#and we will probably keep calling him Ricky even after more than one of us knows who he is in character or he introduces himself properly

[kirchenaere]

Working on the next illustration for my CoS game now that we’re “done” with Vallaki and I decided to include some tiny Martikovs behind our pal Ricky eavesdropping at the bar

[tmzrkstan]

ZB1 as boyfriend things

•----------••----------••----------••----------••-------•

genre: fluff, romantic, relantionship.

•----------••----------••----------••----------••-------•

❀Jiwoong:

*He´s not only your boyfriend but your personal caregiver;

*So concerned about you getting hurt physically or not that always has his arm around your waist and asks if you are good when you're out;

*If you working or doing something for school on your computer he is right there, his hand on your leg, probably working too;

*Even when you two can´t really act like a couple Jiwong will make your legs or hands touching where no one can see;

*The big reason beyond this is not only that he loves your touch, but wants you to know that he is there for you;

*You can be sure that this man would kiss your forehead 24/7;

❀Hanbin:

*Words of affirmation every minute;

*Hypes you up in long speechs anytime he has a chance:

*Wants to make sure that you see how much you are capable and that he loves you no matter what;

*You can´t think of anyone else to talk when you're feeling bad and end up in long late calls (he also confirmes that you're not annoying him);

*If he sees or hears that someone has hurt you he will make sure that person gets visited by karma;

*It's impossible not to melt at the sight of him with a silly passionate expression looking deep into your eyes telling that he loves you;

❀Zanghao:

*Completely sucker for finding places and discovering new things with you;

*Always sneaking out during free times, most of them testing different restaurants;

*Just the two of you giving more and making new memories;

*He just thinks it's great for keeping the relationship alive and fun;

*Always making sure you'll be comfortable exploring unknown areas;

❀Matthew:

*Making you shy it's his favorite hobby;

*Loves to kiss you unexpectedly and leave you completely surprised;

*Doesn't leave words out, knows very well when to whisper something dirty in your ear;

*But he sure prefers physical contact;

*Oh, just that funny smile he gives when he sees the effect he has on you!!!!!

❀Taerae:

*Simply spending time with you is enough;

*You both like to go out, but home dates are a favorite for practicality and safety;

*From enjoying a meal and watching something to lying in bed with him playing some melody on the guitar;

*For him it is more important to really be together paying attention to the other than the place;

❀Ricky:

*We don't even need to confirm again that he's addict to spoiling;

*But not only using his money and also giving you attention;

*From the outside, they might see him as someone who only cares about himself, but oh boy lovelicky attacks every day;

*Going to visit you with a gift in hand and holding you in his arms the whole time;

*If you start with "I wanted to..." he'll do it for you no matter what;

*And don't even think about complaining!

❀Gyuvin:

*His passion is to see you losing your mind after hours of him annoying you;

*Do little daily competitions with you always stealing and throwing it in your face that you lost;

*Makes you pay a bounty as a prize, that's how he gets your kisses;

*Even when he says raise the flag of peace, it's not over;

*Waits until you give in and you're hugging to whisper how he's better at something;

❀Gunwook:

*All he wants is to hold your hand and cuddle all day;

*Has a lot of youthful energy but is calm and sweet in your relationship;

*Always tries hard to show that he loves you by doing something for you;

*But actually the physical contact already makes it clear;

*Runs to be loved in hugs when he's feeling low;

*Holding hands everywhere and not letting it go for anything that happens;

❀Yujin:

*The maknae here is used to receiving attention and care ALL the time so you have to deal with it;

*He won't ask you, but will make it clear that he wants you around;

*Pretend to be mad when you wear the pants in the relationship;

*Deep down he loves being taken care of by you, but he will never admit it;

*Pouts and sly moments happen every day in your relationship;

*Just a baby looking for comfort and love <3;

[sardonic-the-writer]

𝐀 𝐑𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐋𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠

↳ summary: in which you and ten crash land in the tardis. again

↳ warnings: none! reader kept gender neutral as always

↳ song: line without a hook—ricky montgomery

masterlist!

If you could describe the Doctor in a few words, it would be out of his fucking mind.

You had been traveling with him for well over a year now—although at this point who really knew. You were operating a time machine half of the time.

But in all that time with him, warped or not, you were yet to completely nestle yourself next to the agent of chaos known as the Doctor. Instead, you were left scrambling to keep up with his whirlwind ways, enjoying it sometimes and rather not at others.

It was the latter at the moment.

Smoke poured from the Tardis's console in a funny red color, prompting a round of coughs to come from both you and the alien standing not but five feet from you.

"I swear to god—" You paused to cough some more, slightly jumping at the way the Doctor was currently banging a mallot on the control board, "—if you stuck us in the dark ages again I am going to strangle that skinny neck of yours."

The ruby red smoke had wafted away just enough to give you a good look at the Doctor's face now, allowing you to take in the way his glasses hung off the tip of his nose in a dangerous teeter. Like an acrobat performing a daring stunt on a rope. You might have found the sight cuter if it wasn't for the bumpy landing you had just been sucepted to. Probably the reason his glasses were dangling like that, now that you thought about it.

One would think after all the time the Doctor had spent with the Tardis he would take better care of it, treating the beautiful box like a newborn baby. But nope. Here you were, watching as he hit the thing like it was a vending machine that had stolen his money.

"No no no, not the middle ages. I made sure to specifically avoid that this time. I think." He finally responded, looking at you and blinking thoughtfully.

"Gee thanks. That really reassures me." You snorted. He just flashed a brilliant grin your way; the very one you can never manage to stay mad at for too long. Even if you were being chased by a hoard of intergalactic killers in the process.

"Oh come on!" He sang your name joyfully while connecting two wires to each other and igniting a spark. "Since when have I ever let you down? Sure, sometimes we get in what you could call a bit of a pickle, but we always get out of it! What's the fun in time travel if you can't experience a little toss of the dice!"

His words echoed about the big blue box as he rushed around, alarms blaring and machinery clicking with issues. You yourself were fiddling with bolts and nuts at this point in an attempt to help, more than willing to admit that you cared about the Tardis enough to get your hands dirty for repairs.

"Yeah, alright then mister smarty pants. Take us to a fun planet this time, yeah? I don't want to hear a single allons-y out of your mouth until we've set foot someplace without something trying to kill us!" A brown head of hair peaked over from his position at you, eyes drinking in your words with a cross between a pout and a thoughtful frown.

"I don't remember all my companions being this difficult." He lamented.

"If you call being difficult wanting to live, then you must not pick your companions very well." Your own head popped up to face his own, the both of you know kneeling on the ground peering at each other from opposite sides of the Tardis.

You stopped for a moment to look at the Doctor and his disheviled appearance from rushing around his ship wildly. You reached the conclusion that you must look the same way. What other reason would the Doctor be staring so softly at you for?

It didn't take long before a smile crept onto your face, a small laugh slipping past your lips as you saw the hilarity of the situation.

"Look at us." The Doctors own lips quirked up into a smile, head tilting slightly to the left. "On the floor with our hair sticking up all over the place. I probably look like a mad scientist right now." He giggled, propping his chip up on the metal of the keyboard before him.

"Not more than you usually do anyways." You grinned right back.

"Hey!"

"Sorry sorry! Couldn't resist." You apologized.

The Tardis chose that moment to let out a large shudder, the wooden encasing of it creaking dangerously. Your hands clenched into little fists, searching for purchase on any nearby surface in case of another crash landing. The Doctor mirrored the motion, only he wasn't so lucky as to stay upright, instead falling over onto the floor with a yelp.

"Alright over there?" You managed to yall over all the noise. You were provided with a thumbs up in response, the Doctor groaning from his position on his floor, not attempting to get up until the shaking of his ship had ceased.

"Don't suppose you could tell me what that was?" You attempted to brush imaginary dust and dirt off your pants as you stood up and cautiously crossed the distance between you and him—still afraid of another impromptu earthquake.

"Er, well, good news and bad news." He announced, pushing his glasses up and scratching at the back of his neck with a wrench that had seemingly appeared in his hand out of nowhere. You swore he was hiding an entire toolbox from you at this point.

"How about the good news first?"

"Well, we've landed. No longer floating amongst time and space without a set destination." He grinned, turning a few dials and nobs ferociously.

"And the bad news?" You prodded, searching for anyway to help improve this already out of control situation.

"I have no idea where we are." He finished with a flourish of his hands. You sent a deadpan look towards him as he twirled around to smile at you, placing his hands on his hips happily. "Exciting, isn't it?"

He hesitated when you didn't immediately respond with the same level of energy. Or any energy at all to be exact.

"You know, you and Donna would have gotten on really well I reckon." He sighed, carding a hand through his wild hair with a soft smile. As if imagining the frequently mentioned red head next to you. Something that you were sure he was doing.

"From what I've heard about her, yeah, we would." You huffed. The Doctor raised an eyebrow at your confession. He was curious to hear your reasoning.

"I'd personally enjoy someone smacking you upside that head of yours every now and then. Might knock some sense into you."

To enunciate your point you reached over to swat him on the shoulder with a grin, drinking in the way he pretended to be hurt just to amuse you.

"Oh how you wound me." The Doctor joked.

Jumping up suddenly, you were left trailing after your curious little alien man as he made his way to grab his coat, making a beeline stright for the Tardis's doors.

"I'll make you a deal alright?" He rubbed his hands together whilst you stuck yours in the inside of your pockets, nodding to let him know you were hearing him out.

"I go out first to see if there's any danger, and if I'm still alive to let you know that there's none, then we stay!"

He sounded proud of himself. As if he hadn't just proposed a situation that would possibly throw him into the center of a hostile planet.

"I dunno Doctor. As much as I like not dying, I'm not sure I like the idea of you dying any better." You kicked at the ground with a wince, not liking the way the image of a tombstone with the words The Doctor flashed through your mind.

"Oh come on!" He drew out the last word, stooping down to get closer to you. His bottom lip was slightly stuck out, almost as if in an act of pouting. "I haven't had the chance to go on a nice adventure with just us in ages! I'd like to finally be able to do that, you know."

His voice had gone a bit softer at the end, clearing his throat awkwardly and shifting from foot to foot. You blinked, taking in the way his eyes darted across your face in search of an answer. As if nervous, which was a first.

He was right, though. Neither of you had been preoccupied with other people the past few places you had gone. Of course, it had all been for the greater good. Saving millions of people's lives and whatnot. But you cared for the Doctor—maybe more than you wanted to admit—and who knows when you'd get the chance for some one on one time again?

"Okay." You caved in with a crooked smile, knowing you were going to follow him anyways no matter what. He had you hooked like that. "Let's go crazy man."

"Oh yes! You're brilliant, you are!" He whooped, snatching you up in a quick hug before dropping you to the ground again, leaving your head spinning with serotonin. You couldn't help but look at his eyes sparkling with joy and smile back.

"Can I say it now?" He cut off your train of thought, or rather lack of one as you stared into his warm chocolate eyes, with a hopeful glance.

"Say what?" You furrowed your brows, snapping out of whatever trance you had been in.

"You know!" He waved his arms around wildly, looking quite silly. "The thing! That I say!"

It took you a moment before your creased brow relented into a knowing look.

"Oh yeah! Of course, of course. Yes, go ahead." You elbowed him playfully, surprised he even remembered your half-serious demand from a few moments ago.

"Well in that case—" The Doctor took his glasses off, closing them in one smooth motion while he beamed at you, "—allons-y!"

And then he opened the doors, giving way to a new chapter of your life.

[unhingedthirst]

“It’s my thigh or nothing, I’m not helping you get off.” For Cyrus × Fem!Reader

I was promised a kidney for this but honestly the fact that you love and support my work will always be more than enough!

Edit- I wrote this right when it was requested but intended to finish it at some point- I didn’t so have this first part of an unfinished fic :3

Living in Sunnyvale and having a situationship with Cyrus came with its own set of difficulties. You didn’t know exactly what you guys were but you know that living next to his sworn enemy was the catalyst for a lot of rough angry sex. Not that you were complaining. Julian, bubbles and Ricky pestered you often about your involvement with Cyrus. You were all sitting around in Julian’s trailer smoking dope laughing about something dumb Ricky said. You all sat in a comfortable silence for a few moments and than Ricky turned to you “why are you dating that fucking dick Cyrus anyway?” It seemingly came out of nowhere but you looked around your friends and they just waited for your response with eager eyes. You sighed “one we aren’t dating..we just hang out.” You say sheepishly and Julian scoffs at you “I can’t believe you bang that creep” you roll your eyes at the man; their disgust used to bother you a lot more but now it was just par for the course. “You guys are just mad that you aren’t banging me” you say confidently and the men collectively groan. You didn’t even know if that statement was true but by how jealous they all acted it be seemed like the logical answer. Bubbles finally spoke after awhile of just listening “you’re a pretty lady and all” he sqawks out and you smile softly with pride “but we care about you. He’s not a good guy!” Bubbles explains and you pat his knee lovingly. A deep blush forms on his cheeks and than Julian speaks again “he can’t even protect you he’s a fucking pussy” Ricky nods. You huff a frustrated breathe and than quickly duck and cover when Ricky pulls out his gun and starts waving it around “he can’t even shoot anything! He’s a dumb idiot coward! He can’t protect you from shit!” Ricky yelled and you got up to leave as Julian and bubbles start scolding him. You yell a goodbye and leave the rest of your dope as a sign of good faith. What they didn’t understand is how sweet Cyrus is with you; fingers in your hair and lips pressed to your neck. Every time you saw him he’d pull you into his lap and say “tell me about your day baby.” It felt so intimate. There was definitely feelings involved on both sides but you weren’t about to be the dumb girl that tries to tie a guy like Cyrus down. He was also so amazing in bed; when you guys were alone and he starts touching you, you lose all brain function. you found your way once again in Cyrus’s car; you’d called him the second you left Julian’s trailer. He was quick to pick you up; eager to get laid probably. As he pulls in front of your trailer the boys are sitting around the shit mobile now drinking. You close your eyes and take a deep breathe bracing for the annoyance you are about to endure. Cyrus makes eye contact with Ricky as he goes in and kisses you hello. Before you could commend Ricky for keeping his cool Cyrus yells out “Fuck off Ricky. I’ve got work to do” and points to you. You shove him with your elbow as you bury your face in your hands. Ricky loses it throwing a beer bottle and screaming at your non boyfriend’s red corvette as he speeds out. Cyrus has always been a tough nut to crack, if felt like he was constantly on a losing streak but with you it felt like he was winning. It started out as just fucking someone hot that he was pretty sure Julian and Ricky were interested in but now it turned into another person accepting him as he was even if it meant you being okay with him keeping you at arms length. You hadn’t discovered how much of a loser he was yet and he was eager to keep it that way.

[hsmtmts-arrows]

okay SO basically, i was kinda half-asleep and half dreaming, yk??? like the thoughts just Come to u. it was like that

( /// TW TRANSPHOBIC LILY BECAUSE SHE SUCKS . ALSO SOME INTERNALIZED TRANSPHOBIA BC RICKY'S GOIN THRU IT // )

(i'd put it under a read more but. it's an ask)

so basically ricky was trans and had already told gina and a few of the wildcats, and just like in s2 canon he stays with lily for a while and. yk how ricky is abt to go w lily when he finds his harness and realizes she stole it and tried to ruin the show?

yeah, well.

when he does, she gets way way more defensive than in canon, and rebutts with a "well, you didn't tell me you're a girl so we can call it even."

ricky's heart drops. soul shatters. he feels hot and cold at once. he can only respond with a feeble, "what?" that's weak even to his own ears.

