#and to get the package i want i have to sign up through that gym but they take the payment now and not when it opens

[tatsumi-rin]

I wish the gym in the next town was open already!!!

[asleepyyeti]

longtime best friend!simon, johnny x reader

johnny discovers that simon has someone waiting at home for him. they fall for each other, but simons friend has to make it clear--simon will always come first, to them.

Simon is regretting his decisions.

He supposes this isn’t really his decision–Johnny (because of course it was Johnny) had caught him rifling through a package you had sent him, and it had been downhill from there. 

(Knew you had a bird at home! Gaz is going to love this–

Not my bird.

Aye, ‘n i’m the king of bleedin’ Scotland–

Just a friend.

Oh, even better–didnae think ye had any o those either! You’ll have to introduce us to the lass.

Over my dead body.

C’mon, L. T., we’ve gotta meet the only other person who can bear to put up with ye–

Johnny narrowly dodges the paperweight thrown at his head.)

He regrets not locking the door to his room, though in his defence, no one but Johnny was stupid enough to enter without knocking. You’d texted him a week ago to tell him the package was on the way, and he’d been itching to get his hands on something like home.

(His favourite blondies; a balaclava and a gaiter you’d made him; a tea blend you’d tried while exploring Cardiff with a friend; a photo of the neighbours cat, Pappardelle (that preferred the two of you) lounging on the sofa; an envelope thick with notes, all the things you’d wanted to share with your best friend that were too long for a text; one of your hoodies.)

Johnny had made good his threat to tell Gaz, and the two of them had somehow won the war of attrition. Even Price appeared interested, though he seemed to think he was doing a good job at hiding it. Simon gave no sign that he'd been worn down until he entered the rec room one Friday afternoon and told them to scrub up.

���Meeting ‘er at 1830. Leaving at 1730, with or without you.” 

They’d all been beside his vehicle at 1715.

Now, he was watching (and, unfortunately, hearing) you and Johnny perform a horrendously loud and off-key version of ‘Shut Up and Dance’ at the karaoke machine of your favourite bar, and the regret rears its head again. It’s not that he cares that the two of you had thrown your extremely drunk arms around each others shoulders, or that Johnny’s eyes are sparkling with something, it’s that he knows, now, that he’ll have to share you.

“I–I don’t think… hm. This is harder than I thought.”

“Take yer time, hen. I’ve nowhere else to be.”

You nod. “Right. Yeah. Okay. It’s just–no potential partner ever gets past this bit. And I’m not exactly chomping at the bit to ruin," you gesture between the two of you, "this.”

“Try me,” he says, his grin as easy as ever.

You sigh. “Okay. It’s Simon–I’m not in love with him. Before you jump to conclusions.” He holds his hands up in faux-surrender. “Sorry–everyone always thinks… anyway. Simon is family to me. Not like family, he is my family. And sometimes… sometimes you have to prioritise family. What I think I’m saying is, sometimes Simon is going to come first. And I understand if that’s a dealbreaker, but I–I won’t compromise on that.”

Johnny beams at you as if you’d just told him they'd discovered the moon was made of shortbread.

“Hen, that is–come here.” He doesn’t give you a chance to move before he’s bundling you in his arms, squeezing the life out of you even though you make noises of protest. “Thank ye for being honest, love. Ye know the way the L.T. described ye when he was off his face on anaesthesia?” You shake your head. “His soulmate.”

“Simon? Simon said that.”

“Aye, well, he was fuddlet up ta the eyeballs, but–medicated words, sober thoughts, ye ken.”

“Well, I’d agree. He’s--platonically--a part of me.”

“I feel the same way about my family–though I suppose you ‘n Ghostie got to skip the bit in your teenage years where you’re trying to kill each other.”

You hum. “Feels like he’s trying to kill me when we go to the gym together.”

“O, aye, he’s a monster–anyway, this hasn’t changed anything, love.”

“You’re sure?” you eye him skeptically.

“Well, ye wouldnae begrudge me having to skip a date or miss ye on leave to visit my sisters, would ye?”

“No, of course not.”

“So if ye have to–or want to–cancel or rearrange things because of Ghost, I won’t hold it against you. Was that the only thing ye wanted to talk about?"

You nod. "Yeah. Well, didn't think there'd be much else to say."

"Nae bother," he grins, "I've plenty to catch you up on. Let me get ye another drink--Gaz and I got up to something last month that I've been dying to tell ye about."

You don’t fully trust Johnny's word until it’s put to the test.

He and Simon were both on leave at the same time, and Johnny had spent the first week of that leave with his family. During the second week, the two of you had planned to stay near Lake Windermere for a few days, a midpoint between you. That had been the plan–until Simon came home from therapy.

You could tell it hadn’t gone well from the lack of greeting. Simon always called out when he knew you would be home–your answering call gave him the comforting knowledge of your safety. You don’t hear him shuck off his shoes, or shuffle out of his coat. Instead, he shuffles into the living room and all but collapses into the sofa. His eyes are almost glazed over. You wonder how he even managed to get home.

Immediately, you know you won't be leaving him alone for the rest of the week. You're loathe to even take your eyes off of him for the time it takes to shoot Johnny a message.

< johnny i’m really sorry

< but i can’t meet you tomorrow

> ?? what’s going on hen

< simon needs me

< i wouldn’t feel comfortable leaving him on his own right now

< i’m sorry i know you’ve already paid for this place

< how much was it? i’ll pay

> don’t be silly!!

> now we’ve a couple of options

< ???

> if you think he’d be okay, you could bring ol ghostie up with ye

> if he’s doing better, we could stay for a couple of days at the end of the week, with him or without

> if none of that works out, i can always come down to you if he doesn’t mind

> but how could he say no to my charming company 😎

< you are a godsend, john mactavish. thank you so much

< i’ll keep you posted

> of course love

> let me know if either of you need anything

> <3

“‘m surprised I’ve not had the shovel talk yet, L.T,” Johnny says one evening. They’re sat on a step at base, staring out into the woods as Simon smokes and Johnny tries his best to peel a clementine. (‘Easy peelers’ my arse, he grumbles.)  

“Figure you know the score.”

“Aye, but, would ye not feel better threatening me a bit?”

“Why’d I need to do that?”

“Dunno, make sure I stay on the straight ‘n narrow, treat yer lass well.”

“You will.”

“Well ‘o course a will, L.T, just–”

“If I didn’t think you’d treat ‘er well, you wouldn’t ‘ave got this far.”

He can tell it isn’t an empty threat. “There been others who didn’t make it this far?”

“A few,” Simon grunts.

“An’ where are they buried?” Johnny jokes.

Simon takes a deep drag. He exhales even deeper. There’s something like a smirk in his voice when he replies–something knowing, something a little off. “Now, that’d be telling, MacTavish.”

[goldenseresinretriever]

Snitches Get Stitches: Chapter 10

Pairing: Jake "Hangman" Seresin x Reader

Part of the San Diego Dogfighters universe

Summary: Jake Seresin, golden boy of the NHL and Captain of the Dallas Stars makes headlines when he unexpectedly signs with newly-formed San Diego Dogfighters. When your future seems at the verge of crashing down, you receive the opportunity of a lifetime to become the team physician for the Dogfighters. You never expected to be working directly with your favorite hockey player. Jake has a secret and you have a job to do. Will he be able to trust you enough to help and will you be able to trust him with your heart?

Series CW: 18+ ONLY, swearing, violence, sports violence, medical stuff, blood probably, angst, fluff, (eventual) smut, forbidden romance, sexual harassment, suggestive language, medical inaccuracies, hockey inaccuracies etc. No use of Y/N.

Word Count: 3.4k

A/N: This is a repost of my completed series, Snitches Get Stitches. It was originally posted in October-November 2023, and was lost when my blog was deleted.

Previous Chapter // Series Masterlist // Next Chapter

You’ve spent the last two weeks out of work. You’d called Maverick the morning after your accident, explaining your situation and he’d appointed Jake to keep an eye on you since if you wouldn’t be there to work with him there was little reason for him to come into work. He said he’d explain your situation to Cyclone and you couldn’t help but worry even though no one but Zam and Javy knew you were recovering in Jake’s house, in his bed. The first couple of days had made you lightly stir-crazy as Jake insisted on you getting complete rest, and while you were content to spend the day curled up in bed with your boyfriend, the logical part of your brain was panicking. Jake compromised by bringing a mat from his home gym into the bedroom and performing stretches under your watchful eye. By the end of the first week, you were up and moving around again, and the cuddling extended to the living room, Jake getting creative with at-home dates for the two of you. From homemade pizza and a movie to evening strolls along the beach behind the house with Pudding, the two of you were making the absolute most of your time together. After the incident in the bathroom, however, Jake had been keeping his distance sexually. You both knew “strenuous physical activity” was off the table until you were fully healed so the two of you had agreed to pump the brakes for the time being and take things slow. Not that you didn’t spend every night curled in the safety of his arms, but some sacrifices had to be made. Jake had teasingly marked the Sunday before the two-week anniversary of your accident on his calendar as “D-Day” with a winky face since you’d be returning to work the day after. You’d teased him endlessly for his childishness but a part of you was just as excited as he was. Keeping your hands off him wasn’t easy when you spent every minute of every day with him and you hadn’t helped by escalating things in the bathroom that day.

Now D-Day was tomorrow and you were making some final preparations that Jake was blissfully ignorant of. The two of you had continued physical therapy at home and Jake’s knee was healing well. So well that he was out right now walking the dogs all by himself while you and Zam were sprawled across from each other on the couch while she filled you in on all the goings on at work. She’d stopped by your apartment on her way here to pick you up some things you’d asked for.

“You got everything?” You ask as you sort through the bag as quickly as you can, glancing at the front door to make sure Jake isn’t back yet. You don’t want to ruin the surprise. Zam grins conspiratorially.

“Well almost all of it, let’s just say I took some creative liberties with the last item.” You raise an eyebrow before you feel your fingers brush plastic wrap at the bottom of the bag and you pull out the mysterious package, your breath catching as you realize what it is and you look up at Zam in surprise.

“They arrived?!” She nods, squealing in excitement as you tear into the plastic wrap and unfurl the fabric inside. The jersey is predominantly olive green with gray sleeves and golden accents with the Dogfighters logo in the center. You turn it around to see the golden number 86 on the back and SERESIN emblazoned above it. “Oh Zam, it’s perfect!” You squeal as you hug the fabric to your chest, burying your cheek against it.

“Remember, that’s his official one, okay? He has to wear that at games so don’t do anything TOO freaky with it.” You roll your eyes, cheeks flushing slightly. “The first round of official merch should be coming in next week, so I’ll make sure to set aside one for you if you tell me what size you want.”

“You say that like you haven’t already checked the one in my closet and have the size memorized.”

She shrugs. “Just giving you a chance to speak now or forever hold your peace.” You shake your head just as you hear the creak of the front door and fold the jersey as quickly as you can before burying it back in the duffel bag, pulling the zipper shut just as a chorus of happy barks greet your ears. Pudding and Roxie bound over to you as Jake hangs up the leashes and takes off his shoes. “Who’s this?” Zam exclaims as a dachshund rounds the couch and attempts to climb the couch as Pudding nudges her nose under the smaller dog’s butt, boosting her onto the couch before climbing up and throwing herself across your lap. You laugh as you shower her in pets while Zam gives attention to the jealous brown bundle she’s scooped into her lap.

“That’s Roxie,” Jake explains as he rounds the couch, placing a kiss on your cheek as he squeezes in next to you. “She’s Javy’s little girl.”

“WHAT?” Zam is shocked as she pauses her cuddling of Roxie who takes massive offense to the gesture and nips at Zam’s hand impatiently. “Javy Machado, puck slut extraordinaire, is a doggy daddy?” You burst out laughing at her reaction as Jake nods solemnly. “How come I’ve never heard anything about this before? I did my research and it’s VERY thorough.”

You roll your eyes at that. “He keeps her super private because he doesn’t want her to tarnish his playboy reputation. At least that’s what he says.” You shrug.

“So where is he tonight, then?” Zam asks as she resumes petting Roxie.

It's Jake’s turn to roll his eyes. “He’s spending the weekend in Cabo with some girls he met at a bar on Wednesday.”

“He’s in CABO? He has work on Monday, he knows this right?” Zam exclaims, eyes wide with shock. Jake nods.

“He wanted one last offseason hurrah before the season starts.”

“So you’re watching his dog?”

“Actually, he watches her whenever Javy hooks up with someone.” You clarify and Zam groans, rolling her eyes.

“Is this poor girl EVER at home?” Jake chuckles at that. Zam pauses for a moment, and you can see the gears turning in her head before she looks up at the two of you, light twinkling in her eyes. “Actually! She might be the key to fixing Javy’s reputation!” Jake raises an eyebrow and she continues. “There’s nothing the media loves more than a big guy and his small dog! Do you think he’d bring her to the arena sometime? Maybe to a game?” Jake shakes his head, sighing.

“He doesn’t even keep her at home when he has girls over, I doubt he’d bring her anywhere where there’ll be press.” Zam groans.

“Well maybe we can convince him, and by we I mean you. You owe me one since I’m covering for the two of you.” Jake grimaces but nods.

“I’ll try but I can’t promise anything. Believe me, I want Javy to grow up as much as you do but he’s set in his ways. Not to mention he’s still pissed at me for not saying anything about my knee… or Bugs.” He runs his finger down your arm. Zam gives him a sad smile.

“He’ll forgive you soon enough, just give him time.” She glances at her phone and sighs. “Okay lovebirds, I’m gonna head out. I’ll see you both on Monday, yeah?” She carefully moves Roxie out of her lap before standing and stretching. Jake gets up to walk her out while you’re trapped under Pudding. Roxie climbs over Pudding to lie on top of the pile and when Jake comes back he chuckles at the sight of you buried under the two dogs. He pulls his phone out and snaps a picture as you smile up at him.

“Look at my girls.” He coos and you blush, still getting used to his blatant sweetness. You stretch a hand out to him.

“Come join the cuddle puddle,” he takes it and you pull him back to his spot on the couch and he lifts Pudding’s back legs to slide underneath. You lean your head on his shoulder and he presses a kiss to your head gently before the four of you drift off into an afternoon nap.

***

The next morning you lean over Jake’s sleeping face watching his eyelashes flutter against his cheeks. “Happy D-Day, Jake.” You whisper softly, leaning in to press a featherlight kiss against his cheek and it shifts under your lips as Jake smiles.

“Mornin’, sweet girl.” He opens one green eye and gazes at you with a look full of pure adoration. “How’re you feeling?” You giggle, leaning our cheek on his shoulder so you’re face to face.

“Absolutely perfect.” You lean forward to press a kiss to his lips and he returns it enthusiastically, groaning softly against your mouth as he pushes up, rolling you underneath him as you squeal in delight. “Jake!”

“Mhm?” He hums, making no move to deepen the kisses, content to place pecks of varying length against your lips between your giggles. You reach up to cup his cheeks, his beard scratching against your palms, holding him to you as you pull away just far enough to lean your forehead against his. “Hi,” his voice is still gravelly with sleep as his emerald eyes keep yours locked with his, a magnetic attraction that you can’t look away from.

“Hi,” the smile you’re trying to hide bursts forth and spreads across your face, and Jake returns it with one of his own. Your thumbs stroke into the divots formed by his dimples deepening into his cheeks as yours heat under his gaze. He leans in to kiss the tip of your nose, grin widening in delight as you scrunch it up in response, another giggle escaping your lips.

“As much as I’d love to celebrate by keeping you in my bed all day,” you whimper in response and he brushes his nose against yours. “I have other plans for today.” You pout up at him playfully and he nips at your lips, causing you to giggle again. “Take your time getting ready, I’m gonna get started in breakfast.” You groan as he rolls off of you, climbing out of bed and you bite your lip at the sight of him, framed in the stray sunbeams that creep in through the gap in the curtains. The muscles of his bare back roll as he stretches and his sleep pants are slung low on his hips.

“Are you sure I can’t convince you to take a rain check on those plans?” He turns to glance at you over his shoulder, smirking at where you’re propped up on one elbow, worrying your bottom lip, and smiling up at him. He chuckles, turning fully and placing his hands on his hips, giving you a look of mock exasperation.

“C’mon pretty girl, it’s our last day of vacation, let me treat you like the queen you are.” Your cheeks heat as you let your head fall back slightly as you look at him dreamily.

“You always treat me like a queen.” He walks back over and leans over the bed to kiss you slowly.

“Then let me treat you like a goddess.” He whispers against your mouth as he pulls away. You reach for him but he escapes your grasp, stopping at the doorway to blow you a kiss as he disappears to the kitchen. You groan, flopping back into bed. A part of you wants to savor every second of your last day of privacy before the two of you have to go back to work tomorrow and pretend that you haven’t spent every second of the last two weeks wrapped around each other. The other part of you wants to coax Jake back to bed and spend the rest of the day forgetting that time exists outside your little bubble while the two of you get drunk off the desperacy you’ve been holding back for the last two weeks. But if Jake has plans, you don’t want to get in the way of them.

***

You freshen up but don’t change quite yet, waiting for Jake to clue you in to what the appropriate attire for his plans entails. You pad into the kitchen to see Pudding sitting at Jake’s feet as he slips her a breakfast sausage and you pause for a moment, just soaking in the domesticity. You pull out your phone, snapping a photo for later before sneaking up behind Jake and snaking your arms around his bare waist, leaning your cheek against the muscles of his back. “Hi,” you whisper against his warm skin and you feel the answering chuckle reverberating through his chest.

“Hi,” he whispers back, and you peek around his body just in time to see him scooping bacon and more sausages onto a plate next to a heaping plate of eggs.

“So what are these plans you have for today?” You ask as you detach yourself from Jake and start getting out plates and setting places for the two of you at the counter. Jake brings over the plates piled with breakfast food and you start serving the two of you. It feels comfortable, and routine because it is. Every morning for the last few weeks, it’s been the two of you and Pudding and it’s become your new normal. Since moving to San Diego you’ve spent more time in Jake’s kitchen than your own, and now you’d spent the past two weeks living here full-time and a small part of you wonders what it would be like to stay this way forever. Jake hasn’t asked you to leave but he also hasn’t asked you to stay. What happens after today has been one big question mark. Sure you’re going back to work but now you’re dating your number one patient and directly breaking your oath as a doctor as well as your contract. You and Jake have agreed to make things work but that’s been easy when you’re playing house in your little suburban bubble. Tomorrow will bring new challenges, but as Jake comes around the counter to sit next to you, dropping a kiss on the crown of your head, you know that no matter what changes, Jake won’t leave you. He’s promised as much over and over. If you go, I go. His words replay in your mind every day and while the sensible part of your brain knows he shouldn’t be so willing to throw his career away for you, the fact that he seems so ready to brings you peace when you feel like spiraling. You’ll figure things out together.

“So I was thinking,” Jake says as he starts loading up his plate. “We could pack food and have a beach day, and watch the sunset.”

“That sounds perfect.” You lean your head against his shoulder as you start eating. Jake slides your matcha latte across the counter to you. Ever since you told him you don’t drink coffee, he’s been making one for you every morning.

***

After breakfast, the two of you put together sandwiches and pack up lunch for the day. It’s a beautiful day for a picnic and you’re thankful for the relative privacy of the beach behind Jake’s house. The waves lap along the shore as you dig your toes into the damp sand, letting it cool you while the San Diego sun beats down on your face. Jake’s setting up the blanket and Pudding dashes straight for the water. “Pudding wait!” You shout, running after her without a second thought and just as your hand closes around her collar a wave smashes straight into the two of you, soaking you head to toe instantly.

Thankfully, holding onto Pudding keeps you from getting knocked over but you’re spluttering as the water recedes. Pudding is shaking her fur, getting water everywhere as Jake’s hand closes around your arm gently, turning you to him. You’re sure you look like a drowned rat as you rub salt water out of your eyes with your free hand.

