#apparently this has 'been a problem for a while' but she's been 'letting it slide'

[strohller27]

.

[goldenlaquer]

Woahhhh if asks are open... can I ask for Gintoki trying really hard to impress this girl he likes, but everything goes to absolute shit because this is Gintama? Totally fine if you delete! I still devour all your old stuff to fill my soul with life 🥹 Never come across anyone who writes Gintama as accurately as you bebe 😘

Sakata Gintoki Headcanons:

If Gintoki made a list of pros and cons about himself, it would probably read like this:

Pro: he has a big dick. (Big dick reading as BIG DICK, in bold, all-caps. Triple underlined.)

Con: he's a perfectionist. (Con: he's a liar.)

So, it isn't all that hard to imagine impressing you would be a Herculean task for Gintoki.

Asking Kagura for advice is like shooting yourself in the foot. Gin-chan is penniless, she says matter-of-factly. No lady wants a broke, mooching, deadbeat boyfriend. A pause to let him absorb these insults, and then, Papi brought Mama three heads, she kindly tells him like it's the secret to your heart, and that's very romantic in Yato culture apparently. Which reminds Gintoki that Kagura is from a different species just as much as her barely counting as female to begin with. Well, in human culture, he could give you as many heads as you'd want— but that's bases away and he's been swinging strikes all throughout this sad, unrequited game.

Asking Shinpachi— no, no. Now, that's a lost cause.

He tries. He does. He really tries.

He tries complimenting you. Suavely slide in a comment about how your teeth looks like it could bite into hard candy, no problem. That your hair doesn't look as dry and brittle today than it did yesterday, and oh wow, your tits look... wow. Double thumbs up.

He tries paying for your meal, to show that he can provide for you, that he's not going to be the broke, mooching, deadbeat boyfriend Kagura deemed him to be. Work a few odd jobs and have all the correct bills in his normally depleted wallet, even break a comb on his hair and get dressed to the nines in his nice, regular clothes that passed the sniff inspection when he shook it out from a pile of unwashed laundry— and it's just, while on the way to his favorite family diner he invited you to, he's passing by a pachinko parlor, with all of its flashy get-rich-quick displays and bright dinging noises from within, and that was when he's suddenly sensing it... the taste of victory. Long story short, the only thing he'll end up tasting is the strawberry parfait that you paid for.

Whatever poor progress that manages to inch forward always ends straight back to the negatives. Damn the perverted stalker and her masochistic plays she forces on him. Damn the timing and whatever deity has pitted against him when you step onto the scene to the sight of him wielding a paddle as the stalker squeals happily while tied to the wooden cross. No, this isn't— he wants to tell you, but your expression has already smoothed into a carefully blank canvas before you turn your back to him and walk away to leave him to... it. No, this isn't what it looks like, he wants to scream.

In a mood of desperation and shots deep in cheap gutter sake, he'd even wrote a poem in the dead of night, detailing the color of your eyes and all the things they reminded him of, invented a new word just to make a rhyme with your name, how the sound of your voice catches in his chest when he hears it— shit if he knew anything about pretty words, he'd never wrote anything longer than a drawn penis before— and once he was done, what he did next was ball the whole sheet up, open the nearest window, and pitch it to the stars. The lamest shit he ever did in his life will be taken to his grave.

Sometimes, because his name is Gintoki, and he is the protagonist of a septic tank for low hanging fruit comedy series called 'Gintama', sometimes the whole universe is against him.

There is a two episode-length arc the occurs, but due to the time-constraints of these headcanons and the writer's own laziness, the details of it shall not be outlined, but please know it involves an exposition, conflict, rising action, a climax (and not the good kind), falling action, some explosions and a tiny grave misunderstanding that leaves you storming from the wreckage in fury and exasperation, and Gintoki catching your wrist, spinning you around to face him. Emotions and adrenaline running high, chests heaving in exertion, and seeing your face covered in soot and sweat and your eyes huge and wet, looking damn more beautiful than you have any right to be, that's when Gintoki finally decides to put his big balls to use and confess himself to you. Opening his mouth and—

Plotfully, the wind picks up, and then suddenly a wadded ball of paper rolls to hit your feet. Both you and Gintoki look down to stare at this interruption. You bend down to pick it up and unfold the ball, startling at whatever you find, snapping your eyes up to him. "Gin, your name is on here?"

Shit! Gintoki realizes, recognizing the paper now. This is the worst possible timing! My stupid shitty poem somehow found its way to the woman it was written for. And why the fuck did I sign it!

He looks left and right, searching for a vending machine to put his head through, and when there are none, he's scrubbing his face with his hand, looking at you and the damned poem he wrote that found it's way to you, as if was meant to be there. "I wrote it." He finally grumbles. "For you. Don't be creeped out."

Your eyes scan the page from top to bottom, reading. Your eyebrows shoot up, looking up at him with wide eyes.

"This is really what you think about me?" Your trembling voice barely above a whisper.

Gintoki pauses. Then nods. "Yeah. Every word."

Your expression blanks. You turn the wrinkled paper around. Gintoki squints.

Shit! Gintoki thinks. I was so drunk I never wrote anything down, I just drew a penis!

[oddyseye]

Okay, I wasn’t going to say anything else about EPIC. I really wasn’t. But then I remembered I’m a survivor of SA, and staying quiet about things like this is just not in my nature.

This is your last warning for SA discussion before I go on. Cool? Cool. Here’s the deal: Epic the Musical erased Odysseus’s experience of sexual assault at the hands of Calypso, a key element of his story in The Odyssey, and then went ahead and invented a new storyline where the suitors plan to rape Penelope. Yes, you read that correctly. They removed male sexual assault entirely from the narrative but decided to increase Penelope’s suffering by adding gratuitous violence that wasn’t in Homer’s text. This is a deeply troubling creative decision, and I can’t let it slide. First, let’s look at Odysseus’s ordeal with Calypso. In The Odyssey, he is trapped on her island for seven years. This isn’t some romantic getaway — Odysseus explicitly says that he longs to return home to Ithaca, to Penelope, and to his life. Calypso refuses to let him go, keeping him against his will. But Epic completely erases this part of his story. There’s no exploration of what it means for Odysseus to be a victim of sexual violence or how this impacts his journey. Instead, they pretend it never happened, as if male SA is something that can just be brushed under the rug because it’s uncomfortable to address. And that’s a huge problem. When you erase male sexual assault, you contribute to the stigma that male victims face in real life — the idea that their experiences don’t matter, that they’re not “real” victims. Odysseus’ story is one of the few examples in ancient literature that acknowledges male vulnerability in this way, and for Epic to cut it out is not just a missed opportunity but a blatant dismissal of an important aspect of his character.

Now let’s move on to Penelope. In Homer’s text, the suitors are undeniably vile. They invade her home, consume her resources, and harass her with unwanted advances. They also sexually assault the female servants in the household, a horrific but historically grounded detail that highlights the suitors’ depravity. However, Penelope herself is not subjected to physical sexual violence. Her suffering is primarily psychological and emotional. She endures years of torment as she waits for Odysseus, using her wit and resilience to protect her home and her son. She doesn’t need to be physically brutalized to be a compelling, tragic figure — her strength and intelligence speak for themselves. But Epic decided that wasn’t enough. Instead of respecting Penelope’s original characterization, they added a plotline where the suitors actively plan to rape her. This change is not only unnecessary but also deeply harmful. It’s yet another example of modern media using sexual violence as a lazy shortcut to create drama or “raise the stakes” for female characters.

What makes this even worse is the way the creator, Jorge, has handled this topic in the Epic community. Discussions of Calypso’s sexual assault of Odysseus have been explicitly banned in the musical’s Discord server. Imagine that for a moment. A canonical instance of sexual violence is considered too taboo to talk about, but inventing new sexual violence against Penelope? That’s apparently fine. This double standard is infuriating. It shows a complete lack of understanding of the source material and a disregard for the real-world implications of these narrative choices.

This adaptation could have done something powerful by acknowledging Odysseus’s assault and exploring its impact on him. This could have been a valid artistic choice if handled carefully, if, for instance, it had been used to explore Penelope’s fear and determination in the face of such a threat. But in the context of Epic, this addition feels hollow and gratuitous. Why? Because while the musical amplifies Penelope’s suffering, it silences Odysseus’. I will only add that adding a storyline where the suitors plan to harm Penelope isn’t inherently a bad creative choice. Sexual violence is already present in The Odyssey. The suitors’ treatment of the female servants, for instance, is a horrifying but integral part of the story, showing how power and entitlement corrupt them. Expanding on the danger Penelope faces in her own home could have been a powerful way to explore her resilience, intelligence, and the stakes she faced while waiting for Odysseus. But Epic the Musical completely erases this part of Odysseus’ story. There’s no mention of his captivity or the abuse he suffered. Instead, his time with Calypso is framed as little more than a delay on his journey, a footnote rather than a defining trial. When Epic decided to add a plotline where the suitors plan to rape Penelope, it fundamentally changed her struggle. Again, this isn’t necessarily a bad choice, it could have been a way to emphasize the danger she faced as a lone woman surrounded by violent, entitled men. But for this addition to work, it needed to be balanced against the rest of the story.

Imagine if Epic had included both Penelope’s new storyline and Odysseus’ abuse at the hands of Calypso. This could have been a profoundly meaningful parallel. Odysseus and Penelope, separated by years and miles, both endure profound violations of their autonomy. He is physically held captive, forced into a relationship he doesn’t want. She is psychologically held captive in her own home, under constant threat from the suitors. Both fight to maintain their sense of self in the face of overwhelming violation. Both cling to the hope of reunion as their anchor and their strength.

The Odyssey is one of the most enduring stories of all time because of its complexity and humanity. Stripping away that complexity in favor of cheap, exploitative drama is an insult to the original text and to the audience.

[pruneunfair]

My feelings on: part 8, Tears on a withered flower: the most annoying fandom to date so far.

I ask if this one was really that great since I've been seeing it all over the place on tiktok and Instagram and reading it myself, I can see why it would garner an audience because it's another "working woman finds a better man after her loser ex cheats on her with a stupid damsel girl" type story. It's kinda good but in my opinion: it's not THAT good but there is only 23 chapters I read so far so I'll let it marinate before I actually start going after it for the plot.

What I really wanna talk about is the fanbase of tears on a withered flower because while the manhwa community does have a problem with internalized misogyny this specific fanbase takes the cake.

I don't like saying the term "glazing" but it's the only way to accurately describe the way they treat the FL Na Haesoo because they are absolutely feral. First off, I've seen them lose their shit over other fans simply saying "I think that this female character has a prettier design then Hae soo." And these stans reply with the most immature and even down right laughable comebacks. I took some screenshot of a tears of the wither flower slide show to give you an idea.

"Hae soon is the main character for a reason."

Who's gonna tell them that protagonists can be written poorly?

Trust me, I'm sure no one's jealous of a fictional character.

Okay the context basically was that Hae soos coworker was just being real with her based on what she knows about Hae soos life and apparently fans took that as her being jealous and when people who actually read the god damn plot and use their critical thinking to point this out, the stans basically go "nuh uh" and continue to scream even louder. Personally when I read that chapter i took it as brutal honesty, from her perspective Tae Ha was hitting on a married woman and the two barely knew eachother. A little harsh but she's not jealous of Hae soo 😭 like we barely know this girl!

I think the most complained about aspect of tears on a withered flower is the anatomy, specifically the anatomy of all the characters your supposed to really like/care about.

I don't mind that Hae Soo is built like that cause while her anatomy definitely is unrealistic it's also a cartoon comic and cartoons have lots of bizarre forms of anatomy that don't always need to be accurate. With that said I don't find it a coincidence that the FL who is the most fleshed out and only grown woman who isn't meant to be disliked or made fun of is a tsunade cup sized babe with big thighs, a tiny waist, a nice butt, and a baby face.

Yeah I'll say it: Hae soo is another example of authors wanting to make a non conventionally attractive woman since she's supposed to be older (like 33) who is also overworked so she doesn't take care of herself but in the end they didn't have the balls to actually go through with it so they not only gave Hae soo an amazing figure and hair but they also gave her a clear face, tiny lips and barely noticeable eye bags which I still can't tell if they're even eye bags or just her eyelashes.

When anyone even dares to point out that Hae Soo's design is weirdly propionate compared to the other female characters you get hid with the "Your just jealous that you can't have a man like Tae Ha!!"

look i don't mind disproportionate anatomy in cartoon comics but if you give me character designs with more accurate proportions, I'm going to choose the latter for prettier looking designs.

Another thing about this manhwa was the dialog. I like it at times because it can be so poetic.. and then they just throw in some comically evil sentences for the villains that most sane people would not make the public aware of in a modern day setting. It's not something that really annoys me I just thought it was fun to laugh at every now and again while reading.

conclusion: I think the best way to describe tears on a withered flowers fanbase is kinda like how Netflix treats Bigmouth. No, TOTWF is definitely no where near levels of uncomfortable as Bigmouth but it's in the way that it really isn't as good as everyone claims, it's okay at first and then it got old and some people started opening up that the thought Bigmouth was garbage only for a bunch of stans to barge in with "You just don't get it!!" People won't let it go, they keep insisting it's the best piece of work to exist and anyone who doesn't like it is a jealous loser.

[rainbowcaleb]

FICLET FRIDAY: My Flowerhaired Prince

Prompt: long hair Essek | Pairing: Shadowgast | Rating: T | Wordcount: 811 | CW: none

A trio of wind chimes ring in Caleb’s head. He puts his hand on the page of his book, and looks towards the front hall. The afternoon sun is low enough in the sky that the floor is confettied with colored splashes from the stained glass inset on the door. He watches and waits. There’s a shuffling against the door, but no secondary alarm goes off. Caleb lets out his breath and returns to his book. He’s borrowed it from Veth and it’s long past due to return to her. Apparently she’s trying to start a bookclub with Jester and this is their first pick. He smiles to himself; The Gale and the Raven is a rather raunchy pick, but he can see the appeal. The descriptions are lovingly, explicitly, detailed.

The door opens and Caleb turns his page. Only a rare few know where he lives, and even rarer who have a key. It has been seven years and his anxieties, while not gone, slumber like a cat in a sunbeam more often than they roar.

“Caleb, I’m back.” It’s Essek, because of course it is. He lives here, comfortably settled into life with Caleb, three cats, and friends who come and go whenever they are in town.

“How was the market?” Caleb calls out. “Do you need a hand?”

“No, no, it’s all in one basket. Ah, darling, you won’t believe how ripe the plums are right now. Mister Aplinn was kind enough to set aside a carton for me, which proved fortuitous as Jester’s pastry errand took a while first.”

