#before you come at me I think Karen is alright but overall her at the end of s2 made me and the friend who introduced me to the show angry

[maybeimamuppet]

for the au ask game… had to think really hard for this one but—

how do you think things would be different if regina didn’t get hit by that bus??

<3, sunny

send me an au and i’ll tell you about it!!! it was supposed to be five facts about it but i like to yap

ALRIGHT i’ve been thinking about this one for like three days i am not in a space to answer this well but this sitting in my inbox is haunting me so i’m gonna go for it lol

i think the easiest way is to sort of go through and say how i think things would be different for each characterrrrr??? we’ll see lol

to start with, overall, regina getting bussed is sort of the catalyst for everything coming back together. it both is and is not the climax depending on which characters journey you’re focusing on.

for example, regina getting hit is what makes her soften. it gives her a chance to step back and realize she doesn’t want to die being the kind of person she was. it’s what kickstarts her (at least supposed) redemption arc. we never actually see that happen but it is strongly implied at spring fling. without the bus, i like to think she still would’ve come to her senses eventually. but it’s entirely possible that she wouldn’t. or maybe she wouldn’t until they’re all in their thirties or forties or fifties or god knows when.

for janis, that means she’s left with this leftover, hardened, jaded middle school trauma to eat away at her forever. she’s already cynical and, again, jaded. she’s already affected by it. already needed significant therapy. already is made mean and manipulative and vengeful by it.

for janis i see her track going one of two ways. she either manages to heal on her own, realizing regina will never give her the closure she needs and so desperately wants. she gets more therapy, works on herself. develops strategies and learns how to identify the damaging thoughts rooted in this trauma and cope with them and turn them into something healthy. she really falls into her art and educates herself and makes herself into something wonderful with all the broken pieces.

OR she continues down the path of manipulation and anger and spirals. she tries but can never commit to anything serious, be it jobs or relationships or whatever. she has a long string of failed experiences with both. damian is the only thing keeping her away from living under a bridge and dying of some sort of overdose.

for cady, regina getting hit is the beginning of the end for her. it’s the moment the ivory pedestal everyone has had her on shatters and she falls back to their level. she’s hit hard, but again, it leads her to important self reflections and realizations. we get to see more of her redemption, like taking the fall for the burn book and getting to apologize to ms. norbury and janis and damian, along with her speech during stars.

without that, again, i see her going one of two ways. she continues as she is. nobody dares to bring up that she’s just a clone put in regina’s place. she’s queen of the school and she loves it. she has power but no depth. she and janis and damian never speak again. gretchen and karen follow her exclusively out of fear. aaron still wants next to nothing to do with her. she has no deep, genuine connections with anyone for however long it lasts, whether she keeps it going through college and into the rest of her life or whether it ends at graduation. either way, the effects linger with her and she struggles to form genuine relationships and she lives a very isolated, lonely life.

OR she comes to the realization on her own at some point, whether internally or someone dares to call her out. whether before they graduate or well into her adulthood (similar timeline to regina) and she devotes herself to making amends. similar to janis, she leans hard into academia and channels the drive and the desire to control into becoming very successful. she still worries that she hasn’t actually been forgiven and works extra hard to keep her friends and other loved ones close.

for gretchen, the potential of losing her “boss” is what sparks her realizing she has much more power and worth and value than she thinks. with just how anxious and sheeplike her character is in canon i find it hard to believe she would ever truly come to this realization on her own. i think she’d come close with a lot of therapy and self-esteem work, but i think having one, concrete, solid moment to shock her into it is vital for who she becomes as an adult. it’s what prompts her and karen to drop cady and learn how to do their own thing.

if regina had never been hit i see her basically just continuing as she is. following cady or eventually returning to regina and doing her bidding. maybe someday she’d get fed up and realize she deserves more and better, or maybe not.

for karen i think a lot of the same things as gretchen. she and gretchen are sort of a tag team, so i think they go through and would go through a lot of the same things. i think karen has a little more oomph but doesn’t quite know how to use it or know whether she should. i think she’s much more likely to eventually leave cady or regina’s side on her own and realize how poorly she’s been treated for however long. and who knows, maybe that would be enough for gretchen to go too. i think she does know in canon that she deserves better but she stays because it’s safer. so maybe at some point she decides it’s not worth it.

for regina i think it’s. pretty obvious lol. she has her whole downfall which i think had the opposite effect to the bus. i think that on its own would make her FUUUUURIOUS. i think she would become vengeful and vindictive and bitter and sullen and try and try again to snatch the crown back from cady. no matter what it takes, and i have no idea whether she’d ever succeed. again, i like to think that at some point, eventually, she’d work on herself and make amends and become a better person, but i think dying scared her more than they can show in a movie/musical that isn’t about her. i think, again, it’s a catalyst for changing and becoming a better person. and i think it takes time, and that’s why i’m glad the bus happened when it did because it GIVES her that time to do whatever she can and what she needs to do to apologize and improve while she still is surrounded by the same people she hurt the most.

she either is One Of Those Rich People (really angry but good at their job lawyer or corporate bitch everyone beneath her hates or some shit) or she does make an improvement and makes some genuine friends and maybe has some relationships that benefit all parties. or maybe both!!

in conclusion, as horrible as it is, i think the bus needs to happen when it does and i think the strife and the weird healing it brings is BEYOND necessary holy shit. i think it almost single handedly shapes who they all become as adults and the way they connect with each other and other people around them, and i’m very glad we got the canon we did :)

but make them lesbians

[morganski-19]

Alright, I've slept on it, now I have thoughts.

Overall, this episode felt like when Disney Channel would have their Halloween episodes. No use to the plot of the show, just there for fun times and useless drama.

That's because this episode did literally nothing to further the plot of this season. Sure, there was more mention of Christopher than there has been, and that last scene where Eddie was packing up decorations and holding his picture. But that was it.

There was nothing to indicate what the issue that will come up between Buck and Tommy's relationship will be. It was just the same condesention issue that there was last season.

Hen and Karen had a storyline that didn't make sense, at least in the way they wrote it. Karen could have brought up the fact that Hen took off for Denny's first time trick or treating or something. Maybe how she took off for his first Christmas, or one of his big birthdays. Make this disagreement make more sense to happen this far into their relationship. It was a very first year of marriage kind of argument.

As for Athena, her plot was fine. The spoof of DARE actually made sense, I just hate that it was brought back up in the end. I hated the way that she made it seem like that man's actions were caused by the girls' behavior. Was egging his house a good thing, no. But that man made the conscious choice to chase down A CAR DRIVEN BY MINORS, MIND YOU, very recklessly that got himself and almost another kid killed.

Which brings me to the Denny accident. I honestly don't think it benefitted the story at all. It was very sad and tense, and I legitimately thought they were going to kill him off for a second. However, they wouldn't have. Because this was the fun episode that just needed a spice of drama. Which meant hurting someone close to the team. And since Mara just got back, and Jee is too young to endure that trauma yet, and all the other kids aren't in the show currently, it defaulted to Denny.

And they'll never bring it up again. Typical.

Also, anyone saying that Bobby acted out of character by letting Hen be involved in this case isn't exactly right. Bobby would be a massive hypocrite if he didn't, because he's done the same with his own family. And I think part of him knew that Hen would be the one to save her son. I think it would have been nice for him to come in and remind her of the chances, of the protocols. Not to push her, but to center her into the paramedic instead of the mother. Find that mix that she is good at, and has done before.

The pacing was also off. But I'm going to talk about that and the curse in another post because this is already getting long.

[veryferaldistributions]

My Top Five Least-Favorite “My Two Dads” Episodes

(As always, these are just my opinions. You may think these are great. Ain’t no shame in that!)

5. Love and Learn

I should love this episode. Nicole learns a lesson, the dads learn a lesson, everyone hugs at the end, and I cry like I’m PMSing. My issue with this episode, though, is that Nicole doesn’t act like herself. Every decision she makes in this episode feels like something Shelby or Nina would do, or some other teenage girl, but not Nicole. She’s always been consistently smart and self-aware, possibly more so than other girls her age, but in this episode she acts like a love-sick puppy. She’s writing bad poetry, she’s sulking in her room, and generally isn’t in character. She’s dated boys that were “bad for her” in other episodes, but always in an obvious and aware “just doing this to get back at her dads” reason. (Heck, the VERY NEXT EPISODE, “You Can Count on Me” shows just how aware Nicole is, when Shelby wants to have sex with a boy she barely knows, and Nicole manages to talk her out of it.)

I also feel like this episode didn’t impress upon Nicole, or the audience, the seriousness of her being fifteen and dating an nineteen year old. And this show was obviously before the present era where this is FAR more taboo, but I feel like the boy should have made the point that what they were doing, even just by kissing, was HIGHLY illegal. I still like elements of this episode, especially the message that Nicole’s dads will always love her, no matter how many mistakes she makes, so it’s not a total loss and that’s why it’s #5. But still not one of my favorites.

4. Who’s on First?

Again, for the most part, this episode is actually alright. It’s more the second half I don’t like than the first. Nicole goes on a date and has her first kiss, something that makes her dads very uncomfortable. After they send Cory to her room to spy on her, they catch them in a very awkward “not what it looks like” scenario. One in which the dads definitely overreact, but I can’t exactly blame them entirely. It did look bad.

After Nicole explains herself, with the Judge as a mediator, the dads realize they should probably learn more about the teenage girl experience. So, they read a book? They talk to moms of Nicole’s friends? NOPE! They decide to go to a “Female Sexual Awakening” seminar (how they thought this would be about puberty is beyond me). And, of course, they act like absolute pigs. With Michael saying a shockingly inappropriate line that I refuse to repeat and I’m surprised they got away with. The lesson of this episode seemed to be more about “men will act like men, women will act like women, and no one should try to do anything different.” The talk they have with Nicole at the end was fairly decent, where they make a vague attempt to say “you can come to us about anything,” but they’ve had better family moments.

3. Getting Smart

I like the overall ATTEMPTED lesson behind this episode, but I don’t truly feel like Michael learned anything, which was what the episode was trying to do.

Nicole begins to think that she shouldn’t act as smart as she is because “boys don’t like smart girls.” Shelby is the one who impresses this on her, but Nicole actually is more influenced by the way her dads talk about their boss, Karen (more on her later in the list). Nicole ends up asking her dads to let her drop back into normal literature instead of being in the advanced class, which they allow, before realizing why she’s done it. Michael’s attitude towards his boss left a bad taste in my mouth, and I really felt like he didn’t change hardly at all, and the room for self-reflection on his part was not taken advantage of.

The episode felt like it ended on a more “agree to disagree” message with Michael and Nicole, which I didn’t really like. Other episodes have done this better, in my opinion, such as “Dirty Dating,” showing that her dads are still the parents and still in charge, but should also always consider Nicole’s feelings and opinions.

2. See You in September?

For those that don’t know, this is the series finale, and most would agree that it was not satisfying in the slightest. Though I can’t find a lot of background information on this, I have a feeling that the creators were told halfway through Season 3 that they wouldn’t be picked up for another season. Characters that got more of a relationship arc were suddenly rushed together for the sake of a happy “heterosexual” ending.

Sarah just happens to be having her wedding in New York, and Joey goes to stop her from getting married. Which actually works! He then makes an uncharacteristically abrupt decision to leave Michael and Nicole and move to San Francisco to be with Sarah and Gracie. And no matter which way you lean on the “are they?/aren’t they?” thing with Michael and Joey, most can see Joey was very against leaving Nicole in “Bye Bye, Baby” (one of Joey’s best episodes). And though Michael has his own love interest at this point (fuck if I can even remember her name), it was all very weirdly abrupt. I’ve only seen the finale once, and once was enough for me.

1. Together We Stand

Remember when I said in another post that this show can be sexist as hell? Well, this is the crowning jewel of these episodes. Michael and Joey have recently been rehired by Mr. Kelcher to run a financial magazine. At first, we think Michael is going to be the boss of their department, but it turns out both men have a new boss named Karen. One that they, but especially Michael, treat like absolute garbage.

