bodies could contort and their mouths would open to reveal several rows of teeth. They’d attempted to swallow you hole multiple times. The tricky part of fighting them was that you had to wait for them to reveal their weak point, a glowing orb in their mouths which acted as a tongue. Once that was struck you could get rid of them, they were more of an annoyance if anything.

When passing Lake Hylia you had taken a small glance at the long bridge and witnessed a new horror. It was a dragon- but it was nothing like the majestic creatures that flew in the skies. No, these were Gleeoks, multi-headed dragons that could spit flames, ice, or electricity. They were massive and terrifying, and you knew immediately that you would not take a chance getting near one until you had regained more of your strength.

Currently, you were just past Inogo Bridge, attempting to continue your journey to Zora’s Domain. At any other time, you may have paused at the bridge to fondly reminisce about when you’d first met Prince Sidon. When he’d leapt down and excitedly requested you aid his people in taming the Divine Beast. From the very start, he had been so charming.

However, you didn’t have time to reminisce- rather, you were currently staring at the river in disgust. The once pristine blue waters had turned to a gross, murky brown. Globules of the sludge were scattered about, blocking sections of the road and dripping down the side of the mountain range.

“Shit…” you grumbled, staring at the path before you, “how am I supposed to get through any of this?”

You make an attempt to carry on. You grimace as your boots sink into the muddy sludge, the substance slowing you down and inhibiting your ability to walk. ‘If I can just make it to the cliffs I can get enough of a vantage point to glide above the road,’ you think, trying to make a plan.

Just as you round the corner of the road and begin to walk uphill, there’s a sudden shriek.

It sends a shiver down your spine, freezing your blood in your veins and making you whip your head around in a frenzy. The screams persisted, causing your ears to ring in pain. ‘What is that-’ you attempt to question, but your eyes quickly find the answer.

In front of you, gloom begins to pour out of the ground. The mass of black and red swirls and bubbles, causing you to stumble backward in shock. You watch in horror as the gloom grows in size and something- no, multiple things begin to grow out of it. Long limbs, each taller than you, jut out of the gloom. You quickly recognize these as grotesque arms with hands as they continue to form.

Your heart pace had quickened. What were you even looking at? You had never seen anything like this before, not even during the Calamity when malice had infected the land. You attempt to take a quiet step back, thinking that you can get away without drawing their attention-

You thought wrong.

Each of the hands turns, and you realize they each possess a large eye in their palms. The eyes glow menacingly as they zero in on you, locking onto their target. There’s another shriek, this one loud enough that it feels like it blows out your ear drums. Then, they lunge.

You attempt to turn and run, your feet moving faster than your mind. But the sludge that covers the road slows you down. You’re entire body feels chilled, the hairs on the back of your neck standing up straight. Everything within you is willing you to run, to move, to sprint, anything-

There’s a tight grip around your waist and you’re yanked backward. You screech, kicking and fighting as the hand pulls you toward the puddle of gloom. You can feel the strength of your body slowly being leached away. You’re wide-eyed, feeling like an animal of prey caught in the maw of its predator.

The hand drops you and you scramble, attempting to crawl away to safety. Then another one grabs you- this time wrapping its fingers around your throat. You cry out as you’re slammed into the ground, your windpipe being squeezed of precious air. The rest of the hands wriggle and writhe, each of their bulbous eyes staring at you as you’re held captive against the dirt.

It was toying with you- as if sapping you of your energy and tossing you around was some kind of game. What in Hylia’s name was this thing? The sense of terror and doom it filled you with reminded you of Calamity Ganon- a beast you never wanted to remember again.

You’re panicked, your own hands clawing at the ground in an attempt to escape.

You’re frantic, eyes darting in all directions as you look for any means to assist you.

You’re desperate, every ounce of strength you’d worked so hard to regain is being stolen from you yet again.

The pain in your neck is impossible to ignore, the hand’s grip tightening more and more. Your nose flares, attempting to breathe- but it’s not possible with the way you’re being asphyxiated. You had to act, and it had to be now.

With a strangled grunt you lift your right arm, willing forward the power of Ultrahand. It begins to glow green and your eyes flicker about- looking for something, anything, which you could use to fend for yourself. There were some rocks scattered about the edge of the river, and though it wasn’t much you would have to make do.

The power surges in your arm as you try to focus on the rocks. Your arm shakes as you latch on, fingers outstretched. When you finally grasp the rock with your ability you scream, twisting your arm and launching the projectile directly at the hands. You manage to strike one in its eye and all the arms flinch in return- including the one that had its grip on your neck.

As soon as its hold loosens you scramble away, running on pure adrenaline as you head straight for the water. If you couldn’t run with the path blocked by sludge, you would have to swim instead. You drag your body to the water and submerge yourself, not caring about its state- you’d rather swim in a polluted river than be grabbed by one of those hands again.

You paddle away towards a rock that juts out in the center of the river, far enough from the shore to be out of their reach. The hands attempt to follow you but hiss as soon as they come close to water, shaking in anger. You watch as they stalk along the river’s edge before eventually, thankfully, they give up. The gloom dissipates. The hands are gone.

You greedily take in gulps of fresh air, raising a hand to touch your neck. The skin is tender, no doubt bruised after the encounter. That’s something you would have to worry about later. Warily you turn your head to look at the path in front of you once more.

‘I’ll need to find another way to get to Zora’s Domain.’

…

After some thought and planning, you decide that you’ll take a more roundabout approach to reaching the domain. You’d retraced your steps across the Inogo Bridge and headed north instead, deciding to hike up the side of the mountain. It would take you to Upland Zorona, and while more strenuous than walking, there was significantly less sludge blocking the way.

It took you a fair few hours to climb to the highlands, although your new Ascend ability was a massive help along the way. You also spotted another Skyview Tower atop the mountain. Getting more map data seemed like a rather good idea, you figured it would likely help you solve the problem with all this sludge.

Luckily scaling up this way also meant the amount of monsters you came across was minimal. A few Aerocuda had to be shot down and a handful of non-threatening Chuchus were easily sliced through. Nothing as horrific as those Gloom Hands. You wanted to keep it that way.

Finally, you reach the plateau of the highlands. You approach the tower, which seems to be surrounded by thick, muddy sludge. It was covering the door as well, which would prove to be a problem for you. You had no way of getting rid of it. Just as you approach the stairs to investigate, a feeble voice calls out.

“... help… please, help me…”

You whip around and search for the source. Your face drops when you realize that there’s a Zora trapped beneath the sludge, unable to move. But as you rush over to them you realize that you know that voice, and you recognize those dark grey scales.

“Bazz?” you ask, hurriedly rushing to his side, “Bazz, can you hear me?”

He attempts to lift his head but is unable to turn and look at you. He wheezes, voice weakened, “this filth fell upon me so suddenly… I could wash it away… if only I had some water…”

‘Water… where the hell do I get water,’ you think, trying to find a solution. You knew that if you kept walking through the highlands you would find Toto Lake, but there was no guarantee that the water would be clean. Besides, you didn’t want to leave him, every second he spent in the muck was another second he was being sapped of his energy.

As you look around for something, anything, that could help, a bushel of fruits catches your eye. A small plant that bore several odd-shaped fruits that were green and blue. You sprint over and grab one of these fruits, pulling it off the vine and shaking it gingerly. You could hear a sloshing sound from within the fruit as if it were full of… water.

You throw one to the ground experimentally and watch as it bursts into a wave of cool… refreshing… water!

“Bazz!” you call out, running back to the Zora captain, “Bazz, I’ve found something.” You lob another of the fruits on the ground beside him. The relief was palpable as it burst and washed away the mud that he was trapped beneath.

He slowly pulls himself up and off the ground, rising to a sitting position. You noticed that his scales were still stained by the brown filth of the sludge, but otherwise, he seemed like he was going to be alright.

“You saved me,” he says gratefully, chest rising as he struggles to breathe in, “how shameful that this should happen to me, captain of the guard. Unbelievable… after the Upheaval, all this filth suddenly began falling from the sky… it sullied the waters around here and in Zora’s Domain. Everyone is at their wit’s end because of it.”

He lifts a hand, carefully touching the gills on his side before he continues, “that is why I set out to investigate the surrounding area myself. To think I would fall prey to falling sludge myself… just thinking of it makes my scales bristle… my gills still feel so unclean. If you had not sprayed me with water, I shudder to think what would have happened to me…”

You offer him a smile, “well, I’m just glad I was able to get here on time. Will you be alright? Do you need my help to get back to the domain?”

The captain shakes his head, “no, no. I’ll just need a short break. I wasn’t trapped for very long, luckily.”

He looks up at you and you notice him hesitate before he speaks again, “... how have you been, Hylian?”

You know what he’s really asking about. He’s not wondering how you’re feeling today, he’s wondering how you’ve been holding up ever since the engagement. “Fine,” you answer, though you know it’s a lie, “I’ve been… fine. I’m more concerned about all of the Zora. I’ve come to help with this sludge problem.”

Bazz nods before suddenly jolting with a gasp, “this is going to be such a shock! Everyone thinks that you’re missing still- you must go and share the news right away! Oh, Prince Sidon will be so happy to hear- and the princess, is she alright?”

His smile fades when he notices your downcast expression. You shake your head, “no… Zelda is still missing. I… we are still looking for her.”

“I… see,” the captain mumbles, “well, in any case, it is good to know that you are safe. The domain will welcome you with open arms as always.”

This statement makes your heart swell with warmth. You give him a nod and a goodbye before turning your attention back to the Skyview Tower. With your newfound knowledge, you use one of the fruits, a splash fruit, to clear the sludge from the doorway.

Once you tap the Purah Pad to the pedestal you ready yourself for the launch. At exhilarating speeds you’re pushed up and into the sky. What immediately catches your attention is an array of large islands in the sky and the sludge that falls off the edge of them. No doubt, that is the source of the Zora’s predicament.

The tablet in your hands captures its new data, the screen showing you a new map of the region. Once the map is filled out you disconnect from the cord and pull out your paraglider, floating freely through the air. You set your sights on the domain and soar downwards, determined to solve the mystery of this phenomenon.

Once your boots land on the smooth floor of the Great Zora Bridge, you’re able to further assess the situation. Even the water which flows through the palace has been tarnished, polluted by the mud from the sky. The beautifully carved architecture of the domain is stained as well, just as Bazz’s scales had been.

As you approach the plaza you can see some Zora lingering, but not nearly as many that would usually be present. Guards lean against their spears, exhausted, and the children are nowhere to be seen. As you pass through the gateway you see a group of three Zora women who you did not recognize. They seem deep in a tense conversation.

“Ugh… I am so sorry,” one of the women, a Zora with deep burgundy scales, apologizes, “everyone has been treated now, but we have used up all of the splash fruit.”

The woman beside her, a Zora with violet scales, speaks up, “there were more injuries than anticipated. Please accept my apology…”

The third Zora, one with green scales whom the previous two were both facing, shakes her head politely, “you have nothing to apologize for. You did what had to be done. Most importantly, I am grateful that everyone is alright. Now, if we could only do something about that statue.”

The green Zora turns, and her eyes light up when she notices you standing there. You’re caught off guard momentarily, her golden jewelry and adornments immediately signifying she is someone of a higher ranking. Her features are kind and her long fins sway as she addresses you, “hmm? You there, are you a traveler? I am sorry that I did not notice you until now. I was focused on a matter of great importance. Zora’s Domain is in troubled times at present due to the sludge falling from the sky. Things have finally calmed down, at least for the moment. However, this palace remains covered in muck.”

She sighs gracefully as she turns to face the centerpiece of the plaza, “such a shame, as this particular statue is so incredibly important to the Zora of the domain. We were just discussing how we need to wash away the sludge. I apologize that I cannot provide a great deal of hospitality- but please, do make yourself at home here.”

You immediately notice that she speaks as if she’s not from here, talking about the local Zora as if they were a different group. This makes sense to you, as you’re certain you would remember having seen her before, with her uniquely shaped fins and accessories. A thought nags in the back of your mind… could she be…?

‘Now’s not the time to focus on that,’ you chastise yourself.

When you turn your attention to the statue you’re perplexed. Even when covered in sludge you could immediately tell that this was not the statue of Mipha that you were so accustomed to. It was taller at a different angle. Luckily, you’d pocketed some of the splash fruit from the highlands. You angle your arm and toss the fruit, watching it wash away the mud.

Admittedly, your jaw drops when the statue is revealed to you.

It’s an intricately carved depiction of the prince, his arms outstretched and his head held high. You cursed yourself for thinking that even in the form of stone he was undeniably handsome. That wasn’t all, however, because also carved into the stone was… you. Dressed in the Zora armor, riding on the back of the prince. No doubt the artwork was taking inspiration from when you and Sidon had worked together to stop the Divine Beast’s tantrum.

Your jaw tightens as you stare at it. This had to be some kind of a joke. A mockery. After everything you’d endured, you come back and you find this. A statue honoring the bond between you and a man who you weren’t even allowed to have- all because of an arranged marriage. You’re ashamed at the way it makes you seethe internally.

Behind you, one of the Zora women gasps, “the sludge!”

When you turn you see that it’s the woman with green scales. She excitedly walks over to you and beams, “I see you managed to wash it away! That statue is a symbol of hope for the Zora… it is very precious to us. Thank you so much for cleaning it up! In truth, that statue depicts the majestic forms of the pair who saved the cherished domain in the past.”

You smile, but in your mind, you want to do nothing more than slap yourself in the face. Of course, there was no ill intent behind the creation of the statue. The whole of the Zora people wouldn’t punish you in such a cruel way. You were simply projecting your insecurities.

The burgundy Zora grins, “that is right! Beloved Prince Sidon of the Zora and his very best friend… Lady _____, the heroic Hylian swordswoman!”

You can feel your entire body freeze up at the statement. None of the women seemed to have realized who you were yet- and in all honesty, you wanted to keep it that way. It was embarrassing enough to be staring at a statue of yourself. Not to mention, the words ‘best friend’ made you bristle and wince.

You’re almost surprised when you look at the green-scaled Zora and see the faint grimace on her face as well.

If the burgundy Zora notices your expressions, she doesn’t make mention of it, continuing to grin and clap her hands together, “it is simply wonderful, is it not? How I would love to meet her someday.” Her eyes focus on you and your shoulders tense as she examines you. “Say, you have a similar stature to the Hylian hero. Similar eyes as well… oh my, and you are also a Hylian… and you carry a sword…”

‘Oh no.’

She continues, eyes wide, “... wait. Could it be…”

Very hesitantly you raise your head and sheepishly smile. The three Zora seemed to be coming to the same conclusion, and there would be no use in hiding it. “Ah, yeah,” you mutter, crossing your arms, “that’s me. Hello.”

You had never felt so awkward in your entire life.

“You’re _____? The swordswoman of legend?!” she practically squeals.

The violet Zora clears her throat, narrowing her eyes at her companion, “ahem! Please remember to mind your manners, Chroma!”

The burgundy Zora, Chroma, bows her head, “oh! Um… please accept my apology.”

The green Zora nods her head, and in her eyes there’s a look of sympathy that you don’t quite understand. “Yes, please pardon our rudeness,” she nods, placing her palms together, “I am quite surprised to learn that you are the Hylian knight. I have heard mention of you nearly every day since I first arrived at this domain. I am…”

She hesitates. You can see her eyes dart away before she sighs and continues, “I am Prince Sidon’s fiance. My name is Yona.”

It takes all of your willpower to not visibly react to this information. You keep your mouth shut, lips pressed into a polite smile. She had to have known exactly who you are, exactly who you once were to Sidon. You couldn’t imagine the prince ever hiding that information from her.

“Ah,” you reply after a moment of tense silence, “it’s nice to meet you.”

“I am truly honored to have the opportunity to meet you,” she continues, “I had heard that you were missing along with Princess Zelda. If I may ask, what brings you here?”

There’s no point in keeping anything to yourself. You explain everything to the trio. The expedition beneath the castle, the mummified man, falling into the chasm. You detail your journey from the sky islands, to Lookout Landing, and now to the domain. The three women seem to be in awe of your story.

Yona shakes her head solemnly, “to think that such a thing took place beneath Hyrule Castle. And now you are traveling the kingdom to investigate.”

The violet Zora, who introduces herself as Khira, responds, “so your search for Princess Zelda is what brought you to this domain?”

Yona hums before saying, “in that case, feel free to investigate the area around the domain as thoroughly as you see fit. Oh! I have an idea! If you do not mind, I ask that you please go and meet with Sidon. I am certain that he would be delighted to see you. He can be found at Mipha Court, which is at the peak of Ploymus Mountain.”

You’re unsure how to respond. A voice in your head wants to say no, that you’re not ready to see him again. At the same time, there’s another voice, pleading to see the prince. You’re saved from having to speak up when Khira looks up instead.

“Lady Yona, it is time. I fear we must be going now,” she says.

Yona nods, casting one last look at you, “forgive me, _____, but I must be on my way. However, should you need anything during your stay, please do not hesitate to let me know. I am determined to be of assistance to you the best I can.”

You watch as she walks away, conflicted. You couldn’t bring yourself to be mad at her. You had once thought that if you should ever cross paths with Sidon’s fiance that you would be furious. But she was so kind, even before knowing exactly who you were. There was an undeniable pain in your heart as you’d conversed with her, however.

A pain that might never go away.

With a huff you turn and look up, eyes finding the peak of the mountain. The location of Mipha Court. The location of Prince Sidon.

You couldn’t run from your feelings forever. It was time to meet him again.

…

With no Zora armor, you were unable to swim up the waterfalls that surrounded the palace. You’d have to find a way to get to the mountaintop on foot instead. You were beginning to regret giving the armor back to the prince.

Luckily you had the travel point at the Skyview Tower. After teleporting there you’d been traversing along the highlands, fighting off Bokoblins and Lizalfos as you hiked to the peak. As you fended off these foes your mind was swirling with thoughts.

How were you going to greet him? How could you avoid a disastrous encounter? Do you pretend that nothing happened? Keep him at arm's length? Give him the cold shoulder? Every scenario you ran through in your head seemed awful.

By the time you were walking along the edge of Toto Lake, you were groaning to yourself. Every part of you was tense, nervously anticipating the conversation that was to come. Your thoughts were so loud in your mind that you almost didn’t hear a sputter from the lake.

You stop, staring at the murky water. A steady stream of sludge was falling from the sky above, keeping the lake thoroughly polluted. You stay quiet, ears strained to listen for the sound once more.

Something- no, someone, coughs from beneath the muck.

You quickly jump into action, wading through the water and searching for the source. “Hello? Hello!” you call out, “say something so I can find you, please!”

No response.

Your heart pounds in a panic. All you could see was mud and filth. You reach your arms into the sludge and reach around in a desperate attempt to find them. When you had found Bazz, he at least had enough of his face and gills exposed to be able to breathe. Whoever was stuck here was completely submerged.

When you’re unable to feel a body you begin to lob splash fruits. But it feels as if it’s in vain, for every mound of muck that’s removed, more sludge falls from the stream to replace it. “Please,” you say desperately, “please, who’s here- please-”

That’s when you spot it.

A small teal limb sticking out of the sludge.

You lunge forward and reach into the muck, grabbing onto the body. With all your might you heave backward, arms strained as you work against the strength of the sludge. You grit your teeth and pull harder and harder until suddenly the mud lets you go free.

With a yelp you fall backward into the shallow water, holding a frail body in your arms.

You look down and realize that you’re holding a young Zora, a little boy, with teal scales. He’s still covered in quite a bit of the sludge so you grab another splash fruit, breaking it and allowing it to wash the majority of the mud off of his body. This reveals a pattern of stripes along his long fin.

With a grunt you hoist him up and carry him to the edge of the lake, laying him down in the grass to further assess him. You press your ear to his chest and listen, sighing in relief when you hear his heartbeat. It’s faint, but it’s there. The boy breathes shallowly, face contorted into a look of pain.

You quickly realize why. There’s still sludge trapped in his gills- and you had no way of removing it without risking harming him.

‘Shit. I have no idea how long he was stuck there. Where are his parents? Is he poisoned- is he-’

There’s no time for questions. You need to find help and you have to go now. You lift the boy into your arms and begin to sprint. Luckily, even for a child, he’s rather small, if he could stand he’d likely be at about the height of your knee. You jog through the highlands, making a point of avoiding the scattered camps of enemies.

Your breathing quickens as you run up the slope to the mountain peak. Surely there must be someone who could aid you- a soldier- a nurse- a healer- anyone.

You cradle the boy to your chest. He was far too young for this- too young to suffer such a cruel fate. You had to cure him- you had to. “Help!” you yell as you approach the court, “help us! Please!” Your throat strains as you exert your vocal cords, but you couldn’t care less.

When you finally reach Mipha Court you don’t even have the chance to be stunned by the change of scenery. What was once a flat plateau, the home of a dangerous Lynel, was now a beautiful pond with a silver fountain. You immediately noticed the handful of Zora running to aid you, all clearly alerted by your screaming.

