#anyways I think everyone reading is a good thing :)
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mixed messages | r. sukuna
âŽÂ tags ; gn + afab!reader, unhealthy relationships, not cheating but reader flirts with gojo while tipsy for fun, undefined relationships, fingering / making out, jealousy, modern!sukuna, sukuna and yuuji r brothers 18+
⎠wc ; 2k
âŽÂ a/n ; a snippet / extension of my modern sukuna post for @arguablyferal. i hope it gives a clear-ish idea of what he's like!!
some more like. relationship explanation in an authors note at the end.
âŽÂ synopsis ; you've never been able to get a good read on him. would he really come to a party just to keep you from flirting with another guy ?
somehow you doubt it.
He's hitting on you.
Gojo is, you think. Though you can't be sure since it feels...a little conceited to believe that a guy like that suddenly developed a genuine interest in you. You can think of a couple reasons he would hit on you, all of them to do with getting on Sukuna's last nerve in their never-ending rivalry.
But it's weird because it doesn't really feel like he's just messing around. As in, it doesn't seem like it's just for that reason.
You know Gojo. Not as close as Shoko or Getou might but enough to comfortably call yourself a distant friend. A little more than acquaintance but less then close.
He's facetiousâmelodramatic, reallyâtotally by design. By necessity, some of it is an act, but you're good enough at reading him to know what's playful and what's not.
That's why you think that Gojo is really hitting on you. He's using the fact Sukuna, your...whatever, isn't here attending with you. He was supposed to be here but he flaked last minuted on coming with you. You ended up taking Yuuji and his friends though, anyhow.
You're letting him do it. He's serious about hitting on you, and he probably knows you're not very serious about returning his feelings.
But you're entertaining it, despite yourself.
Everyone you know is looking the other way while it happens too. Gojo is leaned close, sitting next to you in a plastic chair, and you're just a little bit buzzed. Humid summer air warms your skin, makes you want to sink into the night.
You're not touching, but you're too close for not-quite-friends. Gojo edges on touchy. A soft nudge here and there, the kind of proximity you shouldn't have. Gojo is a breath away, sober because he doesn't like alcohol.
And he's super friendly, which is nice.
A beat of silence settles between you as the night rolls in a little heavier.
Gojo says you what you assume he's been thinking about all night, without any real introduction.
"You should break up with him," He says, just over a can of soda with a kind of sincerity that makes you restless. You feel your nerves flip.
Your mouth moves before your mind has a chance to fill in the answer. You laugh. "I know."
"You're really too good for him, tsk," Gojo laments, clicking his teeth. Playful again, using just enough drawback so that you don't suffocate in the honesty. You shouldn't entertain this but the attention is nice. "And gosh, you're so much more fun without that dark cloud hanging around you, y'know"
You giggle unconsciously at the thought of Sukuna as a dark cloud. Big and broad with a deep voiceâit's an astute comparison. Shaking your head, you give him a playful glance. "Am I really more fun? I feel like I'm not as good a conversationalist as a certain someone,"
Gojo smiles at you proudly. "I'm having fun at least."
You close your eyes and take another, much longer drink. "Yeah, me too."
"If you know you can do better, why bother with him? I figure that bastard might be holding you hostage but," He's serious again, brows raised. "You've got more options, you know?"
You shrug, absently. You don't know the answer yourself. It's one thing that Sukuna never quite lets you leave but it's another thing you come back to him every time. You settle on your reply with closed eyes then laugh a little too loud. Gojo doesn't startle.
"Who knows? But you know, thank you anyway. It's good to have options. Maybe it'll knock some sense into me,"
Friendly again. He's a nice guy you think.
"If it doesn't, make sure to give me a call. I'm pretty great too, y'know."
You give him a lighthearted smile.
It's hard to hear much over the loud thump of music. You're not very in touch with your surroundings and the pleasant air around you all but swallows you.
It takes you a minute. Longer than you care to admit, to realize that someone is approaching you. Even longer to realize who.
Sukuna is looming over you and Gojo when you finally look up.
"Having fun?"
You blink, pulling away to make sure you're hearing correctly. Sinking back into your chair, your eyes flicker up to whats casting shadow overhead. His voice almost bellows, deep and coarse but not loud.
"I thought you weren't coming," Is all you can think to say. Sukuna rolls his eyes.
"Yeah. I thought so too,"
He doesn't ask you to get up as much as he tugs you towards him. He's careful not to pull too hard but you come up still on a stumble, drink still in hand, and face in his chest. Your heart thumps, embarrassed by the sudden warmth. His hand sits on your lower back and suddenly there's a conversation happening overhead.
"Quit sticking your nose where it doesn't belong," He spits. He's talking to Gojo you realize.
"Be careful there, nii-san. You're gonna make it seem like you care."
Sukuna tenses under you before he relaxes again - rolling his eyes. He's not happy about it but you can hear that he's trying not to let it show.
"Stay out of it." Sukuna demands. Gojo whistles.
"Sure, sure. You two have fun there."
Sukuna turns you around like that, your face still in his chest as he drags you away. You hear Gojo laugh faintly as you walk further away from the crowd.
__
You don't really get any explanation from Sukuna as he packs you and himself in the backseat of his car.
He's quiet the entire walk there, and the air is so heavy your lungs can't find a breath around it. He doesn't say anything to you even as he opens the back door. He tells you to get in but doesn't show any emotion you discern.
Instead you end up laying in the backseat with Sukuna over you - cramped as his tongue slips all the way into your mouth and his hands grab your waist. All too sudden, without any ceremony at all.
You kiss back because he's being so suffocating and it's all you can think to do to appease him. As soon as he lets you breathe, you put a hand on his chest and push him away.
You make eye contact but he still hasn't said a word. "Are you mad?"
He sneers. "You tell me,"
He ducks down again to kiss you and you let him this time, doing your best to gauge what exactly he's thinking. You know he's upset, rather - but it's weird. Something is different about it.
His mouth is hot as he hands slide underneath your shirt further- his knees keeping your legs apart as his thigh presses against your clothed sex. You shiver, moaning into his mouth and Sukuna swallows the noise. Gasping, you pull back again.
"All you do is piss me off you brat," He tugs your lip back between his incisors as he speaks, voice bordering on a snarl. "You should know better than to cozy up to that idiot."
You squirm. "I wasn't cozyingâ"
"You think I'm fucking stupid? Think I don't got eyes to see with?" And then, like he's predicting your next question. "Yuuji texted me."
"And you came?" You stop, keeping him from going any further. "You came 'cause Yuu-chan sent you a picture of me and Gojo-kun....?"
He ignores your question. "Take your pants off,"
You make a face at him but oblige, hands unbuttoning your jeans as Sukuna practically tugs you out of them and your panties in one go. He sits back up on his legs and maneuvers carefully to keep his hands between your thighs. His middle finger runs through your slit, palm putting pressure on your clit.
He's rushing more than normal, mouth crushing yours again in a kiss so heavy it makes you gasp. You feel like you're imagining it but each time you pull back - his teeth sink into your lips until they're throbbing from how hard he's bitten them up.
He's possessive. Always has been. He's territorial over you in one way or another over everything, but it's usually only when you threaten to leave. There's a merit to what Gojo said about keeping you held down. But even in that, there's never any emotion stronger than annoyance to follow your little tantrums. You wouldn't call what you feel now desperation by any stretch.
But it's something more then simple possession and it makes you ache.
"I wasn't gonna do anything with him." You say half-way between a breath. You see his jaw tick with irritation at the mere thought. "It was just for funâ"
He quiets you with his fingers. With his hands, rough - spitting hard on your clit from where above making it splatter against your thighs. His fingers fingers the thick layer of spit and drag them down against your throbbing clit to make it wetter. He touches you hard and fast, places kisses against your jaw and collar before sinking his teeth into the clothed shape of your tits.
His fingers find your pussy not long after. Thick, scarred, intrusive - he slips them in one at a time. As much as he knows you can take until he touches that spot inside of you that leaves your whole body tingling. Knuckle deep, he presses his palms up against your clit to make sure you have the right friction. You moan his name loud, eyes rolling up into your head,
The windows are starting to fog.
"Sukuna,"
He grabs hold of your face with free hand, bordering on a snarl. It's mean you think, but more then that there's a genuine frustration to it that makes you shiver almost shamefully.
"You're mine." He sneers. You feel your cunt twitch unhelpfully at but Sukuna doesn't budge. Doesn't even go to make fun of you He just keeps growling, leaning in to kiss you - forcing his tongue into your mouth and pulling away again. "Get close with that bastard and I'll kill him."
Your stomach flutters in arousal at the aggression in it. The unreasonable, unhelpful, trained part of your brain nearly screams. He wants you, he wants you, he wants. It makes you wannaâ
"G-gonnaâgonna cum, fuck, Sukuna."
He kisses you again, murmuring against your lips. "Cum,"
Your thighs clamp around Sukuna's wrists as he continues to finger you, grinding yourself the edge of his palm as you ride out your high. Your voice pitches into a high whine, spine arching. It's rushed but intense, scratching the itch but not enough to tamp down the heat completely. You squirt around his fingers in a full blown gasp and find you can barely get your head above water.
You cum hard, convulsing. He doesn't move his hand until you grab him by the wrist and shake your head. Surprisingly, he listens easily and pulls away.
You pause and stare at him after you've caught your breath.
"What's wrong with you today?"
"Stay the fuck away from that guy."
You roll your eyes. "He's right. It's starting to sound like you love me or something. I wasn't gonna sleep with him anyway so chill out."
He scoffs. "Don't even fucking dream of it. I'd kill you both."
You take a second to look at him. You can't read him to save your life. But he's looking back at you, into you maybe, in a way that makes you wonder if there's something about him you're missing. You wrap your arms around his neck just to see if he'll tell you to stop clinging.
He doesn't though.
"Did you really come all the way here 'cause of what Yuu-chan sent you?"
He glares at you. "Are you deaf? Didn't I say that?"
"But then it sounds like you were jealous."
He rolls his eyes. "You're stupid."
"....You were jealous? Really?"
"Shut up already," He says. And maybe it's the alcohol but you swear his face goes warm. "And seriously stay away from that idiot. If I see some shit like that again I'm locking you in the house and chaining you to my bed."
"Weird proposal but okay."
"Dumbass."
"You love me,"
He rolls his eyes and goes to kiss you. Doesn't deny it, you notice. You pretend not to be giddy.
"Whatever."
âŽÂ extended authors note ; hi!! i hope sukunas personality made sense here.
my point with sukuna in modern is that i think it takes away a lot of his unsavory aspects but the deep sense of possession and ownership sort of stays. this is a modern au so he's different from canon in many ways.
he has a hard time committing but he also does not do things he doesnt want to so him spending time with you and wanting your loyalty are both genuine desires. he understands why you're entertaining gojo's flirting and rationally knows it's unfair to want loyalty from you.
but he's into you so he gets. fucking pissed anyway. skjsjd. anyways i hope u liked it and i hope it made sense!! i just wanted to add this incase!!!
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"Here's your hot cocoa, have a good evening!"
You receive your drink as you bow, thanking the employee and go outside to find a seat. As you sat next to a decorated christmas tree, you look in front of you and see a giant build board printed a familiar face on it.
Should you be proud to know that your memory is very good because you could recognize your highschool bully?
Probably not, haha...
You take a sip of your cocoa, thinking about what had happened in the past between the two of you.
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It's like any other highschool bully story that everyone always read, during your first year, you were picked on by the richest and the most handsome guy in school and he forced you to do his homework everyday for 2 years. Tormenting you in the halls, drag you out whenever his mood isn't it, making you a laughing stock for the whole school.
But why only 2 years? Because everything went upside down for him when the last year started.
His parents had enough of him and brutally cut off his bank account, told him that either he learn how to work hard or he'd never get his hands on his father company. When he thought that his long time friends would still be there to support him through this, they quickly turn their backs on him upon knowing that he has no use left to them.
During the time he was at his worst, you stepped in and offer him a helping hand, telling him that you will help him with everything for this last year and in return, he must comply with your one request and can not decline.
He was wary at first when you suddenly did that but he had no other choices as there was no one else except you that would help him anyways.
And he was not disappointed for trusting you, you supported him through every single thing, improved his grades making him in the top 50 of the school, engaged him in participating in that model contest and also fulfil the role of being a friend that he can rely on.
When the school year end came, it was also time he hear your request. You couldn't remember much about anything other than what you said, you can't remember how the scenery looked like, what the principal was saying on stage, even the look on his face because after you said it, you left immediately.
"Let's never cross paths ever again in this life, that is my request."
--------------------------
You realized that your cup is now empty just like how the streets are also beginning to be, so you throw the cup into the trash can and walk home.
You wonder back to the times when you were teaching him the subjects, you would sometime catch him staring in an obsessive way at you but you didn't really care back then because your hatred for him was too much but now that you moved on, you wonder why he was staring at you like that.
"He also said something after I left that day but I couldn't hear what it was.." You mumble as you step out of the elevator to your apartment only to be greeted with a door that is not locked at all.
Your movements were hesitant, slowly, you open the door with cautious as you also carefully step inside your home. Right after you had closed the front door, a sudden sting on your neck send you off balance, fall into someone's arms and fainted immediately.
"Come get me at the apartment now." The tall figure said through a bluetooth headphone device on his ears.
Your bully smile down at you with a creepy smile, inhaling your familiar scent as he hug you close and tightly around his arms.
"You can tell me to do anything, give you anything, to die even. Anything but letting you leave."
--------------------------
After they said those words, my world seemed like crashing down on me in seconds.
I guess I have no other choice but to fulfil a different request from them in the future then.
"I shall have you in my arms when we meet again, love."
--------------------------
(ayy pov change :D)
#calmwrites#yandere#yandere x gn reader#yandere bully#yandere x reader#gn reader#fem reader#male reader#yandere x male reader#yandere x female reader#yandere x you#yandere x darling#yandere x y/n#yandere drabble#yandere scenarios
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Chapter 29 - All My Bets On You
Series Masterlist
Author's Note: Think of reading things I write like a scavenger hunt where only I know what you're looking for. <3
Chapter Title from Nothing Matters by The Last Dinner Party.
Word Count: 26.8k
Chapter Summary/Warnings: You and Ben return home, and it's time to work. Usual warnings.
Tags: Soldier Boy/Supe!Female Reader, canon divergence, enemies to friends to lovers, canon divergence, fluff, angst, established relationship
Read on A03!
Chapter 28 - Chapter 30
Ben didnât like having to hide Her.
He didnât like keeping Her fucking secret. She shouldnât be secret. Ben should be able to hold Her high to the sun, so she can be in a warm, clear, unwavering light that didnât flicker or wash out a single feature of her perfect face. The lights of the airplane cabin and airport were too fucking blue, flickering and making everything have a sense of being artificial. None of this shit should be artificial, because this was the realest thing in Benâs life, and he wanted to tell the sky and stars and every space between about it.
Ben should be able to stand up and fucking roar that She wanted him. That they were going to get married, and there wasnât a single goddamn thing any pussy fucker could do about it, because Sheâd chosen him. She was wearing the ring Ben had bought her, and holding his hand, and sleeping against his chest. There was a little drool falling out of her perfect mouth and staining Benâs shirt, and her arms were wrapped around his torso, and her completely relaxed face was pressed into his body. Because Sheâd fucking chosen Ben. He kept her safe, and happy, and made her feel loved like she deserved to be, so Sheâd chosen Ben.
And he wanted to fucking scream that. That the most perfect, beautiful woman to ever grace this stupid fucking planet wanted him. That every fucking way, She wanted Ben. And now Her beauty was everyoneâs to see, but only Benâs to hold. To care for and adore. Only Ben got to see Her wild, glossy eyes and her parted, swollen lips when he fucked her. Only Ben got to touch the softest, most vulnerable and delicate pieces of her heart and mind, because she trusted him to tend to them and sooth them over. And only She got to see the parts of Ben nobody had been ever meant to witness. The storm that sheâd coaxed out of him, that would sweep over his body and make him momentarily so fucking weak, and that sheâd wait out with him until it passed. Sheâd let Ben rest his head near Her heartâwhere he could be a little more certain she was realâand sing to him until there wasnât a swell in his throat and the world wasnât blurred around him. Until he stopped making wrathful, pathetic fucking sounds he muffled in Her skin, and then could stay there a long while after.
Forever. She was going to be able to hold Ben like that for fucking ever. Sheâd have likely done that anywayâBen was never going to let that piece of Her, alive inside him, wither and crack and shatterâbut now heâd be able to walk into a stupid, disgusting gas station and know that everyone could see Sheâd chosen him. Ben could pick her a million flowers, plant Her a goddamn gardenâhave MM plant Her a garden, Ben didnât actually know how to do thatâand if people tried so say something he could shout that it was for his wife. He was allowed to do whatever the fuck he wanted for his wife. Whatever She asked of him, Ben would do.
Because Sheâd still give all Her beauty away to whoever asked for itâSheâd cut herself open and offer kindness to assholes who didnât deserve it and motherfucking pussies who wasted it, wasted Herâbut Ben would throw it right back into her. Heâd give Her all the good things he had to offer, because he still didnât really deserve her, but he did fucking love her, and Christ, he had to make that worth something. Make it worth what She was, which was everything. She was fucking perfect, and she was Benâs, just as he was Herâs. Ben had Her, heâd always have her, and he would never have to be alone and hated again, because Sheâd looked at him and decided that he was worth loving a little more than she loved everything else.
A lot more. Ben was pretty fucking certain She loved him a lot more than everything else. That when Sheâd cling to his arm like he might drift away, or kissing over his beard with soft lips and mumbled words of affection that made Benâs whole fucking body even more of a tool for her to use, it was because she loved him a lot more than anything else.
And now Ben had a hacked and carved out path ahead of them where he could keep loving Her until the world burned out. And everyone should fucking know. Everyone should understand that Ben loved Her, and She loved him, and that was that.
But he had to hide Her. Ben had to keep himself angled to block her from view, keep his own baseball cap tilted down to hide his face from view. To hide from every television in the Airport, all playing the same fucking lie, all with Sageâs eyes seeming to track them through the screens.Â
The news had broken while they were still in the air. They werenât even halfway over the Atlantic when She froze at Benâs side, and he started to feel cold and sick. Heâd turned to press for what the fuck was wrongâwhy her heart was set to a pace that kicked his own up and made blood pound in his earsâand sheâd passed him the phone without a word.
On the screen was a photo of Sage standing at a news podiumâher expression grim and dramatically painedâand a headline that made Benâs teeth almost crack.
Sister Sage Accuses the Anomaly of Treason.
The article itself was long and pointlessly detailed. Half of it was just a useless and incorrect timeline of everything about Her, and it took Ben almost two fucking minutes to find what Sage had actually goddamn said.Â
She was a terrorist. She had been behind the Believe Expo attack, and Tek Knight massacre, and deaths of Black Noir and A-Train. She was responsible for destruction of numerous propertiesâVought, Government, and private owned alikeâwas a Deep state leader, and had been the mastermind behind the assassinations of Victoria Neuman and Grace Mallory in order to clear the path to the White House. Sheâd been intending to help her stepfather, Secretary Todd MullerâSage had implied some truly fucking disgusting things about their relationship that made Ben see redâgain the VP slot, and Her next victim would likely have been President Robert Singer himself if Sage hadnât outsmarted her and blocked Her plan.
But now Secretary Muller was out of the runningâand under federal investigation for co-conspiracyâso Homelander was in contention for the position. And the only way to keep America safe was to appoint him to the White House, because She was evil and powerful, and wanted to take away American liberties.
Sage had apologized for keeping this information secret, but claimed that sheâd been trying to prevent public distress or panic. That Vought had been working on a private operation to apprehend Her and bring her to justice following her betrayal of America and Homelander, but had decided She was too dangerous to be allowed to roam freely and without fear of consequence.
Ben was mentioned. Sheâd run away with Soldier Boy, and turned Americaâs Son and former greatest patriot into a socialist with the same manipulation tactics sheâd used on Homelander. Gotten Soldier Boy to fall in love with her when Sheâd decided Homelander wasnât enough for her, and was now trying to use him to fuel her fascist overtaking of the government. Sheâd gotten Soldier Boy to kidnap Ryan, and he was willing to work with the very people whoâd betrayed him in the first place because Sheâd just sunken her claws that deep.
That last part wasnât entirely a fucking lie. Ben was working with Butcher and MM and Annie, but Christ, heâd accepted that was his life a long fucking time ago. They werenât going to put him back in the box, they didnât even really seem to hate him anymore, and Ben didnât really hate them anymore. They made Her happy, and that was what fucking mattered.
So She did, in a way, have Her claws in him. Ben would fucking burn the world for Herâheâd do anything for herâso he might have spared Sageâs words a moment of thought if they werenât fucking stupid. Of course Ben would do anything for Her. Sheâd do anything for Ben. It wasnât like sheâd just smiled at him once and heâd become a pathetic fucking lapdog.
Sheâd been something angry and wrapped in fire and smoke, all of it turning Her hollowed and scarred and broken inside, and Ben had been atomic and vigilant and wrapped in blood and wrath, serving him like a shield that kept every pussy whoâd try to use him out.
And Sheâd seen the rotten, furious and bitter parts of him, and not walked away. And Ben had touched Her fire and not flinched. Ben wasnât worried that heâd ever start to burn without Her there, because he was more fucking worried Sheâd try to burn without him.
Sage hadnât put that in her fucking speech. Sage hadnât mentioned that She was kind, and hilarious, and perfect. That She was self-sacrificial and intelligent, and didnât manipulate people because She loved people. Sage didnât mention that She hadnât stolen Ryan so much as offered the kid some fucking care and affection, or that She hadnât gotten Ben to fall in love with Her so much as existed near Ben, and been too fucking perfect to not fall in love with.
But Sage hadnât mention most of the truth. Truth didnât seem to be something Sage was at all fucking concerned with. Sage alleged that She demanded Homelander give her the V, and only grown more power-hungry after. Sage still didnât fucking admit that She was stronger than Homelanderâwho hadnât been seen since Bostonâonly saying that She was âdangerous, unstable, and if seen in public should not be approached.â
All of which meant Ben couldnât fucking tell everyone he was marrying Her. They were wanted terroristsâfucking againâso it wouldnât be the smartest move to tell everyone in this parking lot that Ben loved with Her and was going to make sure everyone knew that forever.
The team would hear about it, when they got home. Theyâd probably want to talk about the current, pressing disaster, but theyâd have to also hear about how She and Ben were getting married. It would take two goddamn seconds, and if Ben didnât tell someone by the end of the day, heâd explode.
Heâd grumbled that to Her in the car, somewhere on the tree-lined highway, and Sheâd giggled.
âYou know weâll still be engaged after we deal with this? Itâs not something thatâs going to expire.â
âWhen weâre finished with this,â Ben had grunted, squeezing Her thigh under his hand. âWeâre getting married. Immediately. And I donât want to deal with Hughieâs fucking bitching about not getting to be a bridesmaid with Annie on the day.â
âHuh,â Sheâd still been grinning, and titled her head in mock thought. âI thought you were going to take Annie. She looks good in a suit, and I think her best man speech would be really funny. But if youâd prefer Butcher-â
âButcher is not my best man.â Heâd muttered, shooting Her a glare. âIâll eat a fucking bomb first-â
âWell he has to go somewhere. My personal vote is flower girl, but I think heâd be a little bitch about it-â
Ben had snorted, and tried not to get too fucking lost in this. How She was talking about it like it was real, and theyâd actually have to figure out what to do about Butcher at their wedding, because they would. Ben got to live in a world where heâd have to have William fucking Butcher at his wedding, but heâd be getting married to Her, so it was still goddamn worth it.
And when they parked at Edgarâs farm, heâd kept his hold on Her firm, waiting for her to meet his eyes before he spoke.
âIâm going to tell them.â
She sighed. âI mean, Iâm not going to stop you, but I promise youâll still be able to do that when there isnât a possible government coup to prevent.â
âI donât care.â He grunted. âWeâre getting married, and they should fucking know that.â
âThey will know that, Ben, but itâs not the most pressing issue right now-â
âYes, it is.â Ben scowled, leaning down to hold Her gaze with his, trying to fucking show her how serious this was to him. âI love you, and Iâm going to make it everyoneâs problem, Sunshine. Right goddamn now.â
She flushed, mouth falling slightly open, and nodded. âOh. Okay.â
Ben hummed in triumph, pressing a small, soft kiss to her lips. âGood. Now letâs-â
He had to cut himself off with a groan, because Her hands shot into his hair as she began to try and climb onto him, deepening the kiss. Ben reacted immediatelyâgrabbing her waist and hauling her onto his lapâand let her grind onto him as he matching every roll of her hips with a grunt and thrust until they were dry humping like teenagers.
And he didnât fucking care. Every breathless sound and gasp of his name was more fucking proof that they belonged to each other. This could be sloppy and uncoordinated and made of pure fucking need and want, because it felt fucking good, and every touch of Her skinâin any fucking formâgot Ben high and fueled his love into a roar in his chest he never wanted to silence.
Then Ben heard something crunch on the grass outside, and pulled Her tight into his chest. Sat up with her caged safely in his arms, his body blocking fucking anything that might try to hurt them. Ben might not have a gun, but he had himself. He had this strange new feeling of fucking harmony is his body, where the nuke didnât feel like a parasite, and the drums didnât pound and invade his head, but it was just a hum and rush of power. White-hot, blinding fucking power that was hanging off his ribs and alight in his veins.
Sheâd been instant they should train more, back here in Maine. Where if Ben blew something up, it would just be a tree and not a fucking house or city. And he was ready to get started right fucking now, if whatever was coming dared to even look at Her wrong.
There was a rapping sound on the window, Benâs fury and instinct of care for Her. Protect Her and love Her and keep her safe prepared itself to shatter the glass and grab the threat by the throat, then immediately faded into the background as he saw Kimiko and Frenchie staring down at them. Kimiko waved and Frenchie tried to hide his rocket launcher behind his back, and Ben sighed.
Ben, who-
Kimiko and Frenchie.
She pushed off Benâs chest with a whack of his arm, and twisted in his hold to sign at Kimiko with an apologetic expression. Kimiko signed back, pausing halfway through a gesture with an open mouth, and began to sign in fast, frantic movements.
Ben heard Her heartbeat pick up as she and Kimono continued their silent conversationâFrenchie mostly just looking between them and Benâand frowned.
What the fuck is going on.
She didnât look away from Kimikoâs movements as She responded in Benâs head. Frenchie set some silent alarms around the property, we set one off and-
No, Ben grunted Her name in the silence, and Her flush deepened. Why the fuck does Kimiko look like sheâs just been hit by a damn car.
She might have seen the ring.
The smug, wide grin that crossed Benâs faceâborn from how fucking beautiful she was, and how stupidly goddamn alight his whole body wasâcouldâve powered a fucking country. It was all energy, all fucking love and visceral goddamn joy. It must have been contagious or something as well, because it made Her whole body relax in Benâs arms, even as her heart picked up and she made a small, airy, needy sound that only Ben got to hear.
He started to stand, keeping Her carefully against his body and pushing the door open slowly enough for Kimiko and Frenchie to step backward, Kimikoâs gestures coming to a halt and her attention turning to Ben.
âWhere the fuck is everyone else.â He grunted, stepping out onto the dirt road. âWeâve got news.â
She rolled Her eyes, Kimiko gave Ben an almost dry look, and Frenchie was very fucking obviously trying not to look at Her hand.
âAh, we are up there by quite a bit.â Frenchie pointed further down the road, frowning at the tree line. âIt is a little bit of a walk-â
âWeâve been sitting for like, fourteen hours,â She squirmed out of Benâs hold, but still pulled his arm over her shoulder, holding him against Her. âI could go for a walk.âÂ
âBien, and the car, Madame-â
âWeâve got bags in it,â She frowned at their stolen Honda, Her fingers tapping over Benâs. âAnd they have some, uh, important stuff. So we probably shouldnât just leave it-â
Kimikoâs hand shot up, and she made a quick gesture with a bright smile.