Caleb finishes up his page and picks an envelope off the endtable to use as a bookmark. It’s the outside of the wedding invitation from Jester and Fjord, the contents of which he’s memorized.

“How is Jester? Did you send along my regrets? The problem with teaching isn’t the students, it is always the endless meetings—” Caleb stops talking. Essek has just entered the room. “Oh.”

Essek raises an eyebrow. “What is it?” He starts towards the kitchen to unload his basket. Caleb practically throws the book onto his seat and goes to follow him.

“Essek, you look…” Caleb feels completely tongue tied. Yes, he saw Essek just this morning, early sunlight through peachy curtains making his bare skin glow against the covers of their shared bed. But Essek has returned looking different.

“Yes, ah, well you see Jester is practicing.” There’s a hint of color starting to dust across his cheeks.

Caleb raises his hands and cups those warm cheeks and turns Essek to face him. “For the wedding?”

“Yes.” Essek holds his gaze. “Do you like it?”

“Dear, you look lovely.” Caleb can’t help but twist a finger around one of the curls that has fallen across Essek’s forehead. Jester has taken full advantage of the new shoulder length growth, braiding a crown of hair around his head and leaving the rest to gently fall in waves. Intermingled with the braids are fresh flowers; dainty pink, spring green, and blue petals frame Essek’s face like gilding surrounding a fine painting.

“Jester didn’t have a mirror, but I did try and glance in a shop window. It’s not really me, I would say, but—” Essek pauses, and Caleb can sense the words tumbling until smooth. “It is something new.”

It warms Caleb’s heart, and he can’t help but lean in and press a kiss to Essek’s smiling mouth. “If you wear this to the wedding, it is only fair that you braid my hair too. We should match.”

Standing this close together Caleb can practically see a sparkle in Essek’s eyes at the suggestion. “Yes, yes, a very good idea. But you can’t wiggle this time. It’ll ruin your hair.”

Caleb pouts. “When do I wiggle?”

Essek reaches up and threads his hand through Caleb’s hair, tugging a little as he goes. Caleb leans into his touch immediately, barely stifling a humming moan.

“See?” Essek kisses his neck, now handily bared as Caleb leans to his side. “You like it too much.”

“That simply means we need to practice, get it out of my system so to speak.” Caleb slides his arms down and around Essek, pulling him flush against him. “Good news, my evening plans are wide open. Shall we begin?”

“Caleb!” Essek does not pull away, but his tone is all playful admonishment. “But the food needs to be put away, the plums…”

Essek should have seen it coming. Caleb tugs him tighter, palming his backside in the process.

“Yes, the plum, which I have right now.”

That earns him a yank of his hair, but Caleb’s reaction is all reward, not punishment. Essek kisses the tip of his nose.

“Fine, you win. But you are making dinner afterwards.”

“Whatever you say, my flower haired love, now let me take you to bed.”

[marlynnofmany]

Rematch

(Related side project: Prank War!)

~~~

“Since it has been brought to my attention,” said Captain Sunlight, “And it will not STOP being brought to my attention—” She frowned at Blip. “—The last race involved an unfair head start, and I need to mediate the beginning of this one. You absolute children.”

I looked from Blip and Blop, who stood with their chins high and muscley arms folded, to Zhee who did the bug alien equivalent. His pincher arms weren’t pinching anything at the moment, and he’d angled his torso to raise his head above the rest of us. Neither he nor the Frillian twins looked ashamed.

Paint gave me a look of sympathy from where she and Mur waited by the smallest hoversled of the three. “Best of luck.” Their load of deliveries was a stack of lightweight boxes, easy for a short lizardperson and tentacle alien to handle.

I was paired up with Zhee for delivering a large and well-packaged sculpture, while the Frillians had a load of heavy machine parts. Everything had to be delivered to different areas of this space station.

And apparently Zhee’s head start in the last unofficial delivery race had been deemed cheating, so the twins wanted a rematch.

“I will remind everyone,” Captain Sunlight said as she put a scaly hand on the door controls, “To be more careful than fast. Anyone who causes problems of any sort — bumping into people, causing damage — will be the automatic loser. Do not make our ship look bad. Clear?”

We all agreed, with a range of enthusiasm. Captain Sunlight directed us into an arrangement outside of the ship that would let both of the big deliveries take off simultaneously. Paint and Mur gladly held back, admiring the spaceport while I took the position Zhee suggested and the twins likewise got ready. Luckily for everyone, the place wasn’t too crowded. Our route to the main concourse was clear of obstacles.

Zhee hissed a whisper: “Don’t slow me down.”

“I’ll do my best,” I told him. “I can ride on the sled if I need to.” We both knew he was a faster runner than me. I’d already scoped out the best place to hop on and still be able to reach the hand brake.

“Ready!” said Captain Sunlight. “Smell! Go!”

We took off, with me trying not to be distracted by Heatseeker phrasing while Blip and Blop whooped happily and Zhee left a string of determined hissing behind us. The only pedestrian nearby, a green Mesmer taller than Zhee, saw us coming and stepped well out of the way.

“Thank you!” I called as we passed, leaving the spaceport for the main concourse. I didn’t hear an answer.

There were more people out here, walking and otherwise moving under their own power as well as using various hover-things. Blip and Blop peeled off to the right with taunts about how they would get back first; they were the best; etcetera. Our destination was to the left. At the sharp turn, I was glad the statue was strapped down tight.

The concourse was wide and well-lit, with plenty of space for us to dash down the middle while more casual station-goers strolled along the sides. Lots of Mesmers, lots of stores and restaurants, lots of running still to do.

When Zhee’s speed started to make the sled slide past me, I sprinted for a few steps, then leapt onto the sled, grabbing the straps. It bounced a little, but didn’t skid. Whew. Zhee didn’t comment either, which was a bonus.

Soon enough, I hopped off again to help steer around a corner, then alternated between running and riding. We were making pretty good time as far as I could tell. Nobody had yelled at us to slow down. I wondered how Blip and Blop were doing.

Then all thoughts were panic as the gravity cut out. My urgent footfalls against the floor launched me upward, and I clutched a strap for dear life. The sled was rising too, and Zhee was hissing wildly, and oh this was the worst place for it to happen. We’d just run onto an overpass.

The long drop below was far too close; we were drifting over the railing. But Zhee caught the railing with his long bug legs, pinchers holding tight to the sled and leaving deep grooves. I held in a scream and scrambled to the front where the controls were. Between the two of us, we steered back over safe ground. With no idea what the gravity would do next, I kept a hand on the height control for the hover engine.

It was good that I did. Scant heartbeats later, the gravity snapped back on. I settled the hoversled back down without crashing into the floor or crushing Zhee. The sculpture was still in place. I hadn’t peed myself. Success all around.

“Are you okay?” I asked as we skidded to a stop and I relearned how to breathe.

“Yess,” Zhee hissed. He was breathing hard too, but it looked weird since what passed for his nostrils were in his torso. Shouts filtered in from all directions. “Let’s proceed.”

“Carefully,” I said. “How about I stay right here?” I knelt next to the controls. There was just enough space.

“Agreed,” said Zhee. “That kind of hiccup could happen again.”

It did, though smaller this time. Just enough for us to catch a little air, in a narrow corridor this time. Another soft landing. We’d almost hit the ceiling that time though, and I didn’t like the idea of testing the sculpture’s packaging that way.

Moving at a reasonable speed, we passed a number of people (mostly Mesmers) who were having their own adventures with the gravity. Lots of scattered belongings and a couple minor injuries. I was selfishly glad that we wouldn’t be staying long. And that our ship had its own gravity generators.

New problem. “Stop,” I told Zhee when I caught sight of the roadblock up ahead. Lots of fallen metal crates — cages? Oh no. Open cages.

“What?” Zhee asked, then he saw it too. We slid to a stop. Nothing moved ahead of us: no people, and no sign of what the crates had been holding. Was it too much to hope that they’d been empty before they broke open like that? Every single door was popped open. Shoddy design, not able to stand up to a little gravity shakeup.

I gauged the size of the cages. “We’ll have to move those to get past. They’re too big to hover over.”

Zhee rattled his mandibles in a way that sounded annoyed. “Whoever owns these should be out here cleaning up their mess.”

“Maybe they’re busy catching whatever escaped,” I said.

I wasn’t looking at him, but I could almost feel the stern look he gave me. “This is not the time to offer your services as animal handler. We’re on a schedule.”

“I wasn’t planning to,” I said. “I just hope they’re not dangerous.”

“If they are, hopefully they’re off being dangerous somewhere else. We’re almost at our destination.”

We really were; I’d almost lost track. The map had said the high-end collectibles dealership was right around the corner.

Still no one in sight. I climbed down. “Let’s move these to the side.”

We parked the hoversled and set to hauling the cages. They weren’t too heavy, and didn’t look like the kind of thing that dangerous animals would be kept in. But I knew better than most people that not everyone who shipped fauna around in cages did it the smart way. Several memories of animal cargos causing trouble on our own ship flitted through my head as I worked.

“Hm,” Zhee said. “These are destined for the same dealership as our sculpture here. I hope there’s someone free to sign for it, not off chasing creatures.”

I found him glaring at a logo that I hadn’t recognized. “Want me to go check? Or would it be faster stay and move more crates?”

“Go ahead and scamper over there,” Zhee said with a dismissive wave of a pincher arm. “I’ll clear a path.” He hauled another cage to the side.

The corner was close, and would give me a clear view of the dealership’s entrance. I dodged between cages and took a look.

I immediately regretted it.

Spiders the size of large dogs filled the corridor, clustered around something that I thought for a horrifying moment was a fallen person, but no: bag of food. Which was ripped and scattered everywhere, torn into by the eager creatures like lions on a zebra.

I froze in place long enough for Zhee to pester me for an update. “Well? Anyone there?”

“Anyone, no,” I said in a voice that was mostly level. “Anything, unfortunately yes.”

Zhee scraped another cage across the floor. “Details, please.”

The nearest spider looked toward me at the sound, then went back to the food.

“The escaped animals are over there, eating food that was probably meant for them.” I looked up. “They’re blocking the door.”

“Are they dangerous?”

“I don’t know,” I had to admit. “I’m unfamiliar with this exact species, but they look an awful lot like an Earth animal, just terrifyingly large. And some of those can kill a person with a single bite.”

“Great.” Zhee rested his pinchers on another cage without moving it. “Are our clients hiding inside, then, and this delivery was for nothing?”

“Maybe.” That door was definitely shut tight. It was a back entrance though, not the main one with big display windows, so it was possible that whoever was inside didn’t know about the escape yet. “We might want to call security.”

“So they can call in a professional animal handler?” Zhee asked with some sarcasm, picking his way through the remaining cages.

I frowned at him. “So they can come in with body armor and whatever sedatives these things need to get them back in the cages. Assuming the doors still shut all the way.”

“The cages are fine, just cheap,” Zhee said, shutting one with a leg as he passed. “What kind of creatures are we talking about? Will they attack if we try to sneak past?”

“I couldn’t say,” I admitted. “The ones on my planet are definite predators, but I’m no expert on the behavior of anything this large.” I moved over so he could see, taking one more look at the nightmare fuel crawling all over the hallway.

Zhee looked. He was silent for a moment, then he rotated his head in that creepy buglike way to stare at me with the full force of his compound eyes. “Those are cleaners.”

I blinked. “What?”

“Cleaners,” he repeated. “For cleaning up pest infestations, spilled food, and fungal growths?”

“What?” I asked. “Those are the cleaners you guys use? I thought they were robots!”

“Why would we use robots to clean when there are animals happy to do it for us?”

“We do!” I exclaimed. “You’ve seen the Roomba fleets! You didn’t want me to get one for our ship!”

“That’s because you’d tape a knife to it.”

“I would not.”

“Unconvinced,” he said. “And anyway, you have a small predator for catching pests on the ship, which is entirely reasonable.”

I squinted at him. “Didn’t you think a cat was a waste of resources?”

He waved a pincher arm. “Only if you wanted the animal purely for sensory reasons. Humans have a strange obsession with soft fur.”

“Spoken like someone with an exoskeleton,” I said with a shake of my head. “Okay. So these things are safe to walk past? No deadly venom, not going to bite me, who does NOT have an exoskeleton?”

“Of course not. Look.” He stepped around the last of the cages and walked out into the swarm of giant spiders. I watched from my safe spot. Sure enough, they moved out of his way with all the docility of a flock of recently-fed chickens. He came back.

I stayed where I was. “And you’re sure they won’t react differently to another species?”

Zhee tilted his antennae in a way that suggested he was laughing at me. “You can ride on the hoversled if that will make you feel better.”

“Well,” I said. “Someone’s got to be at the controls in case of gravity hiccups. Speaking of which, I should get back over there now.”

Zhee was definitely laughing at me, but he didn’t argue as I picked my way through the remaining cages and took a seat stubbornly on the platform that floated safely above the floor. Zhee moved the other cages. Then he pushed and I steered, and the immensely creepy giant spiders paid us no mind.

Zhee rapped on the door with a folded pincher arm. “Delivery!” he annouced. “Also, your cleaners got out!”

A harried-looking Mesmer appeared at the door, a darker shade of green from the other one and very exasperated at the sight in the hallway. He immediately called for someone else to come deal with the mess out there, never mind the mess indoors.

I stayed on the hoversled. I handed Zhee the payment tablet from its storage pocket, he got the guy to sign for the delivery, and more underlings were summoned to deal with the statue.

I finally got down at that point, helping Zhee undo the straps and use the hoversled’s gravity platform to move the heavy sculpture to the floor. Much to my relief, the station’s gravity behaved itself while we did so.

And most of the spiders had been rounded up by then. That helped too.

The clients maneuvered the sculpture through the door on their own little hoverpad, just barely clearing the top. It was still wrapped, so I had no idea what it was a sculpture of. Could have been spiders. I hoped not.

Zhee shoved the payment tablet back into its slot. “You might as well ride on the way back too.”

I opened my mouth to say the floor was clear of creepy things now, but I realized he was probably talking about the gravity. Or possibly my running speed. Oh yeah, we were still in a race. “Sure,” I said.

So I sat cross-legged on the empty cart, diligently minding the controls while Zhee pushed it past where the spiders huddled in their cages, some still crunching stolen kibble. Mesmers moved one cage at a time through the door.

Where the cages had fallen, scrapes lined the walkway. Zhee picked up speed as we passed, and I got a good grip on the nearest strap tie. I may have held it a little white-knuckledly as we crossed the bridge.

There were more pedestrians out and about now, dealing with fallout from the space equivalent of a minor earthquake. Luckily for all of us, there wasn’t a repeat. We made good time once we got to the main concourse, nearly flying when we reached the spaceport.

But despite Zhee’s fleet feet and my careful leaning around corners, Blip and Blop were waiting when we arrived. They had even sprawled out to lounge on the cargo ramp with canned drinks and a bag of shrimp sticks they were passing back and forth. Their grins were wide.

“Hey, what kept you?” asked Blip, raising her drink.

“Didn’t have trouble with the gravity flux, did you?” Blop added.

Zhee scowled as we came to a stop. “The pathway was blocked by broken cages and escaped animals.”

“Really!” Blip said, sitting up. “Good thing you had the animal expert with you.”

“Yes, good thing,” Zhee agreed, giving me a look.

I finally got down from the hoversled. “You will be happy to know,” I announced, “That I was not tempted to keep one as a pet.”