"i mean, come on, richie... what's even your real name?" her eyes light up. "rachel? rose? r—"

"stop." he whispers, and she rolls her eyes. "how did you—"

"i found out weeks ago." she tells him with a flippant wave of the hand, and he waits, but she doesn't elaborate. "i mean, how long are you planning to keep up this... delusion? you know it can't last forever, richie, or whoever you really are. do the wildcats even know?"

"yes." he says, trying to bring up anything of defiance even though his heart is seizing and catching. "and they—they support me no matter—"

"do they really see you like that, richie?" she's suddenly sympathetic, and he knows she means it like a balm, but it feels like acid. "i mean, they're obviously just doing it to humour you."

"you don't know that." it can't be true.

"nobody sane would endorse people like you."

i have to go. i have to go. i have to go. ihavetogoihavetogo i have to go i have t o go i h av e to leaveleaveleaveleaveleave—

and then it cuts to ricky and gina, during one of those nights where ricky sneaks into gina's room, and they're cuddled up together in her bed. and she's saying something, giggling, but he's barely there. his binder feels too tight and he's probably had it on too long but he doesn't care. every time someone sees him, they'll assume he's cis, and he can use that against lily's words that still feel like poison, even months later.

"hey, ricky? ricky?" gina waves a hand in front of his face and he startles. she blinks in surprise. "oh. didn't mean to scare you."

"wasn't scared." he replies in a voice a few octaves high. (you didn't tell me you were a girl.) he makes his voice a little lower. "sorry, zoned out there for a second, gi. fire away." he tries for a smile.

gina sits up, frowning, concern over every inch of her features. "ricky? are you okay?"

what's even your real name?

"it's nothing." he says. his chest is too tight. how long has he had his binder? how long is he going to keep pretending? fuck. fuckfuckfuckfuckfuck—

"ricky, i can tell something's bothering you." she grabs one of his hands and rubs circles into the knuckle. "i want to help."

her clock ticks. ticks. ticks.

he sighs and gina, after a second, lays back down where she was.

"you know how i was... with lily? i wasn't dating her," he adds quickly, noticing the crease between her brows. "but like, at the beginning of camp, i was going to go skiing with her, remember?"

"yeah." gina says, visibly unsure of where this is going.

"yeah... well... i found my harness. my beast harness." gina's eyes go wide and he can see her basically plotting murder right here and there. "and when i confronted her about it, she—she started... saying some things?" his voice wobbles dangerously and gina turns more to look at him, eyes openly worried.

"what things?" she says, with a dangerous edge to her voice.

he tries to calm his breathing. it's not working. he's feeling that tight feeling again. usually it goes away when he's with gina, or just with the wildcats, but ever since lily said those things, they've been working less and less.

"she said you guys were just... were just...."

"just what? ricky?"

"just humouring... me." he tries to take in a breath but it comes out as a sob. gina straightens, alarmed. "humouring that i'm—i'm a boy."

"oh, ricky." gina sits up and he does too, and she wraps her arms around him and he cries and cries and cries. "i'm going to kill that bitch—"

"because i'm not, am i?!"

"no, ricky, you are. lily's a deceitful prick who manipulated you." gina lets go to look him in the eyes. "you are richard bowen. you're a boy and always will be—so long as you identify as one, of course." gina hurries to add (and he remembers glimpsing her on a trans-positive subreddit the other day under the question, how do i support my trans boyfriend????? she'd closed it when he came over, but he saw it, and his heart sang.) "and i promise none of us are 'humouring' you. okay?"

that's all i remember JASHJSHJHJSJHASHJSJ

OHHHHHHHHHHHHHH I LOVE IT WHY WERE YOU EVEN PANICKING ABOUT IT BEING A LONG ASK FUCK LILY BTW BUT OHHHHHHH RINA RINA RINA ILY RINA GINA IS THE ALLY OF ALL TIME I LOVE HER I LOVE TRANS!RICKY HE DESERVES THE WORLD OH MY GOD

[skylermadness]

A Minute in March (Ricky Matsui TF/MC)

(Original Date of Upload: March 31, 2022)

Original Description:

Say hello to the very first Dimension 20 TF in the world (probably)! This is a very long story I wrote alongside a friend of mine and I am so happy to finally share this! Ricky is honestly such a great character and to bring forth TF into him is something I am proud to do, especially something that ended up being 16 pages long in the end. This was definitely meant to be a silly thing since Ricky is frequently called Mr. March in the series, so I thought why not write a TF into him in March! I spent the past three months watching Dimension 20 and honestly it has been one of the best experiences I've had in a while! It is SUCH a great series and I fully recommend others watch it! Special thanks to my best friend for all the help editing this! They spent a lot of time doing so and I thank them so much...

   New York City.

   The Big Apple.

   A massive, metropolitan cityscape, home to towering skyscrapers, landmarks and monuments of all kinds, and a bustling population of over 8 million people- a city that never, ever sleeps. 

   Though, if we were here to go over every single one of them and what their deal was, we’d be here all day, amirite?

   We zoom in and find ourselves deep underground- this subway station is a crowded one, choked with people on their morning commute to work, just the same as our target… there. 

   Aaron Pearce, a man in his early 30s, wearing a dress shirt and tie, only slightly stained slacks, and a pair of loafers. He had been living in New York City for roughly a month at this point, having been sent here on a business trip by his company. It was a bit… jarring, at first, especially after having lived in a suburb for most of his life on the other side of the country- getting used to a life in the city where he’d see more people in a single day than he’d seen in his entire life up to that point could be uncomfortable at best, and downright suffocating at worst when he took the time to think about it. 

   But he’d settled down, for the most part. Gotten used to it as the weeks went on. He didn’t have the time to dwell on it, anyway- and honestly, who did, in this city? He had work to do.

   Suitcase in one hand, half-eaten bacon egg and cheese bagel in another, and phone squashed precariously between his ear, chin, and shoulder, half wishing he had an extra hand to keep the darn thing from falling to the ground and cracking again. Aaron’s eyes wander listlessly across the crowd of New Yorkers sprawled out across the subway, waiting for one subway line or another. Just like he was. …And that meant he was a New Yorker himself, didn’t it?

   Well… he wished it felt that way, at least.

   Aaron hastily swallowed another bite of his bagel to promptly respond to the co-worker on the other end of the call, who had just posed a question with the natural expectation for an answer. 

   “Yeah, I’ve got everything ready for the presentation today.” He mentally ran through the list of what he had planned for said presentation at work, then while he’s at it, jumped to another project he was working on, also for work. A moment later between the call and more bites of his bagel, Aaron idly looked down at his watch, and sighed. “Do these trains ever come on time?” A soft chuckle escaped his chest as he asked. He already knew the answer.

   “Not a chance- it’s a miracle we barely even get to work on time at all!” his co-worker, Marshall- also in New York on the same trip- laughs from the other end of the line.

   “Yeah- though, I could swear it’s never too late, y’know? Honestly, it sort of has it’s charm like that- at least its inconvenience is consistent, right?”

   “Sure seems that way. Personally, I genuinely believe it’d take nothing short of a literal act of magic to get these things to work on time.”

   Aaron rolled his eyes, a smile finding its way onto his face. “Yeah, and your taxis are so much better.”

   “Hm, sounds like someone’s jealous they didn’t integrate well enough to figure out how to taxi like a normal person.”

   Aaron shoved the last bit of his bagel in his mouth when the conversation lulled, letting his gaze drift over to follow the subway tracks and across all the waiting people. He found his own thoughts slowing as he chewed- a short moment of respite. That did not come often in his new routine. 

   Even rarer, did it come, when there was only a single thought on his mind.

   Shuffling his items around his now partially free arms to hold his phone properly again, Aaron swallowed his bagel quickly and spoke up, breaking the call's silence.

   "You ever think about living here… permanently? Outside the business trip, I mean."

   There was a short pause on the other end of the line, before Marshall answered him.

   "A little, yeah. I won't lie, there's a lot in this city that beats home hands down, but the public transit really stinks. Can't stand it."

   "Really? That's your only problem with this place?" Aaron snorted. He wondered if Marshall counted taxis as part of that judgment.

   "...I mean, pretty much? Why?"

   "I just think-" Aaron broke off and sighed. "I don't know… this is just such a nice place. Maybe it's the atmosphere, or the different weather from home, but- I just wish we didn't have to leave at the end of March."

   "You sure the paycheck bump isn't starting to get to you?" Marshall joked. "Come on, you know how much of a chokehold the company's got on our work shit. No chance they're letting us stay any more than we have to so they can drop our salaries back down again."

   Aaron blustered out a frustrated sigh. He knew that…

   "Please, I'm being serious."

   "Fine, fine, alright. …I wouldn't mind if I could stay living here for a bit longer either, I'll be honest. The food's great here, and my place is only a block away from the mall. That's walking distance! Crazy, right?" There's a sigh on the other end of the line. "I still don't think it's likely at all that the company would let either of us stay for longer- but hey, if it were to happen anywhere, it'd be here in the city of dreams now, wouldn't it?"

   There was no inflection in the end of Marshall's sentence outside the humor of an intended joke, but something about it had a feeling rising in Aaron's stomach that he couldn't parse. He opened his mouth to say something, but a sudden rushing of air and pressure and people announced to Aaron that his train had arrived, and snapped him out of that slight daze.

   "Oh, the sub's here, gotta go."

   “Well, if you want to hang up that much…”

   People started walking past Aaron towards the open subway cars, and he hastily gathered his work supplies to follow. 

   “I’m not going to be on my phone in the middle of public transit, that’s basic public manners.” Aaron shook his head as he approached the train. “I’ll see you at work today, but do you wanna meet up for coffee sometime later too?”

   “Sure, sounds good to me. Work’s got me by the wringer, but I’ll let you know when I’d be good to go. See ya at work, Pearce.”

   Aaron’s phone hung up without fanfare, but it left him with a slight pause before he moved further.

   “The city of dreams, huh…” he whispered to himself, feeling the weight of something he somehow knew he could hardly understand settle on his tongue. The thought did not leave his mind as he boarded the train.

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

   The subway car was just as crowded as the station had been, as usual. People took their seats or stood when necessary, smooshed up next to each other or having others jutt into their personal space, but they all mostly kept to themselves, retreating into their own personal bubbles as best they could amidst the uncomfortable arrangements- more unspoken public transit manners. Aaron followed suit, hastily opening up his suitcase and laptop inside it to work. His eyes ran over a PowerPoint file he had open, that he had been working on for two weeks now- an important, critical asset, highly crucial for the growth of the company and the industry as a whole. 

   …Or so the daily emails asking about progress updates went on and on about, as if the mere assurance of the company’s benefit from all the work and polish Aaron put into this would make the process any less of a dull slog. It’d be over soon, though, he just had to check for edits one last time before he arrived at work.

   Aaron focused in on his laptop, too engrossed in his work to notice anything else that might have been happening, just as the rest of the passengers were. Not one of them noticed the near invisible wisps of something beginning to flicker through the air, trailing down the length of the subway car, gathering together with more and more wisps until they had become a swarm distorting the very air. Not a single passenger saw the little motes of motes of golden light, the same color as the sun shining through and between the city skyscrapers, floating past in the same direction, bobbing gently among the invisible current. 

   No one saw, and the movements of the passengers on the subway car began to slow, gently, gradually, before being left absolutely still. Aaron began to fall still in turn, his mind attributing the sensation of time passing strangely to one that occured whenever he was working hard on something, and his attention slipped off of it without a second thought. But before he could fall victim to this strange fate his fellow passengers seemed to have fallen into, however, a new feeling rose in his chest instead- his stomach jumped like he'd gone over a speed bump too fast. But wasn't he on the subway, not in a car? 

   The rising pressure in his chest blurred his vision, and he rubbed his eyes a little in reflex. His vision cleared just in time for another golden orb of light floating just past his eyes- that he could see.

   Aaron's eyes flew wide open with shock as his gaze shot around the subway car, taking in the glowing golden lights, the wispy distortions, even the almost absurd lack of reaction from the other passengers. 

   Aaron distractedly shut his suitcase and laptop, his excessively checked and double checked presentation the furthest thing from his mind. He stood up, and lurched a bit- the subway car was still moving, and he quickly adjusted himself before he lost balance. Looking around at the other passengers, Aaron realized- gradually, haltingly, as if he were in a dream- that the others were not moving at all, or even breathing… like they had been frozen in time.

   Aaron was not sure where the idea had come from, but it did made sense, in the moment. Something strange going on with time would certainly explain why a stop hadn't been called in so long.

   Aaron walked down the aisle hesitantly, yet firmly, the subway car once familiar, now liminal. He stood against the wispy current, feeling actual pressure pushing against him, like a particularly strong wind. 

   In response the sensation in his chest grew, then bubbled up, and he blinked and gasped aloud. Whatever dream-like state he had been in, and whether it had only began when he stepped onto the subway or it had lasted for his whole life up to this point, he was awake and aware and alive- there was fear, and trepidation, and apprehension, but carried anticipation among it all.

   He reached the head of the car and watched the motes of golden light with cautious eyes. By now the wispy current had caught enough golden light of the orbs in its wake and refracted it, scattering it around and almost seeming to bathe the car around him in a warm golden haze. His skin and work attire stood out among the gold, the lone figure moving in a frozen gold world. Just to check, he waved a hand in front of a passenger he was walking by, and did not receive an annoyed glare in return. 

   Aaron shuddered and let out a sigh. The liminality of the space was starting to get to him.

   “Keep it together, come on.” He clapped his hands on his face and looked back through the subway car one last time. His eyes ran over the golden haze, the very air rippling and distorting in consistent enough ways as the ocean tide would, the numerous passengers frozen to the spot mid-movement, and stepped through the door to the next car.

   Peering through the doorway, Aaron saw that this car was in much the same situation as the last, with time seeming to stand still for all but the tide and the subway cars themselves, still rushing through the dark. No one else experiencing the same phenomenon to talk with, as he'd silently hoped for. When asking himself what exactly had caused all of this, Aaron was truly at a loss. It could be all just a dream, that had been his first guess, or maybe some sort of work-stress induced hallucination, but it felt a bit all too real to be simply that, he knew he was just fooling himself trying to believe it wasn't… 

   But wasn't the only other alternative that this was all real?

   Aaron went cross eyed as something passed in his vision too close to his face, snapping him out of the train of thought. Another larger mote of light, among thousands of others the size of golden dust, gently carried by the invisible current down the line of subway cars. 

   "What… are you?" Aaron's voice was barely a whisper, as if he was worried he'd startle it away if he spoke too loud. The light only continued to bob in response, like some sort of drunken gnat.

   Whatever it was, Aaron was almost certain it was connected to the time stop. He didn't even know what they were, but curiosity was beginning to get the better of him. Aaron reached out, and closed his hand around it.

   In an instant, a scene so vivid and real he could have mistaken it for one of his own memories flashed before his eyes.

   The building was burning. Smoke choked the air and the flames snapped at him from all sides. A child was clinging to him as he bolted through the ember filled halls, the air laid thick with heat. He was forced to swerve and dodge as a charred beam of wood collapsed in front of him, but he stayed calm, he knew what he had to do. Something- what he had- he had to do to-

   Aaron gasped and stumbled back, a headache hitting him and forcing him to release his grip. The golden mote of light still hung there in the air, though almost seeming a bit more subdued, while Aaron reconfigured. "What… was that? It almost felt like…"

   He trailed off as his gaze caught on the orb of light again. His panic subsided as he gazed into the golden glow, and felt… compelled to touch it again. It wasn't finished yet, he somehow knew. Incomplete. 

   He took a few steps forward, and his heartrate quickened as he reached out a hand and grasped it once more.