Frenchie shook his head, his voice tense and apologetic. âMon Coeur, you cannot drive-â
âItâs not like thereâs anyone else on the road.â She gave Kimiko grin and shrug, reaching into Benâs pocket to pull out the keys. âShe can go five miles per hour for all I care. As long as she doesnât drive into the river, sheâll be fine.â
Kimiko nodded eagerly, gave Frenchie a smug look, and moved into the driverâs seat.
âIâve got my fucking clothing in there-â
She cut Ben off with a wrinkle of her nose. âSo have I, Benjamin. Itâll be fine, and you can either be a baby about it here, or come with me and tell everyone that weâre engaged.â
Ben scowled down at Her, and all She did was smile up at him, making his mouth twitch and that radiant feeling grow nuclear in his chest. It was golden, and simple, and so raw and natural Ben couldnât remember what it was like to have it not living in his body. It was like a star that flared a little brighter under Her attention and love, and it was older and more powerful than any pussy fucking star could dream of.
âBrat,â he muttered, and even his voice sounded like it was crafted from pure goddamn adoration. Like Ben had taken every furious and rough part of himself and turned it into something better. Fury that wasnât born of hatred, but love and a resolve to keep that love. Of a jagged, stone-like feeling in his mouth and throat that had existed from the start, but had been eroded and found an exception. Ben was wrathful and immovable, but he couldnât be mad at Her. She giggled, leaning into his side, and Ben moved for Her. He took careful, measured steps that She could always keep up with, and never once let her think she needed to be anywhere but here. With Ben, going to tell their friends that they were going to get fucking married.
Ben had been ready for it to be the first words out of his mouth. To push open the screen door to Edgarâs rickety old farmhouse and yell weâre married, you asshole pussies, so come and tell Her youâre happy for herâThey werenât married yet, but that was just fucking semanticsâbut he hadnât accounted for Ryan. The kid was bouncing on the stone stairs, his whole face lighting up when She and Ben came into view, and running at a slightly alarming speed to greet them.
âYouâre back!â Ryan slammed into Her first, wrapping her in a hug that had to be a little fucking painful, but only made her smile and squeeze Ryan tighter.
This was very fucking dangerous to Ben. Watching Her smile at Ryanârunning her hands through the kidâs hair and hum a soft song that made the whole world seem like it was glowingâmade it feel like a real option to drop off the V, tell Butcher to get his shit together, grow some fucking balls, and kill Homelander himself so She, Ben, and Ryan could catch the next flight back to Rome. They could fix up the house more, Ryan could get first choice of a bedroom, and Ben could use retirement to fill up the rest of the house with happy kids that She could sing to.
But Butcher had also been trying to kill Homelander for more than a decade, and hadnât gotten goddamn close until She and Ben came along. Mostly Her, but Ben had gotten pretty fucking close himself. Butcher, really fucking annoyingly, needed them to help, and the pussy wouldnât even thank them, but Ben didnât need his thanks. He needed Butcher to do his goddamn job, so Benâs whole life could be watching Her and Ryan be happy, and giving them more reasons to be happy.
The rest of the team was starting to walk down the old road to join them, with varying levels of welcoming expressions on their faces. Ryan moved to hug Benâthe radiant feeling in Benâs body flashing and making his skin feel clean and his chest feel pridefulâas She moved a few steps forward to meet Annieâs hug, Hughie waiting sheepishly off to the side until She gestured for him to join them.
âHow was Rome? MM said the villa wasnât a trap, but was it, you know,â Annie pulled out of the hug with a tight expression. âLivable?â
âIt should have been. Stan kept all his properties in condition, even the oneâs he never visited.â
Ben head shot up at the even, cool voice of Victoria Neuman, and felt his arms tense around Ryan as he leaned forward in an attempt to get just a little fucking closer to Her. Neuman wasnât a real threat anymore, but he still didnât fucking trust her, and didnât want her anywhere goddamn near his family. Ben could certainly fucking feel the wired, taut feeling in Her body as she took Neuman in, and hear the stumble of Her heart in her chest.
âUm, hi.â She pried Herself away from Annie, taking a small step back. Closer to Ben. âWhat are you doing here?â
âThey did an evac operation.â Neuman shrugged. âWhile you were off in Rome getting engaged, we had to deal with the Mallory fallout. You guys never think about the wider consequences of all your various murders, so now everything is compromised, and the safe house isnât an exception.â
âMeant to tell you before you got back, but shit got-â MM cut his tired words off, turning to frown at Neuman. âWhat did you just say?â
âYou idiots donât have the foresight to be in the business of meddling with politics-â
âNah, Head-Popper.â Butcher snapped, eyes narrowed and back stiff. âI heard that shit too. The bloody fuckin hell did you say about Americaâs horniest twats.â
Neuman let out a long, labored sigh. âIâve told you not to call me head-popper, Butcher, itâs not even true anymore-â
âRight then, Vicky. The fuck you mean gettin engaged-â
âI mean that they got engaged. Does engaged have a different meaning in Britain that Iâm not aware of? I mean,â Neuman looked around the group with a surprised expression, attention landing on Her. âYouâre wearing a ring. You donât wear jewelry, and that looks expensive, but youâre wearing it anyway.â
It had been expensive. It had cost a small goddamn fortune, and while there was a flash of satisfied, bright pride that Neuman had noticed, Ben was also going to fucking kill her. Neuman was not meant to be the one that told everyone about this. It was either supposed to be Ben or Her, and because Ben knew his wifeâmore importantly, because he knew that the only place words seemed to ever fail Her was in relation to Benâit was supposed to be him. Now everyone fucking knew, and they were gaping like idiots, and Neuman was going to fucking die.
âI, um,â She took another step back as she spoke, directly blocking Benâs warpath and keeping Her attention on Neuman. âI donât wear jewelry because it will probably melt. And actually,â She looked to Frenchie, and Ben saw the flash of the metal as she pulled the ring off. âCan you work your magic and make this fireproof? I really donât want to lose it and we might have already had a,â She cleared her throat, and Ben smirked at her pretty flush. âClose call.â
Her voice had been soft, when Frenchie nodded Her heartbeat slowed, and it made something in Ben yield his wrath. He couldnât kill Neuman. He probably hadnât actually been going to kill Neumanâmauling or terrifying had still been on the tableâbut now She seemed mostly just happy, and thatâs all that Ben fucking wanted.Â
Annieâs eyes moved to the ringânow in Frenchieâs handsâand she nodded slowly. âWow. I mean congratulations, but also-â
âWow.â Hughie echoed, offering Her a close-lipped, anxious smile. âGood job? Is that something I should say good job to? I donât, uh, Iâm not really sure.â
âYou donât have to say anything,â She said, kicking Benâs shin as he opened his mouth to say it was a damn good job. Not the time, Benjamin.
They should be saying shit. Why the fuck do they all just look like dumb fucking pussies whoâve never heard of marriage before-
Theyâre probably just surprised-
Why the hell would they be surprised. Ben glared around the group, speaking with low, gruff words before She had a chance to stop him. âAre any of you fuckers surprised.â
A resounding, annoyed no echoed through the woods and fields around them, and Ben shot the back of Her head a smug grin that She must have felt, because he got flipped off a second later.
Not a word, Benjamin, unless you want to lose my favorite part of you.
Ben chuckled, his grin spreading. I fucking knew it was your favorite-
I was talking about your tongue, Pretty Boy. She took another backwards step, stopping at Ben side and looking up at him with a fake-sweet smile. What were you talking about?
Brat.
Cunt. Her gaze turned back to their friends, and there was a small, pretty frown tugging on her lips. âYou guys arenât surprised at all?â
âNah, Love,â Butcher shrugged, shooting Her a wink. âI was in the hotel room next to you twats in DC. Iâm mostly just fuckin shocked you came back from your sex vacation.â
âIt was not a sex vacation, Butcher-â
Frenchie nodded in agreement, cutting Her off with a bright tone. âOui, Madame, you do not need a vacation for sex. Sex can happen anywhere-â
âLike in my fucking gun range.â MM muttered, and Her face flushed.
âHow did you, um, how did you know about that?â
âI told him,â Hughie mumbled, scratching the back of his neck as he gave Her an apologetic look. âI mean, not that you had sex, but that you were in the gun range and being kind of weird.â
âWe were not being weird-â
MM scoffed. âI saw the security footage,â he said Her name with a pointed expression, She looked down at the floor, and Ben thought it looked a little like a father scolding his daughter for sneaking out of the house. âYou motherfuckers were being incredibly weird. I almost threw up before you even started blowing him, and I had to clean my eyes with goddamn bleach after. And I only saw the first three seconds.â
âThatâs,â She sighed, tapping her fingers against her palm. âFair. Sorry.â
âWell, letâs fuckin hope you got it all fucked and out of your bloody systems,â Butcherâs grin becomes a little colder, more set and tight on his face. âCause this place ainât soundproof, and if you wake me up with your disgustin fuckin sex, someoneâs gettin shot.â
âItâll probably be you, Butcher.â She said, voice dry and bored. âI donât think interrupting my husband while heâs balls deep in me is going to end well for anyone.â
Ben tried not to get lost in how fucking good everything felt. How the radiance in his body felt atomic, and might actually fucking be atomic. It felt in time with the nuke, like everything had a goddamn glow that Ben could reach out and grab and use to serve Her. Shield Her and fight for Her and bleed for Her. Protect his wife with, because at this point it was just a fucking formality that they werenât married. If She was going to call Ben her fucking husband, heâd call Her his wife and never goddamn apologize for it. Heâd fucking glow and burn and explode for Her, and then kiss her stupid and moaning after. Make her burst into flames below him and never flinch because the glow in him was for Her, and couldnât be deterred by stupid shit like fire-
âAre you,â Ryan was looking between Her and Ben with wide eyes, and Ben almost missed his quiet, nervous tone. âAre you already married?â
âNo, but husband is easier than fiancĂŠ.â She offered Ryan a smile, the kidâs whole expression relaxed, and Ben was going to fucking die. âDonât worry, Ry,â Her voice dropped to a mock whisper, and suddenly nobody else was in the world but Her, Ben, and Ryan. âBen isnât going to let it be a secret wedding. Expect something very stupid and dramatic.â
Shut the fuck up, Sunshine-
No. She stuck her tongue out at him, Ben felt fucking high on how beautiful She was in front of him, and how bright she was inside him, and if Annie hadnât started talking right then, he probably wouldâve started fucking Her on the grass.
âDo you have plans?â Annie looked between them, her voice a little fucking weak, but still genuine. âFor the wedding?â
âItâll be after all this,â She gave a vague gesture to the air, Her beautiful face falling slightly. âIs done. I donât want to get in the way of the mission-â
âAre we going to talk about the mission?â Neuman cut in with a dry, flat voice. âOr just keep standing here and talking about sex and weddings?â
MM let out a low, tired huff, and looked at Her with a weary expression. âNeumanâs right, weâll have time for all the damn marriage talk after. Right now, weâve got some heavy shit to go over. Letâs,â MM paused, looking around the sprawling farm grounds with a frown. âWhere the fuck is your stuff.â
She sighed, looking down the road with a hesitant expression. âIn the car, with Kimiko.â
âKimiko ainât able to drive, Love-â
âItâll be fine,â She dismissed Butcher with a wave of Her hand, but Ben could still sense the anxiety around Her throat, constricting over his own lungs. âI can talk without props. Ryan,â Her gaze turned down, growing warm and soft as she reached out, holding Ryanâs face with a gentle hand. âBen and I will find you after, but you canât be in the meeting with us.â
Ryanâs eyes fell to the ground as he nodded, and She sighed.
âWe trust you,â She whispered, offering Ryan a small smile. âBut this isnât something for you to worry about. If you have questions, Iâll answer them, but after. Okay?â
âOkay.â Ryan mumbled, glancing back to Benâhe gave a firm nod, that always seemed to help the kidâs anxietyâand sighed. âWe can talk after.â
âAfter.â She said, and that was the voice She used when she made promises she intended on keeping. âYou can ask whatever you want, and we have some stuff to give you-â
âSome stuff?â Ryan frowned, looking back to Ben with an uncertain gaze. âI donât need anything-â
âTheyâre gifts.â Ben grunted, the radiance in him growing at how fucking adoring Her smile was, and how open and bright Ryanâs eyes were. âGo with Frenchie, kid. Weâll find you when weâre done.â
Frenchie nodded at Benâs implied order, gesturing for Ryan to join him. As they both walked awayâFrenchie rambling to a wide-eyed Ryan about fireproof alloy infusionâBen wrapped his arm around Her waist and pulled her fully against him, kissing the top of her head as he glared around the group.
âAre we going to go the fuck inside, or just stand out here like idiots.â
Butcher snorted. âWe been waitin on you, Soldier Boy, and your fucking emotional shit-â
âInside.â MM cut Butcher off with a glare as Benâs eyes narrowed, his hand clenching over Her stomach. âLetâs not murder each other before we even get to Homelander.â
Ben could agree with that. He would kill Butcher laterâBen was allowed to be fucking careful and gentle with his family, and Butcher should be real fucking grateful he was even allowed to witness their goddamn happiness, the bitter fucking pussyâbut right now, killing Homelander was more important. Killing Homelander meant She and Ryan would be safe and She and Ben could get married without any fucking secrecy, so nothing was more important than killing Homelander.
Ben guided Her into Edgarâs rickety, piece of shit farmhouse, sitting tall at Her side around the well-worn, wooden table, and kept his hand on Her thigh as everyone settled down and the briefing began.
âThe villa wasnât lived in, and it didnât look touched,â She started, tapping her fingers on the table as she spoke. âBut it was clean. You said Edgar kept all his properties clean?â
Neuman nodded. âHe might have had a crew come in just to make sure it didnât fall to ruin.â
âThatâs what we saw. A lot of things looked like theyâd been dusted, but hadnât been moved in, well, my lifetime. Most of our lifetimes.â
âNot Soldier Boyâs,â Butcher muttered, and She shot him a glare.
âOr yours, dickfuck.â
âI ainât the one marryin you-â
âWatch it.â Ben hissed, and the radiant feeling becoming hot. Vigilant and loud, waiting for a reason to launch out of Ben with a boom and spread over the world.
MM sighed, running his hand over his face. âCan you motherfuckers try to keep it civil and not antagonize each other?â
She hummed in agreement, continuing before Butcher had a chance to make another jab or Ben could split Butcherâs head open on the table. âButcher, Iâm a big girl. Iâm well aware of the age thing, and itâs probably the least fucked up thing about our relationship. Also, I think itâs hot, so you can shove it up your ass.â
Ben smirked, sitting up a little straighter, and squeezed his hand against her. I fucking knew it-
I already admitted that, Pretty Boy. And Iâm mostly trying to shut Butcher up, so donât get too smug.
Ben didnât care what Sheâd been trying to do, because not only was everyoneâs reaction more than he couldâve hoped forâred faces, surprised coughs, and picked up heart ratesâbut her words set off sparks in his gut and made something bloom around his heart. It was his usual, completely fucking unbreakable and wrathfully attentive love for Her, but also a raw and strange glow that was getting harder and harder to ignore. It was hidden under the radiance, and Ben didnât want to glowâhe wasnât a pathetic fucking pussy who did things like glowingâbut it was almost painful to pretend he couldnât feel it at this point. That it wasnât created and fed by how She was just as biting and avenging when someone stood against Ben as he was for Her, and She was fucking marrying him, and She adored him, and nothing could take that away from him. No one would ever be able to call Ben worthless again, because Sheâd kill them. Just like heâd kill people who called Her weak.
She looked like she was about to start talking again, but the door banged open and everyone started in their seats, guns clicking and raising, bodies bracing to fight whoever the fuck had just interrupted their meeting-
âYou assholes are paranoid as shit, huh.â A-Train muttered, walking over to the table with a fearful Ashely a few paces behind him. âAnd thanks for telling us we were having a meeting.â
Annie scoffed at A-Trainâs obvious, dripping contempt, crossing her arms as he and Ashley sat down. âWe didnât know where you were, and this is time sensitive. We didnât have time to look.â
A-Train rolled his eyes, and Hughie cleared his throat with a shaky cough.
âWhere, uh,â he swallowed, words sounding forced out of his mouth. âWhere were you guys?â
âOn a walk.â
Hughie blinked at A-Trainâs flat answer. âOh. Why?â
âNone of your business, Hughie-â
âCan we please focus.â Neuman leaned back in her chair with a dramatic sigh, throwing her hands in the air. âWe can all do group therapy after Homelander is dead.â
A-Train didnât stop glaring at Hughie, but nobody pushed anything, so She took the cue to keep talking.
âRight, um,â She shook Her head, the tapping on the table picking up tempo. âThe villa was in good shape, and we found Dr. Voughtâs old study. Like I told MM, there was a large stash of compound V, which we brought about twenty vials of back-â
Hughie frowned. âHow did you get V through security-â
âWe didnât go through security.â She said, looking around the table with a vaguely bored expression. âI mean, there was no world where weâd get through legally, V or no V. Weâre walking weapons who donât have passports. Sneaking onto a plane isnât even in the top ten crimes weâve committed, I think it will be fine.â
âBut youâve got it?â Annie asked, leaning forward on the table. âYouâve got the V here?â
âItâs in our bags.â
âShit.â Annie turned to MM. âHas Frenchie told you when the drill will be ready?â
âWhat drill-â
âFrenchieâs been working on a needle drill or some shit,â MM told Her, and she nodded slowly. âGet the V into Homelander in one shot. He said a week, but I donât think weâve got a whole fucking week-â
âWe donât.â She muttered, and there was a faraway, set on Her face Ben recognized to be an idea. The final moment of Her clever fucking brain turning and clicking things into a pattern Ben never understood, butâusuallyâfucking worked in their favor. âIf Homelander really is being tapped by Singer for the VP spot, from congressional pressure or not, we canât wait for him to even get a confirmation hearing. But,â She swallowed, and whatever fucking insane thing she was planning settled in Her head, and all Ben could do was wait for Her to say it. âWe need that drill. All we have to do is delay Homelander, and buy Frenchie enough time to get it right.â
Ben knew where this was going. Her breathing was falling into a mechanical rhythm, and the tapping of her fingers had started to leave marks on the table as curling smoke rose from her hands, Ben knew where the fuck this was headed.
You donât fucking have to do that-
I do, my love. She gave him a small, sad smile, dropping Her searing hand over Benâs. It didnât fucking hurt at allâeven when it might have beforeâso when She realized what sheâd done and tried to pull away, Ben caught Her wrist with a scowl. Ben-
Doesnât hurt. He searched Her beautiful, impossibly perfect and exhausted face for whatever words he could use to talk Her out of this, and couldnât find a single goddamn one. Sunshine-
Iâll be okay. And itâs long overdue. She looked back to their slightly watching team, all wearing similar expression of blank confusion. âI need to come out of hiding. For good.â
There was a beat of silence as everyone stared at Her, and before they had a chance to erupt with stupid fucking opinions, She continued.
âI can do it here. We can find a blank, unidentifiable wall to film in front of, and Iâll say all of it. What Annie said, a little more, and whatâs happened since. It will be a clear, obvious accusation of assault, abuse, and torture, and it will at least slow everything down.â She took a long, deep breath, her voice dropping to a whisper only Ben could hear. âIt has to slow things down.â
MM was frowning, but he seemed mostly concerned. âItâs not a guarantee,â he muttered Her name, scanning over Her face with a firm, slow gaze. âAnd there will be a massive fallout. Fuck, Annie had a fallout, and that wasnât a formal story. And Sage literarily just said her shit, people might call bullshit just on that-â
âPeople were always going to call bullshit.â Everything in Herâin Benâfelt exhausted and sick. Twisting and rotting in Benâs chest as Her words became slightly choked and he had to just wait. He couldnât kick everyone out to hold Her and remind Her she was safe, he had to fucking wait. âThere was never a time or place I could say my piece, and have a perfect success rate. If there was, none of this would be a problem to begin with. And I can acknowledge Sage. I can admit that I am related to Muller, but also point out that he kicked me out and we hadnât spoken for thirteen years. I can talk about everything. I donât have careful moves to make like Sage does, I donât have anyone I need to lie about or steer public attention away from. But,â She paused, a flash of panic shooting through Benâs veins and up his spine as Her heartbeat sped up. âI want to get my siblings out. If Iâm saying everything, standing in direct opposition of Vought and Singer, theyâll need to hide. Fuck, they probably shouldâve already been hidden-â
âWe can take care of that.â MM cut off Her spiraling, and Ben shot him a curt, appreciative nod, pulling Her a little close against him and rubbing patterns on her leg as MM continued. âButcher and I got some contacts we trust with that shit, we can hide them. And Frenchie-â
âOui?â Frenchie pushed open the door like heâd been fucking summoned, Kimiko right behind him. âWhat about moi are we discussing?â
âFrenchie,â She said carefully, eyes narrowed. âWhereâs Ryan-â
âWith the little Neuman.â Frenchie reassured Her, Kimiko nodding behind him with a kind smile. âThey get on quite well, do not worry. What news have we missed?â
Butcher said to Her name, his smirk more tense than cruel. âFound a way to buy you time, Mate. Got the V, just need that fuckin drill.â
Frenchie gave Her a grateful nod before turning back to MM. ��Is that all?â
âWeâre gonna need to get her family out first,â MM grunted, and Frenchie seemed to understand in an immediate fucking second.
âAh, operation Harrison Ford. Easy as a cakewalk, Madame,â Frenchie said Her name with a grin, and she blinked.
âWe have an operation Harrison Ford?â Hughie looked around the table with an almost indignant expression. âWhy didnât anyone tell me we had an operation Harrison Ford?â
âYou ainât ever been a fugitive, Mate. Didnât need it.â
Hughie gaped at Butcher. âI have definitely been a fugitive! Like, five fucking times! Iâm a fugitive right now!â
âItâs for when we havenât got anyone but each other.â MM explained, his tone slightly apologetic. âLast time we got people into hiding before we were wanted. Operation Harrison Ford is for when thereâs no CIA to fall back on.â
Hughie looked almost crestfallenâAnnie giving him a pat on the shoulder that was severely fucking undercut by her amused expressionâand She cleared Her throat, pushing on.
âDo I need to do anything for operation Harrison Ford?â
MM nodded. âGet them all together and pass them on to me. We want this done sooner rather than later, though, so if you can round them all up-â
âTheyâll be at my momâs.â She muttered. âItâs just past the 4th, they always stay with her in July. We can go tonight-â
âTomorrow.â Ben snapped, making his words stern and final, because She needed fucking rest. âWeâll go tomorrow.â
She sighed. Ben-
We promised Ryan, he grunted Her name between their heads, and Her tight expression faltered. Itâs less than 24 fucking hours, weâll be fine.
She nodded slowlyâfor once just letting Ben be rightâand returned Her attention to MM. âWeâll go tomorrow afternoon. Anything else we need to deal with?â
MM frowned, his voice slow. âMaybe. You told me there might be the V formula there as well, you manage to confirm it?â
âNo,â A brief glint of red appeared and dried on Her lips as she chewed them with her words. âBut it would explain what Sage is after. If all she knows is the Cornucopia as an idea, she wouldnât think it has multiple things. Sheâs after the formula.â
âWouldnât Sage know the formula?â Hughie asked, sounding doubtful his own question. âHer whole thing is smart, she could probably replicate it-â
Frenchie shook his head. âIt is not that simple, Petite Hughie. Compound V is remarkably complex. There is a reason it took Vought so long, with so much money and testing, to perfect. My attempt was weak itself, and I am still not sure what I did wrong.â
âWell, no offense Mate, but you ainât Sage-â
âNon, I am not.â Frenchie shrugged, seemingly unbothered by Butcherâs words. âBut Sage is lacking the unethical testing Vought was granted by the Holocaust. And his first batch was, ah, famously unstable.â He shot Her and Ben apologetic expressions, words slowing. âIt is not outside the realm of possibility that even Sage can be stumped. She may have hit a wall, or Vought may have done something odd enough to drive her cuckoo-â
âSage doesnât go cuckoo.â A-Train muttered. âSheâs a vindictive fucking robot-â
âIâve confused her.â Everyoneâs attention turned to Her, and Benâs could feel the sick feeling returning as she spoke. âShe doesnât follow things that arenât in logical line. She doesnât understand, um, love all that well, because itâs irrational.â
Butcher scoffed. âThatâs bloody sad for the ice bitch, whatâs that got to do with the fuckin V.â
âIâm not sure.â She sighed. âMy point is more if there are things Sage doesnât understand, things she canât predict, and itâs usually things related to emotions. So,â She paused, frowning into the air, and turned to Ashley. âWho made the V at Vought? Iâd imagine they had an NDA, but Sage and Homelander would be able to make them talk-â
âNobody knew the whole recipe.â Ashelyâs voice was unsteady, watching Her like the wrong word might end in blood. âWhen I got the CEO job they explained that it was manufactured in random patterns and parts, specifically so nobody could duplicate it. I think they even had fake factories and steps, just to throw people off.â
She nodded, fingers sitting suddenly as she turned to Frenchie. âI need the suppressant back. Soon.â
âOf course Madame, but I cannot recommend you, ah,â Frenchie glanced at Benâs violent glare. âContinue with it-â
âItâs still not for me.â She squeezed Benâs hand on Her leg in silent reassurance, and he felt his grip on her loosen. âTrust me. Please.â
Those words were mostly for Ben. They were Her asking him not to push back on her with this, pair with an implicit promise that she wouldnât hurt herself like that again. So Ben slightly pressed his knee against Hers, holding Frenchieâs anxious expression, and gave a curt nod.
Frenchie nodded slowly, looking back to Her. âOui. I will put it in the room.â
âThe room? What room-â
âWeâre stuck here indefinitely, Love.â Butcher drawled. âLucky us, Edgar was a rich prick with a huge fuckin house, but we still gotta fit thirteen cunts in five bedrooms. You twats are bunkin with Ryan and I.â
Ben scowled. âSleep on the fucking couch, you cockhead-â
âNah, Gov. But if I wake up to you two humpin near my virgin ears-â
âWeâre not going to hump in a shared space. With a child in the room.â She hissed at Butcher, and he shrugged.
âCaught you fuckin the bathroom before, shared bedroom ainât a stretch-â
âYes, it fucking is-â
âHey!â MM hit the table, and her mouth closed with one last glower at Butcher. âTime limit, motherfuckers. You,â MM grunted Her name, glaring between her and Ben. âAnd your asshole get the day, then weâre driving to go get your family tomorrow morning. Frenchie, work on the drill, and the rest of you.â MMâs jaw tensed, his face somehow growing more fucking grim. âGet ready to fight. Once weâve got it all out in the open, Homelanderâs not going to take it down easy. And if Sage is after the formula, we donât know why, and we certainly donât have a goddamn clue how sheâll retaliate. So look alive, weâre going to have some work to do.â
They did. In the fucking morningâand not a moment soonerâShe and Ben would have a lot of work to do. But until then they could spend the night however they fucking wanted.
âIf we do want to fuck,â Ben lowered down to whisper in Her ear, well aware he could just use their brain connection, but enjoying the slight shiver of her spine and flutter of her heart too much to bother. âIâm sure we could find a spot in all these damn trees to do it.â
âForests arenât for sex.â She muttered, giving him a flat glare, and he winked right back.
âIâd fuck you anywhere, beautiful. Iâd fuck you in a parking lot, or a shitfuck subway, or in the middle of a goddamn earthquake.â
She hummed, giving it fake thought with a tilt of her head. âI feel like the earthquake would actually help. With the tremors.â
Ben snorted. âHow about a dumpster.â
âThatâs disgusting, Benjamin.â
âAnd thatâs my damn point.â He kissed the top of Her head, smirking against her hair. âI love you enough to fuck you in a dumpster.â
âRomantic.â She guided them up the stairs, looking up and down the halls with a frown. âAs much as Iâd love to have forest sex, we do need to find Ryan-â
Ben noddedâheâd find a place for them to fuck later, when everyone else was distracted and Butcher couldnât be a massive fucking ass about Ben having sex with his goddamn wifeâand latched onto the distant sounds of everyoneâs moving about the house. It didnât take long to find Ryanâsâanother floor up and a little down the hallâand when Ben started to walk, She let him guide their path without a single step of hesitation. Just watching Ben with wide-eyes and clinging to his arm around Her shoulders, every feature on her perfect face relaxed and fucking adoring. Ben had a feeling they could be walking to goddamn hell and not just a bedroom, and sheâd still let him lead the way.