~~~

Did I mention the Prank War?

~~~

These are the ongoing backstory adventures of the main character from this book.

Shared early on Patreon! There’s even a free tier to get them on the same day as the rest of the world.

The sequel novel is in progress (and will include characters from these stories. I hadn’t thought all of them up when I wrote the first book, but they’re too much fun to leave out of the second).

[zapsproblems]

tuskpir treatment!

pairing: Luka x tuskpir!hybrid!reader

wc: 2.0k

warnings: smut, afab!reader but gender neutral pronouns used, unprotected, p in v, semi-public if you rly squint, laying down, not proofread 💀, luka is a cutie patootie

based on the luminary wardance quest when Luka can’t sleep so Lingsha brings him a tuskpir to lay with. except YOU’RE the tuskpir <3 idk if this has been done before sry if someone already did this 🙏

“Mr Luka, come take a look,” Lingsha gestures to you, “This is the tuskpir treatment that I’ve prepared for you.”

You stand there shyly, hiding what you could of your stubby excuse for a tail between your legs. You flicker your eyes up at the red-haired boy and smile as a way of saying hello.

“They’re a tuskpir of the Xianzhou Zhuming,” Lingsha continues, “a creature that subsists on memoria. Hugging them while you fall asleep can raise your sleep quality, treat insomnia, and relieve anxiety and depression.”

The man apparently named Luka looks at you with light in his eyes. “So, all I have to do is… cuddle them essentially? And I’ll be able to get some proper sleep before the next match?”

Lingsha giggles amusingly, “Yes, you could say so. Why? Don’t you think they’re cute?”

Luka swallows a lump in his throat and tries to hide a slight blush on his nose with an act of scratching an itch in his face. “I mean… those ears are super fluffy. So yeah.” Your ears in question perk up at the mention.

You’ve helped Lingsha out before in helping either her or her friends to fall asleep. Being a tuskpir hybrid had its perks of relaxing those around you, so might as well use it for good, right? But, when Lingsha had asked you to help her out with an acquaintance who has been having problems relaxing before the Luminary Wardance, you had never imagined your patient in question would be so… cute.

“I’m (y/n).” you say simply, awkwardly reaching your hand out to Luka. The man takes it, shaking it softly like he was afraid to hurt you. “Name’s Luka.”

“Well, well. Now that you two are acquainted, I’ll let you get some sleep. Bye now~” Lingsha singsongs as she steps out of the room, the door sliding closed behind her.

Luka is the first to speak up after a moment of heavy silence, “So you’re a tuskpir, yeah? I’ve never heard of that before. I’m not exactly from here.”

“Ah, no worries,” you grin, “I assumed you weren’t from the Xianzhou when I saw your outfit. Plus, we’re a minority species here anyways.”

A quick, breathy laugh escapes from the red-haired man before the room once again falls into an awkward silence. “So, uh… should we just…?” Luka shyly gestures to the thin mattress set-up on the ground.

“Y-yeah! That works.” You say with false confidence. Aeons, this guy really is hot and a sweetheart.

You try to get yourself settled on the poor excuse for a mattress provided to Luka by the event organizers and watch the man as he hesitates to lay down with you. He seems to notice you looking up at him expectantly.

“Is there like… any particular way I’m supposed to do this? Like, where d’ya want me?” Luke scratches the back of his neck with his metal arm sheepishly.

Giggling as his gentlemanly manners, you shrug your shoulders. “Wherever’s fine pretty much. Just get comfortable.”

Responding with a fast nod, Luka moves behind you and sinks himself down underneath the blankets with you. Your breath hitches a bit when you feel his (human) hand move to drape gently over your waist. His toned body slowly inches closer to your rear, effectively spooning you. It has been a while since you’d been with something in a position like this, let alone with someone so hot. You try to still your ever-speeding heartbeat, lest Luka notices the bombs going off in your chest.

He finally rests in a position so that his chest is flush with your back. Your waist is hugged by his strong arm, making you feel strangely secure with this stranger. His warm breath tickles your ear, becoming slower paced as he evidently tries to relax.

“Do you… do this often? Like, cuddle with random people so they can sleep?” Luka softly asks behind you, “Was that a weird question? Sorry…”

“Don’t worry, the question’s fair enough.” You chuckle, mostly to ease your nerves about the situation, “It’s not very often I do this, no. But Lingsha asked me if I could help out. She’s a good friend of mine.”

Luka’s breathing grows a bit heavier in your ear. “Your ears really are so cute.” He says, ignoring your response to his previous question. “Honestly, you’re just cute in general…” He trails off almost like he didn’t even realize he was speaking aloud. You blush hard at his words, grateful that you’re facing the opposite direction so Luka doesn’t see the extent of how his words affected you. You only worry that your twitching tail might give you away.

As silence falls once again between the two of you, you feel something other than just your tail press between your bodies. Aeons, this can’t be happening. This beautiful man feels this way about you? A shy tuskpir? As surprising as it is, there’s no way you’re letting this opportunity go to waste.

You bite your lip and twist your head back to look at Luka. Even in the dim lighting of the room his eyes are dark with something other than relaxation. He flicks his eyes down to your pretty lips and back up again to lock with your eyes.

After a moment of quiet words between you two, you give Luka a small nod. Before you know it, his lips are already on yours. His lips are a little dry but move skillfully across yours as he grips your waist a little tighter with his hand. Your heart races with the heat of the moment and fireworks go off inside your chest.

In one smooth (and quite impressive) movement, Luka breaks the kiss and grabs your waist with his other hand, turning you so that you’re facing him. They don’t call him “strongarm” for nothing.

You meet his lips with yours once again, hungrier this time. You rake your fingers through his surprisingly soft red hair as his creeps up higher on your torso. The cool touch of his metal hand cradling the back of your neck makes you shiver. It’s almost embarrassing to admit, but the strange level of intimacy of the moment with someone who was a stranger just twenty minutes ago has you throbbing between your legs.

Luka’s hand moves from your neck even further up to your ears. “So fuckin’ adorable.”He mumbles between passionate kisses. He fondles your sensitive, fluffy tuskpir ears in a way that makes you moan ever so slightly.

“Hm?” Luka teases, “Sensitive?”

“Mmhm.” You confirm by humming, not wanting to lose contact with his hot lips. He somehow managed to draw you in like he’s your fucking lifeline.

He lets go of your ears and your head follows him as if it was trying to chase his contact back. But, your protests were quickly silenced by the feeling of Luka’s hand moving beneath the blanket again and against the crotch of your shorts. A gasp is ripped out of your throat at the sudden relief of contact in the place you need it most. A teasing look appears on his face as if he was saying look how fucking wet you are already, were you hoping for this?

You can’t help yourself but grind your hips into his fingers like a desperate puppy. The intoxicating way your clit slides across his knuckles has you rolling your eyes back into your head.

As much as he is teasing you, Luka’s state isn’t fairing much better than yours. His cock is straining hard against his too-tight pants, making a large tent in the tan fabric. Fuck, he wouldn’t be surprised if there was a wet patch forming near his tip from how turned on this situation has him. Having an adorable tuskpir hybrid rutting against him like they’re in heat? How did he get so fucking lucky?

“Baby,” Luka rasps, “can I feel you? I need t’feel you.”

You respond only by sliding down your shorts and panties far enough that you can open your legs up for him. That’s enough for Luka though, as he unzips his trousers and pulls out his cock with a sigh. Curiosity gets the best of you and you can’t help but sneak a quick peak at the boxer’s member. You could swear that your mouth waters at the sight. He’s a bit longer and girthier than average, but not to the point that it would hurt you. A trimmed bush of crimson hair at the base of his cock fades upwards into a happy trail. But, what really has you shivering is his pretty tip that’s flushed deep pink, leaking beads of milky precum.

“Lemme get in between those pretty thigh, cutie.” Luka positions his dick at the entrance of your clenching hole, holding one of your thighs a little bit higher for access.

His mushroom tip pushes into you, leaving you cursing into Luka’s ear at the feeling of being stretched. Loose pieces of red hair tickles your cheek as you throw your face into the crook of his neck. Luka ruts shallowly into your pussy, not stopping until his heavy balls rest against your ass.

You move your head back to look at Luka’s face, almost moaning at the sight alone. His eyes are pressed shut, mouth parted slightly in a moment of pleasure. “Fuck, cutie. S’good.”

“Feels so full.” You admit, exasperated. “Please, fuck me.” You almost whisper.

His cock immediately starts moving inside of your walls and you can feel every single inch of it. Luka wastes no time getting up to a faster pace as you’re both already so horny for each other than your pussy is practically begging to be ravaged. Your eyes roll to the back of your head and you squeeze them shut as his cock repeatedly rubs against that special spot within you that sends bursts of fire through your veins.

The blanket covering you moves and rustles with Luka’s thrusts. The man briefly removes his hand from the vice grip he had on your waist to shove the blanket off of you two so that he can move easier. He pulls your top thigh over his hip for better leverage to continue thrusting into your cunt. Once his hand is free, he brings it down to make small circles around your clit. You nearly scream at the feeling, being overwhelmed by the pleasure.

“Feels good?” Luka pants, “That cute little hole is just—fuck—swallowing my cock. Takin’ it so well for me.”

“Luka,” you whine breathlessly, “g-gonna…”

“Me too, baby. Cum with me won’t ya? Please…” Luka speeds up his thrusts a little more. The walls of your pussy respond by clenching around him, sending him nearly over the edge right there.

The feeling of being split open on Luka’s cock while his fingers dance swiftly on your clit quickly proves to be too much for you. You break out into a cry as your orgasm crashes down hard through your body. Your thighs shake uncontrollably around the red-head and your pussy creams around his cock, forming a thick white ring around his base.

Luka follows you with his own orgasm not long after, continuing to thrust into your sensitive walls. The quiet groans of your name and whines that come out of his throat are nearly pornographic and already almost make you wanna go a second round.

You two lay there for a short while in complete silence, laying your head in the man’s chest.

“That… that was really good.” You break the silence after a minute, giggling shyly. “Luka?”

Moving your head back to glance at the man’s face, you have to stifle a laugh as you realize that he fell asleep.

At least you did your job one way or another.

[seenoversundown]

For Death Or Glory : Chapter Five

Jake Kiszka x Charlotte (fem OC)

Warnings: Anxious Themes (includes a Comforting scene), Mild Meltdown (I don't want to say a panic attack because it isn't really) Mentions of Grieving, the most brief mention of funerals, silly&friendly bullying, drinking/alcohol (we know the drill), Fluff oh the fluff, & Jake yearns a little more (shocking).

Word Count: 4.6k

Summary: After caving and finally asking for help, Jake doesn't know what to do with himself until she shows up. Which takes a big ol' turn for ... well, I guess we will find out, won't we? 🤭

Author's Note: If we're being completely honest, this was the first chapter I wrote, of this story. I knew exactly how I wanted this day to go and I couldn't stop myself when I thought of the idea. It's what fueled the bulk of the storyline and I really hope you guys love it as deeply as I do. 🥹

Clocks Go Forward - James Bay "Stay warm, close your eyes, let time fly, Stay close, stay right here, nothing to fear."

I slide my phone back into my pocket. Staring at it isn’t going to make her reply, Jake. I’ve been at the bar trying to figure out this paperwork for a while, and well, I’m lost. My hands keep finding their way to the back of my head as I read through these documents; I need to focus on something else. 

“Hey, how are you?” I say in passing some day-time regulars of ours. I collect any empty cans or glasses that I can, anything to keep me busy at this rate.  

I wander behind the bar, setting all the glasses in the dirty bin.

“Jake.” 

I look over to Josh, who’s wiping out a glass.

“Why don’t you just go get some lunch or something? You’re stressing me out being here.” 

“Is it really that bad?” I ask, running my hand through my hair. 

A laugh erupting from him says enough. 

“Okay, alright, I’ll leave you alone,” I tell him, “Just let me know if you need anything.” 

Reluctantly sitting back down at the desk in my office, I find myself with my head in my hands for a moment. You’re going to be okay. You’re new at this, and it’s okay to mess up. She’s giving you time to take care of everything. 

After a deep breath or two, I opened my laptop and pulled up my email. I decided that maybe spending some time doing mindless admin work would help distract me from the inevitable problem. 

I’m flying through these emails by humming along to whatever customers have chosen for the jukebox. Looking at the time in the top corner, 2:30 pm. 

She still hasn’t replied. Maybe she’s working with someone else right now; just be patient.  

I walk back into the bar, seeing a handful more people come in. I wave slightly to the regulars who like to camp out in the corner. They enjoy sneaking away from work for a few hours; “Lunch beers” is apparently what they call it.  I laughed the first time they told me about it, but as they continued the tradition, I understood it more and more. 

Looking to the corner of the bar, I see Quinn. I can’t help but watch the two of them for a minute with a grin plastered on my face. Seeing my brother so happy makes my heart swell daily, and Quinn is perfect for him; I can’t deny it. They just know how to handle him and reign him in when he’s being a bit too much. Which is more often than not. 

“Do you two want to go grab lunch?” I ask, slinking my arm around Josh’s shoulders, “I think I can handle the rowdy folk we have here.” I shoot a wink at the few customers sitting next to Quinn. 

His eyes light up, “You don’t have to ask me twice. Let’s go, bug!” 

I don’t think he could have left any quicker if he tried. Immediately, hand in hand with Quinn, and practically pranced out of the bar. 

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“And a squirrel fell down my chimney into my fireplace!” 

I nod with a quiet “mhm,” glancing at my phone hidden under the bar. 3:15 pm. I'm trying to look interested in this story I’ve heard a few times. The older gentleman talking to me forgets that he’s told me the majority of the tales he has in his arsenal. But I don’t want to cut him off; he seems lonely, and the least I can do is humor him. 

Hearing the door chime, followed by Josh making his entrance. 

“Welcome back,” I chuckle as he walks swiftly towards the bar. 

“I need to use the lavatory, and then I will be ready to rock ‘n roll or whatever kids say nowadays,” Josh mutters. 

You would think he’s nine hundred years old with how he talks sometimes, but it always keeps me on my toes. Watching as he disappears around the corner, I grab the older man’s glass and place it in the dirty bin. 

The door chime goes off again, causing my head to whip around. 

Oh, she’s here..?

As Charlotte slowly walks to the bar, I go to meet her at the opposite corner. I pull my phone out; she never replied? 

“I didn’t think I would see you today,” I start as she approaches. Leaning down to grab everything I had been looking at, I stowed away when I couldn’t focus anymore. 

“I have been reading through all of these, and I think you’re gonna need to explain these to me like I’m five–” I stop. I hadn’t looked at her face the entire time, and her eyes were pink and looked a bit swollen. She’s not making eye contact at all, which seems odd compared to the other afternoon, where I thought if she held my gaze any longer, I would explode. Was she crying? I questioned myself. I hope I didn’t cause this. Was she supposed to be off today? Oh my god, what if I’m the only reason she’s working? 

Finally pulling myself out of my head, “Are you okay?” 

She takes a shallow breath before looking up at me, and I can see that her eyes are fighting the urge to let the tears fall. 

“Um,” she swallows, looking back down, “Yeah, I’m fine.” Her raspy voice is so quiet I can barely hear it. Her lip quivers as she stands there, and I can see the way her breathing is picking up. Oh no, oh no, oh no.  