“You okay, sweet girl?” His green eyes match the ocean around you and they’re full of concern as he takes in your bedraggled state. You nod, spitting out salt water and taking his hand in yours. Your lips curl into a playful smirk as his eyebrow raises in question just as you yank him in front of you as another wave hits. You watch him gasp in surprise as the wave drenches him and you squeal with laughter. Pudding, never one to be left out, is jumping all over Jake and now the three of you are soaked to the bone.

Jake gives you a look that sends shivers down your spine. You’ve only ever seen it when he’s on the ice. You’ve picked a fight you can’t win. You help, running backward through the surf, doing your best to kick up enough water to slow him down. Unfortunately, even with his bad knee, Jake has the athleticism of a hockey player and he’s catching up to you, quickly. Finally, you decide to stand your ground and as Jake approaches you start kicking up a frenzy of water in an attempt to defend from Jake’s advances but he pushes right through towards you. Just as he’s about to reach where you’re grinning at him, another wave hits and this time you don’t have anything to hang onto. You go tumbling at the force of the water hitting you, gasping in shock. Water fills your mouth and nose and you’re spluttering as you struggle to regain your footing until a pair of strong arms wrap around your middle and you’re clambering up Jake’s torso as he pulls you close. He’s walking out of the surf now, the lightheartedness of your chase gone for the moment, overshadowed by his concern for your safety. Once the water is just lapping at his tanned ankles he stops, rubbing your back to coax your head out of where it’s tucked into the salt-kissed skin of his neck. “Bunny, you good?” You nod into him, pressing a soft kiss to the skin there, nosing at it gently. “Need to hear your voice, baby.” He says as he keeps rubbing soothing circles.

“I’m okay, Jake.” Your voice sounds raw from the salt water you swallowed and you cough up some. Jake pats your back as he gently puts you down. His eyes search your face, worriedly, and you’re sure you look a mess, the salt water making your eyes red and irritated. You reach a hand up to cup his cheek and he turns to press a kiss against the skin of your palm. “I’m always safe with you, Jake.” You whisper and you see emotions swimming in his eyes that you’re sure are mirrored in your own. And when he kisses you, you don’t mind the taste of salt in your mouth so much.

Jake leads you back to the blanket and you shiver, sitting down on the corner, trying not to soak the fabric beneath you. He unbuttons his soaked white button-down immediately, shrugging it off and stripping off his black undershirt, handing it to you and you take it. “Jake, you really don’t have to.” You say, examining the soaked black fabric that’s already heavy in your hands. He gives you a curious look.

“As much as I’m enjoying the view, Bunny, I don’t really feel like sharing.” You’re confused until he nods at your soaked sundress and you glance down, realizing that the thin white material has soaked through, revealing the black cotton set you’re wearing underneath. Gasping, you pull Jake’s undershirt over your head to cover yourself to the best of your ability, shivering as the damp fabric sticks to your bare skin. Jake sits down next to you, pulling you against the warm skin of his chest that’s exposed by his open shirt. You snuggle into his embrace as he digs into the bag you lugged down from the house.

There’s a strawberry placed against your lips and you take a bite appreciatively, humming with pleasure at the sweet taste before Jake polishes it off. Pudding is still racing around in the water, chasing something the two of you can’t see. This right here is your special piece of paradise and for the first time in weeks, you’re not worried about how long it’ll be before it slips through your fingers.

[lowpolynpixelated]

So, you don't wanna play Nintendo games

As I'm sure a lot of you lovely folks out there have seen, Nintendo recently did its most recent act of evil by suing the dev team behind both the Citra and Yuzu emulators. While I won't get into how I feel about it as a fan of media archival work and a massively passionate fan of video game history, this is despicable to say the least. What I WILL do, is get straight to the point the title says! So, you don't wanna play Nintendo games? Well do I have some games for you! I've seen a few posts like this floating around, and I absolutely adored the concept of talking about niche/lesser known titles that get overshadowed in their genre by bigger names, such as Nintendo. As an avid player of weird and wonderful games throughout my life I think I've got some good ones that I've slotted into some neat categories below. I hope you enjoy this post! And I hope you take a new favourite away as well!

(Note: All of the games listed below are available to play on very easily accessible emulators.)

So, you like 3D platformers do ya?

-My first and foremost suggestion is always the woefully underappreciated game Taz Wanted.

This wacky platformer sees you in the role of the one and only Taz, or the Tazmanian Devil for long, from the Looney Toons property. The game revolves around you entering large colourful levels filled with goofy enemies and a lovely cell shaded art style to mimic that classic cartoon look. Within those levels your job is to find and destroy a certain number of wanted posters which can take the form of just about anything. From standing signs to blimps your goal is to solve various platforming challenges, puzzles, and minigames to destroy these posters and secure an item that will assist you in getting to the next hub world. With 4 worlds to explore and each world with 3 levels and a boss fight game at the end, I'm sure any fan of 3D platforming will have a blast.

-Next up is a package deal, the first of which is a 3D platformer predating Mario64! These games are none other than the Jumping Flash! games.

The two games play identically, and are both a seriously good time. Taking place entirely in first person you take up the mantle of intergalactic space hero robot Robbit tasked with collecting a certain number of items in large playground-like levels made with tons of verticality in mind. Why you may ask? Because much like the name suggests Robbit can JUMP. The game employs a fantastically implemented camera system which forces you to look down at Robbit's feet when you use your double/tripple jump, ensuring you can see where you're landing. On top of this, the game's level design feels like a never ending barrage of jungle gyms and challenging boss fights all set to a cartoonish story with bright poppy visuals, and not to mention a soundtrack of absolute bangers

Okay, but what about the Zelda fans?

-I assure you I haven't forgotten, and my first pick here is an all time favourite of mine ever since I played it when I was like, 8 years old. Sphinx and the cursed mummy is a 3D adventure action game where you play as both the titular Sphinx and the cursed pharaoh to be, Tutankhamen .

The game is heavily inspired by Egyptian mythology and sees you battling and puzzling your way through a world of mysteries and great evils lurking just beneath the surface. Exciting battles, puzzle platforming, monster collecting, and so so much more are all front and center in this game, and I really cannot recommend it enough to anyone who wants a different adventuring experience in their life.

-The second and last one in this category I PROMISE a lot of you have heard of but I really want to drive home just HOW GOOD it is. Okami stands tall as one of the best examples of non-Zelda 3D action adventuring.

Taking place in a GORGEOUSLY rendered fantasy rendition of classical Japan, the adventures of the sun goddess Amaterasu are yours to control. I really cannot stress HOW GOOD this game still looks today, even without the HD remasters its been given. The entire game is rendered in a cell-shaded art style reminiscent of classical Japanese paintings, giving the whole world a vibrant painted aesthetic that never EVER gets old. On top of this the game provides a truly unique combat and interaction system, seeing you use a paintbrush to paint your attacks and spells into reality. There isn't much I can say about this game that hasn't been said already, and it's certainly the least niche game on this list. Go give it a shot! You won't regret it.

So we did 3D platformers, but what about 2D?

-Fear not! I've got some solid suggestions for those too! Our first one here is another bundle of 2, those being the Klonoa games.

Klonoa: Door to Phantomile and its sequel, Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil, are two of the best 2D platformers I've ever played. Releasing on the PlayStation and PlayStation 2 respectively, these games utilize a 2.5D perspective to let you run back and forth through revolving dioramas of platforming goodness. With a cheery, almost circus-like soundtrack and an adorably charming artstyle to match, I have such fond memories of discovering these games for the first time. The 3D nature of the game's assets allow for some truly impressive setpieces and boss battles, along with the aforementioned circular scrolling you partake in. Bubbling and tossing enemies at each other never seems to get old, or using the same bubbled enemies to get just a little more height to reach a secret. Definitely give these ones a shot if you're a fan of fun 2D playgrounds.

-Here's a real weird one to cap this category off (and another two pack to boot!) Loco Roco 1 and 2 are a set of puzzle platformers with a bit of an unorthodox control scheme.

Coming out on the PSP these are some WILD experiences. In the games you control a horde of blobs that sing with childrens voices to some rather catchy tunes, and tilt the entire world around them with the left and right triggers to get them over under and anything in between, and then to the exit. Did I say you play as the blobs? I meant you play as THE PLANET the blobs are on! See what I mean? These games are absolutely a delightful time though. And with such poppy mid 2000s soundtracks I can't help but love them. The tilting gameplay is tough as nails to master, and getting through a level with all your little Rocos AND the collectibles is no easy task. Give these ones a look! Or at least listen to the soundtrack.

And at last we arrive at the one's I couldn't think of more for, or couldn't think of where to place.

The next two games are just rapid fire ones that are personal non-nintendo favourites of mine, covering a variety of genres.

Ribbit King is my favourite wacky sports game ever. You play Frolf instead of Golf, Frolf being Golf but with frogs, get it? Send your frog around the bright colourful stages to gather points and be the first one to sink your frog to get the full 1000 available from the hole. Alternatively go for a FROG-IN-ONE to get 1500,

Wipeout is a series of tough as nails futuristic hover-racing games a la F-Zero. The soundtracks boast an inumerable amount of Drum and Bass/Electronic jams and the gameplay is lightning fast and smooth as all hell. Not to mention the games are just SO stylish. I'd recommend Wipeout Pure on the PSP, but all of the PlayStation consoles before the PS3 have at least one Wipeout game. Highly recommend checking them out.

SO obviously I couldn't put EVERY game I'd recommend in one post. But I really do hope this list gives you something new to play. Gaming history is so monumentally important to me, and what happened to Citra and Yuzu is nothing short of a tragedy. Always remember folks, play new games! Play old games! Hack your old hardware! Pirate new software! EMULATION IS FREE, LEGAL, AND FOR EVERYONE!

[aloeverified]

i’m curious do u have any headcanons abt wayne and raj… they are the characters ever

yes 💪

their fullnames are raj kapoor & wayne graham (the most candian name ever for the most candian character ever).

wayne was always way taller than raj growing up, but now they're roughly around the same height. it's just not obvious to most people since wayne wears boots and raj sticks with his trusty converse. raj is just pushing 5'10 and wayne's a little over 5'11.

raj has two younger siblings who are twin brother and sister and are much younger than he is. wayne is an only child, but their families are so intertwined that they basically consider him their older brother too.

they're juniors in high school (assuming that's how it works in canada, too lazy to google it rn) and are about seventeen. they don't look or act super young, but they still got the "when i'm older" type of vibe that most people who are right about to graduate don't really have.

they've been best friends for a while, but not quite childhood best friends. i think they met during gym class of sixth grade and just instantly hit it off due to their shared interests in sports and humor.

raj's parents are first generation immigrants so they're not completely fluent in english and have a bit of an accent when they talk. since his moms raised him to be the most highly of gentlemen, wayne asked raj to teach him a bit of telugu so he could make polite conversation with them whenever he came over without all the pressure being on them. that was his first step to almost being immediately adopted by them.

this actually caused them to both realize they really enjoy studying languages. they continued studying telugu together, with raj tutoring wayne. wayne also decided to take up french classes early, and raj had his parents sign him up to learn the basics of other southern indian languages they knew. they both view this as a helpful skill for when they're international hockey stars, of course.

they live in a decently smaller-sized town, so despite not being neighbors, they still find a way to be at each other's house every other day. they switch off depending on what they're feeling, and their parents learned to accept that they're a package deal that comes and goes whenever they please.

since his parents discovered he was gay through the show rather than raj actually coming out to him, they — along with wayne's moms — thought it would be funny to turn his coming home party from the show into a coming out party as well. raj realized this when he cut into the cake and it was rainbow inside.

his family was very adamant about showing raj how supportive they are. he wasn't sure why, as their best friends were a lesbian couple and his best friend was the son of said couple, but they still repeatedly told him how proud of him they were and how much they loved him. the only pushback he received was his nani complaining about how he wasn't allowed to date until he was thirty and that this bowie boy was ruining that.

teacher hate these two. they never shut up in class, will ditch their assigned partners to work with each other, never get their work done, and yet still manage to have good grades (because they know they won't be able to play otherwise). no one understands how they do it.

they always have the most over-the-top cartoony outfits for spirit weeks. even the asb and student council kids find it embarrassing how much school spirit they have.

besides their accidental menace behavior, they never actually get into any real trouble at school. the only time they've ever gotten suspended was when wayne wanted to test his new padding gear and rammed himself into the lockers at full force and nearly killed himself while raj recorded.

because of their ridiculous stunts they like to post, wayne has a bit of a following on social media. he doesn't really do it to be an influencer or for attention or anything, he just likes being able to look back on all the fun moments he and rajie have together. that's one of the reasons they were so eager to be on total drama, to showcase their awesome friendship and have the tapes of all their fun challenges together.

they work part-time at the local ice rink, where they were able to land jobs due to their skills on the ice. they even work the same shift most of the time since they have the same availability hours, although they switch off between standing behind the counter and supervising on the ice. sometimes they both get to help out with the little league hockey teams, though, which they both really enjoy.

[hazygrains]

December 16 - 17 | Mount Pulag, Playground of the Gods

After nearly nine years, I revisited Mt. Pulag. Back in March 2015, I climbed my first mountain with my family, but we only made it to peak #2. We were tired, but it didn't bother me much as I could already see the summit from there. Now, my work friends planned a Mt. Pulag climb, and not wanting to miss out and eager to reach the summit this time, I agreed.

We were a group of 12, and most of us brought our partners on the trip. Fortunately, the GA Outdoor package we had came with homestay accommodation, so camping, like the first time, wasn't necessary. Plus, we had the whole van to ourselves. So, we planned this trip in October, giving us 2 months to get ready. I even signed up for a gym membership just to be somewhat physically fit for the climb.

Anyway, we hit the road as soon as we were all picked up from our designated points at around 12 am on Saturday. By 8 am, we had already reached Bokod, Benguet. After stopping at a clinic for the required medical checkup and grabbing breakfast, we went to the DENR office for another mandatory orientation about the national park. Upon arriving at Baban’s homestay at noon, we were free to do anything we wanted until the lights-off schedule at 9 pm.

Our wakeup call was at 1 am the following day, and we were supposed to be geared up and ready at the ranger station by 2:30 am. Despite being the first group to start the trek, unfortunately, half of our members were not adequately prepared for the hike, allowing other groups to overtake us on the way up. Our group got split, with the first batch advancing ahead, and us lagging behind. As a result, we ended up being the last group to reach the summit. Even though the hike was initially planned as a 5-hour trek to the summit, just in time for sunrise, it took us almost 8 hours to reach the peak instead.

The struggle to reach the summit was no joke. The pathways were muddy, slippery, and rocky—all worsened by the rain and fog. The cold temperature added another layer of difficulty to the trek. Some of us almost gave up, but I was glad we kept going. We continued at our own pace, and it took us until almost 10 am to finally reach the top, with the first batch waiting for us at the summit for an hour. Imagine waiting in the freezing temperature. Anyway, the first batch told us stories of what happened at the peak when they got there. They said it was so crowded, and people were fighting over their turns to take photos at the Mt. Pulag summit board signage. Unfortunately, there was no clearing, so they had no view, just fog.

The moment we reached the summit, we were rewarded with a clearing. Now, we could see the blue sky and a clear mountain view. Though clouds and fog still came and went every now and then, overall, the weather improved. There was even a rainbow! We stayed there for almost an hour, enjoying the moment, the view, and the accomplishment of reaching the highest mountain in Luzon. And, of course, we took tons of photos. I was beyond grateful. The journey we went through is definitely one for the books, one that we will look back on and cherish.

The reverse journey took us 5 hours, and the descent was just as grueling. I was thankful for my knees for not giving up on me; they honestly hurt because the force I exerted on them while descending was much greater than on the way up. Additionally, my backpack, loaded with all my stuff, made my arms and back tired, and all I wanted was to lie down and sleep. Asis and I didn't pack any decent food; all we had were nuts and sour gummy worms. We should have brought sandwiches—imagine the pain, the hunger, and the struggle. Oh well. I was also thankful for the habal-habal ride on the last part of the trail. We all booked one each, and from there, they dropped us off at our homestay, saving us from another 3km walk. I just couldn’t continue anymore.

Once we arrived at the homestay at 3 pm, we immediately ate our late lunch, freshened up, and fixed our stuff because we needed to head back to the metro. We arrived home at around 1 am the next day, and most of us took a day off because we might end up dead if we still decided to work in the office. Lol. So yeah, I can now proudly say I’ve conquered Mt. Pulag—definitely a nice way to end the year.

By the way, we were also rewarded with another rainbow on our way back to the homestay. Additionally, the sunset on our journey back home to the metro was simply breathtaking. The vibrant, gradual colors of the sunset—purple, pink, orange—and the silhouette of the mountain range, it was truly a sight to behold. I was just in awe.

Photos were all taken using Olympus Superzoom 800 Film stocks: Kodak Gold 200 and Orwo Wolfen Color NC 500

[constellationandcompendium]

ROYGBP

Thanks for the tag @theeccentricraven!

Rules: Search your writing for the colors of the rainbow and post the excerpt.

These are all from It All Falls Down, my chaotic spy/thriller with cyberpunk themes (which is very much still a first drat!)

Please note: these excerpts includes references to drug use and addiction.

Red - so, Sebastian's daughter is an adrenaline junkie in the making and Elias has a motorcycle.

“Look it’s fine, really, I’m not getting anywhere with this.” Sebastian sighed. “If you’re sure.” “And I’ve got to maintain my position as favourite honorary uncle somehow.” That earned him a smile. “Fair enough.” Elias shut down everything carefully, deleting any remaining evidence of his activities from the server. When he stood, it was to chorus of cracks from his back that made Sebastian wince in sympathy. He was regretting not running through the stretches after their bout earlier, he wasn’t a young man anymore. Grabbing his coat and the small, bright red helmet that lived at the bottom of his locker for precisely one purpose gave him a chance to stretch the sore muscles out further. Then Sebastian caught sight of the object in his hands and groaned. “You should have thought of that before you agreed,” Elias said, swinging the straps between his fingers and revelling in the disgruntled sounds his colleague was making. “I hate you,” Sebastian grumbled. “No you don’t,” Elias called back as he left.

Orange - in which Elias battles a gunshot wound

Flipping the catches open, the first aid box fell open and he fumbled through the packets one handed, pressing the other against his side in a vain attempt to apply pressure. Fighting against the light-headedness that was making itself known, his mouth formed the words of half-remembered prayers. His fingers closed around a familiarly shaped package with a spongy texture and he could only hope that the Buearu had kept their stocks up to date. There was morphine too, but he didn’t want to have to resort to that unless he had no other choice so he kept digging. There, right at the bottom of the bag, was a wrapped syringe identified as a painkiller by the standard orange label. Although it took his eyes a second to focus on it, he was relieved to see that it was one of the non-narcotics. Hardly strong or long lasting but it would have to do.

Yellow - featuring Sebastian experiencing life in the Undercity

Sebastian waited for his partner to take a few more drags before he pocketed the lighter and move to lean against the rail beside him, gaze fixed on the lights illuminating the square in a clashing mixture of bright neons and the dull yellow of simulated dusk. “Better?” he finally asked. “Not really,” Elias said with another puff. Sebastian tracked the progress of the lit cigarette out of the corner of his eye, “Should you really be smoking so soon after a Res shot?” “Probably not,” Elias admitted, examining the smoking bundle of chemicals in his hand. Though, Sebastian mused, it was hardly as though one more drug in the messy cocktail that was his partner's bloodstream was going to kill him, at least not straight away.

Green - from chapter one, Elias meets the spooks of the Bureau

“Sure, my office is out the back.” He indicated over his shoulder at the doors behind him, distinct only from the other entrances and exits by the small ‘staff only’ sign illuminated in flickering green. “Excellent,” Hugo replied, gesturing for Elias to lead the way. His office wasn’t much to look at; it was hardly nicer than the rest of the gym. It wasn’t run-down, exactly, but much like the building itself it had the tired, worn, and rain-damaged look that characterised the area close to the storm.

Blue - in the Undercity, Elias is confronted with his past

They were approaching another intersection, passing through a section of what Elias hoped were residences when it happened. Out of the corner of his eye he spotted a kid, barely a teenager by the looks of things, slumped in one of the alleyways between the buildings with a tube of blue tinted liquid lying partially under his limp hand. It was Haze. Strange, how easily the hold it had on him returned. He hadn't been confronted with his one true vice since his departure from the Undercity, but down here he really should have been better prepared to see it. Elias felt himself stop dead in the street, distantly, as though it were happening to another person. There was a ringing in his ears.