   -He knew what he had to do to save the kid.

   How familiar the vision felt, how real the sensations of adrenaline and determination shooting through his veins while it played out, how foreign it should have felt but didn't even feel wrong that it had placed him in the first person perspective, it almost felt like…

   "…Like a memory…" Aaron breathed, letting it play out within his mind once more.

   His breathing quickened, and with each breath something began to settle within him. At first was the feeling of warmth- not scorching and ravaging, like the memory of fire had been- but a gentle warmth enveloping him, like someone bigger and stronger than him that he knew with a certainty would protect him no matter what was wrapping him up in a protective, caring hug. 

   Aaron somehow felt more comfortable and safe than he'd felt in the longest time- but his breathing didn't relax. His breaths instead began to deepen and strengthen, seeming to fill out his body as it began to grow. His frame expanded, shoulders broadening and shaped itself out into a sculpted, almost intoxicatingly masculine form. His shirt very quickly seemed to stretch taught under the pressure as his chest barreled out, and almost sent him doubling over. Pectorals inflated and solidified into thick slabs, together forming a massive shelf that hung over a set of hard abdominals pushing forward- all visible through his shirt, straining at the buttons.

   Still carefully drinking in everything the memory had to offer, Aaron absently reached up his free hand to loosen his tie, to the relief of his neck thickening to match the proportions of his new frame. The sleeves of his dress shirt began to tighten in turn, the delts and biceps and triceps swelling and further filling out the projected shape of masculinity his shoulders had established. His larger, stronger lungs began to find- not difficulty, but rather resistance, in the form of his dress shirt- now seeming almost comically small on his larger, powerful torso. 

   Aaron groaned and rubbed at a building headache, inadvertently releasing his grip on the mote of light and missing that it had completely disappeared from the space it had been in when he grasped it. He undid a button or two of his dress shirt- god, he could have sworn it felt fine this morning- and glanced around at the golden haze, even more of the bobbing golden motes of light drifted down the line, carried by the tide.

   "There's so many-" His throat went dry and closed up, he coughed a bit to clear it and tried again. "There's so many more of these little things, huh…" Wait- was that his voice? Did it sound different than before? It did sound different, didn't it- it was deeper, and there was an inflection in his voice that he couldn't place. 

   Aaron walked through the fog of gold and amidst more of those glowing golden lights, watching them closely. Part of him didn't want to bother with them further, they were most definitely related to what was happening to the other passengers. But that part was drowned out the more he thought about that memory, and how comfortable it had felt. It had been of an extremely dire situation, yes, but there had been an overwhelming sense of positivity and optimism emanating through the demeanor he held and the way he carried himself. Like he could save the day. Like everything was going to turn out alright. Like…

   "Nothing bad is ever going to happen to us…" Aaron whispered to himself, finishing the thought. In an instant, with reflexes he had not ever thought himself capable of before, he reached out his arm and his hand snapped shut around another mote of light floating lazily past him. His eyes widened at the sight of his new defined, muscled arm before he was swept up in another memory.

   Smoke. He could smell it on the wind, even just the faintest traces of it, miles and miles away from him and his jurisdiction. A series of scenes flashed soon thereafter, of dashing through the streets of New York, of diving into the freezing waters of the New York Bay, of swimming at what must have been nigh-superhuman speed- the ferry wasn't fast enough. All powered by that strong, ever present desire to help, and to save whoever was in danger, that simply permeated his everyday life. That sense of…

   Of…

   "…Civic duty…"

   Aaron's arms swelled further, bulkier and muscular, as the memory continued to play, accepting it as his own. The musculature of his arms was left rock solid and truly bulging out of the sleeves of his dress shirt. Strong enough for hugs, of course, and strong enough to protect. His hands followed suit shortly after, widening palms and thickening fingers to match his larger arms, and Aaron felt the power, his power, surge through them. The strength his upper body carried was very clearly not a brutish type- but rather, a kind one.

   More memories began to play- if Aaron could wrench his focus away from the visions playing in his mind, he'd see the motes of light gravitating towards him on their own, rather than aimlessly following the tide, bringing their own distinct memories- now his. As the lights began to coalesce, Aaron felt another feeling rise within him, like a light illuminating in his chest and coursing through his body, that shined the same gold as the dust around him. The light of warmth, comfort, civic responsibility and duty filled his body and mind, and he couldn’t help but relax as the light made its home in his mind. Had he been clenching his jaw so hard this whole time? Aaron rolled his broad shoulders and thick neck, smoothing out all the kinks that he’d been used to from hunching over a computer for work all day, and found his face slipping into a more relaxed grin. It was all of a sudden even harder to be worried about the “critical asset” that he needed to prepare for his work- he wanted to help people, more than anything, and the only thing the presentation would do would be helping the company. And the company wasn’t a person- so it just wasn’t as important to Aaron anymore, his priorities shifting with his demeanor as that civic light filled his mind. The train of thought made perfect sense to him.

   The memory of swimming through the New York Harbor returned, and in the memory… he reached the remains of a burnt down house, somewhere on an island that he’d smelled the smoke of miles away. Aaron recalled the details that came after- there were no casualties, thankfully, and the friend of his that had been living in the house had been safe elsewhere at the time of the fire-

   “Wait, I… no, that’s not right…” Aaron stepped back, laying a hand on his forehead and squeezing his eyes shut. The memories were foreign, of someone else’s life, the memories were his, they were real and he’d lived through them, the memories were changing his mind somehow, the memories were confirming who he was- thoughts swirling around in his mind almost made him dizzy. Rather unhelpfully, in that moment he registered that his body was largely different from before, to which all he could think to react with was slightly furrowing his brows and uttering, “That’s definitely not right either…”

   But something about it did feel right to him. All of his apprehension and fear when first approaching the lights had all but completely melted away, and he didn’t want to fear it either, anymore. He wanted to embrace it.

   He lifted up a hand, smiling a bit as he took note of just how big it was, and felt around his body a little- squeezing his wrist, then his arm, occasionally trailing a finger down the noticeable indents his arm muscles had carved into the sleeves of his poor dress shirt. His hand drew over to above his heart, where the warm feeling felt the strongest.

   Not because it was also where most of his massive pectorals were. Nor did he leave his hand resting on said pectorals for more than just a few moments. Nor did he play with them.

   Thankfully because of the spot Aaron left his hand, he felt his chest expanding further sooner than he would have otherwise, giving him enough time for his large hands to clumsily undo the rest of the dress shirt’s tiny buttons before disaster struck. And not a moment too soon- Aaron’s eyes widened in awe as his abdominal muscles chiseled out into a rippling 8-pack, and the shelf formed by his pectorals jutted out even further, reaching their peak- at least, the result of all the hard work and working out he’d taken to get there. He was almost tempted to flex, just to show off his gains- but given the state of his strained clothes, that likely wasn’t a good idea, for now. He took to tracing his fingers around more of his bodily muscles like he did with his arms, instead- and while it did feel a bit silly and self indulgent of Aaron, it also felt… fine. There was nothing wrong with showing off his body like this- even unprompted on the subway, though he himself did feel a bit guilty for it, this was New York- people have seen weirder. Hell, he’d seen weirder, even before he was inducted into the Unsleeping City. 

   But nonetheless, it was all starting to feel more right. It was starting to feel like him.

   It really was him.

   The conclusion seemed to unlock something within him, setting off another wave of changes- this time to his work attire rather than his body. The ever-faithful dress shirt still barely clinging to his body was finally allowed its rest, as it loosened and reached over his uncovered torso to hide it again- buttons disappearing and shirt halves joining together by themselves, shirt collar disappearing into a plain shirt neck, sleeves rolled up and turned to a clear blue hue while the torso of his shirt stayed a clean white- the new nice, casual t-shirt was still quite snug enough to be… pretty revealing.

   His tie undid itself and slithered down his shirt and through the belt loop holes of his slacks, though to his surprise it instead lost color and mass until it was nothing but a white string- the use of which became apparent as his pants changed next. Aaron’s nice slacks lightened from black to gray and the fabric softened to cottony material, becoming a comfortable, loose pair of sweatpants- with a white drawstring quickly tying itself into a knot at his waist. He found himself smiling softly as he shoved his hands into the pockets of his new sweatpants, reaching much deeper than the slacks could carry.

   The pair of loafers he wore were last to go- the slick, black cloth reshaping into something more useful, well-worn, comfortable. Aaron held out a foot to watch as the changes settled in, a roughness inlaid in the material, the laces tied messily, a tongue emerging from the top as they formed into a pair of black, yellow, and white sneakers, perfect for walking or running places easily, and safe for swim in water with. It’s good to be prepared, especially after an incident like last time.

   Aaron set his foot down and let out a content sigh. His pants and shoes felt a bit big, but he didn’t doubt that would be resolved soon. He glanced down the length of the subway car in both directions. Most of the little light orbs in this car were gone, having been attracted to the man almost magnetically and absorbed, but there were still some stragglers hanging back around toward the car he had come from. He nodded to himself, “Well, might as well finish cleaning up while I’m here.”

   The next few seconds could not pass quickly enough- he took step after step towards the door, and the motes of light began to draw closer to the man in return, eager to gather around him and be absorbed, in rapid succession than slow, one at a time, like they had before. 

   Memories played out again and again, but this time the man neither winced nor closed his eyes to think about them separately, consciously. Locations, people, contexts, so much was being given to him, the unfamiliar becoming natural, the strange suddenly making sense. It was a little headache inducing, but he wasn’t afraid. He knew he was going to like his new life… or rather, he liked his life, craziness and all. That was what he meant, right?

   While the floodgates were broken and memories poured in, the rest of his body made to fit the rest of what had already been changed. Each step he took, his leg muscles grew larger, thicker. Strong quads and hamstrings and bulging calves, perfect for running or bringing help to those who’d need him. His sweatpants seemed less and less loose as his legs grew- his glutes in particular growing to fill out his pants quite nicely. At the end of his legs his feet grew larger, filling out the sneakers properly with their size.

   One last sensation began to well up in the man’s large chest- one that he quickly recognized as his own magic aura of protection, emanating its calming presence as it always did- but for some reason, the man felt he could really feel its effects on himself, as if he hadn’t felt it for a while. He laid a hand on the door back to his old car, his eyes flicked back to the haze tinted gold. He didn’t need to activate his divine senses to recognize it as raw umbra bubbling up from the World of Dreaming again, like in the months leading up to Null’s attack on the city. But why was it here now…?

   Another deep breath, calm, warm. He could bring it up with the friend he was meeting up for tea with, if it struck the man as concerning enough. That’s where he was going that he decided to take the subway to travel to, right? It’d be nice to see them again, his friends’ names on the tip of his tongue.

   He let his eyes close and felt a bit of numbness run through his skull, as his facial structure reconstructed himself. His head grew a little larger and wider to fit the rest of his body proportions, jawline shifting into a handsome, masculine one. So many little touches, in his nose, his ears, his chin, preparing him for the man he was ready to become. His hair deepened to jet black, the style eagerly shifting from combed to short and messy, endearingly so.

   The signs of a lifelong New Yorker set deep into his face, his posture, his attitude. His old knowledge of the inner machinations of corporate enterprises faded into a network of important safety information. His suddenly renewed affinity for maintaining his personal fitness and helping others with their own brought a smile to his face as he pushed open the door.

   Ricky Matsui walked back into the subway car, back towards his seat.

   He couldn’t really remember why he’d gotten up in the first place, but those questions were pretty quickly dismissed when he saw the golden-tinted raw umbra still permeating the subway car, all the passengers still stuck in time. 

   …He wasn’t sure what to do about that, still. Whoops. Although- there was at least one noticeable difference that Ricky hadn’t noticed from before when he entered the car.

   Stumbling around down the aisle, knocking into time-frozen passengers and snarling at anyone they touched, was a werewolf. They had coarse, brown fur covering most of their body, and a thick mane of slightly more well groomed fur surrounding their head, though it had seen better days. Bits of fur poke out of holes from their denim jacket, undershirt, and severely torn up pants, though some may have been from intentional styling as such rather than accidents. They also seemed to be missing a shoe, revealing a large clawed paw.

   If the lack of reaction from any of the passengers were any indicator, the werewolf seemed pretty out of place. It could be another manifestation of anti-populi, which Ricky could dispatch here and now if that was the case… his eyes flicked over to his silver bat he’d left at the side of his seat. For one strange moment, the thought of swinging it like a club to attack someone almost seemed absurd and silly- before he blinked and remembered that’s how baseball bats were used in the first place. He shook away the strange thought and returned to the most pressing matter.

   It didn’t really seem likely that they had to do with anti-populi, though, since it seemed to be localized to just one person. Ricky sniffed the air with his enhanced sense of smell, and tasted the smell of alcohol coming from the creature’s muzzle. Poor guy must have been pretty drunk, and badly handling it- he might be the violent type, based on the way he was acting. But maybe if Ricky could just calm him down a little…

   Ricky cautiously trodded towards the seat the werewolf had collapsed into, and sat down in the open empty seat next to them, actually a few seats down from where he got up from. Throwing up Calm Emotions on top of his Aura of protection, he opened with a simple “Hey.”

   The creature’s eyes focused in on him from where they were darting around erratically. They growled for a moment, then sputtered in a guttural, yet vaguely Irish accent, “…hey.”

   “You, uh… doin’ alright?”

   They snarled instead of answering, and irritatedly scratched their arm, inadvertently adding a few more rips to their jacket.

   Ricky hummed. That was pretty stupid of him to ask. “What’s your name?”

   The werewolf practically scowled at him. “Jawbone. Jawbone O’Sss..” his speech slurred a little, “...ssh..shaughnessey.”

   “I’m Ricky Matsui,” Ricky reciprocated, giving his full name back, with a smile and a thumbs up. Something about the gesture tugged a bit of a smile on Jawbone’s muzzle, but he turned away and scratched himself some more, and harder. Ricky raised an eyebrow. “Do you want to talk about what’s got you, uh, real bummed?”

   “‘m drunk on a train, fer one thing,” Jawbone glanced around at the subway car and its frozen passengers. “Wrong train, too. I tried to get off before it started moving, but too many people got in the way and nobody even looks at me when I ask for directions. Nobody ‘til you now, anyway…”

   “Yeah. I think something weird is going on, on top of all that? In like, the magic kind of weird, I mean. Uh, you’re really scratching yourself a lot, are you good-”

   “Allergies.” Jawbone snapped, growling at the other passengers again, who remained blissfully unaware. “Apparently these arseholes don’t seem to know it’s polite to conceal their silver in public spaces!” Jawbone raised his voice through the sentence and spat out the last part.

   Ricky’s thoughts immediately jumped to his magic silver baseball bat and winced. 

   “Uhh, hold on-” Ricky leaned back over to his seat and knocked over his bat, and rolling it under the seat it was leaning against. Thankfully, that was the only thing he had brought with him on the subway. “Sorry about that, realized it was at least partly my fault-” Ricky startled a bit when Jawbone just seemed to start crying at the gesture. “Hey, hey, it’s okay!’

   “It… it really ain’t,” the werewolf choked out between sniffles, “This entire day has been utter shite. First I forgot to take my meds before heading to work, hoped I wouldn’t get sensory overload, got sensory overload, you know how it is. Didn’t bring any backup medication on me either, so I had to improvise and tried snorting some drugs I had on me to help, but didn’t- turns out something I thought was cocaine was actually something else I’d never even heard of before, that I’m not even sure was drugs! No idea how I got to this place, I don’t know where the hell I am, and as best I can gather I’m not even on a train bound for out of the city!” Jawbone began pouring out, Ricky doing his best to support Jawbone physically before he collapsed from a stroke, or something.