I hear the door to the bathroom open. Turning around, I shoot Josh a look. He makes eye contact with me as I bounce my eyes to Charlotte and back to him. I watch as he glances at her quickly, his eyes widening as if to say, ‘Do what you need to.’

I come out from behind the bar, grabbing her bag from the barstool it sat on. 

“Come with me,” I whisper to her; she just nods in response. 

I gently place my hand on her back, guiding her down the hall to my office. Just long enough to round the corner into the small room, she lets out the tiniest whimper I’ve ever heard. I toss her bag onto the chair, facing her as she finally breaks down. Her hands fly up to hide her face as she lets out the most heartbreaking sound. One sob was enough for me; I pushed the door closed behind her and pulled her into me.  

“Oh, honey,” I let slip out, holding her small frame tight against me as she cried. I listen to her sobs against my chest as I run my hand down the back of her head, holding her close. I close my eyes to help focus my breathing; being in these situations never gets easier and I’ll never understand how I always end up in them. 

“Take a breath for me,” I said quietly, trying to stay calm for her. I can feel her take a deep breath and shakily release it. Her arms drop from her face, finding their way around my back. Grabbing at my shirt gently, like she’s afraid I'll let her go.  

“I’m right here. Take your time,” I whisper, pressing my lips gently to the top of her head, “You’re okay.” 

We spend a few minutes like this. I keep rubbing slow circles on her back, resting my face against the top of her head to keep her tucked in. 

“Do you want to talk about it?” I ask. I feel her shake her head ‘no’ before turning her face and leaning back against me, reaching up to push the hair out of her face. She lets out another shaky breath. 

“I‘m so sorry,” she mumbles into me. 

“Don’t apologize for having emotions.” 

I lean back to look at her, her breathing starts to feel more normal.

She looks tired.

I don’t know what comes over me when I reach up, holding either side of her face and gently wiping the tear stains on her cheeks away. 

Our eyes finally met; she really was beautiful— crying or not. 

Her gaze doesn’t falter, her green eyes locked on me. She almost makes me nervous, not in a mean or intimidating way, but like I shouldn’t be allowed to look at someone who looks like her.

“Do you want to um-” I hesitate, “go get something to eat? While we talk about things. Not like a d-”

Despite her watery eyes, she huffs out a laugh.

“Stop,” she says, “I know what you mean. Yes, let’s do that.”

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We walked into the restaurant, and considering it’s only 4 p.m., it’s not very busy. I let her pick where we sit, following behind as she chose. She had a soft smile on her face as she claimed the booth seat like she just won a prize.  

“Hi, can I please have a Boulevardier? ” Charlotte politely orders, my eyebrows raised at her choice. 

“Actually, I’ll take the same thing,” I tell them, “Thank you.” 

Charlotte pulled out the paperwork, flipping through it to see what I had left. Watching her green eyes flit across them, setting aside anything that needs more attention. The way that she chews the inside of her lip while she’s reading is endearing. 

“Okay, so you haven’t missed too many things.” She tells me. 

“Oh good,” I start picking at my lip, “I’m sorry, I just didn’t realize how much was involved.” 

“That’s alright, Jacob. It’s a lot, and nobody generally explains this part of business to you.” Normally, I would cringe at my full name being used, but I just want her to keep saying it. 

She pulled out one of the papers and turned it to face me. She pointed at the part I hadn’t filled out. 

“So essentially, this means–” She begins explaining. Her eye contact is intense while she talks, which makes it incredibly hard to focus. I feel myself slowly smiling as she’s telling me. I glance at her mouth quickly, making it even more challenging to pay attention. 

“What?” 

Damnit. I raised my eyebrows with a small ‘mmm’. 

“You looked like you wanted to say something?” She questions. 

 “Oh, I’m sorry– no, I was just listening.” There are a lot of things I could say.

“Oh– Well, anyway,” she shakes her head a little before continuing to explain. 

I really wish that I could tell you what she’s explained to me at this point, but to be completely honest, I have no clue. I’ve been far too distracted by the freckles on her nose and the way her eyes twinkle under these lights. I can’t get over the green of her eyes, with subtle gold flecks in them. Her hair is perfectly curled, and how the color of it stands out against her blazer.  She is unreal.

“Are you planning on doing that?” She asks, immediately pulling me out of my thoughts. 

“Yeah, absolutely.” 

“Great, Melody will really benefit from that,” she tells me. Benefit from what exactly?

“Do you need me to send you the information on that?” she quickly asks, grateful I’ll at least have context on what I’m agreeing to. 

“Please, if you could,” I say quietly as I rub my eyes.  

Our server stopped our conversation to take our order, giving me a second to try and refocus myself. She is trying to help you and isn’t being an asshole about it. The least you can do is pay attention to what she’s actually saying. Get it together.

“Okay anyway,” she starts again, “I think that’s everything?”  She sifts through the papers.

“Amazing,” I breathe out. “I’m sorry I made you come out here to help.” I sit back in my chair, my hands falling into my lap, where I quietly dig at the side of my thumb. 

“No, it’s okay, really,” she says, not making eye contact this time. “I was already in Portland, so it worked out.”

Her eyebrows pulled together as she told me, but I knew I shouldn’t ask. If she wanted to tell me what was wrong, she would. I’m not going to make her cry again.  

“Well, I’m glad I caught you at the right time then,” I say, offering a small smile. Her face softens a bit, and she leans forward, propping herself up. 

“So, how long ago did you buy the bar if it’s not even a year old?” 

“About two years ago, actually,” I tell her, “We took our time renovating it to feel right.” 

“We?” 

“All the boys helped me, but Josh really did the most with making it look the way it does.” I usually have no issue talking about the bar, but her being even vaguely interested has my brain stalling. 

“I love that. He did a good job curating,” she says, “Was the goal to be pirate-esque, or did it just end up that way?” 

I chuckle, “No, it was intentional. I’ve always enjoyed pirates, even as a kid, so I felt like it just made sense.”

“I think it’s nice that you made it your own. There are enough modern hipster bars in the area. It’s a refreshing thing to walk into.” 

Her compliment made my heart beat a little harder. I’m never one to assume, but she doesn’t strike me as someone who would hang out in a bar like mine. Granted, I guess I can’t really picture her hanging out in bars in general, but maybe that’s because I have always been a fan of the smaller, more dive bars. And I can confirm that I’ve never seen someone of her caliber in any of them. 

Once our food is brought out, I ask her about how she got into working for the state. We quietly chatted about some of the situations that she’d walked into, which unintentionally made me feel much better about my slip-up. But simultaneously, it made me realize how terrible men can be. I can’t imagine yelling at her regardless of what she told me. People are awful. 

The server brings over the check, and without hesitation, I slide my card into the little black folder and hand it back to them with a quiet, ‘Thank you.’  I bring my attention back over to her, her eyes a little wide but going back to normal as she continues telling me about another bar owner being a complete ass. 

I fill out the slip, leaving cash for the tip, before looking up at her.

“Ready?” I ask. She just nods a few times before sliding out of the booth. I wave my hand in front of me, “After you m’lady.” 

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“So, how far do you live from here?” I try to make some form of small talk on the way back to her car, avoiding the elephant in the room. 

“I live in Skowhegan, so it’s a little hike,” she tells me, looking around at the area’s architecture, “but my family has a house on Sebago Lake, so it’s not as bad when I have to come down here.” 

“Oh, I'm sure it’s peaceful over there.” I imagine how quiet that lake house must be this time of year. With minimal people vacationing or trying to fish on the lake, and it’s probably gorgeous in the mornings. 

“It really is,” she says, looking down at her feet for a second, “Do you live close?”

“I actually live above the bar,” I laugh every time I tell someone, “I know that probably seems ridiculous.” 

“Convenient, at least,” She giggles softly before looking at me with a smile. Oh, I’m gonna throw up. 

“It’s a blessing and a curse,” I tell her, “Blessing when you can just roll out of bed and run downstairs if you oversleep, but a curse when I find myself in there most days.. And nights.” Pointing at the crosswalk, nobody was coming; I placed my hand on the small of her back as I led her into the street, shit, carefully pulling my hand back as she stepped off the sidewalk. 

“You don’t get sick of being there?” 

“You would think so, but no. I love it, even if working with my brothers can be an absolute chore sometimes.” I tell her. 

She grabs my arm gently.

“I think that’s great, Jacob. It’s refreshing to hear someone love their job in this industry. It’s few and far between.” I glance over at her as she says it; my stomach has little knots forming as she squeezes my bicep a few times before pulling her hand back.  

She points to her car, parked just a short distance ahead of us. I see her pulling her keys from her bag as we approach it, unlocking the doors. I open her door for her, watching her face redden a little at the gesture. As she’s settling into her seat, I notice a brochure-looking paper in her passenger seat before realizing there’s a photo on the front. And a name. Oh my god, Charlotte. That’s why she was so upset. 

Setting her bag down in front of the pamphlet, she turned back to me with a soft smile, “How much should I send you for food?” 

“Don’t worry about it,” I tell her. 

“But, Jacob..” 

“It was my idea. I’m not going to make you pay for that.” Also, it’s the least I can do, especially now.

“Okay,” she sighs. “Well, thank you for the food and walking me back here. I’m pretty sure I would have gotten lost.” 

“Of course,” I tell her, “Drive safe.” 

I go to close her door for her, and I don’t know what possessed me when I hesitate, “Actually—” what are you doing? “Let me know when you make it home? Just since it’ll be a little later.” 

She nods subtly before saying, “Okay,” with a quiet laugh. 

I bite at my bottom lip as I smile at her, gently shutting her door for her. 

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“Now, where have you been?”

 I haven’t even made it fully behind the bar, and I’m already getting harassed.

“It’s nice to see you too, Linda,”  I laugh under my breath, “I had to take care of some paperwork, but I’m here now.” 

Raising an eyebrow, she looks from me to my right, where Josh stands with a shit-eating grin. Oh, fuck me. 

“And how was that paperwork, brother?” He says joyfully, emphasizing his skepticism with heavy air quotes. 

And, here we go. 

“The paperwork went well,”  I side-eye him, “Thank you for asking.”

I watched the two of them share a look before looking back at me, and all I offered was a shrug in response. 

“Why were you not in your office doing paperwork?” Linda questions as Eleanor joins her at the bar in their usual spots. 

“Who wasn’t in the office?” Eleanor chimes in. 

“Jake! He apparently went somewhere with someone to take care of paperwork,” Linda fills her in, like two school girls at lunch. 

Rubbing my hand across my face, I turn around to dry some glasses while I’m interrogated further. I should have known my being nice to her would have me questioned. 

“Well, that sounds like he went on a date,” Eleanor unknowingly agreeing with their past statements. Josh is the most enormous pain in my ass, I swear to god. 

“It wasn’t a date!” 

 Josh laughed, “That sounds like something someone who went on a secret date would say.” I feel my body warm the more they talk about my “date.” WHICH WASN’T A DATE. 

“Well, who paid?” Linda asks. 

“Uhh… I did,” I hesitated to answer. “But- it was my idea to go there, so I didn’t want to make her pay anything.” 

“Oh! You went with a girl?” Eleanor quietly questions.

“Yes, I needed help with some business stuff, and she was able to help me,” I tell her. “If she hadn’t come in so upset, I would have just been here the whole time.” 

The ladies look at each other and then back at me before Eleanor pipes back up, “So what you’re saying is, I just need to come in here crying to score a date with you?” 

A laugh falls out of me before I can even process what she’s said; at least someone has a sense of humor about all of this. 

“That’s very nice of you to take her to lunch to try and help cheer her up, sweetheart,” Linda tells me. I smile at her compliment before putting away some of the glasses I had been drying. I feel Josh’s presence before he says anything, just setting some dirty glasses in the bin below the counter. 

“Is she okay?” he whispers, leaning over to make sure nobody else heard. 

“I don’t know, honestly,” I tell him, knowing I sound a little panicked about it. 

“Did she say why she was upset?” 

I shake my head ‘no’ before leaning over, “I saw one of those printouts you get at funerals in her car, and she was wearing all black, so I’m assuming that she uh—” 

Josh covers his mouth and turns to look at me. If there’s one thing I know about my brother, it’s that he will absolutely empathize with anybody about anything. 

“Oh shit,” he murmurs under his breath. 

I can’t hide the look of concern on my face as we stare at each other for no more than a few seconds. 

“She’ll be alright. You probably just caught a wave of grief, is all.” Josh says, grabbing my arm and giving it a few squeezes. 

I let out a small breath. He’s right. She probably just hadn’t really let anything out, and I just asked the wrong question. 

“You’re right,” I whisper back, patting the back of his hand on my arm, “I’m sure she’ll be fine.”  But that isn’t going to stop me from worrying. 

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Business picked up shortly after that, with all the tables full and chatter loud. It kept me from my thoughts, which is probably for the best. I’m grateful that Linda and Eleanor came in tonight; they always keep me busy. 

I take small breaks from behind the bar to go check on the tables of people, collecting the empty glasses and bottles; sometimes, it’s nice to just mindlessly clean up. I spend a few minutes making small talk with some of the regulars, noticing the time as one of their phones lights up. 

11:30 p.m. already? Where did the night go?  I leave the table with a slight wave and head back to the bar to leave the dirty glasses. Setting them all on the back counter, I can tell Josh is caught up in whatever the ladies are telling him. 

Rounding the corner into the hall, I quickly lock myself away in the bathroom. Pulling my phone out immediately, relief washes over me when I see her name sitting in my notifications. Thank god. 

Charlotte: I made it home. Thank you again 

Jake: I’m happy to hear that and of course

Jake: I hope everythings okay.

Sliding my phone back into my pocket, I head back into the bar. She’s home, at least there’s that. 

“You can go if you want. I can handle the rest of the night,” I tell Josh quietly. He’s been here all day, and I definitely didn’t intend for him to cover the bar for that long. 

“Are you sure?” 

“Please, go get some sleep or call Quinn. Just get out of here while you can.” 

He hands me the towel he was using and mouths ‘thank you’ as he slides by me; I really can’t blame him for being excited to go to bed. It’s been a long day. 

The rest of the night seemingly flew by. A fair number of people, including Linda and Eleanor, left by 1 am, which meant I had to clock into my true Customer Service self for the last hour of the night. But it’s always nice when people start to trickle out early so that I can start cleaning up to close and make my life a little easier. 

I’m leaning against the back counter talking to the last few customers, and I can’t help but let my mind wander. What if she’s still upset? There’s nothing I can do to help that situation, and that’s okay. Maybe she just needs a friend right now. I could do that?  Or maybe she’s already told her friends, and Josh was right. Was she just having a moment? Oh god, what if she has a boyf- 

My phone vibrates, pulling my attention away from my internal spiral.  1:57 a.m. Thank god.

Charlotte: It will be, i’m sorry that you had to witness that.

Jake: don’t apologize, i’m glad i was able to help..i hope?

Charlotte: It did help, truly. 

That makes my heart feel a little weird. Don’t get ahead of yourself. 

Jake: well.. if you need anything, let me know? 