Purple - introducing Shiloh!

“You ran a gang and then a smuggling ring out of an old industrial container?” Sebastian asked with a tone of bemused admiration. “Correction,” an lilting voice joined the conversation from a walkway above their heads, “we still run a smuggling ring out of an old industrial container.” Elias turned to meet the interloper with a smile, a warm feeling blossoming in his chest. Walking down from the office above was a woman with cropped black hair, a variety of concealed and not-so-concealed weapons, tattoos a-plenty, and an expression like stone. A responding smile cracked her stern face as she approached, and then her arms were opening in welcome. “Shiloh,” he greeted as they embraced. “Al-Karim,” she replied, pulling back to look him up and down, eyes catching on the barely healed cuts and bruises, and on the deep purple shadows under his eyes, “what on Sol happened to you?” “It’s a long story.”

Open tag for anyone who fancies it and a gentle no-pressure tag for @nettleandthorne and some of my new followers @kaylinamaes and @wmlittlemore-is-writing!

[crystalninjaphoenix]

The Ceremony

A JSE Fanfic

SepticHeroes AU: Part 14

Previous Part

Okay I know this part is super long, but look, man. A lot of stuff happens and it’s all important. It’s time for the welcoming ceremony, where Jackie officially becomes part of the League of Heroes. There’s a big celebration where Jackie meets all sorts of people, everything’s great... and then it suddenly goes wrong when a certain villain shows up. I’m super excited for this one, and I hope you guys are as well :) Have fun.

===============

Jackie walked into his apartment carrying a normal-looking cardboard box in his arm. He sighed. Work sucked even more these days, when he knew he was almost an official Hero. At this point, he was just waiting to be on the League’s payroll before he could quit. But hey, at least he got a package today. He had a guess as to what it was.

“Hey, bro.” Chase was sitting on their sofa, playing video games. Frosty laid on the ground next to him, playing with a chew toy shaped like a duck. Clearly, Chase hadn’t gotten up in sometime.

“Hey,” Jackie said. “What’re you playing?”

“God of War. It’s fun. Oh, hey, before I forget.” Chase paused the game and turned to face Jackie. “Do you have any plans for Halloween next week?”

He did. That was the day of the welcoming ceremony. “Uh...I have work,” Jackie replied. “Why?”

“Oh. That...sucks,” Chase said awkwardly. “I was, uh... just wondering if you wanted to do something... festive.”

“What, like trick-or-treating?”

“No. Well, unless you want to.” Chase cleared his throat awkwardly. “I don’t know, just like... hang out. Or something. I, uh... I-I get weirdly lonely on the holidays. I think it’s something to do with the amnesia. Like, I don’t have good memories, or something.”

“Oh.” Now Jackie actually felt guilty for having his life’s dream realized on that day. “Maybe you could hang out with Schneep?”

“Can’t. Halloween is Jameson’s birthday. And since they’ve recently reconnected this year and everything, he told me they were going to do stuff together.”

“Ah. Okay.” Jackie shifted his weight. “Well. I only have work in the morning and a little in the afternoon. We can do something in the evening, if you want.”

Chase visibly brightened. “Really?”

“Yeah. Sure. We’ll have a little Halloween party.” Jackie gave a small smile.

“Aw, thanks bro. That’d be nice.” Chase smiled back. “We can talk about it later. I’ll make a note of it.”

“Got it.” Jackie made an OK sign with his fingers. “I’m gonna go put this package in my room.”

“What’s in it?”

“More, uh, stuff for the gym.”

“Nice.” Chase turned his attention back to his video game. “Good luck with that.”

“Thanks.”

Jackie headed down the hall to his bedroom. Once inside, he immediately closed the door and dropped the box on his bed. It looked normal, but it was surprisingly heavy—especially considering it was slightly smaller than a shoe box. He used scissors to cut through the packing tape, only to reveal a metal door.

He was right. This package was from the League of Heroes, it was just like the one he’d got his supersuit in. He picked up the Red Line and read a message from Leapfrog. Just got word that the package with your request will be arriving in the next two days. The code to get in is 567429. Let me know when you have it.

“567429,” Jackie muttered, putting the number into the keypad on the door. There was a clunk, and he pulled it open.

Inside were a few different things. A piece of paper, a pair of metal circles, some sort of handgun, three empty syringes, and a black case. Jackie picked up the black case first, undoing the velcro on the side and pulling it open. Inside, nestled into snug compartments, were ten glass vials about the size of his pinkie finger. And inside those vials was a pale purple liquid.

He’d never seen it in person, but he knew this was neutrinalin. With that settled, he picked up the piece of paper. On it were typed instructions and explanations about how to use neutrinalin. The liquid would be able to temporarily suppress any superpower, if injected or ingested. The small glass vials could be loaded into the syringes or the dart gun, both specially designed so you could just pop the vial in without opening it. When injected into a super, it would take 1-2 minutes for the neutrinalin to go into effect. When consumed, it would take 30 minutes.

The liquid was very... innocent-looking, for something that could take away his powers. It could’ve been mistaken for perfume. But Jackie knew better than to underestimate it.

The two metal circles inside were the power-suppression cuffs. They were similar to the neutrinalin, but not as strong. All he’d have to do was put them around the wrists of any supervillain, then press a button to magnetize them to each other and activate the suppression.

Jackie carefully loaded a vial into a syringe, then even more carefully put that into his supersuit belt, along with the cuffs. He didn’t want to carry around too much of it yet, just in case something went wrong.

This, more than anything, really drove home how he was really part of the League now. They trusted him with something like this. It was so surreal to think about. He put everything away, then went to lie down on his bed and think.

A Hero of the League.

Hard to believe it was real, but in a week’s time, it would be official.

===============

That week passed slowly, as the anticipation for the welcoming ceremony mounted. Jackie spent most of his free time working on the speech he was supposed to give, reading it and re-reading it and re-writing it and, when Chase went to work and he was alone, practicing it in the bathroom mirror.

Then the day finally came. Halloween. Chase was sleeping late, so Jackie dressed in his supersuit and flew out the window instead of pretending to go to work. Only a short flight later, and the Central SepTech Location came into view. There was already a crowd gathering outside. He could see news vans. But luckily, he didn’t have to deal with that.

Jackie flew over the crowd, waving at them as he did so, and landed right outside the front doors. Before his nerves could get the better of him, he pushed through the double doors and walked into the building.

He stepped into a wide, circular area the size of an auditorium. Everything inside was sleek metal and smooth white walls, with decorative glass sections. The room was four stories tall. Wraparound balconies from the first, second, and third stories looked down on the open ground floor below, with a glass-and-metal safety railing to make sure no one would fall. Some sort of display dangled from the ceiling, half art and half chandelier, made of wires, curved metal, and lightbulbs in shades of blue and yellow.

Normally, this open circular area would be full. Jackie had been in here once, and he remembered a reception area, with an information desk in the center under the weird artsy chandelier, and various helpful displays dotted around the floor. Now, that had all been cleared out. It was replaced with circular tables covered in white cloths, each with about five or six chairs. There were two long tables to the left and right sides (relative to the entrance, since the whole room was circular and had no real sides) that had plates of snack foods. Across from the entrance, on the other side of the room, was a giant stage. The main feature of it was the podium, and the row of chairs to its left and right. In front of the stage was a roped-off area full of folding chairs. A sign nearby marked it as “VIP Seating.” Behind the stage was a backdrop of blue curtains and three large screens, all currently set to display either the League of Heroes logo, or pictures of Windstorm—of Jackie. 

He swallowed a sudden lump in his throat. Most of those pictures had been taken from the news, so they weren’t the most flattering. It made him suddenly self-conscious to see them blown up to giant size.

The room was absolutely packed. People wandered around, chatting and eating tiny snacks. Most of them were wearing fancy dress outfits, but some were wearing light blue jackets with the SepTech logo on the shoulders, some were dressed casually with lanyards and tags reading “PRESS,” some were wearing yellow suits with masks covering the upper halves of their faces—like Leapfrog’s outfit—and some were Heroes in full costume. Jackie recognized most of them as Heroes of nearby cities. There were also people walking around in black vests and white bow ties, some of whom were carrying trays of glasses or snacks. They must’ve been the ones working and catering the ceremony.

All around, hovering in the air, were SepTech’s Semi-Autonomous Machines. They all looked similar: a metal sphere for a body that was about the size of a volleyball, with one or two appendages coming out the back that started wide, but narrowed into a tip. Sort of like a tail. On the front, each had either a black camera or a screen showing various information. The Machines were all various colors: mostly blue or yellow, a few black. They flew slowly around at eye level. Many people watched them go, impressed by how they were staying afloat despite being large metal objects.

Jackie stood in place for a solid few minutes, taking this all in. But soon, others began to see him. And the moment they did, they started gathering around him.

“Windstorm! It’s lovely to meet you.”

“Windstorm! How are you enjoying the ceremony?”

“Windstorm! What can you tell us about your induction into the League?”

“Windstorm! I’m with the League, I’d love to speak with you.”

Jackie fought the urge to take a step backwards. A small breeze flicked around him, ruffling hair and clothing. He plastered a smile on his face. “Hello everyone!” he said, trying to remember what he’d learned about ‘projecting your voice’ in his Speech class in college. “It’s good to be here. An honor.”

That only made the others surrounding him more excited, each one vying for his attention. Jackie glanced around, trying to figure out who to go with.

“Excuse me, Windstorm?” A woman pushed to the front, wearing a pink jumpsuit with an orange cape. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to talk to you about the ceremony.”

He recognized her. Pink Sunlight, the Hero of Evoritch. The last time he’d seen her, he stopped Spitfire Cat from assassinating her during a speech. “Uh, yes, of course,” he said, walking up to her. That seemed to disperse the crowd a bit, as they all accepted he wouldn’t be talking with him just yet.

“I know, it’s a lot, isn’t it?” Pink Sunlight said, taking him by the arm and walking him over to the edge of the room. “I still remember mine. Everyone wants a piece of you.”

“God. Yeah.” Jackie shook his head. “Sorry if I’m not exactly... eloquent. It’s like you said, it’s a lot.”

Pink Sunlight laughed. “No, it’s okay. I get it. Oh!” She and him walked up to two other costumed Heroes. “Windstorm, this is Moonstone and Terra-Man. And I’m Pink Sunlight.”

“No, I know,” Jackie said. Then immediately regretted it. “I mean, I’ve heard of you. All of you. You’re uh... you’re great! It’s nice to meet you.”

“Wonderful to meet you too,” Moonstone said. At fifty years old, she was one of the oldest Heroes still serving. Though the silver helmet covering her head didn’t show that. The only visible parts of her face were her mouth and chin. The rest of her outfit was equally concealing, gray cloth covered by silver armor. “And it’s wonderful to be back home.”

“Oh, right. You’re from here as well.” Jackie tried to sound casual about it, and not give away that he knew how Moonstone had been immediately recruited to the National Threat Team as soon as the League took notice of her. “It must’ve changed a lot, huh?”

“Well, it seems like it hasn’t changed too much. Still in need of a Hero.” Moonstone laughed. “I’m hoping to show Terra here the sights before we go back.”

“It’s a charmin’ town,” Terra-Man said, voice accented by a thick Irish dialect. His costume was more natural looking. No armor, just cloth in shades of brown with highlights of green, not too different from Jackie’s. “T’ough I hear your voice, lad, and I wonder if t’is place has put forth one of the youngest Heroes in the League?”

“Hey, I’m older than I sound!” Jackie protested. “I just have a higher voice.” It was a lot deeper than it used to be.

Terra-Man chuckled. “Ah, I’m jus’ rilin’ you. T’be honest, you remind me of another young Hero I once knew back home. Light Phoenix. He also made Hero status quickly. Shame what happened to him.”

“Huh?”

“But let’s not taint the mood!” Terra-Man continued, clapping a hand on Jackie’s shoulder. “I hear you’ve already done great t’ings.”

Pink Sunlight nodded. “That’s right! He once saved me from a villain trying to kill me. Tell them, Windstorm.”

Jackie laughed, a bit nervously. “Well, it wasn’t as exciting as you make it sound. I went to watch this speech...”

Once he got talking with the Heroes, Jackie found himself much more relaxed, and much more ready to mingle. He talked with almost everyone for at least a few minutes. Basically everybody attending the ceremony was somehow important to the League, the city, or SepTech. It was actually kind of amazing. Jackie never even imagined he’d meet the mayor of Daindover, and yet he had a short conversation with her about snack foods and the upcoming luncheon.

Of course, not everyone was pleasant to talk to. There were a few people who he quickly excused himself from. Mostly people asking very prying questions about his personal life. Did they not understand what a secret identity was? It was called a “secret” identity for a reason! Surprisingly, he expected the nosy questions to come from the gathered press, but they mostly came from League members and city officials. Because of that, he actually found himself drifting towards the stage area, where most of the press was setting up.

He was just backing away from an older woman who was talking a lot about her single status—and trying not to gag at her intentions—when he ran into one of those press members. “Oh sorry!” he said, spinning around. “I didn’t mean...” He trailed off, in utter disbelief. No way. It simply wasn’t possible.

But it was. Spitfire Cat—maskless, costumeless, and with a “PRESS” tag hanging off his neck—stared back at him. Then he smiled. “Hello, Windstorm.”

Jackie glanced around. There were people looking at him, but no one was close enough to overhear them. Even that older woman had finally drifted away. “What are you doing here?” he hissed. “How’d you get in?”

Spitfire raised his eyebrow, and indicated the lanyard around his neck. “Came in with the press.”

“How’d you do that?!”

“Pretty easy, actually.”

Jackie gave him a quick once-over. His appearance now wasn’t any different from the two other times he’d seen him without his mask. But he did take notice of the black jacket he was wearing. Particularly, the big white 5 in a circle on his lapel. That simple design looked familiar. “Oh my god, are you a reporter?” Jackie gasped.

Spitfire laughed. “God, no.”

“Then you stole that jacket from Channel 5’s reporter? Because I don’t know how else you would have that.” Jackie paused. “Don’t tell me that’s your secret identity. You work for the news. Oh my god, it is, isn’t it? That’s how you knew I was an official Hero before it was actually released. The press got a leak, like you mentioned, and you heard about it before there was even a story written, just by being around.”

Spitfire froze. His face went completely blank, but Jackie could just hear the gears working overtime in his brain. “Okay, fine,” he finally said. “You got me. I work there. It doesn’t matter, you still don’t really know anything about me.”

Jackie would argue that knowing where someone worked was a significant clue to their identity, but this wasn’t the time. “So you’re here for your job then? Nothing else?” He narrowed his eyes.

“Yes,” Spitfire replied. “We’re working together, right? I’m not going to upset our alliance by messing up your welcoming ceremony.”

“...okay then,” Jackie said slowly. That made sense. If there was one thing he’d learned about Spitfire, it was that he didn’t cause unnecessary damage. He was probably telling the truth about not disrupting the ceremony. But there was still something weird about this whole thing. “I’ll be keeping an eye on you.”

“Not too closely, I hope,” Spitfire remarked. “It’ll look weird if you pay so much attention to a random press member. We’ve already been talking long enough.” He took a step back. “I’ll see you around, Windstorm.” And before Jackie could say anything else, he walked off, disappearing into the crowd.

Well, whatever. Jackie would have to be a bit more vigilant than expected, but he believed Spitfire. Even with Spitfire’s grudge against the League, it seemed really stupid to make your alliance partner angry by ruining something of theirs.

He drifted around for a while more and kept talking with people before he started to get antsy. There were no clocks in the massive room, so he didn’t know how close they were to starting the ceremony, which was set to begin at 11:00. It would last for forty minutes to an hour, and afterwards he was supposed to go to the upper floors for a luncheon with officials and League members. But he was already pretty hungry.

Luckily, that’s what the snacks were for. He looked around. The white-bow-tie workers were still wandering around, but he was closer to one of the snack tables, so he headed over to look at the options. A lot of little finger foods: tiny sandwiches, vegetables, cheese and crackers—all of them much fancier-looking than he expected. He stood there for maybe too long, trying to decide what he wanted, and wondering if anyone was watching, planning to gossip about what he chose.

“Are you okay?”

Jackie jumped a little and looked around. There was a man staring at him, who...looked familiar. “Uh...yeah. Why?”

The man smiled. “You just looked concerned about the snacks. Hey, can I suggest the watermelon cups? Or if you want something more filling, the smoked salmon potatoes? There.”

“Oh. Thanks.” Jackie picked up one of each, trying not to get too much food on his gloves, and started to eat. The man, meanwhile, picked up a few of the tiny sandwiches and ate as well. Jackie tried not to stare at him, but, well... it was difficult.

It seemed like, once again, Jackie had found someone who belonged to their little group of doppelgangers. The man had the same face, the same brown hair and blue eyes—though, actually, that last part wasn’t entirely true. Only his left eye was blue, while his right one was an unusually vivid green. It didn’t look real. It might not have been real. Besides all this, he wore one of the blue SepTech jackets, though his nametag was missing. A smaller version of the Semi-Autonomous Machines was hovering around shoulder-height, this one green with a blue circle around the camera, and around the size of a softball.

Jackie finished eating, then waited for the man to finish as well before starting a conversation. “So, um...do you mind if I ask who you are? It looks like you lost the, uh...” He gestures at the spot where the nametag was supposed to go.

“I did?” The man looked down at his chest, confused, and sighed. “I knew it wasn’t secure. But I was in a bit of a rush. It’s fine, though. I’m Dr. McLoughlin.” He held out his right hand and smiled.

“Windstorm,” Jackie said, shaking his hand. He tried to hide his surprise at how strong Dr. McLoughlin’s grip was. His hand was also pretty cold, to the point where Jackie could tell something was off even through his glove.

“Well, of course, everyone knows who you are.” Dr. McLoughlin laughed. “So, you’re not going to comment on it?”

“On what?” Jackie asked.

“The hand. It feels weird, right?” McLoughlin pulled his hand back and held it up, flexing his fingers. “It’s a prosthetic.”

“Oh. Oh!” Jackie’s eyes widened. “I’m, uh, sorry—”

“No no, don’t be! Seems like you weren’t gonna mention it, which I appreciate. But judging by your face, you definitely noticed. I figured you deserved an explanation.” McLoughlin tapped the side of his head, next to his green eye. “This is fake, too. I thought it might as well look cool.”

“It does. A-and it looks really real. Besides the color. The hand, too.” He probably wouldn’t have picked out anything weird about McLoughlin’s hand if he hadn’t grabbed it.

“Aw, thanks!” McLoughlin smiled warmly, clearly flattered. “I worked really hard to get the simskin to look good. If there’s anything wrong about it, it gets uncanny and kinda weird.”

“I’ve never seen anything like it, really,” Jackie said. “I guess that’s one of the benefits of working for SepTech. You do work here, right?”

“Yeah, you can say that. I mostly do my own little thing. With robots, mostly. The SAMs were my design, actually.” Jack raised his hand, and the small Machine—or SAM, as he’d called it—flew onto his palm, its appendage wagging like a tail.

“SAM,” Jackie repeated. “You know, I only ever heard them referred to as Machines, SAM is so much cuter.”

“Right?! I’m shocked the Marketing guys didn’t latch onto that.” McLoughlin chuckled. The SAM hopped into the air again, then flew over to hover in front of his face. The camera flipped over to the screen on the other side, displaying the time in green glowing numbers. McLoughlin’s eyes widened. “Oh shit, it’s almost time to start!” He dug into his pocket and pulled out a small black device. It looked like some kind of remote, but only had one button, which he held down. “Start the ten-minute procedures,” he said.

A robotic voice said, “Yes, Dr. McLoughlin.” And immediately the lights above dimmed. The same voice played on some sort of speaker system, making an announcement to the whole room. “Attention. It is now ten minutes until the start of the ceremony. Those giving speeches, report to the stage area. Everyone else, please find a seat.”

