#anyway thank you everyone who joined the campaign!!! WE DID IT!!!

[reimenaashelyee]

THE GOD OF AREPO IS NOW AN AWARD-WINNING TUMBLR FOLKLORE!!!!!

WE GOT THE BRICK! WE ARE GETTING ARCHIVED INTO THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS!!! Hell yeah!! Making Tumblr history!!

I have a pretty strong idea now for how I want to smash up the brickand divide between us creators: the TL;DR is that I'm going to use the smallest pieces to build a cairn inside a pseudo-terrarium award stand. (x5)

Follow me if you want to witness the brick smashing and terrarium constructing.

But omg thank you everyone!! I had no idea if this campaign would work. I'm so honoured to be able to contribute this opportunity for everyone. :,)

@sadoeuphemist @writing-prompt-s @sameenbyhat @stu-pot

[norrisainz33]

field hockey || GR63

☆ summary: george russell’s girlfriend, y/n, is an olympic (field) hockey player and he’s obsessed with her

☆ pairing: george russell x olympic!reader

☆ fc & warning: lily owsley and slightly suggestive. you are responsible for the content you consume

☆ requested: yes!! apologies for the delay - thank you sm for taking the time to request 🤍

ﾟ. ✿ ୨❤︎୧⠀�� . ﾟ

georgerussell63 has added to his private story

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alex_albon: when is y/n/n’s next match?

georgerussell63: 2 days! same day as race day🥹

alex_albon: 💔 man i wanted to watch

georgerussell63: you still can! briefly! i will have it on in my garage

ynuser: georgie 😫 i miss you more!!!! also why don’t YOU hurry up and finish racing so you can come to paris????

georgerussell63: i’m working on it baby girl

ynuser: well work harder 😉

georgerussell63: yes ma’am 😍

lilymhe: you can’t rush greatness

georgerussell63: i know you’re right but im going to try anyway

lewishamilton: don’t stress her out mate 😂😂

georgerussell63: oops

yourbff: that’s my girl actually ☝🏻

georgerussell63: not this again 🫠

georgerussell63 has made a post

liked by yourbff, mercedesamgf1, teamgb, lewishamilton, ynuser, alex_albon, lilymhe, and 874,234 others

georgerussell63: everyone stop what you’re doing - y/n is playing in the olympics today

view all 685 comments

user1: george’s account is becoming a fan account for y/n

user2: george aren’t you racing today ??

mercedesamgf1: let’s go y/n! (george please pay attention in the drivers meeting)

georgerussell63: i am paying attention

alex_albon: y/n y/n y/n!!! let’s go!!!

lilymhe: lets gooooooo that’s my best friend!!

ynuser: i 🫶🏻 you both

user3: i thought this was y/n’s post but it’s just george reminding us how much he loves his girl

landonorris: 🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧

ynuser: 🤍🇬🇧🤍🇬🇧🤍

user4: rooting for you both today!!!

user5: y/ngeorge for the win!!

mercedesamgf1: it’s race day here in SPA! Join George as he talks race day updates and aspirations and y/n’s olympic campaign.

view all 125 comments

user4: george not talking abt y/n challenge failed

user5: i love how much he loves her

georgerussell63: my girl’s about to win!! you all should tune in!!

user16: shouldn’t you be in the car rn george

user63: he’s live tweeting from the garage apparently

mercedesamgf1: george give me your phone now - toto

user7: loving that all this mercedes and george promo is bringing the love the field hockey world deserves

yourbff: yesss georgie educate the masses on the olympic schedule!!!!

georgerussell63: watch 🗣️ gb field hockey 🗣️ now 🗣️

user9: get you a man like george who cares more about talking about your success than his own

user10: i want them to be my mom and dad

ynuser has posted to their story

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user6: girl did you even step off the field yet ?

georgerussell63: my woman my woman my woman. i fcking love you

ynuser: i love you more my race winner

georgerussell63: simply not possible my olympic field hockey game winner

ynuser: i can’t wait to kiss your cute face

georgerussell63: sprinting away from media duties and to the jet to get to paris rn

ynuser: literally counting down the minutes

user56: a winning day for y/n/n and georgie

yourbff: a couple who wins together stays together

ynuser: 😭😭 winning on the same day hit like nothing else

yourbff: so proud of you both bb 🤍

mercedesamgf1: absolutely amazing result for you both. so so so happy for you y/n ❤️

ynuser: thank you admin ily

georgerussell63 posts to his private story

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landonorris: gross

georgerussell63: if you think this is gross you should’ve seen what we did after

landonorris: i hate you

alex_albon: now you can finally stop crying about missing her!

georgerussell63: yes! until the next time we are apart that is

llyzneimer: my baby girl, give her back to me

georgerussell63: never! she is mine!

lilyzneimer: didn’t anyone ever teach you to share?

georgerussell63: nope!

ynuser: hot

georgerussell63: oh yea 😏

lewishamilton: send her my best

georgerussell63: she sends it right back and she says she wants to see roscoe asap

lewishamilton: roscoe would love a play date 🤍

yourbff: stop distracting her from playing hockey

georgerussell63: i am NOT distracting her ☝🏻

ynuser has made a post

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ynuser: not the way i would have hoped our time at the olympics would have ended. we gave it everything we had and for that i am so incredibly proud. there’s always next time!! thank you to everyone for the outpouring of support and love - i hope you’ve been inspired to keep watching field hockey!! thank you to my friends, my coaches, my teammates, my family and most of all george for enabling this dream to come true. see you next time paris 🤍🇬🇧

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user23: 4th is still impressive you gorgeous hockey queen

user44: thanks for introducing us to the incredible game of field hockey y/n

user54: no like fr i had no idea how fun the sport was!!! everyone say thank you y/n!

user64: thank you y/n

user74: thanks y/n/n

ynuser: you are so welcome 🫶🏻

georgerussell63: you’re an olympian y/n/n and no one can take that away from you, medal or not. you have inspired me and so many others. i love you y/n ❤️

ynuser: i love you mr russell 🥹

user45: we are proud of you mother

landonorris: great effort y/n! proud that you’re out there representing team 🇬🇧

ynuser: thank you lan

user33: still my favorite olympian

roscoelovescoco: prouds of yous my friends 😘

ynuser: i needed this thank you 😭

user35: can’t wait for the next olympics for you to eat it up and win gold

ynuser has added to their story

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user46: hoping you both enjoy your break!!

user87: are you guys just gonna get married yet or what

yourbff: enjoy italy!! love you both 🤍

ynuser: 🤍🤍pasta🤍🤍

mercedesamgf1: much needed rest and recovery time 🫶🏻

teamgb: until next time 🏑🇬🇧

georgerussell63: blue is your color

ynuser: so is gold 😏

georgerussell63: oh i know 💍

user78: that dress is to die for tf

roscoelovescoco: stops by and sees me pls

ynuser: will do ❤️

lilyzneimer: enjoy pretty girl

ynuser: can’t wait to see you and osc 🤍

ﾟ. ✿ ୨❤︎୧⠀✿ . ﾟ

a/n: thanks for reading!! likes and reblogs appreciated!! this concludes my olympic reader series. appreciate all of you reading 🥹

ﾟ. ✿ ୨❤︎୧⠀✿ . ﾟ

disclaimer: pictures are not mine and everything i write is fiction

© norrisainz33 || please do not rewrite, translate, or copy any of my works posted here on to any other platform

[canirove]

Friends, lovers… and an orange | Chapter 4

Previous chapter | Next chapter

Masterlist

"It was so weird, mum... Like, the moment I mentioned his agency, he went all serious and then avoided my question. And before that, he didn't smile like he usually does."

"Since when do you pay attention to the way Mason smiles?" Elizabeth chuckled.

"That's a really good question" Adele thought. "Anyway, do you think... Could an agency do that? Call the paps on one of their clients as some kind of revenge?"

After the chaos at the airport, she and Mason had talked about who could have tipped off the photographers. The only people who knew they were flying that day were their brothers, Jourdan and his agency, and the first three would never say anything. The others... 

"That's too twisted" Elizabeth said. "But I know they've called them without letting their client know because it made the photos look more natural, like actual candids."

"Did that ever happen to you and dad?"

"Never. We were stalked, followed everywhere, harassed... But my agency always protected me."

Adele's parents hadn't had it easy. Her father was the heir of a very important family in the US and was considered one of the most eligible bachelors in the country, and when the press had found out that they were dating, they had gone crazy. Both had been followed everywhere they went, their faces being on all the magazines. The supermodel and the heir, most headlines would say. And his family didn't like it. 

They considered Elizabeth not enough for their son, and had done everything in their power to make them break up. When they got engaged after years of dating, his family hadn't met her yet, and when Adele's dad took Elizabeth's last name instead of being the other way around, they even threatened him with disinheriting him. But they fought for their love despite everything and everyone, and they still were together, happier than ever.   

"So you don't think Mason's agency could have done it?" 

"I don't, no" Elizabeth said. "But less talking about pretty boys and annoying paparazzis, and more about this!" she said, gesturing towards their car's window.

Between Jourdan, Mason and her mum constantly sending her photos of their old trips together, Adele had finally said yes to going to Paris. She would be joining her backstage at the couple of shows she was walking, attending one as a guest with her, and a couple of parties too. Would she end up regretting it? Probably. 

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━

"I am so glad you accepted our invitation, Adele" said Maria Grazia Chiuri, Dior's creative director, when she met them for their fitting. 

"Thank you for inviting me" she smiled.

"I myself have picked some looks for you that I think will be perfect."

"Oh, wow. That's so kind."

"Anything for you, girls."

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━

"Red or black?" Elizabeth asked while looking at herself in the mirror.

"Black" Adele and Maria Grazia said at the same time. 

"Black it is."

"Adele, now that I have you here, I have to ask again. Are you sure you wouldn't like to join your mum for our mother's day campaign? It would be just a one time thing."

"I'm sorry, Maria Grazia. But being in front of the camera isn't my thing."

"Then what about behind the camera?"

"What?" Adele said.

"Oh, that's an amazing idea! You could take my photos!" Elizabeth said while getting changed.

"Mum, I'm not a professional photographer. There are better people for that than me."

"It wouldn't be as special, tho. And a daughter taking photos of her mother would also work for our campaign" Maria Grazia said.

"I don't think it is a good idea. What would the photographer you hired say?"

"If I explain it to him, he'll understand. Why don't I ask someone from my team to send you the mood board for the campaign so you can get an idea of what we want?"

"And Addie could send your photographer some of her photos so you know what she can do" Elizabeth added.

"Perfect!" Maria Grazia said, not allowing Adele to protest.

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━

"I think someone fancies you."

"What?" Adele said. She and Elizabeth had been in Paris for a few days already, everything going pretty well keeping in mind what had been going on back home and in New York. Paparazzis bothered them the usual during fashion week, and all the headlines were about her and her mum, their outfits, and how much they were loving that they were finally doing fashion stuff together.

That night, they were attending a Vogue party where they were joined by people she only saw on Instagram. Models, musicians, actors... Even a couple of football players too. 

"That cute guy over there" Elizabeth said, nodding towards her left. "He can't stop looking at you."

"Who... What..." she said, slowly turning around to look at him. When they eyes met, he smiled at her, and Adele heard herself giggling. He had a dimple on his left cheek, just like Mason did. Mason...

"Go talk to him."

"What?"

"C'mon" her mum said, pushing her towards him.

"But I don't know who he is.”

"An actor from one of those superhero movies. Now go."

"But..."

"Hello there" the cute guy said, his dimple showing in all its glory once again.

"Hi."

"You are Adele Turlington, right?"

"Yep. And you are... Sorry, I'm really bad with names" she smiled, hoping her lie would work.

"Nico Evans."

"Nico, yes, of course! I was thinking about your character's name and I didn't want to say something stupid."

"Nah, it's ok. I'm used to it" he smiled again. God, he was cute. "Would you like to grab a drink?"

"I would love that." 

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━

"What time is it?" Adele yawned.

"Too early. Go back to sleep" Nico whispered.

"Then why are you leaving?"

"Because I am attending a show in an hour, and I haven't showered or got changed" he chuckled.

"Oh..."

"Would you like to meet again?" Nico said after finishing tying up his shoes. "Maybe for lunch? I'm leaving tonight."

"I... I can't. My mum and I are meeting some friends of hers that we haven't seen in ages and..."

"Oh, it's ok. Don't worry" Nico smiled, that dimple he shared with Mason showing up again. Why was she thinking about him again? "Maybe another time."

"Yeah, maybe."

"Thank you for last night, Adele. That was... That was amazing. Definitely a highlight of my fashion week" he smirked.

"You're welcome" she giggled, feeling her cheeks get warm.