I set my phone down underneath the bar and started printing the tabs for the last customers who were sitting. I went through the motions as I put the papers out front of each of them with a pen. I watch as they sign on the line, possibly leaving a tip; either way, I’m not bothered. Leaving with a friendly ‘Have a good one,’ I follow behind them, locking the doors and shutting off the neon lights. Happy to know that I have hardly anything left to do. 

The brisk air hits me as I lock the back door, and I practically run up the stairs. Opening the door, it’s quiet. He must be asleep then. I carefully walk through the apartment, cracking his door open to see him tucked away in bed. 

“Goodnight, Josh,” I whisper, pulling his door shut gently. 

I shut my door as softly as I could, immediately pulled my flannel off, and tossed it on the end of my bed. Followed by my jeans before I grab my phone from my nightstand. 2:34 a.m. I open my messages to see her name sitting there with the blue, unread messages dot glowing back at me. 

Charlotte: I may take you up on that.

Why is she still awake? It’s so late. 

Jake: I hope you do

Be more obvious, Jake, come on.. 

Jake: Also why are you still up? lol

It changes from ‘delivered’ to ‘read’ almost instantly. I watch the typing bubbles pop up, making my stomach turn. 

Charlotte: I just haven’t been tired enough to sleep, but I think I’m getting there.

Jake: After everything, I figured you’d be exhausted

Charlotte: You would think lol 

Dropping my phone next to me. I rub my hands down my face. Trying to get the look on her face just before she cried out of my mind. ‘I’m so sorry’ in her sad little voice, playing on a loop. The sounds of her sobs against my chest, her shaking in my arms. I almost wish that I didn’t know why she was upset now. 

Jake: well don’t let me keep you up

This time, my message sat on delivered for a few minutes. I did my daily scroll on mindless apps and looked at the few new photos people had tagged the bar in before she replied. 

Charlotte: You’re not a bother at all, but I should probably try to sleep before it gets too much later.

Charlotte: Goodnight Jacob

My mind ran through all the ways that I could reply. How I’d love to tell her that I’m sorry for her loss and that I hope everything gets better. Even that, I had a lovely time talking to someone outside of my family and their partners for more than a few minutes as I served them a beer. It felt like we could be friends even, with the way she didn’t seem phased by any of the vaguely nerdy things I said. Unfortunately, my hands settled on something more straightforward, and I quickly hit ‘send.’

Jake: sleep well, Charlotte 

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Chapter Four

Chapter Six

FDOG Masterpost | Masterlist | FDOG Playlist

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[thollandneedy]

Diamonds are forever- Nathan Drake

A/n: Literally the cutest. I'll try to write more cause my college vacations are on, baby!

Warnings: None actually

Summary: Nathan meets a rich model, and try to get her giving her presents. But, sometimes, we just need love.

Don’t forget to share, like, comment and leave your ideas here

Bellah’s Masterlist 🪻

Y/n L/n could be considered a patrician, and had many eyes in the media because of her beauty and how her luxuries were supported by her modeling career. Like many men wanting to have her, Nathan was no different.

The two had met at a betting party for famous paintings in Barcelona, where they had exchanged only a few words. Nathan could be considered a private guy on his social networks, not letting the girl know much about him, but what she did know was that he was rich. If he wasn't, what would he be doing at an auction?

What intrigued her most was that his manner was different from the other men she went out with. They squandered their wealth, arriving at her doorstep with the loud sound of sports car exhausts or even taking her to the most expensive restaurants where a plate with just one piece of meat could be the minimum wage for an entrepreneur. The truth was that Y/n, as much as she was a woman who liked to be pampered, had also come to appreciate simple outings, and apparently Nathan was the kind of guy who felt the same way.

During the week in which she was taking photos for her first magazine cover, Y/n received a notification on her cell phone that vibrated on her thigh. The woman opens her eyes, removes the moisturizing mask that was on her face, and sees the screen glow with: “Nathan_Drake1999 followed you”.

Y/n smiles sideways

It takes so long to find your Instagram

The girl slides the tab of her cell phone up, going straight to his social network and following him back. Not even 30 seconds later, a message appears on the top flap of her pink phone.

'Sorry for the delay. I wanted to play hard to get.

Y/n laughs to himself, replying:

'I thought that was my role.

'In reality, your role is just to be pretty and agree to go out with me tonight. What do you think?

'I think you find me too easy if you think I'm going to agree to go out with you straight away. Try to win me over a little more, Nathan boy.

Nathan takes a deep breath for himself, looking at Y/n's last message once again, realizing that she had been deactivated from Instagram after sending the message. The brunette ran one of his hands through his tangled hair, as it was early in the morning and he had only just woken up. The sun was already shining in the open sky, but the curtains in Nate's apartment didn't allow the sun to greet him yet. Doing a quick search, he tried to find Y/n's address on Google, as many celebrities had their addresses displayed on gossip sites, but it wasn't Nate's luck. If he wanted to surprise her, he'd have to put his ego aside and ask for her address, but there was a bigger problem.

What do you give someone who already has everything?

'What's your address now?

The message vibrated once again in Y/n's hand, who had been expecting a message from him.

'234 Vellyview Street, New City Building.

The telephone in Y/n's apartment rang loudly, while her ordinary feet took her to the kitchen, where she answered the door internally, hoping that Nate would come to see her in the morning. The model couldn't help but admit to herself that her doorman wasn't tired of receiving men proposing to go out in the morning, afternoon and evening, considering everything that was sent to the apartment by the brands that partnered with her.

'Miss, Y/n. There's a dark-haired man with a huge bouquet of flowers here, and he says they're for you. May I let him in?

'Is he handsome?' Y/n spins the white phone line on her finger, looking down at her bare feet.

'Um, yes?' The doorman looks once more at the dark-haired man in a black shirt, dark jeans and a black leather jacket.

'Go ahead' Y/n hangs up, glancing around his kitchen one last time before checking himself out in the mirror.

His dishes were washed, the windows clean and open, showing the immensity of the colorful city. There were several small cacti on his worktop, adding a splash of color to the white room with planned wooden cabinets, a large grey fridge and an island in the middle of the kitchen that also served as a dining table. Y/n's father had taught her that it's much better to live in a simple place and travel more, than to have a big place that will give you a headache later on. Even so, she wouldn't give up living in a place where each floor had only two doors because of the size of the blocks.

The woman pushed her hair to one side, moving towards the door like a puppy waiting for its master. She didn't want to show that she minded Nate's visit, but she did. As soon as the doorbell rang, the woman looked in a small mirror at the side of the corridor leading to the front door of her apartment, checking that her natural make-up really did look natural. Opening the door, her attention was drawn by what seemed to be countless red roses, and soon a voice behind them called out to her.

“Can I put them on the floor?” Nate asked with effort in his voice.

He was finally hearing it again

“I thought you were stronger than that.” Y/n retorted, leaning her body against the door frame and crossing her arms, resting on her freshly manicured nails.

It was nine o'clock in the morning and he still looked impeccable. His innocent eyes managed to take in his hot body, leaving even a hint of curiosity as to how big his muscles were under his shirt.

“How do you manage to look flawless on a Tuesday morning?” Nate looked her up and down, respectfully returning to meet her challenging but sweet gaze

“I have my model beauty tricks.” Y/n comments, looking at the roses once again. “So, what was your plan?” She faces him, turning her head to the side as she asks, allowing him to come up with a less intrusive alternative to the other men who thought they could buy her for simple things.

“Breakfast if you were in the mood.” Nate replied, as if waiting for an answer that wouldn't come any time soon, until he gave her a better option. “Or I could leave. I know you have afternoon work to do. By the way, congratulations on the magazine cover. I don't know much about fashion, but if you're on it, you're certainly right.”

Y/n couldn't give up, even though her first thoughts were of a casual fuck in the morning to calm her nerves.

“I've already had breakfast.” She lies.

“Well, I'll be going then.” Nate agrees, giving a toothless smile.

“But thanks for the roses. They're really beautiful. Could you put them inside my house?” Y/n asks, immediately receiving a silent 'yes' from Nate.

The man carries the flowers once again, flexing his arms and legs to carry them into the girl's living room, who closes the door behind her, following him into the room. As soon as he puts the flowers down once more, his eyes are drawn to the various valuable items he has in his living room, including one of the paintings he was reading that was auctioned off the day they met. Turning his torso to look at the details of the items, Y/n sat down on his white sofa, watching Nathan mentally comment on everything that was there.

Paintings, famous montages, a chandelier with small diamond stones, a flat-screen TV, a large lamp next to a glass table with a green flower positioned to give the house a more natural look. Everything was minimalist, but could easily be worth more than several thousand dollars.

“Do you like it?” Y/n adjusted her pink bell-sleeved sweater.

“You have good taste.” Nate comments, still overwhelmed by the apartment and the view from above.

“Thank you. I'm trying to add more color here. I feel like there's too much white, but now there's going to be a lot of red too. Luckily it's my favorite color,” Y/n comments, looking at the large bouquet of roses on the floor. ‘Do you want to see everything?’ Y/n asks the man, who finally turns his attention to the woman curled up on the sofa.

“Of course. It would be a pleasure.” Nate removes his coat, placing his jacket on the sofa.

Y/n gets up from the sofa, pulls up his gray sweatpants and walks past the explorer, showing him each room as if he were in a museum. Throughout her passage, she could see various pieces of art and technology in the house, including a small television in the bathroom for when she was too bored in the bathtub overlooking the hills. Even his closet had a collection of shoes, bags, jewelry and sunglasses. In fact, everything he had thought of giving as a gift to impress Y/n was a total failure, so if he wanted a trophy wife, he would have to give her something she deserved.

(…)

A week after Y/n's big cover debut, the city's events gallery was packed with photographers, models and potential brands that would like to partner with those present. Nate had been unusually invited to be part of the private party, which was also a decoy event so that he and Y/n could see each other again during the time they were talking.

The venue was sophisticated, with a clear sky and plenty of stars to enhance the evening. Fortunately, that day a rooftop had been welcomed so that there were dj's playing on the mixing bench near the main entrance to the elevator, while some waiters passed back and forth trying to serve the influencers. Nathan looked with curious eyes at the image of Y/n, which seemed to be far away due to the number of people passing in front of it. Around her, there was apparently a queue of tall men in suits, who presented her with a gift, seeking her attention.

“Congratulations on your breakthrough, Y/n. I hope you like it.” One of the men commented to the woman in the white midi dress.

“Oh! You shouldn't have, Drew.” The woman stares at the man's hands, which are holding a Swarovski pen.

“Now you can sign lots of autographs so that when they see you in magazines, they'll say: Is that you?” The man laughed forcefully, as if he wanted them to look at the gift he had given.

It was a competition for Y/n's attention, and that much was clear. As a beautiful woman, Nate couldn't lie and say he wasn't impressed by the number of men queuing up for her to accept their gifts. The brunette straightened his navy blue dress shirt, walking among the people until the eyes of the woman in white met his. Y/n smiled, causing those who didn't understand who she was smiling at to wonder.

“You came.” Y/n smoothed back the lock of hair on either side of her bangs.

“Well, you called me.” Nate says hello with a smile. “The party's great. I didn't know you'd done an interview for them too.”

“I didn't mean to brag.” Y/n gestures modestly, smiling without showing his teeth. “What have you got there?” Y/n points with her eyes.

“Well, since the flowers didn't seem to be enough, I decided to put in a bit more effort.” Nathan hands Y/n the heavy bag, attracting the curious glances of the men and women who were already with it before the adventurer arrived.

Y/n carefully opens the orange Louis Vitton bag, causing her pupils to dilate at the sight of a beautiful diamond and white gold dantelle necklace. The woman puts one of her hands to her mouth, then looks at Nate and once again at the necklace.

“I didn't know what to get you, since you have a bit of everything, and diamonds are forever, right?” Nate comments.

“Nathan… that's…” Y/n tries to find words, closing the necklace's box and putting it back in the box before giving the brunette a warm hug, who drops his hands to the woman's waist and holds her tight. “Let's go outside. I want to talk to you.” The woman said into Nate's ear, who silently agreed, being guided by the model's soft hands.

They were both outside the penthouse, near some plants and a sofa without armrests. Y/n sat down, adjusting her dress and saying:

“I love it, but I can't accept it.” Y/n says, causing confusion in the young man's eyes.

“Why not? Isn't that enough?” Nate frowns.

“It's too much, and that's why I can't accept it.” Y/ explains. “You know, if you had been more romantic than just sending me a message on Instagram and then sending me roses without even saying good morning first, I would have agreed to go out with you. Not everything in my life is about money, and that's certainly something I want you to understand. I don't need 200 roses or a necklace worth over 800 thousand dollars. I need a partner who can take care of me in the little things.” Y/n says, placing one of his hands on Nate's leg, staring into his chocolate eyes.

A moment of silence hangs in the air, no matter how loud the electronic music behind them. Nate tilts his head down, agreeing and feeling bad for allowing his conquering side to override the affection and attention that Y/n needed.

“I'm sorry.” Nate exhales. “I was an asshole and a million dollar necklace wouldn't be enough if I didn't treat you like enough too.” Nate comments.

“The necklace is worth a million?” Y/n is amazed. “What do you do for a living?” Y/n asks, still not believing the price of the necklace.

“We can talk about it on a date.” Nate comments, drawing a silly smile from Y/n. “Can you eat Mc Donald's?” The brunette asks, remembering that models usually have a strict diet.

“I can, and I haven't eaten in years, actually.” The woman stands up, holding out one of her hands to the brunette. “Let's go before they find out we've gone. I can't stand eating canapés and drinking champagne any longer.”

“You're really not what I thought.” Nate comments, holding Y/n's hand.

“That's good, because the media is fake.” The model smiles, receiving a kiss on the top of her hand and heading out of the event.

As much as diamonds last forever, love would always be the best gift you could receive from someone. Because the body corrodes, but love is forever.

[aggressivelyaverage21]

Shannon gets stitched up. Sister Agatha is the best. Mary tries to get Shannon to rest and ends up taking a nap too. Lilith and Beatrice share a meal. Beatrice tries to take Shannon a little pick-me-up. Apparently, Shannon's the best room to sleep in. Mary gets protective. Mother Superion misses being Suzanne.

Getting Shannon corralled to the infirmary wasn’t nearly as tricky as Mary had anticipated. Shannon more or less followed her a bit like a puppy at her heels as Mary made her way through The Cradle. 

Once Shannon sits on the padded table, Mary carefully helps her from her shirt. This time, without the hilarious commentary of asking for a date. The concussion’s heaviness has fully settled after being upright for a few too many hours. Mary winces as she carefully pulls the tape away from Shannon’s warm, nearly hot skin, the gauze bloodied on the outside. “Sorry, Shan,” she murmurs as she peels the dressing away from the inflamed skin. Though Shannon hadn’t said anything or so much as flinched away, Mary knew it hurt. 