Jackie looked up. “Whoa.”

“Pretty cool right? Also my idea.” McLoughlin smiled. “The whole building has a virtual assistant. Like Siri or Alexa, but system-wide.” The SAM landed on his shoulder. It was barely small enough to perch there without being awkward. “Come on. We have to get to the stage.” He turned and hurried away.

We?

“Uh, sure.” Jackie quickly followed McLoughlin.

He was slowed a little getting to the stage, as people kept stopping him for questions and small talk. He had to politely decline everything, explaining he had to go. But after a few minutes, he made it there, walking up the steps to the dais, which felt a bit more wobbly than it looked. The whole stage was lit up by spotlights, shining from an overhead rig. There were about fifteen people up here, including—sure enough—McLoughlin, who was talking to someone else in a SepTech jacket. Jackie decided not to question that for now and looked for his seat.

The folding chairs had papers taped to the backs with names, and he soon found the one labeled “Windstorm,” near the center of the stage where the podium was. He sat down and looked out over the room. Everyone was taking their seats, either at the tables or the rows of folding chairs at the front. He half-expected to see Spitfire out there, but he didn’t. Where was he?

Someone sat down in the seat next to him. He turned to look at them, and found himself staring at a familiar face. “Leapfrog!” he gasped. “You didn’t tell me you would be here!”

“Well of course. I’m your Recruitment Liaison, after all.” She chuckled. “Did you think I wouldn’t come?”

“I don’t know, I guess it just didn’t occur to me,” Jackie said. “Well, it’s good to see you.”

“It’s good to see you, too. I hope we can still talk after all this.”

“Huh?” Jackie blinked, confused. “What do you mean?”

“Well, I’m in Recruitment,” Leapfrog said patiently. “And you’re no longer being recruited. You’re a full member. You’ll have a new handler to report to.”

“Oh.” Jackie slumped, a feeling of vague sadness filling his chest.

“Don’t worry, I’ll still be around for this transition period,” Leapfrog reassured him. “But hopefully, you won’t need me soon.”

“I guess I won’t.” Jackie sighed, then tried to perk up. “Well, I’ll want to keep talking. You’ve been so cool and helpful.”

Leapfrog looked a bit surprised, but then smiled warmly. “I don’t think anyone’s ever described me as ‘cool.’”

Before Jackie could say anything else, the lights in the room dimmed further. The announcement voice from before spoke again: “Ladies and gentlemen, the welcoming ceremony is about to begin. Please take your seats. And give a warm round of applause for Daindover’s new Hero.”

Music started playing: a grand, swelling, fanfare. The room was filled with the sound of applause. Jackie stared out at the sea of people, now mostly indistinguishable in the shadows, and let out a long breath. This was it. He quickly began mentally running over the lines of his speech, wishing and praying that he wouldn’t forget any of it.

Luckily, he didn’t have to go right away. The ceremony started with an opening speech from Mayor Danvers. She was saying something about how honored the city was to have yet another one of their supers recognized by the League as a Hero. Honestly, Jackie wasn’t really listening. He was too busy trying not to float off his chair. But that only diverted his nerves into bouncing his leg, causing a tapping sound that got him several looks from nearby stage members.

After Mayor Danvers finished, a man in a yellow suit—identifying him as working for the League—stepped up to the podium and explained what would happen. There would be a couple more speeches from important figures, with Jackie himself going second to last. Then Pink Sunlight, as the League representative, would give the final words and present him with a ceremonial medal and membership slip. Jackie knew from conversations with Leapfrog that the medal membership slip didn’t do anything. They were basically a fake gold disc and a decorative piece of paper. He wondered where he would put them in his apartment.

He fidgeted through the first couple speeches, lost in his thoughts about his own speech, then perked up when a specific speaker was announced. “And now, our generous host would like to say a few words. Please welcome Dr. McLoughlin, owner of SepTech Enterprises.”

Jackie’s eyes widened slightly as he watched Dr. McLoughlin stand up and walk over to the podium. His SAM followed him. “Thank you. Thank you to everyone for coming here,” McLoughlin said. “Well, I don’t want to take up too much of your time, so I’ll keep this quick.” The SAM hovered within easy eyeshot, displaying words on its screen for him to glance at.

Jackie leaned closer to Leapfrog and whispered, “That’s the owner of SepTech?”

“In a sense,” Leapfrog replied quietly. “The McLoughlin family founded the company ages ago, but it’s being run by the board now, who all also have ownership shares. I understand that our doctor here spends most of his time letting them handle business while he does robotics experiments.”

“I talked to him earlier,” Jackie muttered. “He seemed nice. Is there... What’s the reason for the prosthetics?”

“Oh, so he does have them? They blend in really well.” Leapfrog paused. “I’ll be honest, I don’t know the full story. There was an accident of some kind about ten years ago. He was injured. The company won’t release details, so there’s rumors it was their fault somehow. I’ve heard that specialty Machine of his is linked to a cybernetic part in his brain. But that’s probably just another rumor.”

Jackie was too stunned to say anything further. He’d never heard any of this. Was it not common knowledge, or was he just that ignorant to what SepTech does?

He didn’t process any of Dr. McLoughlin’s speech, or any of the following ones. When he tuned back in, he heard, “—the man of the hour, your new Hero, Daindover: Windstorm himself.”

“Oh shit!” he whispered, standing up. He heard Leapfrog chuckle a little, then hurried over to the podium. Was it hot in here, or was it just his nerves? No, it was definitely hot. Probably because of the spotlights shining down. But his nerves were an issue, too. Forget “butterflies in your stomach”—it felt like he had several dozen birds racing each other in there.

The crowd was quiet. Waiting. He cleared his throat. Shit, how did his speech start? Was he supposed to give a preface of some sort? Oh, right! He cleared his throat again, and began to speak. “Well, I’ll be honest. I never would have thought I’d be up here. I always assumed I’d be a small-time city’s hero forever. One of those supers trying to...you know, do the right thing. But doing it without getting paid for it.” He gave a little laugh.

Luckily, the crowd laughed too. Good. He was really worried that humor wouldn’t go over well in this situation. “When I was a kid, I always wanted to make a difference,” he said. “My mom always told me I was special, that I could do great things, but it never really felt like it to me. Sure, maybe I could do things other kids couldn’t, but that was nothing compared to what I saw on the news, or read in the comics. I could never save the world.”

Jackie paused. There was movement in the dark room. Some people were walking around on the floor, but... there was also movement up above. Were there people on the balconies as well? It threw him off for a moment, and he hurried to regain his composure. “Um...that’s what I thought. But I think that, maybe, there are a lot of kids out there who feel that way. A lot of kids out there who are really gifted or talented, or even super, but who don’t think they have it in them. I can understand that. For a long time, thoughts like that kept me from doing anything with my gifts. I wasn’t unhappy, but I always wanted to do more. I wanted to help people. I saw and heard so many stories of people suffering, of villains and crime and all sorts of trouble, and I wanted to reach out and do something about it.”

There was definitely movement on the balconies. He couldn’t quite make it out. But it was probably nothing. The building was still the office for a huge company, there were probably employees going about their business even now. So Jackie continued. “I think what really inspired me to do more was the super who came before me. A lot of you will remember him, but probably not all. His name was Timekeeper, and he was my hero. I-I thought he was really cool.” He gave another little laugh. “But who wouldn’t think a super with the ability to control time was cool? It was more than that for me, though. He was everything I thought a hero should be. He did so much, defied impossible odds, all to help people who needed him, to stop them from coming to harm. Now that I’ve done my own hero work, I know that he probably sacrificed a lot, to be as active as he was.”

More movement on the ground floor. Jackie pressed on. “When he disappeared two and a half years ago, I hoped desperately for him to come back. I watched the news almost obsessively, waiting to hear that he was alright, that there would be someone out there looking over us. But there was nothing. And...I was upset. Of course, everyone was. But beyond that, I was worried. There were so many villains still out there. Who would protect these people, this city, if he wasn’t around?” He swallowed a lump in his throat. “And so...I decided that it would be me. I decided it was time to stop waiting around for an opportunity to help and just make one.”

He took a deep breath, pausing for a moment. What came after this, again? Oh, right. “And so, I bought a lot of fabric and other supplies, tried to remember how to sew from my Home Ec class, and made a suit. I went out there, doing all I could. I’ll be honest, it was terrifying at first. But I kept going. I knew I had to do this. I had to help people. And I knew I could help so many others if I had the support of the League. But again, there was that thought, that I didn’t have it in me. That I wasn’t good enough for them. It’s incredible that I’m up here now, that I was—”

Then he saw something strange.

It was a glowing red line. Like a laser of some kind, shooting up from the back of the room to one of the highest balconies. Could that be—

POP!

Something grazed his upper arm. His hand automatically went to the line of pain that had just appeared. When he pulled it away, there was a dark red liquid staining his glove.

A scream rang out through the wide room. Then another. People began shouting, shooting to their feet in anger and confusion. Loud footsteps and movement broke out on the floor below, but with the lights still dim and the spotlights on his face, Jackie couldn’t see what was happening.

Static burst from the speakers. There was a change in lighting behind him, and Jackie spun around. The three large screens hanging on the backdrop—which were supposed to be showing the podium—had turned black. Green lines appeared, forming shapes, creating two circular eyes and a jagged smile. “I hope I’m not interrupting anything,” said a strange, computerized voice.

“The Puppeteer!” Jackie gasped. He looked around the stage, seeing everyone else standing and turned to watch the screens.

“But you see, I have some concerns,” the Puppeteer continued. “Do you really think it’s a good idea to have so many government officials in one place? Do you really think it’s a good idea to have so many members of the League of Heroes in one place? Do you really think it’s a good idea for that one place to be somewhere that relies on a single network?” The lights overhead turned on, suddenly all green. “It was very easy to get in here, you know. And it was very easy to get my puppets inside.”

Jackie spun around to look back out at the crowd. It was utter chaos. Almost everyone was trying to flee, but he could make out several fights, figures grappling and scuffling with each other.

“And it is so easy to create more of them, as well.”

His eyes widened. His vision was adjusting to the new lighting, and he could see that many of the fights were in between Heroes. He saw Moonstone trying to subdue Terra-Man, who was clawing viciously at her armor. And they weren’t the only ones. Heroes were attacking Heroes. And not only that, but they were attacking bystanders as well. Anyone who was frozen in shock was forced to start running, but there wasn’t much to be done against non-supers. Powers were beginning to appear: bright bursts of colorful light, people moving at shocking speeds, chairs and tables being lifted up by invisible forces.

“Consider this a lesson in security,” the Puppeteer said. The jagged smile on the screen grew wider. “As well as trust. The person next to you could be converted to my puppets in seconds. All it would take is a well-timed grasp. And then, they may come for you next.” The Puppeteer laughed, the strange sound echoing through the speakers, piercing through the shouts and screams that were quickly filling the room.

Jackie immediately took to the air, getting out of reach. He looked back down at the stage, which had so far remained untouched by the mayhem. So far. Then he looked up. His eyes scanned the balconies. Someone had shot at him, and that would be the best location to do so. That meant that there were hostiles up there. And with this chaos, no one would be able to contain them. They could easily escape into the unprotected building. “Sunlight!” he shouted.

Pink Sunlight, also on the stage, shouted back. “Yes?!”

“Protect the mayor and other officials! Anyone who’s mind-controlled will have strings around their wrists, get them off to snap them out of it! Try to get more Heroes on your side!” Jackie pointed up. “There are more on the balconies. I’m the only flier, I’ll go get them.”

Pink Sunlight nodded. “Good luck!” she shouted. Light rippled around her hands, ready to burst out when called.

Jackie nodded back, then shot into the air, flying directly for the balconies. He couldn’t see anyone up there anymore, but they had to be there. Moving fast, he flew in circles around the room, looking for any sign of anyone.

And then he saw it. A figure on the highest balcony, staring down at the havoc below. He wasted no time in blasting upwards, the wind carrying him there in seconds. The figure stumbled back, and he immediately recognized the Puppeteer himself. “You!” he snarled. “How?!”

The Puppeteer took a step backwards. “I’m afraid a villain never reveals his secrets,” said his voice, calm despite the hesitation in his body language.

“Yeah, well. A hero never reveals when he’s going to—” And Jackie dove forwards.

The Puppeteer jumped out of the way. Jackie almost crashed face-first onto the floor, but flipped at the last minute and made an off-balance landing on his own two feet. Taking advantage of his seeming distraction, the Puppeteer pulled a long red string out from nowhere and snapped it towards Jackie like a whip. A gust of wind sent the string off course, making it miss him by a mile. Jackie spun around and ran for the Puppeteer, who tried to whip the string back around, failed, and dodged to the side. “Shouldn’t you be helping all those people down there?” the Puppeteer said mockingly. “Wasn’t that what your whole speech was about?”

“I can help them by making you stop.” Jackie threw his hand out, aiming a gust of wind at the Puppeteer. He must not have been expecting that, because the Puppeteer fell backwards, landing on the floor. Jackie slowly walked forward, reaching for his belt. “You know, the League gave me approval for neutrinalin recently,” he said casually.

The Puppeteer was still for a second. Then he threw that red string towards Jackie’s face. He conjured another gust of wind to blow it away, only to feel a tug around his waist. A second red string had wrapped around his belt. “Thank you for that information,” the Puppeteer said, and pulled.

Jackie cried out. His belt didn’t detach—it was designed to be very secure—but he was still pulled forward along with it. He landed right next to the Puppeteer, who grabbed him by the back of the costume and stood, lifting Jackie with him. In one swift move, the Puppeteer threw him over the balcony railing. Jackie fell for two stories before managing to orient himself. He spared one glance down at the floor below, still in chaos, then flew back up to the highest balcony. The Puppeteer had disappeared. But there was a door open now.

No time to waste. Jackie flew forward, not bothering to land on the ground and instead flying right through the open doorway. He found himself in a plain sort of hallway. White walls with decorative wooden panels. It curved to either side, following the curve of the balcony. There was movement to the left, so Jackie hurried that way.

He could see the Puppeteer running, but soon, the curve of the hallway hid him from view. Jackie flew faster, putting on as much speed as he possibly could. And he saw a door on the right side of the hallway swinging closed. He suddenly stopped, landing on the ground, skidding along the wooden hallway floor. “Don’t think you can lose me,” he said, mostly to himself, and yanked the door open.

This looked like a breakroom. There were sofas, tables, lockers, and vending machines with drinks and snacks. On the other side of the room, there was another door, slightly ajar. Jackie hurried forward, bursting through—

And immediately slammed into something. A cry rang out as Jackie knocked that something—that someone over and fell to the ground. He pushed himself upwards and glared down at the person he’d run into, expecting to see the Puppeteer’s grinning mask.

Instead, he saw...nothing. But only for a split second, as a shape faded back into view. It was still hard to see, though, as it seemed to shift colors to blend into the carpet. “You!” Jackie gasped.

The Specter was here, too. Jackie had only caught a brief glimpse of him at the U-Storit, but he recognized the shifting chameleon cloth, and the goggles with purple lenses. It seemed as though, in the fall, said goggles had been pushed back a bit, and Jackie could see one of the Specter’s bright blue eyes. The hood had also fallen back, revealing that the Specter had brown hair.

“What are you doing here?!” Jackie shouted. “Did you help the Puppeteer get in?!”

No answer. The Specter pulled his goggles back down, then reached over his shoulder to the full backpack he was wearing. He held up a small metal ball. Then he squeezed it. Jackie didn’t even have time to protest before the ball burst into smoke. He was left coughing and confused as the Specter somehow disappeared out from right under him.

“You get back here, too!” Jackie scrambled to his feet and turned on his infrared vision. He saw a figure running back through the doorway into the breakroom and burst into a sprint after it.

The Specter looked over his shoulder, then kept running. Jackie kept following, emerging into the curved hallway from before. He saw the Specter run through the wall, then return a second later, backing up slowly. Clearly, he didn't like whatever he saw on the other side.

Jackie reached for his belt, slipping his hand into the pouch with the neutrinalin. Before the Specter could react, he ran forward, jabbing it into the Specter’s shoulder—hard. It had to go through all those layers of fabric, after all. The Specter cried out and pushed Jackie away, stumbling back from him. “I just injected you with neutrinalin,” Jackie explained, trying to sound calm. “I suggest you don’t try to walk through any walls, because it might take effect while you’re in one, and I doubt you want that. Now. Your boss has caused a whole mess, so if you’re not being mind-controlled, please come quietly so I can go back to dealing with that.”

The Specter stared at him silently. Jackie reached up and turned off his infrared vision, but the Specter hadn’t become visible again yet, so he turned it back on. Just in time to see the Specter turn and book it down the curved hallway.

“Hey!” Jackie shouted, and ran after him.

The two of them were pretty evenly matched in speed. Jackie pushed himself to run faster, pouring all his energy into the dead sprint. He was slowly catching up. But there was a wide, open archway coming up. The Specter turned, disappearing through it, and Jackie made a wide turn to follow—

Only to find there was no ground beneath his feet.

Jackie cried out. The sound was sharply cut off as he began tumbling down a steep set of stairs. He flailed, unable to concentrate enough to fly as his back, legs, and shoulders hit the edges of steps.

His body picked up speed. Then—CRASH! An impact, followed by the sound of something shattering and then a short fall. He landed on his back. He screamed. At first just in surprise, then the pain registered, shooting upwards from his lower left side.

He sat up slowly, breathing heavily. What... just happened? The past few seconds had been so disorienting. Even as he turned off his infrared vision and looked around, it took him a while to figure out where he was.

This was a wide open area, filled with desks of computers. Strangely, Jackie’s first thought was that the room was really tall. The ceiling was maybe twenty feet above him. His second thought was noticing the staircase. It was just as tall as the room, with a sharp bend in the middle giving it an L shape. The staircase had railings made of sheets of glass. One of them was shattered.

Now he understood. He’d fallen down that first flight of stairs, then when he came to the bend, his momentum carried him through the glass railing, and he fell the rest of the way to the floor. That seemed like a serious safety hazard, to have the banisters made of glass. But maybe the architects didn’t expect someone to be sprinting as they ran onto the staircase.

The Specter was nowhere to be seen. Leaving him with just this pain in the side of his back. Jackie took a deep breath and tried to stand up. The pain sharpened, and he had to stop moving, breathing through it. Okay. Try not to move that much. A weak wind pushed him upwards, straight from a sitting position to a standing one.

He wanted—so, so badly—to keep looking for the Specter and the Puppeteer. To catch them, bring them to face justice for the chaos they’d just caused. But as he reached back to check his injury, he found a bit of glass lodged in his side, sharp enough to have pierced through the fabric. “Fuck,” he muttered. There was no way he could keep going with that.

But he had to check on the rest of the ceremony at least. He took a deep breath to steady himself, then lifted off the ground, flying up the stairs and heading back towards the central area.

It was quieter when he returned to the balcony that overlooked the circular floor below. The lights were back on, and no longer green. Jackie stared down at the crowds. There wasn’t any fighting going on. Cautiously, he lifted himself over the railing—wincing as he did, more flying than climbing—and floated down to the ground.

Everyone who was on the stage was still gathered around that area. Leapfrog was standing off to the side by herself. Deciding she would be as good a person to talk to as any, Jackie touched down next to her. “Is everyone okay?” he asked.

Leapfrog jumped a little, then glanced at him. She sighed, and looked back out over the crowd. “For the most part. Mild injuries, nothing worse than cuts, bruises and sprained ankles. Which is lucky, considering all the superpowers that started going off. It’s weird, everyone who’d been attacked and controlled suddenly stopped all at once. Dr. McLoughlin got the system back under control, and everyone is now fine. Well, almost everyone. Some people are missing. What happened with you?”

“The Puppeteer was here,” Jackie said.

“Let me guess. That face on the screen? With the artificial voice?”

“Yeah. That’s him. He was here personally. We fought, but...” Jackie paused. “...he got away.” His voice was heavy with disappointment, so he tried to pick it up again. “But I-I think maybe the distraction of fighting me made him lose his concentration. That’s probably why everyone stopped fighting. How’d so many people get strings?”