"Good bye, Miss Turlington. See you soon" he said, giving her a peck.

"Good bye, Mr. Evans" she replied.

[summer-nights19]

Good for business part 3 - Friday Night at the Inn

Balor x fem reader

Part 2

Part 4

It had taken the whole morning to clean up your farm and gather the necessary supplies to ship orders and begin repairing the bridge. After hours of strenuous labour, you were looking forward to an afternoon lazing around in town. On your way out, you checked the mailbox, which had quickly become a habit for you. Instead of orders or recipes, there were two things. A letter from Celine reminding you about friday night at the inn, and your favourite flower with a note attached. Curiosity rising, you unfolded the note, which simply said:

"You looked beautiful last night. I enjoyed our time together"

Carefully, you put both the flower and the note on your bedside table. Who could they be from ? Despite you trying to deny it, you certainly knew who you wanted them to be from - travelling merchant who had walked you home last night and left you with your heart leaping out of your chest as you watched him leave - but there was no sign off, so you couldn't be sure. To complicate things further, you'd literally spent time with the entire village yesterday , so there was no ruling out potential candidates.

Someone knocked on your door, snapping you out of your thoughts.

"Y/N ? Reina and I thought we could head to the inn together if you're up for it," Celine called from outside.

"Coming !" You replied as you scrambled to put on your boots and smooth your hair. After having freshened up a bit, you opened the door and greeted your friends with hugs.

"Sorry it took me a while," you said, sheepishly as you started walking.

"No problem ! It looks like we're right on time, anyway," Reina smiled. "Speaking of the inn, Y/N, are you ready to see your admirers ?"

Celine's smile grew with that, and you just knew they were thinking about Balor walking you home last night. The discussion had to change before it could degenerate further.

"Uhhh I wouldn't say I have admirers. Just good, kind hearted friends. Speaking of which, Reina, what games did you say were available at the inn ?"

It was a poor attempt at derailing the conversation, but Reina was kind enough not to push further.

"I believe Eiland said he was starting a new Dragons and Drama campaign. Celine, you're participating, right ?" Celine nodded with a grin.

You gasped, barely able to contain your excitement.

"I love D&D ! Back at home, my friends and I used to play all the time."

"That's amazing, Y/N ! You should definitely join us then," Celine said as she pushed the door to the inn open and led you to the nearest table. Reina waved at you guys and made her way to the kitchen. It was, after all, her family's inn.

"Hi Lord Eiland ! Y/N wanted to join us for D&D. She has plenty of previous experience, so you don't have to worry about explaining the game," explained Celine as she sat down. You took the seat opposite her without much thought.

"Hi, Y/N. Of course you can join ! Just set your character up quickly while I introduce the campaign,"

As everyone started introducing their characters, Balor took the seat next to yours, clasping a beer in his hand.

"... and this is Balor's thief, Snicklefritz," Holt explained as he showed everyone the miniatures he'd made for the game. Balor sighed.

"This is what I get for arriving late at the cards table. I have no idea what's going on, or why everyone keeps calling me Snicklefritz. Do you understand any of this, Y/N ?"

"Yeah ! This is Dragons and Drama, one of my favourite games. It's easy once you get the hang of it. Please give it a chance... Snicklefritz,"

"Don't call me that but fine, if you insist," Balor took his miniature, a the hint of a smile on the corner of his lips.

***

"Alright, it's getting late now, so I'm gonna head off. Thank you, everyone, for the really fun game," you said as you stood up from the D&D table.

"I'll walk you to your house, Y/N," Balor put down his beer and miniature and stood up next to you as Celine desperately tried to catch your gaze.

"Thank you, Snicklefritz," you giggled as you led him out of the inn.

"I told you not to call me that. The only reason I was playing that game was because the cards table was full and because you made such a big deal out of it,"

"You can't fool me, Snicklefritz. I can tell you were secretly enjoying it," you said, properly laughing now. It was a quiet night, so the sound of the cicadas and your laughter was the only thing that could be heard on the way to your farm. Balor's face softened, and a pink tint crept on his cheeks.

"Well I guess I'm stuck with it now," he said, trying but failing to sound reluctant.

"You are ! At least until we finish the campaign. Though you can leave if you really don't like it," you replied, looking at him with silly puppy dog eyes.

"I suppose it's not as bad as I first thought," Balor rolled his eyes as he walked you to your porch. "There's one condition though. You let me walk you home like this every Friday. I enjoy your company,"

You blushed and nodded, taken aback. Truthfully, the idea made you much happier than you wanted yo admit.

"Good night, Y/N. And be sure to stop by my wagon tomorrow. Always love seeing my favourite customer,"

"You say that to all your customers,"

"Yeah well you're my real favourite," he winked, taking your hand in his and kissing the back very lightly.

"Good night Balor ... and thank you," you could feel your face burning bright red, as you spoke, but Balor simply grinned and sauntered off, closing the door behind him.

In a daze, you took the flower from your nightstand and started twiring it between your fingers in a sort of lazy dance. Maybe it really was from him. What might his favourite flower be ? No, perhaps he'd want another gift...

Your eyes started to close, and your body slumped on the bed, sheer exhaustion taking over. Despite this, the flower didn't fall from your grasp.

Masterlist

[ahamkara-apologist]

Oh thank god now that Echoes is finally out I can talk about the Faith-Keeper loretab

First off: I'm not really sure who it is exactly, but we've got a Hidden agent listening in on a discussion between Eido and the Spider about Eramis. If I had to guess, this agent is likely Ikora, since Misraaks asked her to look after Eido at the end of the Lost in the Light quest post-FS campaign, but we don't really get any clarification here. In my heart its Ikora, though.

First off: I LOVE the callback to Eido's shitty datapad security from Season of Plunder. Remember when she was recording her audio logs and Eramis just dropped in unexpectedly to talk to her behind Misraaks's back? Looks like she hasn't fixed her security breach well enough to prevent others from doing the same. Which is deeply funny to me- babygirl, your father is a Splicer. His whole entire job is being a top tier hacker!! You need better security than that!!!

Eido babyyyy, I'm not sure why you think you can blackmail a crime lord, but I admire your efforts! I'm not really sure what Spider is doing here, maybe moving closer to her? Either way I love how his whole 'fake caring' shtick got immediately dropped to the side as soon as Eido laughed at him. You're not winning any uncle points here, Spider. The note about Eramis having been given up by everyone around her, however? This is both a good and a bad sign. Good because it means that the forces of Darkness that got her into this whole mess no longer give a fuck about her and aren't there to push her into poor decisions again, bad because Eramis is historically notorious for making terrible decisions when there's nobody around to influence her anyways. Given the fact that she was outright suicidal the last time we checked in on her and that means that we have a limited time frame to get Eido to soften her up before she starts putting her neck on the line again (which has me very nervously side-eyeing Revenant; I don't believe that she would want to join with Fikrul given her prior experiences with the Scorn, but it can also go either way if she's pushed. Eido could convince her to give her assistance to prevent him from spreading Dark Ether...or Fikrul could sway her to look away from what he's doing by promising to bring back Riis with the power of the Echo)

Not gonna lie, my first reaction when I read the 'staccato clicking' noises coming from Eido was 'DID SHE JUST PULL A FUCKING GUN ON HIM??', followed by wondering if she was threatening him in some way- then a friend pointed out she was likely crying, which made me go back to reread and realize that the wheezing noises were coming from her, not Spider (in my defense, he's a wheezy boi). So, yeah, she's crying. Poor sweet girl, I've been there before. I know that Misraaks set Spider on her to try to set her straight (which is deeply funny to me- he must be desperately worried for him to have Spider handle her, of all people), but, well...it's the Spider. He's a crime boss. 'Gentle' isn't in his nature

This does give me great hope for an Eramis redemption arc in the future, though. Compared to everyone else we've faced recently, Eramis hasn't even come close to the level of awful that the Witness has done, and she's outright helped us in several instances. There's no reason why we can't try to form an alliance with her- the main thing stopping us is because Eramis herself doesn't think that she's worthy of redemption. If we can barter with Savathun- whose desires are ultimately selfish even if they were momentarily aligned with our own- then we can certainly assist Eramis, especially if it means getting the remaining Houseless Eliksni off our back and in a safe, guardian-free refuge of their own (WITHOUT being tricked into being pawns of the Witness)

Also- absolutely love Eido's little speech here. Her insistence on clinging to optimism is probably what made Eramis see Eido as the guiding light for the future of the Eliksni people, and in a way, it's perfect to fit the Traveler's motif of forgiveness in the Light. Makes me wonder if the theory that Eido is the Kell of Kells may be hinted at here, since it's Eido alone of all other Eliksni who refuses to give up on a person's ability to change for the better. Even Misraaks can't do that, despite creating House Light and its open-door forgiveness policy.

I TOO WOULD LIKE GREATER CULTURAL CONTEXT ON ELIKSNI NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION. I wonder who EKS-443 is- I would love to harass them for more information on what certain Eliksni vocalizations mean. I'm so starved for more worldbuilding on their biology and cultures, I'm hoping this is a sneak peak into what we might be getting in Revenant.

But also. Uh-oh bestie. The Vanguard should probably keep their claws out of this if they want diplomacy to succeed, because Eramis is not going to be happy if we stick our soft little monkey paws into Eliksni business again. We're going to have to back Eido up but let her do most of the talking/persuading, or shit can go south really fucking quickly- just like trying to pspsps a wary old ally cat into the safety of a home after years of extensive abuse. Waiting with bated breath to see how this turns out!

[captainsophiestark]

Drinks With Peggy

Daniel Sousa x Reader

Masterlist - Join My Taglist!

Written for my 1.5k Follower Campaign! Requested by @everyhazyday - Enjoy! Thanks for sending it in!

Fandom: Marvel

Prompt: "Stop being so dramatic."

Summary: Daniel's S/O came out of a program like Dottie's, so they're still learning how to be in a relationship and communicate with the people who matter.

Word Count: 2,115

Category: Angst, Fluff

Putting work into an AI program without permission is illegal. You do not have my permission. Do not do it.

I swore under my breath, clutching my side as I staggered forward down the street. I only had to make it a little farther, and then I'd be safe.

Come on, I chanted in my head. Come on, you can do this. You've done way worse than this before, what's another block with a little gunshot wound?

Unfortunately, my brain didn't seem to want to listen to reason, instead sending up all the alarms with pain and frustration and my body threatening to shut down on me. Fortunately, all of my training for the first two decades of my life had been centered on overcoming all of those signals, and pushing through anyway.

Finally, the door I'd been looking for swam into view. I straightened up as much as I could, pulling one hand away from my side long enough to knock. It was the middle of the night, so I just had to hope I'd been loud enough to be heard.

After a few agonizing moments of waiting, the door finally swung open. My boyfriend, Daniel Sousa, stood on the other side, hair rumpled and eyes a little squinted, like he'd just rolled out of bed. When he caught sight of me, however, all the tiredness disappeared in an instant, and he lunged forward to support me, one arm taking mine while the other held both our weights up with his crutch.

"Hey! What happened? Are you okay? Holy shit, weren't you and Peggy supposed to go out for a drink tonight?"

I grimaced as Daniel helped me through the doorway, shutting the door behind us. Peggy and I had told everyone in the office that we were going out for drinks together, that much was true. But in reality, it had been a cover, so that Thompson couldn't stop either of us from going out and investigating a new lead on our own. Nobody but us would've made it more than a few steps past the door, but Thompson had recently started on another ego trip when Peggy came out to LA, leaving us to work around him in order to actually get anything done. And unfortunately, Daniel hadn't been in the office to be clued in on our plans.

"We might've... spent the evening a little differently..." I managed, huffing the words out between breaths and grimaces of pain. Daniel shook his head, but refrained from saying anything, at least for the moment.

We managed to make it to the couch in his living room, and he helped me lay down before kneeling next to me. I grinned at him, although it probably didn't look as charming as I was hoping for, since it was contorted by pain and exhaustion. Daniel huffed, his eyes scanning me for the injury causing my pain even as he spoke.

"What happened? Where are you hurt?"

"Here," I breathed, lifting up the hem of my shirt to reveal the bullet wound I'd gotten on my way out. Thankfully, it'd hit me far enough to the side that it likely hadn't taken out any vital internal organs. Still, Daniel swore at the sight of it.

"Dammit, I think we might need to get you to a hospital-"

"What? No, we don't. Especially because it'd be so much easier for the person who did this to find me and finish the job in a hospital. I just need some boiling water, some sheets, and a sewing kit. Maybe some long bandages, if you have them. Otherwise we can just tear up bedsheets."

Daniel had been shaking his head the entire time I'd been talking.