And he had to keep fucking earning that. It wasnât a task or trial that would ever be done, because Ben had created so many fucking messes that he could throw himself at her feet to be used as weapon and he still wouldnât have fully earned Her. Worse, She wouldnât accept that offer. Sheâd frown at him and ask what the fuck he was doing. Tell him that She didnât want him to be a weapon, just to be hers.
He already was. There was nothing fucking better than it, than being hers. All She asked of Ben was to stay and listen, and those were the easiest things to do in the goddamn universe. All She wanted from his wasnât glory or blood, but love and effort. Two things that should have been horrible and trying to give, but werenât. It wasnât work, to love Herâit was fucking natural and impossible to remember what anything had been before heâd loved herâand all his effort was poured into figuring out a way to fucking deserve this. Deserve the most beautiful, perfect woman being alive with him, choosing to be near him, choosing to love him, choosing to fucking marry him.
It could come in blood. There would be times where it needed to be blood on Benâs hands and skin under his nails, brutally clawing and beating and bruising to keep Her safe. But it would more likely be things like this. Like hugging Ryan when the kid jumped up to great themâit was also easy to hug Ryan, it made Benâs whole goddamn body feel prideful and his heart feel right in his chestâand meeting Her soft, happy gaze with a grin of his own. Listening to Her and Ryan talk about all the history shit in Rome as he sorted through their bagsâtrying to hide all Her soon to be destroyed lingerie from Ryan, and the semi all his ideas were giving him from both of themâand pulled out their gifts. Stuffed fucking animals, so simple and goddamn stupid, and entirely goddamn worth it from the surprised look of pure goddamn happiest on Ryanâs face as She passed him the lobster and lion. Happiness that somehow grew stronger when She made Ben show him the other lion and Her tiger. It leaked into the air of the room like helium, making everything higher and nothing in danger of coming down.
âDo you,â Ryan looked between them with a nervous expression, his words quiet and uncertain. âDo you think I could come visit you? When you go?â
She frozeâher face sad and gentle and soft, full of something that looked like grief and felt like a warm ache in Benâs bodyâand Ben answered for Her.
âWeâre not going, kid. And if we do, youâre coming with us.â
Ryanâs mouth parted, and he still looked so goddamn nervous. As if Ben would ever fucking lie to him. âI am?â
âIf you want.â She offered Ryan a sweet, loving smile, and Ben was in fucking danger again. âAnd if not, weâll stay here.â
âWith,â Ryan swallowed. âWith me?â
âWeâre not sticking around for fucking Butcher-â
She threw a pillow at Benâs head, her attention held on Ryan. âOf course with you. Weâre not leaving you.â
âWould I, um, why?â Ryan looked almost confused, like this was a trick. Like She and Ben were measuring his reaction, and this was some sort of fucking test. âYou donât have to, if you want to go to Rome, just for me-â
âWe donât have to. But we want to.â
âYou want to.â Ryan repeated Her words slowly, still looking fucking lost and nervous. âThatâs it?â
She looked over at Ben, and he nodded. He wasnât even really fucking certain what he was agreeing withâhe was too fucking lost in how beautiful She was and how good this was, how everything in him felt peaceful and content and nothing wanted to explode out of his chestâbut She was easy around his head and always fucking right, so Ben trusted her to say what he didnât have words for. That he wouldnât say properly, say in a way that really helped Ryan. Ben didnât know how to explain that this radiance in his body was about not feeling like he had to go. That it wantedâBen wantedâto stay right here, and keep watching the two people who were goddamn worth anything be happy. Wanted to keep them happy. Wanted to let their happiness crawl into him and keep making him a weak fucking pussy who had a stuffed lion because his wife insisted he should get it for their son.
So when She started talking again, Ben knew sheâd understand all that shit, and get Ryan to understand it as well.
âThatâs it.â She echoed without any caution or reservations in her voice. âYouâre a cool kid, Ry. I like you and so does Ben.â She dropped her voice to a mock whisper, leaning forward to Ryan like her words were a secret. âThe lobster was his idea, but donât tell him I told you.â She gave Ben a sharp, bright and sweet expression, and he rolled his eyes as her voice raised. âWeâre staying with you, because we want to, and we like being around you. Simple as that.â
âAround me?â Ryan stared down at the floor even as he leaned a little further forward. Closer to Her. âBut I mess up-â
âWe all fucking mess up, kid.â Ben grunted. âThereâs not a single damn person in this house that hasnât fucked something up. You never tried to hurt people, Homelander was just a weak fucking pussy who didnât know how to teach you shit.â
âBut I messed up in Boston too-â
âBoston as well,â She gave Ryan a gentle smile with the correction, and somehow it made him look more comfortable. Ben didnât get that, but it did. âAnd none of us were perfect that day. You wanted to help, and you couldnât have been expected to know Homelander would follow you. At least you didnât take a dangerous, volatile drug, unlike certain people.â
Ben got a pointed glare with no real anger behind it, and rolled his eyes. This wasnât a real argument, it was meant to distract Ryan, and Ben could play along easily.
âDonât act like I didnât save your fucking ass with that, Sunshine. And now Iâm fireproof, I should be getting twice the goddamn thanks.â
She gave him a teasing smile. âWhy is that, Pretty Boy?â
Ben opened his mouth to snap because now when I fuck you, I can get you to burst into flames and nobody gets hurt but the pussy fucking mattress, realized he couldnât say that in front of Ryan, and scowled. âShut the fuck up.â
âYouâre fireproof?â Ryan looked at Ben with fucking awe, and Ben felt his body grow a little easier to exisit in. âIs that your new power?â
Ben looked to Her for explanation, and she wrinkled Her nose at him.
Really, Ben-
Youâre the brains, he grinned, saying Her name between their heads. Use them.
Cunt. She turned to Ryan, her expression immediately becoming sweet and gentle as she met his curious gaze. âIt seems to be one of them. Or at least a higher resistance to the heat and flame. We mostly think itâs the nuke, in here,â She tapped Benâs chest. âFusing fully into his body.â
Ryan nodded slowly, looking over to Ben. âDoes it hurt?â
âNo.â Ben grunted. âTaking the V felt like shit, but I lived. Now it just feels normal.â
Heâd probably have to give more detailed answers to MM and Annie later, for stupid fucking team purposes, but that was enough for Ryan, whose expression became eager.
âAre we going to train together? Can I help you with practicing stuff? If you want help, obviously, I just think I could throw targets, and be a target-â
âIâm not making you a fucking target, Ryan.â Ben made his voice stern, because this was the same fucking nuke that wiped out V and Ryan shouldnât be anywhere goddamn near it. âBut weâll keep training.â
Any crestfallen defeat at the first half of Benâs words were wiped off Ryanâs face by the second half, and the kids face lit up again. âReally? Even after my dad is gone?â
âAs long as you fucking need and want it. Like she said, kid, weâre sticking around.â
Ryan got it. A small, nervous smile crossed his face, the conversation moved on, and Ben knew thatâeven if they were liars, which they werenâtâtheyâd keep this promise. Ryan would always have Her and Ben, and that wasnât any fucking labor either. None of the things Ben had to do for Her or Ryan ever felt like labor. Doing things for them didnât require thought or work, because it was simple and fucking right. Acts of retribution that were so small and fucking worthless alone, but build up and up and up until Ben was closer to their easy warmth. Never being afraid theyâd toss him out or sneer at his offerings, because they werenât like that. That was what the callous, greedy people Ben had surrounded himself with had done. Had never let it be enough, had made it obvious that acts of care were for the weak, and worth was won from spat words and traded blows.
But this worthâgood worth, that was glowing and alight and content along Benâs ribcageâwas born from these small acts of service. From going to the strange, odd dinner with the team and sitting with his hand on Her thigh and his food offered silently to Ryan when they didnât have enough for seconds. From playing the stupid fucking card game Hughie suggesting, and helping Her cheat because heâd help Her do anything. Taking Her and Ryanâs dishes to the sink and trying not to lose his fucking mind when She followed him without question, just to stay at his side.
Moving to the living room with most everyone elseâAshley and A-Train leaving to go do whatever the fuck they did, and Neuman muttering about getting a headache, but telling Zoe to just be in bed before midnightâand sitting in watchful, easy silence as She and Kimiko had a conversation made of giggles and smiles, and She moved herself into Benâs lap, holding his arm over her stomach and sighing happily when he kissed Her neck. Listening to Ryan and Zoe tell them about how Neuman had lined up their curriculums, and now Ryan could learn to play the piano.
âI played the piano,â Ben grunted, and was met with shocked gapes he did not fucking appreciate.
âYou did?â She leaned back on his chest, looking up at Ben with a sharp amusement dancing in Her pretty eyes . âDid you also play the trumpet?â
Ben rolled his eyes. âShut the fuck up-â
âMake me-â
Benâs own grin grew to something that felt a little feral, and Butcher scowled.
âDonât you fuckin dare make her, or you horny dumbasses are sleepin outside.â
She stuck Her tongue out, wiggling further into Benâs hold and not fucking helping him at all. âYouâre just bitter you canât play the piano, Butcher. You canât even keep a beat.â
âFuck off, Love, you ainât better than me-â
âOn this I am,â She shrugged, a smug smile on Her face that made Benâs own body start to flood with pride. âI canât play the piano, but I can sing.â
âSingin from the V donât count-â
âI could sing before the V, asshole.â
âYou can sing?â Ryanâs face was covered in wonder, and Ben understood that. His face whenever he looked at her likely looked wide and a fucking dumbstruck as well, but also probably a lot less innocent.
She nodded with a soft, slightly tense hum. âYeah. I donât a lot, because things will, um, happen. If I do.â
Ben didnât have to look around at the team to know that they were either flushed or grimacing at the memory of the illusion of Ben, dancing on the stage with Her in a way that friends or coworkers certainly werenât supposed to. Ben was fond of that memory, because it was the first time heâd been fucking certain that if he tore through the crowd, picked Her up, and slammed his mouth to Herâs in a brutal and demanding kiss, Sheâd match every single touch and moan until they were fucking on the floor of that stupid club. He could also get that their friends might not have the same almost liberating light painted across their thoughts of it, just because nobody ever seemed to appreciate that She was a lot more of a horny fucking brat than they gave her credit for. Any jabs at Benâs constant innuendos and hard-ons when She would so much as smiled at him would never really land the way anyone wanted them to, because She was worse.
Even right fucking now, as the conversation continued, She was squirming in Benâs lap. Her heartbeat had picked up as he kissed a gentle, careful pattern over her jaw and kneaded at the skin of Her thigh, and Ben got a weak slap on his knee as Ryan pressed on with his questions.
âLike what?âÂ
âIllusions, essentially.â She shrugged. âAs far as Iâve understood it, I can let off a pheromone that warps everyoneâs senses within its radius. It happens when I sing, and, um,â She flushed, fingers starting to tap on Benâs forearm. âGet excited.â
Fortunately for fucking everyone, Ryan didnât press about what excited meant. He just swallowed, watching Her with a hesitant, hopeful expression. âCould you sing for us? If you, um, if you want-â
âI could.â She looked around the room, her heart picking up to a nervous, stumbling pattern. âIf thatâs okay with everyone-â
âLong as nothing happens like last time,â MM mutters. âI donât give a shit.â
There was a low chorus of agreements, and she cleared Her throat, leaning further into Ben as she began.
It was a slow, sweet song that filled the room with golden light and an overwhelming smell of pine and vanilla and coffee. Her voice was just as beautiful as every other time Sheâd let Ben hear itâif anything it only grew stronger, steadier and more certain as she eased into the musicâand Ben didnât ever want to fucking leave this place. Didnât want to stop feeling the perfect warmth she was creating around and inside him, or move from this place where the world was made of illusions, but She was still fucking real. Where Ben could hear Her voice echo and fill the roomâsounding like everything good heâd ever knownâand feel Her heart fall into a controlled but natural pattern with every breath and note. Where he could bury his face in Her hair and still manage to smell flowers and smoke and apples.
They had to move eventually. When the song finished, Ben could grin at Her and bask in how her own, cautious smile grew full and toothy as everyone offered her the praise and admiration she goddamn deserved. But then he had to carry Her to bedâShe let him, resting her head on his shoulder and falling asleep before theyâd reached the top of the goddamn stairsâand spend a restless night carefully covering her body like a shield. Keep Her safe from the creaking of the summer breeze and buzz of the night, kissing her brow when she rolled to face him and carefully wrapping his arms around her to hold Her in the dark. Ben knew every threat to Her was nothing but eyes blinking open and lost sleep before a long day, but it still felt right to be here. To keep Her peaceful, relaxed and content body from Butcherâs view, even if the pussy didnât look at them as he shuffled into the room. To know that when She woke up, the first thing Sheâd know was that Ben was here, with Her.
At some point the sound of Her heart must have lulled Ben into rest, because when he dragged his eyes open after what felt like only a second there was cool, morning light past the blinds and climbing into the room, and She was watching him with an open, adoring expression.
Hi, Sunshine.
A small smile crept over Her face, and Her voice in Benâs head was so full of love it was going to goddamn knock him out. Hi, Benjamin, my love.
He leaned down to kiss to space between Her eyes, letting his lips linger against her skin. What time is it.
Early.
What time do we have to go.
I donât know. She chewed on Her lips, and Ben watched to run his tongue over them to soothe and slow her movements. MM didnât actually tell us, he just said âin the morningâ.
What the fuck are we supposed to do, then.
Can you hear him? Is he awake?Â
Ben paused, moving his attention to the sounds of the house. Slow heartbeats and low breathes, soft shifting sounds as people tossed and turned, and-
Someoneâs awake, he looked back to her, raising his brows. Donât know who.Â
She sighed, giving Ben almost a pout. We should probably get up, then.
Ben grunted an agreement, and neither of them moved. It was like that for a long while, Her and Ben the only two people in the universe, sitting in each other and not really caring to do much else. Only when Ben heard a second heartbeat pick up to a waking pace, closely followed by a second pair of footsteps beginning to move around the house, did he kiss Her on her brow and guide her out bed. They grabbed their clothing and moved to the bathroom, getting ready in silence and slow, deliberate movement so as to not wake Ryan or Butcher.
When they were dressed andâmostlyâawake, Ben reached out his hand and She took it with a smile. Kept it in hers down the stairs and into the paint-peeling, gas oven kitchen, smiling when Ben kissed Her knuckles before rising up to kiss his cheek.
MM re-entered the kitchen, seemed to immediately understand their silent ritual, and gave them both short nods. There were four thermoses on the counter that MM filled with coffeeâShe frowned at them, then at Ben, and all he could do was shrugâand Ben grabbed two for them each, following Her out to the driveway.
The likely owner of the fourth thermos was waiting for them next to Butcherâs car, greeting Her with a bright smile and wave, and Ben with a nod that didnât look like an effort.
She signed to Kimiko with a smile of her own, translating their conversation into Benâs head.
Kimikoâs coming for operation Harrison Ford, as MMâs muscle. Once we get my siblings on board you and I will have to come back here to get the ball rolling against Sage, and she and MM will go through with the operation.
Got it. Ben frowned. What the fuck is the operation.
She gestured to Kimiko, who gestured back with what seemed to be careful, thought-out movements, and She nodded.
She says itâs mostly just hiding them in a really complex way. Theyâre going to take one of my families cars, swap it halfway, take the bus, change directions in a stolen car, and get them to some people MM trusts. She sighed, leaning Her head onto Benâs arm. Overall, just get them somewhere safe so I can do my speech.
Ben grunted, looping his arm around Her waist to keep her steady. Iâm driving back.
The fuck you are-
Iâm driving. Ben smirked down at Her, tracing pattens on her hips. Or Iâm not talking to you the whole ride so you can goddamn focus and not get us into a fucking crash.
She snorted. Thatâs a worse threat than withholding sex, you talk more than I do.
Thatâs fucking bullshit-
To me. She corrected herself with smile, leaning back to bump her nose against his jaw. You always talk to me. You wouldnât last two hours without talking to me, or trying to get me to talk to you.
You willing to bet on that, Sunshine?
Feels like a pretty boring bet-
Whoever talks first gets head from the loser.
She gave him a flat look. Where. Because I am not fucking in the house-
Winner gets to choose where. He winked, kissing the corner of Her mouth. Get ready to give a blowjob in the forest, beautiful, Iâm going to knock this shit out of the fucking park.
Ben knew that would do it. Her eyes narrowed, determination flashedâwild and sharpâover her pretty face, and she was on board.
Rules. She scanned over Benâs face with an almost frightening focus, fingers tapping on his arm. Mission stuff doesnât count. If weâre in a group we can talk, but it has to be relevant. No inside jokes or innuendos, and no nicknames. Nothing we wouldnât say to each other as co-workers.
He nodded, dropping his mouth to Her neck. Touching?
She shrugged, even as her hand moved to grip at his bicep and Her voice in his head became breath. Long as you donât talk about it.
What about this. Ben pressed his brow to the side of Her head, and she smirked at him, her voice becoming mock innocence.
What about what? Is there a name for what youâre referring to, Benjamin?
He rolled his eyes. Shut the fuck up-
Thatâs the idea.
Brat.Â
Cunt. Say it.Â
Ben scowled, and grumbled the word between their heads, doing his best to make it sound painful. Benâoâphone.
She hummed, eyes dancing with a joy Ben could feel behind his eyes and along his spine. No talking on the Benâoâphone.
Any other shit?
Nope. Youâve got a deal, Pretty Boy. She twisted out of his hold, extending her hand for Ben to shake. Get ready to never speak to me again.
He laughed, because there wasnât a goddamn chance heâd let that happen. And Ben knew his wife. He knew that as stubborn as he was himself, She was worse, and was more than capable be a spiteful pain in his ass. If they got back to the farm from Boston and She still hadnât said a word, Ben knew heâd end it. There were damn well worse fates than eating out a perfect woman who he loved, and one of them was never hearing Her voice again.
But this made the four hours stuck in the car with MM and Kimiko a fuck ton more interesting. MM had given the mission orders before they took offâthis is a delicate motherfucking operation, so no murder, donât be idiots, and listen when I tell you shitâand Ben had felt Her start to tug away from him, making a play to grab shotgun and keep herself physically detached from Ben.
Physical shit was Benâs one fucking advantage. She could outwit and outlast Ben all she damn pleased, but Sheâd crumble if he touched her right. Turned Her into a soft, hazy-eyed mess in his arms, played with Her perfect fucking body until she caved and started begging him to just plain fuck Her.
So heâd kept Her body firm in his hold, and chuckled when she shoved his chest and stomped to the backseat as Kimiko dropped into shotgun. When Ben followed Herâscooting along the bench until their bodies were pressed togetherâshe plain refused to look at him, and he started to run his hand up and down Her thigh. Rubbing Her skin until her breathing became ragged, but neither of them caved.
Most of the car ride was like that. Ben teasing Her in silence, Her pretending he simply didnât fucking exist, and both of them pretending they werenât constant goddamn seconds from caving. Ben knew for a fact that every smile he caught on Her lips and every flutter of her heart sent him barreling closer to asking what the fuck she and Kimiko were talking about and why sheâd pointed at him. He wanted to know what the hell She was planning on telling her siblings, what She was planning on telling the fucking world, to drawl to Her about all the ways he wanted to fuck her with his new powers, because heâd been brainstorming, and he has some pretty goddamn amazing ideas.
And he was sure sheâd want to hear them. Given that he could almost fucking feel Her own will bending and dissolvingâwarm in his gut and soft in his head as he teased and squeezed Her skin, moved his hand to just rest at the apex of her thighsâand her heart had reached a rhythm he usually heard during sex, Ben would call it a safe fucking bet that she was just as close to giving in as he was.
But neither of them did. And when MM cleared his throat, theyâd made it three whole hours without saying a word.
MM grunted Her name, and she looked over to him with a frown.
âYeah?â
âI still had Violetâs number from March, and I gave her a call last night.â MM glanced up to Her in the rearview mirror. âGave her a quick brief, she sounded a little pissed you faked dead again, but understood. Sheâs bringing one of your brothers, but says the other one and your sister arenât in Boston with your mom.â
âWhere are we meeting them?â
âCoffee shop. Had croissants, and God knows I could use something like that right now.â
âDid she say which brother sheâs bringing?â
âGot a name, donât remember-â
âHenry or Sterling.â
MM paused. âSterling.â
âOkay.â She sighed, slumping down into Her seat, into Ben. âWhat did you tell her, exactly?â
âWe got you back around late May. Had you since, but couldnât let anyone outside of our immediate team and contacts know for security. Youâve made a complete physical recovery, and are mentally stable enough for fieldwork. Weâve seen Sageâs propaganda, none of it is true, and weâre making a play against her and Homelander soon, so weâre putting them in hiding until this is done.â
She nodded with a small frown and slow words. âWhat about, um,â Her eyes flicked to Benâjust enough to make him really fucking regret this bet, because she hadnât looked at him in hours and Christ, she was beautifulâand she swallowed. âBen and I? I know Sage has said some stuff-â
âViolet asked. I told her you were together but I didnât mention the engagement. That shitâs not my place.â
âAnd um, what did she say about that?â
Ben wanted to grab Her perfect face between his hands and tell her that there wasnât a goddamn chance this was going to be an issue. If Violet had some sort of fucking opinion about it, Ben would do everything in his power to prove that he was serious about this shit. About Her. There was nothing bitter in him about itâhe didnât deserve Her, and he knew that Violetâs acceptance of this probably meant something to Her��but it still made Benâs whole body strain. Scratch and twist to give up on this stupid bet and just pull every part of Her back to the ground so he could take care of them. Take care of Her.
It was real fucking lucky MM answered Her quickly, or Ben wouldâve lost.
âShe just asked when it had been official, I said a few weeks after we got you back, and that was it.â
She blinked. âReally?â
âMentioned that she was surprised it wasnât before all the shit in April, but thatâs it.â
âSurprised-â
MM said Her name in a flat voice, eyes fixed on the road. âI still donât think you fucking idiots understand that you were the last people to know you were dating. Iâd bet Malloryâs agents knew before you did.â
âOh.â She flushed, her hand wandering to hold Benâs, and he wasnât even damn certain she knew she was moving it. âSorry.â
Benâs jaw clenched, and MM did his work for him.
âStupid thing to be sorry for. Weâre all adults, we knew how to handle your lovesick bullshit without killing you.â
âI donât,â She frowned, almost fucking pouting. âI donât think it was that bad.â
MM scoffed. âYou were oblivious. We had to pretend we couldnât see you eye fucking each other over dinner.â
âBut-â
âNo but,â MM shook his head, and Ben saw his frown flash in the mirror. âWhatâs important is that you did figure your shit out, and that no matter what the fuck Violet thinks now or thought before, sheâll come around on it.â He let out a labored, slow breath, his voice dropping to a hushed, pushed-through-teeth tone. âI did.â
Her mouth fell open a little, her hand squeezing tight over Benâs, and her words became soft as she whispered, âyou did? Really?â
âHeâs still a fucking dick man-baby, but his old ass heart seems to be beating. Youâre not a shell of a person with him,â MM muttered Her name, looking between Her and the road. âItâs good to see. Even when it makes me want to throw up, which is all the goddamn time.â
Her body relaxed with her pretty features, she made a small, happy noise of content, and Ben couldnât even be mad MM had called him a dick man-baby or old, because She was happy.
Ben tangled Her fingers between his, andâstill in complete silenceâshe fully curled into him as he kissed the top of Her head. Ben didnât bother with taunting, riling touched for the remainder of the car ride, because She looked so goddamn peaceful at his side and this silence didnât feel like part of their bet. It felt like sitting half inside of each other, easily and comfortably fused against each other without the need for a single other goddamn thing. It was one of the moments where Ben could really fucking feel Her within him out of just an instinct. Feel Herâjust so fucking clearly Herâinside his body. Alive and bright, lining Benâs skull and burrowed so deeply into his whole goddamn world that She flickered in perfect harmony with everything Ben could see or hear or touch. She hummed inside his blood when Ben trailed patterns on Her skin, settling over his bones when he dropped his head to rest against hers, and grew sharp and colorful behind his eyes when she looked up at him a soft smile.
It wasnât a smile that said anything expect I love you, but not in their old silent words. It told Ben She loved him because it made every piece of Her in his body sing. Ring like church bells announcing something that didnât need to be announced, reaching further and further into Benâs body that he didnât know where his own joy stopped and Her ownâbuilt of a million things jammed and melded together that reflected around Benâs mind like stained glassâbegan.
And Ben realized that She may feel him like this all the time. That there might never be a moment where Benâand however the fuck he felt to Herâwasnât tangible and natural in Her body.
He hoped She did. As almost fucking mind-numbingly consuming as She was inside of himâmaking it hard to concentrate on the trees blurring past into brick buildings and sidewalksâBen hoped She felt him all the goddamn time. It would mean that She really, fully understood that Ben started and stopped with Her. That there wasnât a single fucking moment where he wasnât tracking the sound of Her heartbeat, or studying her face to try and figure out her insane, maddening, perfect mind. That he was never angry he couldnât figure Her out, because it was simply another excuse to keep looking at Her beautiful face.
She knew that Ben loved Herâbecause apparently fucking everyone didâbut he still needed Her to know it more. To understand that when he moved to help Her out of the car it was because heâd dedicated himself to knowing how She moved and paced and shifted so as to best leave small offerings of actions and service for his worth.
That learning Her had been the only thing that had ever come easy. The only thing heâd ever learned and never wanted to stop learning. That Ben picked up every strange, seemingly useless piece of information and trivia that fell from Her pretty mouth and used them to keep building his alter to Her. A large, careful place to worship Her that kept this piece of Her inside him safe, made it feel loved.
And Ben really fucking hoped She could feel that, for Ben, she lived every reflection of sunlight on the puddles, gathered on the pavement near the gutter. That She felt how Ben looked at Herâtucked at his side and tapping on his armâand knew that his love could never be pried or ripped from him, because it was more important to keep than his own fucking hands.
His hands were already Herâs anyway. Brushing hair from Her face and lingering on her cheek. Holding Her own as they walked after MM, along the street to the coffee shop. Opening the door and guiding her inside. Ben needed Her to fucking feel that too.
Needed Her to feel how something in Ben grew wrathful and bloody when she froze at his side barely a step through the doorâHer face washing in fear and her nails digging into his skinâand how everything in him narrowed to Her. Whatâs making Her cave in with hollow eyes and shallow breaths, and what did he need to do for Her to smile again.
The area was mostly empty. A barista with some of the pinkest hair Ben had ever goddamn seen, an old woman with a dog that was too fucking tiny to be useful, and Violet, near the back with two other people Ben didnât recognize.
One had to be Her brother. Sitting next to Violet, with Violetâs softer features, a slightly different nose from them both, and Her sharp, infinitely amused eyes. They even widened the same way Herâs did, when she was in true, genuine shock, making their whole faces open and animated, lips parted with a gleam that said they didnât fully trust what they saw.
But Ben didnât have a fucking clue who the woman was. There was gray in Her hairâso probably fucking oldâand her back to the door was rigid and straight, giving off a feeling that she thought she was better. That whoever the fuck this lady was, she was above everything around her, above everyone. That even the damn chair wasnât worthy of her sitting on it. The whole fucking air of it reminded Ben of his father. Made him taste cocktails that were still sour because heâd been so young, and hear nothing but a ticking clock in a long, empty hall this father didnât care to grace with his presence.