“Still figuring that out.” Leapfrog folded her arms, and turned to fully face him. “Windstorm—” Then she stopped. Her eyes widened. “What’s tha—there’s—th-there’s something in you.”

Jackie winced. “I, uh...fell through some glass.”

“You have to get that treated right now!”

“But I have to make sure everyone—”

“Don’t worry about anything here,” Leapfrog interrupted. “Go! Who knows what damage that’s doing to you?! I’ll explain where you went.”

Jackie hesitated, tempted to insist that he was fine and that he could stay and check on everyone. But he knew that wasn’t going to work. There was a piece of glass stuck in his side, hard to say you were “fine” with that. “Alright,” he said. “Call me on the Red Line with news. Or text me.”

“I will,” Leapfrog promised. “Now go!”

Jackie nodded. He lifted into the air, then flew towards the main entrance, heading out into the city beyond.

===============

There was a problem with getting his injury treated. That being, he didn’t have any spare clothes to change into. And even if he did, he couldn’t take off his suit. He knew that you weren’t supposed to take out something that had been stabbed inside you unless you were a professional thing-taking-outer.

So if he went to the hospital he risked being unmasked. But then again, that was only a risk if he went to Greengate, his usual. Leapfrog had mentioned a hospital once that wouldn’t do that. But... well, he didn’t remember the name of it. And he didn’t want to call Leapfrog and distract her from the mess back in SepTech.

“What the hell am I supposed to do?!” Jackie shouted. Luckily, he was pretty high in the sky, so no one heard that.

Then, in a flash, he remembered. Not the name of the hospital. But somewhere else. Schneep’s address. Sure, it was on the edge of town, but he was a doctor. He would know what to do, right?

That didn’t solve the problem of him wearing his supersuit.Still, it was far preferable to the risk of some random hospital worker taking off his mask. So Jackie took a deep breath and started flying in the right direction.

Flying, as it turned out, was hard. If he went too fast the wind pushed against the glass shard and increased the pain, which made his concentration on flying waver. He had to slow down and focus. It was taking so long, though... Deep breaths. Deep breaths. Focus. Everything would be fine. Deep breaths.

By the time he reached Schneep’s apartment complex, he was wobbling in the air, fighting to stay airborn. He almost dropped out of the sky as soon as he was close enough, but was barely able to land on his feet. Jackie stood there for a moment, hand pressed to the injury. Deep breaths. He was almost there. He just had to take the elevator to the second floor.

The next minute seemed to last forever, but eventually he knocked on the door for Flat 2D. “Schneep?” he called, voice shaking a little. “It’s Jackie. I-I need help.”

A moment passed. Then the door opened, and Schneep peered out. He gasped. “Jackie! What happened?!”

“I-I was at...a Halloween party, for work.” Jackie took off his mask. “Uh, hence, the costume. Then a... a drunk coworker of mine pushed me through the window. I-it was on the ground floor so I’m fine, but—”

“Get inside now!” Schneep reached out and grabbed Jackie’s arm, pulling him inside and slamming the door closed behind him. Jackie barely managed to stagger through the doorway without falling. “Mein Gott. Du hast so viel Glück, dass du hierher gekommen bist. Get on the couch.” Then, without making sure Jackie did what he said, he practically ran across the room, disappearing into an open doorway.

Jackie just stood there. He was starting to feel a bit dizzy. Was that the blood loss? No, he hadn’t actually lost that much blood, because the shard was keeping it inside. So maybe it was just the pain. He took a deep breath, and started to walk towards the sofa, when he noticed something. The door to the left. The one Schneep said led to a closet. It was open.

He stared at it. Then, for no real reason other than it was bothering him, he reached out to close it. And as he did, he caught a glimpse of what was inside.

There was something hanging in the closet. Not a coat, as one might expect. But an outfit made out of a strange, color-shifting cloth that seemed to blend into the environment. Around the neck of the outfit, looped around the hangar, was a pair of goggles with opaque purple lenses.

“Jackie, I said to get on the couch.”

Jackie spun around, his face suddenly pale. Schneep had a white bag in one hand, marked with a blue cross. He stared at him with bright blue eyes.

Bright blue eyes, the exact color that Jackie had glimpsed earlier that day when he’d knocked the Specter down and dislodged his goggles.

Schneep’s bright eyes flicked into the closet. They landed on the outfit hanging inside. A moment passed as Jackie continued to watch him, tensed. Then...he sighed. A breath of resignation.

“Sit down, Jackie,” he said. “It seems we need to talk.”

[shankothepervyclown]

Coach wants you on the team part 3 (CNC Gay fantasy)

The next day was Wednesday and you didn't have football practice after school but you hung around the gym at every opportunity and after school you sat outside the gym for a bit before heading home. There was no signs of coach. But tomorrow you had practice. And again the next day you hung around where you thought you might run into coach but never saw him.

All through practice he seemed completely indifferent. When practice ended he didnt even give you any extra laps, he just left. But you stayed and ran laps. All the while thinking what you did to make coach upset.

Then on friday at lunch you decide that you are going to coach's office. So you walk down the hall past the gym, past the change rooms to the end of the hall. On one side is the girls gym teacher's office and on the other is coach's. You knock on his door.

"Come in." You hear him say with a touch of annoyance in his voice.

You walk into his office and close the door. You look for a lock to the door but there is none. You quickly move a chair to block the door.

"What are you doing here?" He demands.looking at you sternly.

"I want to know what I did wrong...I'll do anything you want Coach." You say getting down on all fours and crawling towards him. He pushes his chair back from his desk to talk to you but you crawl closer and get under his desk directly in front of him.

"This is not the right time." He says but you start rubbing the crotch of his pants. You undo his belt and unzip his pants. Taking out his massive package. You start eagerly sucking his cock and massaging his balls. You feel him move his chair closer to him and put his hand of the back of your head.

"Mmmmmmm mmmmm mmmmm" you are trying to turn him on but you are also super horny. You have been dreaming of this man using your mouth again none stop. You are deepthroating him and looking up at him and he looks like he is loving it.

"Mmm baby." You hear him moan softly. "That's my good girl" finally those amazing words you couldnt stop repeating again and again in your head. You do not stop taking his big dick all the way down your throat until you can feel that hes getting close. You start to suck and lick the tip while stroking his cock with you hand. You could probably have used two hands but your other hand was still massaging his manly balls.

Coach is laying back in his chair. "Keep going. Ahhhhhhhhhhh......." and you can feel your mouth completely fill with his steaming hot cum. You hold it in your mouth for a moment savoring its salty sweet taste you, were now clearly addicted to it. Looking up at him you swallow and smile at him.

"Am I still your good girl Coach?" You ask still kneeling on the floor still half crammed under his desk.

"Yes your my good girl" he said kind of quietly. Moving his chair back to let you out, you crawl towards him.

"I think should be the coach's assistant from now on. So I can help you whenever you need." You say looking into his eyes.

"Yes. You're now my assistant." He agrees. Nodding his head as he finishes tightening his belt and straightening out his clothing.

"Coach I think I need you cell number. So you can reach me any time." You say as you finally stand up. Your coach writes his phone number on a post it note and hands it to you.

"For the record, I was not mad at you. Things are....stale with my wife lately." He says trying to not make direct eye contact and instead looking towards the trophy case.

"I'm glad I could be of service to you Sir. And for the record I'm sorry I'm not in uniform. " you tell him before going and moving the chair from the door.

"I guess I'll see you at practice after school Sir?" You asked eagerly.

"Thunderstorms all this afternoon and this evening. Its already raining outside. Practice will be canceled. " he says looking disappointed. "Lunch break is over in 3 minutes so you better hurry out." Coach says motioning his hand towards the door.

You leave and after school you go home disappointed. Your first practice as Coach's assistant, canceled do to rain. You would have to wait till Monday to get another chance with Coach.

But you text him Friday evening after dinner to make sure that he had your number and you tell him that he can contact you anytime.

[yovelknell]

article in full below the cut (it’s ridiculously short)

We’re finally reckoning with our expensive subscription habits.

For two straight quarters, cancellations have outpaced new subscriptions for digital memberships, food-of-the-month clubs and a host of other purchases, according to personal finance app Rocket Money. Streaming services have been particularly impacted, with cancellations for Netflix, Hulu and HBO Max and others up 49% in 2022 from the previous year, according to subscriber-measurement firm Antenna.

“People are taking stock of their subscriptions and trying not to make the same mistakes they made in 2022 given that budgets are getting a lot tighter,” said Courtney Alev, consumer financial advocate at Credit Karma.

The decision to cancel had been building up for some time, financial analysts said. Even though inflation cooled last month to its lowest level in nearly two years, budgets continue to be squeezed by higher prices.

About a third of respondents to a December Credit Karma survey said their biggest financial mistake last year was paying for services they never used. Americans were also paying about $133 more than the $86 they thought they were paying for subscriptions each month, according to a 2022 survey from market research firm C+R Research.

Retiree John Ritzinger, 72 years old, said canceling subscriptions he never used would spare him needing to penny pinch at the grocery store.

First to go was the satellite radio in two cars he never drove, saving him $45 a month. Next, the MotorTrend magazines that lived in an unread stack on the coffee table and a $1,000 annual, dining-only membership to his local Dayton, Ohio, country club in favor of ordinary restaurants. Stopping the $750-a-year pest control service was more of a debate with his wife.

“But if we get a bad enough infestation I figure we just burn the house down anyway,” he joked.

He’s putting off his call with the cable company to deactivate the land line he always ignores and downgrade his package until he’s socked away enough patience for an hourslong customer service call.

Taking on subscription overload

A new proposal from the Federal Trade Commission could make it simpler to break up with your subscriptions. The consumer watchdog wants to require merchants to make it as easy for customers to cancel as it is to sign up, often with just a single click.

Apps that help people take stock of their recurring payments such as Rocket Money and ScribeUp aren’t worried a new FTC rule will cut into their user base.

Over the past year about 70,000 people have downloaded ScribeUp, a new service that provides a credit card number to use only for recurring payments.

Chief commercial officer Erica Chiang said she wanted to give people a way to automatically opt-in, rather than out, of renewals after having to jump through hoops to cancel subscriptions as a consumer. The card will automatically cancel subscriptions on a user’s behalf if she doesn’t actively choose to continue.

At one point, Ms. Chiang said she had to travel from Los Angeles to New York to end a monthly gym membership after learning she could only cancel in-person at the gym where she signed up.

When Dylan Kenney conducted an audit of his spending after too many months in a row of wondering where his paycheck was going and hoping to save up for a house, he realized he was somehow paying for two separate Amazon Prime accounts.

Though he’s not trying to recoup the money he lost, he did save $270 a month by combining streaming services with his partner and canceling his weekly HelloFresh meal box, which he said had him paying $150 a month more for groceries than going to the store himself.

“I wasn’t really thinking of all the minor charges coming out of my account every month,” said the 27-year-old, who works for an aviation consulting firm in Arlington, Va.

One ScribeUp user, 46-year-old LaKisha Mosley, paid for a subscription to health club aggregator ClassPass for over four years without realizing it, adding up to over $5,000.

“I can count on one hand the amount of times I actually logged in,” she said.

Ms. Mosley said she wasn’t able to get the money back, and that she expected ClassPass to let her know when her subscription was coming up for renewal, which never happened. She’s heartened, however, to see more companies starting to send alerts before a charge comes up.

“When members sign up for ClassPass, they are notified that their memberships automatically renew on the same day each month,” a company spokeswoman said, adding that ClassPass sends reminders when members haven’t used their accounts to book classes.

Companies rethink subscriptions

Some companies are shifting their business model to meet changing consumer feelings about subscriptions.

Among them is Bark, which was founded in 2011 as a monthly box of dog treats and toys and has since expanded to sell a la carte. The company recently laid off 12% of its staff and said it would invest more in non-subscription products.

“These are always difficult decisions, however, we believe that it was the right direction for the business, and it better aligns our cost structure with the current economic environment and allows us to better focus on our highest priorities, which are profitability and growing our consumables business,” Chief Executive Matt Meeker said in an emailed statement to The Wall Street Journal

HelloFresh said on its most recent earnings call that it expects its number of active customers to decline in the first half of 2023, after dropping to 7.1 million in the fourth quarter of 2022 from 8 million in the third quarter.

Evanston, Ill., restaurant Soul & Smoke launched a meat of the month box in 2020, but recently made the decision to discontinue the offering amid waning interest.

“It made more sense to get rid of it and focus on the other things we were doing,” said co-owner Heather Bublick, pointing to a new bricks-and-mortar location and live events.

[councilingmychaos]

Scene Two

I slammed the large doors behind me, leaning my back against them to catch my breath. WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU? A handsome man talks to you, and you can’t control yourself? Pathetic! I took a deep breath before composing myself enough to head further into the building. It was quiet, but had a few people roaming the halls. I looked around for a clock, wanting to make sure I had time to find my dorm room before orientation.

Luckily for me, I had about 20 minutes before I had to be in the Library for orientation. I pulled out the map that had been mailed to me, with a number and key for the room. There were two different buildings on campus. One housed the classrooms, cafeteria, library, small gym, and restrooms. While the other building, just walking distance, housed the dorm rooms, a small cafe that was open 24/7, and shower rooms/restrooms. A decent sized courtyard connected the two, otherwise you’d have to walk all the way around the outside of the schools.

I followed the map that led to the courtyard, where I had to re enter the rain in order to get to my dorm room. I sighed in frustration, but flung the door open and ran out into the rain. I didn’t bother to take a look around and pushed through the first doors I came to on the other building. Once inside, I rung my hair out since it still was dripping wet from before, then looked around for a wall map to lead me to the dorms.

A sign on the wall read “Dorms 1-20” with an arrow pointing to the left, and underneath that, “Dorms 20-40” with an arrow pointing to the right. I looked to see what my number was, ‘Seventeen’, and headed down the left hallway. I wondered why they were separate, but didn’t care enough to investigate any further.

I walked slowly down the hallway, counting backwards from twenty since I managed to come into the doors that were closest to my room. Once I got to number seventeen, I stopped and looked around. It all seemed so much different in real life, than in the movies. It was just a long hallway with doors on one side, and either wall or windows right across from the doors.

I dug in the pockets on my dress for the key, yanking it out and unlocking the door. I opened it slowly, wanting to make sure if someone else was in there, that they were decent. We were told when sent the “Welcome” package that we could possibly be sharing a room.

There wasn’t much to the room, once I flicked the lights on. Two beds, two desks, two small stand up closets, and a small bedside table. There were no windows, and only one light in the middle of the ceiling, creating awful lighting for both sides of the room. I looked around, noticing that one side of the room had bags and boxes piled up, which I assumed was from a roommate. I plopped the one bag I brought onto the bed, and sat down to see how comfy it was. Not awful.

I looked at the time, annoyed that I still had a little to kill. What was I going to do? It wasn’t like I had a ton to unpack, or friends I could go chat up while I waited. All I could do was go through the events that happened earlier, reliving the embarrassing moment all over again. I couldn’t help but focus a little extra on the handsome stranger who saved me, TWICE, from falling. He had beautiful green eyes, and was very tall. I don’t remember much else, since I was trying my best to vanish into thin air.

A buzz from my pocket startled me out of my head. It was Angie, texting me to see how everything was going. I texted her back a little update, before playing around with my phone for a few minutes. I had just gotten it, and had never had one before so there was a lot I didn’t know. I never needed a phone since I was always at home, and didn’t have any friends. But Angie insisted on me getting one when I went off to college, and I agreed since I thought it was a good idea too.

Angie was not only my mother, but she was my best friend. I had nobody else, just her and Lolli, to confide in and talk to. She is always there for me when I need her, whether it be to help me with my hair and my outfits, or teach me things about life that I never got to learn. So of course I had to tell her about the handsome stranger I ran into. It came to no surprise that Angie became obsessed with the idea of me meeting a man. She went from “OMG TELL ME EVERYTHING” to “YOU BETTER BE CAREFUL, AND DON’T GET PREGNANT” in a span of 30 seconds. I just laughed and rolled my eyes.

I gathered the few things I thought I’d need, my phone, the key and a map, and shoved them into the two pockets I had on my dress. I rung my hair out a little more, knowing it would just be getting wet all over again the second I stepped outside.

I headed back into the hall, making sure I had the key in my pocket before closing the door and heading back towards the doors I came in from. I looked out the windows and rolled my eyes. The rain had not stopped like I hoped, if anything it was coming down so hard you could barely see across the courtyard.

[muscle-worlds-stories]

Gabe and Jon have been boyfriends for 5 years now. They met as friends I'm high school but after graduation they began to see each other seriously and have never looked back. One day, Jon looked at the mirror and asked Gabe if he should start working out. Gabe asked why he thought that and Jon responded, "I think I just look like a string bean and maybe would like to get some muscle". Gabe said that he would support Jon in whatever he wanted to do. The next day Jon signed up for a membership at the local gym in their area.

Gabe was proud of Jon stepping up and wanting to change his life, getting a selfie from his boyfriend in the locker room before he started.

Jon came back from his workout very sweaty, said hi to Gabe and went straight to the shower and bed.

The first few weeks of Jon at the gym were like this. He was there for about 2 hours everyday and came back went to sleep. After about a month of this, Jon comes home angry. Gabe asked Jon what was wrong? Jon cried out "I want to be bigger so bad but this is gonna take me years! I wish there was a less time consuming solution." Gabe hugged Jon saying he has to put in the work to get to where Jon wants to go. Jon took a huff and walked to the shower.

While Jon was in the shower, Gabe decided to go online and see what supplements were on the market that could get Jon some much needed vitamins and nutrients for muscle growth. Seeing all of these different proteins, pre workouts, and vitamins were all very interesting. Gabe suddenly landed on a website that seemed like what he was looking for.

Looking to gain twice the muscle in half the time? Try Alphatein, a newly FDA approved protein supplement!

Gabe was intrigued with this "Alphatein", and with the price. There were no reviews under the product but he decided to purchase the tin anyway. He heard Jon walk out of the shower and awed at his little string bean boyfriend hoping this would help him.

A few weeks went by and Gabe got a package, which was the Alphatein he ordered. He got excited and decided to put a bow on it to suprise Jon. Jon came back from the gym right on time and Gabe presented the tub to him. Jon was very grateful to his boyfriend and thanked him for the gesture with a kiss. He read the label which called for the user to take at least 1 scoop a day for full effect for a week. Jon was excited and popped open the powder and got his shaker to make a shake. He brought the drink to his lips and chugged the solution down. Jon made a sour look and said the drink was interesting but he could push through it in order to get his supplements in.

The next day Gabe watched Jon get his morning drink in before the gym and loved seeing him start to get used to it. Later on he saw Jon get another scoop in his shaker and Gabe asked Jon didn't he already do his scoop of the day. Jon looked annoyed at Gabe, and said that wasn't his business as he chugged another shake. Gabe wondered if this Alphatein might have been a mistake.

The next few days Jon was waking up earlier. He had begun to cook large meals for himself. Gabe seemed to have become an afterthought to Jon as he began to become obsessed with eating and lifting weights. The weird thing was, Jon didn't look like he was gaining any muscle, but he acted like he was the biggest guy in the room.

It was Friday, and Gabe worked late that day so he got home after Jon. Gabe opened the door and heard the shower running, knowing Jon was done at the gym. He set his keys down on the counter and sees a tipped bin on the table. Gabe walked closer to the table to see its the Alphatein bin that looked completely empty. Gabe begun to panic. That supplement should have lasted him months why would Jon burn the whole container the entire week?

The sound of the shower went away, and Gabe went to check on Jon. When Gabe went to the bedroom he saw the bathroom door was open. He started to walk towards the room and heard a deep voice say "Don't you dare come in here". Gabe was shocked at whoever this person was was talking to him like that. That could not possibly be the sweet boy that he had known and loved. He slowly stepped to the bathroom to see a large man facing towards the shower head.

This man was big, with a sprinkle of hair across his traps and upper back. "What did I tell you boy, sit your ass on the bed now!" Gabe quickly sat down on the bed only even more worried about what had happened to Jon.