I don’t necessarily have a problem with showing workplace sexism in the media; it’s a very real issue, and when handled correctly, can be entertaining and informative. (“Anchorman” does this really well, in my opinion.) But in this episode, our favorite boys are shown to be absolute pigs. And this is never shown to be the “wrong” or “bad” thing to be. They’re seen as right, and they never get any comeuppance. I found no redeemable qualities in this episode and I am quite comfortable throwing the whole thing away. It was the cream of the crap!

Dishonorable Mentions:

* The God of Love: Overall a VERY uncomfortable episode. The whole segment with Nicole talking to Joey’s nude date (AND THE DADS LETTING HER) made me want to barf.

* Crushed: (see my feelings on “Love and Learn.” But with less “meh” enjoyment.)

* The Wedge & Fallen Idol: Solidly fine episodes, I just truly couldn’t care less about Joey’s rockstar friend.

* Who’s Night is it Anyway? & Stupid Macho Guy Time: Jesus, what is with the women in this show? These were bad episodes that make Michael and Joey look like horrible idiots.

[princessamericachavez]

the arc 6b is stablishing

okay so

I have to say, after so many years, I should not be surprised by fandom’s obvious lack of comprehension when it comes to arcs and storylines

but here we are and I’m once again rolling my eyes at some takes in the fandom

this time around? the overwhelming anger towards the show “insisting on redeeming bad parents”. 

First of all, most of the “bad parents” we are talking about here aren’t villains. Yes, they are extremely flawed human beings who have fucked up and hurt their children due to their shortcomings... nearly every single parent of the 118 firefam is. They aren’t evil or actively going out of their way to hurt them, though. Chim’s dad, who might be the most openly harmful imo, is neglectful and absent. And the show hasn’t really made any move to humanize him up until now. So let’s see wtf is going on outside of Howard’s point. 

REGARDLESS THOUGH, that’s not even my point. 

MY POINT IS ARCS AND STORYTELLING. 

Now, hear me out. 6x10 is three things at once: 

-The continuation of the show’s overall story

-The continuation of season’s 6 overarching storylines

-The beginning of season 6b’s arcs

So my point here is... we are at the BEGINNING of those arcs. The show is telling us where these characters need to go. 

So let’s look at the evidence we do have:

-The Buckley parents are being oddly nice. Yes. Oddly so. And you can roll your eyes and call bad storytelling... except, the show is spotlighting how weird it is. Buck, Chim and Maddie all comment on it. So whatever that weirdness is coming from, they are telegraphing it to us. Eventually, we’ll find out. 

-Buck and Maddie believe that their lives would’ve been happier if Daniel had lived. They just fed this to us right openly... BEFORE WE SEE BUCK’S FEVER COMA DREAM WHERE DANIEL LIVED AND EVERYTHING ISN’T ALRIGHT. As a matter of fact, it looks like Buck is actively trying to get back to this life, his real life, with his found family. 

So? What can we learn in this second example, that we already saw on the first? The characters have made a statement (either by actions, the Buckleys, or with words, Buck and Maddie). The show will prove them wrong. They will learn and grow from it. 

-So, thirdly, while I do think they are going to try to to ‘cut some slack’ for Chim’s dad or show us his point of view, I think the whole point of him being here, the whole thing, it’s just so we can get this wonderfully wrong line: A man cannot raise a child fathered by another man. 

Now, I don’t think I need to explain how this is wrong... but I want to use it as an example of how this entire episode was filled with wrong/false statements. This line, it jumps at us, because we KNOW that it goes against the thesis of this show. Here’s some examples: 

a) Bobby has been clearly stablished as Buck’s father figure. In show. In interviews. And specifically in this episode, which was all about parents and children, mostly fathers and sons. 

b) Buck is practically co-parenting another man’s child. Whether they acknowledge it being romantic or not, the show does acknowledge Buck’s part in raising Christopher. Other characters do too. The actors and writers even. It’s an undeniable fact. 

c) Howard himself was raised by another couple. And it wasn’t just shown to us, it was made rather explicit when he invited them to be part of Jee’s life in the role of grandparents. 

d) Hen and Karen are raising a child who doesn’t biologically belong to either of them but the show has consistently insisted on their family unit and, furthermore, is currently exploring those implications. 

e) The show literally just made the point to have May call Bobby her dad last season during Mayday. And it was a big, important, and insisted upon moment. 

So? We know this statement is wrong. We know it’s being made specifically so the storyline in 6b can state, once again, how and why it is wrong. And I suspect we’ll see a lot of that with Chris and Buck next episode already. 

Anyway, I wish fandom spent less time freaking out about “bad” stuff in the show and used more of that energy to analyze where those plot points mean to take us. 

[luchicm04]

lost in the forest - part 22

Masterlist

Summary: A formal meeting is called upon and Karen comes face to face with her guests' long lasting enemies.

Pairing: Senju Tobirama/Original Female Character

Tag: #lost in the forest fic

posted on ao3

Word Count: 3.1k

So, as some might've noticed, I changed the title of the fic because I realized that accent in the original title was a mistake. The author probably made an error and mistook the words 'pérdida' and 'perdida', meaning loss and lost, respectively.

Also, there are many errors like that during all the fic, so that's why I trying to be careful when translating. Otherwise, many sentences would make no sense and the story would lose its charm. I bet that's happened to more than one who has read a google-translated fic.

I remind you that English is just my second language, not my mother language. If there are any mistakes in the words, pls notify me so I can change it.

Overall warnings: canon-typical violence, adult content, time skips, angst, kidnapping

A demure white yukata with a delicate braided hairstyle that highlights her foreign features. The clothing is completely different from all the ones she has owned since she began participating in the affairs of this clan, simple and modest that radiates the main plan they are about to sign before the eyes of the nobles and lords of these lands. 

Karen feels out of place, but there she is, looking up at the exit door where she can notice a Hashirama talking to the insurance council giving warnings to eb careful, a common thing for fear that this is a trap. 

Nobody believes that it is that simple to formalize peace, which makes her sigh. 

“Be very careful.” Mikami has gone to see her off with a sleeping Matsuo. Her eyes are fearful. 

“I’ll be fine, I’ll just be a witness,” she says with the excitement of being out for the second time... she has a nasty taste in her mouth about it, but she thinks it’s too positive to think it will be different. Karen has faith in it. 

“Are you sure?” 

“I’ll go alone with Tobirama and Hashirama,” she reminds her friend in an attempt to divert her own fear. She gives a needed hug almost waking up the kid. “Remember that I’ll be back soon... for Matsuo-kun's future, right?” 

“Fine.” She looks doubtful but accepts. “Tobirama-sama,” she greets the austere young man who blinks slower than usual in their direction to accept the greeting with slight seconds of distance. 

“Are you ready?” Oblivious and firm, the leader’s brother comments, accepting the greeting while Mikami leaves with a slow stammering, more so because the child began to cry and there are many people around anxious about this income.  

“Yes,” she sighs, looking at her own clothes. Just like her, he is wearing something simple in white colors. “I guess transportation for me is too much to ask, right?” 

“We do not have time to waste... on your type of transportation,” he frowns with the ‘you’re stupid’ to which she doesn’t retaliate. 

“I was hoping you had some kind of carriage,” she sighs, disappointed with the type of response she gets. “Tamamo-san, Jenshi-san,” she greets two of the councilors who approach. 

“Greetings, young Karen-san... Tobirama-sama. Can we talk?” He asks her partner, who raises his eyebrow firmly. 

“You already talked to Hashirama, you do not have to talk to me,” he says, noticing that there is some tension in this regard. She supposes these are things that remain after several days of internal hostility for what peace meant. 

Letting the death of others be in vain, according to them. 

“Yes, but we would like to cover some topics with you,” Tamamo comments with an arch, looking at her. “If you would excuse us.” 

“Alright... I’ll go with Hashirama.” Karen is almost about to leave but her head is slightly stopped by a rough movement from her partner, with those firm red eyes that she doesn’t dare move. 

“As I told you, you already spoke with Hashirama,” he comments more seriously than normal looking at the two elderly people who look irritated. “The war will end with this. A step forward for the future.” 

“You know what we think about it.” Jenshi looks annoyed, but lets out some venom, not caring if she listens. She looks at Tobirama with slight doubt, without letting her go completely. What does he want her to do? It’s not like she can do anything. 

“The blood has already been spilled. It is not necessary for new generations to grow up with a war whose beginning we do not understand,” Tobirama replies in his own way what she already said before, which surprises her, and she does not avoid looking at him with her eyes slightly open. “Is that not right, Karen?” 

“War has always been this complicated, for those who do not forget, for those who lost a lot... leaving all that behind so that the future is promising is difficult,” the civilian states, doubtfully adding to this conversation in which she did not want to participate. She hates her position, but she clings to her spot despite the bad faces of the elders. “But that does not mean it is impossible,” she sighs slightly. “Trust Hashirama, with the fact that achieving this has been a success.” 

“A civilian would not understand,” one of the elders responds bitterly and confidently. 

“A civilian who knows about wars,” Tobirama adds without missing a beat. 

Karen remains in her place without knowing what else to add in this peak of severe wills. She gulps, staying put out of pride and foolishness. She has the need to run, which itches down her back... however, there she is, in the middle of three men who could easily kill her and throw away her body. 

Ironic. Where are her self-preservation instincts? …ah yes, she forgot about that for a long time. 

“I just hope this does not turn out worse, that those Uchihas do not bite our hand,” Jenshin spits arrogantly, as if that clan wasn’t more important than them... a different class. 

“They are shinobi, humans like all of us. I am sure they have also given in to this because they have lost a lot too, right? So, do not discredit that.” Karen is a little bitter about the way he said it. This is how internal conflicts start. “And I would like to make something clear... when the council begins to plan something behind the leader’s back, I assure you that it will be the certain fall of its power.” 

“A threat?” Tamamo frowns. 

“I am a civilian. I cannot threaten but indicate what I know from the experience of other nations,” Karen raises her gaze. “And it would be sad if the Senju clan became lost due to your own arrogance... due to your own pride in leaving things behind to work together for a better future, something that both Hashirama and Tobirama have worked so hard for. Do not make it ruin itself just because a few do not want to leave the past, to build a future without stopping learning from it.” 

The two old men look at each other and then turn around without any comment. Tobirama doesn’t say anything. 

“I think they both no longer want their grandchildren to propose to me,” she says sarcastically, without a hint of joy. 

“Did you want to marry them?” 

“It’s sarcasm,” she sighs as she rolls her eyes, because the joke is lost on its own. 

“...” The albino looks at her for a long time. 

“Ask away,” she insists before the silence between them. 

“Is what you said true?” 

“What part?” 

“About... the fall of nations?” 

“Somewhat,” she explains with a light sigh. “But I think it can be worked on. If it’s achieved, this will be an advance for the future.” 

“You sound so confident.” 

“I have seen you work. Although stupid and difficult to understand, you have a good head... you are born leaders.” 

“You do not fall behind.” 

“Even if I’m a civilian?” The woman mocks. 

“Even if you are,” he quickly accepts, without noticing the tone implied. Seriously, this man cannot take anything as a joke. 

“Alright, it’s time to go,” Hashirama interrupts them when he looks at them with amused doubt. “Well?” 

“Nothing is wrong,” his brother assures coldly. Karen feels she’s missing something and doubts seeing a strange gesture in the always shining man, that she falters when she’s swiftly carried as a princess. 

“Warn before!” She complains when she is accommodated. Karen frowns at the distant man who ignores her, not avoiding screaming from the excitement of the speed of this technique. She closes her eyes and clings to the yukata with a chaotic thought of doing something about the transportation system. 

This is not suitable for everyone. 

She has vertigo. 

──

The nobles are notable and now she sees why many doubt the invented title that Hashirama himself said when introducing her. The Fire Daimyo looks interested, with a pensative gesture. “Shinji-sama,” Karen says with neat etiquette reviewed by an ephemeral Mikami, who insisted on explaining to her in detail the type of environment that she would be surrounded with. 