As you move forward to explain, that’s when you see him. Radiant red scales, glittering silver jewelry, golden-yellow eyes brimming with concern.

Prince Sidon.

~~~ <> ~~~

Here's a drawing I made of the young Zora boy so y'all can have a better idea of what he looks like (plus a doodle with Sidon for scale)!

The little Zora boy is going to become a recurring character, so I thought having a full design would help the readers imagine him better! He's teal (I thought it would compliment Sidon's red), and has design elements based on tiger sharks (his stripes) and reef sharks (the dark fin tips). I think he's a cutie :)

So! This was a lot for one chapter, sorry if it's overwhelming aha. We got Yona, the little Zora, and seeing Sidon again all in one go! Hope y'all enjoyed it tho :p

Previous Chapter

Next Chapter

[thegeminisage]

i've decided to start in central hyrule & work my way outward re: shrines & seeds. reason: i am weak af and if i do this i will collect materials along the way which will help me upgrade my armor, or at least give me something i can cook and/or sell, and seeds and shrines will help me with weapons/health/stamina. win/win/win if collecting korok seeds doesnt make you wanna end it all

obviously i am gonna have to do this in Small Doses. i'm thinking every x number of seeds/every area i stop and do one of the sidequests in my backlog to keep it interesting

i'm on the other island next to hyrule castle looking for the chasm the map swears is here. i'm starting to wonder if i cant sneak into hyrule castle via these, even though there's a wall, because there's a deep spot on the other one. i am not <3 going to find out

so it is Not here. i can't find any sort of cave entrance or anything it could be in, like the other one...does it unlock later...? is this too part of the fifth sage quest

eigh the hyrule castle music coming it. stop i know i know im too close!!!! such different vibes from the deceptively peaceful central hyrule of botw...

IF OUND THE CAVE!!! ANOTHER FROX!!!!!!! i'm scared!!!!!!!!!!

OH EWWWW WHEN YOU'RE IN THE AIR IT TRIES TO CATCH YOU IN ITS MOUTH THAT IS SO GROSSSSS

i used. almost literally. every weapon i had left. i have like a fire wand a mining stick and two shitty swords. what the fuck what the fuuuck

luckily there's a lightroot like right here. i saw it when i got in but i was Uh. busy.

well there is fuck all else down here so now my new priority is finding weapons. i know lookout landing has some...hinoxes usually carry good ones...AUGHGHGH

god the ones here SUUUCK i am in such trouble.

i cant fight a hinox with no weapons...so thats out

maybe a construct camp...? i could start in the great sky islands. literally back 2 basics

luckily i still have lots of arrows and many good strong bows, so i can use that to my advantage

took out a construct camp. got one (1) Pretty Good sword

okay, with some fusing i now have 2 pretty good swords, one pretty decent sword, and two shitty ones, plus a fire rod, mining stick, and...an actual stick, that i picked up off the ground, just in case. i think i can work with this

landed in the deya village ruins! i've been wanting to poke around here actually...then i'll get back to central hyrule lol

very nostalgic...this is where i got my first blood moon in botw...since it was already night, the ruins were creeping me out, they remind me of a spooky location in okami. and i had no idea what was happening when the sky went red and the music changed because i hadn't seen the red moon rise, i was looking at the ground!! it really freaked me out lol, i'll always remember it

yooo there's a shrine in this well!!!!!

there's a talus down here KICKING my ass. his little thingy is on his back and i never know how to defeat those 😭

I MISS STASIS >:(

got him. jesus fuck

on the bright side this is another cool thing to add to my weapons. my supply is refilling itself rather nicely

back in central hyrule and i found a little island absolutely COVERED in flint and arrows. environmental storytelling.........not sure WHAT story they're telling but i see them telling it

OHHH my god. when i was flying over. some gloom hands just. SPAWNED BENEATH ME. TOTALLY SOUNDLESSLY. AND NOW I'M STUCK UP HERE BC IF I GET DOOOWWWWWN

this is the thing. this is the thing. when i said "guardians are scarier" i'm not implying these motherfuckers are not scary. bc they are. but u have to understand my first encounter w guardians was a complete and total surprise. just, bam, piano, YOU'VE BEEN SPOTTED, the sheer terror of fleeing for cover

but the hands. everyone talked about the hands before i got there. i saw them spawn down at the bottom of the labyrinth at a good distance away. i had time to absorb what was coming and it was not remotely a surprise

and then they spawned in the dark, without a single sound

and then they spawned UNDERNEATH ME, without a single sound

THERE IS NOT EVEN MUSIC PLAYING RIGHT NOW. EVERYTHING JUST WENT SILENT.

these are the antithesis of guardians. a guardian will scream its presence at you and the scream makes you wanna duck and cover. the hands will be killing you before you even know they're there. anytime anywhere no warning whatsoever. it's apples and oranges. they're both fucking scary

anyway i can't get down from here.

i can't get down and i do not want to fight them I Do Not Want To I Do Not Want To I DO NOT WANT TO

if i wait long enough, will they despawn...?

ok no. i gotta go for it. im so scared

went for it, made it, barely. the music didn't start but they looked up with their horrible eyes and they were on their way to me. i went over a hill and i stopped hearing the sound effects and now i hear normal music again but i sort of have to go that way a teensy bit to get ym korok seed and i'm too scared. what if they're still there! when do they despawn!

ok. i'm gonna go for it and if i see even a hint of them i'll fast travel away >:(

absolutely zero signs of them of COURSE it's way too far away but some chuchus jumped out at me and scared me shitless

at least guardians don't keep scaring you AFTER THEYRE GONE. theyre def cooler tho

okay i have to quit now bc it's bedtime and also for my own mental wellbeing. EUGH those hands!!!!!

[govindhtech]

EDEM Altair on Google Cloud Unlock Billion-Particle Models

Google Cloud and Altair EDEM

An essential skill for manufacturing, industrial, and life science companies is modelling the interactions between bulk and granular materials and containers, machinery, and each other. The more realistic these simulations get, the less time and money businesses need to spend refining their designs and prototypes. Recently, Altair and Google Cloud worked together to see how big of a simulation EDEM Altair could run on a single Google Cloud virtual machine. The outcomes were revolutionary.

Software for the Discrete Element Method (DEM) High-performance software for simulating both bulk and granular materials is called EDEM. Equipped with DEM, EDEM simulates and analyses a wide range of materials’ behaviours, including coal, mined ores, soils, fibres, grains, tablets, powders, and more, with speed and accuracy.

Engineers may get vital insight into how those materials will behave with their equipment under various operating and process settings by using EDEM modelling. It may be used in conjunction with other CAE tools or on its own.

Using EDEM, top businesses in the heavy equipment, off-road, mining, steel, and process manufacturing sectors can assess equipment performance, optimise workflows, and comprehend and forecast granular material behaviours.

GPUs drive simulations for EDEM A high-performance software programme for simulating bulk and granular materials is called EDEM Altair. Discrete element method (DEM) simulations and analysis of the behaviour of mined ores, soils, fibres, grains, tablets, powders, and more are performed fast and precisely thanks to EDEM calculations.

Several advancements in model size have been made as a result of industry demands for EDEM to operate at even larger scale. The maximum two decades ago was 200,000 particles, requiring up to ten days to generate in a simulation. That increased swiftly to one million particles, ten million, and finally twenty million. Today, completing a simulation with one billion particles in a few days is the holy grail.

Since these simulations necessitate a significant amount of processing power, as one might anticipate, the use of graphics processing units (GPUs) has significantly increased simulation speed and efficiency. GPUs are extremely effective at handling the massive volumes of data and intricate computations required for EDEM simulations because they are specifically made to handle parallel processing tasks.

The EDEM Altair experiment running on Google Cloud EDEM was initially intended to be a desktop application and has only ever worked with shared-memory architectures that are hosted on a single host. Unlike distributed memory, which can scale across multiple hosts, this restricts access to processors. EDEM is unable to benefit from the scalability and flexibility of distributed memory without a significant rebuild. On the other hand, multi-GPU systems provide a way to boost processing capacity without switching to distributed memory programming models.

The partnership between Altair and Google Cloud had two objectives: to simulate the largest system that could be created, with one billion particles, and to collect data in order to create estimates for mapping a specific type of hardware to a potential simulation scale. Google Cloud made the announcement that its A3 virtual machines (VMs) with NVIDIA H100 GPUs were now available in May 2023. This level of simulation is made feasible by the A3 VMs, which combine modern CPUs with NVIDIA H100 Tensor Core GPUs and also provide significant network upgrades and enhanced host memory.

Two simulation scenarios were conducted by Altair and Google Cloud on a single A3 virtual machine (VM) equipped with eight NVIDIA H100 GPUs, each having 80 GB of GPU memory and 3.6 TB/s of bisectional bandwidth. A 4th Generation Intel Xeon Scalable processor and 2 TB of host memory were also included in the system.

The filling test was selected as the test scenario. This useful simulation examines the effects of particle behaviour in an actual industrial environment, where particles are dropped into a container from a moving plate. In this simulation, single- and multi-sphere particles were employed.

As previously shown, the combined filing test simulation with single- and multi-sphere EDEM Altair simulations scales well across the eight NVIDIA H100 GPUs that are available, reaching a total particle count of one billion.

The manufacturing industries can now assess equipment performance, optimise processes on a never-before-seen scale, and better understand and predict granular material behaviours thanks to this new breakthrough in simulation technology billion particles which will enable future simulations with greater fidelity and larger scale.

Key points are summarised below: Importance of Bulk Material Simulation The behaviour of these materials must be simulated in bulk because it affects many different industries, including manufacturing, life sciences, and industrial processes.

Software called Altair EDEM Software called EDEM Altair was created especially for high-performance simulation of granular and bulk materials.

Need for Greater Scale The industry has been requesting that EDEM be able to manage even bigger and more intricate simulations.

Cooperation Goal Two primary objectives drove the collaboration between Altair EDEM and Google Cloud

Run the biggest simulation you can, aiming for a billion particles as a benchmark. Collect information to determine the possible simulation scale that can be reached with various hardware setups. Making Use of Google Cloud Hardware The secret to the success was to leverage the A3 virtual machines (VMs) on Google Cloud, which were outfitted with potent NVIDIA H100 GPUs.

A3 virtual machines offer the base for general-purpose computing. The processing power for high-performance computations is provided by H100 GPUs. The article discusses utilising eight H100 GPUs, but it makes no mention of the precise A3 VM configuration.

Read more on Govindhtech.com

[wanderinthedeep]

Need to dump all the stuff I’m writing for my D&D character in one spot so:

In the Trade Ward of Waterdeep, at the end of a narrow alley, crowded in by nearby buildings jostling against it and yet managing to soar gracefully above them, is a narrow, four-story rounded tower made of pale grey stone. Cool in the summer and isolating in the winter, this slender needle of a building is home to Ophelia Achernar, scholar of the stars. The doors open into a comfortable entranceway, with a few worn armchairs, a small fireplace, and a staircase that winds its way around the interior of the residence.

On the second floor, a study. Walls covered in shelves of books, scrolls, and other scholarly paraphernalia, leaving no scrap of stone exposed, parting only around tall windows of dark glass studded with bits of reflective material that give the impression of bright twinkling stars even at high noon on the sunniest of days.

On the third floor, a bedroom. Everything has the feel of worn-in comfort. Everything has a reason for being there, all extraneous belongings either shoved into the crowded study, or simply thrown out in the long years of Ophelia’s solitary occupation. A scent of the deep sea, and moss, salty and humid and intoxicating, fills the air, and the most observant might be able to pick out the telltale trails of Ophelia’s most-walked paths, as the slight perpetual moisture dripping from her Water Genasi figure has eroded away the stone floor every so slightly in the places she spends the most time.

On the fourth, and final, floor, an observatory. More glass windows, clear this time, occupying most of the walls, along with a telescope, heaps of star charts, divination materials, remnants of meals eaten without thinking during astral contemplation. The telescope, as it almost always is, has been pointed out towards the sky over the ocean bordering Waterdeep.

In her study, we see Ophelia. Round, soft, attributable largely to her fondness of the bakery down the street, still with a heartiness and strength born of her Genasi ancestry, but certainly acclimated to the ease of living in Waterdeep. She wears brightly-colored colors in blues, greens, and purples, reminiscent of some tropical aquatic creature. Her iris is a deep purple with dark reflectivness in the center, and when she enters her starry form, they go to a purple so dark it is almost black, with twinkling starlight hidden in its depths.

Unlike many druids, she does not share a complete aversion to all things of metal, recognizing it's place in nature and particularly in the expanse of the cosmos. Small accents of silver jewlery stud her appearance, and she carries always a silver ball that swirls with purples and glints, a map of the stars and her druidic focus that only she is capable of unlocking.

When we meet Ophelia, she appears to be in her mid-50’s. (In my mind, Genasi heritage is kind of similar to a lot of Asian cultures where you look very young for a long time and then suddenly look very old). So her skin is just beginning to crease and wrinkle, worry lines mostly. A little grey starting to weave its way into her long, mossy green braid, but not super noticeable yet.

But if we turn back the clock, nearly 35 years…

A much younger Ophelia, freshly arrived in Waterdeep, having finally broken away from her hometown of Leilen to the north, is undecided in her life’s path. Growing up in the small mining town of Leilen, she felt… Outcast is not the right word, but somehow, unincluded. The dance of life in a small town, courtship and weddings, house-raisings, festivals, the work in the mines, the rebuilding after storms, none of it resonated with her. Her family and neighbors were always kind, but a deeply internal sense of separation kept Ophelia from fully integrating into the community, and in time, raised walls between her and the town that became impossible to overcome. Her desire to leave for Waterdeep came not from any love of the big city, but an understanding that it is possible to vanish in a population that size. The discomfort and intrusion of constantly having everyone know you and your business, and yet not feeling like one of them; all of that can be washed away in a city so large that you can isolate yourself more completely than in a small town like Leilen.

Leilen is also where Ophelia first encountered Druids. There were frequent clashes between the Druids of Kryptgarden Forest and the miners of Leilen, and while it rarely came to violence, there was something about these Druids and their conviction, their isolation, and their just inherent difference from the urban, industrial Leilenites that planted a seed in Ophelia’s mind, although it would be many years before that seed bloomed.

But! Childhood discomfort cast away, Ophelia made her way to Waterdeep, submerging herself quickly in the hustle and bustle, taking temp jobs where she could, keeping herself afloat. Over the first couple of years she found a teacher, a wise gnome of advanced age, who upon realizing her interest in the stars, those distant celestial points which were such a comfort to her growing up, and stoked that flame. They spoke late into the night about the constellations, the forces of the cosmos, the ties the stars hold not just to the natural world but to celestial beings and deities, and their constant nature in a world full of upheaval and change.

Then awakening early the next morning and rushing to whatever temp job she was working, Ophelia was able to make ends meet and pursue her studies. It was a busy life but it brought Ophelia a sense of internal completion that she had always lacked.

Until one day, while working in the Heroes Garden as a groundskeeper for a few weeks, she encountered a handsome Tiefling who she would come to know as Aanjali Kangkar, a local adventurer-for-hire. A chance meeting and a mutual spark of interest led to coffee dates, then dinners, then nights spent in his small apartment, curled up together and talking long into the starry night. Her studies suffered a bit during this time, but what aspect of academia can withstand the torrential force of infatuation? Ophelia was enthralled by his stories of the lands he had traveled to. Waterdeep opened her mind to the richness of the city; Anjali opened her mind to the world.

For several years Ophelia was happy, or at least content. Occasional disagreements would arise between them, usually from Anjali’s long absences when on the job. Ironic that the very qualities that attracted her to him also began to place the first strain on their relationship, as Ophelia’s desire to keep her life small and routine and comfortable chafed against Anjali’s need to be out in the world, risking his life and seeking thrills. But for the most part Ophelia was more content than she had ever been, thoughts of Leilen long since put away.

Then…things began to break down.

Longer and longer journeys. Less time together in Waterdeep. Louder and more intense disagreements that always ended with Ophelia folding in on herself in silent disappointment as Anjali stormed out to go drink or engage in some foolhardy behavior with his adventuring party.

At 32, seven years after she first met Anjali, things broke apart for good.

O - “I just don’t understand why I’m not enough! Why this isn’t enough! Please, Anjali, we’ve been so happy here together, please…please don’t take that away from me.”

A - “I’ve told you a hundred times, I don’t want to take it away, I want to bring you with me! There’s so much out in the world, so much to discover, how can you be happy just staying in one place, how can you be content with so little!”

Ophelia’s face becomes dark, her irises deepening into a black hole of need and resentment and bitter resignation.

“Go then. If I am not enough for you, if this is not enough for you, then go and look for something else.” Her voice becomes deep as she begins to manifest her starry form for the first time, and her words have the ring of prophecy. “In all the cosmos, this moment will never come to pass again, and you are a fool for giving up what you have in search of something new.”

Anjali leaves without another word, tears running down his face. Ophelia, alone in her apartment, sits incredibly still, her mind cast into the stars, driving out all of the love, all of the need, everything that she saw as weakness. She never wants to hurt this way again.

A stormy night, a knock on her teacher’s door, and he sees a stone-faced Ophelia. She has never given up her studies but they have been less of a priority for several years, but not longer. She pours herself into the work, crafting star charts, divining the omens of the constellations, finding solace in a universe that is too large to care about one individual, one moment, one heartbreak.

Five years later, Ophelia inherits the astronomy tower of her mentor after he passes away. She begins to become more and more reclusive. Time has soothed her somewhat, and she is not unfriendly to her neighbors, but the isolation of being alone in a big city becomes more and more firmly rooted, and she spends more and more time casting her gaze up, choosing not to engage in the bustle of the city but instead on the natural world. She remembers the Druids she saw in her youth, and how strong they were in isolation, and her way of life is heavily informed by that. Not having been formally trained in the wild as a Druid, she does not share all of their aversions to the Urban, but the belief in nature over people, of forces over individuals…these are things that resonate deeply within her. And so she stays in her tower, living a small life of routine and contemplation, fully convinced that this is how she will spend the rest of her life; she is too afraid of pain to open herself up to humanity again in the way she did once.

And perhaps that is exactly what would have happened, if certain unforeseen events had not come to pass… *cue beginning of the campaign*

[fashionlong]

Hive defender chest

#HIVE DEFENDER CHEST DOWNLOAD#

Excludes tools except for swords and axes. Part of this involves using cookies to collect anonymous data for statistics and personalization. Just wondering, does Hive Defender Gear still drop in Hive Moon Base Been off of DCUO for about a year and come back to find that you can buy styles with Marks of Fury. Unlock and activate special perks Team up with friends or play alone Defend your aliens nests from waves of human invaders. UPDATE (09/14/18) - Pilot Training COMPLETE Septemby 2nd-Guess.

#HIVE DEFENDER CHEST DOWNLOAD#

Android version available for download Please test it and let me know what you think. Android version available Septemby 2nd-Guess. Fully destructible and procedurally generated maze-like hives. Hive Defenderz Return to Hive Defenderz Devlog. Play as 4 different alien swarms simultaneously. Gives useful materials such as blocks and arrowsĭrops a diamond piece of gear. We are always working to improve your experience on our website. Hive Defender is a frantic, fast-paced, and very difficult real-time tactics game. IF you are unlucky, it will spawn an active boom box. So I break out in hives all the time usually from my chest all they down to my. While checking the app, you may see that Windows Defender Antivirus Service is set to manual, but when you try to start this service manually, you get a warning stating, The Windows Defender Antivirus Service service on Local Computer started and then stopped. Hi, my father is suffering from this chronic hive from last 30 years. The Mystery Chest opens once every 3 minutes and contains more useful items that are typically not found elsewhere in the map, such as ender pearls and 64-block bridge builders.ĭrops a random enchanted item, such as weapons, and armor.ĭrops a wide variety of good and bad items. The antivirus service name is Windows Defender Antivirus Service. Much like SkyGiants, players spawn on islands in the sky that contain chests of random items and must mine ores in order to obtain materials.Įach ore gives a differing range of items, while the larger, centric island also has an enchantment table and a Mystery Chest. The goal of each game mode is to be the last player or team standing by defeating others.

[tteokdoroki]

— “PANTY THIEF + BAKUGOU.”

author’s note(s): inspired by this fanart and everyone being horny on THE DASH !! dedicated to @honeykeigo n @lady-bakuhoe for enabling my horny behaviour ok ok. also this turned out longer than i expected so ,,, have fun?