"Sweetheart, I understand the concern about somebody finding you at the hospital, but I don't have the medical knowledge to patch this up myself."

"You don't have to. I do. I've stitched myself up from shit like this a thousand times. I just need you to get the supplies. And I guess it'll be nice to have moral support, this time."

Daniel's face had gone almost sheet white at my words, especially when he glanced back at the wound in question. I just rolled my eyes.

"Stop being so dramatic, Daniel."

"Dramatic! Sweetheart, you have a hole in your body, from a gunshot. You stumbled through my front door almost delirious from blood loss-"

"Just from exertion! It was trying to run and walk with the injury that had me staggering so much, not blood loss on its own. At least, not yet-"

"That's not better!" Daniel took a deep breath and pinched the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes for a moment before meeting my stare again. "Do you promise me, on our relationship, that you will actually be alright if I go get you the supplies you asked for and you just... stitch yourself up? It's not gonna give you an infection or come back to hurt you later if we do it this way?"

"I promise, Daniel. I know what I'm doing. Just trust me."

He sighed again, slowly nodding his head as if to psych himself up. After a moment, he leaned in to kiss me on the forehead, then pushed off the couch and got back to his feet.

"Alright. Stay with me, I'll only be gone a minute."

I gave Daniel a small smile and a nod as he turned and hustled off into the house. Even after he'd turned, however, the smile stayed on my face.

I'd spent a lot of my life, most of it really, being basically completely self-sufficient. I'd spent time in a harsh training program similar to the one the SSR's nemesis Dottie Underwood had gone through, which emphasized hitting hard and making sure we could get through any pain that wouldn't outright kill us, all of it done alone. And then, I'd met Peggy. After a while, she'd managed to convince me to join her side, and she hadn't let me feel that lonliness a single day since.

Everybody in her close circle that I got to meet and work with had been the same way. And then, after Daniel and I had spent some time as friends, he'd asked me out to drinks. My immediate first thought had been that he was trying to get the drop on me to poison me, but thanks to all the time I'd spent with him and Peggy and the others, that thought went away relatively quickly. I'd said yes, and we'd had an amazing first date—my first real date ever. The rest had been history.

Now, instead of taking some stuff from a drugstore and hiding in a back alley or a cheap motel while I patched myself up, I could go to Daniel, even if he did worry over me like a mother hen. He was here for me, no matter what, and that wasn't something I'd ever had before.

Thankfully, before I could get any more lost in sentimentality, Daniel returned with the supplies I'd asked for. I took them out of his hands with a grateful smile that might've looked more like a grimace, then took a few deep breaths to steel myself.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" asked Daniel, surveying the scene as he kneeled beside me again. I shook my head.

"Nothing other than being here. I'll let you know if that changes."

"I'll be ready."

With Daniel standing by, acting as my rock, I got to work stitching myself up. It wasn't enjoyable by any means, but it also wasn't anything new. I'd done this before, so I got out of my own head and in the zone while I worked, which made it easier to deal with the pain and discomfort. Finally, I'd cleaned the wound and closed it, then wrapped it up tight in bandages with a little help from Daniel. I sagged back on the couch and let out a long sigh as soon as I'd finished, the exhaustion really sinking in now, especially as the adrenaline faded.

"Are you okay?" asked Daniel, one hand resting gently on top of the bandages as he watched me carefully. I sighed, but nodded.

"Just tired. I think it's worse now that I don't have to stay on guard. I know I'm safe here, with you, so... my body's not trying to keep me on high alert."

"Well, good," said Daniel, leaning down to kiss my forehead before moving to stand again. "I'm going to get us some blankets and snacks, and then we can just rest here for a while, alright?"

I nodded, a sleepy smile making its way onto my face. I managed to stay awake until Daniel got back, which was a near-superhuman feat. Right on cue as he returned to the couch, the phone rang.

"I'll be right back," he promised, dropping the blankets next to me. I nodded, pulling the fluffiest blanket on top of me. Fighting off sleep had become about a million times harder than before I had a blanket, but I got dragged back from the edge of sleep when I heard Daniel's voice coming from the other room. "Peggy, slow down."

I shot into a sitting position—or at least, I tried to. My injury wouldn't actually allow for me to do that, so what I got instead was a slow, partial situp with immense pain. I cried out, and a moment later, Daniel shouted towards me from his place on the phone.

"Hey! Don't pop your stitches, alright? It's just Peggy, she's calling to make sure you're okay!"

"Is she okay?" I shouted back.

"Yes! She's fine! Despite the two of you being incredibly reckless, somehow, you're both fine."

I grinned, relaxing carefully back onto the couch. Being reckless and ending up fine was basically Peggy and I's signature move now.

After a few more minutes, Daniel returned to the room, apparently having satisfied Peggy that I was okay and having satisfied himself that Peggy was okay. He sighed heavily as he sank down onto the couch next to me. I smiled, and he helped me shift over so I could lay on his chest, his arm around my shoulers. I started to drift off, but Daniel's tentative voice brought me back once again.

"Sweetheart... we need to talk before you get some rest."

I hummed, taking a deep breath to try to wake myself up a little.

"About what?"

"About what you and Peggy pulled tonight." He paused, stopping short to collect himself, then continued. "Look, we can talk more about this in the morning if we need to, but... you can't do this maverick, run off on a deadly mission without telling me stuff anymore, okay? I know checking in with somebody is new to you, and I'm glad you at least talked to Peggy instead of going in by yourself, but I need you to find a way to get ahold of me next time. I can't spend the rest of our lives worrying if 'drinks with Peggy' is actually code for 'going to get myself shot, maybe never to return'."

I frowned as Daniel pulled back enough to meet my eyes.

"We're a team here, now, alright? That's what having a partner means to me. It's a teammate for life, like a built in buddy system. I need my teammate to tell me about stuff like this, even if I'm not able to join in and have your back, although I'd definitely prefer to come along. But even if I can't for whatever reason, I need to know it's happening."

I sighed, then nodded. He was right, I was new to this. But I liked what he was saying, and it made sense to me. I'd want to know if Daniel were going on crazy dangerous missions, after all, so it made sense that he'd want the same.

"I promise, Daniel. I'll do everything in my power to tell you from now on. And maybe in the morning, we can come up with a code, in case I can't find you and have to leave a message for Thompson to pass on. That way we can keep the secret if we need to, but you still know."

"I think that sounds like a great idea," he hummed, pulling me back into his side again and kissing the top of my head. I settled into his chest with a smile, the steady rhythm of his heartbeat lulling me to sleep. The mountain of things we needed to deal with in the morning had grown quite high, but after being shot and stitching myself back up, I figured I'd earned at least a few hours of rest. And what better place for that than curled up on the couch with the man I loved most in the world?

****************

Everything Taglist: @rosecentury @kmc1989 @space-helen

Marvel Taglist: @valkyriepirate @infinetlyforgotten @sagesmelts

[tesseractingrey]

I’ve had so much fun with you all this year, had to join in on the end of year sappy posting! I wish I had the talent to make gifs (maybe a goal for the next year 🤔) but alas, here is my top 5 phandom moments of the year in screenshots:

5. Phlonde

HUGE cultural moment. TIT wouldn’t be the same without blond Phil. The Sister Daniel x blonde Phil art was so good, and then Dan rolling his eyes so hard at how blonde Phil isn’t a persona it’s just Phil, how dare we ship his boyfriend with someone who isn’t the Real Dan. So many wonderful photos of Phil have come from this important endeavor. But most important of all was learning that Dan fainted and punched a lamp when seeing phlonde for the first time, and Phil thought he was doing some celebratory twerking. Absolutely iconic, no one is doing it like Phillip Lester.

4. The WAD broadcast

I didn’t really start getting into the phandom until the gaming channel return (I’m so new, I know 😆), but I wasn’t that active posting on tumblr until this year, and the WAD stream was the first phandom Event I felt like I was really present for! It was so fun getting dressed up, ordering a pizza and some dips, and live-blogging with everyone that day. I know it wasn’t the most impactful event for the phandom landscape this year, but it was a big day for me :). I think that’s the first time I posted phandom analysis! Plus the “remote crisis manager of it all,” omg.

3. No But Seriously…

I know this is a top moment for almost everyone, but it’s a classic for a reason omg. Not just the video itself, but the fact that they were willing to make it for us! Fulfilling a tumblr prophecy just because we said pleeeeease. I was working on a school assignment till late that night, and I kept periodically refreshing tumblr anyways and enjoying reading everyone’s theories as we hoped. They love us so bad <3

2. The RPF tournament

It was so much fun checking in on the polls on my lunch break in the weeks of the tournament, campaigning with you all and keeping our title as the most annoying fandom on the internet, but like in a camp way now 😆. And then to have Phil reblog it in the final hour? Jaw drop moment, took me hours to recover. The Dan reblog the next morning followed by multiple mentions in interviews and videos was just *chefs kiss* dads supporting our interests <3

1. Red Bank TIT

Seeing TIT in Philly was already amazing, but I feel so lucky that I was able to see it twice! I was so overwhelmed by the content of the show the first time, I’m so glad I went again and got to take the time so talk to several lovely people. I’ve never been the best at being social, so thank you to this community for being so wonderful and always feeling like such a safe place, online and IRL! That day was one of my overall best days of the year, even with the 5 hours of driving I did 😆

Truly, thank you all for such great 2024! My top 5 dnp videos or top 5 most insane dnp actions would be a different post; I wanted to highlight all the moments shared with you all that made this year so special. I love posting analysis and reading all of your tag thoughts in response, and I’m so happy to have posted my first fic in nearly 4 years this month :). Here’s to another phantastic year 🧡🧡!

[myths-tournaments]

Hi admin! Thank you so much for holding this tournament, it’s been so fun to participate in! I hope you’ll share this message with everyone: On behalf of the LockNation Discord planning server and the whole fandom, thank you to everyone who voted for Lockwood and Co in this tournament! As I’ve said before, LockNation came into this competition knowing it wouldn’t change Netflix’s mind about the cancellation. But we campaigned hard and did our best to win anyway, because it has done wonders for our campaign. LockNation grows stronger and larger by the day because of the passion everyone exhibits in this campaign. More and more people tune into this show daily, and that’s not because of any official promo. It’s because of us. Even months after cancellation, people still care about this show and they care about it deeply. The author of the book series and the show’s production company have been nothing but grateful and encouraging in response to our campaign efforts, so I would like to ask that everyone reading this sign our petition to save the show:

https://chng.it/Zy74YS5ZMT

We’ve seen shows get renewed after cancellation before. Warrior Nun just found out the news about a movie trilogy last night! So I, and the rest of LockNation remain hopeful. We hope you all will join us in the fight for a season 2!

thank you guys for being such great competitors, it was a joy to have you here!! I wish you all luck with getting the show renewed ❤️

[promise-you-wont-write]

right or wrong i can't get along without you

Summary: Jackson Fuller disappears and everyone fears the worst - until he turns up in San Fransisco asking Tim for help.

Words: 2.8k (and counting)

Notes: This is part one to a multi-chapter fic...I'm guessing maybe 3 chapters, but who knows. It depends on how long it takes me to get these men from broken to...less broken? Thanks for joining me! This is written for a prompt from @promiseyouwillwrite on AO3 (see the notes on AO3 for the full prompt). I'll create a masterlist here tomorrow for all of the chapters to be kept in one place, but here we go...chapter one.

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

Skippy, I need you. - Hawk

Tim didn’t get a lot of mail, not real mail anyway. An occasional letter from his mother to let him know how everyone was doing would pop up, but mostly it was political pamphlets shoved into the crack of his door or left dangling from his mailbox or the always dreaded bills. Seeing a postcard there in the stack of catalogs he had no interest in and fliers for political campaigns he had no desire to support was surprising. From the very first glance, before he even turned it over, he knew exactly who it was from. A panoramic view of the White House drenched in the bright blue of a spring sky and pastel pink of cherry blossom trees gave it away. For just a split second he considered how easy it would be just to drop it into the trash, right along with all of the rest of the junk.

But he couldn’t. He never could. Maybe it was the overly sentimental look of the postcard, the way it probably said more with the photo than it did in writing on the back. Maybe it was just knowing that he held in his hand something that had touched Hawk’s fingers only days before. He really wasn’t eager to dive into questions like that – he asked people to open themselves up to him all day every day, but he liked to keep his own thoughts private anymore.

“What’s that?” Arthur asked as Tim let the junk slide into the trash bin and held the little post card before him. He was afraid to look at the back. Arthur peeked over his shoulder, digging his chin in a little, nudging his throat with his nose like a puppy. He saw the photo and understood the sentiment immediately. “Oh.”

“Yeah.”

“He wrote. Isn’t that against the rules?”

Read the rest on AO3!