The person Ben had ever met who deserved to look down at everything was Her, and She was never fucking like that. Ben had called Her art beforeâbeautiful in a way that extended beyond just what Ben could see, sinking into his skin and stirring his whole body with things only She knew how to pry outâbut art wasnât supposed to be touched. And Ben really fucking loved touching Her, the same way She loved touching everything. Settling in wherever she sat, tapping and running her hands over every surface available to Her, holding Ryan in Her arms and letting Ben hold Her in his. Letting Ben touch Her everywhere, and touching him right back. Fingers in his hair, and brows pressed together, a hand holding his arm over Her shoulderâs and legs tangled together under sheets.
Everything Ben had seen his father touch had been with movements of vague disgust, as if the lesser object or person would infect him. It was the same way this woman was keeping her fingers light and raised off the table, only moving in a rhythm Ben recognized. A rhythm that heâd learned to recognize anywhere, just one off-beat from the pattern being tapped on his hand on Her hips.
The woman turned in her chair as it clicked in Benâs head, and fucking hell, She looked just like her mother. It was the almost same face Ben loved and could look at for a million years without ever feeling the need to stray his gaze or move, but with something inverted. Something so imperceivable that was altered between them, that made Ben feel like there was bile filling up his lungs and something churning in his gut.
Because the longer Ben lookedâthe whole room heavy and wired, time seeming to slow as they all stared at each otherâthe more he realized there was nothing alike about them at all. It might be the same faceâa goddamn duplicate, everything from skin to eyes to lips to hair right where it was supposed to beâbut there was something fucking off about Her motherâs. It wasnât something obvious, like the fact that Herâs was trapped in youth and Her motherâs was lined with age. It was deeper. Something fundamental on Her that Ben adored and devoted himself to caring for, that was just wasnât fucking there on Her mother. Not missing, not a hole or hollow Her mother had never filled. Just not there, something wrong where it was supposed to be.
It lived in their eyes. Ben knew Her face better than heâd ever known fucking anything, and her eyes were sharp but filled with light. When She was being herself and not falling or breaking, there was always something magnetic in them that spread over her every other feature, and made Ben want to get as close to her as he possibly fucking could. Reach out to hold Her, to sit in any warmth and life she offered him, to just fucking love her and love her and hope that, though she shined on everything, in the end she was really just alight for Ben. That for all the love She held, her love for Ben was different, because the light in Her eyes burst and flared and turned to pure flame for him and only him. That sheâd never deprive the rest of the world of this kind beauty, but Sheâd also allow Ben to touch her and serve her, in a way no other pussy fucker got it.
Her mother shouldnât be touched or cared for. There wasnât anything in Her motherâs eyes that called Ben forward, because they were like a wasteland. They werenât sharp, but they were still cutting. Invasive and so fucking horrible to look into. And where She was something strange and sacred, Her mother felt like a statue. Something that had been designed to be elegant, to be perfect and idolized, but hadnât fucking earned it. It was only cold, too clean stone that had never crawled through mud or remained beautiful through trial and torture. Everything about Her mother seemed to demand everything bend for her will, but Ben had no fucking desire to do anything for this bitch.
The only goddamn thing sheâd get from Ben was hatred. Cold, furious loathing while every warm thing he had to offer was pushed into Her. His hand held Her steady, his whole body tensed and half-wrapped over Herâs, fucking ready for whatever the hell came next.
Theyâd all silently agreed not to make the first move. She seemed frozen in place, Ben wouldnât fucking leave Her side, and MM had muttered a low shit that told Ben heâd realized what was going on. Violet just looked sad and fucking guiltyâ eyes locked onto Herâs with shifting expressionâs Ben couldnât understandâand their brother looked just as frozen as She was, everyone seeming to just be fucking waiting for what Her mother would do.
Ben was only seconds from just fucking stomping over the roomâkeeping his body a pace before Herâsâand getting everything moving so this could be done, but then Her mother said Her name, and it was the worst way Ben had ever heard it. This had a scolding familiarity to it that felt practiced and deliberate. The Bitch said Her name like she was a fucking dog. Even fucking Homelander had mostly said it like She was a person. The wrong personâa hateful and fake idea of Her that held her face but nothing that made Her herâbut a person all the same. Her mother said Her name as if She was a doll, and worse, it fucking worked. She folded back into Ben, Her heart racing and her nails digging into his skin, and Ben had to just hold Her.
Until he got the clear to start breaking spines and shedding blood over the tiled floors, Ben had to just hold Her.
The Bitch said Her name again, and Ben was going to rip out the bitchâs tongue and feed it to her. âCome sit down. Iâm sure,â The Bitchâs gaze drifted to Ben, MM, and Kimiko, all silent and rigid behind Her. âWe have a lot to catch up on.â
Ben squeezed Her hand, and it seemed to spark her into action. She nodded and moved to the table, tugging Ben after Her.
What the fuck is your mother doing here. Ben muttered between their heads, and if She was surprised heâd made the connection himself, she didnât show it.
Violet says she got tricked. They said they were going out to get lunch, but Mom told them she wanted to come. They agreed with the plan to just drop her off and run, knowing sheâd be fine, but then when they all got out Mom moved to the driverâs seat and said she knew they were going to see me. They had to bring her, or they wouldnât get here themselves. No murder, let me do the talking.
Fine. Ben kept his eyes narrowed on the Bitch as they dropped at the table. But if she fucking tries anything-
Iâm serious, Ben. No murder-
They were snapped out of their silent words by the Bitch, clearing her throat as MM and Kimiko joined them.
âItâs good to see you. You look quite healthy for being dead.â
She shook Her head slowly, taking a long breath before speaking soft words that didnât sound right from her mouth. âWhat are you doing here, Mom? Why did you make Vi and Sterling bring you.â
âYouâre my daughter, of course I wanted to see you-â
âWe both know thatâs not true.â She muttered, her voice rising slightly. âPlease just tell me what Iâm supposed to do, so I can get it over with.â
âThereâs no need to be rude.â The Bitch sighed Her name like a wounded fucking animal. âWeâre in no rush, and you havenât even introduced us to your, ah, companions.â
âMM, Kimiko,â She pointed to them as she spokeâMM giving a cold, curt nod Ben appreciated, and Kimiko offering a nervous waveâbefore looking up at Ben with a slightly softer expression, made of something calm. âAnd Ben. Now can we-â
âBen.â The Bitch repeated, and Her heart picked up pace. âHow exactly did you meet Ben?â
âI kidnapped him. Mom, this is really important-â
âYou kidnapped him?â The Bitch laughed, like She was some sort of fucking child. âYou canât kidnap Soldier Boy, sweetie.â
âShe did,â Violet mumbled, still shooting them apologetic, anxious looks. âSheâs a supe now, Mom. Sheâs strong.â
âI am well aware of that, Violet, but all she can do is party tricks. That isnât enough to kidnap the worldâs strongest man-â
MM snorted at that. âItâs not just party tricks.â
âExcuse me-â
âSorry, maâam.â MM shrugged, not flinching under the Bitchâs glare. âBut Iâve seen her blow up buildings and make a whole building of agents collapse. Your daughter can do a hell of a lot more damage than party tricks. And sheâs certainly stronger than this asshole.â
The Bitch followed MMâs gesture to Ben, and made another disbelieving sound. âI know my daughter, and it is incredibly unlikely sheâd be stronger than Soldier Boy-â
âShe is.â Ben snapped, barely thinking about the words as they left his mouth. âSheâs stronger than fucking Homelander. So watch it.â
âWatch it.â The Bitch smiled, looking Ben up and down, and he didnât bother to hide the disgust on his face. âYou seem to be quite close with her, Ben-â
âDonât call him that.â She leaned forward over the table, Her voice finally regaining to hot venom Ben fucking loved, and knew to mean she wouldnât pull punches or dance around words. âDonât talk to him, Mom. Just tell me what the fuck you want.â
Something shifted in the Bitch, and any formal, fake fucking niceties vanished. âI am here for answers. I am here for the reason you have put your father and I-â
âHeâs not my father-â
âHe is your family. And you have put him, put us, through hell these last few months. Media harassment, airing out all our misunderstandings like dirty laundry, painting yourself to be a victim when all you have done is behave like a child. Youâve hurt us,â The Bitch said Her name mock, cold disappointment. âYouâve been incredibly selfish, and I want to know why youâre now trying to take my children away from me.â
She gaped slightly, shaking her head. âIâm not trying to take anything from you, theyâre in real danger-â
âDanger you created. There would be nothing to worry about if you could just bite your tongue and keep a good, strong head on your shoulders. But no, you have to turn this into some sort of spectacle-â
âI didnât fucking do anything-â
âYou most certainly did.â The Bitch sneered. âJust in the past month youâve peddled manipulative lies, murdered that poor woman in cold blood, embarrassed Todd at work, and threatened him with, your loyal little guard dog. Youâve ruined everything, and have seen yourself fit to drag this strong, powerful man down your level. If you had just listened to me, none of this wouldâve happened you know. Youâd be taken care of, even if you were still just a weak little girl-â
The wooden table splintered as Ben hit it, shutting the Bitch up with a bloodless face.
âLast fucking warning,â he hissed, leaning forward so the Bitch could hopefully fucking feel the wrath and hate starting to bang around Benâs chest in an even rhythm, trying to get out and protect Her. âI couldnât give a goddamn fly pigâs ballsack that youâre her mother, if you say another word about my wife, Iâll fucking kill you.â
There was a long moment of silence, and Ben only realized his exact words after heâd said them. When MM muttered fuck, and She stared at him a wide, half adoring and amused, half pissed off expression.
Wife?
What.
Donât play dumb, Pretty Boy, youâre bad at it-
Iâm not going to fucking take it back-
Iâm not going to tell you to take it back, but now I have to answer questions-
Almost on perfect fucking cue, Violet coughed.
âAre you, um, did you get married-â
âNo. But someone,â She shot Ben a pointed glare, and he winked back. âIs a huge fucking dumb dumb with a big mouth.â
A big mouth you love-
A big mouth thatâs going to get punched later-
âSo youâre,â Sterling finally fucking spoke, and his voice sounded more like Herâs than Violetâs. With an accent that wasnât placeable, but just them. Impossibly distinct, with every goddamn word they said sounding smart. âYouâre not married to Soldier Boy.â
âYet.â Ben grunted, and the looks on Her familyâs faces were more than worth the heated slap to his leg.
âWhat exactly,â the Bitch said, her voice weighted and low. âDo you mean by yet.â
She gave Ben one last daggered glare before meeting the Bitchâs eyes, Her perfect face turning into something almost fucking prideful. âHe means weâre engaged.â
Something flashed across the Bitchâs face that Ben didnât understand. âTo be wed.â
âThatâs what engaged usually does mean, Mom-â
âHell.â The Bitch shook her head, but she didnât sound or look angry. She mostly just seemed inconvenienced. âI knew I shouldnât have listened to that woman.â
She, MM, Ben, and Kimiko exchanged similar what the fuck is she talking about looks, and Her words were careful and slow.
âWhat woman.â
âThat haughty, annoying one with Vought. Sister Sage.â The Bitch waved her hand, frowning into the air. âI didnât think youâd manage to surprise me and pull this off yourself, but you did, and if I wasnât going to give her a piece of my mind before-â
âMom,â She said, leaning across the table with a sharp, silent wrath in her eyes. âWhat the fuck did you do.â
âItâs what she did, dear. Breaching on our deal, turning against me just because of Homelander gaining what she called sense, but I call temporary cold feet-â
âDeal?â There wasnât anything fucking hollow or nervous in Her voice. It was urgent, dangerous, and would be fucking hot if Ben wasnât putting together all the pieces to reach a conclusion She already seemed to have. âWhat deal did you make with Sage.â
âWell, thereâs no need to take that tone. And I didnât think youâd be able to do this yourself-â
âMom-â
âAnd it was a deal. We made a promise, a commitment, and thereâs never a valid reason to go back on that. And especially not to throw us under the bus for their mistakes-â
âMaâam.â MM jumped in, his face holding an equal anger Ben could feel in his body. âIt is incredibly important you tell us exactly what Sage promised you, and what you promised her.â
The Bitch rolled her eyes, but huffed, âIt was a handshake deal. Iâd use Todd to make sure she got what she needed from the defense department and government, provide some chemicals she said were annoying to make or whatever, and sheâd ensure your marriage to Homelander, which is all Iâve ever wanted for you! Thereâs no higher status than Homelanderâs wife, but then they backed out, and Todd lost the VP slot! I never wouldnât made it if Iâd known sheâd betray us like that, if Iâd known your relationship with Solider Boy was real!â
Benâs vision was lined with red, and he might break his own fists. That golden feeling over his ribsâatomic and wrathful and dedicated to fucking protecting Her all the goddamn timeâwas beating against him, trying to burst out and reduce the Bitch to just a fucking imprint on the wall.
But Her hand squeezed on Benâs knee, and Her voice in his head was cold and steady Iâve got this. No murder.Â
Ben grunted an affirmationânot caring if it was aloud or between their headsâand She took a labored breath Ben could feel the fury of before speaking.
âAre you insane.â She hissed. âYou sold your soul to the fucking devil, and all you can think is that, if youâd known I was going to get married anyway, you might not have?â
The Bitchâs eyes narrowed. âI was doing whatâs best for you. Even when youâve been cruel to me, Iâve only wanted whatâs best for you-â
âAnd you think thatâs whatâs best for me is marrying the man who kidnapped, raped, and experimented on me? And selling out the whole fucking country in the process?â
âDonât be dramatic-âÂ
âI am not being fucking dramatic. Because of what you did, stopping us from getting the federal supply of V, we had to get creative. Getting creative killed Grace Mallory, which lost Todd the VP slot, and now Singer might give it to fucking Homelander. Who is, in case weâre not clear, a fucking monster.â
âPlease,â the Bitch gave Her a pointed look, and Ben wondered why he hadnât already pulled out her tongue. âItâs not like Soldier Boy is an angel either, Iâve read the official Starlight reports-âÂ
âDo not speak about him like that.â She leaned forward, her words almost spitting out of her mouth. âHe makes me happy. He loves me, and takes good care of me, and doesnât fucking try to lock me up and control me. He likes my temperament, he thinks itâs hot because heâs fucking insane, and I love him, and after I kill Homelander Iâm going to marry him, and youâre never going to be part of our lives. Youâre going to go with Violet and Sterling, and let MM hide you so the very people you sold your fucking daughter to donât kill you, and then Iâm never going to see your fucking face again. Violet-â
âWeâll go with him,â Violet said quickly, glancing at the Bitchâwho looked like a gaping and cruel idiotâbefore looking back to Her. âBut Mom-â
âShe agrees to go with you, or she sticks around and dies.â She stood up, and Ben followed without a fucking thought as she continued, looking between her siblings. âI love you, and youâre going to be okay. I promise youâre going to be okay. Iâm so, so sorry-â
Her voice cracked slightly, and Violet shot up, rounding the table and pulling Her into a tight hug. Sterling was close behind, and Ben kept a close fucking eye on the Bitch, in case she tried to interrupt this. But she just looked at her children, still in shock, and they pulled apart on their own time.
âYouâll be safe,â She whispered again, and when she took a shaking step back, Ben caught her and held her up. âI swear youâll be safe. And when this is over, Iâll explain everything. But right now-â
âYou have to go,â Sterling nodded, and he didnât sound angry. âViolet told me what she knows, and we get it. You have to go.â
She nodded, giving them a soft, sad smile, and let Ben guide Her onto the street. MM and Kimiko didnât need goodbyesâtheyâd see them again by fucking tomorrow anywayâand the Bitch looked like she wanted to say something, but was smart enough not to.
The Bitch should count herself lucky, that Ben cared about how he was beginning to feel sick and empty and coldâwhich meant that She was in pain, and needed himâa fuck ton more than he cared about wasting time on vengeance.
Right now, nothing mattered more than Her. Then getting Her into the car, and far, far away from what Ben couldnât even fully fucking comprehend. Keeping his hand against Her thigh, trying to tide over the cracks he could feel beginning to lines his vision and the horrible sense of dread and wrong living in his blood.
Then, when She made a small, choked sound, pulling Butcherâs car off the highway and helping her climb into his lap. Letting Her bury her head in his chest and shatter there, where sheâd be safe. Where Ben could hold Her in silence as she fell apart, then do whatever needed to be done for this to become fucking bearable.
Ben, I- Her words were almost fucking inaudible between their minds, Her gasps and strangled tears muffled against Benâs body. I donât know what to do. What do I do.Â
He didnât know. Ben didnât have a goddamn clue what to do with what theyâd just learned. But heâd be damned if he just let Her break further than she needed to.Â
Whatever you have to. Tell Butcher, include it in your address, keep it a secret for the rest of goddamn time. Whatever makes this shit livable.
She sold me, Her sob wracked her whole body, and Ben almost broke his fucking teeth. She fucking sold me to Homelander, and Iâm not even sure when she did it. It couldâve been months ago. It couldâve been when I first resurfaced, or right before the tower, or when I first fucking met Sage-
I know. Ben grunted in the silence, drawing circles on Her back. I know, Sunshine. I know.
She nodded against him, and Her breathing, slowly, began to ease. Her heartbeat became what it was supposed to be, and they stayed there until this she let out a soft, breathy laugh, turning the fabric of Benâs shirt between her fingers.
âIâm not,â She shook Her head in Benâs chest. âIâm not sure who lost. The bet.â
He let out a dry chuckle. âWe could call it even and just fucking start over-â
âNo.â Her answer was frantic but hushed, her face shooting up to look at Ben with wide eyes. âI donât want to not talk to you. Not now. Please.â
He nodded, leaning down to kiss the space between Her eyes. âOkay, Sunshine. Itâs off.â
She hummed, her hands moving to hold Benâs face. âI could, maybe I could still give you a blowjob?â
âDo you want to give me a fucking blowjob?â
âUm.â She swallowed, flushing slightly. âYes.â
âDo I get to eat you out?â
âYes, please.â
Ben snorted, muttering an agreement, and he still wasnât fucking sure how heâd gotten here. Having to pull his perfect fucking wife off his lapâbut keeping their hands tangled together and resting on his thighâso he could drive her home. Bring Her somewhere safer than here, so he could hold her right and clear her head while he still had the time. Whisper promises in Her ear that heâd die to keep, about how heâd give her better than that. About how, whatever came after, Ben would keep holding her and loving her, in a way that felt almost fucking pure.
Twisted and scarred and forged somewhere dark and burning, but still pure. Incapable of ruin, incapable of being tainted or broken, just fucking love. Just a future that was brighter than what was behind them, and a life where Sheâd always feel safe enough to break, and always be able to get back up after.
A future Ben really damn wanted, where Her and Ryanâs smiles were never in danger of being wiped from their faces.
Where Ben just kept loving them, and they felt it, and that was the whole fucking world.
âââââââââ
Thereâs only one light, flashing from Hughieâs hand as he begins the recording, but itâs still blinding and cold.
You take five deep breaths, one for every good thing that you want to do this for. Everything you want to hold onto when after comes.
Ryan. Music. Stuffed Lions. Gardens. Ben.
Hughie gives you a thumbs upâa signal to beginâand you look to Ben. A step behind Hughie, watching you carefully with a grim, set expression. Everything between your bodies is straining to make you stand and move to fall against him, but you have to do this alone. Not fully alone, never fully alone again, but standing alone. With Ben inside youârolling around the top of your chest and rumbling in a rhythm that feels like your nameâbut still too far to touch. To seek the comfort of him warmth and solid certainty.
But you can still feel his love and devotion. Youâre wearing the ring againâtwisting it on your finger as you take one last, long, steadying breathâand itâs just another way in millions to know Ben is her, and loves you, and will burn with you. No matter how this goes, Ben will burn with you.
So you can fucking do this. You have the slightly crumpled paper in your hands with everything you need to say, and now all you have to do is talk.
You start with your name, just for clarity and the fuck of it, and begin. âYou know me as the Anomaly. And I am, but not by choice. I am the Anomaly because Homelander decided I should be. Because, four years ago, he kidnapped me, faked my death, and held me hostage on, likely, Vought property. I spent first two years in complete isolation, only seeing Homelander when he visited me to rape me.â Something starts to taste vile in the back of your mouth, but you have to keep talking. If you stop now, you wonât get through this, and youâve barely even started. âI was kept locked up for the intention of breeding, like fucking cattle. Then, after Soldier Boy returned to America, Homelander became obsessed with immortality and I was moved to a Vought lab, and experimented on by Vought scientists in order to recreate the original formula of compound V, which slowed the aging process.
âIt was a successful experiment. I was given my super name, the Anomaly, because I was injected with V four times, and developed four completely isolated powers. The pyrokenesis I am known for, which I used to escape captivity, a healing factor that has made me unkillable, empathy, and sensory manipulation. I am stronger than Solider Boy. I am stronger than Homelander. For the past year since my escape, I have been fighting Vought alongside Starlight and William Butcher, but have not stood in direct opposition to Homelander due to the former volatility of my powers. I was afraid of the man who spent four years sexually, emotionally, and medically abusing me. I am not afraid anymore, and I am ready to corroborate every accusation Starlight has made against Homelander, Sage, and Vought, and talk. These are my words. I wrote them, I am saying them, and nobody is making me. So, please, listen.
âI have been working with Butcher, Starlight, and their former CIA funded team, the Boys, since June of last year. In November, after we failed to locate a possible bio-weapon against Homelander, I pitched to then President elect Robert Singer and former Deputy Director of the CIA, Grace Mallory, that Soldier Boy be woken up and used as a weapon. My plan was approved, and he was woken up in early December. Per the plan, was to I live with him in a CIA safe-house and keep him in line until Ryan Butcher was removed from Vought Tower and we had a direct, clean shot at Homelander. Soldier Boy would remove his powers with the V-wiping bomb in his chest, and then be pardoned and sent off American soil to live in exile. Nothing wentâŚâ you trail off, glancing at the continually formal speech in your hands, and give up on it. It matters that this sounds real, and none of these words sound real.
Ben is real. Youâre real. This pain is real, and so is your love.Â
So you crumple the paper up, and look back directly into the camera.
âNothing went as we intended it to. I fell in love with Soldier Boy. He fell in love with me. My original plan to extract Ryan Butcher went to shit, and I had to make another. That one worked, but I ended up back in Homelanderâs captivity. My team found a way to safely kill Homleander, but Sage destroyed it all at the Believe Expo, which, for the record, was not a terrorist attack. It might have technically been a robbery, but it became a play to fake A-Trainâs death, and help him escape. I remained with Vought to find an alternative location of our weapon, but failed to, and escaped. Once I was safe, I didnât want to be in the public eye. I was broken, and weak, and too fucking tired to face this myself. I helped Starlight plan and write her address in June, and it was my idea to remain away from the public eye.
But more things kept going wrong. When we found another avenue to get our hands on the weapon, we were blocked by Singer and Secretary Muller, who, As Sage has said, is my step-father. I had not spoken to him in thirteen fucking years, and he has been in direct collaboration with Sage. She has tried to paint him as a villain, and he is a terrible man, but heâs also an idiot. I would never want him in a position as powerful as Vice President of the United States, and neither would Sage, which is why she has turned on him and paved the way for Homelander to take federal office.
âHomelander cannot be allowed to take federal office. He cannot be allowed within a hundred fucking miles of the White House. He is a monster. Since both my and Ryan Butcherâs escapes, he has not stopped trying to take us back, and has been willing to kill everyone we care about to do it. And I have not been fucking innocent in this. I destroyed the rec center at Victoria Neumanâs rally. I killed Firecracker. I did not commit the Tek Night massacre in New Jersey, and I did not kill Black Noir or Grace Mallory, but I was in immediate proximity to both events. Because of Homelander. Because I have been trying to save people from him, but I have cared, and he has not. He wants to control me, control you, and kill everyone who stands in his way. But we can stop him. We found our weapon. So, Vought workers, around the world, this is for you. Get out. Jump shipwhile you still can. If you have anyone you love, anything you care about, run. Now. If you take anything away from my speech, make it this.
âAlmost every plan we made got fucked. Almost everything I said Iâd never do, I did. And weâve kept going. It didnât matter what our public image was, or has been, or will be after this. The world will not be safe until Homelander is dead. And there will be work to do after, but right now, thatâs all that matters. Thatâs whatâs coming. And Homelander,â you narrow your eyes at the camera, leaning forward. âBen and I are ready for you. None of us are martyrs or heroes, but this is it. Iâm stronger. Benâs stronger. And we both have something to live for, and something to die for. You donât have either. Youâre the worst thing that ever happened to me, and this is it.â You raise your chin high, staring Homelander down without seeing him. âYou turned me into the Anomaly. You drove Ben and I together. If you werenât such a narcissistic sociopath, Iâd probably be halfway across the world, writing academic papers and dating some foreign, normal guy. But now Iâm going to kill you, and youâll have no one to blame but yourself.â Your face curls into a twisted smirk, born from something like liberation. Like a million pieces falling into place as you turn your attention to Benâpounding and rioting in your bodyâand see your expression mirrored on his face. âIâll see you soon, Homelander.â You look back to the camera. âWe both will.â
The light of the camera turns off, the video finishes, and thatâs it. Youâd done what you could, said what you needed to, and now all that was to finish it. To actually, really, kill Homelander.
Hughieâs talking about how heâs going to watch the video over and upload it. Butcherâs muttering that it wasnât half bad, and Annieâs giving you a tentative thumbs up and saying words that are probably reassuring praise.
You canât hear any of them. All you can hear is an off-key ringing in your ears, and the pounding of your own heart as your eyes start to blur and your head starts to turn faster than you can follow. Youâd missed things. You donât really remember anything you said, but thereâs so way you got everything. The speech was too short, because youâd missed things that you probably couldnât afford to miss. No, it was too long, because youâd spent time on semantics and details that didnât matter. It was okay to mention A-Train was alive, youâd cleared it with him first, but you hadnât mentioned Neuman. But Neuman wasnât a supe, and she couldnât defend herself. And she has a kid, A-Train doesnât have a kid. But you also hadnât mentioned Ashley, but sheâs not that importance really, but she could be. She could provide key testimony when this is done, and you need that testimony, but youâll also need A-Trainâs testimony.
You didnât think long term. None of this had been thought in the long term. You just accused Singer of something, by saying heâd blocked the V, and heâs still going to be president after this. You shouldâve mentioned the Boys more, try to exonerate them of some of their crimes, so Singer wouldnât turn on them as well. On you. Youâd just confessed to murder. Multiple murders. Thereâs blood on your hands and thereâs a crack thatâs reaching down your spine and now thereâs nothing left to stop Homelander from hurting people you love.
Youâd confessed to loving Ben. Youâd told the world you loved Ben. And you did. And you wouldnât take it back. Everything is cold and you canât really breathe, but you wonât take it back. You can fight Homelander now, but it still comes in waves, and youâre still afraid. Youâd said you werenât afraid.
It was a lie. Youâre so cold and tired and afraid, and you strong but not strong enough for this, and youâd just said everything and now you canât control what happens. Youâd just strung up your guts and organs and skin for all the world to see, and they may not be as careful with them as Ben is. As you need right now.
Nothing is in focus, and everything feels like itâs being knocked out of and away from you, and thereâs no more light here. Thereâs something good thatâs touching youârubbing circles on your cheeks, holding your face between big, warm handsâand something that sounds right saying your name, but you still canât hear anything but the blood.
Blood. So much blood on your hands and this ringing is get a key off from something thatâs haunting you, and you donât feel broken but youâre still weak. Weak and covered in blood-
You hear your name in your own head, like a thought that you didnât create, and things start to come down as itâs repeated. Over and over like a prayer until you begin to down to earth and youâre staring at a green that you know belongs to Ben.
Ben-
Youâre going to be fine. Youâre going to be fucking fine. Itâs an order. Heâs telling you that youâre not fine right now, but you will be. That, eventually, you will be fine, because thereâs not another option. Ben wonât let there be another option. Iâm here. I am right goddamn here, Sunshine, and youâre going fucking fine.