   Ricky rubbed Jawbone’s shoulder, and when he didn’t resist, brought him closer into a consoling hug. “I’m sorry, that sounds really messed up.”

   “Ricky, you’re… the only person who’s actually noticed me and talked to me this… entire time,” Jawbone sniffled between hiccups.

   A soft, golden glow began to emanate from Ricky’s hand as he rubbed the werewolf’s shoulder. “Hey, I bet I could help you. I’ve lived in New York all my life, I’ve gotten the hang of the subways pretty well, I can help you get back on track, once we hit a stop and I, uh, know where we are at the moment.”

   The sniffling began to slow as not only Ricky’s calming, civic aura helped wash away Jawbone’s anxiety and fears, but even the mundane act of someone offering to help in his time of stress helped bring Jawbone back from the angry, hostile mess he’d been earlier. 

   “Yeah… yeah, I’d like that…” The werewolf looked up at Ricky’s face one more time, with a look in his eye that was likely meant to look different when not drunk and potentially high. “Gods, annyone ever tell ya yer hot as Ffffffffffffffuc-k?” Jawbone popped that last -k out loud in his mouth, then groaned to himself. “Uuuugh, ‘m usually way better at this, even when smashed, I swear…”

   Ricky laughed in spite of himself. “Sorry, I’ll have to ask my partner about it before we think of adding a third.” He’d give Jawbone the chance to make a better first impression than this encounter before he made any solid judgments himself, too. “But yeah, I do get recognized a lot as Mr. March from the Firefighters’ calendar. Or at least, the 2019 version…”

   The two of them sat there and talked for what felt like hours, Ricky talking about his friends, and Esther, and his time being a firefighter, and Jawbone told him about some wild and often drug filled escapades, rattling off lists of drugs so many drugs and the amazing partners he’d had in the past, surprising Ricky that Jawbone had apparently settled down and was a dad himself too- well, Ricky wasn’t one yet, but he would be one very soon- and gotten a job as a school guidance counselor. Jawbone hadn’t itched or scratched once, and Ricky’s aura seemed to really calm him down. He felt so calming, even talking to Ricky was a soothing experience.

   As time went on, or rather didn’t go on, it was a surprise for the both of them when the train sounded the soft ding that played before a stop was called. “Now arriving, Elmville Station.”

   Jawbone’s wolfish ears perked up. “Elmville… that should be my stop…”

   Ricky grinned and gave his shoulder a little shake. “Hey, that’s great! Maybe you weren’t on the wrong train after all.”

   “I uh… maybe.”

   Jawbone stood up, a little shakily, as the subway began to slow. The doors opened once fully stopped, and Jawbone made to walk over, but paused to give Ricky a wave of departure. Ricky beamed back at him and gave a wave back. With one last pang of warmth in his chest, Jawbone only slightly stumbled leaving the cars- onto a station platform that looked to have been built outdoors in the open air, that Ricky didn’t recognize. It almost looked more like a classic railway station than a subway stop.

   Ricky wasn’t given too much of a chance to dwell on it, though, as the doors closed and the subway began moving again. Ricky watched as the golden haze of raw umbra finally began to dissipate and the other passengers began to move again, continuing about their business as if nothing had ever happened. Ricky didn’t have any business to work on himself, he was just there for the ride to Pete’s tea shop-bookstore, but he was glad that everyone in the area was safe. 

   …There was a strange sense of finality that hung in the air, now that he was back in the waking world, but he couldn’t tell why or what for.

   He shrugged.

   “At least this would make a nice story to tell Cody.”

   As if on cue, the train dinged and Ricky’s stop was called. He didn’t know what that feeling meant, or what caused it, but somehow, he was almost certain it wasn’t a bad thing. A part of him that seemed to know better than he himself did seemed to prefer it, even. Whatever “it” was.

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

   “Dude, wait, so you’re telling me you saw a werewolf on the subway and he was just. Chill?”

   “Yep. I mean, no, he was pretty down on his luck, but he turned out alright when I helped him out.”

   “Dope… that’s got to be like, the coolest werewolf on a subway story I’ve ever heard. Even though I only knew of one other before this one.”

   Ricky was definitely right, Cody did end up hooked hearing about this experience of his.

   “Yeah, and he told me a lot of stories about doing crazy stuff while on a lot of drugs- some of which sounded made up, but like, I don't do drugs myself so I couldn't tell anyway."

   "That’s so cool, dude. So wait, like- if he was on the wrong line, you think he might've been from Jersey or something?"

   Ricky sighed. “Honestly, I hope not. I don’t think I could take Esther to go visit him if he was, even if I was sure I wanted to.” He shook his head. “But I dunno. Part of me was thinking it could have also been anti-populi, but it seemed a bit too localized for that. Maybe it’s just weird dream world stuff?”

   Their friend Pete arrived from nearby, pouring them refills of tea from his arcane focus teapot, which also served just delicious tea. “Might be- but I think it might have been part of something weird going on instead, I’ve been getting some weird vibes between the Waking and Dreaming worlds lately.”

   Cody looked at Pete in surprise. “Damn- you think it’s that serious?”

   Pete nodded. “I was gonna message the group about it earlier, but I was bit busy to do it until you reminded me just now, actually.” He pulled out his phone and started texting with one hand, preparing to close the shop with the other. “You guys up for checking it out today?”

   “Yeah, my shift at the Fairyland park ended an hour ago, so I’m good to go. You, Ricky?”

   “Yep, I’ll text Esther and let her know.”

   Even though they were only in the researching and planning stage, a glow of anticipation lit up in Ricky Matsui’s heart. The time to once again help and protect New York City from danger he could feel was fast approaching, and he could not wait to stand together with his fellow Heroes of New York to do so.

[fbfh]

thinking about how gutwrenching the ricky nini breakup in season 2 was, entirely because of how obciously and indefensibly horrible nini was being. for the whole season but mostly how she was so fucking self centered in the treehouse that it bordered on narcissistic. the way ricky was trying everything he could to get her to give him something to work with, any kind of lifeline that she still gives a shit about him. he was practically begging for her to say "I still love you and care about you, that's not going to change even if I like a different kind of pizza or spend a lot of energy on the projects I'm working on". that's all it would have taken. all Ricky needed to hear was that she still gives a shit about him, still actually wants to be around him. and Ricky was not going to give up on her. Ricky was not about to be the one to call it quits, and Nini is such a coward that she won't outright say she wants to break up with him. it would have been so easy for her to say she wants to focus on her career but instead he was the one comforting her. it's fucking disgusting the way she treats him. and the way Ricky basically collapsed into big red's arms sobbing???? watching movies and holding a pillow (which we know he only does when he feels like absolute shit) and trying not to cry more than he has?????? jesus christ.

like how insane will it be for Ricky when he finally meets you, probably after graduating and moving away from salt lake city. you're the first person he's liked and had a proper relationship with that doesn't assume the worst of him. if you're upset about something you communicate with him about it, you listen to him and actually take his feelings into consideration. you do things for him that you know will make him happy, and you cherish the things he does for you. you think he's sweet. endearing. you support him and work together with him to meet goals and solve problems and complete tasks. he keeps waiting for the other shoe to drop, keeps trying to compensate for something because if things are this easy it must mean something's wrong. he ends up either freaking out or confronting you about why you never fight, worrying it's because you don't love him enough or you're going to break up with him or some equally incorrect fear. you ask him if he wants to fight, and he says no. he's just used to it, he realizes. the mind games with his mom and with nini have been ingraned into him, and you provide a stable place for him to start to ulearn that. you've heard some unpleasant stories about Nini and his mother, and you start to get a better idea of why he's like this. it breaks your heart that someone so sweet, one of the genuine good ones, was treated so poorly. it's so weird at first, having a relationship that has passion without always fighting and miscommunicating or getting bored of each other. he feels like you're just going to be eternally in this honeymoon phase, cozy and happy. eventually after telling him enough how amazing he is and how much you love him, how much you appreciate him and how great he is and how he deserves to be treated the way he treats people, he'll start to believe it. he might actually be able to avoid getting sucked into the same exhausted drama with Nini when he goes back home for the holidays this year. he hopes you'll want to come meet him, really get to meet his dad and Miss Jenn and his friends. if you do, you'll be able to get a glimpse of what Nini from all the stories he told you about is like. you suspect a lot of stuff, but the only thing that will surprise you is how much worse she is than you expected. luckily for Ricky, you'll be by his side the whole time to back him up.

[27emailsicantsend]

what do you think will be the conflict for rina in s4? i honestly think it will be a fresh take on a conflict we haven’t seen before. or at least hopefully i really don’t want anyone coming in between them (especially bc i’m sorry but i cant imagine either of them even beginning to give someone else the time of day) but maybe there’s a chance there will be a true sharpay character? like in the way “i want troy (ricky)” way? kinda like a hsm2 plot in a way idk if that makes sense i’m just kinda gearing up for someone to try to come in between them. but anyways i think and hope it’ll be a new conflict we haven’t seen in the show before. and they’ll make it out stronger. however i feel like if they get a s5 then the conflict will be ricky graduating. i’ve always loved this conflict. my prediction for that is it does result in a breakup in s5 but they get back together by the end.

Thank you for this question, anon! I think a lot of people are nervous for the conflict because they worry that it will be a repeat of what we’ve seen before. As we’ve seen from Tim’s interviews, he knows the rinas have been through the absolute trenches. He called the kiss a “small win”. Not because there is more hardship to come, but because I think this is small in comparison to some of the other wins we’re going to see. Also from Tim’s interviews, I’ve seen time and time again it’s imperative we pay attention to what happened in the doc. That’s how we’re going to know what the characters trials are. Without prompting, Tim brought up Jet’s crush on kourtney a couple of times (this seems like something he finds a really big deal and will be focused on quite a bit).

Because the doc was a lot about ricky and gina finally getting together, it wouldn’t make sense for another triangle. Not to mention, the triangles were more so that we could see ricky and gina do better with each other than their “next best options”. To me, it makes more sense that we’re going to see actual couple struggles.*knock on wood* I think tim wants us to have rina together as our “big win”. I don’t think he is going to throw this ship in the flames more than it already has been. I think it will be more normal and healthy with some typical ups and downs (kind of like redlyn s2).

I also agree that ricky graduating seems like a logical conflict. Tim described s4 as “now or never”, because he understands this could be their last season. As much as he wants the show to go on, unfortunately tv execs have the largest say at the end of the day and do really, scummy things regardless of the direction the show is going or could go (girl meets world RIP). So I think he wants to tie loose ends if he can. Where it’s Ricky’s senior year, ricky making plans for post graduating seems pretty logical to me this season. ESPECIALLY because it would make less sense for him to figure it out next season. He hates change, so planning something out in advance seems like him. He might put it off a little because he’s scared of the change, but I think ultimately he would embrace decision making. What wouldn’t be like him it waiting until his last semester of high school to make a decision on a college (my ADHD brain did the exact opposite and I waited until like two weeks before a decision had to be made and then made one 🙃).

TL;DR: I think ricky is going to try and make a graduation plan and overdo the stress of planning because it’s in his nature to prepare as much as possible (so it feels like the least amount of unexpected change). I think gina is, once again, going to provide that polarity for him and be a sounding board for his stress. She’ll probably try to remind him that even if they end up not together after graduation, it doesn’t mean they won’t have a future together. She might even try and give him resources that keep him close to home, but she will help him embrace the inevitable change. I think ricky has been getting a lot better at eventually embracing change, but now he’s getting the real test: can he embrace a world of change- completely on his own- as an adult? We’ve seen him overcome the stress of dealing with the things changing around him (things out of his control, his parents divorce, Nini going to Denver and pulling away, etc.), but what about the things happening to him (things within his control, like where he goes to college). Sometimes it’s easier to be mad at and get over the things out of our control, because that’s all they are at the end of the day: the things that come and go. It’s the decisions that we proactively make to create change that can be the hardest, because we have to be fully responsible for them. It might make someone want to… Scream? 😉

[enchantingpainterunknown]

ZEROBASEONE 🥀

Family To Be

"Breathe Binna" I hear our eldest say firmly causing me to take a deep breath. My breath hitches on my second attempt...

Pairing:  Hanbin & zb1.

Plot:  Hanbin is scared of loud noises.

________________________________________

Hanbin's POV

I've always been scared of loud noises. People think it's an inborn phobia but not all phobias are innate.

Back in primary school I used to have a babysitter that was hired due to the fact that my family's financial condition wasn't the best. So both of my parents had to work. The nanny was nice of sorts but she had the tendency to shout and throw whatever was in her hand at me, whenever I would ask her something.

I wanted to tell my parents but the nanny had said that, I would only be burdening them if I complained and that no-one would want to listen to my stupid problems. Looking back I realise that those words were just used to manipulate me, to not complain about her to my parents. But let's just say that despite knowing this, I still never said anything.

Which has led to my current problem. Now, I can handle the fans screaming and shouting, since I can clearly hear them shout my name in love and giving me compliments but what I can't handle is jump scares and loud banging sounds. The fireworks surrounding the stadium are deafening and are keeping me on the edge.

Anyway back to the present, me and my new members have been told to meet our new manager in the office, back stage. We silently walk through the corridor, with an occasional sniffle from Gyuvin and Gunwook breaking the silence. The heartbreaking seperation from the other planet boys has taken a toll on everyone even if they are happy to debut. Both the boys are being comforted by their two oldest when he sees Hao hyung signal him to take care of Gunwook before moving to Ricky's side.

"Hi Gunwook-ah" I say adoringly to the younger, putting my arm around his shoulder. His puffy face and pouting lips remind me of a baby duck. The big bear rests his head on my shoulder when we reach the office door and I play with his hair until we get called inside the office. We meet our manager but the upper management stops Jiwoong hyung and me to talk while the others are directed to go to the basement parking. She informs us that we would be the temporary leaders until further notice. And we get ready to head out the door but Jiwoong hyung is called back so I wait outside in the corridor, the fireworks still going out loud. My anxiety slowly rises, without any of my friends beside me it's hard to feel distracted.

"Hanbin-ah" Jiwoong hyung's voice pulls me back from my thoughts. I look at him and give him my best whisker smile, but it's seems like I probably didn't do a good job. Hyung looks at me in concern, "Is something wrong?" He asks taking a hold of my hand. I get ready to reply that,  I'm okay but jump at the sudden bang of the firecracker -which is louder than before-  squeezing jiwoong hyung's hand in surprise and shutting my eyes tight.

"Breathe Binna" I hear our eldest say firmly causing me to take a deep breath. My breath hitches on my second attempt but before I can even blink Jiwoong hyung's hand is on his nape immediately, grounding me. "It's okay, you're safe" He says softly. I focus on the texture of his hand, my breathing and the small shushing sounds my hyung let's out occasionally. I slowly open my eyes to see his sweet smile. After feeling a bit calm we head down to the basement.

"Hyung!" I hear the kids shout as soon as we come in sight. Matthew latches onto my arm looking up at me worriedly already knowing the reason. I give him a reassuring smile and pat his soft hair, making him beam up at me. We all get in the car, which is more like a mini van with 6 seats at the back facing each other. 3 in the front with a driver and a side seat. The youngsters sit at the back while Hao hyung, Jiwoong hyung and I sit at the front.

As soon as we are out of the basement I flinch, getting caught completely off guard by the screams and cameras flashlights. My 2 hyungs look at me worriedly. In my panic I fail to realise that I am trembling like a leaf but I get pulled in a warm embrace by Hao hyung, his hand circling my waist. He's not holding too tight, just enough to reassure me, giving me room to breathe. I feel Jiwoong hyung's hand softly rub my back and Matthew put his hands over my ears. "Breathe“ I hear our elder's voice and his deep timber reminds me that I'm safe.