Shannon got a set to her jaw when she was in pain. A little ball of muscle that rounded just at the turn of it. She also had a tendency to white knuckle anything in her hand. “Sssokay.” 

 “It’s been a while since you two have stopped by.” A third voice calls quietly to them, stepping into the room after returning from lunch. Mother Superion had told her they might be stopping by after she’d gotten a very quick, very frustrated debrief from one Sister Lilith. 

“Are you asking for more injuries, Sister Agatha?” Mary can’t help but tease. For the most part, their crew usually escaped the missions injury free. It had been a while since they needed a trip to the infirmary. 

“Not at all. Maby a visit here or there,” the older woman winked at the pair, sliding on nitrile gloves. She had been doing this a long time, and in her experience seeing the sisters was usually so good for the soul. It was a privilege for her to be able to care for them when they returned from the field in need of some medical care. 

“We can do that.” Mary smiled. She always did like Sister Agatha. She also didn’t hate her and Shannon being considered a ‘we.’ Even if it was just in the context of two close friends. However, Mary suspected that Sister Agatha had been around long enough to have some observations on the matter. 

Sister Agatha retrieves the suture kit after one glance at the torn skin just on the back of Shannon’s shoulder. She was always surprised that she didn’t have to do these more often. Not that she wasn’t practiced with the best of them, but one would imagine more accidents at the Cradle requiring her skill set than there usually were. Not that she also hadn’t needed to stitch Shannon up several times over the years. More missions, more risk, she supposed. And no one went on more missions than Shannon. 

Not even the Warrior Nun. 

Many sisters were stoic as she probed at the cuts and slid the needle into the tender skin for the lidocaine. Shannon, however, usually smiled at her, never pausing easy conversation. Only occasionally did her eye twitch if something was particularly painful. Today, she hadn’t offered more than a tired smile as a greeting as she watched Agatha carefully as she readied the supplies. 

Mary swapped places with the nurse as she slid around to Shannon’s front, providing her stomach as a resting place for Shannon’s forehead, her fingers resting gently at the back of Shannon’s neck, offering what support she could. Shannon would have protested: That she didn’t need it. That she had no problems with needles. That she had received stitches on too many occasions to count. 

All of that would have been true. 

Yet, Shannon let herself sink in the comfort Mary was offering. A shiver ran through her when more cool saline flushed the wound. Sister Agatha worked silently behind the injured sister warrior after tisking at her as she first evaluated the cut. She let her eyes take in the lump forming on the end of Shannon’s shoulder and shook her head, unsurprised. “Shannon, these old fingers are getting tired of stitching you up.” 

“Sorry,” She murmured, not bothering to lift her head from its resting place against Mary’s soft shirt. Getting lost in the warmth of the old cotton that smelled so much like her own clothes, the two of them often do their laundry together now. Mary’s always smelled just a bit more of eucalyptus and sage. 

It always surprised Shannon at just how soft Mary’s hands were and somehow that they always managed to be warm. Even her callouses felt soft, like a slightly thicker skin on the pads of her palm rather than roughness that would grate at Shannon’s. 

Shannon was mildly aware that they weren’t alone, but she couldn’t stop herself from nuzzling just a bit closer into Mary. Her left hand reached up to grip the hem of Mary’s shirt loosely, an assurance that she wouldn’t back away. 

“She hit her head pretty good,” Mary filled in at Agatha’s concerned look, “we didn’t let her sleep on the way back.” And yes, that would explain it, the nurse thought. 

Shannon did always appreciate that, even on the more tender injuries she’d gotten over the years. Sister Agatha’s hands were always soothing. Never harsher than they needed to be, if she could help it. Aside from setting a bone or two for a sister or reducing a joint back to its proper place. 

Luckily there would be none of the latter today. 

After the stitches and the lidocaine in her still very separated shoulder, Sister Agatha evaluated Shannon’s other injuries and allowed Mary to help her back into her shirt. It always warmed her heart to see Shannon, the young woman who had shown up here so guarded and alone, being cared for once. Mary did an excellent job at that. If Agatha weren’t certain it would scare both the women in front of her off, she would have told them how good it was for her old heart to see.

Instead, she sent Shannon and Mary to get some reset. Not after being adamant with her very specific instructions for sleep, ice, and taking it easy for the next two weeks. This might have been the only time Shannon hadn’t protested the length of recovery, instead just nodding as Sister Agatha re-secured the sling for her.  

Keep Reading

[maybanksbabe]

I was look at some grimace angst on tt, y'know as one does. And in one of the videos it shows grimace ALONE on his BIRTHDAY bc of the grimace shake videos calling him a killer. And at the end of the vid he says "at least they're having fun :("

So anyways,I was wondering if rafe ever experienced this back when he first started having his problems. (Goodboy!rafe x psycho!reader)

Rafe was 11 when he first started noticing that he really wasn't like the other kids. He started pushing the other kids a little harder than he expected to and didn't feel the need to apologize. That he was a little bit meaner than his friends, topper and Kelce. While they were chasing the other kids around calling them names they heard there parents say, rafe pushing them off the slide when they weren't going fast enough because he really didn't want to get tagged. He thought nothing of it at the time. They were just playing after all, so why would he get yelled at by his dad for just playing a game? The other kid didn't even get hurt that bad so why is he getting punished?

But it was when his 12th birthday came around did rafe truly knew that, maybe he really was just a brat. He knew exactly what his family was like, even as a preteen. But what he didn't know is why the other kids look at him the way they did. He was a prince, at least for his birthday. His dad said so and there's no reason to disagree with dad. Especially when he told rafe he was gonna get some epic party games. He even told rafe that he was gonna get something special for him on his special day. Rafe suspected that he was gonna get the new call of duty that was coming out, for his PS3 he was gonna replace soon with the new PS4 that was coming out in a couple of days, call of duty ghosts and Bioshock infinite: burial at sea episode i, Rose mentioned she doesn't like him playing those games, rafe didn't care, his dad didn't either. It's not she's his real mom anyways. No matter how much his dad begged him. It only when his dad begged him did rafe really questioned his dad in any capacity. Rafe thought it only pouges that needed to beg, but his dad dropped the topic as soon as Sarah started to complain.

Rafe was sitting at the table, alone. On his special day, the one his dad said he had fully prepared. But as of late his dad's been too busy to pay any of them attention. Even Sarah has been put aside for his work. Which really concerned rafe, he wanted everything to be perfect. This was his one chance to show everyone that he's just as perfect as his precious little sister. God did he hate being compared to her. Even on his day she's being looked after like a little princess by his dad. Rose looked after him that day. Let's just say he wasn't being treated like royalty, he was treated like he special sure but not like his sister was being treated. Three years wasn't a big difference but apparently it meant the world to his dad. Rafe was still happy, at least his birthday wasn't going to be like that other kid on the other half of the island some jack, john, Jake kid. Didn't matter to rafe who he was, only that his party was gonna be better and whoever that kid was can't come to bring down the vibe. Kelce said something about about that little pouge brat that couldn't have a big birthday like they could. All rafe said was that obviously his dad would give him a bigger party, that was four days ago. Rafe ignored the confused look on his friends face, especially when topper started talking about how big his party was last year. Topper was always a little too hyper after they snuck in energy drinks to school. Kelce said something about topper being a light weight. The boys laughed about how 'grown up' they sounded.

Rafe was looking down at the table, he never felt like this. This feeling was totally different from what he felt when his sister got coddled by their dad and he got left with rose. No this feeling was like he was totally forgotten about. His friends said they'd be there. They eventually showed up. Like maybe half an hour later. But for those thirty minutes all rafe could do was wonder why he was so different. And why no one was gonna come to his aid like they would Sarah. Speaking of Sarah, she's over on the swings with that keys girl. She bought rafe some nerf gun, her mom made her bring it. Ward and keys dad (rafe later found out her name was kei instead of keys, he still calls her that whenever he wants to see her mad) were talking about something. The two weren't friends but they had an understanding of some kind, something about knowing what 'it' was like growing up, rafe asked once but his dad brushed it off and told him to go in the pool or something. Sarah and keys were talking about stupid animals the last time rafe came over to torment them. But maybe that's what he could do to pass the time before his friends arrived.

But his friends were only allowed to come bc ward payed their parents. Apparently they weren't allowed to come because of Rafe's 'bad behavior'. Rafe didn't know ward did that but he assumed they were allowed to come because of his amazing apology. Rafe said didn't mean to break that other kids arm and that he was really really sorry. They were fighting and the kid started talking about his mom, he was what his father told him, a pouge. Just another loud mouth pouge talking about his mom and why he had to get a new mom. Rafe couldn't control himself. He didn't see why he had to apologize but if it meant he could top last year's party, he would apologize. That's when topper said maybe that's why the other kids looked at them funny. Topper said it was really an accident and he shouldn't feel bad. He was just defending his family, that they knew rafe didn't mean to push him off the stairs, in fact topper would've done the same if someone said that stuff about his mom. That pouge kid talked about his mom that way and he did what he had to do. Kelce agreed after topper was done comforting him, he didn't like how the pouges treated them like villains in some story. It's not their fault that kooks are just better, and yet somehow it's always their fault never those lame kids. That's when he pulled out energy drinks his dad gave him. He said these were supposed to be stronger. Apparently he had to beg his dad to give him it, like he had to beg his dad to come here. Topper said he had to beg his mom too. Rafe ignored that when topper pulled out a gift from his bag. His mom made him bring that stupid bag. Topper hated he had to bring it around with him whenever he went over to his friends house. He never argued back so he never mentioned anything to her about it. It some toy that's sitting in Rafe's closet now. No one's played with it in a long time. Rafe still has it tho. He liked to remember that day, that everything doesn't have to be so sad and lonely.

His family might've pissed him off at times, but they were still a family. With a little bit of love and Faith, they'll always be there for him and vice versa. His friends were there for him too. And the fact that he has all of them here today, on HIS day and telling him he's special to them. That's why he loves his birthday. He doesn't have to feel that weird feeling of loneliness that's been happening more frequently.

Maybe that's why rafe likes party's so much, like he's subconsciously trying to comfort himself with big party's and such. Maybe that's why he always tries to out do himself after he thought that his dad died for that short time. Now that he know the truth he has to figure out how to live without his dad, psycho is comforting him telling him she's here for him now.

But rafe still gets that funny feeling, the one that tells him that not everyone he cares about is always with him. That's not a complete lie but not even his little brat sister is here, or his old friends. Ward, rose and wheezie would be here if ward wasn't 'dead'. But who needs them? Who cares if they're not here when he's got tannyhill now? He's got his girl on his side and ward is finally has his back. After all these years of treating him like a brat, does he supports rafe and all his ideas. His dad has the Bahamas and he has psycho. And he has all these booze and his pretty cool drug dealer. And now psycho is pulling rafe back in their room, in their house. It was all theirs and now rafe finally gets to know the truth. That psycho was just protecting their family, psycho's playing with her promise ring as she's trying to figure out how to tell him without looking like a bad guy. Like some secret villain in their love story.

How was rafe going to react to this, after everything is finally perfect. That maybe rafe would see her differently, that maybe she was different.

I don't know if that last bit made sense or not 🤷🏽‍♀️ -💜

This was so so good to read anon oh my god you have no idea 😫👌🏻

He's always known he was different he just couldn't figure out why and nothing made sense until Psycho came around and started making him feel better 😵‍💫

There's so many feelings about this I LOVE IT ANON

[shiroi---kumo]

₊˚.⋆ ☾𖤓 ⋆⁺₊ "I told you to stay outside." The elder of the pair growled. A burning sun of black and blue glaring down at the small floating spot of white that iS coming to rest next to him. There is a snarl built into the Windarian's lip as he comes to half turn as his counterpart makes his way up to the counter he's standing before.

"You did, but that doesn't mean I have to listen to you and apparently it's good I didn't because as per usual you're failing to get your point across. We both know which one of us is the conversationalist and it's not you."

The Misterican turns as small hands raise to grip the sides of the dusty gray hood that's pulled up and over a head of white hair. Slowly he lowers it to reveal his appearance to the older woman in the other side of the counter and he smiles to her with a sickeningly sweet expression despite half his face being covered by thin metal.

"Forgive his manners or lack there of Miss. We're merely attempting to turn in a bounty from the wall of jobs on the other side of your bar. Work was listed. It shouldn't matter who performed the job, should it?"

She stares at him, expression shifting from annoyance to an attempt to hide her fear in only a few seconds but yet the swordsman continues glow as brightly as possible as he allows his feet to lower to the ground, letting the barkeep see the truth of the prince's stature.

"So if you would be so kind Miss, I would be most appreciative if you would cash out our bounty so we can be our way."

And it's taking every ounce of her resolve not to shake in the presence this tiny force of nature.

"Do you have proof of completion?" She sounds never breaking contact with jade eyes and the smile under that mask only stretches wider.

His own gaze shifts as he turns to look at the taller man who in response tosses down a patch of behemoth's fur on the counter.

"Here." The gunman growls and the smaller man sighs.

"What he means to say is the threat to your town has been dealt with and the monsters have been cleared out of the forest for they shouldn't be a problem in the future. Now, our reward."

And it's in this moment that the pair can feel the eyes on them. They can feel the run the room practically turning to feel the gazes bore into their backs.

The woman behind the counter sighs as she looks from one Unlimited to the other and sounds with a groan.

"Why should I pay you anything when you boys are also on that board? Don't think I'm fool enough to not know who you are Lord Makenshi."

Jade eyes disappear only for a glowing white light to fill his vision while the smile on his lips never fades. Small hands come to rest down on the counter before him with fingers laced together as if performing a discussion withing the space of the royal court, only after tapping the arm of his elder when he notes the gunman's hand itching towards his hip.

"Now then Miss, if you know who we are then you also must be asking yourself if taking such a course of action is wise and I'm sure we both know the answer to that question, don't we?"

His mask slides back to reveal the poison laced smile on his lips as he refuses to move, only for the woman to groan and rustle up the amount of gil that was on the poster for the job just performed and she shoves it towards the swordsman with distain.