He heard heavy footsteps walk out of the bathroom. The man that came out definitely had Jon's nerdy head, with a shockingly thick scruffy beard, but atop a body of a body builder. "See babe, this was the results I was looking for. Taking 5 scoops a day really forced my metabolism to build up and bulk me out finally today. And all that extreme buildup caused my testosterone to increase 200% with this deep voice and all this sexy hair."

Gabe was both shocked and in awe of what Jon had become. He had muscles on muscles with canon ball shoulders, beefy arms, and a pair of pecs that looked so juicy.

"Now babe, I'm feeling really good after my workout, these guns feel pumped and so am I if you know what I mean". Gabe began to feel flustered as Jon flexed his biceps and kissed the large peak.

"Now I need you to do something for me Gabe before I let you see how big my dick has gotten. I need you to get more Alphatein for me."

[heyhoneyybunn]

|♡ Love Letters ♡|

Relationship: Tsukishima Kei x f!Reader

Warnings: fluff

Day: [1♡] [2♡] [3♡] [4♡] [5♡] [6♡] [7♡] [8♡] [9♡] [10♡] [11♡] [12♡] [13♡] [14♡]

Time isn’t kind on your poor heart, and with valentine’s day right around the corner it’s going to combust.

When you presented your carefully packaged letter – filled with your most romantic thoughts and absolute adoration, you didn’t think waiting for the answer to your confession would be this bad. Your nerves were eating you up.

Three days have passed. Three, long, torturous, days. Your nails are chewed to the nubs, as your mind switches into overdrive. He hasn’t come to reciprocate his feelings, or grant you a rejection - you were stuck.

You cringe even thinking about it. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. You should have held the feelings in until one day in the future it becomes too much and you unfortunately die of heartbreak. Apparently Hinata doesn’t share your same sentiment.

“You’re being dramatic!” He chirps, unfazed by your brooding aura, “I know Tsukishima likes you back.”

“Shoyo!” You hiss, whipping your head around to make sure nobody was near. Just your luck, there are two girls strolling down the corridor giggling to themselves. The unwavering urge to sink into the floor overcomes you – damn physics.

“Whoops, sorry,” he chuckles sounding not very sorry at all. Rolling your eyes, you fix the slipping strap of your school bag.

“You’re the worst wing man in history,” you complain, massaging your temples. If he keeps this up you’re going to die alone.

His hand rests on his chest, brows crunching in mock hurt, “You’re going to regret saying that when I get you the man of your dreams.”

“Yeah? And how do you plan to do that?”

“Hmm,” he ponders his obviously well thought out plan, “Wait outside the gym after practice finishes.”

“What? But it’s cold outside! And I don’t have anything to do.”

With a huge smile on his small face, he shrugs, already leaving to go to practice, “Not my problem.”

Your eye twitches.

...

True to your word, you sit outside of the gym, cursing every time the icy wind blows into your face. Glancing at the time you resist the urge to start doing star jumps in the middle of the field for just a bit of extra warmth.

“Heyyyy!”

Glancing back, you scowl when you see the orange haired boy bounce towards you, his nose crinkling – something that only happens when he’s up to no good. You groan internally, knowing how he gets.

He jumps into animated conversation, speed running through subject after subject, you nearly develop a migraine trying to figure out what he was talking about. You didn’t think it possible – but he’s even more bubbly than usual.

“What is wrong with you?” You eye him speculatively, it was like someone took your best friend and replaced him with an annoying alien.

“Just play along,” he hisses darkly before reverting back to his sunshine self. You blink helplessly as he prattles on about something else.

“What the he-”

The sharp sound of your name catches your attention. To your surprise, the lanky boy your heart is set on, stands outside of the gym, hands in his pockets, headphones safely secured around his neck. His golden-brown eyes focus on you before freezing on the arm currently wrapped around your wrist.

“Oi, let’s go,” Tsukishima calls out, jerking his head towards the gate.

“Me?” You point at yourself, feeling like a silly school girl all over again. Wasn’t being older supposed to make you more mature? Next to you, Hinata stifles a giggle, but you can’t bring yourself to care as you melt under the harsh gaze of the man you love.

“Yes, obviously.”

You want to reciprocate his snarky attitude, ask him why you should listen to him, especially when he’s been avoiding you – but you swallow it all down. You suppose you signed up for this when you sent him your confession.

Hinata gives you a little push and you stumble a little before cautiously making your way to him, the one who stole your heart in the middle of an English class under his tutelage.

“You look like an icicle,” He mutters, peering at your hat, scarf and gloves that don’t appear to be helping you very much.

You don’t really know how to respond so you settle with a questioning, ‘thanks, I guess.’

Silence prevails once more as you awkwardly swing your arms as you walk, while thinking of things to say. Everything was a jumbled mess in your mind, maybe he was going to whisk you away to proclaim his love – no, that didn’t really sound like him. Maybe he was taking you somewhere more private to express his rejection. The thoughts buzz around tenaciously.

“Do you like strawberry shortcake?” He asks gruffly, if you look close enough you can just make out the colour dusting his cheeks, his blonde hairs are messed up from the wind but he looks cuter this way.

The busy thoughts settle into a pleasant hum.

“Depends, your treat?” you ask cheekily.

He rolls his eyes but reluctantly agrees.

“Then yes, I love strawberry shortcake.”

Maybe Hinata wasn’t such a bad wing-man after all.

-EXTRA-

Gym clean-up is finally over. The balls had just been put away in their respective cupboard, the nets were half folded as Hinata picked up his water bottle, standing next to Tsukishima.

“Y’know,” he said conversationally, “I might ask her out.”

Inconspicuously he gauges the tall man’s reaction. There’s not much to go off but the slight twitch of his mouth that is settled into a frown is something in itself.

“Like she’d say yes, dumb-ass,” Kageyama speaks before downing half his water bottle in one go.

Using every ounce of self-control he possesses, he ignores the raven haired boy.

He finishes the first stage of his devious plan with a cunning smile, “I think I saw her waiting outside, I’m going to ask her now.”

Without waiting for a response, he bounds out the door, smirking deviously at the slower sound of squeaky footsteps behind him.

Bingo.

[bratkook]

come over. (m) jjk

pairing. jungkook x reader genre. smut, pwp,  warnings. jungkook is a self proclaimed pervert, smut in forms of: mutual masturbation, voyeurism through bedroom windows, rough sex, oral (m receiving), jungkook is a lil mean but just a little, dirty talk, use of vibrator, multiple orgasms, forced orgasm, overstimulation, unprotected sex word count. 7.2k summary. the guilt of being a dirty peeping tom eats Jungkook alive, not knowing this was all part of your elaborate plan to sleep with the new neighborhood eye candy. author’s note. #84 requested by @taestybae​ from this promp list! ty for sending this in bby 🖤 (requests now closed)

Jungkook knows it's wrong, god does he know it's wrong. Acting as if he didn’t mean to leave his blinds cracked open, tilted at just the right angle that allows him to still be able to see out, the view he’s granted being your own window a few feet away. 

It’s funny now, how when he had first purchased the town house he had hated how close his neighbors were to him, and now here he was, an absolute pervert who was thankful for the narrow distance between your buildings.

The self proclaimed pervert simply sits at his desk, mindlessly going through work emails while his eyes continue to drift up, staring through his blinds for any sign of movement. 

Jungkook’s chest feels tight as he waits, eyeing the ticking clock in the corner of his screen and seeing it was nearing nine at night. Maybe you had plans tonight, going out with your friends, mind too preoccupied to indulge the filthy fantasies Jungkook had swirling in his head. It had become his favorite daily activity, sneaking a peek at you, sometimes doing simple things like relaxing with a face mask, or having a dance party. 

Of course those moments were all adorable but his favorite moments were the ones where you would walk around topless or lather lotion on your body after a shower. Sometimes you’d take the teasing a step further, blinds fully opened with only the sheer curtain coming in between him and your shadowed silhouette, caught in the act of what he could only assume was you touching yourself. 

Jungkook used to think it was purely accidental, just a careless neighbor who had no idea his bedroom had the perfect view, but he swore you had made eye contact with him far too many times for this to not be intentional.

Before his mind can spiral further, there’s suddenly a flicker of light and like a magnet, Jungkook’s eyes lock in to their target, seeing you walking into your room with a small towel draped over your shoulder, sports bra and tiny workout shorts showing him how your body was glistening in sweat. 

Pushing off his desk, his chair rolls and squeaks along his floor so he could get a better view, completely invested in seeing the way you get comfortable after your trip to the gym. Call it creepy or call it attentive but Jungkook had grown to know your schedule, you were his neighbor who enjoyed giving him peep shows so it was sort of hard for him not to realize the usual routine you had. However, this was the first time he had seen you come back from the gym this late. 

Jungkook groans now at his realization, palm coming to rub down his face as he hears his own thoughts, behaving like a man who had a notebook where he jotted down your schedule. 

He didn’t, but still, he felt like a creep. A dirty fucking creep. 

With his eyes screwed shut he shuffles the chair back to its rightful spot like a child in time out, angling his body to prevent his wandering eyes from looking through his window once more, the shame once again eating away at him like it did every time. 

Did you really do this on purpose? 

Of course you did, you weren’t stupid. 

The second Jungkook moved into your neighborhood he became the talk of the street, suburban house moms, young teenage girls, even your elderly neighbor had begun to wonder who the cute boy who went jogging down the street was. He oozed sex appeal, not even realizing how swooned he had everyone with his morning workout, he just thought everyone waved and smiled at him out of pure friendliness. 

Although he had no idea how hot he looked, you were blessed with the gift of vision and common sense. It only took you one glance of him exiting his house, long hair partially tied back, running shorts hugging his thighs so beautifully and you were sold. 

The minute you realized he was your next door neighbor it was like a lightbulb went off above your head, it was a blessing in disguise and you were not about to pass up the opportunity to have this go in your favor. Giving him a front row seat to you and everything you had to offer was the cards you chose to play and so far it had been going well. 

That is until you exit the shower, excitement coursing through you, already wondering how you’re going to tease him tonight. With your towel loosely hanging around your chest, you’re ready for the small show, but as you get into your usual position you notice that his blinds are now tightly closed, no gap between the shutters to allow him a peak of you. 

It’s a sudden and very unexpected chain of events. With a small huff of disappointment you perch yourself onto the end of your bed, directly facing your window as you sit in thought, your saucy plans for the night being ruined. 

Wondering just what could have made Jungkook flip a switch like that kept you up at night so when you see him coming in from his run the following morning as you leave for work you don’t think twice about speaking up. 

Your neighbor flinches when you greet him in good morning, not expecting to hear your voice so close to him but he could thank your connected driveways for that. 

“Oh, good morning.” he smiles politely, pulling out his airpod and pausing his music entirely to give you his full attention. The small nerves of being called out bubble up inside of him, only having talked to you once prior he wasn’t really sure where this conversation would go, were you about to call him a disgusting pervert?

“Did you call it a night really early last night?” You bite instantly, soft smile not giving away your true intentions but he knows, the way his eyes widen slightly make it obvious. 

“Yeah,” he sputters out, wiping his sweaty palms on his black shorts, nerves already making his heart skip. You knew, there was absolutely no way you didn’t and this solidified it. He had assumed you did, his guilty conscience making him believe what you did was intentional in order for him not to feel like the peeping Tom he very clearly was, but hearing you sneakily admit to knowing he hadn’t watched you last night made him feel like a bucket of cold water had been dumped over him. 

“Haven’t been getting much sleep lately so..”

You simply nod along as he trails off in a lie, lips spreading out into a smirk as your eyes very obviously give him a once over, focusing on the deep cuts of his sleeves that expose his sides and art filled arm, how the shorts he wears hit above his knee and leave his glorious thighs out for you to see. He was truly blind to his good looks. 

“Sorry I haven’t really given you a proper neighborly welcome, can I have your number?” Already fishing your phone out of your pocket because you knew he wouldn’t say no, still you tack on a helpful lie to make your flirting a little more subtle. “The neighbors have a group chat, I’ll add you to it so you can get all the hot gossip.”

If he knows you're lying he doesn’t show it, instead he looks a tiny bit disappointed that you wanted his number to add him to a neighborhood group chat. Regardless he recites his number with a smile, his phone instantly vibrating in his palm with a text from you, a friendly ‘hi neighbor’ with a waving emoji at the end. 

As he starts to save your contact you open up your car door, grabbing his attention once more. “I’ll text you if I ever need sugar...or other neighborly things.”

The suggestive teasing in your tone isn’t lost on him now, his cheeks flushing at the implications behind your words. “Yeah, whatever you need.” 

He’s admittedly even more disappointed when your message thread runs dry, not even being added to the gossip group chat that he was sort of curious about. You hadn’t even given him a show since the night he shut his blinds but it was all part of your plan, expertly crafted to go in your favor. 

While you’re at work you get the email that sets everything in motion, a notification of your package being out for delivery. A very cute baby pink wand would be placed at your door step in discreet packaging and if things went the way you anticipated it would be making its proper debut tonight, hopefully with an audience of one. 

Jungkook is pulled away from his computer screen when his phone vibrates against his desk, your name illuminated on his homescreen. He pauses for a moment, wondering if this was simply a text initiating him into that damn group chat that he had no idea didn’t actually exist, but when he unlocks it and opens up the thread he sees it's just you. 

Y/N 3:48pm : hi jungkook, sorry to do this but im getting a suuuper important package delivered today could you please keep it safe until i get home later tonight? 🥺🖤

You wanted him to guard a package, just neighborly things, exactly what you said you would text him for. 

Jungkook 3:49pm : sure, what is it?

He feels stupid immediately after hitting send, fingers curling together into fists as his eyes glare at his screen. Why the hell would he ask what the package was? Being a peeping Tom was clearly not enough, no he had to know about your online purchases. 

Y/N 3:52pm : just something for sore muscles 😅

Just like a typical horny boy would, his mind wanders to what exactly could be in the box, quickly texting you an ‘okay!👍🏻’ before locking his phone altogether. He was going to lose his mind. 

All according to plan. 

Jungkook guards that package with his life, placed delicately on his kitchen counter, exactly where he left it the minute he saw the postman drop it off. He’s been glued to his couch since then, regularly looking over his shoulder to ensure the brown box wouldn’t spontaneously disappear. 

Just as he feels himself getting antsy the gentle knocking from his front door has him springing up from his couch, pausing a few feet away from the door as he eyes the knob before looking back at the package. Should he greet you with it in his hands, or would that seem like he was trying to rush you away?

When you knock a second time he opts for just opening the door, seeing you standing there with that friendly smile, a small tweed skirt and matching top showing him you had just got off work, his eyes focusing on your exposed legs for a moment too long until your voice snaps him out of it. 

“Hi Jungkook,” you greet him with that honey sweet voice, the tiny glimmer in your eyes betraying you but he doesn’t spot it. “Did you get my package?”

“Hey, yeah I did.” Leaving the door ajar, he steps further into his home, quickly retrieving the light box and bringing it to you, still patiently waiting with that polite smile as if you didn’t know what was packaged inside that box. 

“You’re a lifesaver!” you cheer, holding it close to your chest with a small sigh, “I don’t know what I would’ve done if this got stolen.”

Jungkook can feel his face warm up, not able to stop his mouth from running on autopilot, unintentionally outing himself as an extremely observant neighbor. “You must be really sore from going to the gym all the time huh?”

There's a silence that falls over you both as you eye him curiously, gaze flickering with the same mischief from earlier, something he can easily spot now and he desperately wants to shrink into himself. 

“Definitely,” you agree with a laugh, “thanks again, have a good night!”

And just like that you’re gone, leaving him with his forehead pressed against his front door as he feels like an idiot. “Really, you must be sore?” He mocks his own voice, rolling his eyes before standing up straight and retreating back into his room to finish the work he had neglected in favor of protecting your package. 

The same package that you were currently clutching onto as you bolted up your stairs with a pair of scissors in the opposite hand, debatably not the safest choice but it had to be done. You feel like a crazed woman as you stab into the clear tape to break the seal, peeling back the flaps and letting out a giddy laugh when you spot the sleek white box, a photo of the device printed on the front. 

With steady hands you pull out the prized toy, carelessly tossing the empty boxes to the side, hearing them land with a light thud. The soft silicone against your thumb fills you with anticipation, a silent click against the first button dulls down the excitement when it refuses to turn on. 

“Stupid fucking chargers.” you grunt, setting the device down and making your way back to the discarded boxes, pulling out the tiny white cable to plug it in. 

The provided pamphlet states a full charge in one hour, plenty of time for you to get a grip on yourself, the last thing you needed was to rip open your blinds and come face to face with your hot neighbor with the crazy eyes you’re sure you were sporting earlier, you really didn’t need to scare him off before the main event. 

Jungkook is none the wiser as he mindlessly scrolls through the endless data in front of him, eyes floating through the numbers in a dazed manner, his mind far too occupied with that stupid package. He knew exactly what it was, proudly deciphering the code of something for sore muscles to spell out vibrator for him in giant neon letters. 

Were you using it now, in your bedroom a good feet away from his own, laid out on your bed directly in his line of sight?

His mind continues to play out salacious scenarios as you finish applying your favorite lotion after the small body shower you took, the silk robe hanging off your shoulder as you bend forward. Your pink toy lays on your bed, the buttons now blinking to indicate a full charge, your plan was now back in motion. 

As you step back into your room and slowly crack open your blinds you realize Jungkook’s are still tightly shut. Looking up into the slowly darkening sky you notice the clouds beginning to loom overhead, a smile spreading on your lips as you think of a way to get Jungkook to open up his blinds for the show. 

Jungkook’s phone buzzes with a text a few seconds later, eyes widening slightly when he realizes it’s from you. 

Y/N 7:02pm : lol does it look like its gonna rain to you?

His head tilts in confusion at your question, nonetheless he stands from his desk, fully sliding up his blinds to stare up at the sky. When he notices the grey clouds he looks down at his phone to start to type, the small flash of movement from across the way making him freeze, looking directly through your window once more and seeing you innocently sitting on your bed, staring right at him with a smile. 

Jungkook can feel how wide his eyes get as he stares at you, leg crossed over the other as you rest back onto your palms, head tilted as you wave at him in greeting. Right where you want him. 

His hand raises up to wave back at you, the voice in his head screaming every obscenity he could think of as he attempts to smile, the grimace in his face making it hard for you not to laugh. 

You start slow, wanting to give him enough time to shut his blinds if he really wants no part in this, your hand coming up to begin pushing the robe off your shoulder further, the first sliver of skin being exposed to his eyes. Jungkook wants to scream, bang his head into the glass as he sees the way your skin glimmers, already knowing you had lathered on that damn lotion of yours. 

When he doesn’t move you let the other sleeve fall down, the swell of your breasts holding up the soft material, shielding them from his sight for another moment. Your eyes never leave his face, needing to see his reaction when you sit up straight and let the material pool around your hips, tits fully exposed for him to see. 

His reaction is well worth it, jaw dropping slightly as he spots the way your nipples harden in the exposed air, forehead nearly ramming into the window when you bring your hand up to pinch and twist at the pebbled buds. He feels his cock stirring in his pants when your head drops back, lips opening up to let out what he knows is the prettiest moan, head leveling out as you bite your lip and stare at him once more. 

Jungkook doesn’t know what to do as he watches you, champagne colored robe still hooked around your elbows as you reach behind your bed and pick up the pink toy you had bought today. The metallic capped bottom shines in the light and he feels like he’s caught in a trance as you showcase it. 

For a moment your attention drops down, landing on your phone as you quickly type out a message before setting it aside once more. His phone comes to life in his hand, nearly scaring him with its vibrations. 

Y/N 7:18pm : touch yourself please

He swears he’s gonna bust his load then and there, typing out a quick ‘okay’, a message you ignore entirely in favor of turning on your toy. The excited look in your eyes is clear as day when the device buzzes in your hand, Jungkook’s eager fingers unbuttoning his jeans as you start to trail the vibrating head along your body, passing over your nipples and gasping at the ticklish feeling. 