After the crowd and venue are left behind I find myself facing 8 concerned eyes looking in my direction, "I'm fine" I say softly. "You don't have to be" Hao hyung says frowning. "Do you not like fireworks hyung?" I hear our makane ask hesitatingly. "Yeah just don't like sudden loud noise in general" I reply insecurely, looking down at my lap. I don't like being weak in front of anyone and my hands are still trembling from the fright and nervousness.

However when I look up I see understanding settling  on everyone's face and I find not an ounce of pity or disappointment in their eyes and it settles my heart. Gyuvin takes out a pair of headphones and offers them to me. I tell him I'm okay since it is quiet now. "It'll help you relax better hyung" he says trying to convince me. I try to deny it again but looking at his cute pout I smile at him before nodding my head.

Taerae takes the headphones that are now connected to Gyuvin's phone, and fixes them on my ears. All while smiling his dimpled smile made me automatically return it back. "Take a nap hyung" Ricky says quietly, eyes kind. I find myself agreeing and settling down into our centre's side. His hand starts to softly run through my hair. The motion lulling me to sleep.

Soft music is playing in my ear and the remaining noise is filled by new members chatter. It strikes me at this moment that I don't have to be perfect, that they don't expect me to be either and it is the last thought I have before I drift off to sleep. In the safety net of my family to be.

________________________________________

I kept thinking about hanbin's reaction in one of the episodes of bp where haruto comes to scare the boys and hanbin cowers and covers his ears. It made me want to protect him so much.

M~

[sheinthatfandom]

How I see tonight’s full Gear going this is gonna be a long one. Also TK a damn liar cause it still went to 13 matches so far not 10 and yes I count the buy in matches. We really not going to bed til after midnight and I wish everyone in Newark a safe drive home and anyone watching in movie theaters a safe ride home.

Nw lets start with the buy in or zero hour. My choices for how the matches will be scheduled is just me guessing and its only for these 3. Blue is who I want to win red is who I see TK picking

1) Ricky vs Brian

One of the few times tonight who I want to win will match who Im guessing is actually booked to win. Ricky and Brian have history and I can’t wait to see Taz’ reaction to his two former team members/ftw champions go at it. Ricky all the way.

2) Eddie vs Jun

I want Eddie because I want him to live his dream to basically beat his hero and idol and just ugh this match on its own us everything to me. But, Eddie also said he could walk away after beating Jun like that’s his dream so I can see Jun getting the win and setting up another match maybe next forbidden door? Or a match for Eddie in Japan and tk booking this in a way that aew will have a foot in to travel and go somewhere else with this.

3) best friends vs the factory

Last match before the show and the match that will be looked at as the one to get people to pay for the PPV. We are getting horrorhausen/whorehausen/darkhausen whatever you wanna call him. It would be beyond stupid booking to have him lose when this has been building up. Its like having demon king balor lose you don’t fucking do it and if you do youre a dummy. Plus champ orange is in there you don’t want a champion losing even if hes not the one getting the pin. No reason for factory to be booked ahead.

For non title matches (and I was really going back and forth if Toni counted since its interim but then decided any physical belt will count)

4) Jungle Boy vs Luchasaurus

This shoulda been in the buy in or not at all. In all honesty is anyone still hyped for this feud genuinely id like to know. With the back and forth injuries its gone cold for me. I want jungle boy to win get a new gimmick and move on luchasaurus can stay a Dino and id very much like to see Christian in a loincloth. Tk would probably have luchasaurus win to keep the feud going until Christian is cleared.

5) Britt vs Saraya

This could really go either way. Honestly im just scared as fuck for saraya getting injured because she was never supposed to wrestle again and its nerve wracking. That said I want Britt to win I want Britt as a tweener I want her to be the legend beater while everyone claims ring rust for saraya and this pissing Britt bad and lengthening the feud. But I can also see saraya beating Brit and being that legend that can’t go down.

6) sting/Darby vs jeff/lethal

I do not care couldn’t even guess what tk would choose I do not care bathroom and snack break

For title matches and we had more than I realized

7)tnt championship Wardlow vs Jo Vs Hobbs

Now with this it can really go anyway. I would like to see Hobbs with gold but I realize they have not focused on him enough to where I think that’s where the booking is. With wardlow i can see him retaining beating both men and then basically stating t hhh at he has in fact NOT lost his momentum so fuck the wrestling tabloids

8 ) womens interim Toni vs hayter

Its Jamie’s time she needs that belt she deserves that belt its hers the crowd is hers the moment is hers the spotlight is hers just give it to her. Tk wants Toni vs Rosa so shell probably retain to combine the belts later

9) ROH championship Bryan vs Claudio vs Chris vs Sammy

Bryan has yet to have gold but honestly hes booked to lose and put over young talent so often I don’t see him winning Claudio should have his fucking belt back we are no where near the roh tv show gibe him back his mf belt. Jericho will probably retain they most likely have a big name ready to take the belt off of him and supposedly he has the belt because they’re shopping the company around to different networks. Homicide and jay briscoe are not names known enough for tv execs, Cody Kevin and Seth aren’t leaving wwe (not that most will realize Tyler black is Seth freaking Rollins and Kevin steen os Kevin owens) so most likely the plan is for Adam cole to take it back or someone new and homegrown. That said if the homegrown is Sammy I will get a plane ticket and fuck everyone up. (Yes I know they’re in nj and i can drive down but it’s Saturday and I don’t wanna go to jail in jersey id rather get arrested in Florida for fucking tk jeriblow and Sammy up) So Chris retains most likely to fuckery

10) tag team belts the acclaimed vs swerve in our glory

I have no idea and I don’t know who I want it could really legit go either way but someone fantasy booked if bowens is injured billy fighting in his place and retaining and keeping the feud alive and like fucking yes please

11) tbs championship Jade Vs Nyla

I know its supposed to be kris and that jade will probably retain but like Nyla has been doing so well and killing it with the stolen belt like gimme more

12) trios world championship Death Triangle vs The elite

They were suspended had an investigation and are still evp’s you don’t get rewarded for bad behavior. Plus death triangle and are really building something here between the heel pac story and then busing up the belts that honestly outside of elite fans no one was excited for cause we ALL knew it would just go to them the whole fucking tournament. Let the belts float freely and give others a chance to do something with it. IE death triangle, best friends, hob, BCC, the firm its way more exciting knowing anyone could lose it at anytime. Elite win cause its their show.

13) world championship Moxley Vs MJF

I love Jon hes had a fantastic several reigns and has carried the company on his back pretty much the whole year. Let that man go on vacation be with his daughter and wife and chill out so he doesn’t break. Mjf has earned this just keep him heel we love to hate him. And regal stays with the bcc.

[riddikulus-writings]

Take A Nap

A/N: So yeah. I have a long, in depth fic for these two that's chock full of secrets and fluff and Actual Backstory but for some reason all I can write is smut. This is part two to Escapades and takes place just after the police van rolled down that hill. Also, can someone let me know if that link I tried doesn’t work? I’m still new to writing on this blue hellsite

Word Count: 1734

Pairing: Rick Flag x Female Reader [Codename Nyx, after the Greek Goddess]

Warnings: Still not really any plot, sorry guys. The plot for this is hidden elsewhere. Vaginal fingering. Semi-public sex. Dirty talk. Rick still won't shut up but he really should, though, people are trying to sleep. Choking. Uh, nothing makes sense, really? Movie innacuracies due to the fact this is now a bigger vehicle than the hippie van they were cruising around in, but the same concept still applies. 

Apparently, the van was on fire. One by one they stepped from the wreckage, walking out into the road, weapons in hand. Nyx wished she could’ve taken a picture, because she was positive they probably looked pretty cool.

Disoriented. Possibly concust. But cool.

And suddenly, rolling to a stop, was the small dusty van they'd rode to town in. Abner was in the open slider door, waving them in. DuBois puffed out his chest, "Alright. To Jotunheim."

"Not yet," Rick stopped him, "There's something else we need to do first."

"Stop standing like you have an American Flag waving behind you and get in the fucking mini bus, Flag."

Nyx's voice shook him out of his reverie; he was the last one outside. He jogged to catch the bus before it began moving faster, piling in the door and sliding it shut behind him. His eyes immediately found Nyx, seated in the very back. Rick beelined for her through the others and took up the space on her right. Peacemaker called to him from a seat up, "So, where are we going, now?"

"The Mayor's mansion in town," Rick told him, "We need to get Harley."

"Oh, I miss her," Nyx mused quietly.

Oh yeah. Rick cringed to himself, remembering the three missions he, Nyx and Harley had been on before he’d requested to Waller that Harley be benched more often than not. The first had gone by fine, minimal issues. The second was better. No deaths, no infighting amongst the Squad. Nyx had loosened up around other people by then and banter even happened. And the third--

Ain’t it normally the gal makin’ heart eyes at the guy and not the other way around, Ricky?

He’d shaken his head and given Harley a stern glare for assuming things. Harley had simply given him her smuggest million dollar grin and continued about her own business and not his.

“Suicide Squad to Mr. Flag,” a hand was waving in his eyes, slowly coming into focus. It was Nyx’s hand, but Cleo’s heavily accented voice, “What’s the plan?”

Rick cleared his throat, looking among his teammates, “Peacemaker high up, across the street. Sniper for any possible danger. Cleo,” he pointed at her, “Abner and, uh… Sebastian… are around back. Take out any guards back there. DuBois scales the wall to the top, Nyx and I keep watch.”

“Question,” Nyx raised her hand up, “Why can’t we just walk in the front door?”

"That would give us away," Peacemaker told her blatantly, "Instant capture. Dumb idea."

"You're a dumb idea," she retorted, "Actually, a bad idea was bringing you along."

Whoa. Everyone's eyebrows shot up, "Nyx, what the fuck? No infighting. Knock it off," Rick's voice was low but firm with authority.

"He's-- he's got bad vibes about him," Nyx's words slurred, "I-I just don't like him."

"No one does," DuBois told her, patting the very quiet Peacemaker on the shoulder, "Everyone try to get some rest before we get to town. It's going to be a while."

The rest of the team hunkered down in their seats, leaning against their respective windows or leaning forward with their heads against the seat ahead of them. Cleo snuggled into Nanaue's side, and Peacemaker went as far as laying completely flat on his back, his thick splayed legs hanging in the aisle.

Rick reached over and tugged Nyx across the bench seat they were seated on, sliding her into his side, "What’s up between you and Peacemaker?" His voice was quiet, muffled against the hair at her temple.

She ducked away from him a little, tucking her head under his chin, "I've been with him a bit longer than you have. I just… can't explain it but I don't like him. He makes me uneasy."

Rick's thumb started rubbing circles in her hip, "So many trust issues."

"I have my reasonings," she yawned up at him, "Secret reasonings."

"Oh, I'm sure you do," he whispered, grabbing her chin with his free hand so he could look her in the eye. The dim moonlight through the window made her eyes seem almost black, "Extra secret reasonings, huh?"

Nyx leaned closer, staring at his mouth instead of his eyes, "Top secret."

Rick hummed in agreement and closed the gap, sealing his mouth over hers. He wasted no time dipping his tongue into her mouth, drinking in her moans before they could get too loud. He gently pushed on her, laying her down across the length of the seat. Rick followed her down, nestling himself between her legs. Nyx planted a foot on the seat beside Rick’s thigh as he hitched the other into the crook of his elbow, “Gonna be quiet?” he asked quietly, lightly peppering kisses down her neck. Sucking on her now-exposed collarbone.

She whined, a breathless whisper as she nodded desperately, trying to grind her hips against something. Rick moved back up, his free hand moving around her neck, “Quiet.”

He slowly lowered her leg, her boot softly hitting the floor. Rick sent a sidelong glance through the rest of the dark bus, and so far no one had moved from their previous positions. Thank God for that. What a sight they’d wake up to; Nyx spread over the only bench seat here, Rick looming over her, a hand around her throat. They’d either think he was trying to kill her, or get very uncomfortable very fast and ask him to stop.

Which, he wasn’t about to do whether someone woke up or not.

He turned his attention back to the panting woman beneath him, raising an eyebrow at the grin spread over her face. The more pressure he applied to her throat, the wider her lips spread. His right hand worked at the buttons of her black pants, “Filthy little thing,” he muttered, “There’s other people on this bus.” Rick snaked his hand down the front of her pants, stroking down her dripping sex, “All for me?”

“That is you,” she panted out, grabbing the back of his head to pull him down for another searing kiss. When he scooped his cum back up with two fingers and pushed them inside, Nyx bit his bottom lip so hard he was sure she’d drawn blood. He leaned into it, pushing his tongue on her mouth again as he worked his fingers and scissored her open.

“Quiet,” he admonished, again, pressing his free hand against her throat once more. He pinned her to the seat, squeezing his hand as tight as he’d let himself, “Gonna wake everyone up,” he breathed out, his nose brushing against hers.

Again, Nyx’s grin grew, her pearly teeth glowing in the shards of moonlight passing through the windows, “Good.”

Rick almost growled but couldn’t without fear of waking someone up. Instead he buried his face in her shoulder, “Fuckin’ filthy little thing,” he repeated, curling his fingers against that certain spongy spot he’d found that made her grind hard into the palm of his hand, “Gonna be a good girl and keep me in there?” She whined out a high pitched yes but otherwise stayed breathless, quiet pants crawling up her throat and Rick wanted nothing more than to shove his cock in her open mouth. He pulled up from her neck, almost sneering with the strain of trying to stay quiet as he worked his thumb up to the peak of her cunt, “Want you to cum all over my hand, sweetheart. Gonna do that for me? See if you can stay quiet.”

“Bastard,” was the whimper he got.

“That’s not very nice,” he told her, pressing his thumb hard on her clit. Her arm suddenly flew up to cover her face, Nyx burying her face in the crook of her elbow as Rick buried a third finger deep in her cunt, his thumb rubbing fast circles. He moved his hand from her throat, sliding it instead to her hip to hold her down as she bucked into his hand, “C’mon, almost there. I got you,” he muttered.

Her hips stuttered, low whines coming muffled by her elbow. She was choking his fingers and he had to remove one so he could keep them moving, working her through her orgasm. Rick’s hand got soaked suddenly and she went limp, her only movement coming from her chest that moved with rapid breaths, “Bitch.”

Rick tugged her arm from her face as he slid his hand from her pants, “What’s the matter, Nyx?”

“I--” she panted out, “hate being-- quiet.”

He flashed her a bright grin and tugged her pants back into place, giving her stomach a gentle pat, “You didn’t have to,” a quick peck on the lips, “But it would’ve been a bit awkward for the others. Especially when I wouldn’t stop.” Another whimper, and he raised an eyebrow at her, but simply stuck his fingers in his mouth.

“I’m going to sleep,” she whispered, dropping her hand off the side of the seat. Her knuckles brushed the floor. The other arm folded behind her head.

“I sure fuckin’ hope so,” DuBois grumbled from somewhere up front. “You two are disgusting.”

"No one told you to listen," Rick shot back, his whisper loud enough for DuBois to hear over Nyx's stifled giggles. Rick was grinning, though; thankfully Bloodsport couldn't see it.

"Someone needs to nap," Nyx murmured, a small smirk plastered over her mouth, "He sounds cranky."

“You ain't laying down there,” Rick suddenly tugged her back up to snuggle into his side, his arm draped over her shoulders as he scooted them both to the end of the seat, “Leanin’ or layin’?”

“Lay,” she yawned.