warning(s): mdni, 18+, smut, dubcon, mentions of drinking, uhh sniffed and stolen panties, slight!exhibitionism, power play dynamics, fingering, pussy slaps uwu, fem!reader + pro hero!bakugou.

“y-you uh, you don’t haf’ta do this mishta—?“

“dynamight.”

“r-right, dy-ma-might!”

katsuki had rolled his eyes the first time you spoke to him, a sweet, darling little girl too drunk on whatever shitty alcohol you’d been served at the bar on friday night. you obviously didn’t drink much, maybe even drunk too much— the hero would tell by the way your eyes crossed with your legs as you walked and the fact that you couldn’t remember the right way to spell your own name and it was clear your friends were a bunch of assholes for abandoning their shit faced friend to find her own way home.

he hated, this part of the job but he’d have felt bad if the guy following you home had done something bad to you and besides— the way you pressed yourself to the explosive hero, breasts spilling out of your tight black dress, thick and juicy thighs exposed to the fresh night air makes the whole ordeal worth it. oh you’re so cute, got katsuki’s cock stirring in his pants— his baggy hero costume suddenly becoming way too fucking tight for his liking. you’ll pay him back, he knows that you will, all of his fans do in some way or another.

you’ll be special though, if the smell of your saccharine cunt is anything to go by. slick dripping down your shaky thighs while he guides you down the empty street, and of course you’d be attracted to him. bakugou will have to indulge in you; his reward for being such a gentleman, for being your hero. “this ish me,” you squeak when the pair of you arrive at the door to your apartment complex. your words are smooshed together by your own drunken haze while you unlock the door to let yourself in.

how rude of you, forgetting all about dynamight who’d basically saved your life tonight. without much of a fight, bakugou pushes you against the door, effectively keeping it closed, his eyes cloud over— a storm thick with lust as you look up at him so innocently he could break. “not gonna invite me up, sweet stuff?” he coos, amused at the shiver that runs laps down the base of your spine. your thighs jump apart only just, giving the hero an opportunity to shove his hand up your dress to cup your sweet little cunt.

“i— i didn’t know—“ your mouth opens and closes like a fish out of water, confusion etched so prettily across your face it makes bakugou want to bend you over and fill your hole to the brim. he’d save that for later though. “didn’t think you’d want to—“

the blonde growls, thick fingers easily finding your panties under that short dress of yours. the black lace is soaked to the bone, a sticky mess spreading across the digits that now pinch at your puffy clit. you jump and bakugou growls hungrily. “s’awfully rude don’cha think, sweet stuff? that’s okay though, i think you can reward me right fuckin’ here, don’chu?” a toothy smirk tugs at the hero’s lips when you dumbly nod in agreement, your body trembling from a mix of cold, neediness and excitement. “atta girl, spread those needy fuckin’ thighs for me then.”

you seem to have sobered up quickly, listening well for the hero that saved you and part your meaty thighs to let bakugou push your panties to the side and give him more access to your runny cunny. “p-please dynamight, d-do somethin,” comes your whiney voice as he lowers his to get a better view of your spread your pussy lips; he watches as your hole oozes just for him, desperate to filled and fucked. it’s too early for his cock, he needs to give you a taste of something else before you get drunk on him.

without warning, he pushes two of his expert fingers past your puckering entrance, immediately curling them in a come hither motion as his heated red eyes flicker up to watch your face. your ruby painted lips hang open in a silent moan while your fingers dig into bakugou’s shoulders so hard your nails form tears in his hero suit. “fuckin’ look atcha baby, barely even touched ya ‘n you’re already suckin’ down my fingers so greedily.” he snarls, sharp teeth coming down on your barley clothed breast.

bakugou’s thumb massages rough circles into your clit, pulling more honeyed cries from your lips as your eyes screw shut. “f-fuck, dynamight, need more of your touch, ‘m begging you please!” is all you can say, mindlessly babbling as you fail to keep yourself up right. the explosive pro hero steadies you with an arm wrapped around your waist, fingers curling again to explore more of your velvet walls.

“it’s katsuki, to you,” he barks out, using the arm around your waist to smack your sloppy cunt, the wet sound echoing across the street. “needy little thing, beggin’ me like this, who am i to deny your wishes?” bakugou grins, mercilessly scissoring his digits into your tight heat to stretch you wide open for him. he can’t believe his luck, the way you’re so pliant and responsive to him and him alone.

it’s too soon for him to be this addicted to your cute moans filling the crisp air but he can’t help himself, not when you clamp around his scarred fingers with every pump of them into your silken heat. not with the way your own fingers now curl in sun kissed blonde hair— pulling the hero upwards to suck on his bottom lip, followed by his tongue.

you cry out, the most beautiful sound katsuki’s every heard in all twenty years of living when his fingers press down hard on that gummy pleasure spot inside you, and like the good girl you are for him, you keep your shaky thighs open for him. “you’re such a good fuckin’ doll, letting me finger you out in the open like this, anyone could see us but you wouldn’t care, not when you’re creamin’ your panties for dynamight, right sweet thing?” bakugou’s lewd words go straight to your cunt, entangled with the squelching noises as he moves within you.

“yes! yes! wouldn’t care, don’ care...j-jus wanna cum for you, s-suki—fuck, please—“ you mewl into the night, doe eyes shimmering with tears as the knot in your lower tummy gets tighter and tighter until you can’t bare it anymore.

bakugou grins, curling his fingers once more to send you hurtling off of the edge. he can’t stop thinking about how soaked your little lace panties must be, about all the things he’s going to do with them once he gets them off of you.

“cum.” your pussy follows his orders for you, white flashing behind your eyes as a scream rips in your throat and shoots out into the quiet night. the knot in your stomach snaps, release splashing out against bakugou’s hand and hero suit— he makes you cum so hard you almost black out, a twitching mess in the hero’s arms.

when you finally come to, bakugou’s slurping your nectar off of his fingers, head cocked to the side as you shakily look up at him. “i, uh...t-thank you!” you breathe, blinking away the buzzing noise in the back of your head. “for...uh...”

you’re so cute, flushed with heat and slick dripping from between your legs. you obviously think that was a one time thing, but bakugou hasn’t finished cashing in his reward. the hero shakes his head, using a thumb and forefinger to tilt your own up to meet his ruby gaze. “give me your phone and take off your panties.” he orders, voice authoritative and never wavering— you’re confused, but don’t question him, just as a good girl should.

rooting around in your now discarded purse, you pull out and unlock your going for katsuki, who busies himself with your contacts. embarrassment crawls up your spine when you reach for your underwear, still wet with your arousal and release, you look to bakugou hesitantly. “do i have to—?”

“off.” he grunts, barely looking up from your device as you shimmy out of the lace garment and hand it to him. bakugou gives you the same evil smirk from earlier while you collect yourself against the door, sniffing the flimsily, wet material before shoving them into the pocket of his pants. his cock is hard as a fucking rock, but he’ll be able to deal with it appropriately after his patrol. “i’ll be keeping these. this is where we say g’night sweet stuff.”

the way you curl in on yourself, perhaps a bit humiliated at the idea of your panties being taken by the number two pro hero is adorable, and if he didn’t have patrol, katsuki would have eaten you up right then and there. “goodnight dynamight— i mean, k-katsuki, thank you for everything and h-have a safe night.” you squeak out quickly, moving to open the door again.

“not a problem, honey,” bakugou whispers with a lowered voice, pulling you in to swipe his tongue across your bottom lip, shoving his tongue down your throat in a kiss goodnight. “now get your cute ass upstairs, don’ want anyone to see your leaky cunt like this. that’s fuckin’ mine.”

you do as you’re told, bidding the hero one last farewell before dashing up the steps and into your apartment. your heart and mind race a thousand miles a minute, crazed with the fact that you had just been fingered to the best fucking orgasm of your life by the number two pro hero. you have to force yourself to shower, mapping out all of the spots that bakugou had touched you and growing giddy at the small burn marks he’d left against the inner workings of your thighs.

that night, or rather, early morning— you settle into the sheets, mind still plagued with thoughts of katsuki bakugou, when your phone pings with a text.

to: yn.

from: unknown.

— never got your name sweet stuff, care to tell me who’s name i’ll be moaning tonight?

( one attachment ).

your heartbeat thunders in your ears, familiar warm pooling between your legs yet again as you open the image— knowing that there can be only one person that it’s from. a quiet moan slips past your lips as the picture loads to reveal bakugou in your very same black lace panties from earlier— the slick from your release pressed up against his barely covered cock, while he jerks himself off, precum oozing from his blistering red tip.

you exhale, typing back your name and hitting send— thanking whatever higher power that lead katsuki bakugou to steal your fucking panties.

[eddies-weirdo]

Not Your Loki (pt4)

Pairing: Loki x female reader

Summary: After what feels like a million years of jumping through timelines, you finally think you found the one with your Loki. Unfortunately the Loki you find isn't yours and has been heartbroken and defeated by another. Do you still help him?

Warning: cursing

“Well if we go here and jump from this point here we’ll -” you flip through pages of the planets you’ve visited to a darker planet on the outskirts of the solar system “- it’ll bring us here, but if we skip this point -” you say pointing at another map of a planet ran by vampires “- we’ll just end up back on the Void.” You lean back in your chair and sigh “Finding the jumping off point is always the hardest, but once we get going we’ll be able to make our way through the timeline without to many issues.” You smile at Loki trying to instill some confidence in his decision to join you. He looks at you skeptically “You don’t know what you’re doing do you?” You narrow your eyes at him “Just because I don’t use the big fancy words that Tony does, doesn’t mean I don’t know what I’m talking about.” “That’s precisely what that means though - “ he starts. Oh shit, footsteps. You grab his arm and put up a finger to signal to him that he needs to be quiet. You both hear the footsteps round the corner and a voice say “I could have swore I heard voices when I came by earlier but I don’t see any names on the schedule for this room”. The door opens and you see two guards looking around at the room. Loki starts to speak but you shake your head for once in your life please don’t talk. He looks at you, your eyes locked on the guards, and notices the flicker of green in your eyes. “There’s no one in here G-42, you must be hearing things.” “I swear I heard a -”, “Yeah yeah yeah, you just need a break from the last mission that’s all” and the door closes again. You let out the breath you’ve been holding in. “How did you do that?” You think about how to answer. “I didn’t make us invisible if that’s what you’re wondering, I just made a barrier that blocked us from their sight. That’s the best way I can explain it anyway.” You start to gather your notes and maps, “I think we better get to my safe house, we’ll have less visitors there.” “There’s other places you can go outside of the TVA?” Loki looks at you puzzled. “Oh no, it’s a pocket dimension I found. Is there anything you need to get before we leave?” He pauses, and thinks about Mobius for a moment “Can I say goodbye to Mobius? I know he doesn’t remember me I just ... need to say bye.” You look into his eyes and see that he’s being genuine “Are you sure you want to do this? If it helps you should know that he’s not technically ‘your Mobius’ he’s another variant”. He looks down at the table, thinking for a moment. “I promise I’m not trying to deter you, I’m just trying to be realistic with you. If you truly want to do this I’m sure he’s in his office down the hall.” He nods “I’ll be quick”. 

The two of you try to act as casual as possible as you walk down the hall, avoiding eye contact with anyone you pass. Being here over a thousand times you know exactly where Mobius is at this time of day. You stop a few feet from the open doorway and whisper “He doesn’t know you but I can’t say whether or not he’ll recognize me, so I’ll just wait here and keep watch”. Loki nods, stands up straight, and tries to brush is hands through his hair a bit. You shake your head at him, smiling. “Oh shut up” he whispers at you and hurries off. You see him materialize a stack of folders, and go into the office. 

*Knock, knock* Mobius looks up from his afternoon snack to see a tall, dark headed man in the doorway. “Oh hey there, what can I do for ya?” he asks happily. Loki quickly says “Sorry to bother you, I just got lost. I thought this was the way to the cafeteria” “Ha nope sorry, it’s down the hall, take a right, another right, then a left and you can’t miss the sign.” Mobius says smiling still. “Um thank you ... bye then” Loki stammers and walks back out. 

As Loki walks into the office, you start looking around for any other offices for a spare tempad. I’ll need one for Loki, and mine is almost dead anyway. You look across the hall into an open office. You poke your head in the office and see a box of tempads. JACKPOT. You take four for good measure but then you see the nameplate on the desk. Renslayer. Well fuck me I guess. You turn around and are eye to eye with the judge. She glares at you. You smile back “Hello Ramona”. “Who are you and why are you in my office?” she says still glaring. “Just picking up some extra tempads for my next mission” you says as you start backing out of the doorway. “Wait -” you hear her say and you close the door. You snap your fingers and lock the door. Ohshitohshitohsitohshit you think as you walk quickly down the hall back just as Loki is coming out of Mobius’s office. “I fucked up we need to go” you say grinning in panic. “I was gone for three minutes -” Loki says as you’re quickly putting in the coordinates of your safe house. The familiar orange portal opens and you pull him through before he can finish. 

You both land in a open field surrounded by tall trees and other various fauna. You look around huh I’m pretty close this time, I guess I am getting better at this. Loki sits up and says “Why did we fall and not just walk out like all the other portals I’ve been though?” You laugh “Um ... would you believe me if I said I didn’t think we’d fall out?” He starts to say something else but you interrupt by pointing over his shoulder at your cabin across the field. “Welcome to my home!” 

He turns to see a small cabin made out of dark wood, with bright purple shutters (“I like to be different” you explain), a large herb garden that has grown out of hand (”I’ve been busy, geez.”), and a porch with a porch swing overlooking the rest of the field. You hold out your hand to help him up and he takes it. As his hand grasps yours you feel a spark of the seidr well that’s new but don’t say anything.  As the two of you make your way to the cabin, Loki asks "Do you even having running water here?" You turn to look at him and wave your hands at him creating green sparks between your fingers. "Anything is possible with magic my darling".

You unlock your door and snap your fingers to light the fireplace and turn on a lamp. Loki looks around at the cozy room. Your patchwork couch of all colors and patterns sits before the small fireplace catches his eye, the far side of the room has a large painting of the field outside that you painted during the time you first found this place, the coffee table has an open book of poetry with a pressed flower from your garden in it, and he smiles at the large green bookshelf you'd made for your ever growing book collection. "As far as I'm concerned, my home is your home. The guest room is down the hall to the right and bathroom is the room across from it. I don't know if you have back problems like my Loki, but there's large bath in there that you're welcome to use." You wave your hand and a small jar of purple bath salts appear. "Here, put this in the bath water as the tub is filling up. It'll help the pain." He looks at you, unsure how to respond to the kindness "Um, thank you". "I'll be in the kitchen if you need me" you say as you walk away. Loki makes his way to the bathroom and notices your gallery wall of pictures and weapons you've collected. In the first picture he sees you with Tony and Bruce in the lab on your first day working with them, the next picture shows you and Bucky arm wrestling with the team gathered around cheering you on, the next picture shows you and Nat dressed up for one of Tony's many parties, "So y/n does know how to dress" he says to himself. He continues looking over the pictures. He sees one with you and Thor, both of you are smiling but the grief on your faces is clear that this was taken some time after Loki's death. "He did mourn you, you know. He loves you in his own way." he hears you say from the kitchen. "Can you stop doing that? It's like you know what I'm thinking" he says. He hears you laugh "Can't, I'm your wife."

The next set of pictures showed you holding Morgan at her second birthday as she hugs you tight, you with Clint as he shows you how to use a bow in the training area, and one big group picture of the whole team. You stand in the front with Clint, Nat, and Tony while the rest of the team stands behind the four of you, all smiles. The last picture he sees is one that someone had taken of Thor and the rest of the Asgardians in new Asgard, but in the far back he can see you on the hill next to marker.

That's all for part 4! This was going to be a bit longer but it's almost 1 here so I need to get to bed so I can be a functional adult tomorrow.

[sword-dad-fukuzawa]

a love letter to genshin impact (yes, really)

I tend to express my feelings on Genshin as indescribable rage and frustration but...I wouldn't play this game if I didn't love it at least a little bit.

I usually play Genshin with the sound off and with my main team: Beidou, Jean, Bennett, and Noelle. And I'm pretty focused on completing quests and getting the leveling materials for all the various characters I have to raise, considering I've long been trapped in the endless grind of late-game AR. But I'd just fought Stormterror. I was out of resin. So I figured I'd do requests.

Today, I had a request from Sara the bard to get her 10 sweet flowers. Normally, that wouldn't be a problem--except I'd just completed the "cook 20 dishes" BP quest by turning all of mine into Sweet Madames.

Looking for sweet flowers it was then.

Sweet flowers are everywhere. But they're also surprisingly difficult to find. With regional specialties like, say, Cecelias, you've got a pretty strict area in which they can be found and all you need to do is thoroughly search one or two locales. Or they have specific requirements that mean you spend a lot of time teleporting all over the map, like Qingxin.

But sweet flowers...they're just everywhere. The only real way to farm them is to meander around the world.

So that's what I did. I swapped out my main team for my bench team: Xiao, Xinyan, Tartaglia, and Diona. And then I went wandering around Mondstadt, looking for sweet flowers. For once, I had the sound on, and I just...ran around the map, following the dirt roads for the most part and avoiding combat.

It was while jogging around near Springvale that I remembered why I loved this game so much in the first place.

Before I got in deep with the lore, before I picked favorites among the characters, it was the open world that did it for me. Sure, the reason I started playing was seeing a picture of Xiao from the beta and being curious about Ono Kensho's character, but I continued to play because the open world is so goddamn beautiful.

And, yeah, sure, it's a ripoff of Breath of the Wild. Someone I know once called it "Genshin Impact: Breath of the Waifu" and really, he isn't wrong. I just don't think that diminishes how obscenely pretty the game is.

There's really nothing that beats traveling from Stone's Gate into Liyue and seeing the vast marshes and plains surrounding the Wangshu Inn, or climbing to the top of Stormterror's tower and looking out onto the cliffs and grasslands below. I'm on mobile, so the graphics quality isn't perfect, but it's still gorgeous.

And the sound. I usually don't play with the sound, right? But it was with the sound on, only half-paying attention, that I remembered that the game even sounds pretty. Someone put a whole lot of work into the foley for the sfx--how footsteps sound different in puddles or in grass, how there's a specific effect if your character runs through a bush, and how every character's outfit jangles slightly differently. There is birdsong, even, convincing birdsong. Yu-Peng Chen has been in the industry for well over a decade and his music is beautiful, too.

Genshin Impact may be a predatory gatcha game designed to make you spend money on increasingly overdesigned anime characters, but you cannot convince me that it wasn't made, at least a little, as a labor of love.

And I think it really hit me, how close this game is to my heart, when I was running back into Mondstadt to give Sara her sweet flowers. Most of the time, I just teleport in, like most people probably do. But I'd spent my time walking places like I had in the early game, before I'd unlocked all the waypoints, so I decided I'd go in from the waypoint on the shore.

Jogging over the bridge and seeing Cider Lake, then running through the gates and hearing the guards say something about Mondstadt as I passed them?

It felt oddly like coming home.

I'm resisting the urge to talk about how ridiculous this feels to me, how absurd it is to have such an emotional attachment to a video game. A free video game, and one that gets a lot of flack for being a BoTW ripoff, fairly easy to play, and inherently fanservice-y.

But I don't think it's that absurd to be so attached to a game I've poured hours of my life into. And I think there's value in a game that can make people do that, spend hours and hours in a lovingly made escapist fantasy.

It's not a perfect game. Genshin is weakest when it becomes too much like real life--when commissions feel like chores, when there's an endless to-do list of things to get done before the week ends. The wishing system becomes a chore too, because you have to desperately find chests and complete quests not because the exploration is fun, but because you need primos and the banner is ending soon dammit, Kazuha why won't you come home--

But even with its technical flaws and the corporate nature of a gatcha system, Genshin is still a damn good game. And I love it for that.

[animalkingdom-an0nymous]

Cruel Summer

Disclaimer: No gifs or photos are mine unless stated otherwise.

Warning: It’s a smutty, filthy, NSFW Tom Holland AU and he just can’t seem to keep his hands off his best friend’s sister. No. Really. It’s a problem for both of them.

Subject: Tom X Y/N

"Why can't you watch the beach house, Jordan?" I asked my brother with my phone tucked between my ear and shoulder, wet dishes in between my palms.

"Because you live closer, you don't have a toddler running around, and you got out of doing it last time."

"Bringing JJ into this is low, even for you. Scumbag." I laughed, not serious in the slightest.

Jordan was two years younger than me but was probably more put together than I'd ever be. He ran his own construction company, had a beautiful wife, and had given me the greatest gift I'd ever known; my nephew, JJ.