Looking across the way once more you see Jungkook’s gaze locked onto you, his body fully illuminated by his bedroom light, allowing you to see his hands start to push his pants down, taking his black briefs with them. Your teeth bite down onto your bottom lip as he raises his palm up to messily spit into it before coming back down to fist his slowly hardening cock. His covered chest rises and falls as he huffs out a breath, slowly squeezing his shaft as he glides up towards his head, coating his palm in the stray beads of precum that drip out of it. 

This further solidified that Jungkook was a pervert, at least in his own mind, who else would be so eager to jack off to the sight of their neighbor this easily. You didn’t think so though, knowing every one of your actions had a purpose, Jungkook wasn’t a pervert for being a predictable boy, he was doing exactly what you wanted him to do. 

As the head of your toy trails down your chest you take your time, circling your navel before reaching your hips, sliding down your thighs as you lean further back and begin to spread them apart. In a slow movement that Jungkook can’t look away from, you finally reveal yourself to him, folds glistening with your arousal, coating your inner thighs, allowing the toy to glide with ease. 

Jungkook groans loudly as you pass the buzzing toy over your clit, a featherlike touch that makes you twitch and moan, his hand tightening around his cock as he twists on the way up. You were absolutely sin personified, giving him a show as you tease yourself, mouth dropped open as you finally press the toy against your clit, fingers slipping into your entrance and pumping inside of you. He can only imagine the way you sound as you stretch yourself open, hips rolling up into your hand as the pleasure jolts through you. 

Fuck, what he would do to be able to touch you, hear your moans, be the one to hold that toy against you until you were writhing around. 

You can see it in his eyes, the want clouding them as he watches you, his hand steadily pumping his length, quickening up each time your body twitches. When you pull the toy away his brows furrow, releasing his cock as he places his sticky palm against the window, wondering just what you were planning now as you reach for your phone once more. 

It only takes you a few seconds to type out the message and hit send, looking up at him with that same predatory gaze you’ve been wearing all night. As he unlocks his phone again you stand up, letting the robe fully slide off your body, pooling around your feet as you step closer to your window, arms crossed under your chest to push your tits out further as you watch him. 

Y/N 7:32pm : come over

He rereads the message three times, cock still out for you to see as he contemplates his options, finally looking back up and nearly choking when he sees the way you’re almost pressed against your own window, a sweet smile on your lips as you wave him over. That helps him make his decision, locking his phone and groaning as he slips his cock back into his briefs and shimmies his pants back on. 

Your eyes gleam as he turns to exit his room, the light dimming off as he bolts down his stairs towards his front door. When he steps out onto his porch he sees the ground is damp, small droplets now falling from the sky, the chill creeping through his thin layers as he navigates across your connected driveways with his palms covering his extremely prominent bulge. 

“Please be unlocked,” he whispers under his breath when he gets to your door, turning the knob and sighing in relief when it unlocks. Jungkook doesn’t care about manners as he steps in, locking the door behind him and instantly climbing the stairs two at a time, already knowing where your room was since your house was a mirror copy of his own. 

When he finally pushes his door open he finds you perched on your bed, fully naked and waiting for him with that same toy trailing up and down your torso. The need for introductions are thrown out the window as he crosses the room, immediately settling beside you, his large hand cupping your cheek to pull you in for a kiss. 

It catches you by surprise, the normally shy neighbor who got nervous whenever you caught him staring, never expecting him to be the type to go after what he wanted like this but the way he takes control makes you lean into his touch. His lips are tender against yours, hand guiding your face closer as he slowly licks his way into your mouth, a moan of approval leaving you as his warm tongue tickles yours. 

You’d often fantasized about kissing him, wondering if he was the type to tease, to pull back and leave you wanting more but the desperation guides his movements, stops him from not fulfilling his own desires. Jungkook kisses you with passion, hunger leading him until he’s pushing you flat on your back, hands dropping down to gently hold onto your neck. 

The toy is cast to the side, your own hands sliding through his long hair as you sigh into his mouth, the wet smacks of each kiss filling your ears. 

“Take it off,” you mumble against his lips, trailing your hands down his back and tugging his shirt up, determined to rip it off of him to finally see the glorious body you know he has. Jungkook presses a quick kiss against you before kneeling up and pulling his shirt off by his neckline, each inch of exposed skin making your mouth water. 

The way his muscles rippled, pulled taut as he stretches out and tosses the black long sleeve aside, bulging out when he finally relaxes, you can’t help but let your fingers trace each ridge on his stomach. Jungkook lets you take him in, not opposed to the lust swirling in your eyes, your tongue licking over your lips as you admire him, following the lines of each tattoo up his arm until you reach his face. 

“Like what you see?” he murmurs, looking down at you with lidded eyes, letting them roam along your body, the swell of your tits that rise with each breath, how your hips can’t keep still, searching for any bit of friction you could find. 

“You’re fucking unreal.”

He holds his breath when you begin undoing his pants, in a hurry to see his cock without the distance between you. “This is what you wanted isn’t it?” he realizes, the completely unphased look on your face, the perfectly executed texts and package delivery, just knowing that he had done everything you wanted him to do. 

“It was fun though wasn’t it Jungkook, tell me–“ he helps you tug his jeans down, his briefs going with them and joining his shirt on the floor, “What did you like more, seeing me do everyday things or watching me play with myself?”

A choked groan slips past his lips as you wrap your hand around his cock, slowly sliding up his length as you question him, enjoying the way he struggles to respond. “God you’re filthy,” he grunts, jaw slack as you sit up, face now level with his cock as he rests on his knees. 

The sly smirk you give him shows that you know this, know exactly how filthy you are, using it to your advantage to get what you wanted. With bated breath he watches the way you inch forward, tongue sticking out to gently lick the swollen head of his cock, the salty bead of precum picked up by your tongue. 

“Can’t help it.” You sink onto him as the words leave your mouth, lips wrapping around him and he sighs at the warmth that envelops him, the wetness of your tongue circling his tip making his stomach tense up, muscles flexing to keep himself from thrusting into your throat. 

The small moan you let out as he fills your mouth makes his body rattle, the feeling of his dick heavy on your tongue as you slide further down, wrapping your hand around the base to steady yourself. This was much more satisfying than seeing him play with himself a few feet away, the sighs of appreciation that float in the air each time you pull back make you keep going, wanting to see him fall apart. 

Jungkook doesn’t know when his hands tangle themselves in your hair, taking it upon himself to guide you up and down his length, starting a filthy rhythm that lit his body up. He urges you down more, hands coaxing you, pushing you further onto him until you’re choking as he fills your throat. He doesn’t think you’ve ever looked prettier, eyes full of tears, nose pressed against his stomach as you hum around his cock. 

He pulls you off of him a few seconds later, the wet gasp you let out ripping through the air as you catch your breath but that sly smile remains on your face, eyeing his messy length, bobbing slightly as he moves around. 

Leaning over you once more his hands cup your face, thumb rubbing under your eyes where he spots the unshed tears threatening to spill over, collecting against your lower lashes. “Fuck, I bet you’re pretty when you cry.”

The rasp in his voice makes your stomach flip, more wetness coating your thighs and further ruining your sheets. “Make me,” you whisper, smiling when his eyebrows raise in question. “Make me cry Jungkook.”

His cock throbs at your response, wanting nothing more than to do what you want, turn you into a crying mess as you beg for him like he often thought about. “You sure?”

With a small nod you’re crawling backwards, flipping yourself over onto your hands and knees, arching your back for him as he eyes your exposed cunt, sodden folds shining when you wiggle your hips. “I’m sure.”

Jungkook fists his cock as he approaches you, slotting his knees between your thighs, inching forward until he’s circling your entrance in a teasing motion. Flashes of the way you had spread yourself open minutes prior play in his mind as he slowly breaches your entrance, the first feeling of you taking his breath away, eyes falling shut as you let out the first moan. 

Your hands fist the sheets as he stretches you open, his size filling you up so deliciously, inch by inch splitting you open. He can’t look away from it, mesmerized with the way you take him in, molding around him like he was meant to be there. 

A whimper leaves you as he presses his palms onto your ass, holding you still once he finally bottoms out, hips pressed flush against you, walls fluttering around him as he gives you time to adjust to his size. 

“This is–“ you groan when he slides back a little, “this is just how I pictured it.” The laughter laced in your voice piques his interest, leaning over your body to see you with your face pressed against your sheets, a teasing smile on your face. 

“Yeah?” Jungkook questions, tightening his grip on your ass, fingers digging into the soft flesh, no doubt marking them for you to see later. “You pictured getting fucked from behind by your neighbor?”

“Mhm,” you squeal out, giggling when he starts to fuck into you, pulling out nearly all the way before thrusting back in, the small smack of your skin mixing in with your laughter and moans. 

“I knew it,” he grunts, trailing his hand up your spine, around your neck until his palm was pressing your face into the mattress, holding you down as he ravished you, stretched you apart and turned your impure thoughts into mush. “Knew you did it on purpose, fuck, do you know how guilty I felt?”

Your walls tighten around him and he moans out at the feeling, the warmth sucking him back in each time he pulled out, the wet squelch of you soaking his cock getting louder each time. 

“S-sorry.” It's quiet, but he knows you don’t mean it, knows the words are lace with trouble as you start to rut back onto him, the playful smile felt against his palm spelling it out for him. 

“Oh you’re sorry?” Jungkook picks up his merciless pace, knowing he found the right rhythm when you let out a cry of surprise, arching further for him and keening as he nudges against your sweet spot, the first sparks of your orgasm flashing within you. The fact that you were getting what you want sending you closer to the edge faster than expected. 

“No, I’m not,” you admit, shamelessly moaning with each thrust. There was no way in hell you were sorry, if this was the outcome you’d do it all again the same exact way. Jungkook wouldn’t argue with that, the earlier guilt he felt long gone, replaced with pure hunger, only increasing when your moans start to get breathier, the panting felt against his hand, hot and heavy as you whimpered. 

“I know you’re not, you love putting on a show for me huh, knowing I was watching you from my window while you fucked with me.”

His words make your mind spin, the intoxicating roll of his hips dragging you under into the same state of desperation he was in, weeks of mindless torture fueling the both of you with more than enough sexual frustration. 

“I loved it,” you whine when he pushes your face harder into the sheets, the roughness he’s displaying making your stomach flip, thighs spreading out further for him and you let out a trembling moan when he sinks deeper into you. 

You were going to cum, he recognized the way your body tightened up, walls clamping around him, making him curse as he continues to rut into you. Jungkook smiles as you cry out, chest pushing into your mattress, hands pulling at your sheets in desperation until suddenly, you’re cumming with a shout of his name, the feeling taking you completely by surprise. “F-fuck, Jungkook.”

He gasps as you gush around him, dripping down your thighs, creaming his cock until it's slick with your arousal. Jungkook doesn’t waste any time pulling out of you, needing to see your face as he sank back into you, now on your back with a dazed out smile. 

A soft groan drips off your tongue, thick and needy when he bottoms out once more, arms wrapping around his shoulders as he starts to rock into you, forehead sweaty with his long hair falling around his face. It frames him perfectly, a simple curtain letting you see every expression he gives you, a private show just for you to witness. 

“Wanna make you cry,” he confesses, bending down and kissing your chest, his right hand mindlessly swatting at the bed until he finds exactly what he’s looking for, that damn vibrator he had guarded with his life earlier. 

The second the small vibrations meet your ears, your eyes go wide, catching the evil smirk on his lips as he holds the toy between you, fidgeting with the settings until it’s low enough to start. “Wait Jungkook, I’m sensitive.”

He leans back enough to trail the head down your stomach, taunting you as he circles your hips and reaches your mound. “You told me to make you cry though didn’t you baby?”

The excitement rushes through you once more, letting out shaky gasp as he just barely touches your sensitive clit, your body jolting and squeezing around his cock. Jungkook shuts his eyes at the feeling, bringing it back to rest against the tiny pearl, the low settings making a hum course through you, your fingers digging into his shoulders. 

“Ah, Jungkook,” you cry, chest heaving as he starts to fuck you again, hips swirling around, unsure if you want to retreat from the toy or press against it harder, the slight sting of pain morphing into pleasure the longer he keeps it up. 

“What?” he mocks, raising the settings until you’re shouting, a delirious laugh following suit as your thighs tighten around his waist in reflex. Jungkook knows you love this, your teeth biting down onto your bottom lip as you stare at him with glassy eyes full of tears, urging him to fuck you harder, begging him for more. 

He does what you ask, pistoning his hips into you with enough force to jostle your body, the head of his cock just shy of hitting your cervix, waves of pleasure mixing in with the vibrations against your clit. Jungkook can feel his own orgasm creeping up on him, crawling up his spine, goosebumps flaring out on his skin, each wet thrust and cry from you only pushing him closer. 

Jungkook watches you carefully, lost in his own pleasure but focused enough to see the way your eyes well up further, the needy sobs you release as he fucks you just right wrapping around him and urging him on, not wanting to hold back when this is what you’ve been wanting. 

The small inkling to be mean and actually see the tears fall spurs something inside of him. With a few more clicks the vibrator hits the highest setting, buzzing intensely against your clit and you nearly thrash at the sudden feeling, back arching up as you gasp. 

Jungkook chuckles, the low timbre making you whimper as he presses the head of the toy harder against you. “You gonna cum again, make a big mess around my cock?”

“Jungkook,” it’s a choked cry of his name, your arms seeking purchase around his frame, needing something to ground you as you start to float off. 

“C’mon, wanna see you cry.” He watches in awe as your body tenses of for a moment, the pleasure catching just right to push you over. 

“Fuck, fuck–“ you chant, words slurring together as a second orgasm is pulled out of you, eyes rolling back when the euphoric feeling crashes over you, tears finally spilling over and body turning limp as he continues to fuck you through it just like the last one. He feels like he won as the wetness pools under your eyes, brows furrowing together as you mewl at the feeling of your orgasm cresting, heartbeat slowing in your chest as you come down. 

“So good,” he mumbles at the high vibrations felt against his cock, the flutters from your velvety walls keeping him from turning it off, sliding it down a bit closer to your entrance until he’s gasping as well. 

“Too much,” you plead, eyes misty as you stare at him, mouth dropping open in a quiet moan when he ruts against you in search of his own release. His free hand reaches up to cup your cheek, wiping away the stray tears that had fallen against your skin. 

“I knew you’d look pretty when you cry.” He sighs, shutting his eyes when you pulse around his length. “I’m almost there, you okay?”

His concern makes you smile, nodding as you place your hand over his own on your face, dealing with the oversensitivity for him to get his own release. “Yeah, cum inside me please.”

Jungkook groans in response, sliding the vibrator further down until it rests against the base of his cock, gliding along his length with each of his thrusts, the buzzing making his body tingle. 

“Shit,” he grunts out, hips fucking you with more urgency, rutting against you sloppily, eyes opening up to stare directly at you and the lustfilled look you give him is what pushes him over. A choked groan dies in his throat when he sinks into you as deep as he can, spurts of his cum filling you up as his face twists in pleasure, mouth dropped open to release a soft moan that you swallow with a sweet kiss.  

You hum against his lips when he thrusts shallowly a few more times until finally coming to a halt, turning off the toy and chucking it aside with no care before collapsing on top of you in pure dramatics. Jungkook has no qualms about how much he weighs, making himself right at home as he nuzzles into your chest, sighing in content when you rake your fingers through his hair. 

“I feel sweaty, and I know I made a mess on your sheets.” Jungkook mumbles out, cheek pressed against your tits, eyes slipped shut with his slowly softening cock still inside of you. No doubt would your sheets be damp with an unholy mixture of the night's debauchery, something you would surely deal with later. 

“It’s okay, I like the mess.” Your words are meant to be joking but the way his cock twitches inside you shows he takes everything you say seriously, simply rolling your eyes with a smile as you tease him further. “You’re a pervert.”

Jungkook scoffs at this now, taking full offense as he pulls out of you with an accusatory glare, eyes zeroing in on your evil smile as you prop yourself up against your headboard. “I’m the pervert?” When you nod he laughs loudly, finger pointing at you in a less than threatening manner, “Says the one who gave me free shows every night!”

“It’s not my fault you’re easy to rope in, you were hooked the second you saw me have that dance party in here huh?”

He nods instantly, knowing exactly what night you were talking about, it was the night he had moved in, before you had even realized he was your neighbor, having a full on dance party to some top 40’s from the 2000’s playlist you found. That was the first night he ever saw you and ever since then he had left his blinds cracked just to see a glimpse of you, not knowing what lewd ideas you had planned. 

“Was it the facemask that did it for you?” You laugh, playfully nudging his side with your foot as he glares, the small smile on his face showing you he wasn’t taking this seriously. 

“No, it was those sexy ass boyshorts you had on, I think they were grey. They made your ass look nice.”

He laughs with you as you squeal, knowing exactly what pair of underwear you had on, the oversized shirt doing nothing to hide them as you danced around like a lunatic. 

“Is this gonna be a thing?” he wonders, taking it upon himself to enter your bathroom to grab a towel, the least he could do was clean up the mess he had caused between your thighs. 

“What?”

“Should I text you about the weather tomorrow, call you over to mine this time? I’ll let you choke me if you’re into that.” He says it so casually it catches you by surprise, a cackle leaving you as he finishes cleaning you up, handing you your robe to cover up as he slips back into his underwear. 

“Are you into that?”

“I could be,” he winks, flopping onto your bed beside you, letting his hand trail up your thigh until it reaches the hem of your robe, tracing the goosebumps that flare up because of it. 

That was definitely something you could work with, mind already planning out the next time you’d torture your neighbor, wondering just how your hands would look like wrapped around his thick neck. Maybe you could see if he looked pretty when he cried. 

He spots the mischief in your face instantly but before he could indulge you further, there was one thing absolutely eating away at his mind. “By the way, you never added me to that gossip group chat.”

Your lips purse into a tight smile as your fingers return to his hair, twirling each strand as you hold back a laugh, knowing it absolutely did not exist. You weren’t in the mood to crush his spirit, knowing he desperately wanted to know the ins of the neighborhood gossip so you simply shrug in faux apology, telling yet another white lie. “My bad, I’ll add you tomorrow.”

It’s good enough for Jungkook pressing a kiss against your thigh as he thinks of what the following night will bring, his mind also picturing just how cute your hands would look around his neck. 

[momolady]

Dean the Werewolf: Part Two

Out on the boardwalk, down by the mysterious creepy monster that keeps showing up for some reason.

Female Reader x Male Monster (both cis)

The new yoga class that Rosie is taking you to starts at the time you usually begin your workout. Actually, it starts an hour later, so you get to make yourself one of your rare fancy breakfasts. It’s not that fancy - you just add an avocado to your usual fare - but you get to savor it, which makes it extra fancy.

You meet up with Rosie half way through your run, and together you go to the building where the class is held, an old chain store that went out of business and has been retrofitted as office spaces. The new yoga studio is at the back, so you walk through the central lot, which has a small cafe, outdoor seating and lots of plants. “We’ll get coffee before we go!” Rosie is so excited. She’s been wanting to try yoga, but the one class offered at the gym is a bit advanced. This class is tailored for beginners and casual types.

The class is already quite full, but you and Rosie manage to find a spot near the corner. It’s closer to the front than you would like, but everyone seems to be staying towards the back. “I wonder who the teacher is,” Rosie says quietly. “I know it’s a guy. I wonder if he’s cute.”

You smirk at her. “How many times do I have to remind you about Mikey?”

“It’s just nice to have something to look at. Chill.” Rosie’s eyes light up as she looks towards the door at the back of the classroom. “No way. The Shadow is here!”

You turn to see Dean coming through the door in the rear. He moves to the front of the class and pulls out a stereo before putting on the music. “Is he the teacher?”

“Oh, wow, he’s not what I expected.” Rosie sits at attention like the rest of the class.

“Good morning,” Dean says charmingly. “How is everyone doing today? Well, I hope you’re all excited to join us. This is our very first class, and we’re excited to finally be up and going after months of getting the space ready.”

“I wonder if this was the good work he was talking about,” you murmur.

Rosie leans towards you. “What?” You try to brush her off as Dean keeps talking.