You nod, and drop your brow to Benâs because itâs the only thing you know how to do. Youâre still figuring out how to breatheâit helps to listen to Ben do it, because he does everything in such a firm and certain manner it has to be correctâand you canât remember how to stand, so all you can do is fall into Ben. Stay here until your chest is falling into a pattern with his, and fold against him as he moves your head to his shoulderâpressing a soft, reverent kiss on your brow as he doesâand pulls you into his arms. Let him stand up, cling to him like a lifeline, and listen to the grumbled exchanges around you.
âIs she-â
âShe needs a minute.â Ben grumbles, his voice rolling through your body as he cuts Annie off. âYou pussies do the plan, and we can hear it after.â
Your hands curl on Benâs neck as you shake your head, finding to will and strength to move your head and meet his gaze.
Iâm okay. You arenât convinced by your own words, but you push on all the same. Iâm really okay. We need to do this.
Ben scowls, and you can feel his ardor concentrate into something thatâs coating over his ribs and trying to wrap over your skin. You are not fucking okay. You went fucking catatonic, thatâs not goddamn okay-
I was not catatonic, you dramatic cunt. And I can make it through a meeting.
You can. Youâre pulling yourself together. Wrinkling your nose at Benâtrading sharp words that have no edge with himâis something that youâll always know how to do. That, somehow, grounds you just as well as Ben��s own stone resolve. You think itâs because itâs certain. You will always tease and mock each other, and Ben will always roll his eyes and glower, and you will always stick out your tongue and pout at him. And no matter what, he wonât go, and neither will you. There wonât be any lines for what you can and canât say, because you both know it would probably kill you to hurt each other.
So youâre coming back to yourself, and itâs because Ben is scowling, and alive and loud in your chest.
I could fucking feel you, he growls your name in the heavy silence of the room, his hold on your body tightens. You need to rest-
Iâll rest after the meeting-
Or you could rest right fucking now-
Or I could rest after the meeting. Your hands move to hold his face, running his beard between your fingers as you offer him a sad but easy smile. Weâre so close, Ben. Weâre really, really close, and I need to do this. You can carry me upstairs and pin me to the bed to make me rest, after, but it has to be after. Please.
Swear it. Swear youâll rest.
Iâll rest. I promise.
Benâs jaw is clenched so tightly youâre worried heâll break it, but you get a stiff nod as he sits down. Keeping you in his lap as he looks up, glaring at something over your head.
âGo get the rest of the fucking dumbass pussies. You get ten minutes before we fucking leave.â
âAinât you gonna say please, Gov-â
âNo.â
You hear Butcherâs huff, and twist in Benâs arms just in time to see him stomping away.Â
It doesnât take long to gather everyone. Annie, Hughie, and Frenchie are already here, Neuman, Ashley, and A-Train had just been waiting in the kitchen, and MM and Kimiko are still with your family, so within three minutes youâre all settled the living room, watching each other in a weary silence.
You do really want to just go rest with Ben, for all of this to be done, so you speak first.
âI have a plan-â
âAinât that a surprise-â
âShove it up your ass, Butcher.â You flip him off without looking, and continue. âIâve had a plan. Itâs, it has kind of adapted to the cards we have, but it will work all the same. You guys,â your attention turns to Ashley, A-Train, and Neuman. âNeed to make me a promise first, though.â
Neuman frowns, sitting up a little straighter. âWhat kind of promise could you need from us-â
âMostly one about honor. Keeping your word.â
âThat is so fucking vague-â
âItâs meant to be vague, Ashley.â A-Train mutters, glaring at you in a way that feels more cautious than hateful. âSheâs trying to feel out how likely we are to agree.â
Ashley looks to you with wide eyes, and you sigh.
âI am.â Your words gaining a more urgent edge, because this is important. âBut forgive me for not fully trusting you-â
âYou tell us what sort of promise you need,â A-Train snaps over you, foot bouncing in his seat. âAnd as long as itâs not something really shitty, weâll make it.â
You examine him, and he seems genuine. He mostly just looks tired. Done with all of this. You understand that, you can feel it in your bones and muscles, so you keep talking.
âI want your word that, when this is over, youâll stay on our side. Go on the record and say everything youâve seen and witnessed, about Vought and the government and Homelander and anything else. All the Red River shit, how you,â you nod to Neuman. âWere the Head Popper, and anything Sage ever told you. Say it again, under oath if necessary.â
Neumanâs eyes narrow. âAnd why would I possibly want to admit to be the Head Popper. Why would any of us want to admit anything-â
âBecause this farm is about to be a war zone.â You keep your words casual and bored, but your gaze sharp. âAnd if you agree to work with us after, weâll keep you out of danger and make sure your families,â you look to A-Train. âAll your families, arenât caught in the crossfire. We can negotiate your pardons and deals before we bring you out of hiding, or we can testify about all the crimes we know you committed and you just get locked up.â
âThatâs not fair!â Ashleyâs words are frantic. Panicked. âYouâre trying to fucking blackmail us, thatâs a fucking crime-â
âAll of this is a crime.â You snap, giving Ashley a daggered glare. âBut weâre about to be the people that killed Homelander. You can either work with us, or not. Itâs up to you.â
Thereâs a moment of heavy, painful silence, and youâre not sure if theyâre trying to call your bluff, but there isnât one. Youâre past bluffs, here. Now itâs just about survival, and knowing if you can trust them with anything.
Finally A-Train coughs, and something like lead dissipates in your blood.
âFine. Deal.â
His tired, flat voice spurs Neuman and Ashley into action, and you get two more reluctant agreements. There will be more time for details later. What deals you can cut and what youâll need them to take the stand on can wait, because now you have to talk about the plan. Itâs immediate and so fucking fragile, and you finally have your shot. You canât waste valuable time before you take it.
âGood.â You look around the room, tapping your fingers on Benâs arm as you calculate every word, every risk, everything that could go wrong and everything that will go wrong, and still know that this is your best bet. This is what has to be done. âWeâll get them to a safe house with Zoe until this is over, and Homelander will come to us. Itâs empty up here, and Edgar wonât miss this place if it gets destroyed in the fight. All his livestock died in November, and heâs not getting out of prison anytime soon, so Iâm comfortable making this collateral. Weâll lure him, booby-trap the fuck out of the grounds, and disorient him enough for someone to get the drill into him. Frenchie-â
âIt will be ready tomorrow. A projectile, and I can make many.â Frenchie looks around the group with a grim expression. âOne shot. A single hit, and it will if my work is correct, wedge in his skin, and the V will be shot into his system by a trigger.â
Butcher frowns. âWe got enough of this shit for mass production-â
âOui.â Frenchie gives one, firm nod. âA small amount, a micro-dose, will be more than effective. Just one,â Frenchie makes a sound, miming a syringe. âAnd the fucker will go down like it is nap time, and he is having a sugar crash.â
âAwesome,â you chew on your tongue, squeezing your hand on Ben. âThen all that weâll have to do-â
We. Ben grunts in your head, and you can feel something in him grow powerful and bloody. Youâre not getting fucking near that Star-caped pussy-
It was the royal we, Benjamin. You twist in his lap, giving him a pointed glare. And I can fight Homelander. Iâm stronger-
I fucking know that. I am not worried about how fucking strong you are, Iâm worried about you-
âYou twats care to involve us in your little fuckin spat?â Butcher drawls, and you turn to see him looking more annoyed than angry. âCause if itâs âbout the bloody mission weâre all riskin our asses for, we should put it up for vote-â
âNone of your goddamn business-â
âYou donât want her near the fight, Gov, ainât that it?â Butcher smirks, but thereâs something hollow behind it. âWorried she may get hurt when Homelander decides he ainât playin nice? That you might lose âer because sheâll make some stupid fuckin sacrifice and you ainât gonna have nothin left to live for?â
You think Ben is going to murder Butcher. And you might have let him, is you couldnât feel the powerful and bloody thing start to rot. To twist and cave in on itself, and swing back and forth between a fury thatâs pushing around his chest and out of his body, and a molding, aching pain thatâs climbing up his spine and into his heart.
Ben. Is Butcher, you pause, waiting for Benâs violet glare to turn to you and soften slightly. Is he right.
Heâs tearing himself apart. Thereâs something like a tornado or hurricane in Benâs body, and you can almost hear how itâs hurting him in his grunted, Yes.
Iâll be okay, Ben. I canât die-
I fucking know that. Itâs not- His scowl becomes mostly lines on his face, and his whole body is only made of the aching storm. I am not losing you.
You wonât lose me-
And I fucking know, and I donât fucking care. Heâs not yelling between your heads, but his voice is loud, and almost fucking hopeless in a way that breaks your heart. Youâre more than damn stronger enough to fight him, and I donât fucking want you to. You are goddamn capable and brilliant and strong, and I donât want you anywhere fucking near this shit. You canât start fucking breaking again and expect me to just be fine with throwing my wife into a goddamn fight with Homelander. A cowardly fucking pussy psychopath whoâs not going pull punches, whoâs going to try and take away the only two people I give a fuck about, the only people Iâve ever fucking loved, and if I lose them it will be my own goddamn fault for letting them get hurt when I shouldâve fucking kept them safe-
You canât let him keep doing this to himself, because you understand. You and Ryan are all Ben has, and heâs not going allow himself to put you in harmâs way. You can fight him on this, and probably win, and if something does, somehow, go wrong, Ben wonât ever forgive himself. He still hasnât forgiven himself for the first time, and the second time would destroy him, the same way your second time had broken you.
And youâd stay with him. When you found your way back to Ben, youâd stay with him until the storm passed, even if it took a hundred years. Heâd grow paranoid and wake you up with explosions of golden light from his chest, but heâd still be Ben, the same way youâre still you.
But if you can do anything for him, offer him anything thatâs truly vital, itâs sparing him that pain. Itâs bending, just for this, because you know Ben will fight with a clear, determined, focused wrath if he knows Ryan is safe with you, and youâre both far away from Homelander.
You donât really want to see Homelander die anyway. Thereâs nothing sadistic or bloodthirsty in your body, because youâre so tired of pain and sick of blood on your hands. Hearing the words Homelanderâs dead, seeing his small husk of a body, and marrying Ben in a world where Homelander will never hurt anyone again will be all you need.
So you kiss Ben in a soft, gentle way that makes his hands on your body relax and the mold in his body start to fade as the glow grows, and look back to your team. Waiting silently for you and Ben to finish.
âIâll take Ryan. He and I will go with them,â you nod to Neuman, Ashley, and A-Train. âAnd hide until the mission is done. Youâll get the V into Homelander, Ben will blast him, and Butcher will shoot him. And that will be it.â
There are small, nervous nods, and Hughie clears his throat, scratching the back of his neck.
âWhat about, um, what about Sage-â
âIâll take care of it. I just need a day.â You lean back into Benâs body, looking around the room with your most firm, immovable expression. You might have copied Benâsâa set jaw, deep lines on your face, and an unspoken glint in your eyes that says I know what the fuck Iâm doingâbut it does the trick all the same. Nobody pushes you, and thatâs it.
You have a fucking plan.
Everyone shuffles off to eat or talk or pretend that Homelander wonât be here in before the week is over. That everything isnât either going to have crumbled or begin to grow again, and it all rides on getting this right. On not missing, or fucking up, and having each otherâs backs.Â
It would be easy to spiral again. To drown in whatâs coming, and every way I could go wrong. But Ben doesnât waste any time, and before your brain can invite the doubt or panic knocking against your skull to be explored, heâs moving. Carrying you upstairs to your bedroom, kicking the door closed behind you, locking it without a word, and lowering you both carefully onto the stiff mattressed, itchy blanket bed thatâs still comfortable, because Ben is here with you. Warm and strong under your touch, muscles flexing whenever he breathes, and the only thing you might ever really need.
Neither of you look to move, or go further. All that feels necessary right now is to have Ben. To feel to drum of his heart when you rest your head on his chest, and the soft hair of his beard when your fingers drift over his face. To smell pine and coffee and strawberries and know that heâs here. That heâs safe and solid, and nothing is going to take this instinct of Ben away from you.
You think itâs all he wants as well. His hands are moving over your body, but the only heat they leave is made of affection and care. Benâs touch always makes you feel loved, but this makes you feel needed. Like thereâs a direct line from Benâs fingers tracing up your spine and over your hips into your nerves, and it shoots every single piece of his love right into your brain. Assures you that Ben is as natural as breathing, and he loves you, and every beat of his heart belongs to you because every turn of your head belongs to him. That, no matter what comes, you really will be safe, because thereâs no other option when youâre loved like this.
Itâs silent for a long whileâonly the sound of bird-song out the window and Benâs breath near your earâand youâre not sure how much time has passed when Benâs low, rough voice sounds in your head.
You find a way to get yourself fucking killed with this, and Iâll leave you, Sunshine.
You let out a soft laugh, propping your chin on Benâs chest to meet his attentive, wrathful, painfully in love gaze. No, you wonât.
The fuck I wonât-
You wonât. Youâll get all angry and violent and sad and kill a bunch of people about it, and then get even sadder and angrier because youâll remember I wouldâve been pissed at you for doing that, and then youâll go cry at my grave for the third time that day. Youâll be the mean, old, handsome graveyard coke-snorter, right up until the inevitable heat death of the universe finally gets your ass.
Ben scowls, but it doesnât reach his eyes. Everything in his eyes is made of that bitter feeling, but under it you can still feel the glow. Shining out and rushing through your body, making everything inside you soft and restful, but still alive. More alive than youâve ever really been before Ben, and as alive as you plan to feel for the rest of time.
Nobodyâs given me any fucking coke. He grumbles in your head, and you know heâs trying to change the topic. That the bitter feeling is born from the thought of your death, no matter how impossible that is, and youâre more than willing to abandon that conversation. Youâd think for a bunch of goddamn criminals, these pussies wouldâve found some coke-
I bet Frenchie has some. You smile at him, kissing a gentle line over his jaw. And if you asked very, very nicely, he might share with you.
Ben grunts, and hand moving to your hair to guide your face up, hovering right over his. âWhen this shit is over, Iâll get that coke, and weâre doing it together.â
âI love you, Benjamin, but I am not doing cocaine-â
He cuts you off with a soft, long, easy kiss, chuckling at how fast you fall onto him. How easy it is for him to touch your right and make you fold without any struggle, and how you have no desire to fight against that.
âIt wonât do a damn thing to you, Sunshine, youâve got a higher tolerance than I do.â He presses another, almost sweet kiss to the corner of your mouth, muttering against your skin. âAnd if it does, Iâll get to see you all fucked up again.â
You flush, dropping your face into his neck. Can we please forget that happened-
Not a damn chance. You can feel his smile as he kisses the side of your head, hear his amusement in the silence. Fucked up you was very open with me. She told me I was beautiful.
You are beautiful. You mumble into his head, tangling your fingers into his hair. So shut up.
Iâm hot as fuck, darling. He chuckles, tracing patterns on your back. But youâre more beautiful. Youâre the most beautiful thing Iâve ever goddamn seen.
Ben-
You are. Donât get all fucking modest on me-
You rise back up, holding Benâs face between your hands and studying his face. You already have it memorized, every deep line and rugged feature and bright color, but youâll never get tired of looking at it. Of looking at him.
Iâm not modest. You kiss the tip of his nose, and Benâs hands on your body still. I get to marry a very grumpy man whoâs the most attractive cunt in the universe, and whoâs willing to share his cocaine with me. Why would I be modest about that?
A low growl rumbles from Benâs chest, and he flips you onto your back with a yelp. Caging you between the bed and his body, kissing everywhere he can reach on your face and neck and collarbone, grinning as you let out a high, needy sound and tilts you head back to grant him any access he wants.
Such a fucking brat, beautiful. He moves his knee between your legs, groaning as you start to grind against him. I love you so goddamn much, you drive me fucking insane-
âBen.â You try to pull his face back to yours, your voice a breathless, pleading gasp. âNo sex in the house-â
He crashes back up, his kiss bruising and turning your body into something molten and desperate for more. Singing just for Ben, Ben, Ben, who cares if Butcher walks in because Ben will shield you and youâre unraveling under him and youâve never felt safer-
âYou owe me a blowjob in the forest,â he mutters against you. âAnd I get to eat you out wherever the fuck you want-â
You gather all your will through your haze of Ben, and shake your head weakly. âNot here. Not now. But later, Ben, please, please fuck me, please-â
He pulls back, grinning down at your likely ruined and lustful expression, his love made of an awe you can see on his face and a devotion you can feel in his chest.
âChrist,â he says your name, and itâs the best thing youâve ever heard. âYouâre confusing your fucking self. You want me to fuck you, yes or no.â
You whine, and his grin grows, even as his tone becomes stern.
âWords-â
âI,â you pause, reaching up to just touch him, and shake your head. âNot now. After.â
He nods, and catches your wrist, moving your hand to his mouth and kissing over your knuckles. Where.
Can I think about it?
Ben laughs, and drops down to kiss you in an easy, slow way that doesnât need to be more. Youâre fucking going to anyway.
You will. Later, youâll dedicate a whole hour to figuring out where you want to see Benâs head between your legs, and where you want to scream his name. You already have some ideas, but it will need your full attention, which is something you canât quite spare today. Becauseâonce Ben decides youâre fully rested, and removes his weight from over your bodyâyou have work to do.
Your speech hadnât been a bait for Sage, but it would function as a lure. Something for her to latch onto, and want answers for. And sure enough, when MM and Kimiko return, itâs with news that Sage had called and demanded a meeting. Just you and her, on neutral ground, with terms of no Homelander, no Ben.
âThere is not a fucking chance-â
You squeeze Benâs hand, giving him a sharp but gentle glare. âI can handle this, my love.â
âIâm not worries about you handling it,â he hisses. âSage is a manipulative bitch, and we donât know what the hell she wants-â
âIt wonât matter what she wants.â You shrug, looking back to MM. âFind somewhere quiet, maybe in Vermont, and tell her to meet me there.â
Ben growls your name, and you ignore him.
âIâm not stupid enough to fully go alone, so Iâll drive, drop you and my very grumpy, overprotective husband off somewhere close but not obvious for backup, and pick you up after.â
Everything in Ben stumbles and bursts into a consuming, bloody glow, and you know youâve won. The moment you called him your husband youâd felt all of Benâs will and fight dissolve, and youâre going to have to figure out a way to actually marry him by the end of the month, because his face might be the best one youâve ever seen, this feeling the best one youâve ever experienced. All you ever want to experience again.Â
It only takes a day for MM and Sage to make arrangements. Sage keeps insisting to speak with you directly, MM keeps refusing, and eventually Sage relents with the condition that she gets to choose the location.
A little roadside diner in upstate New York, right off of a postcard and shielded from the sky by a green, overgrown forest that makes your breathing a little easier. The air is warm and a little humid from a storm that had left puddles in the parking lot and glittering drops on water on the windows, and when you park the stolen carâBen and MM waiting at a gas station about ten minutes away and, hopefully, not killing each otherâyou take a long breath.
You have everything you need. You know everything you need to say. This will be hard, and then it will be over. All you have to do is move.
When you push the door of the diner open, small bell rings and the diner is mostly empty. You didnât expected Sage to be here, you arrived an hour early in the very hope she wouldnât be, so you sit at a corner booth that faces the door, and mostly just wait.
When Sage does arrive, she sees you immediately. A cold smile crosses her face as she drops down across from you, examining the table carefully.
âThereâs no trap.â You say, keeping your voice bored and neutral. âItâs just a table.â
Sage looks up, her smile becoming snake-like.
âIâd apologize, but both you yourself and the company you keep hasnât been known to be honorable. Iâd have to be stupid to discount you putting a bomb under a public table, and Iâm not stupid.â
You let out a dry laugh. âBig talk about honor, when I know the deal you made with my fucking mother.â
âI wonât apologize for taking an open opportunity-â
âBecause youâre a fucking bitch.â You shrug, holding her gaze with your own, tired, flat one, tapping your fingers on the sugar shaker. âWe both know youâre not sorry about any of this, and we both know that youâre a heartless cartoon supervillain, so what do you want.â
Sageâs lips curl into what might be the only real grin youâve ever seen on her hateful face. âI really do like you,â she says your name, and you believe her. âI think, if youâd become a supe when you were a baby, weâd have been friends.â
âI like to think Iâd still have a soul if that happened-â
âWe all like to think things that like. But weâre just animals. Well, theyâre just animals. Youâre just an animal.â
You tilt your head, flagging down the waitress for two coffees. âAnd youâre not? Youâre a god, like Homelander?â
âNo.â Sageâs sounds almost amused. âGods are still dependent on humans. To be created, maintained, remembered. I donât care for that. What I care for is perfection. Something far better than humanity, something free of their selfish ignorance-â
âWith the V.â You canât stop your whisper as you put it together, watching Sage with a sharp, careful attention. âThatâs why you want the V formula. To make more, and finish Voughtâs plan with it.â
âNot Voughtâs exact plan. He was caught in the primitive, pointless ideology of race supremacy. But this is about species supremacy. About humanâs being ungrateful for what theyâve been given, and needing to be eradicated like the disease to the world that they are. But nobody is meant to know that yet. YouâŚâ she trails off, and her face curls into something that chills your bones. âYou found the Cornucopia.â
Your silence is her answer, and she lets out a laugh that makes your skin crawl.
âI must say, youâve managed to surprise me again. Putting that together yourself, and that video.â She shakes her head, looking you up and down. âThat was one of the smarter moves youâve made. Iâm impressed.â
You hum, holding her gaze. âBut?â
âBut it was still reckless. Iâd already planned for it, and although you said things Iâd counted out, such as admitting to your affair with Soldier Boy, or to killing Firecracker, but Iâll adapt, and youâll still lose.â
âI wouldnât call it an affair,â you hum, frowning at the sugar shaker. âIâd call it falling in love.â
Sage makes a sound of amusement. âLove isnât permanent. As Iâve tried to tell you, Soldier Boy will be a violent, angry man for the rest of his life. Youâre the most powerful supe alive. You have the public in the palm of your hand, and you could spend all eternity making something perfect. You could go play house,â she gives the ring on your finger a pointed look. âWith Solider Boy and the son of your rapist, or you could see what you can really do. Create a world without pain, create a world with only pain, fix humanâs messes for the rest of time or finally give up on them. I could cleanse you of your little pestilence of a team, hiding like roaches in Maine, and you could fight Homelander one on one. Give him the gruesome death we both know he more than deserves. You could even keep Soldier Boy as a pet, and still be-â
âIf you say interesting.â You drawl. âIâll punch you again. And Ben isnât my pet, and Ryan isnât just Homelanderâs son.â You lean over the table, narrowing your eyes. âTheyâre my family. All of them. I donât really want to see what I can do, Sage. I think I just want this to be done.â
âYou truly do believe your love for Soldier Boy is an exception, donât you. That itâs not just a temporary chemical reaction, that can be manufactured just as easily as a spoon, or diaper?â
You sit a little taller in your seat, staring down the obvious disgust on Sageâs face. âI think that you were right. That by all logical sense, I shouldnât have ever loved Ben. But I do. And I will, long after this over. So speak very carefully when you talk about him, because Iâm very forgiving of things you say about me,â you drop your voice to a hiss, letting a little bit of fire light up in your eyes. âBut I will not be forgiving of things you say about him.â
âAnd thatâs the thing, isnât it.â Sage looks you up and down, and her voice almost sounds disappointed. âIn the end youâre still too human. Too emotional. A worthy opponent, but still just a little too weak.â
Love hasnât made you weak. If anything, love might be the only thing youâre certain makes you strong. Pulls you apart before putting you back together, just a little better and sturdier than youâd been before.
So you donât break. You take your coffee from the waitress, and look back to Sage with your best, innocently curious expression.
âCan I ask you a question?â
If Sage is surprised by your pivot, she doesnât show it, only nodding for you to continue.
âHow smart do you think youâd have been?â You watch her carefully, leaning back as you add sugar to your mug. âIf they hadnât given you the V?â
Sage only shrugs, taking the sugar as you set it back onto the table. âThat doesnât matter, because we can trade hypotheticals all day, but in the end, I am smarter. Better. In the end, Iâll win. Iâll work out how to get rid of you when you become more of an annoyance than interesting, and you be dirt in the ground with your precious Soldier Boy. Just as love says you should be.â
âOr,â you watch as Sage pours the sugar into her cup, and look up at her with a wide smile. âI could marry him. And like an impossibly long, incredibly interesting life with someone who I love. Iâd never be bored, but I would be happy.â You pause, looking Sage over with your best gentle concern. âAre you happy?â
Sage almost scoffs. âI am not concerned about happiness-â
âYou should be.â You shrug, stirring a small spoon in your mug. âIâm happy. There are long, horrible moments where Iâm afraid and in pain, but then Iâm happy again. And I wasnât ever sure Iâd get that. A life where I get love someone like this, and they love me back, and, I mean, have you seen the Princess Bride?â
Sageâs mouth tics, and you know sheâs noticed youâre running the conversation. âI donât watch many movies. Theyâre pointless, and I have more important issues-â
âItâs a great movie. It was put into failed production several times before 1987, but the key was you couldnât take it too seriously. Itâs a love story, but itâs also an outright ridiculous drama-â
Youâre cut off as Sage sneers your name, but you donât drop your easy, blissful smile. âI know we both enjoy speaking, but I do have a company to get back to. Work to do. So if we could move on to discussing your video-â
âJust one second.â You keep your voice sweet and dreamy as you continue to ramble. âI got Ben to watch the Princess Bride. I think he might have already seen it, because he wasnât paying attention, but he never pays attention. He mostly just stares at me and tries to pretend he doesnât have a boner. I love him so much.â
Sage snaps your name, you ignore her, and she dumps half the canister of sugar into her mug.
âSee, he thinks the whole pirate thing is cool. He told me that heâd make the best fucking pirate, and come right back to me. There wasnât a damn reason to stay away for five fucking years.And Iâve told him that I agree. Heâs fast and skilled enough to win the duel, and strong enough to beat the giant, and he already has the drug tolerance for iocane powder. He has the drug tolerance for most anything. There are actually only two things he canât tolerate. Your gas, and my empathy suppressant. Nobody can tolerate my empathy suppressant except for me. Frenchie said it makes brains leak out of ears.â
Sage hums, looking vaguely interested. âAn empathy suppressant? Does it severe the limbic system-â
âBombs it. Entirely.â
âWhich you would obviously survive.â She muses, taking a long, slow sip of her coffee. âBut I would likely survive as well, given my targeted healing factor.â
âMaybe.â You prop your elbows on the table, your bright smile dropping to a crude grin. âLetâs find out.â
You see the moment it hits her. Just a second after the words leave your mouth, her eyes widen and she starts to cough. To try and push the coffee out of her system, her entire face covered in hatred and angry and fearâreal, primal fear like a deer in headlights or a child whoâs had a nightmareâand then nothing at all.
Frenchie had been right. It was instant, and something red was leaking out of Sageâs ears as she slumped forward, onto the table.
It hadnât been fool-proof, your plan. Youâd made Ben crushed up the suppressant with a knifeâhe was good at that, and you liked watching his arms flex as he workedâand filled up one of Edgarâs saltshakers. Swapped it onto the table, and prayed that Sage wouldnât think you were that stupid. That if she thought you were going to kill her, thatâs youâd be more calculated and careful about it. That she didnât believe youâd do something so obvious and blatant, that youâd want more information out of her, that this whole thing was a genuine meeting and not an assassination.
Her brain shouldnât regenerate, thereâs none of it left, but youâre not going to take any risks. You drag Sage out of the boothâignoring the silent, petrified attention of every other person in the diner and taking the sugar dispenser with youâand into the parking lot, finding a spot with no cars, no grass, and no wood before dropped her onto the pavement. You spare the sugar dispenser, and the suppressant inside it, only one look before theyâre tossed onto Sageâs body, and you send both up into flames.
You can still feel Ben. You wonât be able to soon, youâd drank the suppressant as well, but you can know. Heâs silently furious and made of a zealous, focused care thatâs been bouncing around your chest since youâd separated.
Iâm done. You mutter down your line, letting the flames move to your feet, letting people crowd at the windows and only focusing on how there is one less thing to be afraid of, and how Ben flashes through your blood as you speak. Iâll be there soon.