Staying at the beach house was far from a hardship, but there was a storm coming and based on the news reports it was going to get ugly. Mom and dad wanted someone there to keep an eye on things and they were getting a bit too old to handle the responsibility of tending to the beach house on their own. I didn't blame them, and I didnt blame Jordan, he was right. I did live closer, but I was also looking forward to spending this weekend's storm curled up in bed watching old Audrey Hepburn movies and eating my weight in Pizzeria Regina. My phone was gonna be on airplane mode, absolutely no disturbances. Maybe a few orgasms, a little porn.

But even as I was scrubbing dishes and getting ready for my relaxing weekend, I knew I'd soon be packing a bag and getting in my car to head to the beach. Shit. “Fine. Fine. I’ll head out soon, but if this storm turns out to be nothing I am returning your birthday present and you’re responsible for mom and dad’s anniversary dinner.”

“If you really want to trust your dear brother in the kitchen then that’s your fault.”

I laughed, drying my hands with a towel before grabbing the phone. “Jordan, can you promise me one thing?”

“What’s that, Y/N?”

“Promise to give that kid the biggest kiss for me. Leila, too.”

“Thank you for not stealing him away!” My sister-in-law’s voice traveled through the phone like a song, her Japanese accent soft.

“Love you both. Stay safe tonight.”

“Text me when you get there.”

I ended the call, tossing my phone on the bed and quickly rummaging through my closet. Thunder rumbled in the distance and the tv could be heard faintly from the living room, alerting me to the weather report. Sixty mile per hour winds, flash floods, possibility of power outages, and a storm warning was already in effect.

I quickly yanked on a pair of denim shorts and an old UMass hoodie, the maroon material worn and comfortable, and definitely not mine. There may have been a storm rolling in but the summer air was thick with humidity, so all I grabbed as alternatives were a bathing suit, another pair of shorts, and a t-shirt, tucking the materials into my backpack along with my toothbrush and phone charger.

Within minutes I was packed and ready to go, pulling the hood over my head and catching the familiar scent of someone I hadn’t seen in a while. Or, maybe it was less of a scent and more of a memory. Shrugging it away, I locked the door and bounded to my car just as the first few drops of rain began to fall.

Music flowed through the speakers as I took back roads towards the coast, something tugging at my heart a bit as I thought of the last time I’d been at the beach house. My parents, Jordan, Leila, JJ.

Tom.

I rolled my shoulders, trying to relax as an old song came on.

Fuck this. I turned the radio down, alone with my thoughts. I hadn’t allowed myself to think about Tom since the last time I saw him, since I said too much. It wasn’t a hookup, it was nothing more than a conversation. Which was fine, Tom and I were friends. Sort of. Not really. He was my brother’s friend, his best friend. And that was it.

But that didn’t mean I wasn’t sitting there suddenly drowning in thoughts about our last encounter, both of us out on the back deck long after everyone had gone to sleep, the first real conversation we’d ever had in our adult lives. I hadn’t seen him in nearly two years when we were both still in college, Tom at UMass Amherst while I attended USC. He’d moved from London to the States with his family when he was thirteen, making fast friends with Jordan and becoming like a part of the family. He was around on holidays, weekends, he practically lived at our house during the summer. He would drink my orange juice and bother me while I tried to read. I’d known him when he was annoying and pimple faced, when he was an absolute dick to anyone who wasn’t JJ, when he was going off to college. Tom had been a major part of my childhood, my formative years.

He was also the biggest player I had ever met.

From an early age he knew that girls were drawn to the accent. He used it to his advantage, had girls hanging off his every word. I’d seen his social media, saw him shirtless on beaches with different girls, in clubs with different girls, in dorm rooms with different girls. I wasn’t jealous, but only because I’d known him for years. However, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t curious about the hype.

From the day I met him, I knew Tom Holland was trouble.

But that night, long after everyone had gone to sleep and we were two bottles of wine deep, something shifted. Maybe it was the topic of conversation, maybe it was the way the late June breeze wrapped around us, maybe it was the fucking wine. But something changed that night.

But that was two months ago.

We hadn’t spoken since.

I shook my head, telling myself to stay focused on the road, on the drive. I could still have the peaceful weekend I wanted, if only I could turn my brain off for just a bit.

I was pulling into the driveway of the beach house forty five minutes later and the rain was coming down in buckets. It was flying sideways, splashing against the car hard enough that I couldn’t see out the windshield. Thunder boomed overhead and it felt as though it was straight out of a movie.

I yanked my hood up once more and killed the engine, gripping my backpack and holding it against my chest as I looked at the house. The two story, wood shingled home was every bit the beach cottage. It was located right on a dead end, a path leading straight down to the beach.

The lights were off, the furniture on the porch scattered from the wind. I knew I’d have my work cut out for me if I needed to make sure everything was secure, so without thinking twice, I threw open the driver’s side door and jumped out, the broken shells in the driveway crunching under my sneakers. I made a beeline for the side door, running up the steps and throwing open the storm door as the wind howled around me, A regular thunderstorm was bad enough. A summer storm? It could leave the house flooded.

Unlocking the door, I threw myself inside and slammed it behind me, leaning back and catching my breath as the silent stillness of the house settled around me. Thanks to modern technology, I turned the central air on before I got there, so the air was cool against my bare legs.

I went through the motions and turned some lights on, made sure the basement was shut with bags of sand by every entrance to soak up any flood water or other leaks. The fridge was empty, but I wasn’t hungry anyway. I knew I’d disappear up to my room with a bottle of wine and Netflix on my mind soon enough, I just needed to make-

Headlights bounced off the living room walls, a sign that someone had just pulled into the driveway. Surely it wasn’t my parents, they both hated driving in the rain, and it couldn’t have been Jordan, unless he was so concerned by the weather that he felt compelled to drive over an hour to check on me.

I quickly pulled my phone out of my back pocket. No missed calls or texts. Oh, so you’re saying it’s a murderer? My mind was quickly going into overdrive, covering all the possibilities of who would be there to murder me and what I could use as a weapon to defend myself. But hey, could you blame me? Twenty five years old and alone during a storm, 20/20 basically already had that episode mapped out for me.

A car door slammed shut.

Shells were being crunched under shoes.

Pounding footsteps up the side stairs. A shadow appeared on the other side of the door and my heart leaped into my chest. I was more than prepared to call the police when I heard the familiar sound of a key being inserted into a lock. I was standing in the doorway of the living room when the side door swung open, revealing someone I most certainly wasn’t expecting to see.

“I… Tom?”

He was squinting, his face and hair soaked by the onslaught of rain outside. “Y/N? What are you doing here?”

It was evident that he was just as surprised to see me as I was to see him. Tom’s accent seemed to thicken when he was angry or confused, and right now he seemed to be a mix of both.

I took in his appearance, trying not to be too obvious. He was wearing dark washed jeans and a pair of black Nikes, a simple black hoodie over a plain white t-shirt. Completely fucking effortless and still the most good looking guy in a fifty mile radius. His brown curls were matted to his forehead and he pushed them back, running his fingers through the thick trusses.

“What are you doing here?” The words came out accusatory and I cleared my throat. Relax. You’ve been in this house with him plenty of times before. “Are you... is there a girl in your car or something?”

“What?” Tom scrubbed a hand over his face, still clearly shocked and confused. “What do you- Jesus, no. You think I’d bring a girl back to your parents’ beach house, Y/N?” He finally looked at me, drops of water still catching on his long lashes. “You think I’d- hey, my jumper.”

“What?” I responded before looking down. Fuck. Me. Sideways. I was still wearing the UMass hoodie, the same UMass hoodie he’d given me last time I saw him. “Oh! Yeah, I… I brought it back to my place with me. And then Jordan called me and asked me to come here and it was right by the door, so I figured I’d… you know, bring it back here and… leave it… for you?” I was making it sound like a question.

Why was I making it sound like a question?

Are you having a fucking stroke? I asked myself as Tom blinked at me a few times, saying nothing. Lightning struck outside, momentarily blinding me as the lights flickered. Damn, losing power meant no Netflix. No Netflix meant Y/N’s chill weekend was about to go to shit. Technically, it already did because I 1) wasn’t even in my own home and 2) no longer feeling chill thanks to one british Tom.

“Jordan asked you to come?”

“Yeah, why?”

He looked around, peeking out the window. “Your parents called me and asked if I’d come make sure the house was secure.”

My parents? I was confused. Jordan specifically called me and asked me to go because he couldn’t. Why would my parents call Tom? Questions were flying through my head and I was already shrugging out of the hoodie, suddenly feeling like the material was too heavy, like I was drowning in it.

I held it out to him as he turned to face me again. “He probably didn’t call them to let them know I was coming, you know how he is.”

Tom smiled then, revealing straight white teeth. “Your brother’s a space cadet.”

That smile had my stomach doing backflips and I ached to calm down. It never used to be like this with him. He was cute, yes. Very. He was charming. He had nice looking hands. But he was Tom. He was Jordan’s Tom. He was the same Tom who fucked Missy Turner under the bleachers at the Homecoming game and the same Tom who let Rochelle Adams suck him off in the janitor’s closet during school. He was that Tom.

So why was I looking at him like he was Netflix and I’d had a long ass day?

I realized I was still staring, not saying anything. “I’m sorry you had to come all the way out here. We can kill Jordan, if you want. I feel like that’s good payback?”

Tom nodded, still smiling and playing along. “Yeah, we could. But then Leila would do away with us and I’m far too handsome to die this young.”

“True.”

He shoved his hands in his pockets and jerked his chin at me. “And you… you have more of my jumpers to steal.”

I cocked my head to the side. “I didn’t steal it. If I remember correctly, you offered it to me.”

“I did.”

I was still holding the hoodie out to him. “Here.”

He made no move to grab it, hands still in his pockets. “Keep it. Looks better on you anyway.”

My stomach dropped and I found myself speechless. “I… you sure?”

He nodded. “Yeah, no worries.”

I nodded my head, heat flooding my face as I looked down. What the fuck was going on with me? I didn’t act shy, not around other guys and definitely not around Tom. During college, I finally found my confidence sexually and I took hold of that. I was not the shy girl.

“Do you want to head out before the weather gets really bad?” I asked him

.As if on cue, thunder cracked loudly overhead, releasing a loud boom followed by flashes of lightning. The lights flickered again and Tom met my eyes across the room, blinking those chocolate pools at me. “I don’t think I’m going anywhere, darling.”

His voice was quiet, almost too quiet. I could have sworn I could hear the waves crashing against the shore, or maybe it was the blood rushing in my ears. We stood, staring at each other for a moment, and I opened my mouth to speak when there was a loud crash at the back of the house.

I jumped with a yelp, my heart slamming against my ribcage. “What the fuck was that?”

Tom moved past me, absentmindedly reaching out to touch my arm as he went. “Stay here, I’ll be back.”

Um, that’s what people say right before they murdered. Even though I had come to terms with the fact that I was irrational, I wasn’t going to take any risks. Turning, I followed close behind him, catching the earthy, musky scent of his soap. Or, was it his laundry detergent? I didn’t know, but I enjoyed it. He smelled woodsy, warm. Safe.

Back the fuck up I cleared my throat, telling myself not to look at the way the material of his jacket stretched across his shoulders. There was a small crash again as we made our way to the back door.

“It’s a shutter.” He laughed and opened the window, screaming wind filling my ears as he grabbed the shutter and slammed it, closing the window. Turning, he had a smug smirk on his face. “You’re a big baby.”

I narrowed my eyes at him. “No, I’m not.”

He started to laugh, tilting his head back. “You screamed like a banshee.”

I flipped him off before turning my back on him, retreating as his laughter followed. “You’re a dick.”

My response only made him laugh harder.

Everything in the house seemed to be in order. The windows were shut and locked, the basement was set. The only thing that needed to be brought in was the outdoor furniture, but we needed the rain to let up a bit first.

When I walked back down the stairs after checking the second floor, Tom was rummaging through the kitchen. Seeing him there immediately brought me back to that night, the intimate conversation, the almost.

TWO MONTHS AGO

My parents had gone to bed nearly an hour ago and I was in my room listening to an old Rolling Stones record. Jordan was somewhere, possibly in his room with Leila and JJ, or possibly drinking down on the beach with Tom. It was one of the first weekends at the beach house, one of the first weekends of summer, and the air wasn’t thick yet. There was a breeze floating through the open windows and everything felt warm. New. The summer solstice was upon us and I lived for family weekends at the beach.

Funny thing about family weekends? Tom was there almost every single time.

“You’re still up?” I asked his back as I entered the kitchen, watching as he struggled to uncork a bottle of wine. He was wearing black basketball shorts and his old UMass hoodie, somehow still looking like an ad for an Abercrombie summer collection.

Tom sighed in defeat, slamming the bottle down on the granite countertop before answering me with a huff. “First weekend here and your brother’s already in bed.”

“Dad life.” I said with a laugh.

Tom smiled at the mention of our godchild. The day Jordan and Leila asked us to be godparents I’d been so emotional I cried for nearly an hour and, though I knew he wouldn't admit it if pressed, Tom was emotional about it, too.

“I love that little monster.”

I reached out, taking the bottle and finessing the cork for a moment before it finally released with a soft pop. “Jesus, Tom, you need to be slow with her. Gentle.” I chided as I reached into the cabinet, producing two glasses.

He took the bottle in a wide palm, tilting it to fill a glass before passing it to me. “I don’t know, she doesn’t like it too gentle.”

I rolled my eyes even as I felt my heart speed up. “Are we still talking about wine, or has the conversation moved to your latest conquest?”

Tom put a hand over his heart and threw his head back as if he’d been shot. “For your information, there hasn’t been a so called conquest in over a month.”

I feigned shock. “Over a month? Tommy, are you feeling alright?”

I was still laughing, but Tom paused to glare at me for using his little nickname. He hated being called Tommy and always had, but for whatever reason he never corrected me, never told me not to call him that. He’d glare, sure, but he never told me to stop.

“Feeling just fine, love.” He took a sip of the cool white wine, his brown eyes looking at me over the delicate crystal glass he held. “Fancy going outside for a bit?”

We were the only two left awake. I could faintly hear the pitter patter of feet upstairs as Jordan or Leila hushed a crying JJ, and then looked at Tom. “Yeah, let’s go.”

And that’s how we ended up on the back porch, the sound of the sea crashing against the shoreline as a soundtrack for our conversation. The wind had picked up but other than that the world was silent. It was just the two of us, and after not seeing each other for so long it felt like there was a million things to catch up on, yet I didn’t know where to start. I could ask him about graduation or what it was like to live in a big city, but in the grand scheme of things did those questions really matter? Maybe it was the wine. Maybe it was the atmosphere. But I wanted to know about Tom, about how he was doing, how his life was. If he was happy.

If he was single.

The thought was fleeting yet it caught me off guard nonetheless. I had no reason for caring if Tom was single, but there I was wondering if he was. He had changed over the two years I was away, his eyes sharper, his jaw more defined and making him look older. Still five eight but no longer the skinny boy he used to be. There was more definition to his arms, his chest a bit more puffed up. I took in the breadth of his shoulders and the slope of his neck, too caught up in staring at him to notice that he was actually speaking to me.

“What did you say?”

He laughed, leaning back in his chair. “Daydreamer. Are you listening to me at all?”

I shook my head. “I’m sorry!” I laughed, draining my glass and then reaching for the bottle. “This wine goes right to my head. I’m all ears, what were you saying?”

He grabbed the bottle from me, refilling his own glass. “I was asking you about being home. Are you and… Bryan… Bobby… doing the long distance thing?”

“His name is Ben, and no.”

Tom snapped his fingers and pointed at me. “Ben! That’s right, Boring Ben.”

I wanted to defend my newest ex, but I couldn’t. He truly was one of the most boring, insufferable people I’d ever been around. We dated for the last two years of college, maybe out of convenience, or maybe because it was because I’d gotten comfortable. People assumed we would get married, but the thought of walking down the aisle to him made me sick to my stomach. We literally had nothing to talk about, his friends didn’t like me, and the sex was mediocre at best, leaving me disappointed with myself for getting so comfortable that I was settling for bad sex.

I took a sip of my wine, looking down at the glass for a moment.

“I… what did you just say, love?”

I furrowed my eyebrows, confused.

“Did you just say that you settled for bad sex with Boring Ben?”

What? What? It was quite possibly the biggest mistake I’d ever made, saying those words aloud. But it all honesty I didn’t think I’d said anything. I wasn’t drunk, definitely not drunk enough to make that sort of slip.

I was mortified.

My eyes widened as I looked at Tom. My face and ears felt hot and I tried to sputter out an apology. “Holy shit. Tom, listen, I didn’t mean to say any of that out loud. I-”

“Stop.”

I paused, my heart hammering in my chest. He leaned forward slightly, placing his glass on the table as he regarded me seriously. “You didn’t mean to say any of it out loud. But you were thinking about the bad sex you settled for?”

I took in his words and felt my face heat even more. It sounded pathetic, embarrassing, but I was so focused on school that the relationship had taken more of a backseat. It was nice to have someone at the holidays and during family and university events. It was nice to not feel so alone in California while my friends and family were three thousand miles away. It was all… nice. Convenient. Words that shouldn’t always be associated when regarding a relationship.

But it was my truth. Ben was boring, I was settling, we got stuck.

“Can we pretend this never happened?” I blurted the words out, hoping Tom would be agreeable. If he told Jordan they would rag on me for the rest of my life and having to suffer through it now was bad enough.

“I don’t think I can do that, darling.” He was already shaking his head and my stomach was sinking. “Because it breaks my heart that you settled for less.”

I didn’t know what to say, caught off guard by Tom’s soft tone and sweet words. I shouldn’t have zeroed in on him calling me darling, but I couldn’t help it. He’d never done that before.

Ever.

I shivered, not knowing if it was from the breeze or the way he was looking at me, but he noticed. Quirking that one, whacky eyebrow at me, Tom asked, “Are you cold?”

“Uh, yeah. Yeah, the wind is picking up.” I rubbed my hands over my arms.

Tom stood, reaching a hand behind his back in between his shoulder blades, pulling his hoodie off. I tried to avert my eyes as the front of his shirt rose, revealing a strip of skin above his shorts. I couldn’t help but stare at the defined V of his hips or notice the way his ab muscles contracted with every movement.

He handed me the sweatshirt with a boyish smile on his face. “Take it. I’m hot anyway.”

You have no idea, I mused silently, thanking him and slipping the material over my head. It was soft, worn, the inside of it felt warm from his body heat. I could feel his eyes on me as I adjusted the material, pulling the hood up so that it framed my face.

“Looks good,” he quipped.

I smiled, taking a very large sip of my wine, thinking I was out of the clear.

“So how bad was it?”

I nearly spit the wine out at the question. “Excuse me?”

“The sex.” He deadpanned. “How bad was it?”

If I was the fainting type I would have been on the deck floor. “Tom, I’m not fucking telling you about my sex life.”

“Sounds like a LACK of a sex life, if you ask me.”

“I didn’t ask you.”

He smiled, but it quickly faded as he regarded me seriously. “Really, Y/N, how bad was it?”

I wanted to blame my honesty on the alcohol or the late hour, but really I think I just wanted someone to talk to. Someone to confide in. Tom may have been an asshole playboy to some, but never to me. Thinking back on it, he may have even been a gentleman to me. Sure, he would annoy me when we were kids and barge into my room without knocking, or he’d go through my purse looking for gum, and there was the time he accidentally ate my birth control thinking it was a mint.

But Tom was also the guy who punched my high school boyfriend in the teeth for dumping me the night before Homecoming. He was also the guy who made an obnoxiously huge sign with Jordan for my graduation. He was that guy.

“It wasn’t… bad.” I found myself starting to open up a bit, pulling at a thread that was sure to unravel if I didn’t stop soon. “It was just routine. It was always the same thing, Ben wasn’t very adventurous. He didn’t like to try things, he hated anything new. He was just…” I took a breath, trying to choose my words carefully. “Set in his ways, I suppose. And that didn’t work for me anymore.”

“So, you ended it?”

I nodded, draining my glass once again. “Yeah, and that was when he showed his true colors.”

“What the fuck does that mean?”

I thought back to the breakup. We’d been in Ben’s truck and it was raining. We were parked at a diner that was pretty much in the middle of nowhere. “He confronted me. He knew I was acting weird and he refused to drop it until I told him. I tried to explain that it wasn’t him, that I felt we just weren���t compatible. Ben lost his fucking mind. He was screaming at me about how he had all these plans for us, how I was fucking things up.” I paused, thinking back on the way he looked at me, like I was trash. “He called me a cunt, told me to get out of his car, and then I walked two miles back to my apartment.”

Tom’s eyes widened at my admission. His cheeks were tinted pink and I assumed it was from the booze, but when his mouth pulled into a tight line I realized it was because he was angry. I’d even say he was pissed. “He what?”

“I know, I know, it was a shitty thing for him to do. But the thing is, I’m not even all that upset about it anymore. I finally got to see who he really was and, oddly enough, the only thing I felt on that two mile walk was relief. It was finally over, it was like Ben was my last attachment to California. I could finally come home.”

He was silent for a moment, taking a sip of his wine before speaking. “Do your parents know about what happened with Ben? Does Jordan?”

I shook my head.

“Then why tell me?”