[poisonheadcrabsalesman]

What was Miller like in high school?

oh you are throwing a meat pumpkin into my enclosure thank you

we might headcanon Miller as ONI before a Spartan IV because mission handler - intelligence - step above usual meathead - but the halo universe is sooooo yeah....

Miller can't sneeze without making sure Palmer is nearby because he has no confidence at the beginning of SpOps - he does gain some under trials by fire and the nonsense that is the Requiem campaign but to me he's a lame guy who has never existed without some kind of authority before.

He's the head jrotc cadet running drills and doing extra homework. He did 3 sports in high school to do some kind of scholarship or officers school and he wasn't special enough to make it work but not average enough to just enlist. He's middle of the road, he's my anxiety projection machine, he needs a boss, needs a team, needs structure.

High school just reinforces that before adulthood tips you on your ass because hey you're an adult -make your own decisions, be responsible.

Anyways Miller totally fucking did wrestling and some military shit because it's halo and I bet everyone joins up early. Palmer was an ODST by 19 i bet you she enlisted early with parental consent or something.

Miller totally got A's and B's, trained after school, and worked a shit job in the summer if his planet didn't get glassed. He got scoped out by recruitment shit that was like hey try our pullup bar or our test. Regular awful american high school shit.

I could go on about the pipeline of people who are preyed on by the military and then cannot live outside it because for all of their lives theyve been told what to do when, what to wear, when to piss and when to eat and when to sleep and when to die. But this is a funny ask about a halo side character no one cares about save people with gunny and I's bloodcircle.

Miller went in hopeful and looking for structure and he will get out chewed up and traumatized and unable to adapt to civilian life -if that is even an option for the IVs or he isn't killed off first! he's safe in the horseshoe of unimportance

[bellaramseysgf]

New tattoos (E.M)

Warning(s); Dom!Eddie,Daddy kink,casual dominance,ddlg undertones?,size kink,adhd/overly energetic reader.

Pairing(s); Eddie Munson X girlfriend! Reader

Summary; after coming back home from vacation you discover your boyfriend has a new tattoo.

A/n; don’t- I know I said no eddie fics for while but this has been stuck on my brain for WEEKS.

You nodded as your parents rambled on about being safe and to have fun,grabbing your bag from the car you left them to walk into the school. You were gonna spend the next few nights with Eddie since you’d just spent the whole summer in New York with your aunt. 3 months spent where your only communication was late night phone calls you were sure you cousins listened in on and letters. You were overly excited because Eddie said he had a surprise for you,one he thought you’d really enjoy.

He had hellfire first though so you figured you’d just meet him at the school to avoid the rather awkward conversation with your dad. You knocked on the drama club door and stepped inside. “Look, y’all’s lucky charm is back” Gareth commented and Eddie stood up rushing over to you. You squealed when he lifted you up with just one of his arms holding you close to his chest as he buried his head into your neck.

You giggled and held onto his neck waving at the other members who you oddly missed just as much. “Your back!” Dustin was up not long after Eddie and huffed prying you from Eddie’s grip. “Dude, you need to learn to share your girlfriend” dustin commented and Eddie scoffed. “with you? No way” regardless dustin hugged you and you hugged him right back smiling at how fond you really were over him.

“How was New York?” Mike asked as you sat your bag down to join Eddie on his throne. “It was alright. Nothing I hadn’t seen before” you slid between him and the table his hands reached out and held your waist before sitting back on his lap. You truly didn’t think there was a happier place for Eddie to be then right here. He went on with instructing the campaign and everyone once and a while you’d feel him squeeze your hips to stop the bouncing of your leg.

Eddie’s hands were one of your favorite things while they practically engulfed your own they just looked pretty. Pale and nimble you’d happily have them touching you in anyway all day you loved them. You especially liked his rings they really made his fingers look that much longer and made you think of dirty things. You subconsciously twisted his rings around his fingers helping keep yourself distracted to stop from constantly moving. You think he enjoys letting you do it just as much as you enjoy doing it.

However hellfire did come to a close and dustin was already going on about the next campaign. You helped Eddie clean up slipping his dice into there separate pouches and noticing a few new ones he got that had Tiny skulls painted on them. Eddie kept all his dnd dice separated by design and highest numbers he was very ocd about it but you managed to get it right every time.

You handed him the velvet bag of dice and he kissed your forehead finishing up. You bent down to pick your bag back up “AYE!” You jumped when you heard eddie yell “no ma’am I carry that, thank you!” He proudly picked you bag up and you smiled as he walked you to his van. He put the things Into the back while you slid into the passenger seat “how was Hawkins without me?” You asked as he climbed inside.

“Fucking unbearable. Well, me and Steve became sorta friends so not that bad” yes,Steve Harrington one of your best friends and ex co workers. “Soooo” you said and Eddie glanced up at you before focusing back on the road “so, what? If you want something you need to ask clearly baby” you rolled your eyes and huffed. “You said you had a surprise for me” Eddie nodded “impatient little thing, I’ll show you once we get back to the trailer” you pouted and crossed your arm.

“Hey.” Eddie’s voice turned more stern like how it does right after you break rules. “Don’t pout or I won’t let you see anything.” The added pressure to the word anything quickly made you stop your little pout.

Eddie finally pulled into his trailer park and came to a stop outside his own. You quickly slid out and helped him unlock the door since his hands were full. “Where’s Wayne?” You asked and Eddie shrugged “I’ve no clue but he’s off so maybe he’s just out” you nodded and made a b-line for his room. It smelled of cheep cologne,weed and oddly old metal. You wasted no time and tugged your shirt over your head swapping it for one of his Metallica ones that engulfed you.

“Always stealing my shit. You’re such a little thief” he teased and you smiled “admit it, you like that I steal your shit” he gasped dramatically “such bad language. You outta wash your mouth out with soap little girl” you smiled up at him working your doe eyes to look innocent like you always did. “Will daddy do it for me?” You asked tone soft and brimming with faux innocence “just want my fingers down your throat, naughty thing” you giggled and he placed a wet kiss to your lips.

“What’s my surprise?” You asked and Eddie sighed “Jesus, fine.” He hooked his arms under his shirt and tugged it over his head. Your eyes scanned over the tattoos that littered his chest a mischievous grin settling over your lips. You wanted to trace everyone one of them with your tongue. “I missed your tattoos” you went to wrap your arms around his neck but he stopped you “excuse me, there’s a new one.” You furrowed your brows and scanned over his chest once more.

Suddenly your eyes landed on the black ink settled on the right side of his lower abdomen. The tattoo read off the name ‘daddy’ in your handwriting “holy fuck.” You said and Eddie chuckled “you like it?” You nodded fingers tracing over the ink. It was still slightly red meaning it wasn’t completely done healing. You giggled and Eddie watched as you looked back up at him “what’re you gonna do when we start going to the pool and people ask why you have ‘daddy’ tattooed on you?” He shrugged ringed fingers coming to hold the sides of your face.

“I’ll look at them dead on and say I’ve got a little girl at home that just loves calling me that.” You felt blush rise on your cheeks “then, I’ll go in to tell them just how cute you sound when your whining it because I won’t let you cum” “Eddie!” You huffed and hit his chest. “So violent, thought I trained you better then that” the whimper you let out was muffled by his lips pressing to yours heatedly.

Eddie pushed you back until your fell back onto his squeaky mattress grinning from above you. “My shy little baby.” He cooed dropping down onto his mattress above you,caging you in like you were a animal. He dipped his head down and you both heard the front door close with a slam. Eddie sighed and drooped his head his curls tickling your face as you giggled at his uncles bad timing. “Eddie! Did you get y/n yet?” He yelled towards the bedroom, his door was open but recently before you left Eddie changed his room around so you couldn’t see the pair of you on his bed. He sat back on his knees “yeah! She’s with me! We will be there in a sec!” He grumbled and got up slipping his shirt back on.

He was facing you so you took the opportunity before his shirt fell all the way down you sat up quickly nipping at his new tattoo making him hiss. “That hurt you fucking brat” he gripped your jaw and you smiled proudly up at him “sorry, daddy.” He eyes you for minute before roughly dropping your chin almost shoving it from his hand. Wayne knocked before peaking around his open door “there she is! My favorite daughter-in-law” you smiled widely and got up running to hug Wayne. He was just as much of your dad as your biological one.

“I got pizza for dinner if you two are hungry” you turned in Wayne’s hold to look back at Eddie “oh I’m starving” you said smirking at your boyfriend who just gave you a death stare. “Good,let’s eat” Wayne kept his arm around your shoulders as the two of you left Eddie in his room to go eat.

[teecupangel]

Hi, I don't know if you know call of duty : modern warfare 1 and 2 but this been brainrotting me cos just imagine Desmond ending up enlisted in the millitary by some weird chance (like an undercovered mission after surviving from the Temple) and gets promoted really quick and somehow got to be got selected to be in task force 141 (they're SAS) and Desmond is like how the fuck I got selected? And everyone is like newbies doesn't take down very muscular soldiers four times their size easily and can walk silently on their feet. I also see him like some hot twink in the millitary because of Ezio charisma from his bleeds or maybe in an intimidating mysterious character because of the scar. I hope I didn't annoy you with this and btw I love your assassin's creed Ao3 works and would reread Yew Branches series and The White Aster of Masyaf 🥰❤

Hi nonny!

(Thank you! I'm so happy that the Yew Branches series and the White Aster of Masyaf so good that you would reread them and I would never be annoyed. I love getting asks of any kind and asks that makes me write plot are so fun to do ^w^)

So... My father and I play the campaign modes of all the COD games I can get my hands on for cheap XD (I have a soft spot for Advanced Warfare because the controls reminds me of Titantall 2 which is my favorite fps... next to Metro Last Light)

Unfortunately, this means that I haven’t played the reboot MW yet as I’m still waiting for them to go really cheap. :(

The OG MW Trilogy is my favorite COD campaign story though and I’ve seen some scenes so I have a vague idea of the plot of the reboot.

Anyway, let’s talk about how we can make this COD:MW x AC crossover work!

Of course, it will be set in Modern Day but that includes having all those advanced securities and other techs. Not to mention that military-grade tech is usually years ahead of the tech available to the public so it would be very risky for Desmond to falsify his records even if this was a joint Assassin-Erudito mission. Not just because of the army itself but also because Abstergo has got to have an ally or a plant there somewhere.

There is also that little thing with Abstergo posting his photos everywhere and going “have you seen this man?” but we’ll get back to that later.

I did briefly consider the idea of making this about Desmond joining the US army instead of becoming a bartender (maybe even going by the name 'Johnson' hmmmm?) but that wouldn't work since all those medical checkups would have flagged him immediately.

However…

A lot of military personnel having missions on foreign soil usually have a translator with them. Not only that, these translators are usually locals and, depending on the urgency and priority of the mission, background checks of translators could be spotty at times.

Enter Desmond using the fake id of one Eddie Richtofen (who is voiced by Nolan North in COD).

Now, in this setup, the mission has to be somewhere his Bleeds could help. This means a mission that needs a translator fluent in Italian, Arabic, or French. He’ll join as a translator for a ‘run in the mill’ job being conducted by the US Army, specifically by the US Army Rangers, 1st Battalion, 75th Regiment, Hunter 2-1 with Sergeant Foley and Private Ramirez.

They’re a special task force but this was meant to be one of the easy ones. Just a search and retrieve operation. Unfortunately, intel is too barebone so they have Desmond act as their translator when they need to talk to locals. Desmond was just there to confirm if there have been local Templar activities in the area and tagged along to make it easier to do recon.

Shit goes straight to the fan almost immediately because Desmond realizes all the locals they’re talking to are red. He and Ramirez have a kind of budding friendship going on because Desmond feels a kindred spirit for the quiet Ramirez who keeps getting ordered to do shit so he talks to Ramirez about it. Not about the Eagle Vision itself but about how something is just off with these locals. Something’s not right and all Desmond has is his guts.

Ramirez believes him because Desmond hasn’t lied to them and he gets Foley and the rest to be cautious.

That saves them when they get ambushed and the locals turn out to be an extremist group.

Things turned into a fucking shitstorm when the target they were sent to retrieve turns out to be a POE that is now hooked into this metal chamber and is emitting off the chart energy reading.

They have to retreat without retrieving the target because the extremists got reinforcement and Ramirez and Desmond get caught in a blast that sends them flying. Just as five men are about to shoot them, all five men dropped to the ground.

Desmond tries to get up but stops because he’s pretty sure he just broke a rib (or three) and sees three men quickly getting to their position. One of them knelt just ahead of them, semiautomatic aimed in front of them while the other two knelt next to Desmond and Ramirez.