These nobles, as witnesses of this important step between chinobi clans, are an important piece to formalize the pact. 

“Karen-san... strange name,” the man assures with a curious glow. 

“Yes, a curious name,” the woman accepts without missing a beat. The place is spacious, with light traditional monuments and well-kept gardens. As they explained to her, it is one of the many houses of the young lord of these lands, located at some neutral point of the two shinobi families. 

An agreement that they managed to obtain after so much push and pull. 

“Do you have a last name? ...or your father’s name.” 

“Huh?” 

“You know, the house you belong to.” 

“Ah,” she sees the point that she frankly missed, which makes her think about it. “Saucedo.” 

“Sarucedo?” 

“No, it is pronounced Saucedo,” she sighs at the error of her own town. The man blinks to laugh. 

“It is not from around here.” 

“No... it is not,” she states strangely. Karen had spent a long time without mentioning her last name, something that was lost among all the drama that has happened since her arrival. 

“It sounds important.” 

“Oh... well.” 

“Hashirama says that you are a prominent noble. I mean, to be so hand in hand and get both clans to take a step for this.” 

“He gave me a lot of credit.” 

“It is remarkable. Do not discredit your work out of modesty,” the man says with a flirtatious smile. “So, do not despite yourself.” 

“I do not, it is just that... well, many of the pacts and contacts were made by them, I only helped with some things.” 

“Even so,” the nobleman gives her a discreet gesture. His clothes up close look soft, expensive and quite decorated, differentiating themselves from them, who come in white clothes. “I am surprised that a noble like you, being a civilian, would still help them. A notable step for the Saucedo house.” 

“Uh...” She doesn’t know what to say because of the formality, it sounds different. “It is a step... that it had to do to achieve this... for its future.” 

“You have a point. However, many do not take the time to do this, you know?” 

“I imagine. You are all busy people.” 

“I am not just saying this because of the time. Girls do not do this,” he points out amusingly. “But that makes the flower more interesting, you know?” He takes a step forward. “One that I would like to add to my harem,” the man says direct and sure of what he wants, almost making her cough loudly, but she holds back for seconds and smiles with an uncertain shine. 

“I am sorry to hear that, but the Saucedo house is in disgrace. I do not think my father is looking for any kind of outside help at the moment, it is not customary,” she quickly invents, letting herself be carried away by her lie. 

“Are you sure? ...I can give a dowry for adding you.” 

“Not at all. We do not manage ourselves by dowry, but by the ability of the child.” 

“You are skilled. You would be a very good woman in my domains, and I assure you the Saucedo house will greatly improve its status by relating to the Shinji house, of the Fire Daimyo.” 

Finding herself in trouble, Karen sighs. “I apologize... I appreciate the gesture, but the truth is... this is more complicated than I want to explain.” 

“Oh, I see.” The man looks understanding. She doesn’t know what kind of story is drawn in his mind, as if he understood why a noblewoman stays with the shinobi. “Whatever you wish. If you accept and are not defiled by any of them,” he says with a slightly contemptuous tone towards the shinobis. “I would like you to consider me,” he adds smiling. 

Karen wants to leave already... she wants to hit this man, but thank all the gods, the missing clan arrived. 

The Uchihas are more imposing and wilder than the Senju family, she is sure of it when she sees their leader, whose mane is abnormally spiked and explosive, along with another young man with a dead look. Both look at each other to go where the Senju were waiting with their flag. 

The beginning of this formality. 

──

Peace is a difficult thing to reach, maintain and manage... which she can notice upon approaching as one of the not-so-neutral witnesses. Karen is glad to be away from the gaze of a terrible Daimyo, who continues to insist that her family must consider marrying her. 

Hashirama looks worried but has placed her next to him with a worried gesture. “Are you alright?” He questions in English noticing how Mr. Shinji now is with the leader of the Uchiha clan. 

“Yes,” she answers with a sigh. “I just finished tightening the rope on the figurative neck with your ‘noble’ lie... you know?” She huffs tired of socializing so much. She sees the man’s doubt, that is clearly reflected in his face. “Apparently, I am a noblewoman from the Saucedo house, that is in disgrace. Don’t ask why... the point is that the man thinks that adding me as a concubine will fix this.” 

“Really?” 

“Yeah... but don’t worry, I invented other things about my family and why my father can’t talk to him,” she points out, proud of getting at least a little out of this mess. 

“I’m sorry I left you with him.” 

“You have better things to deal with,” the woman dismisses to look around. “He looks imposing... more than Mikami told me.” 

“Madara?” 

“Yes,” she accepts with a curious look. “Although, I think his hair is to be envied. Just like you, you have lots of it.” 

“Out of everything that happened and the exchange... you are interested in the hair?” Hashirama mocks slightly, less tense than at the start. 

“Of course, it’s remarkable,” she shrugs, not at all guilty. “I’m glad this turned out alright,” she says, looking at the man next to her. “That your dream, or at least a part of it, was achieved.” 

“If you hadn’t been here... I assure you it wouldn’t be possible,” he declares firmly, with an emotional sparkle in his eyes. 

“Not at all. I’m sure you’d manage to do it some way,” the woman declares and then looks at a bitter Tobirama, who doesn’t take his eyes off the other Uchiha. Both look noticeable hostile, but with no intention of throwing the first kunai. “They don’t get along, do they?” 

“They are natural enemies. Unlike Madara and I, they... it’s complicated.” 

“I see,” she sighs to focus again. “Can we go now?” 

Hashirama laughs and then looks at Madara, who stares at them from his place. The Daimyo looks proud for a few seconds, stating again how important this will be for his nation, and how it would trigger more clans to follow their example. 

Making Karen learn that it’s not just the Senjus and the Uchihas in this world. 

A noticeable and fearful thing for the simple civilian, who only lets herself go with the flow. 

Great... right? 

──

The celebration would take place in a week, which has turned the clan into chaos between arrangements, security and more. Karen sighs with a basket of vegetables that she just helped collect, because they are all taken aback in an unprecedented event. The Uchiha clan would come, as part of an important exchange that has everyone anxious. 

To the point that even she has been put to work. 

Tobirama watches her from his spot, organizing some little ones to clean an old room in the main house, catching up with her with a slight frown. “I told you not to participate.” 

“It’s not like I had asked for this,” she sighs, the basket that was too heavy for her taste being snatched away. She huffs embarrassingly for such a careless appearance, but maybe Granma Kaori forgot in her haste that she doesn’t have the same stamina as the other women. 

“You are weak.” 

“Thank you for reminding me...” She snorts indignantly, wanting to take the basket back. “Kaori-san needs them for the stew.” 

“You are weak and clumsy,” the man adds bitterly, rasing said instrument. “As a woman of the Saucedo house, it is not convenient for you.” 

“Are you mocking me?” Karen frowns at the impudence of using her last name in that tone. Tobirama ignores her to snort. 

“There are too many things to do to deal with another bothersome civilian woman.” 

“I am not a bother.” 

“You are.” 

“Are you seriously fighting with me instead of going to organize clan stuff?!” 

The man stops in that passageway that goes to the main house. The garden is a little behind them and there are people coming and going with different activities. “I do not want you to come to the covenant dinner.” 

“Huh?” 

“You do not have to participate. You are not from the clan.” 

“I’m sorry, but I think there is no negotiation in this. Hashirama said it was okay for me to go.” 

“You are a civilian.” 

“Yeah, and?” 

“There will be drinks.” 

“Alright, I see your point,” she bites bitterly, remembering that the last event didn’t go so well. She still feels the sting in her jaw and the anxiety of nightmares at night, which are calmed by knowing that she’s fine for now. “Couldn’t you say it nicer?” 

“You are stubborn.” 

“We both are,” she frowns indignantly to sigh and see that the basket would not be returned. “As part of the nobles, the Daimyo requested for me to be present at this event.” 

“No.” 

“Hashirama must have told you.” 

“It is not negotiable.” 

“Tobirama, I’m not asking,” she frowns. “It’s the peace that’s at stake and I know I’m a fundamental part of it, although I don’t want to witness this going out of context being used for something bad...” 

“...” 

“Mr. Shinji is sure that with me present, you will remember that it is a peace treaty,” she snorts, remembering that annoying favor that Daimyo asked of her. “At least he didn’t send one of his servants or notaries to confirm that this dinner will take place.” 

Tobirama looks upset. “You say Hashirama knew.” 

“Yes, he was present when he gave the warning, along with Madara-san.” 

“Mmmm...” He doesn’t look happy, and he disappears with her basket. She growls because at least she hopes that he remembers where that basket goes, and that Kaori doesn’t scold her for not arriving with said vegetables for the stew. She sighs, not understanding what exactly happened but she’s so tired of pretending she’s not, as she’s been working so hard since dawn. 

She needs a vacation, she’s sure of it. 

A/N: A chapter to say present!! …and that this is opening the way to a certain foundation. As you will see, our dear OC has just invented a whole affair and an important family in disgrace that will bring her many problems as a noblewoman, something that perhaps will explode on her later.

Poor girl.

Still, peace has finally arrived. What will happen next? …that’s a good question, since now they need to organize themselves as an allied clan. The first step is trust and this was demonstrated by the Senju in giving them instructions to go to their clan for dinner, something that was not well received by many of the councilors... but they complied due to the tremendous imposingness of their leader.

Hashirama was firm and fearsome when he instructed that there was no turning back, so they reluctantly accepted. She still doesn’t know the Uchihas that well, our Karen only had a first impression. What will happen?

We will find out soon.

Author-chan out! 

[chayscribbles]

chayscribbles’ monthly writing update ☆ february 2023

☆ STATISTICS.

words written: 11 606

projects worked on: Andromeda Rogue; The Gemini Heist; and a Third, Secret WIP

proudest accomplishment: i'm about halfway through with AR1 draft 2! and i finished like, a bunch of drawings

books read: Architects of Memory by Karen Osborne; All Systems Red (Murderbot Diaries #1) by Martha Wells;

☆ GENERAL COMMENTS.

why do i feel like i wrote a lot less than i actually did. like i looked at my total and thought "now that can't be right... there's no way i wrote that much."

things are going better for some wips (AR) than they are for others (GH) so maybe my head is cancelling it out lol.

reading comments: Architects of Memory was basically "a corporate war over alien weapons featuring messy sapphics in space" and i liked it but it wasn't quite a coup de coeur, 4/5 stars. All Systems Red was an absolute delight, 5/5 stars, will be reading the rest of the series once my holds on Libby come through.

(also i started reading Hell Bent by Leigh Bardugo this past weekend, and i blame it + it's precursor Ninth House for putting me in the mood to work on Third Secret WIP lately, as Ninth House is partially responsible for the genre shift in Third Secret WIP.)

more specific wip-related comments + featured excerpt below.

☆ COMMENTS: ANDROMEDA ROGUE (draft 2)

i'm about halfway through this draft! i've passed 40k this month!

things are going super well. when i have the magical combo of time and energy and motivation to write i can get through scenes pretty easily, now that i don't have to worry about overall plot as much. plus i get to add little things here and there to beef it up.

i've mostly worked on the second act this month, which is where the team really starts going through things together.

there's one particular Azami chapter right before the midpoint that's a monster of lore-dropping. i had to rework it several times as i had an entire page of editing notes to make sure everything is coherent... and i'm still not entirely sure i've gotten it right 😭

☆ COMMENTS: THE GEMINI HEIST (outlining / draft 0.5)

not much to say about this one. didn't work on it as much. the plot for this wip continues to frustrate me. i'll find myself coming up with little ideas for the characters and the world... but when i try to sit down and come up with actual scenes and plot, my brain turns to soup.

☆ COMMENTS: THIRD, SECRET WIP

this wip is consuming me. devouring me with its teeth. i'm surprised to find i may actually have a plot. turns out letting it hibernate for 3 years and tweaking with the genre has done some good.

i might cave and post an intro in the next month. stay tuned...

☆ FEATURED EXCERPT.

this is from the like, one scene i wrote for gemini heist this month. i just think it's funny. for context, Leo and Gabi are trying to get access to some archives in a university library, and are posing as students.