He turned and pressed his back to the window, head lolling to the side to lean on the seat. After some shuffling, she was between his legs, back to his chest. HIs arms wrapped around her, one leg from each of them on the seat and the other leg on the floor. They looked like they had the same boots on. Nyx nuzzled her head into his shoulder, “Y’smell nice…”

“I smell like jungle and sweat,” he chuckled, his laugh vibrating through her, “And blood. Go to sleep.”

And they both dozed off like that, just as they had several times before on Nyx’s couch. Their breathing evened, Nyx drooling a little onto Rick’s bicep. Rick shifted in his sleep and snugged her closer to his chest.

[n00dl3gal]

Like Old Times (Father-Son Bonding AU)

A direct sequel to the “Expiration Date” fic, which I’ll link in a reblog. I’ve also posted all my fics in this AU to AO3!! Thanks again to @thetriggeredhappy for their help and just generally being a cool dude, and the Scoutsune Discord server for indulging my brainrot

No warnings beyond family schmoop!

Less than an hour after the bread monster incident, the Administrator called for a ceasefire. “Only while your base is repaired,” she said over the TV screen. “BLU is quite disappointed in this negligence- as am I. Regardless, you may use these three days as you see fit. Go home, stay here- whatever you do, no more bread monsters.” The screen turned off with a click. 

Scout exhaled through his nose. He was thankful there was no mention of him or Miss Pauling’s woodchipper. 

Spy decloaked behind him. “Less time than I wanted, but c’est la vie.” Scout looked at him over his shoulder. “I’m meeting with an old contact during our break,” Spy said in Italian. “Would you like to come along? It’ll be like old times.” 

Scout’s brow furrowed, but he nodded. At least this way, he’d get out of helping Engie and Heavy with repairs. And possibly meeting Miss Pauling’s woodchipper. 

“Excellent. Our flight is at 7 AM tomorrow.” 

“We’re flying commercial?” Scout asked, also in (more hesitant) Italian. 

“Our destination is continental. We’ll leave the base by 5:30.” Scout groaned as Spy started to leave. But- wait, he hadn’t- 

“Oi, where are we going, anyway?” he called back in English. 

Spy paused to look at him and smile. “Boston.” 

“Why do we always get the ass-crack-of-dawn flights?” Jeremy asked groggily, reclining his seat.

“They are the ones with first-class seats available,” Raphael replied. He took a sip from his mimosa. 

“Yeah, cuz God forbid you fly coach for once.” Jeremy shifted, trying to get comfortable. “Hey. Have I ever been to Boston before?”

Raphael didn’t answer immediately. His lip sucked in, as if in thought. “Yes. When you were very, very young. You wouldn’t remember.” 

Jeremy nodded. He wanted to ask more, there was something Raphael wasn’t saying but… well, he was never a morning person. He fell asleep before the plane even took off. 

. . .

It was mid-afternoon by the time they landed in Boston. Jeremy was never fond of long flights; having his legs cramped like that for extended periods of time was murder. He was half tempted to take a jog around Logan International. Raphael, on the other hand, was ushering them both to the car rental. “Can’t even get a stretch in, huh?”

“Unfortunately, we are expected by 4, and I would hate to keep my contact waiting,” Raphael explained in French, accepting the keys from the girl at the counter. “She’s not a very patient woman, in some regards.” 

Jeremy huffed but didn’t argue. He just followed his father to the rental, tossing his suitcase in the backseat. “Y’know, the girl at the counter-” 

“We will not have time for you to go out on a date, Jeremy.” 

“No! No, it was- her accent’s kinda like mine, it’s weird,” Jeremy said. Raphael started the car. “Cuz I’ve only been here as a baby, and I got mine from TV and shit. It’s just… really strange, is all.” 

Raphael made a quiet noise of agreement. “Some of the shows you watched as a child were filmed here. It’s not as complex as you think it is.” 

“Yeah, probably not…” 

The pair lapsed into silence as Raphael drove. Storefronts and high rises morphed into houses. It had been a while since they were in a residential area. RED, for understandable reasons, kept away from civilians. 

Raphael took the roads with practiced experience. Sure, it had been implied he knew the area. If he had a contact here- one with a house, presumably- he must’ve spent time here. But this- this was far too familiar. A bit suspicious, actually. 

Eventually, Raphael slowed in front of a more rundown Brownstone. Still quite nice, just needed a little work. It felt… welcoming, in a way Jeremy couldn’t name.

“Lotta cars,” he observed as Raphael parallel parked. “Must be a party going on somewhere.” 

“Hmm, perhaps,” Raphael said, turning the car off. “Would you mind ringing the doorbell for me? I need to grab something from the trunk. Ask for Sara Jane.” 

OK, now Jeremy knew something was up. He was never the one to make the first contact, that was always Dad’s job. Jeremy might be a full-grown adult, but there were some things that didn’t change. This was one of them. 

Still, he nodded. He climbed up the front steps and ringed the doorbell. He heard- multiple voices from inside, predominantly male, but they quickly silenced themselves. A TV, perhaps? They really ought to get that flower box on the second story window fixed- 

The woman who opened the door was a bit shorter than him, though not by much. She was wearing a simple dress, hoop earrings, and flats. Her hair was dark, curved to her chin. But her nose and earlobes felt… achingly familiar. Like Jeremy saw them all the time. 

“Um, hi, I’m looking for Sara Jane? My name’s-” The rest of his speech was knocked out of him as the woman launched herself at him. Jeremy braced for an attack, but quickly realized she was… hugging him. 

She was hugging him, sobbing, and choked out the word “Jeremy.” 

Wait. He knew that voice. He had only heard it a few times in his life, few enough he could count them on one hand, but he knew it. “M-Ma?” he whispered. 

The woman- Sara Jane- Ma looked up at him, still crying. Her hands found his face as she observed him. “Y-yeah, sweetie, it’s me, it’s-it’s your ma,” she said. 

“Ma!” he laughed, tears of his own dancing down his cheeks. He hugged her back, practically lifting her off her feet. “Oh my God, Ma! I-I never thought I’d-” 

“Oh Jeremy, sweetie, look how tall you’ve gotten! Last I saw you, you fit in my arms! My baby, my handsome baby,” she spoke over him. She rubbed circles into his back as they embraced. It felt so, so right. 

Jeremy laughed even harder. “Are you kiddin’? I got it from you, you’re beautiful, Ma!” He stared at her, trying to commit every mole and wrinkle and perfect flaw to memory. “I can’t believe- oh my God, I’m actually meeting you!” 

“It was long overdue,” another voice said, as Raphael joined them on the front stoop. “I had put it off for safety reasons, but considering our current, ah, situation… I felt it was worth the risk.” 

Sara Jane squealed, pulling Raphael into the hug as well. “You’ve been taking good care of my boy, you promise me, Raphael?” 

“Don’t worry Ma, he’s the best dad I could ask for, considering,” Jeremy teased. 

“Oh, don’t I know it. Called me up last night and told me to get the whole motley crew together. Even managed to get Melvin to bring his twin daughters, bless his wife’s heart,” she explained. 

Jeremy blinked. “Uh- Melvin? Daughters?”

Sara Jane laughed. It sounded so much like Jeremy’s it practically hurt. This was his mother. Lord, he’s finally seeing her. “Melvin’s your older brother, sweetie. Eh, sixth oldest. Bobby’s the oldest.” 

“I have a brother?”

“Oh honey, you’re the youngest of eight,” Sara Jane said plainly. 

“...fuck,” Jeremy whispered. 

. . .

He didn’t just have seven brothers. He had seven brothers, four of which brought their wives, one who brought his boyfriend, and three who brought their kids. And the kids totaled to an additional six, counting the babies. 

It was… an admittedly tight squeeze in the living room. 

Sara Jane introduced Jeremy. Jeremy had been expecting to be treated like a stranger. He had vanished when he was a baby, after all, and his younger-older brothers probably wouldn’t remember him at all. 

And yet, it was like he knew them all his life. 

They teased him and punched him playfully and acted so friendly, so familial it nearly made Jeremy break down. He was still crying from meeting Ma, but being dogpiled with so much affection was suffocating. In a good way. He had seen on sitcoms the intrinsic bond between family, and while he felt it with Dad, they also risked their lives nearly daily. But it was real, it was here, and it was wrapping him in a warm blanket. 

Despite the chaos and the sheer number of people, Jeremy didn’t feel overwhelmed. He laughed and played along with their jokes, cracking some back when he could get a word in. Scott ragged on his dog tags, he countered by pointing out the hole in his pants. Michael told him he was still a shortass, he replied with “it takes one to know one.” Elliot and Ricky were the closest to actually getting hurt, and that was only because Jeremy elbowed them both so hard they nearly fell over. 

For the first time in 25 years, Jeremy understood what “home” meant. 

The kids were especially curious, eager to meet their uncle and step-grandfather. Within seconds, young Rebecca- only four years old- was challenging Jeremy to a race around the house. “I’m the fastest kid in the world,” she bragged, puffing out her chest. 

“Oh yeah?” Jeremy asked. “That a fact?”

“You wanna test me? I beat Johnny Three-Legs at running, and he’s got three legs!” Jeremy laughed and stood from the couch, letting her lead him outside. “On the count of three, OK?”

“You’re on, pipsqueak,” Jeremy teased.

“Onetwothree GO!” Rebecca yelled, taking off in a sprint. Jeremy knew that, by all accounts, he should beat her. His legs were longer, she didn’t have the proper running stance, and it was his job to be fast. That’s what he got paid to do. But some small voice was telling him to let her win, so he did. “Ha! I told ya!” 

“Ya sure did,” he replied, mock panting. “Look at you, a freaking blur on the green. You’re goin’ to the Olympics, kid.” 

Rebecca beamed and hugged his leg. “Promise, Uncle Jeremy?” He nodded because, after that display, there was no way he could speak without squeaking like a chew toy. 

Rebecca skipped back inside, past Raphael, who was watching on the stoop. “You’re a natural with children,” he observed. “I used to do the same thing when you were that age.” 

“Wait- wait, really? You sure fooled me,” Jeremy said. 

Raphael rolled his eyes. “What’s my job again, mon lapin?”

“Yeah, yeah…” Jeremy leaned against the railing, watching Raphael’s cigarette smoke in the wind. “Hey. Uh… thanks for arranging all of this. You really didn’t need to.”

“But I did. I meant it when I said this was overdue. I’ve been wanting to introduce you to the rest of the family for a while, but have been unable. Then that whole ordeal with the supposed tumors, and-” Raphael exhaled slowly. “It wouldn’t have been fair to you if you died without knowing them. I would’ve never forgiven myself.” 

Jeremy punched his shoulder lightly. “Don’t be so hard on yourself, pops. It all worked out, we’re still kicking, and that roast chicken Ma’s making smells incredible. Everything’s perfect.” 

Raphael finished his cigarette and smiled. “Oui. It is.” 

. . .

While Sara Jane had been able to get the rest of the family here, it was a school night. Kids needed to be tucked in by 9:30, so most of Jeremy’s brothers were gone by 8. Elliot was staying overnight, as was his boyfriend. Otherwise, the house quickly went from bustling to barren. 

It gave Jeremy a chance to explore his would-be childhood home.

He made his way upstairs, pushing open one of the doors. It led- to little surprise- to a bedroom. It was set up like a nursery, with a crib in one corner and a toddler bed in the other. Toys were scattered about across the floor. 

He heard Sara Jane sigh behind him. “This was your room, you know.” Jeremy turned to look at her as she flipped the light switch. “That crib… I had put you to bed the night your father planned to fake his death. I was in on the whole plan, naturally. He wanted to hold you one last time, so I said OK. When I woke up the next morning… you were both gone.” She exhaled slowly, grabbing onto his shoulder. “I wrote both of you off as dead, but I knew what had happened. Honestly, should’ve figured it out before then. You hadn’t woken me up crying,” she joked. Her eyes were watering. 

Jeremy hugged her, pulling her close. “You never took the crib down?” 

“By the time I was ready, Bobby’s wife was pregnant, so I kept it up for my grandbabies. I knew- I knew you were out there, sweetie. Both of you.” She kissed his cheek, squeezing him.

“I-I never got to be a normal kid, really,” he confessed. “I mean, Dad did his best, gave me comic books and board games and stuff, but-but I never went to school or made friends or anything like that. I-I didn’t even know I had a family. It took me forever to even realize I had a Ma. An-and everything I did-” The tears were flowing again, more freely than earlier. “Ya missed me losing my first tooth, and potty trainin’, and all that stuff parents should know about. I-I’m sorry,” he whispered. 

Sara Jane wiped his cheek dry. “Don’t apologize for what your father did, Jeremy. And definitely don’t apologize for me not potty training another kid. Besides… hold on, I’ll be right back.” She made her way down the hallway. Jeremy didn’t follow, instead deciding to examine the crib. This was where he grew up. It was a simple crib, obviously well-used. Not worn-down, mind, just… used. It had a history. A history that Jeremy wanted to decode, but unlike his dad’s ciphers, he didn’t have the key. 

“Took me a second to find it,” Sara Jane said. She handed him what appeared to be a scrapbook. “Raphael- he wrote when he can. Taught me some basic codes, would send out letters whenever you’d leave a town. Never left a return address, but…” Jeremy flipped through the pages, moving to sit on the small bed. The letters were all coded but appeared to be about how much Raphael missed Sara Jane. Updates on Jeremy’s growth. Letters from a father to his lover and son’s mother. 

One page jumped out to him, though. “I remember this,” he said, running his fingers against the paper. It was a simple drawing of a young boy, holding a catcher’s mitt, and a taller man next to him. “I drew this after Dad took me to my first baseball game, for my eighth birthday. I thought I lost the drawing after we skipped town, but- he sent them to you?”

Sara Jane nodded. “And I kept them all. Oh, honey, the day I first heard your voice on the phone- Mikey can tell you, I damn near fell over. You sounded so happy, and even if I couldn’t see you, that’s all a mother wants.” Jeremy leaned against her and she shut the book. “That’s all a mother wants, sweetie. To see her kids be safe and happy.” 

“I am, Ma,” he assured her. “I promise.” 

They sat like that for a while, with Sara Jane commenting on various letters and drawings in the scrapbook. Apparently, Raphael sent her money when he could- more frequently now that Mann Co. paid so well. She also had a rough idea of their current occupations. “I figure, if you and your father are working for the same company- with his skills, there’s gotta be a whole lot of nonsense going on out in that desert.” Jeremy laughed at that because she wasn’t wrong. “But I also figure since he raised you right, he’ll keep the both of you safe.” 

“I keep him safe too, don’t worry,” Jeremy added. “Uh- listen, it’s touching and all you kept the crib, but I don’t have to sleep in it, right?” 

They both had a good chuckle over that. Their laughs were in perfect harmony. 

. . .

The next two days were a mix of learning the family history and exploring Boston. It was the offseason, so there weren’t any games going on at Fenway, but Jeremy still got a picture in front of the park. Sara Jane took the pair to a restaurant that served “the best damn clam chowder in the contiguous United States.” Which, incidentally, led them to discover Jeremy was allergic to clams. Thankfully they didn’t have to go to the hospital- he just sort of immediately got sick before it passed- but it did suck.

It was damn good chowder, though. 

They went down to the harbor where the Boston Tea Party happened. It was crowded with people, resulting in them not staying long. Jeremy was a bit better with crowds than Raphael, but neither was great with them. Came with the job. Getting overpriced memorabilia from a nearby gift shop, though, went over much more smoothly. 