Did you-
Sheâs dead.
Good. Benâs voice grunts in your head, and you can almost feel him. Over the smoke you can smell pine, and feel something warm that isnât born from you, but still a part of you. Fucking bitch.
You let out a small, easy laugh. She was, wasnât she.
Damn right she was. Thereâs a pause, and then, I love you. I really fucking love you, and I am ready for this to be fucking over. Weâre going to kill Homelander, and never hear the word Vought again. Deal?
You probably look insane. Youâre standing over Sageâs twisted and brunt corpse and letting the flames climb back over your body, sink back into your skin, and turn your clothing to scorched ash as you smile. A wide smile that covers your whole face as you live only inside your body, with Ben. In all his love, and how certain he sounds that, by next week, Homelander will only be a body with empty, cold eyes and you will live a long, happy, perfect life with Ben.
Deal.
End Note: Sage your funeral will be the most pathetic one in history mark my words. Also someone let Ben yell about getting married he's gonna lose it.
Thank you for reading!! If you like this story, please reblog, share, or leave a comment! <3
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I bought your 'Empire' the other day (which I am excited about; I haven't started it yet), but somehow completely missed that you had written historical fiction, and about the Plantagenets, my favourite historical dynasty, so I'll be jumping on that.
I was wondering if you had recommendations for historical fiction set during the Plantagenet reign? I've tried Sharon Kay Penman and unfortunately didn't get on with her writing, which is a shame as I've heard good things about her series. I know Philippa Gregory has several novels set during that time period, but her books seem to be verging on bodice rippers, which isn't what I'm looking for. Was just curious if you had any suggestions for well-researched fiction set during the Plantagenet reign.
This ask has been sitting in my inbox for several days (my apologies) largely because I was trying to think of a more helpful answer for you. Medieval historical fiction is VERY hit and miss for me, not least because it is often written by people who, uh, are not historians and thus have Certain Ideas (TM) about what the medieval period is like. Or they want to use various aesthetics, or they want to make some (usually questionable) point about how women were treated in the past, or they just go whole-hog on total nonsense. As an example of all of these things at once, let us all stare in horror at this recently-released book description together:
(The book is called the Stone Witch of Florence, by the way. I took one look at this and ran screaming. WHY.)
A stone witch?? So she channels the power of gemstones like a modern-day Instagram healing crystals influencer??? BUT ZOMGZ WITCHCRAFT. In the middle of the Black Death. "Unorthodox cures" you say. But they also need holy relics for protection, and I totally trust the author to understand about medieval hagiography/cult of the saints. Totally. We definitely won't get some half-baked comparison between Sekrit Women Magical Gems Which Really Work and Dark Ages Church Superstition Holy Relics Which Are A Fraud, or.... something??? And our nobly mistreated protagonist will super definitely be a real physician if she gets these and never ever accused of witchcraft (which LET US ALL SAY IT TOGETHER IS AN EARLY MODERN THING!!!!) Because medieval medicine was just a bunch of gemstone vibes anyway! Makes total sense!
...my head hurts.
Anyway, while not all examples are this egregious, the point is: I love historical fiction, but I almost always can't read it when it's set in the medieval era. I read Sharon Kay Penman a while ago and enjoyed her stuff at the time, though I have assorted gripes with it on a stylistic/historical level. While Philippa Gregory does have real academic credentials, she likewise has gone totally down the bodice-ripper alternate-history crackpot theory Secret Women Magic version of things, which is... fine if that's your jam, but just like you, it is not mine. I thus have to read fiction which is set in other periods or which I know less about or where at least I am more capable of turning off my brain and accepting things for the sake of the story. So as you see, I unfortunately don't have many useful suggestions for you in this field, since the kind of medieval historical fiction that I like to recommend is, say, The Name of the Rose. Which is terrific and written for someone of a professional medievalist's level of knowledge, but is not exactly everyone's cup of tea when they just want something fun and easy to understand.
I am, of course, happy to give other book recommendations if you'd like to broaden your request, and I'll do my best to think -- but yes! As I said, I wish I could be more helpful here. I shall persist.
(Also, of course: thanks for buying EMPIRE! I do hope you enjoy.)
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https://www.tumblr.com/peachhcs/768260981215330304/httpswwwtumblrcompeachhcs767959888939941888
okay so freaking cute.
i canât wait to see them in san jose.
totally see them having really soft sex because of her shoulder and will just being so gentle.
a weekend in san jose
hughes!sister x will smith au (samy + will)
part 11!! WOW guys i made this into a lovely 6.3k fic filled with lots of fuff and a bit of smut! i got super carried away and because everyone seems to like longer fics sometimes, i put this all into one part woohoo (can also be read as a stand alone if u really want)
i made note in big red letters where the smut starts and ends so if you don't wanna read it, you can just skip past it. :)
if you do read the smut though warnings are: hickeys, making out, fingering, oral (f receiving), protected p in v, swearing, i think that's it? just read at ur own risk and skip if u don't wanna read! :) but anyways, enjoy this long fic!!!!!!!!! this may be the last part of this side plot unless there's more you guys think of and if you do pls send my way and i will happily write it
au masterlist
part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5, part 6, part 7, part 8, part 9, part 10
samy was in san jose the next weekend. she came out of her gate in search of will who told her he'd meet her there, so her eyes scanned the crowd for his familiar blonde curls. there were so many people pushing and shoving their way through, she forgot how busy san jose's airport was compared to ann arbor.
finally, the brunette found will's taller figure near the edge of the crowd. she quickly grinned, raising her hand so he'd see her before navigating herself towards him. she came out on the other side of the crowd embracing her boyfriend in a tight hold. he held her tightly, spinning the two around a bit.
"hi, so good to see you," the girl mumbled into his shoulder.
"glad you made it safely. it's good to see you too," will cheered, pulling back so he could see her face. his hands caressed her cheek, quickly pecking her lips and then pulling her back towards the exit.
"mack's waiting with the car in kind of an illegal parking spot, so we gotta hurry back," will explained his fast pace while samy just giggled. typical.
"don't tell me you parked in the pick up lane," she raised her eyebrow. when will didn't say anything the girl hit his arm and rolled her eyes.
"what? i wasn't gonna spend an hour fighting with someone in the parking garage," he defended himself because why would he waste his time in there when he could sort of illegally park in the pick up line for ten minutes?
will navigated them through the busy airport in five minutes, way faster than samy would have gotten herself out. the warm san jose air hit her skin like a refreshing drink after spending so much time in the cold back in michigan. she giggled as the blonde pulled her towards his fancy broncoâone of the first things will spent his new money on.
"wow, i haven't seen the car in person yet," she admired how clean and sleek it looked compared to her parent's old ford suv she drove around back home. (and it was actually jack's before it was hers)
"nice, isn't it?" will grinned proudly as he helped samy get her suitcase into the back.
"hey samy!" mack exclaimed from where he moved himself to the backseat. the only rule in will's car was that samy got passenger seat anytime she was around.
"hey mack!" the girl exclaimed and ran around to quickly hug in before getting into the front.
will was in a moment later and the three of them rolled out before an officer gave them a ticket for parking in the pick up line.
"it's good to see you, mack. i haven't seen you since the draft," samy grinned.
"you too. i'm excited you're visiting this weekend. smitty was yapping in my ear yesterday about all the plans he had for you guys," the younger brunette said making will flush in slight embarassment. samy found it endearing though.
"ooh, i can't wait. i haven't been up since we moved him in at the beginning of august," the girl poked her boyfriend's arm to which he just grabbed her hand to hold it.
macklin smirked from the backseat, remembering the conversation he poked at will about a month ago about his driving. it all made sense to the shark player now.
"well when you and will aren't off doing whatever, sennecke and i wanna catch up with you. he said he'd drive up to hang out like tomorrow or something," macklin said.
"wait, yeah. i wanna see him beck. i told him i'd see him whenever i was here," samy grinned. beckett and mack were the two "freshmen" she adopted and basically took under her wing at the draft this past summer and with such busy schedules, she hadn't been able to see them since.
"not to put a dent in your plans or anything smitty," macklin eyed his friend in the front seat. will just shrugged.
"all good, we have like three-ish days to do stuff. i haven't seen much of beckett either so it'd be cool to see him," will nodded in agreement and the other two smiled.
will dropped macklin back off at his place and then went back around the block to the house. he helped samy with her luggage again and led the way into the marleau household.
"just a fair warning, pat's youngest kids will go a little crazy at first because..you know..you're quinn, jack, and luke's little sister," will chuckled a bit before he opened the door. samy flushed, a smile gracing her lips.
"dont worry, i can handle it," and with that, will carefully opened the front door.
the commotion could be heard loud and clear. it was definitely a boy house with the tv on loud and voices already arguing about something as the couple stepped in.
"hey guys, will's back with samy!" patrick saw them first where he got up from the couch to greet them.
christina came out from the kitchen with the youngest boys behind her. the older ones got from the couch too. "hi samy! it's so good to finally meet you. we've heard a bunch about you," chrisitina grinned, going in for a hug.
"it's so good to finally meet you guys too," she hugged her back and then went to give a quick hug to patrick.
"welcome to our home for the weekend! these are our boysâlandon, brody, jagger, and caleb," patrick introduced the boys who shyly waved at the girl.
"you're quinn's sister!" caleb exclaimed making the others laugh. samy smiled, bending down so she was eye level with him.
"i am. maybe i can score you a signed puck or something," the girl laughed and she loved the way caleb's face lit up at that idea.
"why don't you guys get settled in and then i have some lunch whenever you're hungry," christina smiled and samy thanked them for letting her stay before following will upstairs.
she admired how will already hung up some of the things that were on his walls at boston. she especially liked the framed pictures of her and him on his nightstand.
"those boys are adorable," she turned to him as he set down her suitcase and shut the door.
"they're pretty funny. maybe they can convince you to play some driveway hockey with them," will chuckled.
"oh, 100%. they seem so nice, i'm glad you've found a home here with them," samy sat down on the bed to just take it all in and catch her breath after the plane ride and meeting everyone.
will quickly joined her. "it's..it's the life alright. i'm grateful for how kind they've been to me."
"i mean, duh. who wouldn't wanna be kind to you," the soccer player laughed as she reached over to pinch her boyfriend's cheek. he took that as his opportunity to take ahold of her hand and bring her in for a better kiss than their peck at the airport.
this one was a lot slower and filled with more love. samy curled her good arm around his neck where she toyed with the little curls on the back of his neck. her hand brushed against his chest and will curled his own fingers around her own.
"i love you. i'm glad you're here. this is gonna be really fun," the boy hummed when they pulled apart.
"i love you too, handsome. can't wait to beat your ass in driveway hockey later," she teased and will rolled his eyes.
"alright. don't gotta go that far."
"you're just mad because you know i will, even with a hurt shoulder," the brunette smirked. luckily, she was able to graduate from a bulky sling to a shoulder brace that still kept everything in place, but she had a bit more mobility than before.
plus, even though it was her right shoulder, she shot with her opposite arm and hand in hockey so she'd have no problem taking down will and the marleau kids.
later that afternoon, samy did exactly that. all the marleau boys were out in the driveway with will and samy as they teamed themselves off to play against one another. samy got brody and landon, the older ones, for the first round and she already knew they were gonna kick will's butt.
she ran right past will's feet and passed the ball they were playing with towards landon. he swiped past his brothers to shoot it right into the back of the neck. samy and brody cheered while will groaned.
"you have a hurt shoulder, i'm not gonna go hard on you," the blonde complained and made an weak excuse for the loss.
"come on, babe. i'm not broken. i can still play. you don't gotta go easy on me," samy said.
"if you say that, i am gonna go hard on you and then end up hurting you more, so i'm good," will said as the six of them sit themselves back up.
"will hurting his girlfriend? ooh.." jagger said making everyone but will laugh.
"someone record it!" samy added into the teasing which will just shook his head to.
they played for the rest of the night until christina called them in for dinner. samy got to know the marleau's more while she told them about her life at michigan and the legacy her and her brothers were leaving on the field and on the ice.
once they finsihed, will and samy hung out downstairs for a bit before calling it a night knowing there was a lot to do tomorrow with will's extensive itinerary.
"i love those kids," samy commented from the bathroom as she brushed her teeth.
"they're really great. they're always bugging me to play with them," will smiled.
"that's so cute. they probably look up to you so much in addition to their dad. i hope you cherish that," the brunette hummed.
"oh, i do, don't worry. it keeps me motivated when they watch the games and see how i do."
the youngest hughes shut the light off and eagerly crawled into will's bed. this was her favorite part about getting to visit and sleeping in the same bed together. will was always so warm, so it was especially nice when they were in michigan or boston and it was below 30 degrees. even now it added that extra comfort as the girl snuggled in close to her boyfriend and wrapped her arms around his torso. the sleep came faster than it had all semester and she was out in minutes with will not too fard behind her.
â
will picked macklin up again the next day as they headed downtown to the place they would meet beckett for lunch. the younger brunette was pretty chipper as he climbed into the back, probably because it wasn't 7 in the morning for once when will picked him up.
"how was your night?" macklin wondered, definitely smirking.
"it was great, how was yours?" samy asked.
"mine was great, too. did you guysâ"
"macklin" will warned before the boy finished his sentence. samy just giggled.
"i was gonna ask if the boys dragged you out to play driveway hockey," macklin kept talking even though they all knew that wasn't his original question.
"they did. i beat will in an overwhelming 6-2," samy proudly said.
"6-2? jeez, smitty. you got distracted or something?" the younger brunette burst into laughter making will's cheeks flush.
"shut up," will mumbled while samy poked his cheek.
"he's just mad i can still beat him with a hurt shoulder."
the three made mindless conversation as they rode into the city. samy caught macklin up on everything happening at mich and a few things on her brothers. macklin caught samy up on things she did and didn't hear from will about the sharks and life in san jose so far. it all sounded like it was going really well which made the girl happy.
will rolled them into a parking spot just outside of the restaurant, "i think he's almost here or is here," macklin checked his phone.
a bright orange range rover rolled into the parking space two down from where they were just as macklin said that. everyone knew it had to be beckett considering the orange matcbed the anaheim colors perfectly. they all got out and sure enough, beckett's tall frame got out of the car.
he smiled widely when he saw them. "hey guys!" the younger boy exclaimed as he locked the car and hurried over to them.
"hey, beck! it's been so long," samy hugged him first which he reciporcated into a tight squeeze.
"it's so good to see you in california. hey, celly, smitty," the other two boys took their turn saying hello.
"your car is awesome, by the way. orange is very fitting," samy pointed to the car.
"oh, thanks. my mom thought it would be fun for me to get it wrapped, so i did. pretty sick isn't it?" everyone nodded in agreement before heading inside to get a table.
the four ended up on the outside patio where macklin was the first to get conversation going and ask about beckett's season so far. the younger boy excitedly explained how much experience he's been gaining and getting to make friends with the older guys on the team. of course, samy asked him about trevor for jack's sake.
"oh, he's super funny and a great mentor. he's got a lot of good tips for all the rookies," beckett smiled.
"i'll make sure to tell jack that, then," samy chuckled.
"what about all of you? the sharks have been really moving up with the recent wins," the ducks player turned the conversation to the other two boys.
"yeah, i mean it's been awesome. we're all definitely improving which i think is really good. get to spend all my time with mack over here," will roughed up his friend's shoulder making the brunette pull away from his grasp.
"totally. i love annoying him. my favorite activity, actually," macklin grinned.
"michigan has always been doing really good this season. do you think you guys are making it to the finals again?" beckett turned the conversation to samy.
"i hope so. we've definitely turned the program around in the last year, so i'm excited to see what else we can do," the girl grinned.
"sorry about your shoulder, by the way. i know that must suck," the younger boy commented and samy just shrugged.
"it's not horrible anymore. i actually beat will in driveway hockey last night so that has to mean i'm doing better," the youngest hughes teased her boyfriend again.
"damn, i mean yeah. what was the score?"
"6-2."
"6-2? smitty, what happened?" beckett had the same reaction as macklin making him and samy laugh again.
"alright, alright, i get it. i suck when my girlfriend does any competitive sport against me," the blonde shook his head, but smiled nonetheless.
the three spent the rest of lunch catching up with one another before deciding to walk around downtown a bit since beckett nor samy had been before. macklin and will took the honors of pointing things out and taking them into the shops they thought were cool.
samy's eye was caught when they made it into a small boutique. she quickly admired all of the jewlery and clothes up on the racks. will watched the girl carefully, a soft smile on his lips as he followed her around the store and let her use him to carry the things she wanted to try on.
"hey, we'll be right back," will called when samy pulled him back into the dressing room. macklin and beckett just exchanged a glance before snickering to themselves and letting the couple be.
will just stood on the outside of the stall though, handing things to samy when she asked for them and rating the things she put on. she came out in a very pretty, short, maroon dress with little flowers as the straps. will's eyes never left her as she did a small spin and he basically eyed her up and down. the color reminded him of boston.
"i really like this, but i don't know when or where i'd wear it," samy said as she looked back at herself in the mirror.
"i could think of a time," will subconsciously licked his lips earning a bright blush from the girl in front of him.
"alright, lover boy. i'm gonna change and then we can keep going," samy chuckled and shut herself back into the stall.
even though there was no occasion, samy decided to buy the red dress. she was at the register quite literally about to tap her card when will quickly slipped in and beat her to it, the payment processing onto his card instead.
"will," the girl looked at him in surprise.
"what?" he grinned.
"you didn't have to pay," samy frowned. him paying for her ticket here was already enough.
"and?"
not wanting to get into it in the store, samy decided to let it go as will grabbed the bag before she could. "thank you," she said as they walked away.
"anything for you," he kissed her cheek and they met back up with beckett and macklin outside.
"wow, you're so whipped," macklin commented when he saw will carrying samy's bag for her. beckett snickered.
"you'll understand when you have a girlfriend," will hummed, not even caring about the teasing anymore.
they stopped by a few more places before deciding to head back. everyone hugged beckett and made promises to see one another again and that beckett would try to see samy when the ducks came to detroit in a few weeks.
for november, it was surprisingly hot in san jose, so they rolled the windows down as soon as they were back in the car. will let samy control the aux, so she scrolled through her spotify looking for the right playlist as will got back onto the road to home.
one her favorites came up first which happened to be tate mcae's nwest song, two hands. the beat quickly brought the mood up and it felt perfect with the windows down. she started singing the lyrics, sticking her hand out to catch the breeze, imagining she was in the music video.
macklin and will nodded along also big fans of tate's music. samy's hair blew everywhere from the wind and she didn't see the way will's gaze kept flicking to her as she sang along. one of his guilty pleasures was listenng to tate mcrae's songs and it was the cherry on top listening to it with his girlfriend right beside him who loved her music just as much.
will thought of the lyrics, specifically the way samy sang them, especially when tate sang "i want them all to see, you look good on top of me." the blonde's mind ran a bit wild and he tried keeping his thoughts under control knowing this wasn't the time to be thinking of that.
but boy, it was hard not to and will wondered if samy was having the same thoughts.
they dropped macklin back off and will quite literally sped back to the house, samy a bit oblivious to the thoughts running through her boyfriend's head.
much to will's luck, the house was empty when they got in. he remembered that jagger had a basketball game and the older boys were still at practice, so he was gonna use all the time he had and pulled samy to the stairs.
"what's up with you?" samy laughed as she followed the hockey player into his room, lifting an eyebrow when he shut and locked the door behind them.
"i really wanna kiss you," the boy mumbled and then closed the space between them without letting samy respond.
he held her face in her hands as she let him kiss her. it was quick but passionate as the two melted into one another. samy felt will's eagerness as he slipped his tongue into her mouth and sucked her bottom lip into his.
"you're so beautiful," will mumbled between kissing and pulling back an inch for air.
"not that i'm complaining, but what's sparked this?" samy hummed as she ran her finger dow his sharp jaw.
"something about that song and you singing it had my head spinning," will confessed. the brunette smirked, a bit surprised to hear this.
"oh really?"
"figured we could test it out, you know?"
âââSMUT STARTS HEREâââ
a wide smile spread across both of their faces as they reconnect their lips. will pushed samy back onto the bed where she laid down and he hovered above her. he remembered her shoulder, so he forced himself to slow down a bit so he wouldn't hurt her. he leaned on her good side as they made out.
samy's hands tangled into will's curls and a soft moan left his lips into hers. they really took this moment in, feeling every part of each other pushing against one another. will's hands curved around samy's hips as he worked her hips againsy his own, pressing his hardening dick against her thigh.
"shit, baby," the blonde moaned out. he was really trying to take his time knowing he didn't wanna hurt the girl even worse, but it was hard when his brain was so wired up at the moment.
samy moaned at the feeling of will's excitement agains her leg. one of her hands fell down to his chest again where she tugged at his shirt as indication that she wanted it off. the boy obliged, sitting up to peel the material off and exposing his very toned chest to her.
"every time i'm wowed by you," samy hummed as she admired will's six pack and toned muscles across his upper half.
"i'm flattered," he grinned, reconnecting their lips.
he helped samy get her own shirt off which revealed the pretty bralette underneath. will had such a bad thing for her tits as he immediately dipped his head down and started sucking the plump flesh. the girl giggled, wrapping her fingers into his curls again to give occasional tugs.
it was a really good thing samy wasn't playing at the moment so will could leave his hickeys or love bites he liked to call them now.
"shit, baby," the girl moaned when will brought his lips to her nipple. he prided himself in her reaction and sucked harder while going and back and forth between the two.
samy began arching her back off the bed into will as he hit all the right places and her skin became littered with dark bruises that only he would know were there.
that thought had will's cock twitching in the restrictive material of his shorts and a groan leaving his lips at the feeling of samy's bare tits pressing against his chest.
"fuck, babe," he muttered, pulling his lips away.
will started moving down. he placed little kisses all the way down samy's stomach until he reached her shorts. he smirked when he saw the look of desperation on her face for him to take them off.
"want these off?" he wondered and the girl nodded.
"please."
will pulled them down her legs where that pink fucking thong that drove the boy crazy hid underneath. his mouth watered at the sight, getting flashbacks to august. "god, i love this fucking thing," he grumbled, hooking his fingers around the band and pulling to make a snap against her skin.
"wore it just for you," a smirk graced her lips making will shake his head.
"i fucking love you," will leaned down to press little kisses around her hip bone that eventually turned into him sucking hickeys because these were the places no one would ever see but him and the thought drove the boy more crazy.
the little whimpers escpaing samy's lips was doing nothing to help the problem in will's pants that he tried to desperately ignore. he wanted to focus on samy and her pleasure, trying to forget about his own for now.
"fuck, you're dripping," will said when he pressed his fingers against the thin, very wet material of her thong.
"you're not the only one with eager thoughts," samy smiled lazily as she watched her boyfriend push her the material to the side so he could slide his fingers against her.
she threw her head back into the pillow when he started pushing them into her warm heat.
"fuck, will," a moan escaped her lips.
"god, you're so wet, baby. fuck," will slid two fingers in, slowly pumping in and out and in and out to get samy ready for the real thing.
he figured he needed to get her really ready because they didn't do anything when he visited michigan considering she just had surgery. this time was a completely different story though and it was safe to say they were both craving this.
"oh my god, will. faster, please," samy begged a little.
will pumped faster before dipping his head down and replacing his fingers with his tongue. the sensation made the girl jump a little, not expecting his tongue. the surprise was quickly replaced with immense pleasure though as will worked his mouth around.
"s-shit, will. oh my god," she grabbed his curls and tugged, basically using him to move him where she wanted.
considering will didn't do this a lot, he was pretty fucking good at it. he took samy's moans as a sign that he was doing it right and let her control him with tugs on his curls. she pushed her hips further against the boy's tongue, her orgasm close.
"fuck, will. i'm gonna cum," she cried.
"cum for me, baby," will encouraged, sucking harder.
the feeling sent the soccer player over the edge. she released right on will's lips and tongue, tugging his hair hard. the blonde smiled, licking his lips as he sat back up.
"did so good for me, baby," the blonde praised, leaning down to place a gentle kiss to her lips. she flushed, slowly coming down from her high.
will leaned himself against her again and samy felt how hard he was now, still straining through the tight material of his shorts. his hips jerked forward when samy rubbed herself up against him.
"s-shit. i'm so hard for you," will moaned into her mouth.
"better do something about that, huh?"
the hockey player sat back on his heels as he unzipped his shorts, puling them and his underwear down in one go. his cock sprang up, the tip red and leaking some precum already. samy's mouth watered seeing her boyfriend's thick, throbbing cock before her.
"f-fuck," the blonde muttered as he pumped himself a few times. he leaned forward to fish out a condom from his nightstand, quickly breaking the wrapper and rolling it on.
"need to be inside you," he mumbled, eyes back on his girlfriend.
"want you to fuck me, will," samy begged a bit also eager for him to put it in.
will hovered over her again, lining himself up with her entrance. he slowly pushed in, ducking his head into the crook of her neck. they both moaned out at the first contact. the urge to cum already so strong.
"oh fuck, baby. you feel so good," will groaned, slowly rocking himself in and fighting all of his urges to just poud into her. he needed to be slow for her sake and not hurting her.
"yeah, baby. fuck, you're so big," samy moaned into his ear, her fingers scratching up his back as she let the pleasure overtake the slight pain since they hadn't done this in so long.
her walls sucked him in and he paused when he bottomed out to give the brunette a second to catch her breath. he kissed her lips, struggling to hold onto his self-control and not pound his hips.
"tell me i can move," the way she squeezed around him had his urge to cum slip fast.
"yes, move, please," samy nodded, so he started rocking his hips back and forth in a steady rhythm.
they moaned out as the pace continued building and will littered more kisses across her chest and lips. her tits pressed against his own chest again and will moaned at the feeling of her nipples rocking and bouncing against his skin with each trust.
"fuck, baby. ohâyou feel so goodâfuck," he wasn't gonna last. "you're squeezing me so good, practically sucking me in," the boy continued.
"feels so good, baby. shit. keep doing that," samy praised him as well, her grip getting harder on his biceps.
will was rocking his hips at a strong pace that moved the bed along with them. he was so glad no one was home right now or else he'd never be able to show his face ever again.
"mm, fuck yeah. oh, fuck yeah. you're gonna make me cum," will blabbered, the only thought in his mind was the one lyric and how he was quite literally on top of samy.
"cum for me will. wanna cum with you," samy got out.
little beads of sweat began building between their bodies and will directed his gaze to where he disappeared in and out of her. the way she sucked him so tight was gonna send the boy over the edge as his self-control slipped away.
"fuck. fuck. i'm gonna cum..i-i'm gonna fucking cum. please say you're close," the blonde cried, his hips now practically pounding into her even though he told himself to take it easy.
"i'm so close, baby. so close."
he felt her clenching around his length which meant she was about to cum. will thrusted a bit harder, hoping to push her over the edge for a second time. she buried her head into the pillow, her chest risng again to push against will's. he groaned, mesmerized with the way her tits bounced back and forth with each snap of his hips.
the sensation sent samy over the edge. she moaned loudly, releasing around will's throbbing cock that had been waiting for her to go first. the tight clench and squeeze sent the blonde over the edge too. he snapped his hips one last time into her, releasing into the condom with a moan.
"ah, fuckkk baby. jesus christ. fhhuck," the blonde's hips twitched, his sweaty body collapsing onto hers as he spilled all of his cum into the condom.
samy dragged her hand through his curls, grinning while peppering kisses across his face. "so good, will. did so good."
"fucking love you so much. we should put that song on more often," will smirked, placing his own soft kisses across her face.
he slowly pulled out, pealing the condom off and running it to the bathroom. he came back with a towel to clean up the rest of their mess. samy watched lovingly as her boyfriend cleaned her up before snuggling into her side for a moment.
"too bad i can't leave any bites on you," samy hummed when she saw how bare will's neck and chest looked compared to hers. they didn't want to risk fans seeing the marks during the season.
"you still can lower than my shoulders," the blonde smirked.
the brunette hated not returning the favor, so she pushed will onto his back and dipped her head below her shoulders which definitely resulted in will getting hard again and a second round.