Our eyes met, held. Tom’s face held a look of concern, confusion, and something else. Something I couldn’t quite place. He was leaned forward in his chair, elbows on his knees as we stared each other down.

“Because honesty comes easier when it’s dark out, Tommy.”

He swallowed, not looking away from me. My heart was pounding so hard I could feel it in my ears, the wine making my lips tingle with the familiar buzz. Everything suddenly felt hot, burning hot, like it was on fire. Like the whole world was about to go up in flames.

Maybe mine was.

“I won’t tell them.”

“I know you won’t.” I reached out, gripping his hand. “You’re a good guy, Tommy.” I gave his hand a quick squeeze, meaning to let go, but then his long digits were wrapping around the back of my hand and it suddenly felt like we were magnets. I couldn’t let him go. His skin was warm, somewhat calloused against the soft skin of my knuckles.

His voice was so soft and quiet when he finally broke the silence, I had to lean in to hear him. “Y/N, what were those things you wanted to try?”

“Huh?” I felt as though I was in a trance.

“You said Boring Ben never wanted to try new things. What were they? He raised his eyebrows expectantly, fingers still stroking over the back of my hand.

It felt like a distraction, a very chaotic, overstimulating distraction. It was the smallest, simplest of movements, but feeling his fingers dance across my skin was hypnotic, and it was only my HAND. But I couldn’t ignore the question and it made my stomach turn. I didn’t want to tell him the things I wanted to do with Ben, the different versions of sex I wanted to explore more of. Sure, I tried things with different people before Ben and I got together, but it had been so long. So long since I got the attention I was craving.

So long since I’d done something reckless and new.

So long since I’d been touched by hands that were actually interested in making me feel more than a grip.“Tom…” I breathed out his name, suddenly overwhelmed. The scent of him was on the sweatshirt I wore and I could feel his knee bump mine as he moved closer.

“Tell me. I can keep a secret, love.” His words were hushed, quiet as he leaned just a little closer, our faces mere inches apart.

“I…” I started, my eyes flickering down to his lips before moving back up. Tom saw the movement, his lips curling slightly. “I wanted… something new.”

“Something new or someone new?” Tom responded.

“I don’t know.” I answered honestly, feeling his fingers tighten around mine.

“I think you do. I think you know exactly what you want, Y/N, you just need to say it.” He leaned even closer, his nose brushing mine, and when I went to back up he brought his free hand around and reached into the sweatshirt, knocking the hood off and cupping the back of my neck, his hand gentle but firm, kneading the soft skin where my neck met my shoulder. “Do you trust me?”

“Yes.” I gasped, suddenly struggling to breathe, overwhelmed by the sudden turn of events.

“Then tell me what you want. Say it.”

I was so wrapped up in Tom, in the moment, that I didn’t care about anything. Fuck the neighbors, fuck Boring Ben, fuck my family that was literally sleeping only feet away in the house. I wanted Tom. I wanted new. I wanted him to touch me the way he touched the girls who told stories about him. I wanted him to kiss me like he’d die if couldn’t.

“I want y-”

“Y/N? Tom?” a soft, sleepy voice came from just inside the house.

We sprang apart like we’d been electrocuted, Tom standing and walking to the edge of the porch while I pulled the hood back up, trying to look nonchalant and failing beautifully just as Jordan poked his head out from the screen door. “What are you two doing up?”

Tom didn’t answer, still looking out towards the path that led to the beach. “We couldn’t sleep, figured we’d devour a bottle of wine and then crash.” I laughed even though I felt anything but amused, standing up and heading over to the door. “I’m gonna try to sleep, though. I’ll see you both in the morning?” I brushed past Jordan, standing up on my tiptoes to hug him before turning to Tom, who had finally turned around. The look on his face was strained and frustrated, his arms crossed over his broad chest.

God, he was so far from the boy I used to know.

“Goodnight, Tommy.”

PRESENT

“Earth to Y/N.” Tom waved a hand in front of my face, laughing. “You with me?”

I shook my head, pulled out of that very intimate memory. “What? Yeah, sorry. It’s been a long week.” I laughed and tried to play it off like I was fine, but my stomach was turning in knots. We’d both slept under the same roof before, hundreds of times, but now things felt different. Heavy. It was like I’d spilled something last time and there was still a stain that wouldn’t come up no matter how hard I scrubbed.

“You have your pick of bedrooms.” I said casually. “Jordan’s, my parents’, the guest room. Whatever you want.”

Whatever you want. It was an unintentional double entendre, but I noticed the way his eyes darkened slightly.

“Where are you sleeping?”

“My room.” I clarified.

He nodded his head, moving around the center island as he shrugged out of his jacket, throwing it over the back of the couch. “Y/N, can I ask you a question?”I shrugged my shoulders.

“Go for it.”

He looked at me then, his jaw clenched as he braced his hands on the back of the sofa, fingers spread in a way that looked almost vulgar. “Why the fuck are you looking at me like you’re scared I’m going to kill you in your sleep.”

“I’m not.” I started to defend myself, straightening my spine. “I’m just freaked out because of the rain.”

“Bollocks. You’ve loved the rain since we were kids.”

I shook my head, sensing the anger in his tone. “Don’t do this whole angry british thing tonight, Tom. I’m in a mood.”

“Clearly.”I narrowed my eyes at him, my hands balling into fists at my sides. “What the fuck is your problem?”

“My problem?” He huffed at me, his cheeks flushed. “You’re the one who can barely look me in the eye, Y/N. So, you tell me what the problem is.”

“I don’t have a problem.” It was a lie. A blatant lie. But I wanted to move past whatever this was with him. I had to move past it. I couldn’t crush on my brother’s best friend. I read those books. I saw those movies. It would ruin everything.I had finally come home, had finally gotten my old life back. No matter how much I wanted Tom- and believe me, I fucking craved him- I could never have him. He would always be just out of my grasp.Which was a good thing.

“Okay, you don’t have a problem. That means we can discuss what happened last time we were here, yeah?”

I froze, no words coming out of my mouth. He said the words so casually it was as though he was talking about the weather. “I... “ I was struggling, slipping, losing my composure. “I don’t know-”

Tom was shaking his head, scrubbing his hands over his face. “Don’t even fuckin’ say it, Y/N. You know exactly what I’m talking about.” Tom looked at me, eyes blazing. “You wanted it, I know you did. I felt it.”

My breathing was labored as I blinked at him. I had no idea how to respond. I didn’t want to acknowledge what happened, I wanted us to forget it and move on. It was a moment of weakness, it was late.

“It was the wine.” I said quietly. “We were drinking. W-we weren’t thinking straight.”

“It was the wine.” He repeated my words, his arms crossed over his chest as he stared at me. “It was the wine.. That’s a joke, innit?” When I didn’t respond, Tom walked over to me, the tips of his sneakers touching the tips of my bare toes. “The truth is, Y/N, you didn’t drink that much. Neither did I. I knew exactly what I was saying to you and I was sober enough to see your reaction.”

“Tom-”

“Why won’t you be honest with me?” Tom’s voice was so soft it felt like a blanket.

The question felt like a knife to the gut? He was right to be confused. I never had any issue speaking my mind with Tom, with Ben, with anyone. I was opinionated, I said what was on my mind. But I was completely frozen with him. I just couldn’t push the words out of my mouth, couldn’t tell him that all of this was killing me, draining me. I couldn’t be open and honest and tell him that I’d spent the last two months thinking about him. That it never stopped. That the smell of him was haunting me, the feeling of his fingers on my skin was a memory I wanted to drown it. Tom had been in my life for over a decade.

Why now?

As if God was finally on my side for once, we were interrupted by the sound of furniture scraping across both the front and back decks. “My parents are gonna kill me if we lose any of those deck chairs.”

He stared at me for a moment and said nothing, his eyes searching my face. Eventually, he took one step back, seemingly giving up

.I hated the relief that went through me. But more than that, I loathed the disappointment that tugged at my heartstrings. I felt his eyes on me as I walked to the front door, pulling open the door and bursting outside with a deep breath, appreciating the way the rain hit my skin. I needed to cool down.

We were both silent as we got the stuff from the front and put it in the living room, turning the normally spacious room into nothing more than a cramped closet. Then came the back of the house, something that would be more difficult. The furniture was heavier, we had to walk up and down stairs, the thunder was clapping so loud I feared I’d go deaf.

I glanced up at Tom as he bounded down the porch steps. His shirt was completely soaked, the white material now stuck to his skin, nearly transparent. I could make out the tight muscles of his shoulders and the way his back tapered down to a lean waist.

Stop, stop, stop. I was screaming at myself, my feet slipping in my flip flops. I angrily kicked them off and then stormed down the stairs, suddenly furious about the rain and having to come to the beach house, and I was angry at Tom for not leaving well enough alone. More than that though, I was angry at myself for letting any of it happen in the first place.

He was dragging chairs by me when I stopped and wheeled around, facing him. “Why would you go and do this now?” I had to shout to be heard over the rain. “Why couldn’t you just leave it alone?”

Tom paused for a moment, his jaw clenched, rain dripping down his face. Releasing the chairs, he slicked his hair back. “I… I don’t know. Okay, I don’t bloody know, Y/N. I saw you here for the first time in two fucking years, and I missed you. I missed you so fucking much and I didn’t even know it. And then you were here and I couldn’t get enough of you. I wanted to catch up, I wanted to talk. I wasn’t even going to try anything, not that night, but then you mentioned Ben and everything you didn’t do with him, and I just couldn’t help myself. I’m sorry, alright? I am. But I’m not gonna sit here and play this bullshit game with you. You let me in that night and you can’t take it back.”

You let me in that night and you can’t take it back.

His admission left me stunned. He looked vulnerable and honest, the words heartfelt. I knew he meant all of it, that he didn’t mean for anything to happen that night. Not that anything really happened, but it felt as though that conversation changed everything. There was a shift, one that neither of us could stop.

“It doesn’t matter.” I finally responded, my voice laced with disappointment. “We can’t do this, Tom. Whatever that night was, whatever that conversation was, it has to stay there. It has to stay in that night.”

“I can’t fucking do that!” He shouted, the rain still pouring down around us. “I’m not going to sit here and pretend I didn’t feel something, Y/N.”

I was aching for him to stop. I knew he meant all of it, that he wasn’t trying to play me or hurt me. Tom would never risk saying the things he said if they weren’t at least party true.

I was beyond frustrated as I turned, grabbing more things to bring inside. Tom was huffing and puffing ahead of me, mumbling to himself. He was clearly angry, his jaw clenched, his eyes narrowed. We were both soaked from head to toe, my feet bare against the deck as we lifted the glass table, maneuvering it up the stairs to the back of the house.Tom’s eyes were on me the whole time and I was too cowardly to look in his direction. Carrying that heavy glass table while thunder roared and lightning flashed was stressful, to say the least. But I didn’t even care about the storm, I cared about the absolute hurricane that was my situation with Tom. I wanted to fix it, needed to.

“Why are you so stubborn?”

His question caught me off guard. We’d put the rest of the furniture away and I was outside searching for one missing flip flop, rain hitting me sideways as I turned to stare at him. He was leaned against the door frame, arms crossed with that white shirt sticking to him like a second skin. I could make out the line of the chain he wore, could see where it fell against his chest. Tom looked like the cover of a romance novel, a few stray curls falling around his forehead. Even in my terrified, angry confusion, my attraction to him was undeniable.

“I’m not being stubborn. I’m being smart. What, you want me to admit that I’m attracted to you? Fine, Tom. I am. But attraction doesn’t change things. We can’t cross that line, now will you please help me find my other flip flop?”

“Jesus.” He stormed past me, pointing a finger in my direction as he went. “This conversation’s not done.”

I shouted his name as he walked back down the stairs in no urgency because he was already soaked. His jeans sat low on his hips, probably weighed down by the water as he bent down, pulling something from one of the hedges at the end of the property. My flip flop. Turning, Tom walked back up the stairs slowly, purposefully, his stance all man and making me feel very, very small. I was waiting at the top when he finally stepped up, crowding me, holding my shoe in his right hand. Our chests were touching, just slightly, and I could feel my nipples harden from the slight contact.

“Thank you,” I said quietly, reaching to grab it from him.

Only to have Tom pull it towards him, away from me. “Have you thought about kissing me?”

“What?”

“Have you thought about me touching you?”

“Tom…” I backed up three steps with him following my movements, keeping us close, chest to chest.

“Those things you wanted to try, have you thought about trying them with me? Because, fuck, I’ve thought about you.”

His admission made me weak, my breath catching in my throat. We were getting close, so dangerously close to something we couldn’t turn back from.

“I’ve thought about you every day. I’ve thought about your eyes and your mouth and the way you look in my fucking jumper.” Tom’s hands grabbed my face roughly, cupping my cheeks, fingers tangling in my hair.

He was holding me there as my breathing went ragged, our eyes finally meeting. His pupils were blown out, water dripping down the bridge of his nose

.It was all so intense. It was overwhelming. I wanted him so bad it was physically starting to hurt, my hands going up and gripping his wrists, prepared to pull his hands away. “You are… so fucking infuriating.” I was breathless, weak, but I still noticed the smile that pulled at his lips.

“Darling, I’m a fucking devil.”

I knew what was coming, knew I should pull away, but as soon as his lips came down on mine in a bruising, hard kiss, I knew I was gone.

Tom’s lips were hard, demanding, his tongue eagerly licking at the seam of my mouth and begging for entry. His hands still held my face hard enough to prevent me from backing up, but even if he let go I knew I’d stay, the brief taste of his lips so intoxicating it felt like I was in a trance.

He pulled back, his eyes opening. Our noses still touched and I could feel his breath fan across my lips. Our eyes met and for the briefest moment I thought he was going to pull away, but he spoke instead.

“What do you want, Y/N?”

I paused, my throat dry and my breathing ragged. I couldn’t lie anymore, to Tom or myself, so I opted for honesty instead. “You, Tom. I want you.”

That was all he needed to hear before his mouth was on mine again. He slanted his lips over mine, tilting my head back. When our tongues touched I felt like my body was on fire and I couldn’t help but wonder why we hadn’t done it sooner. Tom tasted like mint, like a secret, like my deepest, darkest fucking fantasy.

All of a sudden he was pushing us, walking forward while I stumbled back, our mouths still fused together as he let out a soft groan. I wanted so badly to memorize the sound, to hear it again, but I was too focused on not falling over. Something sharp dug into my back and I winced, gasping into Tom’s mouth.

“What the fuck was that?” I gripped my side and turned. The doorknob.

“Shit,” he muttered, reaching to lift at the edge of my shirt. “Is it going to leave a bruise? Let me kiss it better.”

I rolled my eyes and laughed, opening the door and ushering him inside. “I’m fine. Really.”

“No.” Tom’s hands gripped my hips. He was looking at me with mischief in his eyes and it made my stomach do a backflip. “Really, love, let me kiss it better.” I felt his fingers skim over my bare flesh as he dragged the wet material of my shirt up and over my head, dropping it to the ground.

My chest was heaving as he looked me over, eyes zeroing in on my breasts. I was wearing a simple black lace bra, nothing fancy. But Tom was looking at me like I was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen and my heart swooned.I thought he was going to kiss me again, but instead he sank to his knees and my breath caught in my throat as he looked up at me. I was wearing my shorts, my underwear, and a barely there bra while Tom was still fully dressed. I felt vulnerable, small, but in that moment I fucking loved it.

Tom’s breath fanned over my hip as he kissed the spot where the doorknob had jammed into me. “Better?” he asked, looking up at me through thick, dark lashes. All I could do was nod, and his smug smile told me everything I needed to know; Tom knew exactly what he was doing.

His hands skimmed over the backs of my thighs, traveling down. When his fingers touched the backs of my knees they wobbled, and I knew he felt it. “This alright?”

I nodded my head, reaching one hand out and tangling my fingers in his wet hair, feeling his head nudge into my touch. “Use your words, Y/N.”

“It’s okay.” I managed to gasp out. He’d barely touched me, barely kissed me and I was still completely breathless.

“Do you want more?”

"Fuck." I gritted my teeth, suddenly frustrated he was moving so slow. "Yes."

He smiled, soft lips trailing over my hip, his teeth biting at the denim that hugged my skin. "How about we play a game?"

I huffed, my fingers stilling in his hair. "I'm not in the mood for games, Tom."

He stood then, nails lightly scraping up the sides of my legs and making my skin break out in goosebumps. Every single part of me was ignited and I was on sensory overload. "What if I promised you win this game?" He kissed my shoulder, one hand trailing over my side and traveling up my back, tracing my vertebra. "What if I told you that you win quite a few times?"

I gasped, drunk on his words as he leaned in, kissing me again just as he reached up and unclasped my bra. The straps fell down my shoulders slowly and as his lips grazed mine I reached bed between us, tugging the rest of the material down.

Like any straight, hot blooded male, Tom leaned back and looked down, taking in my naked breasts. "Shit," he breathed, leaning down and sliding his tongue over the curve of one globe, mouth warm and tongue wet. I was already arching into his touch when his mouth closed over my nipple. I thought he’d be gentle, thought he’d start slow, but he sucked HARD, yanking my nipple to the roof of his mouth until I yelped.

Tom groaned against my skin, releasing me with a pop. “Mhm, I liked that sound. Didn’t picture you as a screamer.” He smirked at me, his mouth red and his lips swollen.

I laughed and leaned in, my arms wrapping around his broad shoulders as we stumbled through the dining room. “Yeah? You’ve been thinking about the sounds I make?” I licked a fat stripe up Tom’s neck, feeling him shiver against me.

“I’ve thought about much more than that.” He grabbed me by my hips, now in the kitchen, and lifted me, my ass landing on the counter as the wind howled outside.I watched, mesmerized as Tom lifted his shirt over his head and tossed it to the side, revealing the smooth expanse of his chest. His abs were hard, tight, and I wanted to leave hickies scattered across his collarbones.

“I’ve thought about you. Here.” He tapped one finger against the countertop. “And I thought about what it would be like to fuck you while everyone slept upstairs.” He took a step forward, his hands going to his jeans, fingers deftly undoing the button and zipper. “Me, telling you to be quiet, putting my hand over your mouth.”

Tom’s long fingers reached out, sliding over my chin, across my cheek. When they traveled over my lips I couldn’t help but poke my tongue out, tasting the tips of his fingers. He stopped for a moment, leaving them there, eyes glued to my mouth as I repeated the motion, this time holding eye contact as I tipped my head back, letting his index and middle fingers dip into my mouth, my tongue wrapping around them and sucking softly.

His hand twitched slightly, I felt it, and I smiled around his fingers, groaning softly when he pulled back. The truth was, I wanted them deeper. So much deeper.

“Fuckin’ minx.” Tom’s voice was rough and his hands were the same, gripping my thighs hard and pulling me to the edge of the counter. My legs hugged his slim waist, my hands settling on his chest. “You want me to fuck you, Y/N?”

I nodded my head. Consequences be damned.“Fine. I’ll fuck you any way you want. But you have to tell me one of those things you wanted to try first.”

“Tom…”

“C’mon.” His voice was soft, smooth. Charming. When he spoke again his accent was thicker and I physically throbbed for him. “Give me a little bit, love.”

“I…” I started, suddenly very self conscious of my own sexual desires. It was different when I was having sex with Ben because it was always the same thing, and it was different sleeping with a stranger because I’d never have to see them again. But I would have to face Tom in the morning and every day after that. I didn’t want his opinion of me to change. “I want to suck your fingers while you fuck me.”

The words were so soft I wasn’t even sure he heard me. He was silent, eyes staring at my mouth before looking up, meeting my gaze. “That’s it? That’s what you were so nervous to tell me?”

I shook my head, unable to help myself from laughing. “Oh, man. No, you have no idea how many things I want to try. We’re just not there yet.”

Yet.

Why was I implying that it was going to happen again?

Tom’s hands were sliding up and down my thighs while my ankles were locked at his waist, his fingers eventually popping the button and zipper while I waited for his response. “You like hands?” When I nodded he continued. “You like my hands?” As if to emphasize, he slapped one hand roughly over the side of my thigh and I jumped.

He shushed me, pursing his lips softly. “Relax, darling. We’re about to have fun.”

Without another word he unwound my legs and pushed his hands against my shoulders until I was laying flat against the cold quartz counter, arching my back and gasping. Tom hooked his fingers into my shorts and underwear, pulling both down and leaving me completely naked in one swift move. I felt vulnerable and open, but he quickly forced me to move past that as he spread my legs, his fingers splayed across my thighs.

His groan sent shivers through me.

“You’re like a fucking dream.” His words were hushed even though we were the only two in the house. “Oh, shit, did I just see you clench up for me?” His eyebrows furrowed in concentration as I threw my hands over my face, mortified and turned on all at once. He could see every part of me.

“Tom!” I practically shouted. If he didn’t touch me soon I was going to-

My body tensed up and every coherent through flew from my mind as Tom licked a fat stripe all the way from my ass to my clit, groaning and sending vibrations through me. My legs twitched and he repeated the motion, my nerve endings on fire.

Tom Holland’s head was between my fucking thighs.

His lips closed over my clit, sucking at the same time as he pressed his tongue flat against the bundle of nerves, and my hips pretty much lifted off the counter.

“Tommy!” I gasped, the sound ending on a choked moan as he looked up at me, brown eyes nearly black.

He pulled back for a moment and I could see his lips, glistening and wet from my arousal. “You know, you’re the only one allowed to call me that?”

My head lolled slightly and I looked at him, reaching down to run my fingers through his hair. “Why?”

“Because I like the way it sounds when you say it.”