“Just so you know, there are two things I wanna start with before we get serious. One, I got a cavity filled yesterday, and my jaw still kind of hurts. Two, this is a port wine stain.” He touches the birthmark on his face. “I’m not burned, it doesn’t hurt, and I’ve had this since I was born. No, I don’t want it fixed. And no, my mother did not drink wine while she was pregnant with me. It’s just a term.”

Rosie’s cheeks turn bright red as you giggle. Dean spots you, and smiles in your direction before returning to the class. “Okay, now we can get down to business. I want you all to sit, get nice and comfortable, and we are going to breathe.” He sits and instructs you on how to breathe, which is nice. You didn’t expect simple breathing to be so pleasant.

You’re quite stiff, so some of the poses you go through are difficult to master. Dean is very busy going around the class and helping others before he reaches you. “Mind if I position your hips?”

“Uh…” You’re a bit embarrassed. “Okay!”

He places his hands firmly and gently on your hips, helping you to move into a better pose. “There we go. Remember to breathe. After a while this will get easier to do.”

“I sure hope so. I’ve never been able to touch my toes,” you say jokingly.

Dean chuckles, helping you move into the next pose. “Give me a couple of weeks, and I’ll have you touching your toes.”

“Do I need to call the cops?” Rosie teases.

“Hopefully not.” Dean stands back up, going to help another student.

After the class ends, lots of people go to the front to sign up for packages and memberships. You’re still sitting, relishing the act of breathing deeply. “Oh shoot,” Rosie huffs.

“What’s the matter?” you ask.

Rosie is looking at her phone. “It’s Mikey. He wants to eat my pussy.”

“Rosie, c’mon!” you whine.

“I guess I’ll go home. Sorry I can’t get a fancy coffee with you.” She stands up. “I’ll sign up for a membership online. Are you going to join?”

You glance towards Dean at the front. “I’m thinking about it.”

“Alright, I’ll see you later then.” Rosie leaves. You get up to roll your mat, then approach the front, where the crowd has thinned out a bit.

“How did you like it?” Dean asks, looking excited.

“It was fun. I didn’t expect to enjoy it as much as I did. I also didn’t expect you to be the teacher.”

Dean chuckles. “I was surprised to see you too. And yeah, the reason I moved out here was to be an instructor. The lady I worked for before retired, so my friend and I opened up this place together.”

“That’s pretty impressive. Was there not a lot of demand for yoga in Hearthway Hollow?” you ask, hoping this will provide an opening to ask about the werewolf rumor.

Dean sighs heavily. “There were plenty of studios down there, but making money was the hard part. I can actually make money out here, even if it’s a long way to travel.” Dean then points to the membership board. “Are you looking to sign up?”

You shrug. “Sure. Rosie and I will probably make this our weekend thing.”

“Good,” Dean says brightly. “I don’t have another class for a while, my business partner is teaching the next one. Wanna get something at the cafe?”

Your heart flips and your stomach flops. You stumble with your words, then settle on nodding. “Sure. I’ve got nothing else to do until later.”

“Okay, great! Go sign up, I’m going to change shirts really quick.” He leaves and you go to the sign up board, leaving your information. You wait for him, and when he comes out it’s the first time you’ve seen him with his hair out of its bun. The division between the dark hair on one side and the grey-and-white on the other is even more stark, reminding you of Cruella de Vil. Dean fusses with it, then just stops and lets it hang. “Ready?”

“Yeah. How’s your tooth?” you ask.

“My jaw is sore from the shot, but the tooth feels so much better. I was actually able to have ice cream last night.” Dean leads you out to the cafe, where people from the class have already gathered.

“You like ice cream?” you chuckle.

“So much. It’s my guilty pleasure,” Dean says with a wink.

You want to bring up werewolves, but how? “So, I looked up your town last night.”

There’s a noticeable bristle in Dean’s demeanor. “Really? Were you that curious about it?” He rubs his neck.

You try to reassure him with a smile. “A little. I could just be nosy, too. But I found something weird…”

Dean scoffs. “Here it comes.”

“So you’re aware.” You don’t want to laugh just yet.

“Is it about the werewolves?” Dean asks.

“Maybe?”

Dean shrugs and pops his neck. “All the neighboring towns back home think the werewolf rumors are hilarious. Ever since that Twilight shit came out, it’s only made it worse.”

“Oh…” You fidget, feeling guilty you brought up.

“Sorry. I think it’s…” He hesitates, and you can see how hard he’s thinking. “People think werewolves are evil, right? Which is bad for a small town like Hearthway Hollow. I don’t want anyone thinking anything bad about the people there, just because werewolf history is…” Dean stops again. “I know you like this paranormal stuff, so maybe you understand what I’m trying to say.”

“It’s pitbulls vs chihuahuas.”

Dean frowns at you. “Huh?”

“Chihuahuas are the most vicious dog breed, right? But they don’t have the stigma that pitbulls have. So werewolves have the pitbull stigma, when in reality there are chihuahuas out there who just attack who they want.”

Dean’s expression softens, and he starts to laugh. “Who’s the chihuahua in this situation?” he cackles

“I’m just trying to help!” You can’t help but giggle, seeing him laugh like that. You continue to laugh even as you make your drink order. Dean pays for your coffee, and you sit down together. It feels natural. The more you talk to him, the more and more you like him.

“Just so I don’t seem weird, would it be okay if I got your number now, rather than take it from the sign-up board?” Dean asks. “I don’t wanna be that guy.”

You bite your lip and nod. “I’d prefer it.”

“And, uh, just so I get that analogy correctly,” he murmurs as he takes out his phone. “You like pitbulls, right?”

You put your number into his contacts with a smile. “They’re my favorite dogs.”

“Okay, cool. Awesome.” Dean looks at his phone and types something. You get a text a second later. “That’s me.”

You look at your phone and grin. “A date?”

Dean nods. “Whenever you’re free.”

You could almost kiss him. “I’ll check my schedule when I get home, but I’m free this evening, unless you’re busy because it’s opening day.”

Dean looks very disappointed. “Yeah, it’s going to be hectic today. We’ll probably have a private celebration for the first day, then hit the bed until tomorrow.”

“Make sense. I’ll let you know what days are good for me when I get back home. Thanks for the coffee.” You stand up from the table. “Good luck with the rest of your opening day.”

“Thanks,” Dean beams. “I look forward to hearing from you.”

At home, you shower immediately out of force of habit. After that you message Dean back with the days you can go out. Saturdays are usually best, but you’re willing to give up an evening to go out with him. You don’t hear from him for a while - he’s busy, after all. But when he does reply, you get excited.

“I know it’s an odd day, but would Wednesday evening be okay?”

“Yeah, that’s fine. I get off work around five, so how about we meet up somewhere at six?” you ask.

“Sounds good! Anywhere you’d like to go?”

You smile to yourself. “Would I be awful if I asked for a surprise?”

“Not at all. I’ll figure something out that’ll be fun. I’m kind of excited. Is that too embarrassing?” Dean texts back.

He’s so cute. “I’m excited too. It’s not embarrassing.”

“Okay, good!”

You text back and forth on and off with Dean all day, as you give your place its monthly deep clean. Once you’re done, it starts getting dark out, so you take a quick shower, have your dinner, and get into bed. It’s early, but you liked to catch up on TV on Saturday evenings. You play around on your phone a bit , reading up on werewolves. You read the story of Lyacon, who made a meal of a sacrificed boy, which angered Zeus so much that the god turned Lyacon and all his sons into werewolves. A Norse legend speaks of a father and son who wore magical pelts that turned them into wolves, and went on a killing spree which only ended when the father almost killed the son. It’s only until recently that werewolf stories emerged which softened their image, made them sympathetic and even heroic. There’s a lot of erotica too, but that’s a different story.

When you fall asleep, you drift into a dream. You’re dressed as Little Red Riding Hood, running through the forest, hoping to evade the hidden dangers in the trees until you reach the safety of the cottage up ahead. But the cottage stays fixed in the distance, no matter how far you move. You come to a stop, and the forest stretches out around you in every direction You hear raspy breathing from the trees, laughter and low voices. From the corner of your eye you see grey fur. You try to track it, but it keeps moving out of your field of view.

You walk ahead, and this time you reach the cottage in a few steps. You knock on the door, but there’s no reply. Again you see a flash of gray fur from the corner of your eye. You turn to catch it, but it moves away too quickly. You stand on tiptoe to peer through the cottage window, and inside you see a woman naked in bed, head thrown back, crying out in passion. Between her open thighs is a massive beast covered in fur. You watch curiously as the beast brings the woman to ecstasy. Her body shivers, her back arches, and the creature grins with pleasure as he lifts his great head. He’s a werewolf, his jowls glistening with the woman’s arousal. You marvel at how big his tongue is as he laps up the mess.

“All the better to eat you with, my dear.” The voice breathes into your ear, sending shivers and jolts of arousal down your legs. The wolf inside looks out the window and directly into your eyes, and grins wickedly before descending on the woman again. Hands climb up your legs, grasping you around the hips and holding you in place as you feel fur tickle the back of your legs. The werewolf growls into your ear, and you wake up.

You swallow hard, blinking blindly into the darkness around you. You check your phone for the time, then set it aside as you catch your breath. You’ve never had a wet dream like that before. You stand up to get a drink of water and try and sort this out. After reading all those werewolf stories, and some of the erotica, you were bound to have this kind of dream! Not to mention you’re excited for your date with Dean. You have high hopes for it going well and for ending your dry spell.

You get back in bed with your cold glass of water, and see that Dean has sent a text message while you were in the bathroom. “I know it’s late, but I’m out and about and had a good idea for a date. I can’t wait to see you again. I’m a little drunk.”

“Drink some water. Get some rest,” You text him back. Then you lean back against the headboard, sipping the cold water until you’ve mostly cooled down. But the dream comes back, and this time, you’re the woman on the bed.

On Wednesday evening, you’re waiting to be picked up. You’re nervous, which you know is silly, because you’ve seen Dean at the gym the past couple of mornings. This isn’t something completely new, except it really is. When Dean finally pulls up, he gets out of his car to greet you. “Okay, so I have reservations at a great restaurant. I have a couple of other things in mind, but I think we should see how we feel after we eat.”

Dean is beaming, and his hair is down too, showing off how long and wavy it is. He’s dressed nicely and smells delightful. You fidget shyly, feeling even more nervous to see him looking so good. “Okay. That sounds fun.”

“Everything okay?” Dean asks.

You nod. “You look really, really nice.”

Dean’s cheeks darken. “So do you.” His eyes dart around for a second, but then he smiles, and in the next instant you’re kissing. His hair is so soft. His hands are warm, and his lips feel amazing. Your head is spinning, and those werewolf sex dreams come back to haunt you.

Dean breaks the kiss. “Sorry,” he breathes. “I…”

You shake your head. “It’s okay. I was just thinking.” Your mind wanders, dazed.

“Dinner?”

“Dinner! Yeah,” you laugh.

The rest of the date goes well. Dean takes you out to eat, and afterwards you go for a walk to the pier, where live music is being performed. You end up kissing again, a lot more. You almost invite him up to your place, but decide to wait. You go out again on Thursday night, at a bar near your house, where you share a couple of drinks while you talk. You end up making out again, but just when you want to invite him over, Dean gets a call from his business partner and has to leave.

You plan a better date for Sunday afternoon. You’ve offered to make Dean lunch, then go out for a walk. It’s your usual Sunday routine, but it’s also partly a trap. If the mood is right, you can take it to your bedroom. If not, you’ll get a lovely walk.

Dean arrives at your door, looking a bit nervous. “Your place looks nice.”

“I just did a deep clean last week,” you tell him. “I can give you a tour before I finish up our lunch.”

“You do your cooking. I don’t wanna be a bother.” Dean looks around, then takes a seat. “I’m trying to be a good boy today.”

“A good boy?” you chuckle.

“Yeah, I’ve been handsy the last couple of times we went out. I’m telling myself to calm down and enjoy the moment.”

You smile shyly. “I thought that was me doing that.”

Dean’s smile grows. “No. Well, maybe not entirely.” His cheeks darken and he looks out the window. “You have a great view.”

“Thanks. I think I need to get curtains. Last night that full moon was driving me crazy,” you huff. “It was so damn bright. I can see why werewolves howl at it.”

Dean’s eyes widen. “Werewolves?”

“I mean wolves.” You feel caught. “I did!”

Dean looks you over. “Still on your werewolf kick?”

You look down to focus on what’s on the stove. “I know it bothers you. I’m sorry. I just got really curious.”

“It’s not werewolves I have an issue with,” Dean murmurs. “It’s hard to explain. I don’t even know how to explain it.” He stops and presses his lips into a firm line. “Maybe…”

“Maybe?” You turn to him again. “Maybe what?”

Dean’s eyes focus on you. He pulls his hair to the side, then tugs at the sleeves of his shirt, takes a deep breath and stands up. “Do you think these things you read about are real?” He approaches you. “Bigfoot and Mothman and all those things - do you think they’re actually out there, or do you think it’s all fun?”

You turn down the heat on the stove. “I think there are things out there that do exist. I’ve seen a ghost before. So why not all these other things? Why not werewolves and Mothman?”

Dean’s brow furrows. “You’ve seen a ghost?”

“When I was little. She would walk outside my door at night.” You smile shyly. “That’s why I like to read the Spoopy Forecast and stories about werewolves. Because I think it’s selfish to believe that humans are alone in the world.”

“But aren’t you afraid of those things?” Dean asks.

You sigh. “Of course I am! I’m not crazy. That Beach Beast has me so scared I haven’t been on my usual run route in three weeks!”

Dean looks a tad guilty. “What if those things were nice, though? What would you do?”

You shrug. “That seems like a fantasy. I dunno. Maybe talk to them? See if they’re okay?”

Dean comes closer. “Would you ever kiss one?” he asks teasingly.

You smirk at him. “Depends how cute they are.”

Dipping down, Dean kisses you, and you sigh happily as the kisses deepen. His hands knead into your hips and a low moan rumbles in his throat. “I really like you,” he murmurs into your ear.

“I really like you too.” You loop your arms around his neck. “What should we do about it?”

You kiss again, the intent growing more and more passionate. You may have to delay lunch, you think. But then Dean says something completely unexpected. “I’m a werewolf. I can show you.”

[tparker48]

About a week ago, Chris couldn't shake the thought of him not gaining any view on his blog. From he heard from his viewers, he wasn't big enough to focus on muscles. Furious at the feedback, he pondered on the thought until a random figure texted him.

"Seems like your in quite the rut huh? Not getting any muscle there big guy?"

"Who the heck are you? And how did you get this number"

"Devin's the name, but you can call me an opportunity. You want yo know how to get big right? Well then here's your chance. My program should be arriving shortly"

"Program?" His door would begin to ring as he jumped to his feet. Walking over to the door, he peeked into the hole as he looked down. A package would be there siting there on the welcome as its edges peered the lens. Opening the door, he looked around but found no one. But he soon received a text as he looked back at his phone.

"Consider this your free trial offer. I'll give you a week before I collect payment. Make sure you have it, otherwise well...just make sure you have" the text read before the their texts vanished. Leaving Chris to ponder on what happened as he stared at the box in front of him. Shrugging to himself, he pucked up the box as he went inside.

A week later, Chris would be at the gym as worked out his new muscles. Relishing in the pounds he gained as he went to take pictures of himself in the mirror and flexed his front side for that camera as his trainer . "Yeahh, that's what im talking about. Another perfect day at the gym. With some progress to show off" he smiled to himself as he flexed his abdomen. The bumps along them slightly surfacing before disappearing.

"Taking my new training session to good use I see. Glad to see it worked out" a random voice said behind him.

"Oh, it's you, Devin right? I'll say, my phone's been getting messages non stop on the blog. You're program really did its job great"

"Good good...speaking of attention, remember the other week i told you that my session were temporarily free"

"...yeah?"

"Good. See the thing is...its been a while now since I told you that, and well now it's time to pay up" Devin says as he waved his hand in the air.

"Ah...ya see, you've caught me a little short at the moment. But I promise I'll get it to you next week"

"Ahe, surely you got something in those pockets of yours. Afterall, you got a whole blog of people that pay you. You may want reconsider"

"Yeah I get it, but seriously I don't have anything for you right"

"Tsk, That's a darn shame. Well, i guess you'll have to pay it another way" Devin reached behind his back as he pulled out a minigun.

"What do you mean by tha-" **zap!**. Before he knew what happened, everything zoomed out at once as his body miniaturized inti the open air. His equipment and phone falling to the ground as hus body landed in Devin's hand. Tumbling along his fingers before two of them snagged onto the collar of his shirt. "What did you do to me!".

"Shrunk you of course, can't have you running away before ya pay"

"I told you, i don't have it! I'll give you the money you want next week"

"Next week huh? Pretty decent time. You'll even be back before you're trip ends"

"What trip? I didn't sign up for anything"

""Oh im certain you can guess pal" Devin lifted Cris just over him as he opened his mouth. The hot breath inside fuming out like an oven as his through wiggled in the back.

"Woah woah you're gonna eat me?!"

"See? Now you're catching on"

"You can't do this! My blog will start to worry. They'll be looking for me"

"Sweet little Chris, you're fans won't worry about a thing. You'll be back online in a week, as soon as I get that is" without a chance to let Chris ponder on what he said, he let go of his shirt as he tumbled into the fleshy caverns embrace. His upper half managing to flip backwards as he legs lodged into Devin's gullet.

"Wait a second!" Chris says as he clawed along the back of the tongue. His body begin to slip even deeper as the throat muscles squished closer to his head "how will I know its been a wee-"**gulp!**

"You'll know" Devin felt his throat juggle as chris traveled down hus throat. The muscles dragging him deeper until he plunged into his stomach. It would expand near the bottom of his gut, just enough for him feel his presence as firm abdomen aligned tightly along it. "You can stay there till next week. Get comfy, and don't worry about eating food. I'll make sure you get plenty" he rubbed his stomach before he felt a kick from the inside. His abs barely budging, but he did notice the thumping sound from the other side. "Save your energy, my abs are too strong for the state your in" Devin puts on his mask as he left the locker room as he tucked his distended belly into his shirt. His belly's roundness still showing around the gut as it bounced with each step he took.

When a week finally past, Devin would be walking along the side walk as he stood in front of Chris's house. Sitting along the porch, he inhaled the open air as his lungs filled with delight. "Ah smells like pay day is just about here. Speaking of smell, how's breakfast in there?" He says talking to his stomach. He could hear the audible muffle from inside bubbles begin to churn from the inside. As he notice that chris began to buck along the inner walls, he only gave it a pat as the walls squished him back to the center. "Careful now, you'll tire yourself out that way. Here comes the mailman" Devin notices the truck pull into the sidewalk as the mail guy brought the mail. Taking it the envelopes, he began flipping through each one as he tossed the others to the floor. "Trash...trash...ugh,more trash..ah there it is" he pulled out a yellow envelope that had the banks signature on. Opening it, he saw the cash inside as he took about a chunk of the bills. "Yeah, that'll do" he says before tossing the envelope to the side. His stomach would begin to bounce as Chris's turned to barks. "Alright pal, That's enough stewin'. I got what i wanted" he pounded his stomach as he felt the contents inside launch into his throat. Feeling the tube fill with liquid, he squeezed his muscles in place as he focused only on Chris's form. As he plopped into his mouth, he aim towards the grass as he spat him out. Bits out of covering his shirt as they trailed off the stems in the lawn. "There we go" he belched "welcome back to the outside world".

"That...is one experience I don't want to again"

"Then perhaps next time you'll me on time" he moved his finger through the bills in his hand before putting them in his pants pocket. "Welp, pleasure doing business with you pal" he says turning aways.

"Hey! What about my size?! You can't leave me like this"

"That costs extra" he says before disappearing around the corner.

"Hey! Come back here! You hear me?!....great, not only am i broke for the next two weeks, now im stuck like too. Ugh, and my close smell like a gronola bar. How could this possibility get any worse" as he started to get up, a large shadow would cast over him as pair of feet in flip flops stopped just in front.

"Heyy, a new toy to play with"

"I just had to open mouth!"