As [Leo and the archivist] talked, Gabi slipped her hand into the pocket of her ridiculous jacket. Her fingers closed around a small round device. She glanced around. While Leo was doing a great job at keeping the archivist distracted, the commotion had caught the attention of nearly everyone in the room.

Just be normal, she told herself. She inched her hand out of her pocket.

“Which archives exactly do you need access to?” [the archivist] asked.

“Art of the early Viheldan Empiric era,” Leo said. “My paper is on the Gemini statuettes.”

“Ah, that might be why. You need a special authorization form from a professor or another faculty member to access those.”

Leo pouted. “But my professor said he got access for me!”

“Perhaps you can message him—”

“Ugh— can’t you just call him right now and ask? I don’t have time for this.”

“Alright. I’ll give him a call.”

Shit. Gabi wasn’t ready. She fumbled to take out the device, concealing it as best as she could in the palm of her hand. All she needed was to place it on the archivist’s computer terminal without him seeing a thing before he made that call.

The archivist’s fingers hovered over the screen for a second before pressing an icon at the bottom. With a starburst motion of his hand, he expanded a search window and began typing in the name of the professor. Panicking, Gabi slammed the device in her hand onto the side of the terminal.

The already quiet room went completely silent. All eyes turned towards her. The archivist’s were wide and stunned. Leo’s were sharp and furious.

“I, uh,” Gabi sputtered, awkwardly keeping her hand glued to the terminal. The device whirred to life, vibrating softly under her palm. “I-I thought I saw a bug.”

☆ TAGLISTS. let me know if you want to be added/removed to any of them.

general taglist:

@nicola-writes @dgwriteblr @the-orangeauthor @retrogayyde @quilloftheclouds @ashen-crest @writeblrfantasy @celestepens @stardustspiral @pepperdee @extra-magichours @avi-why @lefttigerobservation @chazzawrites @bardolatrycore @innocentlymacabre

andromeda trilogy taglist:

@bebewrites @nicola-writes @dgwriteblr @the-orangeauthor @retrogayyde @akindofmagictoo @quilloftheclouds @nora-theteawriter @ashen-crest @corpsepng @writeblrfantasy @toboldlywrite @celestepens @stardustspiral @pepperdee @cheerfulmelancholies @extra-magichours @writeouswriter @cilly-the-writer @lefttigerobservation @rose-bookblood @drowsy-quill @chazzawrites @cynic-and-chief @enchanted-lightning-aes @aesa

gemini heist taglist:

@florraisons @akindofmagictoo @cream-and-tea @nicola-writes @memento-morri-writes @antique-symbolism @rose-bookblood @afoolandathief @pepperdee @avi-why @zonnemaagd @chazzawrites @analogued @enchanted-lightning-aes @innocentlymacabre @kahvilahuhut @celestepens @cilly-the-writer @extra-magichours @retrogayyde

[aloeverawrites]

Tw language, mentions of emotional abuse and cursing.

They never wanted me to go into detective work. Said sometimes the past was better left in the past.

I hadn’t known what that meant then although I was right for clocking it as a weird thing to say.

Dear god.

The kid that stares back at me is a twin of my photos at the time, same blonde hair and green eyes. Same red overalls that I’ve only seen myself in a few photos in.

I asked them once why they never had any baby photos of me. They told me they weren’t big picture people.

Clearly they did have a hobby. They were big kidnapping people.

No I’ve finally lost it. There’s no way that’s actually me. I’m just… the job is getting to me. I’d better read the damn thing.

“Missing baby girl taken at three years old. Was last seen at the playground on fifth street.

Parents Martha and Bobby Jefferson. Apartment number 05 yadda yadda yadda.”

I have the mom’s eyes. She seems nice. I kept reading.

“Suspects: Knone.”

Now hang on… there’s a typo there. Almost like someone had deleted most of another word to write something else. I think of my mom Karen and then desperately try not to think about her.”

“New information: DNA testing has become more widely available. The parents still have hair from their child’s comb.

New lead: Officer Davis has reason to believe the child is in New Jersey.”

Is that why he assigned me to the case? Did he know something? My supervisor… my mentor he couldn’t. He couldn’t know.

My parents, they’re really rich people.

Damn, I throw the papers to the desk and run my hands thru my hair. As I do a small note falls out. It reads, in magazine letters

“Sorry I let you down Rodgers.” That’s, my name. What the hell….

Right it’s time to give the forensics team the thrill of their lives.

I send in a few strands of my own hair, gone brown at this point, and I kick back and wait. My ‘parents’ ask me if I’m coming home for dinner.

I politely decline.

They ask me how work is.

I tell them I need to focus on the road as I’m driving. They don’t see anything too weird about that. I always was a moody teenager. They know what I’m like. Of course they do. They raised me, took care of me my whole life. Did okay, were the standard emotionally abusive parents and I still have yet to recover from how they initially reacted to me my transitioning but overall they did alright. I wonder how Martha and Bobby would have done.

Focus Jacob.

You’ve never jumped to conclusions on a case before. You won’t start now.

I crashed in hotels and my girlfriend’s couch for the two days it takes for a dna test to come through.

Me and her are fairly new so I don’t drop the whole sob story of my potentially being kidnapped on her. Think she knows something already though. She’s clever like that. I, probably could have slept in her bed but I’m kinda dumb and that thought didn’t occur to me until I’d passed out in the couch. Ah well.

My phone rings. It’s the lab.

“Rodgers you cracked it! That was your fastest time yet how’d you do it?”

“… so that’s the kids hair? She’s the same goddamn person, you’re sure?”

“Jesus, yeah man. Are you feeling alright? You made a new record!”

“Yeah that’s because it’s my fucking hair Tim. And someone in this department knew. They knew.“

“So… you’re trans?”

“That’s… that’s your goddamn take away, alright-“

“No I’m sorry I’m just surprised.” He says as I hang up and stare at my phone. It’s hits the far side of the wall and that’s when I realised I’ve thrown it.

My mom got me that for my eighteenth. Picked out the case too as they never let me make any damn decisions in my life.

Fuck. Fuck, f- no it’s okay. I… I don’t know what to do.

This is the first case where I’m completely lost. Literally. God it’s not funny.

So I do the corrupt thing. Why not, apparently every other cop on this case has done it.

I lift their address from the file and get in my car. As I drive I pass police cars heading in the opposite direction. Mom and Pop are finally going to see where I work then. Well they had always promised.

It’s a long drive. The street lamps flick on as I drive and I watch them change from the corner of my eye.

I pull up to the apartments and sit outside then for a bit, just thinking. I get out and knock on the door. They might not even be home. They might have moved-

They open the door.

Martha and Bobby. She has my eyes or I have her eyes. They’re slowly widening in shock. I have his hair.

She’s still blonde.

“Um.” I start. I don’t know what to say. “News from the police department. It turns out you have a son, now. And also he’s quitting the police department.”

You’re a detective that opens up an old missing child case from 1997, after new evidence had occurred. You stumble back from desk in shock. You’re the missing 1997 child

[asidesandbsides]

Starts With C, Part 2: Carpentermania

Carpenters - (They Long to Be) Close to You / I Kept On Loving You

Our journey through the world of Karen and (checks wikipedia) Richard begins with a tasteful and very pretty rendition of a Bacharach and David tune, which sounds about right for this band. We'll call that the Karen side. Richard sings the lead on Side B, and I do not like it as much.

Carpenters - We've Only Just Begun / All of My Life

OK, they're both singing front and center on side A, so I guess I have to say it - Karen's vocals always sound clear and clean, and Richard's always sound like they've done something to them, pulling a bunch of levers on the control board to make him sound like whatever they think this is. "All of My Life" is another pretty ballad, perhaps worthy of its own A-Side. Unfortunately, both this disc and the preceding one were sharing a single sleeve. This may be a contributing cause to the fairly loud hiss they both have.

Carpenters - Merry Christmas Darling / Mr. Guder

Obviously, this is one of the all time greats in its genre, marrying the gentlest of soft rock with the coziness of Christmas pop. It's just too lovely to deny. Mr. Guder is also a nice song with some interesting harmony bits, and which may even have a bit of Nowhere Man-esque social commentary buried in it somewhere. Side A sounds more listened to, but that's no surprise.

Carpenters - For All We Know / Don't Be Afraid

God, Karen Carpenter had a knack for singing a melody with grace. It's not the most adventurous music, but there is a charisma that just about makes up for it. I don't think I knew "For All We Know" before, but it's a gem. "Don't Be Afraid" is alright, it sounds like a Carpenters song.

Carpenters - Rainy Days and Mondays / Saturday

"Rainy Days" might be the best Carpenters song, is all I'm saying. I could just keep going on about how Karen brings the refrain to life with each go around. "Saturday," however, is a Richard side, and it's jaunty. It's also short, which is not a fault.

Carpenters - Superstar / Bless the Beasts and Children

Clear as a bell. Just stay out of Karen's way and let her sound beautiful, and you've got an awesome song. I didn't recognize "Superstar" by title before I put it on, but damn if it isn't another knockout. The B-Side was also a hit, I'm told, and it's a pretty one too. But I don't think it quite stacks up with its mate.

Carpenters - Hurting Each Other - Maybe It's You

These two are actually a very good match for each other in overall quality. "Hurting Each Other" had to be the A-Side because it's got more of an obvious hook, but "Maybe It's You" might be the slightly better song. Foregrounding Karen continues to pay off.

Carpenters - It's Going to Take Some Time / Flat Baroque

A-Side is Karen singing a Carole King melody, and that's a combination that works for me. It's a little crackly, but everything still comes through. "Flat Baroque" is a dorky little chamber instrumental by Richard, which is at least a little bit endearing.

Carpenters - Goodbye to Love / Crystal Lullaby

Electric guitar solos!? Maybe a little incongruous for one of Karen's trademark melancholy ballads, but the song still holds together. The B-Side is more what you would expect from both the group and the title. Richard sings a line in every verse, and he still sounds like a dork. But I have to admit, overall it's very sweet.

Carpenters - Sing / Druscilla Penny

You know, there are a lot of really good songs to come out of Sesame Street! "Sing" is probably one of the best, and well suited to the Karen Carpenter hit-making approach. As for "Druscilla Penny," I have to say I am actually on board with Richard's little harpsichord experiment here. It's definitely in the spirit of a true B-Side.

[averagewriter-inthedark]

Love On The Brain ♥️ | Matt Murdock Imagine (500 Followers celebration)

Marvel Masterlist

Characters & Pairings: Matt Murdock/Daredevil x female!Avenger!reader (romantic), the Avengers, Foggy Nelson, Karen Page.

Content Warnings: fluff, flirtatious banter, profanity, mentions of violence, suggestive dialogue near the end (slight nsfw) | Female reader (she/her) | wc: 3000

Premise: Following a successful mission, the Avengers celebrate in their usual style by hosting a grand party buzzing with music, food, drinks, and overall a good time. Little do they know, a certain Devil of Hell’s Kitchen is in attendance after he caught the eyes and heart of their fellow hero.

Note: I find it funny how I titled it ‘Love on the Brain,’ in regards to the song mentioned in the fic, but today happened to be the day the book ‘Love on the Brain,’ by Ali Hazelwood was released (which I got because i loved her book ‘The Love Hypothesis’)

———————————————

“I was beginning to think you were a no show, Murdock.” The teasing tone of his lover had Matt chuckling, turning to greet her as she approached. He could tell she was smirking, more than likely checking him out as she looked him over. “Glad to see you didn’t disappoint.”

“Disappoint you?” He feigned offense, giving a dazzling smile. “Never, L/n—it would be tragic to do such a thing.” Feeling her stand beside him, Matt placed his hand on her waist and blushed at the feeling of smooth material covering her skin. It was his favorite dress of hers: black and silky with an open back and thigh slit.

The last time she wore the damn thing Matt had pulled her from the restaurant 10 minutes into the date and nearly took her against the wall of a back alley. All it took was for her to wear silk and it he was a goner. The times she wore nightgowns of the material, Matt had to restrain himself—part of him knew she did it just to rile him up.