When not out on the town, Sara Jane dug out more scrapbooks and photo albums, catching Raphael up on what his stepsons had been up to. She showed Jeremy pictures from Ricky’s first school play to Scott opening up his butcher shop. Graduation pictures, wedding pictures, baby pictures- it was all there, and Jeremy devoured it. He wanted to know these people. He wanted to know his family. And he did. He learned about Michael’s stint in the Navy, Melvin meeting his wife, how Bobby’s son could dribble a basketball for twenty minutes straight. He learned about how his parents met. How Raphael loved each of Sara Jane’s children, even if they weren’t biologically his. How Jeremy wasn’t planned- few of the kids were - but they were both so, so happy to realize he was coming. 

He also learned that, while diner food would remain the undisputed king, homemade meatloaf came pretty close. 

. . .

The only problem came when it was time to leave. It wasn’t that Jeremy didn’t want to return to work, or leave his Ma behind. Sara Jane wasn’t even torn up over losing her son and lover again. It just felt like there was so much left to say, to do. There was uncertainty as to when they’d be able to return. “We get time off for Smissmas, I know that’s months away but I’ll be here, I promise,” Jeremy swore, hugging Sara Jane for the eighth time. 

“You better,” she said, squeezing him tightly. “You have 25 years worth of gifts to catch up on, not to mention birthday gifts-”

“Ma, you don’t have to go that far,” he whined. He was touched, sure, but the thought of that much luggage was truly frightening. Oh God, he was going to have to get gifts for everybody, wasn’t he? What do kids even want for Smissmas? 

“Hush, let me spoil my baby,” Sara Jane told him, kissing his cheek. “Oh, Jeremy…” 

Jeremy nodded. “I know, but I’ll call. I’ll write, too. Send pictures if I can.” 

“I’ll make sure he does,” Raphael assured her. Sara Jane stood to kiss his lips, with Jeremy looking away pointedly. “You have my word, ma petite chou-fleur.” 

“Alright, alright- now get going, I don’t want you two missing your flight. That boss of yours sounds like she’ll tear you both a new one if you’re late,” Sara Jane said, shooing them away. “Love you boys!” 

“I love you too, Ma!” Jeremy shouted back, for the very first time. 

The drive back to the airport was quiet. Jeremy stared out the window, watching his hometown- he had a hometown- pass by. “Hey, dad?” he asked, still looking outside. Raphael grunted to acknowledge he was listening. “One of these days, our contracts with Mann Co. are gonna expire. We’re gonna have to find new jobs.” 

“Yes, that’s correct,” Raphael said. He tapped a rhythm against the steering wheel. 

“And-and I was thinking when that time comes… maybe we could come back to Boston. Find some gigs out here,” Jeremy suggested. 

Raphael sighed. “Unfortunately, being a spy means that you don’t have the option of retiring, Jeremy. Not until you’re unable to complete your job. At that point, though, you’ve probably died a dozen times over,” he explained. “Even if I could retire, settling down somewhere so close to people I care about- I would still have enemies.” 

“Right. ‘Course,” Jeremy said. “It’s OK.” 

“That being said,” Raphael continued, “you have the luxury of youth and not being tied down to such a career. If you want to find a job in Boston after we finish with RED, there’s nothing stopping you.” 

“But people will still be after me, since I’m your son. And you wouldn’t be around.”

“Every child leaves their parents someday. And you’re strong, Jeremy. You can protect yourself and your family.” Raphael smiled. “I don’t believe Sara Jane needs much protecting, but I do worry.” 

Jeremy laughed. “I mean, did ya see the muscles on Scott and Michael? Guys can probably bench press a tractor!” 

They both chuckled before settling into quietude. Eventually, though, Jeremy had to break the silence. His voice was barely above a whisper. “I love you.” 

“I love you too, mon lapin.”

“...so your nickname for Ma is fucking ‘little cauliflower?’ What the hell, Dad?” 

[multimetaverse]

HSMTMTS 2x09 Review

Spring Break was a bit of an odd ep but helped move some key plots forward. Let’s dig in!

Well people can no longer claim that Portwell is one sided. We finally got Gina’s pov and she starts off the ep uncertain whether the shift in their relationship means that EJ likes her but by the end of the ep she seems sure of herself and that EJ likes her back. I liked that she didn’t try to pretend that nothing had changed or that she hadn’t noticed potential signs that EJ might like her; it always sucks when tv characters act like idiots. 

Perhaps the most important reveal of this ep was that Gina has a much older estranged brother who left her and her mom many years ago. That certainly makes her backstory more tragic and is definite set up for her brother to eventually return.

The writers continue to give Portwell great tropes, capping this ep off with an airport rom-com trope that also calls back to EJ getting Gina the place ticket so she could come back in S1. Not only did Gina keep EJ’s Duke sweatshirt but she altered it to fit her better which is both sweet and bold in the assumption that it was hers to keep. Gina got her sign when not only did EJ show up to drive Gina home and take her luggage but he brought her the granola bar that she had wanted but forgot to pack. I wonder if her posting on her story that she was ubering home after her flight was cancelled was intended to see if EJ would show up since the camera focused on her posting it. Also sweet that she’s taken to calling EJ, ‘ Eej’. 

EJ’s opening was good, shows a lot of his character growth from the selfish guy he was in S1 and how he’s learned to value other people which of course leads into his feelings for Gina. We got another great use of the camera as character tonight when Gina was laughing after her facetime call with EJ until she realized that the camera was on her. 

Jack was a lot of fun. Though he didn’t really change Gina’s mind over anything like the ep description said he would.  Seemed like Gina was largely over Ricky and wondering about EJ at the beginning and the end solidified her feelings for EJ but Jack didn’t really play a role in that, it’s not like he encouraged Gina to reach out to EJ or anything. There’s a vague sense in which Jack being nomadic linked him to Ricky’s unreliability in Gina’s eyes with her craving stability but that’s a stretch. Jack mentioned that the second most dangerous part of a plane ride is when the plane takes off, a hint to the blossoming Portwell relationship where in order to take off one or both of them has to risk a confession even though they could be turned down.

This ep might seem a bit weird in hindsight. The zoom parts probably won’t age well and five years from now people might be wondering why they had Gina hang out with a manic pixie dream boy of sorts for an ep.

The path is clear for canon Portwell in the finale with EJ being Gina’s second chance at romance and her first kiss since they clearly telegraphed it out of nowhere. I’ve been impressed with the great work the writers have been doing since 2x05 to build up Portwell as a ship but also work on Gina and EJ as individual characters; they’ve been the highlight of the season so far. 

There was discourse this past week over how well or poorly Portwell has been set up. Objectively very few ships on this show get much in the way of set up or consistent writing. Redlyn and Kowie had barely any set up before getting together. Seblos had none (though in fairness that was due to Disney restrictions) and Miss Jenn and Mike Bowen didn’t have much set up either. Rini did get lots of development in S1 but that’s because they had already dated and were the main ship of the show. The show’s not really about slow burns, if Jenzzara canons in the finale they’ll count and if Rina ever got together they’d also count but neither of those ships have gotten consistent development with Mazzara not being in several eps and Gina and Ricky not even interacting for the past 3 eps. 

Is Portwell a slowburn? In a sense since they did feature quite a bit in each other’s S1 plot lines and even had a fake dating plot but it is true that they were platonic and not that close in S1 so it’s a wash. There was clear set up for romantic Portwell in 1x10 with team wonderstudies and Gina staring at EJ (which interestingly enough looked more like set up for Gina to pine over EJ). I think the main problem is that even though we saw Gina and EJ hanging out in the background we didn’t get any scenes of substance between them until 2x05. It was a mistake and there should have been some scene, like EJ and Gina commiserating in 2x03 over being single on Valentine’s Day or something like that. Hell there was even that still from 2x01 of EJ and Gina looking at each other at the piano while they were in the frame between Ricky and Nini singing and having a moment  which would have been good foreshadowing but that shot wasn’t in the ep.

Whether Tim just really wanted Portwell to be a surprise in 2x05 as a mid-season twist to throw the audience off of what looked like a Rini/Rina triangle or he was unsure as to whether he wanted to go with Portwell or if he just planned it out poorly we may never know. Regardless they’ve had great writing for 4 eps in a row now which puts them slightly ahead of the 3 eps in a row of development Rina got in S1. I’m sure if someone added up their screen time they’d find that Portwell has more screen time this season than Kowie and more screen time than Redlyn or Seblos  got in S1. 

Caswell cousins was fun and Ashlyn did in fact paint EJ’s nails. 

Set up for Seblos drama next week, it’s refreshing to see Seb being jealous over Carlos flirting with other boys that’s definitely not something you see on Disney shows.

Ricky got some healing done with his mom. Enough to cover their issues? No but this is probably the best this show is capable of. There was a brief mention of therapy sandwiched between other options which sounds more like checking off a box then setting up Ricky actually going to therapy. I noticed Lynne was smiling at odd times like when she told Ricky she knew about his breakup with Nini; whether that was poor directing or acting I don’t know. Who knows if we’ll see Lynne again. As an aside still so wild that Tim named Lynne who’s been a kinda shitty mom after his own mom who he seems to be fairly close with.

Really liked You ain’t seen nothin as a song but not a fan of the Tiktok style vid. I’ll level with you wildcats, I’m too old to really get Tiktok, it just seems like a crappy version of Vine to me. Let you go was good, seemed better fitted for Joshua Bassett’s voice than some of his previous songs. A big sign that they’re not circling back to Rini for a long time for sure. Though on that note we got a bit of a hint that Ricky was Nini’s muse which may one day come back as a way to help bring them back together. 

Looking Ahead:

If there’s only 3 weeks left till the Menkies, with only 2 weeks left for rehearsal due to spring break, it’s hard to see East High winning unless North High is disqualified or has to withdraw. 

Lily is in a promo photo so she’s likely the unexpected facetime Ricky gets which is what I had theorized. Also makes it much more likely that she’s the party crasher Ricky re-evaluates in the finale though what Tim actually wants to do with those two I do not know.

There’s little point in bringing back the Valentine’s chocolate since there’s no real stakes. Rini are already broken up, Gina hasn’t spoken to Ricky since 2x06, and it’s not like Nini and Gina were ever close so even if they stopped talking to each other it wouldn’t really affect the show in any way. 

Seems pretty likely that Second Chances refers to Gina realizing that her first try with Ricky failed but her second chance with EJ won’t and that leads to her sharing her truth and cue the Portwell confession and kiss, perhaps with an assist on EJ’s end from Mazzara. We’ve gone well past the point where Portwell can be brushed off as just a plot device to help Rina but Tim is playing with fire by getting the audience so on board with Portwell if he’s once again going to have EJ lose a girl he likes to Ricky in S3.

Gina certainly needs to talk with Ricky and I do think that happens in ep 11 or 12 and leaves them on better terms. As I mentioned last week, if Tim was smart he’d slam the door on Rina if he’s going with canon Portwell or vice versa. If he wants Rina to be a slow burn he’s really botched the writing this season, it’s been too one sided and too angsty to sustain any kind of momentum or audience interest. They haven’t even interacted for 3 eps now and not only has it not affected the show but it’s inarguably made Gina’s story line much better.  Again I don’t think he’s smart enough to not try and do Portwell and then later Rina but he’s accidentally set up the Rina story line to quite easily slam the door permanently on them by having their conversation be closure for Gina who’s moved on and an apology from Ricky who never liked her back as much as Gina liked him.

Not looking forward to seeing Nini basically live out Olivia Rodrigo’s life in future seasons

Curious to see Carlos’ apology song to Seb. Ricky helping him with it is a great way to help start redeeming Ricky’s character in the audiences eye’s. According to Matt there is a bit of a Ricky/EJ rivalry this season and if it’s really happening the sleepover would be a good place to do it though I hope it’s not about Gina. 

Until next week wildcats.

[writingkitten]

noises they make in bed? if one or more of them whine or growl during the grand finale I will cease to function. 🥴💚

Fuuuuuuuuuck omg I love this one (I’m gonna focus on sounds specifically, in other words not dirty talk)

Ricardo: you already know my husband is VOCAL! He has the most animalistic growls that resonate deep from within his chest. His sighs sound like how hot water feels on icy skin when you get a shower right after coming in from the snow. His whimpers… god. I can’t even describe how amazing they are. Words don’t do Ricky’s blissful whimpers justice. All in all, does not like to keep quiet (and also wants to hear your sounds too)

Otto: he whimpers A LOT, especially because he’s such a hopeless romantic and when the person he loves is making him feel so good he can’t help but whine at the intense pleasure

Doc Ock: opposite of Otto, this man GROWLS. I mean god knows, he’s supposed to be an octopus but he sounds like a lycan (goes very well with his affinity for biting). Also snarls. Rabid. Feral. Fuck me up, Doc.

Harding: deep moans that start out being trapped in his mouth, his lips not opening as he puts more emphasis on his lover’s pleasure. Once he’s getting really close though the floodgates open and the most guttural wanton moans just fall from his lips

Robert: similar to Ricardo, he makes A LOT of noise! I know I said I wasn’t going to mention dirty talk, but I don’t consider this to necessarily fall into that category: breathless curses will be heard constantly. Ranging from a very quiet “fuck” to the most involuntary wanton “FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK”. Things like that, accompanied by throaty groans, deep sighs, and sharp hisses when a particularly sensitive spot on him is touched

Chandler: kinda on the “animalistic” mindset rn so we’ll go with our darker detective now. Growls, snarls, incredibly lewd moans — anything and everything that just sounds like he’s possessed (because he just gets so worked up when hard and ready to fuck)

Diego: sweet moans and breathy sighs, despite being a womanizer he is also a very sensual man so I think very smooth and lustful sounds leave his lips

Harold: okay this can go one of two ways anytime he has sex: 1) it’s very sweet and loving and he moans and hums in pleasure, though with this one I think he likes to use his words more than just sounds. 2) while he is my sweet British boy, there are moments where sweet lovemaking turns into sensual and tender fucking, and when this happens Harold mostly loses his ability to speak. Because of this, he moans a lot more (although I think he has a bit of that old school politeness that keeps him from being as noisy as he could… I think I should offer to share some weed with him to help loosen him up)

Armand: very natural moans and groans, just letting his vocal chords do whatever they want because he’s too lost in pleasure to bother controlling the sounds he makes. Probably a happy median between my husband Ricardo and my doctor Harding.

Arden: boy doesn’t hold his moans back for ANYONE he CAN and WILL make anyone who hears him think the place is haunted

Dick: whispers “yes baby” and quietly moans, gets louder when he’s close to cumming (anxious boy subconsciously keeps himself quiet, I think we need to help him break that habit)

Dunlop: okay so you know how when someone is getting a massage and a particularly sore place gets rubbed and they let out a nice involuntary “mmmmmmmmm” that’s a lot of what my sweetie Steven does

Andres: panting, growling, groaning, another one who’s basically a lycan lmao

Boris: whimpers! whines! gasps! he’s very sensitive and touch starved he can’t help mewling like a little kitten while you ride his cock 🥺

Molina!Penguin (I’m just gonna call him Oswald from now on): similar to Harold (because I think Oswald/Penguin is a Jekyll/Hyde dynamic) so sweet bb Ozzy whimpers and whines and just repeats phrases like “thank you” and “oh my god” a lot, while Penguin just goes full beast mode (again with the use of “animalistic” lol I’m sorry it’s just the best way to describe a lot of the sounds the boys make)

Edelweiss: okay this one (for once) is actually not weird: he’s kinda like Armand, though he repeats phrases like “good girl/boy/baby/your choice of pet name” which Armand doesn’t do (as much)

Big Boss: “mmmmmm” turns to “oh yessssss” to *groans in Texan* to *growls like a cowboy as he cums*

Manuel: heavenly moans, hums, and sighs when the sex is akin to blessing his lover and forgiving their sins. When it’s making them out for their sins, he can sound very demonic for a bishop (my HC is that there is a darkness within Manuel that, while he is dedicated to the lord, has corrupted his methods of worship, like using BDSM as if it were a sacred rite and things like that) (incubus!manuel 👀)

Hank: I wrote this one after I wrote Frank’s so I’m referencing it even though y’all haven’t read it yet lmao. Similar to Frank’s, although Hank is less into the “procedural” style of sex and more interested in just being sloppy and doing what feels good. Because of this he uses “fuck” and “yesss” earlier on in the session.