The man next to Desmond wearing a tactical vest over a short sleeved black shirt informed calmly into the small radio strapped to his vest, “Bravo 7-1 to Bravo 0-6. We found two of the Americans.”

“Good work, Soap. Bring them in.”

“Roger that.”

And that’s when Desmond blacks out.

.

.

When Desmond wakes up, he’s now on a military base and he and Ramirez get debriefed about what just happened.

Long story short, Task Force 141 received more information about the POE (codename ‘Soma’) and they believe it’s being transported to Makarov who is their main target.

They still have no idea what ‘Soma’ is meant to do but those energy readings they had retrieved from Ramirez had given them an idea that it could be used to power something.

Or, worse, be used to cause a country-ending explosion.

Whatever Soma is meant to do, they must find it and intercept it before it could get to Makarov.

Of course, because there were American casualties, this has now become a joint mission between the US Army and SAS.

Taskforce 141 will be leading the operations and Ramirez gets drafted to join them as part of the whole ‘joint mission’ thing. Desmond gets roped in because they saw how he managed to take out many of the extremists with freaking knife throws and how everyone had a hard time seeing him as he stealth his way to taking out the extremists.

Of course, Desmond’s whole situation as part of the mission is iffy even when they received orders to take him in from the higher ups but someone Captain Price trusts vouches for him.

Captain MacMillan who may or may not be an Assassin who knows Bill Miles or may just be an ally of the Assassins. All Desmond knows is that MacMillan vouched for him with a “He’s my friend’s estranged son. Good man, terrible father. Kid went world-hopping to get away from his bastard of a father when he was sixteen.”

Not only that, this whole joint mission was scrambled together in a hurry and it was not helped by the fact that they need to find and retrieve Soma before it reaches Makarov so the Assassins were able to cobble together Desmond’s cover story and they had helped from the higher-ups in the US to make it all legit.

So Desmond Miles is now a military kid with a retired father who have all his missions classified. He’s now using his real name because the Assassins weren’t exactly that smart and they were on a time crunch too.

His world-hopping turned to him joining a secret task force (which may or may not have been implied to be the CIA) and the whole ‘terrorist thing’ was a way to get him some ‘street-cred’ so he could go undercover and infiltrate a secret terrorist group.

“Wait, if you were undercover since 2012, why are you now pretending to be a translator?” Soap asked with a slight frown.

“Mission was done.” Desmond shrugged, “Got a new mission. My handlers told me this translator job would be a good way to ease me back into the field.”

“And now you’re part of a joint task force under stressful time pressure. Wow, mate. Your luck sucks.”

“Yeah… it’s like the world hates me.”

.

.

.

Unorganized Notes:

Soap, Ramirez, and Desmond are usually called the three stooges and they get roped into doing tasks together a lot during missions.

Desmond’s Haytham Bleed once slips and he starts speaking in his posh British accent when he gets into an argument with a member of Shadow Company, after that Gaz starts teasing him and calling him ‘milord’ much to his chagrin.

141 starts making bets on what is Desmond’s actual nationality. Haytham’s Bleed has Gaz firmly believe that Desmond is from old money (like all boys boarding school trust fund baby type) and is a British pretending to be an American. Soap thinks he’s European, probably Italian or French. Ghost didn’t want to join in but Soap is persistent so fuck it. He picks Middle Eastern because he once heard Desmond speak Arabic and Ghost just knows that accent is Syrian. (“How do you know his accent is Syrian?” “I just know.” “That’s not an answer, LT.”)

They meet up with Alejandro and Rudy later on because they believe Soma is traveling to Mexico and all of 141 loses it when they learn Desmond speaks Spanish (thanks to Ezio traveling to Spain for a bit)

Because of Desmond’s secretive past, his ability to turn anything into a weapon (even a freaking spoon), being a polygot, being very quick on his feet but staying quiet even when he’s holding a grenade launcher of all things, everyone is pretty sure he’s CIA.

Desmond’s unofficial nickname is ‘Spooks’ because they believe he’s CIA and he has a habit of making people jump whenever he’s suddenly next to them and they didn’t even hear him.

I don’t like how they made Shepherd into a typical corrupt military commander in the reboot so we’re sticking with OG Shepherd’s personality in this idea…………… this does mean that he has a more drastic plan for the future though

Speaking of Shepherd, Shepherd is an Assassin in this one. To be more precise, he’s the Bellec type of Assassin.

Captain Price has an idea of what the Assassins and Templars are but he’s not fully in the know. However, he does know Berg because he once had a mission with him back when Berg was part of the Finnish Special Forces (and Berg’s name was part of the shortlist for 141 members, he was removed when Price learned of his Abstergo affiliations)

Speaking of: Kate Laswell has been secretly looking into Abstergo but she’s been hitting brick walls and she’s sure it’s because someone in Abstergo is on to her. Since she’s CIA, she doesn’t mind getting her hands dirty and she’s been secretly colluding with Erudito to gain more intel on Abstergo. She doesn’t know about the Assassins yet but she’s sure that this little favor of helping Desmond be a CIA operative (with possible deniability of course) means that Desmond is part of Erudito and that Soma is connected to Abstergo.

Both Kate and Shepherd prepared different backstories for Desmond and both of them didn’t know about the other’s plans until Desmond was already noted to be a military kid turned CIA operative with missions filled with so many black lines it would have been easier to just leave full black papers on his files instead. That was… an awkward conversation to have.

Desmond is on his own because it's too risky to stay in contact with Shaun and Rebecca. However, Shaun and Rebecca leave messages that Desmond could only find if he uses his Eagle Vision in the army bases they're sure Desmond would stop by (thanks to Kate's intel). One of them leads to a box that has Desmond's hidden blade.

Captain Price may or may not have Eagle Vision. Desmond isn't sure yet.

[babyboibucky]

The Match - Part 9

Pairing: CEO!Bucky x Fem!Reader

Summary: Bucky brings you and Mackenzie with him to an important meeting.

Word Count: 3.3k

Warnings: Uhhhh hmm work tension, sexual tension, idk Bucky and Mackenzie being annoying as usual lmao

A/N: ALSO I know I haven’t mentioned what the fuck Bucky’s company is all about because c’mon, I didn’t expect I’d get this far lmao so IDK there might be continuity issues or inaccuracies or whatevah, just ignore it lmao it’s fiction. ANYWAAAY, I just want to say how GRATEFUL AND OVERWHELMED I am with the amount of attention that this series is getting. I appreciate every feedback, every ask and every freaking debate about this shit lmfao. I love you guys. I can’t put into words how much I appreciate you all askcnasjkcnak bye

The Match Masterlist || MAIN MASTERLIST

Don't let Bucky or Mackenzie get to you.

Mark's advice rang in your ears like a chant as you watched Bucky and Mackenzie's exchange about the project. Joining them in the conference room for a major brainstorming session was you and a couple of people from your team with Beverly taking down the minutes of the meeting.

The upcoming project was a huge one, given that Barnes Group of Companies was a huge name in the automobile industry. Meanwhile, Wilson Enterprises is one of the biggest autonomous vehicle technology companies out there. This partnership was one for the books, possibly an industry changer too.

You wanted to be a part of it, wanted to spearhead the entire thing and watching Mackenzie take the reigns on this one was truly making your blood boil.

"That sounds like a nice idea, Kenzie." Bucky praised, nodding his head.

Mackenzie shrugged, "It's what I do, Buck." she said.

"Yeah, it's a great idea. I do have some comments though, if you don't mind?" you asked.

Bucky and Mackenzie exchanged glances before turning to you. You glanced at Bucky for a quick second before ignoring the way he was eyeing you with genuine interest.

"I know that bringing in a celebrity to endorse this brand new model would definitely create noise around the partnership. Although I think that would take the spotlight away from the actual product we're creating here. We want customers to focus on the brand new car model and the technology that Wilson Enterprises will be providing it with, not on the celebrity endorser." you explained.

Mackenzie hummed, "I get where you are coming from. That's a good point, actually. But a celebrity endorser will pretty much do everything for the brand. Have him up on billboards and different advertisements and you're all set." she further explained.

You chuckled, "But then how will people understand what the entire partnership is all about? Aren't we supposed to be communicating a certain message to our consumers? Wouldn't it be better to hold an event to launch the product instead? Invite the press and key opinion leaders to spread the word. Have Bucky and Mister Wilson talk about this partnership. They're famous and powerful enough to get the message across. Why waste the budget on a celebrity when we literally have everything we need to make noise?" you shrugged.

The entire room was silent after your feedback, even Mackenzie wasn't able to respond to your suggestion. Glancing over at Bucky, you saw that he was giving you the look-- the one with half-lidded eyes matched with a head tilt, the one that often resulted to him giving you a very nice reward once office hours are over.

Feeling your breath hitch in your throat, you quickly looked away and shrugged your shoulders, "I mean, that's just my two cents. Having worked here for years, I just based it on my experience. You're the expert here, Mackenzie." you offered a proud smile.

Mackenzie tried to brush it off and turned to Bucky, "What do you think, Buck? I'm still into the idea of hiring a celebrity. That's good publicity. And let's not get worried about the budget now," she said, placing a hand on top of Bucky's that was resting on the table, "I have a lot of connections so I can definitely get an endorser for a much lower rate." she reassured.

"We may have a huge budget for this, but that doesn't automatically mean that we have to use it all up. We can allocate it somewhere else, maybe start a CSR campaign as well? We are, after all, coming out with an environmental-friendly model." you suggested.

You heard Bucky when he took a sharp inhale, bringing his hands up to rub his lips as if in deep thought. He then turned to Beverly, however, his eyes remained on you.

"Take note of everything she says." he reminded her before standing up.

He asked everyone else in the room of their opinions, whether it was your or Mackenzie's idea that the company will go for. The team was divided in half, some of them preferring Mackenzie's celebrity pitch probably because they didn't want to do a lot of work.

Bucky nodded, "Well, I guess we'll have to discuss both ideas with my partner Sam and let's see where we will go from there. I have a meeting with him this afternoon, I need you and Kenzie with me there." he said, looking at your before turning to Kenzie with a charming smile.

Don't let them get to you.

-

You've never wanted for the ground to swallow you up until this moment as you stood behind Bucky and Mackenzie in the elevator. This felt so much more uncomfortable than when you shared it with Bucky after swiping right with him on Tinder. There was still tension and it felt so much worse now because you didn't know whether it was between you and Bucky or him and Mackenzie.

Fucking Mackenzie and her nicely manicured nails which always seemed find its way around Bucky's arm. You eyed her hands as they squeezed his arm, the both of them talking in hushed voices as if you weren't standing behind them.

"I've been dying to try this restaurant, I heard they serve good food. Do you want to go have dinner there sometime this week?" she asked Bucky.

"I'll check my schedule, which restaurant is this?" he asked.

When Mackenzie uttered the name of that restaurant where you celebrated your promotion, you and Bucky choked on your own spits at the same time. Warmth crept up to your cheeks at the same time Bucky's ears reddened.

"Oh, what's going on?" Mackenzie asked with a nervous chuckle as she looked at you and Bucky, struggling with your coughs.

You recovered first and shook your head, "Sorry, I get allergies. Anyway, I've been to that restaurant. They do serve good food, the staff was very hospitable as well. I'm sure Bucky would enjoy it there." you said with a smile, pushing your way past them when the elevators door slid open.

Mackenzie asking Bucky whether he was up for dinner was the last thing you heard. Good luck explaining to her why he's banned from there, you thought to yourself.

Bucky led the way to his car and it instantly brought certain memories back. You weren't going to lie, you missed the fucking and how Bucky always made sure to take care of your needs. Seeing his car was enough to make your thighs clench at the memory of him fingering you as he drove.

His gaze was on you when he opened the door to the passenger's seat, his eyes inviting as you approached him. And just as when you were about to slip in, he turned over to Mackenzie and gestured for her to get in.

What a fucking asshole, you thought to yourself as you took a step back to ride in the back instead. You tried to keep your expression stoic when you saw that Bucky checked for a reaction. He seemed perplexed when he saw that you didn't react that much to what he did.

One hundred points to Gryffindor.

-

The location for the meeting was at a nearby restaurant so you didn't suffer that much during the entire ride. Mackenzie was busy with her phone anyway, typing out messages with those manicured fingers you were beginning to hate.

By the time all three of you arrived, Sam was already there. He donned a navy blue suit and he was rocking it. You'd seen his photos on the internet and knew that he was good-looking, but seeing him in the flesh, you were stunned at how gorgeous he was. Sam stood up when he saw Bucky, offering a kind smile to you and Mackenzie.

You weren't sure whether you were just being assuming or what, but you noticed how his eyes lingered on you longer that it did with Mackenzie.