Her lips pressed to his cheek, thumb moving to wipe away the red lipstick residue left behind. “The others were starting to think I was lying about us. I was running out of excuses for why you were late.” There was a pause, Matt knowing she was checking for any visible injuries.

“Foggy was late picking up his dry cleaning. So we had to get him a different suit for tonight.” A groan from his friend had the two laughing.

“Thanks, buddy. Just expose me for my unreliability—in front of an Avenger nonetheless.” Foggy turned to greet the woman on Matt’s arm, “I’m very sorry, Y/n.”

“It’s alright, Foggy,” she smiled. “I’m happy you guys made it, even if it’s two hours late,” her teasing had him groan again, Karen lightly slapping his chest to get him to stop being dramatic. Y/n moved to give the blonde a hug, “you look gorgeous, Karen.”

“Thank you,” she blushed and returned the hug. “You look—wow, you look amazing.” The woman thanked her, moving back to Matt’s side while the two took in the scene around them. The party was buzzing. All around the two could see politicians, government agents, and of course, the Avengers. Tony and Banner were by the bar with Natasha serving drinks. Clint was conversing with Maria Hill while Rhodey chatted up some guests over by the lounge. Then on the upper deck Steve was discussing the recent mission with Sam and finally Thor was flirting with an agent out on the balcony.

“Holy shit,” Foggy breathed, gaze locked on the bar, “there’s the Avengers.” Y/n raised her brow, glancing over shoulder at her friends before smirking at the man.

“What? You thought when I invited you guys to an Avengers party, that the Avengers wouldn’t be there?” Matt bit back his laugh, squeezing her waist. Foggy started to stutter, causing Matt to go, “now, c’mon. Let’s not tease Foggy. He was already nervous about coming tonight—give him a break.”

She laughed, “let’s break those nerves then.” Stepping away, Y/n laces her fingers with Matt’s pulling him with her as she begins to move. “They’ve been asking all night about you guys.” Together they follow Y/n as she makes her way to the bar where Steve and Clint had just joined the others. Natasha is the first to see them, perking up as she connects eyes with the woman.

“Well well,” the redhead moves around the bar, “is this who I think it is, Lib?” Lib, shortened for Liberty because Y/n was known to the world as the superhero Lady Liberty. An enhanced individual after a lab experiment gone wrong where she developed the ability to convert matter into other forms. After getting on S.H.I.E.L.D’s radar, Y/n was recruited to the Avengers three years prior to meeting the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen and defense attorney, Matt Murdock.

“It sure is,” Y/n smiles, before glancing at Steve and Tony. “You owe him twenty bucks, Stark.” She shakes her head with a laugh when the older man sighs, pulling out a crisp $20 bill and slapping it in Steve’s open palm. With a roll of her eyes, she turns back to the three, “They thought you’d never show and I was lying—because apparently me and dating is something Tony couldn’t comprehend.”

“Hey, hey! I just thought you weren’t into that, Lib. You’ve never mentioned it until recently,” Tony defended, not noticing the dropped jaws of Karen and Foggy—who couldn’t believe they were standing in the presence of Iron Man.

Y/n gives a playful glare, “Because I like to keep my love life a private matter, Tony. Now, so you know I am in fact off the market, this is Matt Murdock—aka the stealer of what you like to call my cold dead heart.” Matt chuckles, coughing into his hand which only makes Y/n smirk.

“Oh come on,” he objects with a smile. “Cold and dead?”

She scoffs, pushing her hair over her shoulder, “You’d be surprised what dealing with this group of misfits does to me, babe. You’re lucky you get the good side.” Matt tilts his head, not really believing the statement since he has witnessed her anger a few times. Maybe cold was the accurate term when Lady Liberty has too much fire to her torch. “I see that look, and I’m gonna stop you before you can say anything, Murdock.”

Matt just laughs, playfully nudging her causing the two to stumble a bit. The others look on with fondness, glad to see their friend happy and in love.

Pocketing the cash, Steve turns to greet the group first. “Hello, it’s a pleasure to meet you all. Y/n’s told us a lot and we were looking forward to finally put the names to faces. I’m Steve.” Sticking out his hand, he shakes Foggy’s hand first. The lawyer was practically frozen where he stood, glancing at his hand for a minute when Cap let go to shake Karen’s, who blushed furiously at the hero.

“I’m—uh-I’m Franklin Nelson, but you can just call me Foggy. This is Karen, she works with us over at Nelson and Murdock.”

“Hi Karen,” Steve smiles, causing the woman to blush more and say, “Hi,” in a high pitched voice. Finally he makes his way to Matt, who extends his hand at the same time Steve raises his. It surprises Steve a bit. The team were already aware of his condition—which pretty much consisted of Y/n melting it in their brain she would raise hell if they treated him differently than how they should.

“Matt.” The two shake hands and the other Avengers take their turns introducing themselves. When everyone’s done, Tony is the first to speak, “So you guys are the famous Nelson and Murdock over in Hell’s Kitchen.”

“That’s us,” Foggy laughs nervously, adjusting the collar of his dress shirt.

“Impressive work you guys are doing,” Tony compliments and all three thank him. “If only our legal team could step it up.” Natasha scoffs, slapping his shoulder, “in case you forgot, half of them are at his party. So keep your voice down.” He just rolls his eyes while taking a sip of his drink.

“Can I get you guys anything?” Nat then asks, making her way back around the bar. “Everything’s on us, and by ‘us’ I mean Tony’s tab.” Laughs go around, minus the billionaire who just looks annoyed.

They each give Natasha their order and go back to conversing with the guys. Foggy and Karen are occupied with Clint and Rhodey, and soon Thor who joins the group after a while. Matt keeps his arm around Y/n as Steve and Tony begin questioning the two.

“So how did you two meet exactly?” Tony asks while chewing on an olive. Y/n takes the beer and cocktail from Nat, passing the former to Matt and says, “We sorta just ran into each other. Didn’t we, babe?”

Matt takes a sip of his beer before smiling as he recalled the memory. It had been a long week at the firm, sorting through files and files of clients and figuring out the next move of Fisk. Matt and Foggy had just entered the office on Friday morning when Karen jumped out of her seat with a look of surprise. Matt already could point out she wasn’t the only one in the office. There was another presence in his office.

“Guys,” her voice goes low. “Uh so you’ll never believe who’s waiting for—wait Matt!” The man was already walking away, flinging the door open to be met with the aroma of a perfume—an expensive one at that. The steady heartbeat filled his ears, not once fluttering by the sudden intrusion.

There was a gasp from Foggy behind him, who was now gaping at the sight of Y/n L/n leaning against Matt’s desk with her arms crossed. “Oh my God, your Lady Liberty.”

“And you must be Franklin Nelson,” she smiled, before setting her eyes on Matt. “And Matt Murdock.” Her voice was smooth like honey. When she stood, her clothes brushed against each other letting Matt figure out she was wearing some form of silk blouse and dress pants with a set of heels.

He stepped into the room, placing his walking stick against the wall, “What can we do for you, Ms. L/n?”

“Please, just call me Y/n. No need for formalities,” she told him, moving to now sit in the chair across from his desk while he went to his own. “I’m actually here to speak with you two about a certain vigilante Hell’s Kitchen has the pleasure of having. My boss needs me to collect information so I’ve been scouting. I saw your firm, and knowing about the work you two do I thought I’d stop by to see if you could provide me any insight.”

Everyone minus Y/n stiffens. Karen and Foggy glance at each other, while Matt focuses on the steady pace of Y/n's heartbeat. He was hoping to catch her in some kind of lie. Maybe she was trying to see if she could get him to slip. Or the Avengers were already hot on his trail. When nothing in her pattern changed, Matt relaxed.

“Karen, would you give us the room please?”

“Of course,” she replied, closing the door behind her as she left. Foggy adjusted his tie, moving to the opposite side of the office so he was closer to Matt. It was quiet. The silence slowly becomes awkward by the second before Y/n eventually claps her hands, “shall we get started then?”

Sitting up straight with is hands on the desk, Matt nods, “Where would you like to start, Ms. L—sorry, Y/n.” Although he could only make out her form in the world of fire he sees on the daily, Matt knew she was smirking when she calmly stated, “How about where you tell me how long you’ve been Daredevil, Mr. Murdock.” The one sentence had his whole world crashing around him. An Avenger knew his identity, and she spoke as if it was a long time coming for him.

At first he tried to play it off like he didn’t know what she was talking about. “I—I-uh, ma’am I can assure you you’ve got it all wrong—.” But the woman wasn’t having it.

“You may be a good lawyer, but I’m a better agent. Please don’t insult me by trying to gaslight your way out of this. I can assure you, Mr. Murdock, that I have everything to prove my claim.” By now he was red and fuming, hand tightening in a fist. Before he could try to plead his case, Y/n surprised him by saying, “but unlike my employer, who expects me anyday to tell him who Daredevil is, I don’t want to expose you.”

For the next two hours, the three proceeded to discuss the topic of how she found out. This was then proceeded by Matt pretty much begging Y/n to keep his identity a secret—which was something she already planned to do. There was also the fact of what was in it for her in keeping this secret. “Nothing,” was the answer when he questioned her motives. “Mr. Murdock—.”

“Matt,” he told her softly. She gave a small smile.

“Matt, the reason I came here was to warn you. You’re lucky it was me who S.H.I.E.L.D entrusted with handling Daredevil—.” He did his best to not make a comment at her choice of words. “Because although I am part of the organization, they are not the best when it comes to dealing with things in an ethical manner. And I see that what you’re doing is actually good for the city.”

“He’s breaking the law,” Foggy interjects, causing Matt to glare at him. He just shrugs, “It’s true, man. You’re acting outside of the law—which is ironic because you're a goddamn lawyer.” A small giggle left Y/n’s lips, her hand coming up to her mouth.

“Anyway,” she pulled herself together, offering the two a smile. “You’re a good man, Matt. And what you two have done here at your firm has helped a lot of people in this city. You’ve also been they’re hero from behind a mask—which I can respect, if the path was different in my case I would’ve probably done the same.” Raising from her chair, she moves to grab her blazer before putting it on. “Your secret is safe with me, but if I were you I’d start doing a bit more to remain inconspicuous. Before long it may not just be me who’s figured out who you really are.”

Matt stands from his chair as Y/n places her bag over her shoulder. “I will be sure to take your advice, Y/n. And thank you—really I do appreciate you not saying anything,” he says while following her out of his office and to the main door. Karen stands, but Matt makes a motion for her to sit back down. Foggy mouths to her, “I’ll tell you after,” when he sees Y/n isn’t looking.

With a hand on the knob, Y/n maneuvers so she’s facing the lawyer, pulling something out of her pocket with her free hand. “If you ever find yourself in a pickle or someone’s got info on you,” she extends a small business card with her name, email, and phone number. “Give me a call. I’ll see what I can do.”

“Thank you,” he takes the card, placing it in his suit pocket and tries to ignore the warm feeling making its way through his veins. There was something about Y/n that was drawing Matt in. He knew she was beautiful. Foggy would go on and on about her when the Avengers first came to light. Matt listened to how he described her with this sense of longing and how he ‘faint where I stand,’ if he ever saw her.

Matt was actually surprised the man kept it together when they entered the office.

Maybe it was the way she carried herself—which was very attractive, or the fact she was willing to risk her career to keep his secret. Not many—especially those in the public eye—would do something like that for a man they didn’t know. Whatever it was, it was the reason he chased after the woman to ask on a date when she left the office saying, “You know, the Avengers could use you, but Hell’s Kitchen needs you.”

Back to the present and almost a year later, the memory faded with Matt supporting a light blush to his cheeks. Y/n did the most deceiving to her friends, not letting them get any sort of suspicion against Matt. The story she gave was they met at his firm (true) when her friend from Hell’s Kitchen was a client of his (lie). Thankfully, neither of the Avengers questioned any further.

Then Tony almost ruined it when he said, “Hell’s Kitchen? Now that I think about it, isn’t that where the guy in the devil looking spandex suit is causing trouble?” Matt tightened his hold on Y/n’s waist, her hand coming to his back to rub it. They both kept straight faces and tried not to give any indication they knew more than what they were letting on.