His admission did something to my insides, made me just a little weaker for him. I was the only one allowed to call him Tommy, the only one to have that little nickname. Something possessive soared through my veins and I quickly sat up, seeing his shocked expression as the fingers that were in his hair traveled down, grabbing the back of his neck and tugging him towards me, our lips attaching. I couldn’t stop fucking kissing him and when I tasted myself on his tongue I wanted him even more, sliding my tongue into his mouth and dominating the kiss.

“I wasn’t fucking done with you yet.” He spoke against my mouth.

“But you said this was about me trying things. There’s something I want to try, Tommy.”

His eyes shut briefly, his jaw clenched, concentrated. He was coming undone for me in the same way I was for him. “What’s that?”

I ran my fingers over his collarbones, tracing the delicate bones with my fingers. I was nervous, forcing myself to push the words out anyway. “You know how when you were in high school being sneaky and fucking in a girl’s parents house was fun? And, sometimes, when the parents weren’t around you and the girl would sneak up to her parents’ room?”

His laps traveled over my jaw, down my neck, and I felt him smile against my skin. “You want me to fuck you in your parents’ bed?”

My face heated and I nodded, burying my face in his shoulder.

Tom laughed softly, pulling back and helping me off the counter. I was acutely aware of the fact that I was completely naked while he still wore jeans and black Calvin’s but I no longer cared. In fact, there may have been a part of me that enjoyed the way I felt knowing I was the only one who was naked. It made me feel small, soft.

“What are ya’ waitin’ for then?” He arched a brow and nodded towards the stairs. “Move your ass.”

I practically sprinted past him, moving before he even finished speaking. His eyes were on me as I moved, my hips swaying a little more than usual. Tom was hot on my heels as I bounded up the stairs, one of his hands reaching out and giving my ass a swift, harsh slap. I welcomed the sting, pausing on the stairs and turning to look at him as a gasp escaped.

“I fuckin’ knew it.” He marveled, a smirk playing at his lips. “I knew you liked it a little rough.”

I began backing slowly down the hall, facing him. “Oh, you have no idea.”

He arched a brow, molten brown eyes looking me up and down. “Is that right? You feel like telling me any of those deep, dark fantasies, or are we not there yet?”

I couldn’t help but laugh as he threw my words back at me. “Not yet. I like surprising you.”

I stepped into my parents’ room and Tom followed suit, looking around as the wind rattled the glass windows.

The air suddenly felt thick. The king sized bed loomed behind me and it all felt real. Terrifyingly, brutally real. I was about to get into that bed with Tom, I was about to take a huge step off a very large cliff. Whether it was good or bad- although I prayed it would be good- didn’t matter. We would never be able to come back from this.

“Believe me, you’ve done nothing but surprise me tonight, Y/N.”

“I actually think it’s your turn.” I said with a small smile as I crawled onto the bed, looking at him over my shoulder.

Tom was too busy taking in the view of my naked backside to comprehend my question. “What?”

I sprawled out across the bed and rested my chin on my hand, looking at him. His jeans were undone and his hardened cock pressed almost painfully against the denim material. “It’s your turn. I’ve been very honest about what I want to try, but what about you, Tommy? What do you want?”

His eyes locked on mine and my breath caught as he moved forward. “I want you. I want you to say my name while you come, I want you to wrap those beautiful legs around me and squeeze whenever I go just a little too deep. I want to fuck you the way I’ve dreamed about fucking you since I was fifteen years old.”

His candid admission left a pang in my heart and I quickly tried to stifle it, leaning up as he leaned down, our mouths fusing together once again. It seemed that I couldn’t keep my mouth off his. Maybe it was because I had been fantasizing about that mouth for so long, maybe it was because Tom was just that good of a kisser, but either way I didn’t care.

“Fuck me. Now.” The words were mumbled against his lips.

Tom’s lips traveled down my jaw to my neck and he bit the skin where my shoulder and neck connected. His sopping wet jeans pressed against me and I hissed out a breath as he pulled back, laughing down at me. His brown hair had begun to curl at the sides and he looked boyish, young. His cheeks were flushed and I couldn’t even remember why I’d tried to fight my attraction in the first place.

He jumped off the bed and began the painstaking effort of removing wet denim.

“God… fucking… dammit!” I watched him struggle, biting back a laugh as he hopped around the room, kicking one leg free and then the other. When he looked back up at me his eyes narrowed and he glared. “Are you laughing?”I shook my head, sucking my bottom lip into my mouth.“You’re laughing at me right now.”

I shook my head, backing up on the bed as Tom came forward. “No, no I’m not. I’m-” I shrieked as his hand wrapped around my ankle and he dragged me down the matress.

I struggled against him as he leaned over me, covering his body with mine as his hands tickled at my sides. I gasped and laughed, nearly headbutting him at one point. “Tom, please, I was-wasn’t laughing.” I was trying to explain myself when his hips settled between my thighs, his hard cock pressing against my clit, right where I was aching for any kind of attention, or friction, I could find.

“You’re not laughing anymore,” he whispered against my mouth.

“Not really finding anything to laugh at right now.” My response was just as quiet, my fingers linking behind his neck as he braced a hand on either side of my head. Our eyes met as he ground his hips against me, my mouth falling open in a quiet moan as Tom settled on a good rhythm. He wasn’t even inside me yet and I was already on the edge, my thighs trembling as they squeezed his trim waist.

Tom seemed just as eager as I was, his arms wrapping around me and then unwrapping, hands trailing up and down my sides, over my breasts, gripping my thighs. My own nails scratched lightly over his shoulders and I reveled in the way he shivered on top of me. His breathing was heavy, chest heaving as I lifted my hips, grinding harder, needing more.

“I…I don’t…” Tom trailed off and I stopped my movements.

My heart sank at his tone. He was about to tell me he couldn’t do it, he couldn’t sleep with his best friend’s sister. I, of course, would be mortified and naked and ashamed as he got dressed to inevitably leave, where he would get into a car accident and die because there was a storm raging outside. And then I would have to explain to my parents and Jordan that I killed Tom because I-

“I don’t have a condom.”

What?

“What?”

“I don’t have a condom.”It was a split decision, and normally I would argue with myself about practicing the art of safe sex, but I had waited too fucking long for this and I was thankful that he wasn’t about to leave me naked in the middle of my parents’ bed.

“I’m on the pill.”

He arched a brow. “You’re cool with…”

I couldn’t help but smile. I hadn’t seen him bashful very often, but I had to admit I found it completely adorable. “Tommy, I’m cool with anything that involves you being inside me.”

“Thank fucking god.” He sat back on his knees between my splayed thighs and I watched as he hooked his fingers into the waistband of his briefs, shoving them down so that his cock sprang free, slapping up against his abdomen. My eyes widened as I finally got the first glimpse of what had been grinding against me for the last thirty minutes, of what I’d been dreaming about all summer. His cock was long, a pulsating vein across his shaft.

My mouth watered at the sight of the pre-come that gathered at his crown and I reached forward with every intention of wrapping my fingers around him. But Tom’s hand snapped forward and he grabbed my wrist, halting my movements.

“I want this to last longer than fifteen seconds and, honestly, if you touch me right now I’m going to fucking explode all over you like a fifteen year old .I don’t want to ruin this.”

I looked up at him. He was panting, his cheeks tinted pink. He looked rumpled, worked up, his eyes dark, and I’d never wanted him more. Leaning up, I gave him a quick kiss on the lips, darting my tongue out to taste his quickly. “Get on with it then.”

Tom smiled against my mouth and then he was pushing me down again, covering his body with mine. His skin was warm and the hair on his legs tickled my thighs, but all I could really focus on was the deep, intense throbbing that had settled low in my stomach. I actually feared that I would die or combust if he didn’t fuck me so-

Too wrapped up in my aching body, I didn’t notice that Tom had reached between us and lined himself up at my entrance. When I felt his knuckles brush against my swollen clit I stiffened, a weak whine leaving my mouth.“I want to hear that fuckin’ noice on repeat for the rest of my life,” he whispered against the damp skin at my temple.

I was about to open my mouth and give a half assed witty response when I felt his body surge forward, his cock sinking into me in one long, swift, nearly painful because it was so good move. I gasped, my thighs squeezing Tom’s hips and my nails digging into his sides.

His groan in my ear sent vibrations through me and I shook underneath him, trying to find my breath, trying to acknowledge the fact that it was Tom inside me. Tom Holland. My brother’s best friend. But at that moment in time someone could tell me I didn’t actually have a brother and I would have believed them. I would have believed the moon was actually made of cheese. I would have believed anything… because none of it mattered.

In that moment the only two people who existed were Tom and me. Just us and the storm. “Tommy.” My voice shook as he pulled nearly all the way out, just holding the tip of his cock inside me.

Tom looked down at me with his eyebrows furrowed, mouth hanging open. He looked serious albeit desperate and I could completely understand why. It felt as though all the air had been sucked out of the room as soon as he pushed inside me. “You good? You need a minute?”

I shook my head. “You feel so good.”

Something snapped in him then. I watched it happen. His eyebrows relaxed, the hands that were on either side of my head clenched into fists, and his hips snapped forward as he pushed in to the hilt, repeating the motion twice more before a rough grunt escaped his lips.

I slammed my head back against the pillows as a moan tore from my throat. He’d barely been inside me two minutes and I already felt like I was on the verge of an earth shattering orgasm. But it was true. Tom had kept me riled up so long, far longer than just this messy afternoon. My body had been waiting for this for so fucking long.

Tom’s teeth sank into my shoulder. Hard. He didn’t let up until I yelped, and then he pulled back with a devilish smirk. “Look at you,” he said, breathing heavily as he lowered his head, our noses brushing. “Screaming underneath me whilst I fuck you in your mum and dad’s bed. So, so naughty.”

He was taunting me, teasing me, and his words spurred me on. My hips lifted, another rough moan leaving my mouth at the new angle.

Tom must have liked it too, because soon enough he was thrusting so hard it nearly hurt, so hard I swore I could feel him in my stomach.“You’re. So. Fucking. Perfect.” His voice was gruff, the words barely audible. Our moans and breaths mingled, the sound of skin slapping skin filling the room. It may have been pornographic, may have been downright filthy, but I was too far gone to care.

I was fucking drowning in Tom.

So close to coming harder than I had in my entire life.

When he reached between us to rub his thumb over my clit it felt like too much, my back arching as I shook my head. “Tom, Tommy… no. I-”

“Shhh.” Tom’s focus was between us as he looked down, sliding his now soaking wet digit over my clit again, reveling in the way I shook under him. “Been dreaming of this for years. For years, Y/N.” He was so transfixed on looking down at where we were joined, I truly didn’t know if he realized he was speaking. “Do you want to come on my cock, love?”

He looked up at me then, our eyes meeting. His pupils were so blown out there was barely any brown left. No longer able to form a coherent sentence all I could do was nod.

“Good.” He pressed his thumb against my clit, harder than before, and watched my face as a scream erupted from me.

“Tom!” I went to grab his hand and he quickly grabbed hold of it with his free one, slamming it down against the mattress near my head, resting his full weight on me.

“You’re going to come for me just like this. My cock inside you, my hands all over you.” He released the hand he was holding and grabbed a hold of my hair, yanking my head back in a move that shocked me. I hadn’t expected him to be so rough, but the move sent pleasurable shockwaves through my scalp and down my back. I felt him everywhere.

I was close, so fucking close, words and moans and broken pleas leaving my mouth. I wanted it so bad I could cry, my desperation palpable as Tom trailed rough, wet kisses down my neck, never once letting up on my clit as his hips pistoned forward in short, quick strokes. He was close too, I could feel it in the way his pace began to stutter, in the way his breath was hitting my neck.

I ran my fingers through his thick hair and his pace quickened. “Come, Y/N, please.” Tom’s voice was raspy and I knew he was serious. He was waiting for me, holding back for me, wanting to please me… and somehow that was everything I needed to finally let go.

My orgasm hit me like a freight train, knocking the wind out of me. I came with a silent scream, my mouth falling open with no sound coming out, my breath stuck in my throat as Tom’s grip on my hair tightened. Vaguely, I could hear his name coming out of my mouth on repeat, my entire body tensing up underneath him. It was like nothing I’d ever felt, like every nerve in my body was on fire.

“Fuck… fuck… fuck.” Tom’s back muscles tensed under my hands, his entire body going still as he held himself deep inside me. The feeling of his pulsating cock sent delicious aftershocks through me and I clenched around him, loving the small groan that erupted from him as he slowly relaxed, resting his full weight on me with a long, heavy sigh.

We lay like that for a few minutes, the thunder and wind having calmed at some point during our tryst. Tom was resting his sweaty forehead on my chest and I ran my fingers through his hair as I stared up at the ceiling. Everything would be different now, everything would change. But I was too lost in my post orgasm glow to care much about anything.

“Was that too rough?” Tom’s voice was soft, the question catching me off guard.

“What?”

He lifted his head to look at me, shifting his body weight as he examined my face. “Was I too rough? I get carried away sometimes, don’t always know my own strength.”

I couldn’t help but laugh. If he only knew half the things I wanted to do to him, or what I wanted him to do to me. Shit. He’d probably have me arrested. “No, Tom, no. Believe me, it was perfect.”

He arched in eyebrow in a cocky way that only Tom fucking Holland could do. “Perfect?” His accent was thick. “Just wait for round two.”

I was about to respond when he leaned in for a kiss, capturing my lips and holding me right there in that moment with him. It was crazy, it was stupid, it was reckless. And I didn’t give a flying fuck.

A noise from downstairs startled us and I jumped. “It was probably just the wind.” Tom reassured me.

I nodded my head, but when I heard the telltale sign of keys hitting the countertop my heart leapt into my throat. “Tom? Y/N? You guys here?”

Tom’s eyes met mine and in unison, we said, “Jordan.”

Oh, fuck.

[smokeybrand]

High Tide

Back on that Azur Lane bullsh*t once again and, once again, i missed the f*cking Iron Blood event! I desperately wanted those new ships that i ah no idea about until i logged in for the first time in months, a week after everything was f*cking over. I’ve decided to run Iron Blood exclusively so i need those ships. I mean is till collect whatever Super Rares drop from the other factions because I'm not an idiot, my Sakura Empire and Eagle Union fleets are near untouchable, but i have basically gotten rid of all ships under Elite. I’m never going to use those things so the medals are worth more to me than the actual ships. I actually have a lot of f*cking ships to get rid f and, so far, progress has been limited to only my Royal Navy ships. That’s a tangent, though, so let me get on topic. The expansion of Iron Blood.

The Inverted Orthant event came and went, and took with it several ships that piqued my interest. I like a lot of the new ships, even if they’re kind of redundant. As far as design, i absolutely adore Prinz Heinrich. How can i not? She’s a sister ship to my waifu, Prinz Eugen. That ship is the one who got me into this money pit of a game in the first place! Of course i want her sister! I know she’s not an Admiral Hipper class ship, but she is a Prinz and that’s enough for me. I really like the look of Nurnberg but i don’t have this aggressive need to get her? Like, if i don’t get the lucky roll, I'm not going to beat myself up over it. I kind of desperately want U-37 but that’s for completion purposes. I’m up to my neck in Iron Blood subs so i don’t need her. She’s strictly a want at this point. I kind of feel the same way about U-410, Weser (even though she’s a Carrier and i need as many of those as i can get my hands on), and Z28. Now, Z24? Yeah, she’s my second most sought after ship from Orthant. I know she’s only and Elite but i do run Fleets with those so she will see some action. The only ship i want more than Z24, and Prinz Heinrich to a slightly lesser extent, is Peter Strasser.

Peter Strasser is at the top of my f*cking list because she’s a Super Rare Carrier that isn’t a Zeppelin. That sh*t was a real weakness for my Iron Maidens. Zeppy and Graf Zeppelin were the only options for an air attack and that sh*t sucked. I was able to roll Graf Zeppelin during the Divergent Chessboard rerun but I'm f*cked for Zeppy. They haven’t even hinted at an Escape from the Port event and i hate it. I[m in the same boat with U-110. Missed out on that rerun so I'm waiting for it to hit the archives. I mean, it doesn’t matter, i have more that enough ships to fill those voids, but the completionist in me is weeping. Still, Now that Strasser is available, sort of, i can field a decent amount of air superiority with a solid selection of Carriers and I'm hype about it. I mean, i can’t because i don’t have Strasser, yet, but she will be mine in time. I did, however, secure a second, Super Rare, Iron Blood carrier through Construction: August Von Parseval.

August is a Priority ship which means she’s available for anyone to unlock, if you are willing to pay that cost. I have just finished paying that cost today. Considering i have a plethora of materials, gold, and the experience comes faster than i remember, i was able to construct this ship in less that month. That sh*t was a far cry from Friedrich Der Grosse and Roon. They took forever! Worth it, but forever. Speaking of Priority, Iron Blood got a second ship in the PR4 update that i started production on today. She’s a Large Cruiser and Ultra Rare, like Friedrich. She also looks to be just as much a pain in the ass to construct. Aegir is pretty staunchy as a boat and i look forward to finally adding her to my Fleet when she’s done cooking. Of course, these two beautiful ladies only ease the pain of me missing out on the Orthant boats but even that will be rectified eventually. Reruns are a thing. I just have to wait a year, i guess...

As far as my progress with the Fleet i have goes, i maxed out my Faction by raising Friedrich, Zeppelin, and Tirpitz to level 120. I’m actively working on Z46 (currently level 118 so she’s frustratingly close), Admiral Hipper (who’s at 107 so she’s got a ways to go) , Gneisenau (sitting at a comfortable 96), and Z26 (who is bringing up the rear at 95). So far, i have nine ships maxed out at level 120, eight ships oathed, and seven ships in love. I’ve also almost completely finished getting all the Stars under Friedrich. That looks like it’ll finish by the end of the week at the pace I'm going with this constant research. I’m three ships away from my first Iron Blood Adamant medal, maxing a ship’s level is ridiculous and i need twelve of them, but I'm getting there. I did, however, get my first SR ship drop from a map today. That was surprising because i just kind of grind Chapter Eight so pulling an SR is near impossible at such a low level. I’ll always cherish Maya because she unlocked my first Seaborne Explorer medal, even if she ain’t an Iron Blood. Definitely won’t hold that against her.

[smokeybrandreviews]

High Tide

Back on that Azur Lane bullsh*t once again and, once again, i missed the f*cking Iron Blood event! I desperately wanted those new ships that i ah no idea about until i logged in for the first time in months, a week after everything was f*cking over. I’ve decided to run Iron Blood exclusively so i need those ships. I mean is till collect whatever Super Rares drop from the other factions because I'm not an idiot, my Sakura Empire and Eagle Union fleets are near untouchable, but i have basically gotten rid of all ships under Elite. I’m never going to use those things so the medals are worth more to me than the actual ships. I actually have a lot of f*cking ships to get rid f and, so far, progress has been limited to only my Royal Navy ships. That’s a tangent, though, so let me get on topic. The expansion of Iron Blood.

The Inverted Orthant event came and went, and took with it several ships that piqued my interest. I like a lot of the new ships, even if they’re kind of redundant. As far as design, i absolutely adore Prinz Heinrich. How can i not? She’s a sister ship to my waifu, Prinz Eugen. That ship is the one who got me into this money pit of a game in the first place! Of course i want her sister! I know she’s not an Admiral Hipper class ship, but she is a Prinz and that’s enough for me. I really like the look of Nurnberg but i don’t have this aggressive need to get her? Like, if i don’t get the lucky roll, I'm not going to beat myself up over it. I kind of desperately want U-37 but that’s for completion purposes. I’m up to my neck in Iron Blood subs so i don’t need her. She’s strictly a want at this point. I kind of feel the same way about U-410, Weser (even though she’s a Carrier and i need as many of those as i can get my hands on), and Z28. Now, Z24? Yeah, she’s my second most sought after ship from Orthant. I know she’s only and Elite but i do run Fleets with those so she will see some action. The only ship i want more than Z24, and Prinz Heinrich to a slightly lesser extent, is Peter Strasser.

Peter Strasser is at the top of my f*cking list because she’s a Super Rare Carrier that isn’t a Zeppelin. That sh*t was a real weakness for my Iron Maidens. Zeppy and Graf Zeppelin were the only options for an air attack and that sh*t sucked. I was able to roll Graf Zeppelin during the Divergent Chessboard rerun but I'm f*cked for Zeppy. They haven’t even hinted at an Escape from the Port event and i hate it. I[m in the same boat with U-110. Missed out on that rerun so I'm waiting for it to hit the archives. I mean, it doesn’t matter, i have more that enough ships to fill those voids, but the completionist in me is weeping. Still, Now that Strasser is available, sort of, i can field a decent amount of air superiority with a solid selection of Carriers and I'm hype about it. I mean, i can’t because i don’t have Strasser, yet, but she will be mine in time. I did, however, secure a second, Super Rare, Iron Blood carrier through Construction: August Von Parseval.

August is a Priority ship which means she’s available for anyone to unlock, if you are willing to pay that cost. I have just finished paying that cost today. Considering i have a plethora of materials, gold, and the experience comes faster than i remember, i was able to construct this ship in less that month. That sh*t was a far cry from Friedrich Der Grosse and Roon. They took forever! Worth it, but forever. Speaking of Priority, Iron Blood got a second ship in the PR4 update that i started production on today. She’s a Large Cruiser and Ultra Rare, like Friedrich. She also looks to be just as much a pain in the ass to construct. Aegir is pretty staunchy as a boat and i look forward to finally adding her to my Fleet when she’s done cooking. Of course, these two beautiful ladies only ease the pain of me missing out on the Orthant boats but even that will be rectified eventually. Reruns are a thing. I just have to wait a year, i guess...