âââSMUT ENDS HEREâââ
on the last night samy was there, will planned a fancy date night at one of the restaurants downtown. she wore the dress she just bought and it was a miracle they even left the house because when will saw her come out of the bathroom, let's just say his mind ran wild again.
the atmosphere was definitely very high end and it felt like they were amongst the rich people who lived in the area on a saturday night out.
"i'm glad you came out," will grinned.
"thanks for buying my ticket again. i really appreciate it," samy grinned back.
"there's a lot more where that came from," the girl rolled her eyes a bit at his words despite the smile still on her lips.
"i'd have you out here every weekend if i could, you know that," will swirled some of his drink around in the glass, a mix between a smile and smirk on his features.
"yeah, i know. i wish. i'll probably see you soon though. when are you guys playing detroit?"
"in a few weeks i think," the hockey player hummed, the schedule not on the top of his head.
"so you'll see me then and maybe by then i'll be able to actually play," the girl scoffed a bit, but will just shook his head.
"i know it sucks, but you've been doing really good. you're gonna be back on the field in no time," he grabbed her hand from across the table. the gesture made her blush.
"i know, i know. i guess i have to think of new hobbies or something," they shared a laugh.
after dinner, they walked around downtown some more just trying to take everything in and spend every second they could together before samy's flight back home tomrorow. granted, will was still going crazy over the maroon dress hugging all the right places on his girlfriend's body, especially because it was so boston college colors, so their walk around downtown didn't last for long.
will was impatient and quite literally eager to have his girlfriend one more time because she needed to leave. his lips were on hers when they made it into the parking garage and he was pushing her against the car.
he knew the house would be full when they got back, so will did the one thing he promised macklin he'd never doâhave sex in his car.
it was the best sex will ever had in the car though.
â
they got to the airport close to 6 in the morning, even earlier than when morning practice started. samy's flight was at 9 though and she wanted to be there early, so will got himself up to drive her and macklin tagged along to say goodbye too.
the drop off line gave the three deja-vu as will parked to the side and got out to help with the luggage. macklin yawned, rubbing the sleep from his eye as he got out too.
the two boys stood in front of the entrance where samy was about to disappear into.
"alright, i'll go first since smitty will take decades to let you go," macklin took the lead by opening his arms. "it was good seeing you, hughesy. we'll see you super soon."
"it was soo good seeing you, mack. keep will in line for me, yeah?" the girl joked a bit, eyeing the blonde behind them who playfully rolled his eyes.
"obviously, i will," they laughed and then macklin pulled away.
samy's gaze fell to will's sad one. she opened his arms for him where he buried his face into the crook of her neck, squeezing her tightly. "i'm gonna miss you so much."
"me too, but you'll be michigan in just a few weeks," she tried looking on the positives for them or else will would just make it really sad.
"i know, but it seems so far away," the blonde frowned.
"it'll go fast, i promise. i love you," the youngest hughes pulled back to see will's pretty face. he smiled, breathing her in one last time.
"i love you, too baby. get back safe. text me when you land," he hummed and she nodded.
they hugged one last time before samy pulled back because if she didn't they'd never let go of each other. she waved to the boys before heading inside. they waved back, will blowing her kisses until they couldn't see her anymore and some car behind them honked to get moving.
"fuck off," will said as him and macklin climbed back in.
they were basically half-asleep still, so much that when the brunette got back into the passenger seat, he didn't realize how pushed back it was so he basically fell onto his back when he got in. it caught both of them off guard.
"what the fuck happened to this seat," macklin grumbled as he fixed it so it was more upright and not as pushed back.
the realization hit him faster than will remembered the reasoning and then macklin's jaw dropped open.
"HOLY SHIT! you fucked in here! oh my god, oh my god, oh my god," the younger brunette began freaking out and will internally face palmed.
"dude, chill. chill. i promise i cleaned everything," will tried calming his friend down.
"dude, i can't believe this. oh my god, that's fucking disgusting. you said you'd never fuck in here!" the boy exclaimed.
"we had no other options! i swear it's clean," will defended himself. macklin didn't have anything else to say except shaming his head and the car behind them honked it's horn again.
will quickly drove out of the line, suddenly embarrassed that he forgot to fix the seat. he also worried macklin actually was mad until the brunette asked:
"so on a scale of 1-10 how good was it?"
there it was. it wasn't even 7 in the morning yet.
"dude," will shook his head.
"what? i feel like i deserve to know after you betrayed me like that."
"it was actually really fucking good. 10 for sure," will gave in with his answer.
"you know what? hell yeah. high five me for that one," macklin held his hand up. the blonde smacked it, a content smile on his lips now.
"now drive fast so i can get out of this car and go back to bed."
#will smith hockey#hughes!sister x will smith au#samy x will#samy hughes#will smith x oc#will smith imagine#boston college hockey#boston college#uofmichigan#umich hockey#will smith hockey smut#will smith hockey fluff#ws6#wsh2#san jose sharks#sjs#sj sharks#hockey smut#nhl smut#umich#macklin celebrini#beckett sennecke#umich blurb#umich imagine#umich fic#bc eagles#bc hockey#will smith#boston college hockey imagine#boston college hockey blurb
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Understand is is a very weird question to get out the blue so no offence taken if this gets left in the inbox, but I was wondering how (if at all) to integrate transgender knights into arthurian retellings/adaptations ect while trying to keep it vaguely true to the medievalisms of the whole thing? I know its easy and liberating to just go 'fuck it everything queer' and its a totally valid way to go about it, but (as a trans person) I like having a narrative examine queerphobia and other structual issues with the setting - gives the whole thing a bit of meat (in my personal tastes). That being said, it feels like its a nightmare to try and have a transmasc knight stay stealth in this place! Everyone feels like theyre getting stipped and tended to after breaking a rib in a joust or merlin shows up and is a dick about pronouns and outs you to get you married to a Roman king. Stuff like that - things that feel a little easier to dodge when its a civillian character, not an ruling class.
Is this a 'kill the cop in your brain' kinda deal? As a queer storyteller yourself do you have any tips or strategies or tools you use to crowbar this kinda stuff a little easier together? Or do you know any stories/retellings/academic texts ect that cover these kinda things (even if its in a 'for the love of god, don't do that' way). Love the work you do for this fandom a lot, regardless of your answer! Hope you have a good day.
Hello anon! This is a great question.
Now let me preface this by saying Iâm not transgender and Iâm not a medievalist. There are plenty of trans medievalists on tumblr, but Iâm not one of âem. So my answer is coming from a queer but cis author and enthusiast perspective. I'm going to provide lots of links to read things as well so everyone can draw their own conclusions from the material.
I think a large part of this does come down to âkill the cop in your head.â But at the same time, Iâve been exactly where you are wondering, âHow can I make this story feel authentic to its era without torturing the trans characters?â Because youâre right, thereâs a lot of nudity and close proximity interaction between knights in the medieval stories and Merlin is totally the type to be a dick about pronouns. I've also searched and struggled to find a medieval-set story that manages to incorporate queerness in a period-appropriate way (so far as we can guess) while balancing the narrative as to not tip into something deeply unpleasant for the target audience to read. (See: the series by Lavinia Collins, which has great queer rep, yay! But tons of horrors previously unseen and still unnecessary, boo!) So where does that leave us?
Well first Iâm going to give you an example of how not to handle transness in an Arthurian story....
The book Once & Future and its sequel Sword in the Stars by Amy Rose Capetta and Cory McCarthy went with the phenomenon you already described as, âfuck it, everything queer.â It doesn't take place in the past, but does use the medieval stories as more than reference, it's not as divergent as something like Port Eternity by C. J. Cherryh, the reincarnated characters do interact with the past directly at times, so I'm using it as an example.
Anyway most characters are either gay (umbrella term) or trans. Except the way trans characters are treated sucks majorly (in my opinion). I completely lost faith in book 1 after the introduction of Lamorak, a gender fluid knight who uses they/them pronouns. Merlin misgenders them and gets corrected by Kay, to which Merlin does this whole self flagellation routine about. Lamorak is also disabled, missing their left hand. (Why isn't it Bedwyr? Anyway not the point...) Lamorak gets no dialogue here whatsoever, all agency is completely stripped from them regarding their disability and their gender identity. Double whammy.
This is worsened when Percival gets introduced, as Merlin then makes a point of asking for pronoun clarification in the most obnoxious way possible. To which Percival takes no offense at the weird slight against his sibling and tells Merlin his pronouns.
But what about the sequel? Surely these two queer authors improved with time.....
Is this a joke? Is this the best way they could indicate the inclusive realm of Avalon? Why not just describe the women as they are, all shapes and sizes, and let the reader figure it out? The authorial intent would be so obvious by this point. Instead they say it⌠like that. Gag.
It only gets worse when Mordred is born. Then they're weird about a literal infant.
What in the bio essentialism? If the characters have been living in a future thatâs broken out of the gender binary, the babyâs genitals should be irrelevant. Gwenâs literally saying Mordred is going to fulfill the evil prophecy because he was born with a penis. Even if this is intended to be a teaching moment, I hate how itâs handled. These quotes are in order of appearance in the books, so after the subtextual implications of all that came before, this last part really doesnât sit right with me. Sorry I find these books completely abhorrent. They've won awards, theyâre beloved by many. Maybe it's me. But no thanks.
Honestly, so long as you're not blatantly offensive with your handling of such things, I think you'll be fine. It's important to remember that even if one is part of a demographic they're depicting, it's always a good idea to hire sensitivity readers and take that feedback seriously. Not everyone will love your work, there will be advice you don't utilize, with time you'll be able to weed out the bad faith feedback, (the "all depiction is glorification" crowd) and ignore it. But it's so important to open oneself up to constructive criticism so you can learn and your work can develop into the best possible version of itself.
Now let's get to some ways you can go about researching a way to do this that fits in your story. Itâs important to remember that throughout human history, many people lived stealth their whole lives and we donât know about them for that reason, not because no transgender folks ever lived authentically and happily in medieval times. So itâs never impossible to incorporate a trans character into a story who experiences no direct violence, even if the world they live in isnât presented as a queer utopia. The other thing is that public opinion regarding queerness, cross dressing, etc have varied a lot over the centuries and were vastly different depending on location. Not every âwomanâ found in armor would have been treated as poorly as Joan of Arc. So thereâs lots of wiggle room for interpretation when you go about writing these narratives. The majority of my examples deal with the ruling class so they address the concerns you mentioned with added scrutiny a noble would face if they were to experiment with gender presentation compared to a commoner. Iâll be spoiling the plots of everything on the list to make clear why Iâm suggesting them.
My initial advice would be to read medieval literature with queer themes followed by essays on the subject. The best examples I know of are:
Yde et Olive
Transmasc knight (good ending). 12th century French romance. Ydeâs mother Clarisse died giving birth to her & later when Yde reaches maturity, her father makes advances, so she disguises herself as a man & flees. Yde becomes a successful knight & is married to the kingâs only daughter, Olive. When it comes time to consummate the marriage, Yde must confess the truth of his identity to Olive, who vows to keep it secret. This is overheard by the king who then attempts to uncover Ydeâs identity but is stopped by an angel who chastises the king for harassing such a good vassal. Then Yde is transformed into a man, the king dies, & Yde is able to have a child with Olive. They name him Croissant as if it couldnât get any more French than it already was. Anyway the story alternates pronouns for Yde given the situation which is pretty neat & in the end he gets to live his best life! Yay!
Le Roman de Silence
Transmasc knight (bad ending). A 13th century French romance about a baby girl named Silence. Silence is raised as a boy because King Eban wonât allow women to inherit property. Like many medieval romances, the hero's adventure is often punctuated with personified emotions (Dame Fortune, Lady Love, etc) but Silence is tormented by Nature & Nurture as he comes into adulthood. He becomes a knight & eventually takes on an "impossible" quest, to capture Merlin, which supposedly can only be done by a woman. Content warning for the ending, it does not go well for Silence. Merlin reveals his backstory, & heâs forced to take a feminized version of his name, live as a woman, & marry the king to keep his lands.
Wigalois by Wirnt von Grafenberg
A 13th century German romance that follows Gawainâs son, Wigalois [Gingalain], but this ainât about him. Thereâs a character Marine who fights as a knight. Sheâs consistently referred to with she/her pronouns, but sheâs renowned for her knightly virtues & fights alongside the men in the war. Sheâs treated very well narratively & dies in battle after apprehending a high-value hostage. Everyone mourns her & thereâs a big funeral held in her honor. So even if Marine never presented herself as a man the way Yde or Silence do, she provides an example of a female thriving in a male role. Food for thought.
Parzival by Wolfram von Eschenbach
Another German banger from the 13th century. This oneâs about a cis male knight but Parzival has transmasc vibes. Trust me. Hereâs my favorite article about it called The Clothes Make The Man - Parzival Dressed & Undressed by Michael D. Amey that really illustrates what I mean.
After that, you can check out these retellings:
The Story of Silence by Alex Myers
I bought this but haven't read it yet. Itâs a retelling about the aforementioned Le Roman de Silence. This book uses neutral they/them pronouns to refer to Silence, which I can say from experience sometimes causes confusion with readers, so it's good to study how this author did it & determine if that method feels right for you. (If you ever decide to do something like that with a character.)
Spear by Nicola Griffith + Spear's Author's Note
I enjoyed this one, beautiful prose. It didnât feel like the most comprehensive Grail Quest retelling, but Peretur can be interpreted as a butch lesbian or transmasc, itâs ambiguous. She only uses masculine pronouns when stealth, otherwise using she/her, but it has a happy ending! Itâs firmly set in the era & felt authentic on that front while letting the queer characters relax. Peretur isnât alone. (A/G/L enjoyers keep winning + sapphic lady of the lake ftw + the other hotties Peretur pulled.) Definitely worth checking out.
The Bright Sword by Lev Grossman
This book just came out in 2024. Including it here is already a spoiler given the topic but Iâm going to spoil fully from this point on so ignore this if thatâs a problem. This is the best example I can give for your reading/writing tastes based on the ask; Dinadan is a trans man. His transness isnât revealed in the main character Collumâs pov, but in Dinadanâs backstory pov, opening in his childhood. He & his twin brother were sent to different schools but young Dinadan would leave the girlâs school to practice knightly skills with the fay, which retroactively explains why he has a fairy sword that Collum was admiring. In exchange for this training, the fay ask that Dinadan slay Merlin. Which he agrees to while never believing he actually can, but the wrath of the fay in the afterlife is worth his ability to live as a knight. I love how it was all handled firstly because Dinadan has a fighting style that works for his smaller frame & because every knight has a different fighting style (Dagonetâs is âIf it sucks hit da bricks.â) Dinadan doesnât stick out like a sore thumb yet his physicality is accounted for. Secondly Dinadan explains the lengths he goes to in order to stay stealth from obvious ones like binding his breasts to pretending to shave his face every couple days & wearing a packer. Later on, Dinadanâs secrets are revealed when he goes swimming in the ocean with Palomides (who evidentially already knew) & Collum joins them. Collum had no idea, which I think brings up an interesting point about all of this which also reminds me of Gawain not recognizing that Beaumains was Garethâthe power of expectation. Just as Gawain expected to find a kitchen boy & would have no reason to assume his brother (who hit puberty since they last saw each other) would be stealth in the kitchens so therefore didnât recognize him, Collum expects to find men as knights of the Round Table, so when Sir Dinadan is introduced, & Collum had heard of him before, Dinadanâs stature & high voice donât register to Collum as anything but traits that this guy Dinadan happens to have. Learning Dinadanâs secret in the presence of another knight who already knows & is chill about it also encourages Collum to be accepting too. So giving Dinadan at least one ally in his corner throughout the story went a long way. In the end Merlin, who can only be killed by a man (which is why Nimue had to settle for sealing him away) is stabbed by Dinadan. So itâs like a reverse Silence/Ăowyn situation that Dinadanâs gender is affirmed in his ability to kill Merlin. This book also includes the part from Le Morte dâArthur where Dinadanâs forced to wear a dress, which in this context is very transphobic, but thatâs the point. Itâs made better when Dinadan gets to go insano style on Merlin so he gets payback. Just a heads up about that.
Some fantasy/scifi thatâs not Arthurian but may help, as Arthuriana is largely fantasy to begin with, this may help you determine where on the spectrum your taste/writing falls regarding the bending of reality/history to fit your narrative.
Orlando: A Biography by Virginia Woolf
1928 novel about a character named Orlando living during the reign of Elizabeth I. Orlando is born male, then at some point in his early adulthood, falls into a deep sleep from which he awakens the exact same person, now metamorphosed to be female. Orlando, for her part, adopts this new role immediately & keeps on moving. She lives for 300 years as such & has many adventures, including an instance where she then presents as a man to elude marriage. Transitioned so she could cross dress in the other direction. She wouldâve done numbers on tumblr. Ultimately, Orlando does marry⌠a gnc sea captain! The success of their marriage is attributed to their similarities in gender non-conformity. Even though this book only remains in the late medieval era for the opening, I think itâs a poignant example of a transgender individual living their life in their time & still getting to enjoy themselves without excessive suffering that may provide lots of inspiration.
The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K Le Guin
1970 Hugo & Nebula award winning novel. A fascinating examination of gender from the point of view of a cis man named Genly Ai having to reconcile his interpretation of the gender binary when confronted with a society who operates outside that. His travels with ambisexual Estravan challenges what Ai understands about the universe. His ignorance forms the backbone of the narrative as he grows close to a person from this other society. Even if itâs not a medieval setting, it may help you develop a narrative voice regarding this subject youâre able to bring to your work. Also itâs just really good.
The Privilege of the Sword by Ellen Kushner
2007 Locus award winner, Nebula & Gaylactic Spectrum nominee. High fantasy medieval setting. Katherine is a country girl brought to the big city Riverside by her uncle the Duke where sheâs offered the opportunity to train as swordsman (ie cross dress) instead of political marriage. Sheâs unsure of the reasoning behind her uncleâs motivations for doing this, but goes along with it & kicks ass. A preview is available on Google books (linked).
The Realm of the Elderlings by Robin Hobb
This is my favorite series ever. It spans 16 books published between 1995-2017. The fandom on tumblr & ao3 is hugely active. (Avoid tags to dodge major spoilers or check it out for amazing art & many quotes!) The series has many gnc characters in a fantasy medieval setting. First & foremost, The Fool, whoâs in all the books & whose gender ambiguity is mentioned book 1, to which he says, âNone of your business.â The character ever. Without getting too specific, there are several trans characters including gender fluid characters who will alternate between masc/fem presentation & pronouns. This is my favorite example of gender fluid characters in any fantasy Iâve read, especially since there are several & each feels unique. In The Liveship Traders trilogy, Amber coaches another woman how to hide her period while pretending to be a shipâs boy by using a sock, so if anyone finds the blood on it, she can say she cut her foot. Little things like that really deepened the realism in an otherwise fantastical story for me, because addressing those details answers questions my overly analytical mind would ask & wonder about if unacknowledged.
Lastly I'd like to suggest the article Armour of an Alienating Identity by Jeffrey Jerome Cohen. While it doesn't mention Parzival (the text), it does mention Perceval (the character), as well as Gareth Beaumains, Lancelot, Gawain, Yvain, and even Arthur himself. It goes on to reference endless examples to support its thesis including Greek heroes such as Achilles and Odysseus with references to many different medieval stories from Old English Beowulf to the Irish Ulster cycle to the works of Geoffrey Chaucer. Most (if not all) of the texts mentioned in this essay can be found on my blog for cross reference if you desire, although the article already contains many quotes.
Okay I think thatâs all I got. Iâve given you a ton to think about and read. Ultimately I donât think thereâs a clean cut answer for this. Nuance, you know? Having hired an editor and many sensitivity readers myself, it really is just a professional a vibe check sometimes. You write what you want to the best of your ability, then other people weigh in, and you keep tweaking it until itâs as good as you can possibly make it. During development, and even in its final form, there will be people who donât enjoy your story and thatâs fine. It isnât for everyone, itâs for you and your audience. No single experience in this life is the same so each fictional depiction emulating life will also be unique, thereâs no ârightâ answer on how to write this or anything else, only the way you want to.
Hopefully now you have some tools to help you learn how best to express your vision. I know they gave me a lot of insight and ideas I lacked before when writing trans characters in my books. Thank you for trusting me with this question and good luck with your project! Take care! :^)
#arthuriana#arthurian legend#arthurian mythology#arthurian literature#queer#lgbtqia#lgbtq community#trans#transgender#transmasc#transfem#nonbinary#genderfluid#genderqueer#writing#ask#anonymous
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Excuse the rambling but I got back into the tf Brandon earlier this year and, honestly, itâs kinda funny seeing so many of my favourite internet stars revealing that, yea, they are also transformers fans and, yes, the robots are attractive.
I think youâre the third since the TF one movie came out? Anyway-
One of the reasons I love TFP Soundwave is that, even among cybertronians heâs strange. An outlier. I know you arenât familiar with the comics but Outlier is also a term for cybertronians who have an ability. Basically, Soundwave can read minds. Even more interesting is that Shockwave (before the whole Empurata) was protecting and learning about outliers. I find both of their characters absaloutly fascinating.
Iâm writing my own fic for Megs and Sounders (prewar so BUFF GLADIATORS BABY) and Iâm kinda sewing together this quilt made up of so many different continuities.
Soundwave in himself is one of the most powerful Decepticons. He is the con that gets the job done, fixes mistakes and scares the crap out of everyone.
Also, cannon fun fact, his favorite animal is elephants. Absaloutly adores them.
(fanfic owo?)
YEAH!! THATS ONE OF MY FAVORITE THINGS ABOUT TFP SOUNDWAVE AND WHY IM SO đł ABOUT HIM
I donât read the comics but even though they donât say it outright in the show I love how everyone acts weird about Soundwave, heâs so weird among cybertronians and heâs p creepy too, my favorite ehhe//
I know G1 Soundwave could mindread and TFP Soundwave uses his tentacles to transfer information, but does every Soundwave mind read? Also pre-empurata Shockwave đď¸đď¸
âSoundwave is one of the most powerful Decepticonsâ is another thing that makes me blush about him hfjhg⌠he is. SO competent among the Decepticons, I read comments saying if Soundwave isnât in the group they kinda fumble around.
Another thing about Soundwave I love in TFP if someone else is on the job, for me itâs 50-50 whether the Autobots or Decepticons win, but if Soundwaveâs there I go âoh no. The Decepticons are going to get the Thingâ˘â
HEâS JUST TOO GOOD AT HIS JOB HE HOLDS ALL THE BRAINCELLS (until Shockwave arrives)
Iâm actually about to watch TF One soon hehe so Iâm excited :D
#soundwave just has. so many good qualities i can ramble about him all day and i just met him less than a month ago dkjdf#hes scary? some say hes megatronâs âtrueâ second in command?#he almost always gets the job done/fixes the mistakes of other decepticons?#other decepticons are scared/creeped out by him? (esp tfp where hes like an eldritch anomaly thats hot)#like in tfp⌠its so often megatron growls about how bad someone failed#but for soundwave its all praise and compliments because hes just so good#AS HE DESERVES#I LOVE YOU SOUNDWAVE#ahem.#im normal whatre you talking about#transformers#soundwave#ask#also i can see why wavewave would be so popular i mean look at them#guys holding all the braincells lol#also if shockwave was protecting and learning about ppl like soundwave đĽş
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THANKSGIVING MOOTIE APPRECIATION â¤ď¸â¨â¤ď¸
Happy thanksgiving y'all! And a good time zone to all my non-US/non-Turkey day havers lovelies!
Tis the season of thanks and I'm a very thankful goober this year! I only started getting active on Tumblr about half a year ago and there's already so many people and things I'm grateful for from this site alone! I've enjoyed so much art and events, participated in yap seshes, tag games, and ultimately felt pretty welcomed and at home on this site, and it's thanks to all you! <3<3<3
Special thanks to the DCA fandom in its entirety as well! All the discussions, artists, writers, and shared reposts with all the silly notes are awesome! Y'all inspire me all the time and make me wish I was more outgoing than I am just so I can say hello to each and every one of you!!!!
The list gets long, so for the sake of those scrolling by, I have put it below! Have a lovely day everyone! <3333
@midnight-mourning Your writing is just wonderful. It's everything!!! I adore it so much and your CS boyos have wormed their way into my heart and refuses to leave. Some of my favorite songs even remind me of them! (Don't tell Moon this but I am very attached to CS Sun-)(Honestly gotta be my favorite Sun I've read fr fr) Also! Thank you for just being so supportive, thinking about me in tag games, and giving ALL the tag notes! They're a wonder to read and have me bounce off the walls! I'm always so happy we're mooties! â¤ď¸â¤ď¸â¤ď¸ (Also, fun fact, you're my first mutual too! It's insane to me HOW DID THIS HAPPEN GUAHPHIAHDKA)
@pointyfruit You! Your art? Muah, wonderful. I don't even care if it's not dca related because it's so good. The shape language, art style, and just unique takes on just anything and everything blows my mind! Let's not forget COLORS. Oml they are so PRETTY. It's like an explosion I never want to end. đĽđĽđĽ Also! So goofy, so silly, and COTL enjoyer! Let's GOOOOO!!! I don't engage with the fandom much but I DO love the game and honestly I almost beat it, but still have not because I don't wanna do the final boss fight. It can't be over bros... Anyways when I see your posts I always wanna just wave like a neighbor seeing ya blow up 10 boxes of fireworks on a casual Tuesday afternoon. đđđ:D
@divinit3a SPINS YOU!!! đśđđś Heya silly meister! In the midst of reading your work, gotta say? Muwah, Perfecto! The sillies are putting me on a rollercoaster and I'm stuck on the ride! While my ability to yap is a coin flip every hour, you happen to bring the yappening out of me with all the fun notes and posts you do--We've already had so many fun convos! Speaking of posts, the art is peak and will STAY peak! The designs? Muwah. The colors? Muwah. You make even the creepiest of goobers hauntingly beautiful! We've may not have known each other for long, but you're someone I look forward to seeing on my dash/notifications every time I open the app! â¤ď¸â¤ď¸â¤ď¸
@sinister-sincerely Hi!!!! I'm still sometimes in awe realizing we're mutuals! I really love your work and if I'm in the mood to read something but I don't know what, I tend to turn to Aftersome often, even though I've read both the og and the rewrite! It's like you're the master of writing angst, bitter unrequited feelings, and the strange tenseness but want of confusing relationships. It's gut wrenching and I wish I could write something so evoking! All your stories are amazing and I seriously hope you know that, they're such heavy hitters that they have marked a place in my memory. â¤ď¸ Your art too is wonderful! They don't pop up often but when they do it's a real treat! I love that you use grey scale in a lot of your works and the style is just so pleasing to look at. Whenever I see the DCA in your style I wanna give them the biggest hugs, even if they'd pry me off seconds later! â¨â¨â¨
@r0b0s-robos / @r0b0-wannabe Waving at you excitedly!!! It's always a pleasure to see your reposts, you always find the good stuff! Plus, you always are trying to help out others and it's amazing to see, your efforts are able to make great impacts. :333 You're also another writer I appreciate immensely, and I'm so invested in your botanist au. The sillies and their botanist who is desperately trying not to fall in love with them!!! ADORE THEM!!! I can't wait to read more! â¤ď¸â¤ď¸â¤ď¸ The times you post about writing ideas or silly things about the DCA has me nodding my head with a smile. Also, the little notes you leave in tags, despite usually being brief, always makes me so happy! It's like seeing the kind stoic look at you from their seat, let out a small smile, and say "I love this"- and then suddenly it's a blast of blinding white light of endearment straight to my heart. K.O.!