“Yeah, he’s quite the character,” Y/n spoke with a neutral tone, holding back a giggle when she feels a pinch to her side. “I’m rather impressed he’s managed to stay out of the limelight this long.” This time Matt has to drink his beer to stop himself from grinning. Neither of the guys notice.

“Shame,” Tony grumbles, slumping when he sees his glass is empty. “We could use a guy like him around here. Mayb Fury would not put so much pressure on our backs.”

“You’re a superhero, Tony,” Y/n leans into Matt’s side. “You signed up for the workload when you decided to make that suit. And look where it got you,” she gestures around them to the buzzing party.

“Yeah, Yeah,” he waves her off, handing the glass to Natasha to refill. Some small talk ensued between the group for a few minutes before Y/n’s attention was pulled away when the tune of a familiar song started to play. She instantly recognized it as Rihanna’s, ‘Love on the Brain.’

“I love this song,” she announced, pulling away from Matt only to take his hand. “C’mon, lover, let’s leave the boys here to argue who’s going to lead the next mission while you and I hit the dance floor.”

Grinning, Matt bids goodbye to the two and let’s Y/n lead him to the middle of the floor where other couples have joined together in a slow dance. He could hear her singing along while they walked before she stopped and turned in his direction. “Baby, you got me like ah, woo, ahh,” her arms went around his neck, while his to her waist. “Don’t you stop loving me.”

“Loving me,” he sang the back vocals, causing her head to fall back as she laughed.

“Don’t quit loving me.” “Loving me.”

“Just start loving me.” ‘Loving me.”

Together they swayed, signing to the music no matter how silly they sounded. Some couples smiled at them, while others ended up moving away. Eventually Foggy pulled Karen out to join, the two mirroring the couple’s movements from close beside them. When the title lyric played Matt lifted Y/n off her feet and spun her around. “Must be love on the brain!” Her laughter echoed when he put her down, bringing her closer and pressing a kiss to the corner of her mouth.

“I don’t think I’ve said it enough, how much I’m thankful for what you’ve done for me this past year, Y/n,” Matt said in a low tone, careful to not catch any prying ears. His lips moved to her ear, feeling her hand come up to gently caress his head. “You mean the world to me.”

“Oh, Matt,” she said softly, kissing the area by his ear. “I’d do anything for you. I’d go against the Avengers if it meant keeping you safe.” The feeling of emotion overwhelmed Matt when he felt the steady pace of her heart. She was telling the truth.

How was he blessed to have someone like her in his life? The man would never know. The only thing Matt did know was he loved her with his entire soul and would burn down the city if she asked him. His devotion to Y/n rivaled that of God.

“I love you, Y/n.” He felt her pull away so she could lean her forehead against his, their noses brushing against each other. Warmth spread throughout him and he could feel her own against their clothing.

“And I love you, my handsome Devil.” Smiling, the two meet in a kiss—still swaying to the song as it nears its final chorus. When they break the kiss, Matt starts to trail kisses across her jaw and cheek causing her to giggle.

“Matt, you sly devil—we’re in public,” she scolds with a light tap against his chest to stop him. Of course he knew she loved it, but they were in front of her colleagues and they had to maintain some decency.

He bites his lip, mischief coating his expression when her heart skips at the feeling of his hand trailing up and down her bare back. “I can’t help it when you wear this.” The silk on the area just above her ass is smooth beneath his fingertips. “You know what this dress does to me.”

Fingers go to his tie, pulling him closer to whisper in his ear. “Then I guess we’ll have to get out of here so you can help me out of it. Don’t you think?” A rush fills him when she lightly nips his earlobe, careful to not draw attention despite the party beginning to clear out.

“Won’t your friends be disappointed you’re leaving so soon?” At his point Matt was teasing her. Part of him was hoping they’d get caught as the sexual tension became to much, but his lover was a pro at maintaining calmness. Hell, she managed to deceive him the first time they spoke.

“What they won’t know won’t hurt them. Besides,” her eyes trail over to the bar where the group is occupied with alcohol and wages. “They’re occupied at the moment. They won’t even see us if we sneak to the back— take the stairs to the next floor and catch the elevator from there.” She leans closer, brushing her thigh against his. “C’mon, Matty, who are you to back down from sneaking off into the dark for late night endeavors.”

Without any words Matt leads her to the stairs, careful to pick up his walking stick he left by the bar without any of the Avengers noticing, and the two hurry off to the elevator on the next floor. Gasping, her breath is literally taken away when Matt pushes her into the elevator wall to kiss her. “What about Foggy and Karen,” she pants between kisses, fingers messing up his styled hair.

He smirks, “I’ll call him in the morning. The two will figure it out when they notice we’re gone in the next five minutes.” Laughing, Y/n pulls away while he once again trails kisses across her jaw, moving to her neck.

“You are something else, Murdock.”

“Only for you, L/n.”

[clairecrive]

Billy idea that I have no time to write myself loool: reader and Billy are friends with benefits. Reader is happy with the arrangement and knows Billy is sleeping with other women but she doesn't care. It's not serious with them. Billy however hadn't really thought about Reader sleeping with other people and he finds out. Maybe from friends (Frank, Curtis and Karen because hello AU) or maybe all of them are out at a bar and he sees her go home with someone else? But he gets suuuuper jealous about it and realises he wants more. I'll leave it up to you if Reader wants more too. Angsty jealous Billy though, am I right? Lmaooo (this is faulty-coding btw, hello 🖤)

"Commitment"

A/N: omg hi! I love your work so much I feel incredibly honoured that you chose me for this request! I hope you like it x This is also for this anon, I've combined the two requests since they were similar.

Warnings: angst, jealousy, slut-shaming, hurt-comfort, smut at the end

Word count: 3K +

Tags:@blackst0nes7077, @thefictionalgemini, @tarkanelima-blog

@pansysgirlfriend, @acciorudolphx @supernaturalcat7, @crazyclownchick (I don't know why it won't let me tag you)

To add yourself to my taglist, fill in this form.

NAVIGATION PAGE

"Hey, stranger." A familiar voice and then his familiar touch on your back before he sat in front of you.

"Hi, Billy."

"it's been a while," he mentioned casually while his eyes took you in.

It had been more than a while, actually. Last time you saw Billy had been over a week ago. Well, you hadn't really seen him, that was the problem.

Ever since you had started your "agreement" you'd drop by his office from time to time to surprise him. He had told you that he deeply enjoyed office sex while you had never had it. Needless to say, it soon became one of your favourite things.

And that was why that day, you were at Anvil. You hadn't told Billy that you were coming. It wouldn't have been a surprise then, would it? However, when you stepped in front of his door, just one touch away from opening it, you heard it.

Well, heard her actually.

It was Billy that ended up surprising you that day. You usually loved surprises but that one you would have gladly skipped.

Although it had taken you most of a week to come to this realisation, you realized that it was actually a good thing to happen. The thing you had with Billy wasn't labelled. It was fun but it wasn't serious. Despite the fact that you were friends and hang out with the same group, you had never committed to each other.

And you were honestly fine with it. You enjoyed your time with Billy, outside and under the sheets.

It had been months though and you hadn't wanted to acknowledge it but it wasn't enough anymore. Billy's role in your life was ambiguous. He was your friend sure, but one you'd have sex with. He wasn't your boyfriend but he was the one you'd spend the most of your time with, the one with whom you were intimate.

You wanted more, you realized. Enough with these half measures.

Billy will understand, you told yourself. He inwardly made it clear where he stands. Time to broaden your horizons.

And, as matter of fact, you had. It was true that the ocean is full of fish but you hadn't had a lot of luck with them before. Sure, Jake was nice. He was polite and nice. An overall good guy.

He was just lacking a... je ne sais quoi that made you unsure about it. But you were willing to give him a chance and so you kept going on dates with him.

Needless to say, you hadn't spoken to Billy since that impromptu visit to his office.

"Been busy," you offered him taking a sip of your beer. It was a lame excuse but you couldn't care less. Karen offered you some appetizers. You stared at them for a bit before shaking your head refusing them. Ignoring Karen's questioning look, you took another sip.

"Yeah, she's been busy alright." Frank's low chuckle came from the other end of the table.

"Meaning?" Billy asked, now curious about the implication seeing how your cheeks had suddenly turned red.

"She met someone," Karen chirped in, winking in your direction.

Mentally facepalming you, you swore them off. It wasn't the way you wanted Billy to find out. Not that you cared what he thought since he couldn't be bothered to be as transparent with you, but still. You hated being put on the spot.

"Has she now?" Billy's eyebrow arched and he gave you an amused look. But his jaw clenched and that gave him away.

"Not that it's any of your business. But yes, I have. His name's Jake, he's a nice guy." You explained briefly, ignoring the intensity of his stare.

"So you're that kind of person then." Leaning over the table, his voice took an edge he had never directed at you. "Ditching her friends as soon as she meets a guy?"

"You know that's not true." Narrowing your eyes at him you were almost offended by his institution if it wasn't for the fact that you knew that it was his bruised ego speaking.

"Tell that to my many unanswered calls on your phone."

"That's not on Jake," you scoffed taking a sip. His eyebrow arched while his hands gestured to you as if to say "do tell".

"Let's just say that I saw firsthand just how busy you keep yourself when I'm not around." You tried to keep the bitterness out of your voice, you really did. But without success.

Billy's lips pursed in thought. You had no doubt that he had an inkling about what you meant but he couldn't figure out to what exactly you were referring to.

"So is this what it is? You being petty because I've been with someone else?"

"That's me wanting more for myself and taking it."

"If you were that insatiable, y/n, you should have just told me."

"Stop making me sound like a slut, Billy. That is not what this is about."

"Isn't it? Because that's exactly what this looks like to me."

Pursing your lips, you refused to show him just how much he had hurt you. Nodding your head you decided that you'd had enough. You did not have to sit here and take his bullshit.

"You know, Billy. Slut-shaming isn't a good look on you." Waving to your friends, you quickly told them that you had to go. An emergency you said. But they knew better, their eyes fixed on Billy as he watched you walk out of the bar. Hands tightening around the bottle of beer he had ordered, he stood up once you disappeared amongst the crowd.

Without bothering to explain himself to the group, he simply followed you outside.

"Y/n." He called your name once he saw that you were already a bit far from the bar. In a couple of quick strides, Billy had gotten to you since you had slowed down.

"Go away, Billy." you didn't bother to look at him.

"Wait, wait," he said gently taking hold of your arm to get you to stop. And you did but stared at his hand on you until he dropped it and took a step back. "Look I'm sorry, I was an asshole." he apologised.

You only nodded to show him that you understood him but didn't offer any words to assure him that you forgave him.

"And I'm sorry you had to find out about Madani that way." He added hoping to make things right between you.

"Don't worry, it was actually an awakening for me." You added briefly looking at him. Tone harsh and unapologetic. You were still too mad at him to care about being considerate of your voice.

"Really?"

"Yeah, it made me realize that this," you gestured between the two of you, "was not working out for me."

"Oh really?" now the word had lost every tint of disbelief it had before. It was more like he was challenging you. Like he didn't quite believe you.

"Yes." you stood your ground pushing your shoulders back, "I figured out that I want more. And I know that I'm not going to get that from you."

"It was good while it lasted though," you called over your shoulders as you turned, ready to get the hell away from him. But the words he said though, made you halt on your feet.

"Who said you're not going to get that with me?"

"That would require feeling something for me other than lust, Billy." you snicked not fully turning around to face him, just your head.

"Who says I don't?"

"Madani, maybe?"

"She doesn't mean anything, y/n." He scoffed rolling his eyes.

"Of course you'd say something like this, Billy. Doesn't help though." As if him admitting to having meaningless sex with other women could help his case. Men. Fully done with this conversation you gave him one last look before turning away again.

"I know why you didn't eat those appetizers before." Again, after a few steps, his voice made you stop. This time, the implication of what he meant, sat heavily on your shoulders making you tense. Still, you didn't turn around.