As far as my progress with the Fleet i have goes, i maxed out my Faction by raising Friedrich, Zeppelin, and Tirpitz to level 120. I’m actively working on Z46 (currently level 118 so she’s frustratingly close), Admiral Hipper (who’s at 107 so she’s got a ways to go) , Gneisenau (sitting at a comfortable 96), and Z26 (who is bringing up the rear at 95). So far, i have nine ships maxed out at level 120, eight ships oathed, and seven ships in love. I’ve also almost completely finished getting all the Stars under Friedrich. That looks like it’ll finish by the end of the week at the pace I'm going with this constant research. I’m three ships away from my first Iron Blood Adamant medal, maxing a ship’s level is ridiculous and i need twelve of them, but I'm getting there. I did, however, get my first SR ship drop from a map today. That was surprising because i just kind of grind Chapter Eight so pulling an SR is near impossible at such a low level. I’ll always cherish Maya because she unlocked my first Seaborne Explorer medal, even if she ain’t an Iron Blood. Definitely won’t hold that against her.

[vannahfanfics]

Our Scars

Category: Mild Romantic Fluff

Fandom: Katekyo Hitman Reborn!

Characters: Takeshi Yamamoto, Kyoko Sasagawa

Hi, guys! I’ve been obsessed with Hitman Reborn! as of late, so I’ve decided to participate in Katekyo Hitman Reborn! RarePair Week (because we all know how much I love rarepairs). I’ve decided to start with the Day 2 prompt, “Scars”! Hope you all enjoy it :)

The pattering of the rain against Kyoko’s umbrella was soothing as she strolled along the wet sidewalk, her rainboots squeaking with every step. A plastic bag swung below her bent elbow, containing a selection of decadent cakes from her favorite bakery. She had delivered most of them to Tsuna and her friends, and now had only one last stop- Takeshi Yamamoto’s house. Kyoko still didn’t understand much of their world- the dangerous situations and such- but she understood well enough that she was invaluable to them as support. Kyoko could fill the role of supporter perfectly fine, and so here she was, delivering some treats as a reward for their hard work with… whatever they were doing in their spare time.

The iron latch shrieked in protest as she lifted it, and the wooden gate agreed with its partner, sounding an earthy groan. The rain was cascading something fierce now, throwing up splashes against the rubber material of her rain boots with every walloping raindrop. Ripples in the two-inch-deep water distorted the yard into a sea of green and brown and gray. Kyoko carefully picked her way over the slick stones that marked the path to Takeshi’s house. She cried out when the sole of her boot slipped over the smooth surface and caused her ankle to roll inward. Tears sprung to her eyes and a whine to her throat as the fiery pain rocketed up her leg. She remained there a while, hunched over with her hand buried down in the boot to rub tenderly at the screaming flesh, but she protectively held the bag of boxed cakes to her chest.

They had Yamamoto’s favorite today… I said I would hike through the weather, and I shall hike through this pain, too! Huffing in resolve, she straightened back up and limped up to the porch. She rapped loudly on the doorframe before opening the door, which was always unlocked, and announced her presence. She heard Takeshi’s father chime a greeting from within the bowels of the home. While she awaited his arrival, she stepped onto the welcome mat and removed her rainboots and folded up her umbrella, setting both neatly aside. The smiling man came round the corner and embraced her with a polite hug and kiss on the cheek. Kyoko had made many calls to Takeshi’s house, and she was regarded more as family than a guest at this point.

“My dear Kyoko! I sure hope you haven’t come tromping through this horrendous rain just to call on my boy,” the kind man scolded her as she rifled through the plastic bag.

“Not just him!” she laughed and procured a sweet confection, holding it out to him. His eyebrow raised above a twinkling eye, and a wide grin split his weathered features.

“You truly are an angel,” he tutted dramatically and took the box. He gestured loosely towards the back of the house, too absorbed with opening the container to be descriptive. “Takeshi is training in the dojo. I’m sure he’ll be happy to see you,” he said with a pat to her head before strolling off to enjoy Kyoko’s generous gift.

She ignored the stinging pain in her ankle as she trekked through the house she now knew by memory. At the rear of the abode was a spacious room, where Takeshi often trained hard with the sword. She came to the door and found it closed.

“Yamamoto?” she called as she knocked lightly on the dojo’s sliding door. His grunts floated through the wood and cloth. So did the ring of the katana as he cleaved the air over and over in practiced, precise movements. Kyoko shifted her weight from foot to foot for a few seconds, but a wry smile soon began poking at her expression. He’s so in the zone he can’t hear me, she thought amusedly. “Yamamoto, I brought cake!” she called louder and opened the sliding door. “Yama- oh.” Her voice died in her throat, and she stopped opening the door halfway, too stunned by the visceral image of shirtless Takeshi in the middle of the dojo.

Sweat rolled over the rugged contours of his body, pooling in the waistband of the sweatpants that were slung loosely over his hips. His arm muscles flexed as he brought the katana down in a long arc, and Kyoko’s eyes sparkled with the light that refracted over its hyper-sharp edge. His black hair slicked to his forehead, and every few seconds, he would jerk his head to flick the dampened strands out of his eyes. His eyebrows were narrow slopes furrowing his brow in the most impressive display of raw concentration Kyoko had ever witnessed.

Kyoko liked Takeshi, a lot. How could she not? He was so friendly and easygoing. His smile lit up even the darkest room, and his laugh never failed to send joy bubbling up in her body. She liked him, sure, but she had never considered the fact that she may like him… But she sure considered it as she lingered in the threshold of the door, silent, watching him bring that sword down in empty air again and again. All words were lumps in her throat; thus, she could only gawk open-mouthed at him until he finally noticed her.

“Oh, hello, Kyoko!” he grinned jovially and swept a hand through his hair. The way the sweat-soaked strands parted beneath his fingertips made Kyoko’s mouth run painfully dry. Her eyes wanted to focus on every inch of him- his pectorals heaving as he panted, those crimped hairs still sticking together awkwardly from his hand parting them, his bright eyes and beaming smile- but that was horribly improper of her, so she looked at the floor instead. Shuffling her feet shyly, she retrieved the cake box and held it out. “Cake?” The evident elation in his voice made her heart flutter, although she could have brought him a neat rock, and he’d get just as excited about it.

She heard the click of the sword sliding into its sheath, followed by the patter of his bare feet over the wooden floor. A red haze drifted to her cheeks when his large hands enveloped her own for a brief moment as he retrieved the box. He whistled when he flipped it open, admiring the cake within. “It looks delicious! Thanks, Kyoko!”

“You’re welcome.” It was impolite not to look directly at him when she addressed him, so she forced her eyes upward. Her cheeks darkened incredibly as she did. Yamamoto has such a lovely smile… she thought dreamily. Cheerfully, he swiped a finger across the mountain of cake icing and then popped it in his mouth. He hummed appreciatively and popped the finger out. She wasn’t sure why, but the action made her body flush with heat, she tore her gaze away from his face. Her eyes landed on his arm, and she inhaled sharply. Yamamoto blinked in confusion, followed her intense gaze, and then smiled wanly.

“Oh… You’ve never seen them, have you?”

Thin white scars sliced through the tan skin of his arms. Some of them were many centimeters thick, indicative of a blade biting deep into the flesh. Possessed by some force, Kyoko allowed the bag of cakes to drop to the floor and reached out with both her hands to trace the crisscrossing marks. Takeshi watched her with lidded eyes, his irises swimming with a deep emotion for which she had not the name.

“So many,” she murmured under her breath. Her small, thin fingers tracked the map of healed wounds up to his thick bicep. Her eyes were wide when she looked to him again, expecting to find his smile sad or regretful. Instead, she saw the unmistakable glint of pride hiding within his curled lips. “I don’t… Didn’t they hurt?”

“Of course they did,” he laughed nonchalantly, as if a teenager bearing such marks were utterly typical. “But I don’t regret them. I earned them protecting my friends. I’ll gladly scar this entire body of mine if it means I can keep them safe.” As he stared at the pattern of thin white lines over his arm, Kyoko did not doubt that he was envisioning the faces of his dear comrades there. Kyoko couldn’t understand their world at all, even now, but she could appreciate Takeshi’s overwhelming desire to protect those closest to him.

Yet…

Her eyelashes were beaded with tears as she gripped his upper arm with two quivering hands. His fingernails bit into the flesh, pressing small crescent moons into his skin, but he did not complain. He only looked at her in bewilderment as she stood in front of him, shaking.

“Yamamoto, I… I would much rather you be careful,” she sniffed miserably. Her thumbs pressed into a half-an-inch thick bulge of scar tissue, making the skin around it glare white as the blood flooded out of the capillaries. “One day… It may be too bad a wound to heal.” She swallowed the thick lump that was beginning to form in her throat, but it just bobbed right back, making it laborious to breathe. The tears dripped from her lashes to splash down onto his arm. “I-I don’t know much about what it is you and Tsuna and everyone else do, but… I do see that it’s dangerous, and… I just want you to be safe. Please be safe, Yamamoto.”

His hand slid underneath her chin, soft fingers cradling her tear-stained cheeks. She offered no resistance as he tilted her head up. This time, his smile was sad, incredibly so.

“Ahhh, now this is no good. Kyoko is kind enough to bring me cake, and I’ve made her cry? How shameful of me,” he whined self-deprecatingly, with only the faintest hint of amusement. His thumb stroked over her cheek to catch the fresh rolling tears. His teasing tone tugged a small smile onto her lips, making him smile softly in answer. “Ah, that’s much better. Kyoko’s smile is the most beautiful in the world.” She laughed airily and flushed, hitting him lightly in the chest. He still dripped with sweat, so the slap was especially loud.

“You kid too much!”

“Kidding? Does that sound like me?” he joked, drawing another bubbly giggle out of her. His thumb continued to caress her cheek, though her tears had dried thanks to his comforting. His eyes searched her face eagerly, like he was committing it to memory. “No, I don’t joke. Not about this.”

“Yamamoto…” His name left her mouth in a whisper. His eyes ceased roaming her face to settle upon her lips. That rosy tint rose to her cheeks again, but she did nothing as his face encroached upon her own, save for purse her lips and close her eyes in preparation.

The kiss was soft and sweet. Kyoko inhaled deeply when his lips molded over hers, otherwise he would have stolen all the breath from her lungs. It didn’t last more than a few seconds, but Kyoko savored those few precious moments, savored the feeling of joy rushing from the crown of her head to the tips of her toes. As Takeshi pulled away, she subconsciously chased him, desperate for just a few seconds longer. Her eyes fluttered open as a chuckle rumbled in his throat.

“Kyoko, you’re so cute!” he praised and patted her on the head. “It’s no wonder I adore you.” Kyoko’s entire face turned the color of a tomato.

“Y-Yamamoto! You can’t just say things like that!” she sputtered, slapping her hands to her cheeks and finding them unbearably hot.

“Takeshi!” he corrected with a wave of his hand. “I just kissed you, so please call me Takeshi!” She crouched down with a squeal, drowning in second-hand embarrassment with how casual and relaxed he was. Her bangs hung in her eyes as she hung her head, unable to look at him. She was so mortified that she couldn’t even focus on the burning pain in her ankle as she heaved all her weight upon her feet. Takeshi laughed lightheartedly like he always did, then crouched down to pat her head more. “Kyoko, Kyoko, don’t be embarrassed! It was a compliment!” She responded with a high-pitched whine. “Come on, let’s get out of here and eat some cake, yeah?” The plastic bag crinkled as he raised it, and when she finally pried her eyes open, she was staring at his baggy sweatpants. She looked up to find him offering a hand to her.

His fingers were rough and calloused. The wrapped tightly around her smaller ones, holding them tight as he eased her back into a standing position. She expected him to drop her hand after that, but he just kept right on holding it, swinging their arms between them as he headed through the door. “Ow, ow!” she yelped as the one step forward send brutalizing pain rocketing up her leg.

“Kyoko, what’s wrong?” He was on his knees immediately, taking her swollen foot in tender hands to inspect it. Both embarrassed and flattered, she nibbled on the skin of her knuckle.

“Well… I slipped and rolled my ankle in your yard.” He clucked his tongue and shook his head disapprovingly.

“Clumsy Kyoko. What am I to do with you?” he sighed and straightened back up. In one sudden, swift movement, he had scooped her up off the floor. Kyoko squeaked and buried her pink face into the palm of her hands, beating on the thick muscle of his shoulders.

“Yama- Takeshi! No! Your father will see!”

“And? He’s been nagging at me to confess my feelings for a while. ‘Kyoko is such a nice girl! She would be so good for you! Better hurry up or someone will snatch her up!’” His mockery of his father’s tone, complete with waggling his finger, was too amusing for her to focus on the sheer mortification that she was a regular topic of conversation in the household. Her hands continued to shield her apple-red face as Takeshi escorted her down the hallway, but she did find the way she so perfectly muscles into his muscular arms quite nice. Her fingers twitched before curling around Takeshi’s the meat of those muscles, and she did not miss the smile that alit his face.

On that rainy day, Kyoko certainly didn’t think her cake delivery would turn out such a way, but unexpected happenings make life worth living, do they not? Smiling as Takeshi carried her through the house, she traced the complicated map of those scars again, nestling her head into the crook of his neck.

They all lived such dangerous lives, Takeshi and the others. It worried Kyoko sometimes, but at the end of every day, she would be there to support them through thick and thin. It was a taxing job, a job that left deep scars on her heart… but then again, earning scars for those you loved could be quite rewarding in the end too.

Enjoy this oneshot? Feel free to peruse my Table of Contents!

Tag List: @khrrarepairweek​ @deliathedork​

[symphonicspecter]

Got any phone game recommendations???

Okay yeah! Some of these work on iOS and some on Google, and I don’t know the compatibility with other devices..But you can look for them an see if they work for whatever device you have!

In terms of simple games to pass the time, I like Merge Magic and Merge Dragons. There’s no time or move limits and the art is cute. And there’s a bunch of cute creatures to collect

Imago is a limited-move puzzle type game that I never see anyone talk about? It’s simple to play but if you want to try some of their challenges it can be tricky.

You might have heard of Neko Atsume, which is very cute. There’s also a similar game called Cats Are Cute where you can build a little kitty village.

Then there are games with stories..

Rusty Lake is a favorite of mine! I think these games are available on Steam as well. And if you decide to look for these, some of the games are titled “Rusty Lake” and others are titled “Cube Escape”. They’re all part of the same storyline, so definitely look up the release order or story chronological order if you play them. It’s a surreal, kind of creepy series that’s mostly point-and-click puzzles

Creatures Such as We is a purely text game, and sort of a choose-your-own-adventure. It explores themes of loneliness and romance. In some scenes you are playing an in-universe video game, and in other scenes you are talking to the creators of that game! It also takes place on the moon. It’s fairly short, but it gave me emotions. I didn’t even want to try for a different ending because I liked the one I got so much.

Another short creepy game is Year Walk! Walk in the woods, solve puzzles, and meet strange creatures...This is available on Steam I think, and I think it is available on some consoles as well. There is some fourth wall breaking and exactly one jumpscare I can remember. It’s a very neat art style and inspired by Swedish mythology. There’s also a companion guide that tells you about the myths...and has some bonus material with a puzzle or two that connects to the main game,,,may unlock a second story and alternate ending...hm

By the same developers is Device 6! This is also short. It’s mostly based on text, but they use lots of visuals and sounds too! It’s something to play with your sound on because there are some sound puzzles and cool effects! It’s like reading a book and having the words morph depending on the character’s actions, like spiraling as they go down a staircase. Or hearing violin as the text is “she heard a violin”

There’s also The Ensign and A Dark Room. These have different but connected stories. A Dark Room was released first, but The Ensign comes first chronologically. It’s all text, but there is combat, survival, limited inventory...It’s interesting to navigate a map and fight monsters when there’s no images! Just words telling you you’ve been injured, where you are...They CAN be short depending on how hard you find them. I found both tricky at some points so they took some hours. The story is interesting but you have to piece the lore together as you venture. WArning: In The Ensign, the game will give you insulting messages if you die several times. Things like “how hard is it tap a screen?” or “Ohhh, so close.” type stuff, so not too personal, but be aware of that if you think it will bother you

[chips1977]

Walkthrough - Phendrana: Into the Core

Welcome to a darker place in Phendrana. You will now begin to head into the Research Core. Enter into Specimen Storage, disable the defense turret (easily done if you charge your Wave Beam) and prepare your scan visor. A Shadow Pirate will come hopping out after you. Then press forward into the Research Entrance where you will be spotted. Then out come the Space Pirates . But, before you scan them and blast them to pieces, turn around and look at the door you just entered through. Scan it and you'll see that it is a Locked Door , which can only be opened by defeating all the enemies in the room. It enters into your Log Book, so it's worth examining.

After you've defeated everyone in that room, go back to the bottom floor and you'll see an unopened door. This is the Map Station for Phendrana Drifts. Once it is downloaded, head back up the walkways and exit through the top of the room.

This is the Research Entrance. You'll find the next room, Research Lab Hydra, is also full of Space Pirates. Destroy them all and then get your scan visor ready to scan the area. On the bottom floor you will find three Pirate Data log book entries: Security Breaches , Phazon Analysis , Mining Status . At this point you should have completed 50% of your Log Book, thus unlocking Image Gallery 1, accessible through the main menu. Upstairs there is another set of computer terminals, which also contains the Pirate Data Parasite Larva and Glacial Wastes . Move out through the Wave Beam door on the ceiling. You should end up in the Observatory. Clear out the Space Pirates and head to the bottom. More Pirate Data is available for downloading: Phazon Program and Contact . Now, scan the center module to activate one of the Morph Ball slots in the room. Bomb it and you will begin to send power to the hub. You will need to bomb the second Morph Ball slot located on the opposite side, however. This will take some large leaps, but you can do it. Once activated, you will trigger power to the Morph Ball spinners below. Roll down there and Boost Ball spin in all four of them. This will cause the power to flow to the astronomical holographic projector. Be sure to scan the new Research Data floating around: the planets Zebes and Tallon IV . Your goal is to make it to the top by platforming around the edge. There are some very distant jumps to complete, but it is doable. At the top you will find the Super Missile upgrade, resting in the center of the Observatory.

Move through the West Tower Entrance and access the Control Tower transport. As soon as you enter the Control Tower, a battle is waiting for you. Clear out the Space Pirates on the ground and then prepare to meet the Flying Pirate , an agile, missile-shooting unit that will require a little more persistence. Try firing back with your own missiles; they're just as quick and deadly, but be wary of the Flying Pirate when it falls. Like a bottle rocket, it will zoom towards you out of control and explode. You should burn through about four of them before the doors unlock. If you need any health, just shoot the nearby boxes. Then head into the East Tower and activate the transport to the Research Lab Aether. Inside the lab you will see several things to scan. First check out the two Pirate Data entries Meta Ridley and Metroid Studies . You will also be treated to your first Metroid encounter. Blast it with missiles and your Wave Beam. If it attaches itself to you, just roll into a ball and set a bomb to jolt it loose.

A Space Pirate will jump through a window to attack you. Proceed into that room (defeat the pirates, of course) and check the computer terminals at the top and bottom of the room. You'll find the Pirate Data Phazon Infusion , Metroid Forces , and Metroid Morphology . There are several more stasis containment units in the lab. There is one more Metroid hiding in one of them. Shoot the glass with a missile to free it and dispose of it. Take a closer look at the rest of the stasis units. An Energy Tank is hidden in one that is adjacent to the wall. Blast it open with a missile and power up! But wait -- there's more. Take the elevator back up to the walkways hanging above. If you look closely at the piping in the room, you'll see there is a Missile Expansion hidden at the end of one. You'll have to jump up there and roll in Morph Ball form to get it. It's tricky too.

From the lower floor, drop down into the Research Core Access. Don't be surprised to see your first Ice Beetle . As you enter into the Research Core, you will be met with some opposition from Space and Flying Pirates. Destroy them and then scan the nearby terminal to disconnect the containment unit below. You will get a quick glimpse via cut-scene of a visor upgrade. Continue downward -- watch and listen for defense turrets -- and access the next terminal, disconnecting yet another power source to the unit below. Finally, when you reach the bottom there is one last terminal to scan, which frees the force field around your new Thermal Visor . Grab it and prepare for a power outage. Accustom tapping down on the D-pad to use it. You're going to need it immediately, as Shadow Pirates will be running around the area causing havoc. Likewise, the Metroids will grow restless. Blast them away with your Super Missiles if you don't want to prolong the battles. Return up to the top where you entered. The door no longer has power. This is where your Thermal Visor comes in handy. On the right side of the door is a power conduit (only visible with the Thermal Visor), which can send power from your Wave Beam to the door. Simply shoot it to continue forward.