"Sam." Bucky greeted, shaking his hand before introducing you and Mackenzie.

Sam shook Mackenzie's hand first before he turned to you. You took his hand and introduced yourself, "Mister Wilson." you said.

"Please, just Sam." he told you as he gently squeezed your hand before letting go.

"Have a seat." Sam said to Bucky and Mackenzie before pulling out the chair next to him, motioning for you to sit down.

You thanked him and sat down; straightening up, you were met with Bucky's watchful gaze as he sat down across you. Your attention was taken away when Sam asked what you wanted to order, he even suggested a certain dish and immediately went to discuss that it was his favorite thing to order.

This was going to be an interesting meeting.

And interesting it truly was, because you didn't expect for Sam to be so laid-back and easy to communicate with. He wasn't one of those uptight CEOs who were very intimidating to work with. Simply put, he was the complete opposite of Bucky. While Bucky was ice cold, Sam was sunshine and warmth with his attitude.

When it came down to pitching your and Mackenzie's ideas to him, you suddenly got nervous. Sam wasn't born with a silver spoon in his mouth; from what you've read, he started off working regular jobs before he climbed his way to the top. He was a self-made man and he had extensive knowledge in the marketing industry, having a doctorate degree in the said area.

Mackenzie was the first to discuss her strategy about hiring a celebrity endorser. She said it was fast and straight to the point. When it was your turn, you started off a bit shaky but eventually found your pacing.

"We wanted to ask you how this should go on about. I know that the offer for a partnership came from our end and that we're supposed to pitch the details for it. But we wanted you to be involved in this as much as we are." Bucky further explained.

Sam nodded and let out an amused chuckle, "I really appreciate this, Buck. I was going to ask you if I can contribute with the planning as well. I'm very particular when it comes to marketing our products." he said.

"That being said, I loved both ideas. I think hiring a celebrity endorser is good." he said, making Mackenzie smile proudly.

"But I would rather hold an event to launch the product. You understand the product and what we want to do with it. It's not just a brand new car, it's an innovation and the messaging is very important. I'm very impressed." Sam said, his attention geared towards you.

"Wow, I'm honored." you laughed. "Coming from you, I mean I've read about the marketing studies you did. Pretty big deal to receive a compliment from you." you admitted.

It was meant to be a genuine reaction, really. You had no ill intentions for it, you didn't do it to make Bucky jealous or get the upper hand. However, your passion for your career and area of expertise seemed to favor you. It had Bucky on edge, seeing you and Sam get along so well.

You didn't even need to check for Bucky's reaction because he simply cleared his throat and excused himself to go to the restroom. Mackenzie seemed unbothered though, when Sam favored your pitch over hers. You couldn't read her, sometimes she'd come off competitive but right now, she was unaffected.

When Bucky got back, he was quick to finalize the meeting, "I guess it's a done deal then. We'll work on the details of the launch and maybe we can set another meeting for the major presentation for your approval?" he asked Sam.

"That sounds like a plan. I'm looking forward to working with you." Sam told everyone, although he did seem to be directly addressing you.

"Alright, I'm leaving too." Mackenzie announced after Sam left the restaurant.

"Oh, you're not heading back to the office with us?" Bucky asked.

Mackenzie shook her head, throwing her bag over her shoulder, "I have another meeting. You know how it is with freelance work." she said as all three of you stood up to head outside of the restaurant.

"My Uber's here, I guess I'll see you both sometime this week." she said and waved at you before turning to Bucky and pressing a kiss on his cheek.

"I'm counting on that dinner, okay?" she reminded before slipping into her Uber, leaving you and Bucky to head back to the office together.

Alone with Bucky. In his car. The exact same car where plenty of fucking happened. Again, you chanted Mark’s advice in your head over and over again.

Don’t let Bucky get to you. And most of all, don’t cave in.

You quickly slipped inside the front seat of Bucky’s car before he could even open it up for you. The air was thick between you and Bucky and it almost felt like it was suffocating you. Reaching for the seatbelt, you tugged at it but it wouldn’t budge. Cursing to yourself, you tried again but to no avail.

“What’s wrong?” Bucky asked.

“Nothing. Seatbelt’s just stuck.” you grunted, using both your hands to pull down at it.

“Here, let me.”

Suddenly, Bucky reached over to your seatbelt and tried to fix it. His face was inches away from yours and you literally felt your insides jump at how you were immediately drowned in his perfume. If you moved forward so much as half an inch, your lips would already be pressing against the corner of Bucky’s mouth. And that thought was sending your senses into overdrive.

Do not. Cave. In.

The loud click of the seatbelt made you relax and thank goodness that Bucky was quick to move away from you, fixing his suit before starting the engine. The office may just be nearby but the fact that you and Bucky were together was making it feel like it was going to be an hour-long drive.

“So what do you think about Sam?” Bucky asked out of the blue.

He was gauging you, trying to get a reaction from you. Maybe he was expecting you to be flirty with your response, or be defensive even? You weren’t going to give him that.

“I think he’s great. Like I said, I’ve read his marketing studies and they were very insightful. I learned a lot.”

Plain, simple and safe. There was no hidden meanings and no malice; you were doing great at this whole not letting Bucky get to you thing. You made a mental note to thank Mark for his advice.

“He seems interested in you.” Bucky said again, shrugging his shoulders a bit and trying to be as nonchalant as he could.

“Well we are in the same field of expertise and I was very straightforward about admiring his skills. I’d be disappointed if he brushed off my ideas.” you slightly chuckled.

“I liked Mackenzie’s idea better, honestly.” Bucky blurted out.

By this time, you had Bucky’s plans figured out. He was coming for your job, using it as a bait to get a reaction out from you. He knew how much your career meant for you, how competitive you were in your field. Whenever his other tactics wouldn’t work, he’d always go for the career aspect.

“It was good.” you agreed, turning to Bucky with a small smile. “I think we can do that for other campaigns. Just not with this partnership. I like her.” you said.

“You do?” Bucky asked in surprise before he cleared his throat upon realizing that he sort of broke his facade.

You shrugged, “She’s a headstrong woman. She reminds me of myself actually.”

If you were alone, you would have given yourself a high-five because that statement truly made Bucky think. His forehead creased as he drove, his hand rubbing his chin and his jaw clenching as if he was in deep thought.

It was silent inside the car for a brief moment, before it was interrupted by the trilling of Bucky’s phone. He fished it out of his pocket but before he could even answer it, it slipped out of his hand and disappeared beneath his seat.

“Fuck.” Bucky cursed, both his hands on the steering wheel as he continued to drive, his attention divided between driving and searching for his ringing phone.

“Shit.” he hissed again, not knowing how to get his phone while driving. He quickly glanced at you before focusing on the road again. “Baby, can you get it for me?”

You almost missed the term of endearment. Almost. It was obviously a slip of the tongue because he genuinely didn’t seem to realize that he called you that. Bucky was more focused on the road rather than processing what he just said. You chose to ignore it the same way you did to the butterflies that erupted in your stomach.

“Yeah, okay.” you said and reached over to him, bending down to look for his phone.

In a split second, your face was right in front of Bucky’s crotch as you tried to reach beneath his car seat. You tried to ignore the bulge that was staring right at you and let your hand do the searching.

“Can you reach it?” Bucky asked.

You straightened up, “No. Can you pull aside?” you asked.

Bucky checked the surroundings and then the rearview mirror, “We can’t. We’re at a no loading and unloading zone.” he explained.

The phone continues to trill and it doesn’t seem like it would stop any time now. You sighed and removed your seatbelt before stretching your body over Bucky, slipping underneath his arms on the steering wheel so you can fully reach under his seat.

From another car’s view, you looked like you were giving him a blowjob. Not that you haven’t done that before, in this same car.

Finally, you felt his phone at the tip of your fingers and stretched further, your free hand coming to grip Bucky’s thigh unintentionally. It was only when you felt his muscles flex beneath his trousers that you realized how near your hand was to his crotch.

“Did you,” Bucky cleared his throat. “Did you get it?” he stammered.

You still have a certain effect on him, how very nice. Biting back a smirk, you hummed in response before pulling back and then handing him his phone casually. Mackenzie’s name was flashing on the screen as the phone continued to ring.

“Sorry, can you answer it and put it on speakerphone?” Bucky asked again.

You shrugged and did as you were told, holding the phone near Bucky as he continued to drive.

“Hey, Kenzie. Sorry, I dropped my phone. What’s up?” Bucky asked.

“Yeah, so my meeting got cancelled at the last minute. I was thinking maybe we can grab that dinner tonight instead?”

Bucky stole a quick glance from you but your face remained stoic, your hand steady as you held out his phone.

“Sure, how does around 7pm sound? I can pick you up.” Bucky offered.

“Sounds great. So are we checking that restaurant I was talking about?”

Bucky’s ears turned red again but he quickly recovered, “I was thinking of trying out a different one. I honestly didn’t like their dessert.”

Huh, that was weird. You and Bucky didn’t even make it to--

Fuck, he was talking about you, you realized. Clenching your jaw, you tried to keep calm. He was trying to get a rise out of you, don’t give in. Don’t react. Bucky’s conversation with Mackenzie didn’t last long and ended when they settled the location for their dinner.

The ride back to the office was quiet again, until your phone lit up from a notification. Bucky was already parking in the basement when you checked your phone, an audible gasp slipping past your lips upon reading the notification from LinkedIn.

Samuel Wilson wants to connect with you.

-

The Match Special Tags:

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[indiaalphawhiskey]

Hello there,

Hope this finds you well.

I have read your "morality clause" post and it is quite understandable and coherent. However I would like to ask you about "when things went belly up with DWD" if its ok.

We all experienced the disaster of the campaign around DWD, from brewing during its filming period to intensify in the last month before launch. I am curious about when you say that things “went belly up”, what do you mean exactly ?: is it about how did Olivia and her team work unilaterally or rather how did they (HO) work on a common agreement but the acceptance was disastrous?

Olivia's speech contained miltiple red flags, but sadly it was the same one that she has always pushed; I am aware of how everything became even worst the moment the cast & crew joined in the stunt promo to finish off the situation, but what sparked the fire were those 2 or 3 interviews in which various statements from Holivia mixed gasoline and flames... (following a non-stop number of pap-walks that stopped from the sudden to gaslight everyone who have eyes and that lead to Venezia, etc.)

Bottom line: I can consider disagreements, new negotiations and adjustments (as you mentioned) bts because of an unexpected turn of acceptance & exhaustion from the GP/fans, but if "those clauses" had been key and could have brought this BUA timing & “friendly” exit wouldn’t have they immediately stopped any damaging line of speech before getting worst as the first step. Not only they didn’t stop any of the narratives but they continued to feed them. Don’t you think?

Thank you,

N.

Hey, love!

So, I think to understand what I mean when I say “when things went belly up”, you have to think of the weight of the ramifications in terms of the impact on Harry as a wider brand, as opposed to the impact of Harry within his own fandom.

You see, HSHQ expect a certain amount of backlash from within fandom, but, unfortunately, it’s often seen as negligible, because we’re already loyal and converted. If we don’t like Harry’s “girlfriend”, it really doesn’t matter, because we already love Harry and continue to support him.

Where the tides really turn is in the court of public opinion (the GP) and while you’re right in saying Olivia’s narrative never changed, public opinion did the moment Florence decided to speak out against her. That was the first time the GP really stopped and thought “Wait a minute, maybe this isn’t just about Harry’s fans not liking his girlfriend. Maybe there is validity to their dislike.”

That’s when fandom discussions began to gain traction outside of fandom, and then gain even more credibility with the physical evidence that was being attached to the drama (Shia, Shia, Shia; miss Flo; Florence and Chris refusing to do promo; no one taking the time to interact with Olivia at VFF) until it was undeniable that this was absolutely going to damage Harry’s wider reputation.

And, while it seems like a small thing, their “cool off” at Venice and her subsequent disappearance from his shows in September were a direct effect of that, and showed me that HSHQ were desperately trying to regroup and put out fires.

The thing is, the most Harry’s team can do to stop Olivia is threaten to end the stunt, but I believe at a certain point, that threat had no real teeth when she knew he would still need a beard for MP anyway. So, it’s likely the morality clause was breached and Harry got the most he could out of it, while still being able to somewhat “salvage” the two years he invested into the stunt by keeping her around for the shortest amount of time humanly possible.

TBH, it’s still not all clicking in my head, because the one part I can’t figure out is why Olivia had this much power and say that allowed her to push the envelope as far and as long as she did, but this is the most logical theory I can come up with at the moment.

I still would have ended the stunt immediately (and at least spared Harry Olivia’s desperate attempt to stay in the spotlight with the Nanny Diaries), but I guess HSHQ perceived My Policeman as a huge enough threat to insist Harry weather Cyclone Olivia for a little bit longer.