@chickenchirps27 Welcome back!!! I've noticed you've been much more active recently and it's always fun to see what you got goin on! Obligatory art mention, but it would be criminal to NOT mention it. ITS!!! AMAZING!!! THEY LOOK LIKE ROCK CANDY!!! Colors!!! I love it so much, the goobers look delicio- I mean they look adorable and masterfully crafted in each piece of art! And your sona, ugh, she's so gorgeous and alien in the best ways possible. I've never seen anything like her and I am in awe of how you came up with all her little details. Those mantis arms are SICK and I want them!!! (Though drawing may be a little hard if I had em-)â¨â¨â¨
@amarynthian-fortress / @amarynthian-chronicles Hehehe! Boops you! >:D Honestly, thank you for always being the biggest sweetheart around and being so welcoming. You're one of the people that made me feel able to crack my shell more and be more active on here! Your writing is whimsical, your reposts and comments are always so kind and feel-goody, and you just always show you care and the randomest times! Catch me off guard why don't you! I love all the snippets and treats you post, and I'm saving many of your stories to read for rainy days! â¤ď¸â¤ď¸â¤ď¸
@ping-ski My reaction to us becoming mutuals was- đĽđĽđĽ:OOOOOđĽOOđĽđĽ I think I've followed you right when I started getting active on here and gah, your art is wonderful. So lovely, stylized, and colored so simply yet so appealingly that I can't stop looking. Your aus make me want to read them and their designs are always top tier! Also, I cannot forget to mention you are SILLAY!!! So silly! Your comments on reposts are goofy and I love to read them whenever they come up on my dash! Not to mention your own posts- I will never forget the 3-in-1 solid block of dca encased in ice. I was in awe of seeing them encased and I suddenly wanted my own dca ice cubes to put into a drink and try not to choke on. â¨â¨â¨
@quilteddreamz Your writing. Oh my GOSH your writing! It's wonderful, beautiful, gah, I can't wait for your advent calender! I wish I could do something for it but I got 3 more weeks of large projects tapped to my back. I am sending much luck your way and know that I am excited to enjoy some daily dca! Don't break yourself over it too! I may adore the goobers but you're most adored first! Take care and keep being such a whimsical person! Muwah! â¨â¨â¨
@flowysgonemad You are also! Silly!!! You are so fun to see popping around my dash and your doodles just make me go :333 every time! I love your aus and you're a very kind/goofy person! I don't even remember how we became mutuals but garsh diggity dang it, it's awesome to see ya and anything you yap about!
There are MANY more mooties I want to appreciate and show off, but I fear I am currently omw to go to a large thanksgiving dinner and I'm expecting to be there for the rest of the day. SO! If you weren't listed, please know that I AM thinking of you! Have a wonderful time zone, and just know that my heart is so full knowing that you're all there! I can't believe there is that many of you to begin with that I can't fit you all within the time frame! (Would you believe me if I said coming up with all the right words to say here took me 2 1/2 hours?)
So! To all my beloved writers, artists, and sillies alike! From the bottom of my heart, really, thank you! For being here, even reading this, and appreciating the things I do as much as I appreciate you! â¤ď¸â¤ď¸â¤ď¸â¤ď¸â¤ď¸â¤ď¸â¨â¨â¨â¨â¨â¨
#thanskgiving#mutuals#mutual appreciation#Happy thanksgiving y'all!!!#Y'all are amazing people!!!#Thank you to the community in general for being so kind and welcoming too! â¤ď¸â¤ď¸â¤ď¸#Y'all should check out the people tagged here if you don't know em! They're all wonderful Fr fr!#dca community#dca fandom#Yapping#Mootie patooties
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"You're not right! I'm right! And I'm Uzumaki Naru-" "Shut up, dummy."
Kids!Uzumaki Naruto w/a Male!reader
Summary: "These kids... [Name] wasn't like that, his friendship with Naruto changed him. Or maybe he was always a bit mischievous and Naruto just let it out. Anyway, it's good to see them together again... I think." - Kakashi Hatake
It's just that they understand each other very well. It's not that Naruto doesn't have friends, he has a lot. But none of them understand him as well as [Name]. The boy was always with him, even when he discovered that Naruto had the nine tails beast inside him. But beyond that, they shared the same single neuron that they both had. They had the same sense of humor and made the same jokes, they even looked like the same person.
It was part of everyday life to see [Name] and Naruto Uzumaki around Konoha, whether on the rooftops playing and eating, or on the streets, playing pranks on people and sometimes, making a mess of everything around. No one was surprised by this anymore, but that doesn't mean people don't run away when they see this duo.
So Naruto and [Name]'s happiness was noticeable when they found out that they were on the same team. Well, a team should only have 3 kids, but honestly, it's better to have two chaotic kids in the same place than one on each team.
.
.
.
But, it wasn't always like this. Naruto was always a brat, but [Name] was different. He was so quiet and shy. He didn't get bullied like Naruto, but he feared it with all his heart. He didn't make any noise and for a long time people thought he was mute. He was afraid of being judged, of being excluded and so he ended up excluding himself first.
Maybe that's why he got along so well with Naruto. The two were complete opposites at first, and Naruto was like a sun to [Name's] moon. He made the shy boy's personality shine. [Name] knows that this is the main reason why he loves Naruto, his personality is everything to him and his way is honestly amazing.
.
.
.
[Name]'s parents, Kakashi, Sakura, Iruka, and many other people don't know if Naruto and [Name]'s friendship is that good. Well, they have to put up with the two's pranks all the time. And Iruka, Kakashi, and [Name]'s parents can't stand the boys talking about themselves all the time anymore.
"Iruka sensei, today [Name] and I climbed onto the fourth Hokage's head and-" "Naruto, you haven't even touched your ramen... It's already cold."- Iruka, who doesn't even care about the things Naruto and [Name] do anymore, he just wants Naruto to eat soon because he can't stand hearing the boy's stomach growl while he ignores his hunger to talk about his best friend.
...
So just imagine everyone's surprise when...
...
"[Name] San...? Why aren't you talking to Naruto?" Sakura looked genuinely worried. Naruto was standing aloof and clearly refusing to talk to [Name], while the boy looked completely sullen. Even Sasuke noticed this and for the first time in a long time he spoke to Naruto without telling him to stop yelling. Well, he didn't because Naruto simply wasn't yelling, he was just serious and didn't say much. "Hmph, I won't talk about him, not even to him. I don't want to hear anything about him."
Kakashi was close to the two kids, reading a weird book while taking care of them on his day off. Despite being unconcerned, even he looked at Sakura with wide eyes, which were returned by the girl. Looking at Sasuke, he also seemed surprised as he talked to Naruto. Sakura couldn't tell what was going on here, but it was definitely about Naruto and [Name]'s friendship.
.
.
.
The three reunited later. They loved the silence and calm that the fight between Naruto and [Name] had given, but it was much better to see the two boys being friends. Sakura was the first to speak in the circle. "Kakashi sensei, Sasuke kun... I know we were finally at peace now that Naruto and [Name] stopped talking, but they need to be together again." Kakashi agreed, and soon began to think about what could happen between the two boys so that they would no longer talk. The trio was silent for a few seconds, but Sasuke was willing to speak his mind. "I don't think it's anything serious." The pink-haired girl and the team's sensei immediately raised an eyebrow. "... It's like you don't know the two of them. They agree on everything, but when they disagree on something, they always end up arguing."
Kakashi seemed to think again, and came to a slightly different conclusion. "I believe the discussion was more serious this time. They've never gone so long without talking to each other." The trio comes to a conclusion: They fought over something they disagreed on, and now they don't want to talk anymore.
.
.
.
Meanwhile, the two brats returned home, and unfortunately for both of them... They lived in neighboring houses. The whole time, they didn't look at each other and had their arms crossed, trying to avoid simply looking at each other. "You know it's wrong. You live it, so you know better than I do that it's not fair." He needed to speak, he had to win this argument and convince Naruto. "You don't know anything about my life, I like my house and the way it is!"
[Name] wouldn't take that for an answer. Yes, the reason for the argument was more than a bad board game that [Name] liked and wanted to play all the time. The boy saw Naruto's situation, and knew that he deserved something much better than what he was living. But Naruto didn't see it negatively. He always had the bare minimum (and sometimes not even that), so for him, the bare minimum was enough.
They enter their respective houses, still fighting. Naruto throws himself on his bed and stays silent, while [Name] runs to his room and locks himself there, without greeting anyone in his house. The situation was serious.
.
.
.
It was a new day. Kakashi, Sasuke, and Sakura spent the entire night coming up with a plan to bring [Name] and Naruto together again. When Sakura had to leave because of her parents, Kakashi and Sasuke began to put the plan into action. It was simple, because the two boys didn't have enough brains to realize it was a trap. It was simple: lock the two boys in the same room. They wouldn't make enough effort to get out of there just so they wouldn't talk, Kakashi was sure.
The new day arrives, Sasuke went to call Naruto for Kakashi's 'new' training, while Sakura went to take [Name] to show her new move that she learned from Kakashi. The two fell, and when they arrived at the place (which was something like a small house with a lot of junk behind Kakashi's house), were locked together. Naruto and [Name] only heard the door lock close as they turned to face each other. They ran to open the door, but only heard a "I'll only open it when you're friends again."
.
.
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For a long time, they remained silent. Deep down, they knew that they wanted to resolve things, because they had enough strength and power to break down that door or the fragile roof of that little house. But they didn't do that. Kakashi, Sakura and Sasuke couldn't hear anything coming from the room, and Sakura even considered calling a Hyuuga to use the byakugan and see what was going on in there. Time passed slowly for them.
Meanwhile, Naruto and [Name] finally talked. "...Naruto?" "What is it?!" The boy sighed, and seemed to want to give up on the conversation for a few seconds, but soon continued. "Sorry."
Naruto looked at him for the first time, he seemed surprised. It was the first time [Name] had apologized for something. Normally neither of them did, and they just went back to being friends normally. "You're right, I shouldn't interfere in your life. It's just that I can't find it normal that you have to eat only noodles and milk that are almost always expired. That's not fair, you shouldn't live like this." And for a few seconds, Naruto even looked like he wanted to cry. He missed his best friend. He wastes no time in throwing himself at [Name], nearly making him fall. "... I'm sorry too, okay? You only want the best for me and I treated you with so much contempt..." There, it didn't even sound like Naruto speaking. That came from his soul.
They stay in each other's arms for a while. They were tired of so much arguing and being apart, this distance wasn't good for them. It's not like Naruto will understand what [Name] is thinking right away, and it will take him a while to get used to the idea that he needs to cry out for a better life. He just needs his friend for that. His best friend.
.
.
.
The next day, the two were already doing crazy things around the village, running around Konoha and messing everything up. Kakashi didn't even listen to people's complaints, because in a way, everyone was happy that the two were back together. He remembers when he opened that door because his curiosity piqued him, and saw the two hugging. Of course, they let go of the hug immediately and Naruto almost fell to the floor in embarrassment. At least it's a happy memory for the two of them, without any fighting. Sakura looked irritated with the two, as usual. But Kakashi knew the girl, and knew that she was very happy with the two of them too. Sasuke seemed neutral, but if you have good eyes, you will see a smile.
â*:.・..・.:*â â*:.・..・.:*â â*:.・..・.:â*:.・..・.:*â â*:.・..・.:
It was refreshing to see these kids happy again, and together. Naruto and [Name] are complementary pieces, they can't live without each other.
â*:.・..・.:*â â*:.・..・.:*â â*:.・..・.:â*:.・..・.:*â â*:.・..・.:
Author's notes: It can be read as ftm! Reader, since there are obviously no genitalia being specified. It could be interpreted as a romance between the two, but I didn't want to make it explicit to be more open to interpretation. They would simply give their lives for each other, they are best friends because they complete each other.
#male reader#ftm reader#naruto#naruto shippuden#naruto series#sakura#sasuke uchiha#kakashi hatake#fanfic#naruto x reader#die with a smile#naruto uzumaki#Spotify
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Sorry but I'm gonna ignore half the post bc I read the first two paragraphs and now can't think about anything else, so you're getting me trying to logic religion instead of Tobi!Kakashi (tho I will say I saw a fic once with the Obito-Kakashi role reversal where they had it that Kakashi was pretending to be Tobirama rather than Madara bc of the hair and smarts and it even fits with the Tobi nickname! It was amazing, don't remember it tho, so sorry.)
Anyway! Here are my Hatake religion thoughts, presented as facts rather than just my headcanons bc I love writing fake facts:
The Hatake do worship multiple gods/vague spirits of the land rather than one specific god, but like a typical pantheon religion where there's a buncha gods, but then there's the one special favorite guy that's in charge of everyone, and to the Hatake, that's Kaguya. Yeah, they worship the gods of plants and harvest and whoever brings the rain, but the Hatake are wolves first, farmers second, so Kaguya, the goddess of rabbits (aka usually the first thing a young cub gets to catch on their first hunt, something something a symbol of coming into their own and becoming their own person as well as a sign of good things to come and that they'll be powerful enough to live by themselves, just lots of good meanings to the Hatake) that also resides on the moon, is their special lil gal.
The Hatake's beliefs are kind of... vague? They don't really have a set mythology, or they didn't in the beginning, because they used to be a bunch of small vaguely connected family units all over the Land of Iron just doing their thing, but they slowly got whittled down to the few that are now left. And each of those units had their own spin on things, ranging from Kaguya being their sworn enemy who was cursed into a rabbit so they could hunt her for all eternity, to more positive stories of Kaguya either always being a rabbit, inventing the concept of rabbits in the first place, or willingly transforming into a rabbit permanently to be hunted by the Hatake for all eternity as a kind of game. (aka go with whatever suits the story, you want bad Kaguya where the Hatake were systematically wiped out by Zetsu bc those fuckers were literally engineered in a fucking lab by God to be perfect Kaguya killers? Want good Kaguya where Sakumo and Kaguya get to be freaky together and have Kakashi be a half god? Whatever works for you!)
Most of them, however, end with Kaguya either returning to her home on the moon right before dawn breaks or being sealed away on the moon by mean people who don't want the Hatake to have their fun ritual hunting game. Very sad. It's a tradition to not eat the first rabbit you ever catch, and instead wait for nightfall before holding it up to the open sky and then burying the thing in the dirt under the moonlight, to show Kaguya that they still remember their old hunts and that no earth rabbit will ever be as great a catch as her. Unless you were part of those guys that didn't like Kaguya, wherein you would wait with your first ever rabbit til nightfall before absolutely ripping that thing to pieces and eating it's heart raw while glaring up at the moon. And then go pray and apologize to Tsukuyomi for glaring at them (the moon).
Back when Kakashi was a kid, Sakumo always burried any rabbits he got, which was kind of extreme when usually it's just the first rabbit you ever kill. Sakumo's only explanation was that they'd never be as good as the first rabbit he caught, and it would be an insult to that first rabbit for him to ever try another.
(Picturing shittily drawn Kakashi frowning down at a scraggly rabbit in a dirt hole thinking damn must have been one good rabbit, rabbits don't even taste that good, meanwhile in the background in full renaissance style oil paint Sakumo is just on his knees absolutely sobbing his heart out at the moon)
Concept of the Hatake, as a wolf clan, worshipping Tsukuyomi, the moon god, as their god. Alternatively: it'd be incredibly funny and ironic if you leaned into Kaguya-hime as a moon rabbit, being worshipped by a wolf clan.
I have no specific thoughts (yet) bc I also love the idea of the Hatake not worshipping any one god but instead honoring just the vague spirits of the land (leaning into them as farmers) but like. Where's my "The Hatake worship Kaguya-hime" AU where things get really awkward when it becomes clear she's kind of trying to blow up the world or whatever from her prison in the moon.
Zetsu goes to a young Kakashi or Sakumo or smthn for help with freeing his mother bc the Hatake's have worshipped her for so long, so surely they'd help
Or if you have one of those role swap Kakashi and Obito aus, add a bit of flavor to differentiate between the villain, brainwashed, Akatsuki, Madara-impersonator Obito-- with brainwashed, Akatsuki, Kaguya-hime worshipper Kakashi, helping Zetsu, potentially with full knowledge of the eye of the moon plan bc he genuinely wants to free Kaguya.
In an AU like that, maybe Zetsu would be more open with him in general too, like, they share the same genuine goal, and also potentially the love for Kaguya. So I can see Zetsu maybe opening up to him a lot more than he would if he were fr just a puppet. At the very least, they could commiserate about "poor" Kaguya hime, trapped in the moon.
I just think it'd be interesting
#God I fucking LOVE coming up with fake religions/myths#it's so much fun#you can probably see I got a soft spot for KaguSaku#mostly bc I think the idea of Kakashi secretly being a half god and Sasuke's & Naruto's pre-reincarnation UNCLE the entire time is hilariou#also love OP Kakashi#also also love Sakumo bagging God#that man was said to be stronger than the three sannin combined#was a possible Hokage candidate#was possibly assassinated or manipulated into killing himself bc no one but Sakumo could take down Sakumo#and he's the dad of Hatake fucking Kakashi#of course he could bag god#ALSO TSUKUYOMI'S FULL NAME IS TSUKUYOMI-NO-MIKOTO#AND WHAT IF FOR NO OTHER REASON THAN I THINK IT'D BE COOL/FUNNY#SAKUMO WAS FRIENDS WITH/THE BABYSITTER OF/MAYBE GODFATHER OF UCHIHA MIKOTO#give Sakumo *ALL* the political power#just make him so OP on every front just because you can#Sakumo's classmates/teammates started a Sakumo cult bc it was funny and also how is one guy so perfect like wtf#Sakumo is such a blorbo I love him so much#and he's directly related to Kakashi who is also such a blorbo#I need to find more fics that are just focused on Sakumo#I need to write a fic that's just about Sakumo being a cool awesome BAMF
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despite, despite, despite!!
#mine#original#fun fact when i first started colouring this i like couldnt remember what th trans flag looked like#i just like. did it then was like . hmm. that is the flag of slovakia i think#anyway#i missed tdov by a mile but. hello#i missed th day bc i was at my bfs house. thats t4t love baby#i hope u hve all had a good easter!!#thank u to everyone who inquired abt commissions i am surprised abt th amount of interest!!#when this batch is done i will open more. will probably b a regular thing :3#i will now do exercise and have a bath i thinky#i need to make myself read this book...im so not use to horror anytime i read anything remotely unsettling im like oohoohohohmmhhmm n#dont read for like. 4 days#ive read like 200 pages in 10 days KSFBSBJ get a GRIP#anyway. good evening
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what kind of underwear do you think Erik and Charles wear (i'm not asking this to see them half naked) ((please believe me)) (((PLEASE)))
My Personal Belief is charles is a briefs guy while erik's a trunks guy. trunks/briefs kinda couple because i can
and idk just a lil bonus or somethin. as i do.
#nsft#probably. again A Promotion Would Be In Order From Me Personally but WHATEVER.#cherik#im too tired to tag everything ok this post'll find its people#snap sketches#not too tired for a tag ramble tho eUUGGHHH#i HAVE to post the second bit now or ill be editing it all night and for what. i will live#and my silly ass said i wouldnt draw that reading idea. well guess what im a LIAR who LIES.#i do wanna revisit that proper tho .. at least draw em by the fireplace someday but anyway#i think the funny thing is i had like. plans to draw charles in purple briefs just cause he wore them once and i chortled Unreasonably#so here we are. youll have to forgive me my friend i have a condition called If I Get An Excuse To Draw I Will#it is a very serious condition cause i need to SLEEEEPP truly and honestly locking in later i HAVE to#leaving all of you with this for the next idk twelve hours thats crazy#all i want to do is draw but i feel my eyes . Getting Weird and i have exams so i guess i should be a responsible person and sleep#i actually have a lot i need to catch up on so like. i prob wont be back on until this weekend when im Hopefully more free#'snap didnt you say that last night' I HAVE TO BE SERIOUS THIS TIME i got a lot. so i will see everyone saturday Hopefully#please give me the strength to focus for once thank you#for now good night everyone !!! please enjoy my doodlings from today. yesterday. i must not make any more for now
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sin eater
#sorry its been a minute!!! the horrors. you understand.#anyways yall ready for another gloom tag essay because here we go!!!#im constantly thinking about the ramifications of uzi literally eating cyn and her now being apart of her.#specifically how it impacts uzi mentally. like dgmw i LOVE the silly cyntail shenanigans in fanart (ive also contributed to this) however#when i really think about it in relation to uzi's arc i go crazy insane#uzi is a character who is grasping for control after a lifetime of not having it.#she has no control over how her peers treat her. she has no control over khan neglecting her for reasons that arent her fault.#she quite literally has no control over the solver taking her over and making her do monstrous things against her will#which solidifies her feelings of being a freak monster who everyone was right to outcast and mistreat.#because im Unwell i interpret her calling herself god as a way to convince herself of having control- and to lock away feelings of impurity#if anyone is in control- if anyone is loved and cherished despite any and all wrong doings- its a god.#and that all comes to a head when she eats the heart of cyn thereby destroying the AS- a literal manifestation of a corrupted god- for good#finally taking back control from the entity that had been terrorizing and traumatizing both her and her loved ones. but did she really?#cyn is apart of her now. powerless sure- but that doesnt take away the horrors she wrought previously#and even so- has uzi ever stopped being just a host? do you think shes terrified of cyn regaining power out of the blue?#do you think uzi ever stops feeling like a monster?#âsin eatingâ was a thing that happened where someone would consume ritual foods to take on the sins of a recently deceased person#thus absolving said deceased person of any sins and putting them onto the sin eater. being a sin eater ensured eternal damnation.#and i just think about that a lot. when applying that (symbolically ofc(somewhat literally. she very much is a cyn eater)) to what uzi did.#âgloom you're reading way too much into thisâ THE LITTLE GOTH ROBOT. MAKES ME INSANE IN THE HEAD. OK!!!!!#gloom.art#murder drones#murder drones fanart#murder drones uzi#uzi murder drones#uzi doorman#uzi md#md uzi#uzi fanart
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can i just say. and this is probably a niche hill to die on. that i am so gobsmacked every time someone vaguely hints at the idea that jotaro doesn't care meaningfully for the other crusaders, usually particularly kakyoin and joseph, when those two actually tend to be the ones he reacts to being hurt the hardest
like he cares for his loved ones!!!! that literally plays into his character motives in every single part he shows up in!!! stop lying to me!!!!!!!
#me.txt#jjba#i'm going to ramble in tags actually. excuse me#ok. rereading sdc and so confused at the general perception of jotaro and his friends/family. he's not NEARLY as flat or as dickish#i understand that the anime (particularly the dub) tends to slander him but even then he still clearly cares for them! i'm confused#i also understand that a lot of people dig against jotaro and kakyoin as a dynamic because 'they're popular' and that generally disliking#popular things across media is a thing that i've seen consistently everywhere but the discredit to them simply as a DUO and not even as a#pairing is so..... odd..... like they're considered to be a duo that clicks for a reason. i enjoyed them even before i got into the fandom#every time i see someone say jotaro is overrated/dull i take a shot and assume they're an anime-only or only read the manga like once btw#joseph and jotaro also have a neat dynamic and they obviously both love and care for each other. like they're not going to go around loudly#or anything but literally the entirety of the lovers and the prelude to the dio fight IS jotaro being worked up over joseph getting hurt#equally i don't know if it translates to the anime as much but joseph is VERY complimentary when it comes to jotaro. like he sings his#praises so often and reminds everyone that he's his grandson so frequently (d'arby the gamer is a good example of this). either way it's so#peculiar....... there's not enough avdol and jotaro content btw (also in canon) because jotaro obviously looks up to him and avdol jokes#around with him on the occasion they interact after their intro which doesn't start very well. it's very cute#i do think an important thing to note about jotaro's character is how he acts AFTER his intro because he's so drastically different. early#jotaro and later jotaro aren't the same character and i do not mean this in a character development way. excluding the jail incident he's#completely different and probably shouldn't really be taken into account (especially considering the amount of slapstick in araki's intros)#and i think that's really???? what people center on for his character? Which sucks balls bad!#anyways. i could ramble more about this if asked i have so much to say but sigh. jotaro cares so much for his friends and family he's not a#flat fully cold asshole character regardless of whether you watch the anime or ova or read the manga. you just have poor media literacy#i wouldn't recommend watching solely the anime for his character though. the dub also changes a lot so it's... questionable#i love the anime and it's still important for him though. also adds neat stuff. i need to stop myself. i have many thoughts on the matter#jotaro kujo#joseph joestar#noriaki kakyoin#adding in case anyone sees: i am not saying that he is perfect about this. in fact he is very ass about it with jolyne and holly and that's#very important. he also is in fact an asshole sometimes. NOT as much as you guys are making him though!#please don't get me started on how much of a dick etc people make kakyoin to veer away from the 'woobified' characterizations of him#in fact i think that's bad if not worse because it CLAIMS to be in character. hes a prim asshole at times but not that angry or dishevelled
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Can someone give me well written fluffy Percabeth fics I feel like Iâve read the majority of them already and I donât want to open another tab to add on to the 107 tabs I have.
Edit: THANK YOU SO MUCH TO THOSE WHO GAVE ME RECS PEOPLE NEVER ACTUALLY ANSWER
#please and thank you#help a girl out#I need to start clearing my tabs#but I donât want to close my ao3 tabs because those are very specific searches that Iâm sorting through#I need to look at the newer percabeth fics#but Iâm gonna mess up my system#yes my ao3 search has a system#anyways any percabeth fics that arenât a big story would be great thank you#idc about smut at this point as long as itâs not the whole thing#as long as itâs skippable itâs fine#pjo#percabeth#is skippable a word?#it looks weird#percabeth fic rec#percabeth fluff#percy jackson#annabeth chase#percy jackson and the olympians#heroes of olympus#hoo#ao3#ao3 recs#fanfiction#and I canât fuck it up because then Iâll have to start over and Iâ wonât be able to find fics I havenât read yet#itâs overwhelming to think about#these are so none issues but whatever#itâs summer I got nothing else to worry about#except for the fact that school starts soon and I hate everyone there and why did I think it was a good idea to pick advanced classes#anyways
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mannnnnn now that i've actually started medical transition it seems that i will, hopefully, someday, get through to the other side of the limbo tunnel and can hopefully explore more permanent masculine attire. which is as exciting as it is daunting. like, i'm under no illusions that there's a tangible cutoff point where i will Suddenly be out of the limbo state (though top surgery will certainly help if i can get it), and there's no one thing holding me back from exploring this space *now*, but it's. Difficult ,
the List of challenges i must navigate:
- men's fashion is on a surface level very sad and boring and i crave whimsy :( i know knowledge and experience will help but it's like playing on hard mode compared to being a Weird Girl (tm). i am currently gnc against my will and i desire to be gnc Intentionally and on my own terms
- hashtag short king problems. masculine attire was never made with me in mind. almost every time i observe an aspirational example of Men's Fashion it's on a tall lanky guy and that will never be me and that's okay but throw me a bone pleas
- the Autism Sensibilities. collars too close to the neck depletes me of HP. wearing accessories for too long depletes me of mana. if a button up is made of a slightly too stiff material it will give me rashes. i cannot wear binders because i value my ability to breathe comfortably. i can only do so many layers at once before i hit a game over screen. i MUST be comforble
- the restrictions of my circumstances, such as the safety rules of the watchmaker workshop or the mercy of scandinavian weather gods
i'm sure i will figure things out with time. i'm going to need patience. i'm probably going to have to learn how to tailor trousers. i will need to Observe how others dress. but it's so much!! ahh!!!!
#this post was inspired by ND stevenson's latest substack comic about men's fashion when trans#it was very good and inspiring to read and touched on a lot of things i've been thinking about#and i think my biggest takeaway is that i just need to follow more guys doing aspirational fashion on instagram haha#anyway if you know of any fashionable short kings and especially anyone considered plus size please recommend#like the goal is to dress in a way that's fun and comfy for Me without necessarily having to adhere to societal norms#but i would also like to be ABLE to dress professionally and respectably when necessary#i was never good at feminine fashion either and i think it's been painfully obvious to everyone growing up that i was Autism#but it was very easy to just get weird with feminine clothes and do your own thing as a weird girl highschooler#head of the gender clinic: 'have you tried purchasing men's clothes' HAVE YOU??? HAVE YOU GRAPPPED WITH MEN'S FASHION AND STYLES???
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