On the other side of the door you will find a Sentry Drone waiting for you. They cause major static to your visor, so try blasting them quickly with missiles. Move back through the Research Lab Aether and be wary of more Shadow Pirates. Right now you should just focus on getting back to the save station located in the Observatory. If you make it there all right, you're next check point should be the save station located off of the Ruined Courtyard. You'll need all your energy for the forthcoming boss fight. In the Ruined Courtyard flip on your Thermal Visor and examine the door straight across from the save point. You'll see a glowing power conduit on the archway above it. It is shielded by cordite, however, so you'll need to use your Super Missiles (Charge Beam+Y) to uncover it. Then send power to the door by shooting it with your Wave Beam. Continue forward and enter into the Quarantine Cave, and prepare for battle.

Boss: Thardus

As always, be sure to scan for vital Log Book data immediately. You'll find that Thardus, a rock structure infused with Phazon, cannot be targeted as usual. The data suggests you should try another visor, and that's just what you need to do. Use your Thermal Visor to locate the hot spots on Thardus. You'll be able to lock on to him while using this visor. You can easily crack the highlighted stone portion of his body with the use of charge blasts and missiles. Try not to get too antsy and use Super Missiles just yet. Save those for a bit. When the Phazon-infused rock cracks open, it will expose the highly radioactive material beneath it. The material is far too bright for your Thermal Visor, so just switch it off and you'll be able to lock on as usual. Repeat the same process of hitting the weak spot with charge blasts and missiles, all the while sidestepping out of his line of fire.

Thardus will often summon rocks from beneath the ground and toss them your way. Take the moment to lock on to them and blast them to pieces. Note: if you're in Thermal Visor mode and try this, the Phazon material inside will blind you. If you get frozen by Thardus, just quickly tap the B-button to get out of it. Another attack that you must get a handle on is his boulder form. You will him animate, leaning back and then curling up in ball form. This is your cue to turn into a Morph Ball and boost out of the way. It's important that you memorize this animation. As soon as he begins to roll into a ball, do the same and boost out of the way. Thardus will also summon snow storms to blur your view. Try not to let it disorient you too much, and use your Thermal Visor when possible to cut through the haze. When it gets to the point that his Phazon is exposed during a snow storm and you cannot see him, try to get as close as possible and use those Super Missiles. You should eventually be able to work him down to the final center point of his body. Work through it and he will die.

You are rewarded with the Spider Ball , which is just about the coolest upgrade in the game. It allows you to attach yourself to magnetic Spider Ball Tracks (scan!), which are all around the world. To accustom you to the process, you actually have to escape Thardus's lair by using the Spider Ball. You should find another exit, leading you through the South Quarantine Tunnel and to the Magmoor Caverns South transport. Proceed downward into the warmer territory. There is a Blast Shield and save station right behind the elevator when you arrive in Magmoor. After freshening up, head into the Magmoor Workstation and fight the Flying Pirates from behind the entrance door if you want to save some health. Then jump down to the bottom where you'll see three glowing passages: green, purple, and blue. Scan around and you'll see there is a pillar-shaped machine that is not receiving power. Flip on your Thermal Visor. This reveals a power conduit next to each colored passageway. Flash power through them with your Wave Beam and the machine will begin to function. This cools the lava beneath the blue passage. Roll underneath the grating and access the area behind the, blue passage. You will see a panel ready for the scanning. Do so and you will cool the lava in the green passageway. Repeat this process and you will end up behind the purple passageway where an Energy Tank awaits you.

Face the purple passage and exit the door directly to the right. This leads into the South Core Tunnel. The giant mollusk Puddle Spore will be standing in your way. Shoot its mouth when it opens and jump on it like a platform when it flips over. Use the same technique to get across the Geothermal Core, and nevermind the tall pillars that spike through the room. In the North Core Tunnel use a missile to shoot down the stalactite that is hanging above, and use it as a platform. Move forward into Twin Fires and repeat the same procedure by missile-blasting the stalactite at the front of the room. Hug the right wall, take down another stalactite and move to the other side of the cave. Yet another stalactite must be used as a platform. Open the next door and you should be in Twin Fires Tunnel, which connects you to the Tallon Overworld West transport. You may have seen this room before if you went snooping around. Use your Spider Ball and roll into the small hole. Hold on to the magnetic track and cross the lava pit. Then take the transport up to Tallon Overworld. Then head over to the Chozo Ruins West transport.

Right now you should be heading for the Main Plaza in Chozo Ruins. Remember that half-pipe structure in there? Time to put it to use. Roll into Morph Ball so you're under the bridge and slip underneath it to grab a Missile Expansion pack.. Now roll your way into the Ruined Fountain. With the water free of toxins and your new magnetic Spider Ball, you'll find a nice little puzzle awaits you. Bomb your way up on top of the fountain spout. It will spit you onto the Spider Ball track above with leads to another Missile Expansion . After finishing up that, head into the Aboretum right next door with the goal of arriving in the Watery Hall. There is a small Morph Ball tunnel at the end where you original got the Charge Beam. Bomb it and roll through it to the Dynamo. Once in the Dynamo, scan the room and locate a weakened metal structure. You'll find a Missile Expansion pack behind it. Then look above and access the Spider Ball track , which leads to yet another Missile Expansion . Now would be a good time to save off of the Gathering Hall. Platform to the top of the hall and look above the doorway to the East Atrium. Yet another Missile Expansion is hidden above it. You'll need to use the red lights as stepping stones before you can double jump up there. Bomb the wall and grab the missiles.

Next head through the East Atrium towards the Furnace As soon as you enter you will see a Spider Ball track. It leads you to a whole new area. You'll need to use Boost Ball to get across some disappearing blocks: quickly boost across the disappearing blocks and lay a morph ball bomb to jump up to the blocks on the right. You'll have to be very quick or you'll fall down a level and you'll have to backtrack a tad and try again.

Once in the heart of the Furnace get your scanner out. The little critters carving their way around the elevated Spider Ball tracks are called Plated Parasites . You can't do anything with that track for now, but keep it in mind. Spin around and head to the other side of the room where you'll find a Morph Ball tunnel and Chozo Lore . Scan it and roll through the tunnel to access the Crossway. There's a lot to do in this room. You'll notice the half-pipe in front of you. Use it to propel yourself high enough to access the other side. Once there scan the three Chozo Lore engravings. After reading through them, you should scan a cordite shield just on the adjacent wall. Blast through it with a Super Missile shot and scan the reticle behind it. This will activate one of a set of Spider Ball tracks. Use the half-pipe to launch yourself up to it, then bomb the nearby Morph Ball slot. Repeat this process and you will be able to take a special Morph Ball elevator up to a Missile Expansion .

After receiving it, head through the archway and into the Elder Hall Access. You should eventually arrive in the Hall of the Elders where you'll immediately find a Morph Ball tunnel that leads to a Missile Station . This should be your first encounter with one; scan it. Then jump down into the center of the Hall of Elders. The room will darken and you will meet your first Chozo Ghost . Use a few Super Missiles to dispose of him and then walk behind the giant Chozo statue in the room and check out the latest Chozo Lore . With that out of the way, jump into the hands of the Chozo statue and change to Morph Ball form. It will toss you like a bowling ball, ramping you up the opposite wall of the room where you can use your Spider Ball to access a Morph Ball slot. Bomb the slot and you will reveal three more special slots.

Jump back over by the Missile Station and look up where you can find another ledge to platform on. This will lead you to the three slots. One of them will work with your Wave Beam. Shoot it and you will reveal another Morph Ball slot behind it. Bomb it and a new path will be opened in front of the Chozo Elder. Once again, roll into his hands and you should be able to follow a new path that leads you behind an energy shield. Scan the nearby reticle to take it offline and then enter the unopened door in the same vicinity. This leads to the Reflecting Pool, which is surrounded by Stone Toads. Roll into a ball and drop into the center of the pool. Bomb the drain to release the water. Now you can see the pool acts as a half-pipe. Use it -- avoiding the Toads -- and boost up to the second floor. There are two Blast Shields. You're looking for the Antechamber. Walk in and you'll find your new best friend, the Ice Beam . After, head do the door across from the Antechamber, which leads to a Save Station. From Save Station 3 you can roll into Morph Ball form and access Tallon Overworld East transport, but don't use it just yet. You should also walk in to the unopened Ice Beam door on the top floor of the Reflecting Pool. This is another transport to Tallon Overworld South.

With that out of the way, head back to the Hall of Elders. This time use your Ice Beam to activate the second Morph Ball slot located behind the Chozo Elder. He will then toss you down a new path, which leads to an Energy Tank . Who couldn't use one of those, huh?

[leximpwrites]

Seeker 1

The first part of my current project! Please bear in mind that this is still a work in progress, and these may or may not be the final versions. As always, feedback is appreciated and encouraged! Also an fyi, these chapters will probably average between 1,500 and 2,500 words each, so I’ll be sticking them behind page breaks. Also just so you guys know what you’re getting into. Lol

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The musical ringing of a sword clearing its sheath is actually the first sign of trouble, though to be completely honest, I'm really not paying attention to the rest of the bar. I'm intent on the map in front of me, and the places the owner is marking on it. 

I turn to look over my shoulder and see three toughs, blades drawn, facing off against a pair of personal guards who are escorting a young noble boy, and who is currently hiding behind them. 

"Ye spilled mah drink, ye stupid cur!" snarls the largest of the three. He has the rolling burr of the mountain tribes to the north, and a face only a mother could love, nose clearly having been broken in three places, several ugly scars, and a large wart on his left cheek. 

"Back off, commoner!" the older of the two guards growls back, a short sword in one hand, a long knife in the other. He has the air of an experienced fighter, and I would bet good money on him being able to handle any two of the three in front of him without too much effort. "I'm no fool! You were trying to lift milord's purse!"

"Liar!" the northerner yells, and lunges forward. 

He doesn't even get close.

I'm always impressed with how quiet my apprentice can be when he has a mind to. Even I'm slightly surprised when Jax seems to materialize out of nowhere behind the three thugs. He catches the leader almost out of midair, and tosses him halfway across the room. The thug lands on a table, which was never made to take that kind of abuse, and crashes to the floor. Before the other two can react, he grabs each one by their collars, and slams them into each other. Stunned, they collapse in a heap on the floor.

The situation dealt with, Jax looks up and catches my eye, before smiling sheepishly. "Sorry, sir."

"No, good job, Jax," I tell him approvingly. I turn back to the barkeep and hand him several gold regents, and then several more. "These are for the mess and table, and those are for the information." 

He bobs his head gratefully and pockets the coins. "Thankee, Sir Seeker," he says with a genuine smile. "You an' yours are always welcome 'ere." 

I nod my thanks and signal to Jax to pick up the two at his feet while I retrieve the northerner from the wreckage of the table. The young noble and his two guards take that as their cue and quietly slip out the door. I make a mental note of the house sigil on one of the guards sleeves. I’ll pay them a visit tomorrow and make sure the boy is alright. It never hurts to cultivate goodwill amongst the upper class.

"We'll drop this trash off at the Guard house on our way back to the barracks," I say, both to the barkeep and to Jax, before we turn and head outside. It's raining lightly, typical for this time of year, and it rouses the three miscreants from their semi-conscious daze. They struggle briefly, dismayed to find themselves in the custody of two Seekers. I keep a close eye on them, wary of any tricks they might have. A hidden blade, or some other unpleasantness.

"So, what did the barkeep give us, sir?" Jax asks, shoving the two men ahead of him roughly as we head down the stone street. Imperial Engineers are truly masters of their craft, the road paved with broad, triangular stones.

"Some good, solid information, and a worrying pattern," I tell him, retrieving the city map from the belt pouch I had stuffed it into. The bartender had marked a number of spots, and I point them out. "Look at the number of sightings there have been in just this district alone."

"What do you think, a nest?" he asks after looking it over, sounding a little nervous. Sometimes I forget that despite his size, Jax is still a lad. 

"Most likely," I reply as we round a corner and spot the Guard house up ahead. The soldier on duty salutes us smartly, and hands our prisoners off to one of his subordinates after we explain what happened.

I resume our conversation once we head back out into the rain. "Probably a new queen in the catacombs under the city trying to stake out its territory."

I suppose I should introduce myself before we get any further into my tale, huh?

My name is Zepara Alchanic, and I, along with my apprentice Jaxus Luteno, are Royal Seekers currently stationed in Throne City, the capital of the Human Empire. 

And what are Seekers, you ask? We're monster hunters. Damn good ones, too. Tailor made for our job through a series of alchemical and magical transformations called The Proofing. It gives us the physical traits we need to fight monsters, and years of training gives us the skills.

Sometimes, in my darker moments, I wonder just how much we give up to become what we are. 

But usually, I feel the trade is worth it. I am very good at what I do. Technically my oath is to serve the Eternal King, but I see it as less loyalty to the crown, and more loyalty to the nation and its people. My job is to hunt down and destroy monsters that threaten the lives of everyday citizens. 

But back to my tale. 

I give Jax's shoulder an encouraging pat, despite the fact that I have to reach well above my own head to do it.

 "Don't worry, lad," I say, careful to keep my tone light. No need to worry the boy. "Even a full nest isn't much of a threat to a pair of Seekers who know what they're headed into. Just stick by me, remember your training, and you'll be fine." 

That seems to lift his spirits, and he nods, then begins studiously checking over his gear. I watch him for a moment, making sure he’s doing it properly. Satisfied he’s going about it just as I taught him, I follow suit. A Seeker relies on their gear. If your gear fails you in a fight, you’re dead, pure and simple.

Taking on a shade nest would actually be a good challenge for Jax, now that I think about it. He’s been progressing well since I became his mentor four years ago, but he tends to underestimate himself, and it holds him back a little. This will be a good way to show him what he can really do, and give his ego a healthy boost in the process. 

We finish our gear-check just as we reach the entrance to the underground portion of the city. There are thousands of miles of tunnels, galleries, and cellars under Throne City.

Originally it was just the mines under the dwarf fortress-city that is now the Imperial Palace, but over the centuries each generation dug their own underground portions and linked it into the already existing network, The end result of that, of course, being a complex labyrinth of truly staggering size. 

It can be very, very easy to get lost down there. 

I dig out a key that every Seeker is given when they complete their training. It gives us access to places like this. I unlock the steel gate that bars the stairwell down, and lock it behind us once we're through. We have to bend almost double to fit, as these ceilings were not designed with a seven foot Seeker in mind. Twice I hear Jax mutter a curse behind me as he bumps his head on something, and I have to bite back a laugh. I might be having a hard time, but the poor boy must find it almost unbearable. 

It isn’t long before we reach the bottom of the steps, and I straighten gratefully, in what appears to be a storeroom for one of the restaurants or inns above us. The walls are lined with sacks, crates, and barrels filled with various foodstuffs, all neatly organized and clearly labeled. 

I sniff the air, catching the rotten-meat stink of our prey almost at once. I hear Jax doing the same a moment later, and I nod my approval when he points down a nearby passage.

"Over that way, I think," he says, and grins when he sees me nod. We draw our paired ton-filar, heavy long-bladed fighting daggers with brass knuckles built into the grip, and a short four inch spike at the other end. They’re vicious weapons, specifically made for close in fighting, and designed to give us as many ways to hurt an enemy as possible with a single implement.

Most Seeker gear and weaponry is designed this way. It gives us an edge. And believe you me, when you're fighting the kinds of beasties we do, it always comes in handy. 

We move off in the direction of the scent, careful to keep our blades up before us. The passageway is narrow, so Jax leads the way, and I follow closely, walking backwards to make sure nothing tries to sneak up on us.

We continue down the tunnel, following our noses, until it opens up again into another wide room. The smell is horrendous, and I hear Jax gag a little. 

"Breathe through your mouth," I advise him. "It helps."

I scan the room, taking everything in all at once. Trash, rotting food, and less identifiable detritus litter the floor, and the far corner of the room is buried under a mass of reeking filth that rises to the ceiling. I curse myself for not thinking. As soon as they hear my voice, shades come pouring out of the nest, chittering angrily, eager for a meal.

Shades aren't big, about the size of a cat, and aren’t especially threatening. They look like a hairless rat with an odd, bird-like head. They're not even hard to kill. A good solid kick from a normal human is enough to put an end to one. 

The problem is, there's never just one. 

They breed fast, in clutches of seven or eight, every three weeks. They carry disease, and spread rot wherever they go. Nobody knows how they came to be, but we know that dark magic spawned them, because all our monster hunting tricks work just fine. 

"Grenades!” I snap, following my own advice, withdrawing one from the belt pouch I keep them in. 

Grenades are expensive kit, but absolutely priceless when dealing with swarms of creatures like shades. A small sphere packed with gunpowder, enclosed within an outer sphere of cold iron plated with silver, and the space between the two filled with a mixture of rock salt and holy water. 

We light them with a flick of the thumb against the special alchemical fuse, and then toss them into the middle of the pack. They detonate with a surprising level of force for such small weapons, shaking some dirt loose from the ceiling. Between the explosion, holy water, and rock salt, dozens of the little beasts vanish into puffs of dirty smoke. Dozens more are killed as shrapnel scythes into the massed bodies.

The remainder of the pack, their numbers thinned by the grenades, rush us. Jax and I spin around each other, years of training giving us the skill to fight in such a tight space against a swarm of enemies. I skewer a pair on my ton-filar, turn, and catch another mid-air in the chest with one of the pommel spikes. Jax ducks around me and punches down the two that are trying to leap on me from behind, and boots another in the face when it tries to bite at him. It careens back into its fellows and takes them down in a tangle.

With a chattering shriek that makes us both wince, the queen and her nest guard emerge. 

Easily three times the size of their smaller fellows, the nest guard are huge, slavering beasts with glittering red eyes, long, sharp beak-like mouths, and wicked claws. The queen is even bigger and nastier, her belly swollen with her current clutch. 

"Blast her!" Jax calls, and I nod, quietly impressed. We whirl with skill and speed that no human could hope to match, as we trade blades for the coach guns, safely secured across our backs. Jax's is the typical, blunt-nosed, over-under variant favored by most Seekers. 

But mine…

Mine is a work of art. It was a gift, made for me by the master weapon-alchemist Argius Cratona of Wavedancer, after I rescued his daughter from a lich during my apprenticeship. It has six barrels, twice the length of a standard coach gun, arranged in a circle around a single larger barrel at the center. The steel barrels are polished to a mirror shine, and ornate, curling scrollwork is etched into each one. The solid cherrywood grip and stock is chased with brass and burnished to a deep, warm glow. The gun's name, Sophia, is inscribed on a small brass plate embedded in the stock.

It has three triggers. The first two are tied to three of the six outer barrels each, so that a single trigger pull fires three bursts of cold iron and silver shot at once. 

The third trigger goes to the center barrel, which fires a specially made bullet created by Cratona. Called a Decimator Round, it’s a solid slug of cold iron coated in silver, and infused with powerful alchemical compounds that detonate once inside a target. Every month he sends me a box with thirty of the hefty, hand-sized shells, along with notes from him and his daughter. I’ve kept a steady correspondence with them both over the years, and never once in all my time as a Seeker has Sophia failed to kill the monster it was aimed at.  

But I digress. 

We fire together, then fire again, the booming report of our guns thunderously loud in the enclosed cellar, filling the far side of the room with a blizzard of shot that tears the queen and her guards to bloody shreds. Jax and I deftly snap open the breeches of our guns, ejecting the spent casings and replacing them with fresh, though I take a moment longer due to the extra barrels.

Silence descends for several long minutes as we wait to see if any more shades come out of the darkness, but either we had killed them all, or the remaining few were smart enough to scatter.

"I think we're done here," I decide at last, holstering Sophia, and Jax follows my example. I wave for him to follow, and head back the way we had come. "You did good work back there, Jax, very well done. I'm impressed."

Jax ducks his head, rubbing the back of his neck self-consciously. "Thank you, sir, but I only did what I thought was best."

"Which is exactly what you should do," I tell him firmly, with a smile. "You acted as a Seeker should, and I'm proud of you. You have solid battle instincts, and you don't have any lack in terms of skill. You've learned everything I've taught you so far, and learned it well. You do me credit as your mentor, and yourself as a Seeker."

Jax is left speechless. I stifle a small twinge of guilt. Perhaps I’ve been a bit sparse with praise up until now. Well, that can be fixed easily enough. 

"Come on, lad," I say, ducking low to head back up the stairs. "Let's go get something to eat. I would say we've earned our supper tonight."