That didn't deter him though.

"I know that you love them but they remind you of your grandfather. He used to make sure there would always be some of those at home whenever you went to visit him. And I know you haven't eaten them since-"

He stopped when your head whipping to him, eyes glaring.

He was right. You knew it, he knew it. But him strumentalising your beloved grandfather's death to get through to you? That was low, even for Billy.

Not only it called for you to acknowledge out loud that your grandfather wasn't there anymore but it also surprised you because you didn't think anyone would notice something so small.

"What are you saying, Billy?" Eyes glossy, like everything someone mentioned him, you tried your best to not let your voice waver.

"What I'm saying is that I care about you, y/n. I care enough to notice things. The tiniest details that you don't even know are there. Like that every time you're reading and something bad happens, you press your hand on your chest over your heart, as if you wanted to stop the pain from coming or something. Or that you always cook whenever you miss your family even if you never say it out loud. Or-"

"I get it Billy." you raised a hand to stop him. "You're observant. I knew that. That's basically what you do for a living. Not counting that you're a fucking sniper."

"Maybe," he conceded slowly taking a step in your direction, "I notice things, that's true. That doesn't mean that I store them in my mind, though."

"I care about you, y/n. A great deal. Enough to notice all the little things that make you you and enough to memorize them."

"I don't know if I can believe you, Billy. If you cared you wouldn't be going around sleeping with other women. And I know-" you added when you saw his mouth open to protest- " I know that technically we weren't together but still Billy. A technicality is not going to earn you my trust." Shrugging your shoulders you opted for being honest with him. You had never lied to him and you certainly weren't going to start now. Billy had never lied to you either, not that you were aware. And even if this thought should have reassured you, you were still hesitant about believing him.

"Then give me a chance to do so. Let me prove to you just how much I care about you and how little I care about everything else." He insisted, taking another step and then another until he was in front of you. Hands on your jaw, he delicately craned your neck so that your eyes could meet.

The height difference had always been a reason for jokes among you. It was no secret that Billy had a slight size kink, at least not to you, and so more often than not he'd use that.

Thumb slowly caressing your jaw, his eyes flickered between yours. They were full of hope, of promises but there was also a lot of vulnerability. Billy was not the type to be so forthcoming about his feelings. The fact that he had been with you, on a side street nonetheless, was a demonstration on its own.

Sighing, you knew you needed to decide. Yes, hearing Billy having sex with another woman had hurt you but you were not together. While that didn't make it hurt any less, it made the situation slightly less grave. He hadn't cheated on you, not really. You hadn't told him you wanted more. Hell, before that you didn't even know that you wanted more.

And now that you knew, now that he knew as well, here he was promising it to you. He wanted to give you exactly what you wanted. So could you really say no to him?

Of course not.

"Alright."

"Yeah?" a big smile grew on his face, his eyes twinkling in joy.

"Yeah, I'm going to give you a chance. Only one, Billy. So you better not mess this up." Poking his chest with a finger you warned him that this time around, things were going to be different.

"You're not going to regret that, babe." His eyes held a solemn promise. Just briefly though because soon, they were back to their usual mischief. Billy leaned to you, his lips meeting yours in a small kiss.

At first.

He kissed you soundly, his mouth perfectly on yours, building his tempo slowly. Then, you felt his tongue on your lower lip and you knew that things were about to escalate quickly.

Not that you minded of course, but it was not appropriate to do what you had in mind in the middle of the street.

"Billy," you moaned slightly leaning back to warn him that you couldn't get too carried away.

"Call that Jim guy," his mouth peppered small kisses along your jaw, "tell him that it's over. That he never stood a chance," he moved down on your neck.

"Yes."

"Let's go home so that I can show you how much more I can give you."His mouth had trailed back up and stopped so that it was hovering over your ear. His voice was low and breathy and husky and fuck it sent a wave of pleasure right in between your legs.

------

No sooner had you stepped over your threshold than Billy's hands were on you. The door barely closed, he pushed you against it. His hands cradled your face, effectively keeping you holding you in place while his mouth ravished you.

You gladly let him do as he pleased. Mouth opening to welcome his tongue while your hands gripped his jacket to keep you steady.

"Billy," you whimpered his name as his lips left yours. You tried to follow them by getting on your tiptoes but he didn't let you. Chuckling, he gave you another small kiss.

"Yes. Remember that it's me that it's making you feel this good. Me. Not Jim or whatever his name is, not anyone else. Me." He growled on your lips while one of his hands gripped the hair at the nape of your neck making you gasp.

Staring at his glowing dark pits you couldn't do anything other than nodding feverishly. You were at his mercy. Completely. And Billy knew that and it did nothing but please him to no end.

You'd always enjoyed whenever Billy was rough with you but him being jealous and kinda possessive too? Game changer.

Smirking at your reaction, his hands moved lower on your body until they hatched behind your knees pulling you up. Biting your lower lip, he swallowed your whimper for the friction once you wrapped your legs around his waist.

Billy didn't waste any more time, in quick long strides he was in your bedroom and threw you on the bed. You'd almost giggled when you bounced on it if it wasn't for the savage look in Billy's eyes.

Fuck, he looked so sexy. A sin.

For a moment, he just stared at you laid there waiting for him. A hand quickly wiped his face before he unbuckled his pants. Now it was your turn to stare at him. More like ogle but you knew he didn't mind.

Shedding his pants, he crawled over you until his face levelled yours.

"I'm going to give you exactly what you want. And then some more." He promised, nipping your earlobe. "You're never going to feel the need to look for other guys."

"There's no one else I'd rather be with, Billy."

Your hands trailed over his still clothed back before tangling his always perfectly styled hair. "Only you." You whispered in his ear.

If it wasn't for your hand on his back, you would have missed him tensing. "Say it again," he demanded, his head still in the crook of your neck.

"You're the only one I want, Billy." You repeated knowing fully well how he struggled with accepting love and affection. This meant to him just as much as it did to you. He was giving you the promise of commitment but so were you. And despite the fact that you had already been loyal to him, you knew how important it was for him to hear the words.

"There's no one else for me either, y/n. Never was, never will be." He raised his head to say this. It was a confirmation, yes, but it also felt so much more coming from him.

He had been telling you how much he cared about you since you left the bar but somehow, him saying it again now held more meaning.

"You promise?"

You felt childish and it was probably pathetic of you to ask him again. But this was you being vulnerable, letting him know that you needed him. And you trusted Billy.

"You're mine." He said instead. One of his hands coming to cradle the back of your head while the other closed around your right breast.

"And I'm yours."

And here it was, the promise, the reassurance you needed. His lips met yours in a bruising kiss. It was wet and more teeth and tongue than anything but it was passionate. You were claiming each other.

Not separating your lips, he used his hands to get rid of your clothes. While he unbuckled your pants, you took his shirt off. Him doing the same with yours while you pushed his brief down on his legs.

Once you were completely naked, Billy crawled back over you. His hands resting at the sides of your head. He was everywhere. You could feel him between your legs, your arms wrapped around his back, your vision field occupied by his beautiful face.

He was everywhere, he was everything.

"And now, I'm going to leave no room for doubt in your mind anymore." He whispered on your lips, his cock rubbing over your slit teasing you about what was to come.

You had asked him for a commitment and fuck if he didn't commit to it. All night long.

[kitkatpancakestack]

This is a dumb reach, but now I'm wondering if there is any subtext with our airport luggage guys? Who were first in 3x10 and then reappeared in the infamous 4x08?

@yramesoruniverse don't even play you KNOW I am on my Breaking Point shit right now.

I don't know that I'd call it a dumb reach, but I am so deep into hiatus crackheadery territory that I can no longer differentiate between bonafide analysis and conspiratorial tinhattery. This may very well be the latter but we're here to have fun, right?

I think I've talked before about how incorporating past emergencies into new episodes is a smart way to continue an existing theme without eating up a lot of run time. This is especially relevant because in each of the eps in which this happens, the repeat emergencies are the first emergencies of the episode. This is significant because it sets the stage, like the show wants you to make that connection right away and watch the events unfold within the context of the previous episode you have now been forced to recall. Case in point: the internet famous dude bros from 2x01 who reappeared in 3x11 (3x12? Whichever one is Fools) to connect two fairly Eddie-centric episodes, both of which centered on an initially disastrous meeting (Buck vs. Ana) and how those respective meetings played out. These two meetings, and by extension Buck and Ana, continued to be heavily paralleled throughout the episode.

Another example is the porch pirate from 2x05 (Awful People) who we first saw in 1x08 (Karma's a Bitch), two episodes thematically focusing on people facing the consequences of their actions. Also to note that these are significant episodes for Hen and her family as well. In 1x08, Karen finds out about her cheating with Eva. In 2x05, Eva is back and trying to take Denny from Hen and Karen.

These could just be fun call-backs, but 9-1-1 does a stellar job of weaving themes throughout episodes — throughout seasons— and if this is intentional I think it's a genius strategy. Film students sound out on this one.

As for the scene in question: it compels me to consider the overall themes of the episodes. 3x10 was the Christmas ep, but it's focus for the characters was largely about each individual family unit reaffirming their dedication to each other. Even amidst the dreary rain cloud settling over the episode's events, there was an undercurrent of optimism, a feeling that if these people stuck together they would turn out alright. The two airport luggage dudes manifest this: one guy just trying to get thru his job, fed up with the holidays, the other trying to look positively on the situation.

And then there's Breaking Point, my beloved sleep paralysis demon.

Listen, idc, this episode was entirely about Buck and Eddie. Just like there are episodes that blatantly focus on Bobby and Athena or Hen and Karen or Maddie and Chimney, this one belonged to Buck and Eddie. It was an episode about reaching the end of one's rope. About a disruption to the status quo. About the degree and type of disruption required to make these people crack. The idea of it not so much being a specific incident but a culmination of events, of "bad choices" or bad luck, to finally break the character: our airport luggage guy with the upbeat attitude who literally got sucked into the rotors and still came back to work, and then the culminating disaster that tipped him off the ledge and made him quit.

So we have 3x10 portraying a sense of coming together, and 4x08 portraying a sense of fracturing apart.

And you might think, but wait a minute, didn't Eddie "come together" with Ana and didn't Buck "come together" with Taylor at the end? Sure, but it isn't about that. It's about Buck and Eddie fracturing apart from each other.

And while my buddie goggles are in place, also interesting is the use of Christopher in these episodes. In 3x10: Chris not being able to hang with his dad and so deferring to Buck. In 4x08: Chris getting upset at his dad and so deferring (Ubering) to Buck. 3x10: Buck coming thru for Chris, so he and Eddie can spend Christmas together. 4x08: Buck coming through for Chris, telling him he's not planning on leaving him anytime soon.

This has already become much longer than I expected, sorry. Granted, it could all be bullshit and the writers just being all "haha funny airport luggage dumbasses make brain go brrrrr" and putting them back in for entertainment purposes. But idk, idk. It's suspicious. I am hiding under Tim's stairs and thinking some serious thoughts.

[livthedragon]

Dream SMP Animal Rescue Center AU

The L’Manburg Animal Rescue Center (LARC) is a well-known institution dedicated to the well-being of all animals known to man. The facility receives animals from all over the world, and has staff fit for any creature that gallops, swims, flies, climbs, or runs into their care. With hundreds of acres of land at its disposal, the Rescue Center is equipped to care for animals that cannot be released back into the wild for as long as they may live. Come and visit with our season pass, or drop by anytime with admission tickets half off for the kids! Anyone 15 or older is welcome to come and volunteer their help towards these wonderful beings!

~

Alright, now that the official canon stuff is done, I’d like to make a few quick notes on pthis AU! First off, this was inspired by Dazenightmare’s Grocery store AU, so go check them out as well! If you have any idea or comments about this piece, the ask box is always open! Anyway, I hope you enjoy, and without further ado, I present my DreamSMP Animal Rescue Center AU!

-Liv💫

(P.s, I’ll be setting things up by showing the character’s official staff introductions first, and then my personal notes on them! This is how most things will be presented!)