[robininthelabyrinth]

This one's gonna take two asks, I'm incapable of making it more succinct. In Accurate description NHS said "I’m taking you back with me to the Nie sect when all this is over. If your parents want you back, they can come ask nicely.” Could we get that AU? And the Jiangs HAVE to ask nicely, because with the war on the horizon they can't risk alienating the Nies, but they are so bad at it? NHS's half assed plan to poach JC gets more and more solid the longer he has to watch this train wreck.(1/2)

How hard can it be to love your own flesh and blood? Even NMJ has stopped admonishing him for wanting to poach another sect's heir. What a political nightmare that would be. But JC is so relaxed with NHS's birds? And keeping up longer and longer when training with da-ge? And smiling more? And JYL said, she's never seen him so loose in the shoulders? NHS can make this work. JFM and YZY never valued JC anyway 

Part 2 of Accurate Description (necessary to read that first)

-

“Absolutely not,” was the first thing Nie Huaisang’s brother said when Nie Huaisang first raised the idea of kidnapping Jiang Cheng for his own good. “Absolutely fucking not.”

“Nie sect principle three,” Nie Huaisang said.

“Well, shit,” his brother said.

This was because Nie Huaisang’s brother is the best.

“I’ve gotten other people involved in this,” Nie Huaisang added helpfully.

“You’d better have,” his brother said. “I am not dealing with the fallout from this on my own.”

Nie Huaisang nodded happily. That was about what he’d expected.

A few moments later, his brother asked, “Why are we kidnapping him, anyway?”

-

“This is temporary,” Nie Mingjue said gruffly.

“Very temporary,” Jiang Cheng agreed, sounding stiff and awkward. “I don’t even know why I’m here.”

“You know exactly why you’re here,” Nie Huaisang objected. “I told you why!”

Jiang Cheng gave him a dirty look.

“Also I have no idea how da-ge got you here, but you’re staying,” Nie Huaisang said firmly. “For as long as it takes for your parents to show that they deserve you returning to them. You’re not getting a choice.”

Jiang Cheng’s face was turning red.

“That’s not the deal, Huaisang,” Nie Mingjue interjected. “Jiang Wanyin can return home at any time he wishes.”

Nie Huaisang glared, but his brother ignored him.

“He can also stay as long as he wishes,” he said, and this time it was Jiang Cheng’s turn to stare. “If you want others to respect him, you must first pay him the respect he deserves yourself. Now, I have to go, but Jiang Wanyin – know that our home is always open to you.”

He put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed it, then ruffled Nie Huaisang’s hair, and left.

Jiang Cheng looked dazed.

Nie Huaisang smirked.

“…you said something about him giving out hugs?”

“Oh yeah,” Nie Huaisang said. “Great hugs.”

-

“I can’t believe you would betray me like this,” Nie Huaisang whined. “And after all I’ve done for you!”

“A little training’s not going to kill you,” Jiang Cheng said. “Come on already.”

“My brother put you up to this, didn’t he? You sold me out for a hug.”

“I sold you out for the opportunity to go on a proper night-hunt,” Jiang Cheng said. “Also, he said he was proud of the progress I’ve been making on my cultivation and sword training since I got here. And gave me a hug.”

Nie Huaisang grumbled but conceded that his brother was especially difficult to resist when he was in full big brother mode. If he wasn’t, Nie Huaisang wouldn’t have been nearly so willing to give up the neat new sword he’d found in the Xuanwu’s cave and store it down in their saber halls until his brother and Baxia could figure out how to suppress it - he hadn’t even realized it was full of resentful energy at first, and he still thought it was especially aesthetic.

“Besides, if you don’t practice something soon, he’ll come after you himself,” Jiang Cheng said. “Wouldn’t you rather train with me?”

“No. You’re just as crazy as he is.”

Jiang Cheng looked disturbingly complimented.

“I’ll come look at your birds later,” he offered.

“You’d do that anyway,” Nie Huaisang said. “You love my birds.”

Jiang Cheng did, too. Nearly as much as he loved all the feral cats that roamed the walls of the Unclean Realm, every single one of which seemed to have immediately pegged him as a soft touch and come nosing around for treats – Nie Huaisang had never seen Jiang Cheng look so calm and peaceful as when he had a cat under his palm.

It really put into perspective how stressed he looked the rest of the time.

“Oh, all right,” he groaned, and Jiang Cheng beamed. “Just know that I hate you.”

“Same to you, Nie-gongzi,” Jiang Cheng said, completely insincere. “Same to you.”

-

“You know, I’m surprised my parents haven’t shown up to demand me back yet,” Jiang Cheng said over lunch one day. “It’s not – it’s not a problem. It’s only – I thought – Mother at least –”

“Oh, they’re demanding all right,” Nie Huaisang sniggered.

“…Nie Huaisang, what have you done,” Jiang Cheng said.

“Conspired, that’s what,” Nie Mingjue said. “I don’t know if I should thank you for discovering my brother’s sole talent, namely for scheming and conspiracies, or to blame you for it, Wanyin – but you do have very loyal friends.”

Jiang Cheng blinked.

“Well, first your parents went to Lanling,” Nie Huaisang explained. “On account of Jin Zixuan and Mianmian very obviously sneaking food around and buying all sorts of things that you would like before smuggling them – very poorly and obviously, mind you – into Jinlin Tower, and of course they were also overheard talking about something that sounded an awful lot like ‘Wanyin’; everyone assumed they were hiding you. Turns out they weren’t, of course; it was just a stray dog they���d named something with similar tones. Not their fault everyone got the wrong idea!”

Jiang Cheng’s eye twitched.

“And then, of course, they went to Gusu, on account of Lan Wangji telling everyone you were his sworn brother –”

“His what?!”

“Well, close enough. On account of how you saved his life.”

“I did not!”

“I thought I heard something about how you carried him on your back as you fled from the Xuanwu’s cave and the Wen sect’s ambushes, when he was exhausted and could not walk,” Nie Mingjue said mildly, and Jiang Cheng spluttered. “Had I heard wrongly?”

“…well, no…but...”

“Of course, you weren’t at Gusu,” Nie Huaisang continued, ignoring them both. “Though there were some heavy implications for a little while that you’d gone off with Lan-gongzi –”

“Isn’t he missing?”

Nie Mingjue coughed and looked down at his plate.

“And none of you said anything?” Jiang Cheng asked, looking between them. “At any point? Did you just, what, not talk to them?”

“I have spoken with your parents several times since they have started looking for you,” Nie Mingjue said, and his voice was suddenly hot with roiling anger. “I have concluded that Huaisang had a point regarding the necessity of their learning how to ask for your return.”

Jiang Cheng blinked.

“Your parents are jerks,” Nie Huaisang volunteered. “And you deserve better.”

“Yes, thank you,” Jiang Cheng said, a little strangled. “I think I – got that.”

“Good.”

-

“It’s just, my jiejie –”

“Supports you being here. She sent you a care package. It’s in your room.”

“…Wei Wuxian –”

“Sent a note along with the package. Says to keep up the good work.”

“How did you even get something like that?!”

“I have my ways.”

-

Nie Huaisang was staring blankly at the wall when Jiang Cheng walked in and did a double take.

“Okay,” he said to Nie Mingjue, sitting patiently nearby with a letter in his hands. “You broke him. How?”

“He just discovered that he inadvertently saved a great deal of lives,” Nie Mingjue said. “As did you, by agreeing to come here.”

“I only agreed to come here because you lied and told me it was necessary to help defend my sect,” Jiang Cheng grumbled, clearly not meaning it.

Nie Huaisang let out a high-pitched and somewhat hysterical giggle.

“It was,” Nie MIngjue said solemnly, offering him the letter. “It appears that Wen Chao was given permission to attack and crush the Jiang sect, but has been delaying in anticipation of your return on account of wanting to deal with all of you at once. The delay allowed our spies time to discover his plans, and to carry warnings to your parents. They were thus able to fortify the Lotus Pier’s defenses against invasion, and to hold it off until aid could arrive – which they wouldn’t have managed if he’d attacked at once, as he would have if you’d been there.”

Jiang Cheng stared.

“Would you like to sit down and stare at the wall?” Nie Mingjue offered kindly.

“…yes please.”

-

“How’d you convince him to let me come here, anyway?” Jiang Cheng asked Nie Huaisang as he packed up his things. He was finally heading back to the Lotus Pier, albeit only long enough to collect soldiers and come back to join what they’d started calling the Sunshot Campaign – his parents had finally figured out where he was and sent word that had, in the view of the Nie, just barely qualified as sufficient to get some leeway.

Lan Wangji was waiting in the hallway to escort him there, and he’d sworn to Nie Huaisang that he would not allow either of Jiang Cheng’s parents to say anything untoward while they were there. He’d looked very serious while he said it, too, which pleased Nie Huaisang to no end and made Jiang Cheng look more than a bit nervous.

“You’re only asking that now?” Nie Huaisang asked, amused.

Jiang Cheng shrugged. “You going to tell me or not?”

“It was easy,” he said. “I just invoked Nie sect principle three.”

“…what’s that?”

“‘A fire burns all the same’,” Nie Huaisang said. “Variously interpreted as: ‘Treat your neighbor’s harm as your own’, ‘Do not stand idly by as your neighbor bleeds’, or ‘Indifference to evil is equivalent to evil’.”

Jiang Cheng stared.

“How about ‘if you see someone who needs you, you have an obligation to act’?”

Jiang Cheng blinked. “Okay,” he said. “And?”

“And what?”

“And what else did you say? You convinced him to literally kidnap the heir of another Great Sect; I can’t believe that you accomplished that simply by saying ‘hey principle three applies here, let’s do this’.”

“Maybe I did,” Nie Huaisang sniffed.

Jiang Cheng rolled his eyes. “Fine, keep your secrets. I’ll get them out of you one day.”

“Maybe you will,” Nie Huaisang said.

-

“Da-ge,” Nie Huaisang said. “If I wanted to keep Jiang Cheng permanently, what principle would I have to invoke for that?”

“Nineteen.”

“Nineteen?” Nie Huaisang frowned. “But, da-ge, principle nineteen is the one about marriage – oooooooh.”

[fific7]

Into the Darkness / Part 4

The Darkling x Reader

A/N: The final chapter. This does not follow canon, it’s literally just lemon zest 🍋 ... I have a vision of Ben Barnes in his black Kefta and riding boots permanently stuck in my brain right now. Attempting to write it right out of there.

Warnings: 18+ please due to NSFW content. Some dom/sub interaction, being restrained, coercion, questionable consent (thankfully it takes place in a fantasy universe), sexual content including oral, loss of virginity, very rough unprotected* sex. I don’t mention her actual age, but Reader is not underage.

*Irl, please don’t go wild in the country without protection.

[My GIF]

The Darkling looked at you with icy eyes. He took off his Kefta and threw it onto one of the chairs, and began unbuckling his trousers. “Take your clothes off, and get on the bed.”

He was furious. Jealous and furious. He fucked you for so long and so hard that you were weeping rivers of tears by the end of it. He’d stopped several times to pull you into a new position, before thrusting back into you and continuing his attack. Every time you gasped more loudly than usual, he smiled coldly at you.

He was fucking you from behind now. As he was about to come, he grabbed you by the hair and pulled your head back, hissing in your ear, “Remember who you belong to, little dove.” Tugging at your hair, he commanded, “Say it! Say who you belong to!” as he released his come into you.

“You... I belong to you, moi soverennyi!” you managed to say, breathing shakily from his prolonged physical assault on you. That’s what it felt like to you, an assault, a punishment. He’d never been so rough with you before, so relentless while he was fucking you. It was well over an hour since he’d pounced on you when you’d first lain naked on the bed, and he hadn’t let up once.

He rolled off you, got up and stalked into the screened-off bathing area, where you heard him taking a piss. You surveyed yourself while he was absent; bites, scratches and fingermarks - which would surely bruise - were apparent all over your body. Your breasts were sore from his incessant kneading of them, your nipples inflamed and painful from him constantly sucking and biting at them.

Your thighs were marked by his fingers and a pink rash from his beard was already showing between your legs. That same beard had also scratched and irritated your mouth and chin. He’d sucked love bites onto your neck, collarbone and breasts. You groaned and turned over to lie on your back, pulling the covers slowly over your abused body.

He walked back to the bed, pulling the covers back off and barking at you to get up and get on your knees. You sobbed, “Please, please...no, moi soverennyi....” He grabbed your arm and pulled you onto the floor. “Shut up and do it!” You wobbled up onto your knees, aware of his hard cock right in front of your face. “Open your mouth.” You did so, and he thrust into your mouth, pushing in so fast and so deep that despite all his recent schooling of you, you choked immediately.