Frank: a lot of aggressive “oh yeah”, “yessss”, “fuck”, etc. He loves dirty talk because he’s a fan of degradation, so when it comes to non-dirty talk sounds, it usually is just him devolving into the bare minimum of speech.

Horvath: like others on this list, it varies. Passionate fiery lovemaking? Deep moans and sighs of bliss. Aggressive fucking? Sounds like a baritone banshee (funny HC moment: the first time you and Maxim have sex like that, and you hear the sounds he makes, you briefly snap out of your lust and think “Jesus Christ do I need to call an exorcist?”)

[soniaxdixon]

My Girl

Word count: 1847

Set end of season 3 start of season 4ish

Summary: You and Daryl have an unspoken relationship and when a new girl comes to the prison, you let her know very clearly who Daryl is with.

Warnings: Swearing, TWD gore, reader is a bit hot headed.

Rick bringing the people of Woodbury to the prison was definitely a surprise to you all but in this day and age, strength came in numbers so you were lucky to have this many people now. The governor was still at large and no one had any idea where he could have possibly gone which meant that you all needed to be prepared. Most of the people from Woodbury where either older or didn’t know how to fight which was an issue. You were one of the best fighters among your group along with Daryl, Maggie, Glenn and of course Rick but Rick had other commitments which left the four of you to run lessons. Maggie and Glenn taught the newcomers how to use guns and knives while you and Daryl taught hand to hand classes. Most of your classes involved sparring and it always helped when there were even numbers of people but today Rick had brought in a new person who he had found on the road a few days ago. She was quite small and didn’t know how to fight at all, you wondered how she had survived this far.

Rick brought her over to you and Daryl once she had rested for a few days, she was now ready to learn to defend herself.

“You’re not gonna find better teachers than these two.” Rick led the girl over to you and Daryl, gesturing towards you as he spoke. You both walked up to meet the two of them in the middle of the field. “Mia, this is y/n and Daryl.” Her eyes flicked between the two of you, looking Daryl up and down far too many times for your liking.

You and Daryl had been in love with each other since the day you met, you shared a cell and everything but you still hadn’t technically made things ‘official.’ Your group liked to make jokes about how obvious your feelings were except you seemed to be oblivious to each other for so long.

You noticed Daryl’s breath hitch as her eyes slowly roamed his body, your stomach twisting in knots as you watched her practically undress him with her stare. You broke the silence, drawing her eyes back to you.

“How long you been out there”

“It’s been a while, since I lost my boyfriend I’ve been all alone.”

Her eyes flicked back to Daryl earning an eye roll from you. “Shame.”

Daryl cleared his throat, “Right, we better get started with the rest of em over there. Come on.”

You followed Daryl back over to the group, Mia standing close behind him like a lost puppy.

“Right, today we are working on getting out of someone’s grip. There may be times where someone grabs you, pins you, whatever, you need to be able to get out of it. Watch Daryl and I first, then buddy up and start practicing.”

You walked over to Daryl turning to face the group as he stood behind you, wrapping his arms tightly around your frame, trapping your arms.

“This is where you would kick their shins or slam your head into their face. The shock should be enough to throw them off their game to which you should be able to rip your way out of their hold then turn and kick them until they’re down and keep them down. Your turn, find a partner and get started.”

Everyone had a partner except for Mia, she was walking over towards Daryl before you stepped in.

“Excuse me” She looked passed you her sites still set on Daryl.

“Just practice with me, let’s see what you got.”

“Don’t you think it would be better if I had someone bigger holding me to see if I can really get out of this situation?” She batted her eyelashes towards Daryl as she spoke. Was this girl for real? Couldn’t she take a hint?

“You know what, you’re so right.” Sarcasm dripped from your words.

Her smile grew as she started walking towards Daryl again.

“Hey Tyrese, can you give me a hand here for a second?” Your words stopped her in her tracks, anger taking over her face.

You stood back with Daryl and watched as everyone practiced what you had taught them, all except Mia who just wasn’t getting out of Tyrese’s grip.

Then sun began to set as you wrapped up the classes. “We’ll see you all tomorrow, same time, same place as always.”

You and Daryl began to walk back to the prison as your stomach’s growled.

“Any idea what we’re havin’ for dinner?” Daryl asked you but your mind remained focused on the girl staring at him.

“Hm? Oh um, I think Carol made a stew.”

You ate with the rest of your family before making your way over to the showers, Daryl heading up towards your shared cell. While you were in the shower, Mia took the opportunity to head over to your cell and chat with Daryl.

“Hey Daryl.”

“Hey, Mia right?”

“Yeah, I was wondering if you run one on one classes? I feel like I’ve missed a lot of training here and I thought it might be good to catch up.”

“We usually just run the group classes.”

“Oh. Would you be willing to maybe just help me out a bit then, I promise I’m a fast learner and I’ll do anything you tell me.” She had a devilish look to her when she spoke. Daryl chewed his thumb as he thought about her question. She seemed like she really just wanted to learn and it wouldn’t hurt to have her learn a few extra things.

“M’kay, meet me where we had class today, after breakfast.”

“Thank you!” She squealed as she made her way to her cell.

You got out of the shower, drying off and dressing into your pyjamas before you climbed the stairs up to your cell. By the time you got in there Daryl had changed and climbed under the covers, his arm covering his eyes. You couldn’t help but let your eyes roam over his toned arms.

“I know ya starin’ at me.” You giggled at his comment before climbing over him onto the other side of the bed, rolling over and facing the wall. He rolled onto his side and wrapped his arm around your waist pulling your body flush against his. You traced circles around his arm that was draped over you.

“What do you think about that new girl, Mia?” You asked him, your eyes remaining focused on the wall in front of you.

“She seems harmless.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right. Goodnight Daryl.”

“Mhm, night.”

You squeezed his arm before letting your arm slide back down onto the pillow under you, drifting to sleep with your archer behind you.

You woke up before Daryl, his arm was still wrapped around you, loose enough that you could slide out of his grip and shuffle off the bed. He stirred slightly as you climbed off the bunk.

“Where ya goin’?”

“I have fence duty, go back to sleep. I’ll see you for lunch.” You bent down and kissed him on the forehead before exiting your cell and making your way down to the fences.

After about an hour of stabbing walkers through the fence you saw Daryl walk out of the prison, you waved at him and he sent a smile your way. You turned back around and continued to take care of the walker issue.

“Hey y/n” The southern drawl you knew so well caught your attention.

“Hey Ricky.” You smiled cheekily, he hated when you called him that but part of him loved it, it showed how close the two of you were.

“How’d that new girl, Mia go at classes yesterday?”

“Not great, she needs a lot of work. Plus, I think she has a thing for Daryl and that’s not on.”

“Well you’re not gonna like this.” Your stomach dropped at his words.

“What?” He gestured over towards the middle of the field where Daryl and Mia were sparring. One on One.

“You’ve gotta be shitting me.” You glared at the two of them, your stomach twisting repeatedly when you could hear her giggles whenever Daryl would go to grab her.

“Go handle it, I got you covered for a bit.”

You stabbed one more walker through the head violently yanking your knife back out sending blood everywhere as you shook it and shoved it back in its sheath. You could feel your anger rise every time Daryl put his hands on her, you could see her leaning into his touch.

————

“Alright let’s try again.” Mia said, looking at Daryl with a spark in her eyes.

“M’kay one more time.” Daryl went to wrap his arms around her from behind but at the last second she turned and was facing him, her hands pressed up against his chest which caught him off guard as he stepped back.  “What the hell?”

“Come on Daryl, we should have a bit of fun while we’re here.” She started leaning up towards him before he took another step back. “Don’t tell me you’re not attracted to me, I know you want me and I’ll give you everything and more. More than y/n can give you.”

“You’re fucking crazy, ya know that?”

She took a step towards him, placing her hands on his shoulder before his eyes met yours, you were now almost standing directly behind Mia and she was oblivious.

“My girl ain’t gonna like this.”

“She doesn’t have to know, I don’t see her anywhere.”

With that, you grabbed her hair and yanked her so hard she hit the floor. “Now you do.”

“y-y/n I-” She struggled to find words before you stood next to Daryl, looking down at her.

“You ever try anything again, you even think about trying anything again, I will personally tie you to a tree and let the walkers finish you off. Do you understand me?”

She gulped, “Yes”

“Good, now go and find someone else to teach you how to fight. I’m sick of seeing your face.”

She pushed herself off the floor and scurried towards the prison building.

Daryl went to grab your hand but you pulled away.

“Nuh uh. Not letting you off that easy asshole. What the hell were you thinking?”

“She asked for a one on one session to help her improve, I thought she was bein’ serious but obviously not.”

“Mhm.” You started to walk away from him before turning back “My girl, huh?” Daryl rubbed the back of his neck. “I like it.” You started to walk back down towards the fence to return to Rick as Daryl’s eyes focused on the swing in your hips.

He smiled sheepishly at the ground before following you like a lovesick teen. He was completely under your spell and would never have done anything with Mia. You knew that but you needed Mia to know who he was with and that he was not fair game. 

She understood that now.

[organic-guacamole]

I've got a lot of thoughts on this finale.

starting with the length.

27 minutes? really?

I'm not asking for a 2 hour episode but cmon, at least give us something closer to 40 minutes.

next, the characters

the characters just didn't feel like themselves, especially portwell.

all season long we saw how much potential they had, how well communicated they were, how good they were at being a proper, healthy couple, and now they just can't talk to each other?

it doesn't feel like them.

portwell had arguably the best set up of all the other ships, they showed us how good they had the potential to be only to throw in a cheap plot to wrap it up? I would understand that they want some angst to make the ending all the more satisfying, but this was pathetic.

there I said it.

of all the ways to add drama in a ship, don't use the one that completely contradicts their entire development.

paired with the length of the episode, it seemed even more poorly written.

here I made a lovely, handy dandy homemade graph to represent how I see portwell's storyline:

as i said before, we saw the build up being nearly perfect. they peaked during episodes 9-11 because they just had the chemistry, the communication, and the most potential to be the endgame couple.

they just got eachother.

then we get Jamie popping in for 10 seconds and erasing a lot of that, only for mediator Ashlyn to jump in and solve their problems.

then there's the "kiss".

I know that Sofia is underage and that even if she/her legal guardians consent to the kiss, the writers can still decide not to show it, but still. In my opinion, if you're not going to show the kiss, then don't bother.

there are other ways to establish a relationship that would work better in this situation. Of course if they get together they'll have to kiss sometime, but one way they could postpone it is by having Gina be a bit more reluctant to give away her first kiss like that. it could also show how accomodating EJ is.

I like to think that Gina is very meticulous when making decisions so she'll probably want to be very sure of the relationship before giving him her first kiss. perhaps she'd stick to cheek kisses until she's ready, and then she kisses him and he's surprised.

that would've been, in my opinion, a sufficient way to hold off the kiss while still wrapping up portwell until season 3 when Sofia would be 18 (assuming they get picked up for S3 this summer then start filming fall-winter. Sofia will be 18 in January).

as my friend @rtcosley (idk why it's not letting me tag them, so their page is linked) said,

"They created like 10 plots

And instead of wrapping it up

They added 4 more"

there's just so much more they could've done...it's the season finale for crying out loud.

I get that seblos already had (what I assume is) their storyline for the season, the fight and resolution. Ignoring the fact that that only lasted for 2 episodes and didn't have anything to do with what we were expecting, (i.e.the financial differences between their families, as mentioned in episode 1, the fact that everyone treats seb like he's stupid, this being carlos' first show and the drama that the stress of that caused, etc.), seblos had to purpose this episode than to stand next to eachother and be gay.

I get that they're not part of the core four or anything, but the poster for season 2 has all of them, as opposed to season 1 just being the core four.

They deserved better, just like redlyn and kowie.

redlyn's arc was pretty early in the season compared to the other ships. they had Ashlyn confessing her insecurities in episode 3, antoine stirring the pot of confusion and causing a bit of distance between them briefly, and then big red confessing his goals and plans for the future in episode 8 and for the rest of it, we just see them getting closer and more comfortable with each other and caring about each other more and more.

they had a good arc together.

but that's just it. I wanted to see them have their own arcs. but then again, this show can't seem to balance multiple storylines. I think it is possible, but not when they keep adding new characters that don't contribute anything much to the story(more on that later).

kowie's storyline is... confusing.

I really like their dynamic, how carefree and happy Kourtney gets around him, how she's remaining true to herself and managing a million and one things, plus a relationship in her own without losing herself to it all.

but the main issue I have is that the entire development was never shown.

we went from strangers, to coworkers, to friends that flirt, to lovers that text constantly and went on numerous dates (and Howie met her mother at some point). but all of that, was off screen.

it's like the writers made every episode with them in it kind of thrown in at a new stage of relationship progression and said "here, accept this, no questions asked because we don't have answers"

I just wish we could've seen more of howie trying to get in her good side again after episode 7 because it seems like that's when a lot of it happened.

I appreciate the Rini scene in this episode, seems to be the very end of them, for good this time.

i'm happy about that.

Ricky especially deserves to be free for a while to focus on his development, and Nini has the chance now to really shine through her talents and make a name for herself.

The Rini storyline is the only one I'm fully satisfied with.

now, that being said;

what the heck are they trying to pull with Lily and Ricky rn???

just like that.

after lily being the villain this whole season, they're just gonna not redeem her and then have her confess her feelings to Ricky, a guy she barely knows and only talked to to harass and intimidate, and for him to reject her publicly then call her afterwards?

please I hope it's just to say "you dropped something, here it is and never contact me again, thanks." /hj

speaking of the villains, this season was promoted as the season of rivalry between North and East High right? so why did that plot idea only progress in about 3 out if 12 episodes?

we got Zackey Roy in there for a few episodes then he disappeared, Lily just caused Gina to stay true to her friends in episode 2 and 7 and then basically did nothing else?

this is what I mean by the new characters providing nothing to the show.

the writers can't manage having so many characters and plots at once so they start so many promising arcs, only to kick them aside later on.

we already know that the first half of the season felt like filler episodes, so I think they could've cut those down to leave room for the more important plots to take root, rather than have them pop up and get rushed at the end of the season.

all that, and they just add 4 more plots at the end of the season.

this post sounds very negative looking back...but if I'm being honest with myself, I'm just very very disappointed.

I love this show so much and I really expected better for the season finale, especially if they don't know if it's getting renewed or not.

given the IMDB ratings of this episode so far, I don't have very high expectations for the renewal, but I'm still hopeful because this show is a great thing, one of the best things that happened to me over the course of this quarantine. I've become so attached to this show, the cast and the friends I made through it, that I don't know what I would do if it just ends like this. writing these reviews and posts about this season has been so fun for me to do and thinking that this may be the very last one is a painful thought.

I'm sorry if you were expecting this post to be as light-hearted as my other posts about the episodes, I just had a lot to say about this episode in particular.

all my episode posts are tagged with "#guac's episode text blocks :)" in case you wanna read through and reminisce the simpler times🥲