"Now git outta my bar n' while yet at it. Git outta town. I don't wanna see your faces in here again."

"Of course." The swordsman sounds as his mask is replaced on his face and the glow from his eyes fades. "Pleasure doing business with you."

There's oceanic suns glaring a hole into the side of his head as they leave the building and soon the Windarian growls.

"Did you just threaten that woman?"

"Me?" Comes a chime of innocence "No, never. I would never threaten someone. You must be mistaken, besides you're one to talk."

"Hmph." Comes a groan. "Let's just go."

[aita-blorbos]

AITA for killing my employer?

So I (???M) do freelance bounty work, but to be honest I’m usually very picky about the work I pick up. It’s not an easy job and where I’m from people are not particularly welcoming to people like me (they don’t take kindly to my food restrictions, although, I can’t blame them) but it generally is the right thing to do since my father is usually at the center of the problem, so I deal. Don’t ask.

This last job I had was pretty far from my usual stomping grounds, but the problem was immense. We are talking generations of scientific hazards and ethics issues, not to mention the whole food source concerns. Enough that I was willing to go based off of a message alone. The message was from my employer, we will call her C. She warned me that she saw the future and past and present, the inevitability of fate and sort of rambled there for a bit about her life and what she was and wasn’t complicit in. Crazy sounding, I know, but her evidence was pretty convincing that I needed to be there, and my source of receiving the letter was credible (probably to His chagrin). And I figured she was probably lonely, so I let that slide. It was weird though, because she mentioned she saw me killing her.

Now my job means that I have to get my hands messy. This is a bit of a problem because my partner (L) is a blabbermouth and a coward, but we’re sort of inseparable so I have to just bear with his presence. I don’t hate him, per se and he is helpful, but it makes any sort of infiltration hard to focus on. So as per usual, sneaking is out the door and I’m barreling in head first. First it’s the small fry, then the bigger guys, and apparently C’s lover is in on it too, and he has some weird grudge against me because of who knows what. Then there’s this whole big bad she mentioned sealing away that I now have to deal with. It’s fine. At least she contained him for a little while. Only was mortally wounded, like, once.

And then C was the only one left in the building. Based on how big the problem was I had to “clean up” everything. C knew this. She called me about it. She ended up taking me for a walk to some pretty mountain, and then started crying and I felt awkward. Her cryptic words afterwards didn’t help either but they aren’t important to the situation. She turned away after that. C knew I had my weapon, and she didn’t move. She just, let me kill her?

So, AITA if I killed my employer after she told me I would and then just let me do it? She had been complicit in a lot of suffering, but had felt bad about it, and thought she couldn’t change it because of fate, so I’m a little unsure of where I personally stand on this. L says I am, but he’s not really a great judge of these things.

Thanks in advance.

[warwaited]

So, I'm big into Scarlet Hollow now. What happens when Xue's stuck in a basement? Let's have a look. CW: vague description of freakish transformation, self-destructive tendencies, taking an axe to somebody, taking a shotgun to somebody, Scarlet Hollow spoilers, impressionist art.

For most people it would be hard to imagine the evening going any worse than this. Sure, she'd been able to get into the morgue and (after a brief scare by one of the residents of the house) break down the wall to search through the abandoned wing of the clinic, but... well, for one, she hadn't actually gleaned anything from what she found there. Another vision, another mention of the Witch, but zero insight into what either of those things meant and no more understanding of what might happen next either.

And she's locked in a stranger's basement. And the stranger is currently losing his mind over having, apparently, been poisoned for years by his mother, who he's barricaded the basement door from for "safety reasons". The only thing making Xue feel unsafe right now is Reese himself. Her gaze tracks him as he paces back and forth. She glances up to the door past him. He's talking to her - saying something about safety. She could not be listening less.

Xue balls up her fist. "I apologize for this, but-" She's in his face in two steps, knuckles flashing out and finding their target in Reese's throat. It's textbook. Not only had he not been expecting it, but when she spoke up he'd turned toward her ever so politely, exposing his windpipe to a blow that she's certain is at least going to put him on his knees.

He doesn't go down. Actually, he seems more shocked than injured. Her eyes widen, but somehow, the smile that worms across his face isn't malicious. It's manic.

"That was great... do it again!"

Thankfully for his (or her own?) sake they're both interrupted. Something- someone- Wayne is pounding on the window, heavy work boot doing its best to get through the reinforced glass that it's becoming increasingly obvious Dr. Kelly got for a good reason. Reese turns from her at the sound, and Xue's "treated" to... something.

At first she's revulsed. But as the thing-that-was-Reese tells her to stay put and that he's going to go take care of things, something stirs in her. It heads up the stairs and she waits a few seconds before rushing to the table in the room and inspecting the leg. She's not going up there unarmed after what just happened. Wrenching and prying at the metal connector, it soon gives way with a sharp crack and she lifts her new bludgeon. It's rudimentary. But it doesn't need to be fancy.

This isn't like the previous night. This isn't some mind-palace excursion that she can't actually affect in the slightest, some centuries-old grudge played out through the faces and voices of people she's been getting to know. This time there's nobody to stand between her and the problem at the end. She wasn't able to take the brunt for Tabitha at the trial... but Tabitha's not here now.

Actually.

Reese took that punch really well.

Xue hesitates, then huffs, taking her phone out of her pocket and scrolling past the museum's desk number and the one pizza delivery place that'll do orders after ten PM. She dials. Waits. Looks up to the basement door.

"Tabitha? I'm at the clinic. Reese is... something dangerous. He's going after Dr. Kelly. I can-"

Can she?

"-...probably handle it. Just wanted to let you know." She hangs up to the sound of her cousin trying to press her for more info, but enough time has been used on this sidebar. The steps are ascended three at a time, and she comes out into the main room, taking a turn on instinct and spotting Dr. Kelly at the end of the-

"DUCK!"

-no time for thought. Xue goes low, sliding across the hardwood floor on her shoulder. The dart rifle in the doctor's arms finds its target, but whatever's happening to Reese, he's not susceptible to what's in it. She focuses in on him, half-tempted to get at him while he's distracted, but the arrival of a fourth combatant in their little domestic dispute muddies the waters.

Another detour. Into the clinic proper. It takes her actually seeing the case that held the fire axe to remember it existed, and at this point her adrenaline's so high the trek downstairs to get it is barely a conscious decision. Kelly's saying something over the PA. Tranquilizers, black tape... Xue's not listening again. An axe isn't her preferred choice of weapon, too heavy at one end, takes too much muscle to stop moving after it starts, but it's a sight better than the chair leg.

Reese again. Then Wayne. They both take off, and she follows. This is not going to be like last time. She put in the effort to be who she is now, and she isn't going to be set back by fear or whatever misguided protective instinct Reese is showing. Action now... consequence later.

Thankfully, between the two of them they can give Reese a serious run for his money. Wayne at his front, Xue at his back - the heavy axehead makes a case for its presence when she brings it down hard, carving into the increasingly monstrous man's(?) shoulder and earning both a spray of blood and an inhuman shriek. He lashes out behind him on instinct, but she's already ducking away, taking a short-stroked swing at his leg. Wayne tries to tackle him. She's too slow to get out of the way.

At some point, more and more of the scene begins to get away from her. It's all just lines; axe to meat, claws to body, potential vectors for strikes to take and people to be pushed. She has a feeling she's not going to take this one, but maybe with the time she's bought-

Reese's head detonates. A downright excessive splatter of blood peppers her face, the beast blown sideways against the wall. She looks to her right, uncomprehending, only to see Tabitha wielding... the family shotgun. The mantlepiece conversation starter from her trailer in the mine. She hadn't even known it could shoot.

Reese starts moving again. Her first instinct is to take a swing at him, but she's too slow. Ringing ears drown out Dr. Kelly's voice as more and more buckshot is dumped into the monster, until Xue's pushing herself to her feet, using the axe more like a cane than a tool or weapon.

Her eyes meet Tabitha's. She laughs under her breath, exhausted and grimacing, and gives her a thumbs-up. "Not bad... for an old lady."

[kyunzin]

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐚𝐲?

✰ characters ✰ 𝐆. 𝐒𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐮, 𝐆. 𝐒𝐮𝐠𝐮𝐫𝐮, 𝐅. 𝐓𝐨𝐣𝐢, 𝐒. 𝐑𝐲𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧, 𝐍. 𝐊𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐨, 𝐊. 𝐂𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐨

✰ summary ✰ them overhearing you say you can take all of them at once (f!reader)

✰ tags/warnings ✰ kissing, teasing, biting, nipple play, biting, pussy licking

✰ kyun’s note ✰ this took a lot out of me, part 2 will be posted when I wake up because apparently there is a word count and I’m too tired to do anything about that right now. the tags will correspond to what part they are in so that’s why the tags look different than in the original outline. the taglist will stay the same with each part

maybe you should have been quieter

maybe you should have make sure nobody was around to hear you

maybe you should have declined their offer and went home to complete your assignments

maybe you’ll regret it in the morning when the pain settles in but that’s a problem for the you of tomorrow

it all started with a whispered comment you shared with your friends, while you watched gojo and geto walk past, you had said that you would let their whole friend group have their way with you unknowing of gojo’s impeccable hearing. you went on a tangent going into detail about all the things you would let them do to you letting the list drag on, shamelessly sharing your desires of all of them. that is until you felt an unfamiliar presence behind you placing their hands on your shoulder causing you to stop your rambling.

not daring to turn around after seeing the long nimble fingers resting on your shoulders as well as the way your friend was looking up at him with wide eyes, there was no doubt in your mind that the sweet scent coming from behind you belonged to gojo. “oh no, don’t stop on my account keep going. I’d love to hear more about what you’d let me do to you” the playful tone in his voice has you thinking that maybe he’ll let you off and move on. its not until he sits down in front of you, one leg over the bench mirroring your position, that you realise he wont leave without getting what he wants.

you try to slide back from him only to collide back into what you can only assume is geto’s firm chest. you have no clue as to when he sat behind you and you barely have to time to process his closeness before he speaks “theres no need to run away from us, we only want to hear what you have to say” his hand snakes around your waist holding you in place his low voice almost hypnotic as his friend flashes his pearly white seemingly innocent smile at you. you’re basically sandwiched in between them and you’re sure that your heart is beating loud enough for them both to hear.

your tongue is dry inside you mouth as you slowly start running out of ways in your head to avoid having to continue your speech. “I’m sure you’ve heard enough already I doubt theres anymore you’d wanna hear from me. I was finished anyway” you hope that’s enough for them but with the way gojo’s smile turn into a devious smirk you can tell they’re not gong to let you off the hook so easily. “oh really, cause if I can recall I remember you saying you’d let me use my fingers to choke you while I fuck you from behind, isn’t that right?”

he doesn’t even blush at his your vulgar statement while holding up his fingers in front of your face curling them into a c-shape as if to act out what he said, his predatory smile back in place. your eyes follow his hands as they drop back in front of him, he gives you a moment before turning his head to the side reminding you of his question but his companion answers for him. “i know what i heard, she also mentioned being spit roasted by both of us, if I’m not mistaken” he’s not and you’re starting to winder just how much they heard you say, you wouldn’t be surprised if they has heard all of it.

without at moments fail they begin to recite you every word, gojo making all sorts of obscene hand gestures while he speaks and you try to hang your head down in shame but gojo’s surprisingly warm hand lifts it up by your chin a small pout on his face “no need to hide princess, we’re only teasing. we’ll stop if you don’t like it” it kind of shocks you that he’s being considerate, considering all the stories you’ve heard of him have been about him being selfish. “not to say that we wouldn’t take you up on your offer is that’s what it is. i’m sure the others wouldnt mind either”

if gojos hand hadn’t already lifted you head you’re sure you would have gained whiplash from the way his friends statement has you turning your head to him with wide eyes. surely he must be joking right? theres no way that all of his friends would agree to live out all your fantasies with them. however the look on his normally impassive dace tell you that he’s serious, he was never known to be a joker anyway leaving all of that to gojo. “he’s serious ya’ know. I’m sure the others would be up for it, however it’s all up to you of course,” he waits before rephrasing his question “so? you up for it?”

you’re unsure as to whether you should accept his proposal or not but from what you’ve heard you’ve sure that you would regret it for the rest of you life if you rejected them now. “I mean if you’re really willing to then I guess I’m okay with it” you shrug and gojo’s toothy smile was back on his face in a flash as well as the hand behind you squeezing your waist gently, you had almost forgot that it was there. “perfect just give me your number and I’ll sort out the details” he hands you his unlocked phone and you type your number in it before handing it back to him. “perfect, I’ll see ya later princess”

he’s up and off just as quick as he came to sit down his companion following in suit both of them walking away side by side unknowing of the mess they just created in you head. it’s not a second later that you remember your friend and turn back to she see her sitting there with the same shocked expression as you except while your mouth was left gaping hers was raised into a crazed grin. having sat there throughout the whole interaction, you’re surprised she didn’t interrupt. the two of you leave your spot fawning over your predicament until you get a message from an unknown number with an address and time sent off with a blue heart emoji blue.

you quickly save his number and part with your friend leaving for your last lesson of the day, anticipation killing you all throughout the lecture. it’s no lie to say you almost run outside the room when the session finishes making your way home to freshen up and get ready. gojo had told you to be at his place by 4:30 earliest so you still had some time before you had to be there, plus you didn’t want to arrive early and seem to desperate even though you were. so you took your time getting ready making sure everything was making sure to pick out something comfortable to wear.

you had spent part of your afternoon in the shower making sure you were smooth as silk, washing yourself off with your favourite scented soap. making sure to rub cream into all parts of your skinthe time went by quick and before you knew it it was 4:28. you didn’t realise how long it took you to get ready but at least you knew that your were prepared enough. you search up the address gojo gave you and make your way there with slow steps giving yourself enough time to think through your life choices. you manage not to talk yourself out of it and soon enough you’re standing in front of their house.