He didn’t stop or back out, merely began roughly fucking into your mouth. Eventually you managed to draw in a breath, and tried to stop choking as he thrust in and out. You thanked the saints when you felt his warmth flooding your throat, and swallowed it as quickly as you could.

He allowed you to get back into bed, and you sank gratefully onto the mattress, pulling up the covers once more. He joined you, firmly grasping your jaw with one hand, “Never, ever, act like that with one of my men again.” He released you, lying down on his back. “You are mine,” you heard him say in a low voice, “mine!”

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

It had taken you forever to fall asleep and when you awoke early the next morning, every single part of your body was aching. You were suddenly aware of a pair of grey eyes on you. His head was propped up on his hand, and he was just staring at you.

He rolled the sheet down until your breasts were exposed. Leaning over, he sucked on one of your nipples, grasping your other breast and groping it. You winced, they were so sensitive after all the manhandling they’d endured the night before. He saw your expression, but kept on doing what he was doing.

“I’m the only one who gets to do this,” he said, giving your breast an extra-firm squeeze, which made you gasp. “I’m the only one who gets to do this.” He kissed you, thrusting his tongue into your mouth. “And I’m the only one who gets to do this.” His head disappeared under the covers, and you felt him tonguing between your legs. “And this.” He parted your legs and you felt his cock there for a split second, before it sank into you. He moved fully onto you, pinning your hands on the pillows above your head and began to thrust.

Your eyes were watering as he ground into you, in pain but trying not to cry out. He reached his climax, and pulled out of you, releasing your hands. He lay on his back, staring at the material of the tent above him. “Your body has made me insane. You have made me insane.” You looked at him, “What do you mean?” “I’ve lost my mind over you, you’re constantly in my thoughts. I will .. not.. have you speaking with or being looked at by other men.”

You sighed, “So...what?....I have to remain locked away from everyone? How is that fair?”

He didn’t answer you, but got out of bed and started to get dressed. “Two of the serving women will come to you this afternoon,” he said, “do as they tell you.” He pulled on his boots, shrugged into his Kefta and left the tent.

You had no idea what that was all about. So you ran a warm bath, soaking in it and tried to soothe away all your aches and pains.

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

The two serving women in their white and gold Keftas arrived after you’d eaten a light lunch. They’d brought an extravagant black silk Kefta with them, along with some ivory silk underwear, and said it was all for you to wear this afternoon. You were completely confused. Why? Wear to what? But you knew better than to ask them.

They cast odd looks at you, lingering on the love bites visible above your robe, and on the fingermarks on your wrists. You felt jealousy swirling in the air, but steadfastly ignored it. You were used to everyone’s wary, jealous and strange reactions to you these days.

However, you soon found yourself in yet another rose oil bath, this time insisting you didn’t need their help. You could only imagine the rumours that would fly if they saw your ravaged body. After your bath, you donned the silk underwear and put your linen robe back on.

Your hair was pinned up in a loose swirl by one of the serving women, you were dressed in the new finery and were then brought by them to the large meeting tent. They left you at the main entrance, so you lifted up the flap and stepped inside.

You could see him pacing beside the large campaign table. There was an unfamiliar man on the other side of it, dressed in the grey of the Oprichniki. The Darkling turned to you as you entered the tent. His eyes looked like a glacier, freezing you with their icy intensity.

“Welcome to your wedding ceremony,” he said.

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

You’d stumbled slightly as he’d said that. “What?” you shrieked. His eyes closed in irritation, “Be quiet!”

He walked over to you, taking your hand in his and lifting it up as if you were going to dance. “We are getting married,” he stated. “It’s the only way I can still my mind, rid it of this unease.”

“What unease?” you asked. “The feeling that if I don’t make this official, it will cease,” he answered. “That someone may try to take you from me.” You looked at him, amazed. Had this all been triggered by a short, innocent conversation with Ivan? “I was merely conversing with Ivan,” you mumbled.

He laughed, but it was not with amusement. “You’re oblivious, aren’t you? All the men look at you with lust in their eyes, and want to possess you. They are jealous of me because I have you. The women are all jealous of you because you’re with me.”

Your gaze dropped from his. “I never asked for this, it’s your doing.” He nodded, “Yes, I know. But if I marry you, it will still all the tongues from wagging. It will also prove that it’s a permanent arrangement. That you will not be replaced. That I will not release you to be with other men.”

He walked you forward to the table. The Oprichnik, meanwhile, went to the main entrance and brought two more people into the tent. One of them was Ivan, the other unknown to you but also dressed in grey. Ivan looked extremely uncomfortable but gave you a short nod. These were the witnesses, you guessed. The original Oprichnik was also an ordained priest, you were told.

You took a deep breath as the brief ceremony commenced. How were you feeling about this? No discussion, no betrothal, nothing - it was all his decision. Anger boiled up in your veins, before subsiding as you realised - and accepted - that it would provide a high level of protection and security for you and your family. And it seemed you didn’t have any say in the matter anyway.

After the Oprichnik finished intoning the marriage vows, you were both required to respond “I swear an eternal oath to you by these vows.” Neither of you would be able to break this contract.

You were surprised when at this point the Darkling produced two black wedding bands from a side pocket, both of them with his symbol engraved on them. Yours was slightly thinner than his, and he slid it onto your ring finger before kissing it, and your finger.

You placed his ring onto his finger, following suit by kissing it and his finger. And that was it. Ten minutes and you were bonded to each other for eternity in the eyes of the saints. He leant in and kissed you softly. It was in complete contrast to his earlier treatment of you, and you felt even more conflicted about this dark, mysterious and still dangerous man.

There were toasts with kvas, and then you both left to walk back to your tent. You noticed that Kirigan had taken a very long and circuitous route back through the Camp, and he had placed your left hand on his right arm. He’d then placed his left hand over yours, so that both rings were prominently on display. You realised that this was his very public wedding announcement to the Second Army. The whispers and wide-eyed looks you both received as you walked through the Camp were quite something to hear and see.

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

You were introduced - albeit it briefly - to an entirely different General Kirigan on your wedding night. One who took his time to remove your clothes, layer by layer. One who tenderly stroked your face as you lay next to him in bed, one who very gently entered you after kissing you until you’d run out of oxygen. One who gasped out, “My wife!” as he released his come into you. Who placed kisses on your breasts as you drifted off to sleep after sex. He didn’t disturb your sleep any further that night.

In the morning, he’d brought you tea and sweet bread to wake you with. You stretched, sitting up as he placed the tray onto the bed beside you. “Good morning, wife,” you heard, as you looked over at him. He was already dressed.

“Good morning, moi soverennyi,” you replied, but he shook his head. “You should address me as moi muzh,” he said, “...which is ‘husband’. Also lord, bedfellow, helpmate.” You nodded, “As you wish, moi muzh.” He smiled at you, gently moving a strand of your hair back from your face. “I will address you as moi zhena.... ‘wife’.”

His fingers strayed down to your breasts, cupping one of them and rubbing his thumb over your nipple. “I wish I could spend more time with you ... and these beautiful breasts....” his gaze dropped to where his thumb was, “...but I have an important strategy meeting I must attend. It shouldn’t take long.”

His eyes darkened to stormy grey, “And I’ll then expect my wife to be ready to pleasure her new husband.”

You nodded, “Of course, moi muzh.”

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

You’d dozed back off, enjoying some alone time and recharging your inner batteries somewhat. Then you felt a hand on your shoulder, shaking you, and the bedclothes were pulled back. Your eyes opened and met his grey ones. He was already naked, moving onto the bed next to you, pulling your nightrobe up and off over your head, his eyes roaming greedily over your body.

His hands, unsurprisingly, went straight to your breasts and began massaging them. You sat up, moving your arms a bit so that he had better access to them. You’d accepted his obsession with them, and now acquiesced to every touch. Apart from anything else, he was now your husband, and you were under oath to obey him in everything.

His stiffened cock was already leaking pre-cum, and you readied yourself. Not a moment too soon, as he then straddled you, parting your legs and sinking into you. You gasped as he started moving on you, back to a fast pace and deep thrusts.

You’d been moaning softly at each thrust, when suddenly you were aware of another presence in the tent. Your eyes widened as you looked over his shoulder; no-one ever came in except by invitation. A sound of a throat clearing, and the Darkling’s head whipped round. It was Ivan, looking both incredibly embarrassed and in great fear.

“Forgive me, moi soverennyi,” he muttered, “you know I wouldn’t normally intrude but there’s been a report of...”

You’d been shielded from Ivan’s sight by The Darkling’s body, but now he also pulled up the bed covers over the two of you. “Get out,” he hissed at him, “I’ll see you outside when I’m finished.”

Ivan swiftly left, and you wondered if he’d also taken leave of his senses. He surely must’ve had a fair idea of what Kirigan would be occupied with when he returned to his tent after the meeting.

Kirigan turned back to you, he’d slid out of you when Ivan had come into the tent. “Where were we?” he smirked. He pulled you back towards him, giving his length a couple of strokes before pushing back inside you, continuing where he left off. Once he’d released into you, he got up and started re-dressing himself.

He left the tent, returning twenty minutes later looking angry. “That was a complete waste of time.” You were sitting up in bed and smiled at him, “Then what was his real reason for disturbing you, moi muzh?” He shrugged out of his Kefta, placing it on the chair, before turning and looking at you. “Why do you think? He wanted to see me fucking you so he can relive it in his dreams and pretend it’s him, moi zhena.”

You cast your eyes down, “He finds me so attractive?” He laughed, “Of course he does! Every time he looks at you, he wants to fuck you senseless.” You looked back up at him, “Are you going to punish him, moi muzh?” Again he laughed, “No! He is already being punished, every single moment of every single day, knowing that you’re mine and that he will never have you. Why do you think I made him one of the witnesses to our wedding?”

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

A few days later, you awoke to a stiff cock hovering at your lips, so you obediently opened your mouth and lay there as Kirigan thrust far down to the back of your throat. You swirled your tongue around it and sucked on him as hard as you could, just as he’d instructed you. When you felt his warm release in your throat, you swallowed it down, coughing slightly when you weren’t quite fast enough.

He’d then followed his usual morning routine of fucking you a short time later, before dressing and going to his first meeting. Once again, an hour later, an Oprichnik came to your tent and said you were to attend at the meeting tent. Now familiar with what this would lead to, you followed him over there and waited in the side room. Kirigan marched in a few moments later, sitting in the chair and pulling you onto his lap as he unbuttoned his fly. His hard length was inside you in seconds, and you moved quickly on him to bring him to his climax so he could return to the meeting.

He pulled your face to his and kissed you hungrily. He drew back, looking intensely at you but saying nothing. You stood up, rearranging your clothing as you did so and preparing to leave. “Wait,” you heard, and you turned to him. He stood up, re-buttoning his fly, approaching you and placing his hand on your cheek. “You know that this is not just about sex, don’t you?”

You opened your mouth to speak but no words came out. He continued, “I married you because I wanted to fully claim you. But...” he hesitated then went on, “I also feel love for you.” You gasped, amazed at his confession. “You do?” “Yes, I do.”

You were silent. What did you feel for him? Attraction, fear (still), respect for his power, grateful for his protection, possessiveness.... but love? You looked up at him.

“I do have feelings for you, moi muzh. I think love is mixed in amongst them.”

He smiled down at you, “I’m glad to hear you say that. I hope that love will soon be dominant over the rest.”

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

The next morning after Kirigan had left you, you had to run to the bathing room to vomit into the bucket there. This happened again twice in the afternoon. When this began to happen on a daily basis, he called one of the medics to examine you. Your monthly cycle had been due two days before and it hadn’t put in an appearance yet.

After carrying out a thorough examination and asking several more questions of you, the medic declared that you were indeed pregnant. The Darkling smiled broadly and kissed you, pulling you close against him.

“Well done, little dove. You are carrying my child.”

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

He was even more attentive to you after that. And as the days and weeks passed, your belly swelled, your breasts became even fuller - much to his delight - and your mood swings were atrocious. Even the Darkling didn’t feel brave enough during those to challenge you, when you said you didn’t feel like sex.

He still got his fair share on a daily basis, of course; since you’d come into his life, the Darkling was no longer prepared to go without sex, so he was still on you at least twice a day but had toned down his dominant preferences due to your condition.

But eventually, one evening you and he were looking at the grey eyes and dark hair of a miniature Darkling, who was named Aleksander.

The Darkling looked at the two of you, a smile on his lips. You saw the love in his eyes for you and this child.

“My son,” said the Darkling, placing his hand on the baby’s head and laying his other hand on your face, “my wife. I love you.”

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««