before you chicken out at the latest second you quickly ring the doorbell and seal your fate, it’s not long before you hear steps coming your way making your heart beat faster. the door soon swings open slowly to reveal geto smiling down at you “glad you decided to come, have any trouble finding the house?” he steps aside you let you in closing the door behind you. in all honesty your surprised with the state of the house, you would expect it to be messy considering all the parties they’re said to have but it’s relatively clean bar a couple of cups on the living room table that geto leads you to.

“no it was a quick journey. why wouldn’t I come?” who in their right mind would turn down a chance to fuck the hottest guys on campus. you take a seat on the black leather sofa positioned in front of the wide inch tv and almost flinch when geto sits almost directly next to you. “it didn’t seem like you were to keen back at the table, I thought me might have come on to swing and scared you off” he picks up the remote from somewhere and turns on the tv, flicking through some channels he looks back to you with a reassuring smile. “you can still back out it you want the guys won’t mind”

“no, I’m sure. I’m just a little nervous is all, it’s my first time doing something…” you trail off at the end not sure how to phrase it but geto picks up for you “you mean you’ve never fucked this many people at once?” you can hear the smirk in his voice without looking at him and it’s clear as day that he’s teasing you “yeah, exactly that. but I’m sure you guys will make it worth my while won’t you?” you turn to look at him with an unwavering and seductive stare not planning on letting have all the fun. it’s seem to have caught him off guard with they way his eyes widen a little bit at your boldness.

seeing that your earlier nerves have dissipated he seems a little more eager to get started on your plans, placing your legs over his spread ones massaging his hand over your inner thigh slowly edging his hand further up. you part your legs a little to give him more access and use your arm to bring him into a kiss which he more than happily accepts. your lips melt against when he begins to deepen the kiss licking his way into your mouth. it’s only a second later that you realise the cold sensation you feel is his tongue piercing, which you didnt realise he had, mapping out the inside of your mouth.

he soon becomes impatient and pulls you on top of him without breaking the kiss, leaving you flush against him full body pressing down on his. he sucks in the small moan you let out when you fell his erection through the fabric of your clothes pressing directly into your cunt. even without opening your eyes you can feel him smirk into the kiss knowing that he’s having an affect on you. deciding that you won’t let him be the only one unaffected you roll your hips down into his, threading your hand into his tied up hair gripping onto it tightly and it’s a delight to hear the sharp “fuck” he lets out.

you pull back from the kiss leaving small trail of saliva connecting both of you lips for a second as you let out a small yelp when both his hand come down and slap your ass. the both of you are now breathing heavily trying to regain some air, staring at each other with lust blown eyes when he recovers. using his hands to keep you still he grinds his hips up into yours. “it’s cute that you’re trying to take control but just leave everything to me princess, I’ll make you feel good” you have half a mind to nod your head when he uses both his hands to grip your ass, squeezing sporadically.

just as you’re about to lean down and kiss him again you’re interrupted by an exaggerated gasp behind geto only to find gojo standing by the stairs surely hiding a grin behind his hinds that are clasped over his mouth. “how could you two start without me” you’re about to apologise but geto stops you, “ignore him” pressing kisses into the side of your neck while sliding a cold hand up your shirt sending a shiver down your spine. you’re so distracted by the feeling of geto’s soft lips on your skin that you hardly notice when gojo ends up kneeling next the the two of you on the sofa.

you’re startled by the sudden contrast of geto’s cold hands to gojo’s warm ones turning your head to his direction, looking at you with his now familiar predatory grin, “I could hear your cute little noises from upstairs, is he making you feels good?” your response is cut off by a moan as geto rolls his hips into yours again, “stop talking and make better use of your mouth” he says without his lips leaving your neck and you watch as gojo rolls his eyes playfully but complies with his friends command with a silent whisper of “so bossy” before leaning down and latching his lips onto yours.

unlike geto whose kiss was more rough and impatient, gojo focuses his attention on teasing you endlessly. gently brushing his lips against yours slowly pulling away, revelling in the way you try to chase his lips with a whine only to be pulled back by an annoyed geto. “I thought I told you to be useful?” he spans his attention back to you gesturing at your top lifting it slightly, agreeing you lift your shirt off and throw it behind you. gojo’s quick to unclasp your bra, taking it off to drop on top of your shirt. “yeah yeah whatever” he makes quick work of sucking your nipple into his mouth, biting down hard.

you arch into his touch while geto holds you down by your hips, flicking your other nipples while he watches your face contort into pleasure. it’s like the both of them are competing to see who can get the better reaction out of you, the near constant rolling of geto’s hips into yours versus how gojo relentlessly bites and sucks on your nipple. their more than experienced hands start to roam your body and you’re now starting to believe all the rumours that were said about them. if it feels this good with just the two of them you wonder what it’ll be like with the rest of them.

just as the thought passes you hear someone come through the front door and you try to look but you’re stopped as geto pulls you into another sloppy kiss. “impatient fucks, I thought you said you were gonna wait until we all got here” the voice comes closer but getos lips are still locked with yours and you cant bear to break the kiss. that is until a thick hand hooks around your neck from behind you pulling you away from geto’s lips. he turns you to face him and youre met with toji’s mocking grin. “she looks gone already, fuck what did you two do to her” he inspects you face for a second before letting go.

“nothing she hasn’t thought about before,” gojo smiles as he turns to you “isnt that right princess?” you don’t trust your voice enough to speak so a weak nod is all that you can manage, seeming to have accepted the response toji lets go of you neck and you already miss the heated grip around your neck as you subconsciously try to lean back into the touch which earns you a laugh from the trio. “seems like she’s tired of you two, how about you come upstairs with me?” not that you’re given a chance to answer as he effortlessly picks you up from geto holding you bridal style in your half-naked state.

you can feel his thick muscles flexing under you as he adjusts his hold while he ignores the protests from the other two men trailing behind him. he makes sure to watch where hes going when he walks so it gives you a chance to study his features. this is the closest that you’ve ever been up to him, sure you’ve seen pictures and caught glimpses of him around campus but seeing something in person is different, especially the fact that you cant smell through pictures. god he smells so fucking good. you can even see the thin layer of sweat over he exposed neck, probably having just come back from exercise.

I wanna lick the sweat off him, wonder if he’d let me. due to your gaze being lowered you failed to notice him smiling down at you. “I’d let you do anything you fucking want sweet cheeks, s’long as you let me get a taste of you first” your head snaps up to him, eyes widening in shock not realising you had said that out loud. ‘I really have an issue keeping my mouth shut don’t i- hold on’ “sweet cheeks?”. he chuckles deeply and you can fell the vibration coming off his thick chest. “s’there a problem? anyone with eyes can see a great piece of ass, I’m just the lucky guy that gets to have it”

in the few seconds the interaction had happen toji had managed to open a door, entering a room and practically tossing you onto the edge of a neatly spread bed. looking around you can gather that it’s probably a guest bedroom. the other two enter only shortly “we weren’t doing with her yet” gojo complains. “not my problem, it’s my turn now” in a quick motion he pulls his tank over his head snd gets down on his knees in front of you. “now how about we get rid of these,” without asking he pulls down your joggers and panties in one fluid motion leaving you bare in front of them. “that’s better”

you try to close your legs in modesty but toji stops you by spreading your legs wider than before with both hands “keep ‘em nice and wide for me,” he lets a hand slide down almost reaching your inviting pussy “keep ‘em and I’ll stop yeah?” you not airily hoping he’ll finally start but he doesn’t move clearly waiting for something else “I need words cheeks” you let out a frustrated groan before complying with his request. “I won’t close them just fucking do something already” his eyes look shocked but he grins at your boldness, however both geto and gojo, aquatinted with you sass, just laugh.

“such a needy cunt you have, can’t wait to be stuffed full” he slides both hands under your thighs and pulls you directly in front of him, leaning back and resting on your elbows waiting for what he’s for what he’s going to do next. you let out a whimper, relieved to finally be touched, when he runs two fingers up your pussy collecting your juices on his fingers and sucks them into him mouth ands moans at the taste while maintaining eye contact with you. “tastes better than I imagined, ‘toru come here” you’re suddenly reminded of the other two’s presence at the mention of his name.

its takes a second for you to notice that geto isn't standing were he was before until the bed dips behind you and your raised to lean against is chest, trying to look back at him but his cold hands lower your gaze down to were gojo is not knelt between your legs alongside toji. "keep your eyes on them, don't pay attention to me" his sonorous voice sends chills down your bare neck while you turn your attention back to the, now two, boys below you. gojo starts tailing kisses up your thighs looking up at you through his platinum lashes until toji pulls him back with a firm tug of is hair that has him letting out a grunt.

"i didn't say you could touch did i?" watching as the two men stare at each other, you let out a whine at the sudden loss of touch but its quickly replaced by geto's cold fingers tweaking your nipple "be patient you'll get what you want soon enough" you're now left with both legs spread wide over geto's, almost begging for someone to do something, anything at this point. luckily your prayers are answered when geto runs a ands down your abdomen pressing a wet kiss to your neck "you do know its rude to keep your guests waiting right?"

at his reminder both men turn back to you with similar grins on their faces, though toji doesn't release his grip on gojo's hair he quickly whisper something into is ear that you cant hear before turning back to you "my bad, 's just that this little bitch as no patience 'n doesn't know how to listen". geto ignores then and turns your head towards him while the other one pinch and roll your nipple between is fingers, latching his lips onto yours in a wet kiss eliciting a moan from you, which distracts you from the other two. your eyes shoot back open, a hot tongue is presses flat against your pussy.

𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 - 𝐉𝐔𝐉𝐔𝐓𝐒𝐔 𝐊𝐀𝐈𝐒𝐄𝐍

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[taughtdefense-a]

[ HEAT ]:      while in the middle of a make-out session, sender pushes the receiver up against the wall, unwittingly heating things up even more.

RARE ARE THE OPPORTUNITIES FOR YOU TO BE WITH ONLY ONE OF YOUR PARTNERS IN YOUR APARTMENT. you already miss miguel, tory & robby, who had left the apartment almost an hour ago. they're out having dinner with sam's parents & carmen at the larusso household, while you & @taughtmercy opted for a quieter night together. peace talks, as daniel called them, no doubt brought on after the bona fide shitstorm that was their reactions when you revealed your eldritch nature to the friend group. that'd been two weeks ago, & you've still not been over to the larusso household, or to the diaz apartment, or to any miyagi-fang training sessions. johnny has been letting all of that go. he's empathetic of your situation - & as the only adult who actually accepted you, powers & eldritch nature alike, because you SAVED HIS SON'S LIFE, saved all of the teens' lives from ryker & his gang. take as long as you need, ethan, he'd said to you seriously after placing a comforting hand on your shoulder, a day before you essentially shut down entirely ( for the second time in this lifetime ). you knew instantly that he meant it, & you were so relieved you almost broke down in tears of joy right then & there.

you'd been hesitant in letting any of your loves be near daniel, amanda or carmen, fearing they'd get called names, or worse: if they tried to manipulate them into breaking up with you, but miguel reassured you ( multiple times ) that the second they even attempted anything like that, or if they start to become unreasonable, the three of them would leave without saying goodbye & come straight home. ( your skewed reasoning is that if the people you trusted hurt you, it'd be no problem to them if they hurt your partners. your trust in the people you once trusted has effectively been SHATTERED. )

five minutes before you became... occupied, you'd been antsy, constantly checking your phone for updates on how everything is going from tory, robby & miguel. tory said that things are still going smoothly, & amanda had even surprisingly stopped herself from ❝ fucking up ❞, whatever that means. you didn't push it, despite your curiosity. you'll take it as PROGRESS. so, to pass the time & keep your mind off of that, you decided to pull sam up onto your lap with one arm while you'd sent a thumbs up emoji to tory's response with your other hand. you guess sam really liked that display of strength, because she immediately started kissing you, which was nice, & exactly what you wanted. one thing led to another, & you'd picked her up with one arm again, the other sliding through her hair absentmindedly, playing with the strands carefully. you set her back onto the floor, & took her hands in yours, pulling her towards your shared bedroom.

unexpectedly, though, sam took control of the situation. she shoved you up against the wall next to your open bedroom door & started kissing you again, apparently unwilling to wait another minute to continue kissing you. that seems to be a trait all of you share with each other. impatience, at least when it comes to make out sessions. you didn't mind her taking control of the situation, even if your eyebrows rose in surprise. it's rare, but it's a good thing. your lips pull up into a wide grin as you think of something funny, causing you to grin widely into the kiss. you only respond for a moment, even as it makes fire race through your blood.

❝ hi. ❞ you murmur, pupils momentarily flickering baby pink, signaling love. the pink hues briefly illuminates the faint blush on your cheeks ( you think robby would get a kick out of that ). you pull away from her lips to give her a second to catch her breath, brown eyes searching her blue ones intensely, but your expression is entirely full of love, adoration, joy & trust. just like with all of your partners, you trust her wholeheartedly, with every inch of your being - eldritch & vessel alike. you love your partners, & they love you just as much. ❝ it seems like someone's impatient. i can only imagine how long you've been waiting to do that, sam... hmm, the whole night ? ❞ you tease her lightly, leaning forward to press a passionate kiss to her lips, intentionally pulling away before she can deepen it. you want to take a moment to gaze at her. she's beautiful. a hand gently slides down her back, fingers lightly skating across her bare back. you're amused to see that she's wearing one of robby's t-shirts - it's clear in your expression.

❝ that was really fucking hot. you should do it more often, babe. ❞ you encourage her gently, the grin not faltering from your lips for even a second. you laugh lightly, a genuine laugh. for a second, it seems like you're back to your old self, the person you were before the disastrous reveal of your true nature, & subsequent isolation episode, take two. it's... freeing, & it feels nice. ❝ our fiancés & fiancée are gonna be pissed they missed seeing this. ❞ you comment absentmindedly. you can picture miguel's face clearly in your mind, wide-eyed, jaw on the floor, & you laugh again, the sound bright & brimming with warmth.

you perk up slightly when an idea suddenly comes to you, & it makes you smirk slightly. it's the one that that miguel calls your ❝ little shit ❞ smirk, & depending on the context, that can either be a good thing or a bad thing. right now, you're inclined to believe that it's a good thing. your hands carefully slide down her back, moving to hold her hips gently. you lean down to whisper ❝ good girl ❞ into her ear, pulling back to carefully gauge her reaction.