~

Our Wonderful Staff!

Listed below is all of our fantastic employees, each with important and essential jobs to keep LARC running smoothly! If you ever need anything, they’ll be happy to help!

~

Even though they all have differing roles and places in the hierarchy, the staff have always been tight-knit friends, almost a family. But, like any family, they definitely have their spats! As I come to think of more stuff I might edit this, but so far the employees are Nihachu, Puffy, Eret, Philza, Fundy, Wilbur, Tommy, Tubbo, Quackity, Techno, Ranboo, Purpled, Ponk, Awesamdude, George, Dream, Sapnap, Bad, Skeppy, Karl, Hbomb, Jack, Jschlatt, Foolish, and Ant. (Official names for introductions are Niki, Cara, Eret, Phil, Floris, Wilbur, Tommy, Toby, Alex, Dave, Ranboo, Grayson, Ponk, Sam, George, Clay, Nick, Darryl, Zak, Karl, Liam, Jack, Johnathan, Noah, and Antfrost,  in the same order as above. These are the real names of most of the characters, I couldn’t do the ones that haven’t done a name reveal. (I didn’t change Wilbur because it just did not feel right) If there’s a character you wanted to see that’s not here I’m sorry, it means I just don’t know enough about them. (I’m so sorry Punz fans, I’ll add him eventually but I’ve never watched him before and don’t want to improperly represent him!) The minors (Ranboo, Tommy, Tubbo, and Purpled) are technically volunteers and not employees, so they’ll be presented separately. I mention the Regulars (regular patrons) a couple times, these include other MCYTs! So keep an eye out for special appearances! Sadly, SBI is not canon in my AU. It just didn’t make much sense to me as I tried to write it, but if you want to interpret them as family you can! (They’re still very close, so they act just like a family even though they’re not related by blood!)

Clay - Clay is the manager of our facility, and has run it for 3 years now! He’s proven to be a capable and fun leader, and you can often find him wandering about with some other staff members! If you ever see him around, don’t be afraid to ask him for anything!

~

Dream - Since Dream is the founder and main leader of the SMP, making him the manager made the most sense! He kinda has two ‘settings’, his official business mode for when he needs to handle serious work, and his more chill mode he presents when he’s just hanging out with everyone. He’s never really pulled the ‘I’m your boss so listen to me blah blah’ thing before, he actually prefers to emphasize that he’s on the same level as anyone else, just with a fancy title. He’s only brought out his manager mode when it comes to his employees a few times before, like when one of Tommy’s pranks went too far, and when George was slacking off just a bit too much. Other than that, he’s a nice guy who considers all of his employees his friends, but he’s often busy with ‘manager things’ as he says.

George - Our trusty head of security, George is responsible for keeping our guests safe! He’s in charge of things like security cameras, patrols, and safety regulations regarding people. He’s often found manning the cameras or patrolling about! If you ever get lost or feel unsafe, he and the other security members are always ready to help!

~

George - He sleeps. A lot. When it says ‘often’ manning the cameras, that means always. Always manning the cameras, and 9 times out of 10 he’s sleeping. He patrols like, once a day for the bare minimum time purely because he has too. The only reason he isn’t fired at this point is because he has uncanny luck. Every time anything comes up that he’s needed in he’s always awake, without fail. Every time a crime (not really crimes more like petty stuff, vandalism and shoplifting from the souvenir stands) happens he always sees it. No one knows how, because he’s always sleeping anytime else. Despite that, he’s a pretty nice guy that everyone gets along with, and does his job good enough to keep people safe.

Nick, Sam, and Cara - Our loyal security guards, who faithfully patrol and protect! It”s their sworn duty to keep animals and people alike safe, and can always be turned to if needed! They can be found rotating between the different wings of the center, and are glad to help with any issue! You can easily identify their signature blue uniforms!

~

Sapnap - Since George is nearly always ‘occupied,’ Sap is usually the one who handles planning patrol routes and shift changes. Although he can definitely be mischievous or a jokester at times, he does take his job seriously. He’s kind to the little kids that visit, and likes to give them tours whenever Ponk and Eret are busy. He’s loved among the regulars, and knows them all by heart. He’s pulled his fair share of pranks (most often with Tommy, Skeppy, and even occasionally Dream to help him) but he takes care to not cause any serious damage. Overall, he’s a prankster, but he loves his job and fellow employees.

Sam -  Although he’s officially a security guard, he’s more like the resident handyman. Whenever there’s a problem with any electrical or plumbing systems (usually the fault of Tubbo, the poor kid breaks everything he touches) Sam usually handles it. He’s reliable, he doesn’t pull jokes like Sapnap does, but he can respect a good one. Despite being rather intimidating at first, Sam is gentle and can often be found helping Ant with the birds or Wilbur with the gazelles. He cares deeply for everyone, especially Tommy, Tubbo, Ranboo, and Purpled, and helps protect people whenever a Karen comes into the picture. He’s the one who helps elderly people cross the busy paths and gives directions to lost tourists.

Puffy - When she was first hired, people wondered why she chose to be a security guard. She was gentle and kind, and tried to avoid any and all conflict. But when a group of teens were spray painting the reptile house, it became obvious. Those kids not only volunteered to clean it themselves, but asked if they could help clean up garbage around the paths while Puffy stood over their shoulders. She’s been famous for her lectures ever since, and can even get Techno and Tommy under her thumb. Her gentle side definitely helps, and because she’s far less intimidating than the other guards, she’s the one who helps lost kids find their parents. She’s confident in herself, and shows it. No one questions her while she’s on patrol, despite being the smallest of the guards, she’s one of the strongest.

Eret and Ponk - Our lovely tour guides, they’re in charge of all the tours around the facility, from the reptile room to the butterfly greenhouse! Whenever you book a tour, one of these two will be in charge! They’re kind and energetic, and can be found with the scheduled tours all over our institute!

~

Eret - Eret is the more comedic of the two, often slipping in sarcastic jokes here and there on the tour. He’s not afraid to hide who he is, and he’s well known among the regulars for wearing extravagant outfits every now and then. Of course you always have the occasional Karen, but the moment one starts to approach him one of the security guards ‘conveniently’ needs his help. Whenever there’s some sort of event like a holiday or birthday, Eret is usually the one who volunteers to plan it. His parties are legendary, everything is always planned to perfection, and always runs smoothly. No one knows how he does it, it’s like he can predict catastrophe before it even happens. Tommy is mildly scared of him because not one of his pranks has worked on him, he always manages to get out of it (While looking fabulous, of course!) Despite his sarcasm and nonchalant behavior, he loves his job and ‘family’ he’s found!

Ponk - Definitely the more energetic of the two, he never seems to run out of stamina when he gives tours. He’s popular with the little kids because he gives out little stickers at the end of the tour, most often custom ones of all the famous animals. Whenever he’s off duty, he has a game he plays where he mixes all of the vending machine drinks together and sees who’s brave enough to try it. Sam is usually the victim, he has a hard time saying no to him! He’s been known to join in the occasional prank here and there, but never anything crazy (Like the famous Tiger incident, Tommy got suspended for a month after that…) He really cares about all his friends, and always comes into work with a smile!

Zak and Darryl - Responsible for running the various shops around our rescue center, these two are dedicated workers who can always be relied on! They’re always willing to lend a hand, and can be found at their respective stores! Don’t be afraid to say hi or ask for help!

~

Skeppy - Most definitely cannot be always relied on. I mean, he’s Skeppy, what do you expect? Whenever he’s on duty he’s responsible enough, but when off duty he’s even more of a trouble maker than Tommy! His stand isn’t usually as busy as BBH’s, so he has a lot of free time to goof off. He uses most of that time to plan pranks or tease BBH, much to his annoyance. Despite Skeppy always teasing him, he considers BBH his closest friend and would do anything for him. He’s faced his fair share of consequences and punishment, but he’s always managed to weasel his way out. He’s crafty and a troublemaker, but he’s also a good friend and a loyal worker when it counts.

BBH -  One of the most loved members of staff, he gets along with everyone he meets. He’s kind beyond measure, and never hesitates to help. Pretty much the opposite of Skeppy, who often annoys everyone. But opposites attract, maybe that’s why they get along so well! Whenever Sapnap and George are busy, Dream usually turns to BBH for help and advice. Since the stands aren’t busy all that often, BBH usually helps out wherever he’s needed, he especially loves helping Wilbur with the butterflies. Like Sapnap, he also gets along great with the little kids, who love to hang out with him! Because of Dream’s soft spot for him, he managed to get permission to bring his dog, Rat, into work to ‘help’ him at his stand.

Alex - Alex is our responsible janitor and handyman, always ready for anything that could happen! He’s hardworking and kind, with a good sense of humor! You’ll find him wherever he’s needed, always willing to help!

~

Quackity - Like I said, Sam is more of the resident handyman, so Quackity usually handles the cleaning. He tried to fix wiring on the meat freezer one time because Sam was busy, but it did not… end well… he somehow flooded the whole room. The introduction isn’t entirely wrong, he is responsible and hardworking, but he’s not exactly ready for anything that could happen. It’s not his fault, it just seems that no matter how much he prepares some new problem he’s never dealt with before comes up. Like when the peacocks escaped, or the infamous Tiger incident. (When he saw the destruction that caused he just dropped his mop and said “I’m taking my vacation time now, fuck this”) He still has his sense of humor though, he enjoys yelling at Karens in Spanish to scare them off. He’s yelling about the weather, but they can’t tell the difference.

Karl - Our fantastic admission worker, he’s the first face you see when you walk in! He’s in charge of admitting all of our guests, and to answer any questions you have before entering! He can be found at his booth helping anyone and everyone!

~

Karl - Still had his signature good attitude and positive outlook, he’s probably the most willing to help people. Since he’s the only admission booth worker (Schlatt occasionally takes over, but he’s usually busy with his own stuff) he doesn’t get much break time in the busy season, but when he does he usually spends it with his friends. He’s goofy and kind, with a giggle that quickly got him loved by the regulars and everyone else he meets. On the slower days, usually in winter when the tourists aren’t around, he likes to sit everyone down in the break room and tell grand stories about different points in history. These tales quickly became enjoyed by even the most reluctant members, much to his suprise. He’s a very skilled storyteller, but he’s also very humble and insists he’s mediocre. He’s a great guy and loved by everyone around him, the perfect first face to see when you enter LARC. Recently, however, people often catch him stealing glances at two certain individuals throughout the day…

Johnathan - Our loyal help desk worker, he’s here for any issues you may have during your time at LARC. He’s here for anything you need, from booking tours to answering questions. Johnathan is in charge of making sure your stay runs smoothly and is as enjoyable as possible! You can find him at his desk all throughout the day!

~

Jschlatt - I have no actual reason for why he has this job I just thought it would be funny. Out of all the members of the rescue center, he’s the one who’s mastered the customer service smile and voice the most. He’s kind of had to, considering what his job is. Surprisingly, it isn’t as hellish as it would seem. Most of the time it’s just people booking tours or asking simple questions, which doesn’t require that much interaction. Dealing with Karens is a rare occurrence, but not unheard of. He just hits them with the “Lady, I am not paid enough to deal with this. Either go talk to the manager or ask Karl for a refund, now at least move aside so I can do my damn job.” He has a lot of free time because of this, but he’s not allowed to leave his post so he just plays Solitare on his computer and chats with whoever’s nearby. Even though he’s sarcastic and reluctant, he is a good worker and gets the job done. He rarely shows it, if at all, but he does care for all of his fellow workers and enjoys his job because he gets to be around them.

Phil and Liam - Our specialized veterinarians are equipped for any animal that needs their care, from elephants to bats, scorpions to dolphins. They’re both capable and experienced, and can be found wherever they’re needed to do their jobs!

~

Philza - Definitely a capable vet, he’s probably people’s first choice when they need help. He’s worked at a few other places before LARC, but he insists that this is his permanent job until he retires. Although he tends to focus purely on work when on the clock, when he’s off duty he opens up a lot more. He enjoys out with everyone in the break room, most of all Wilbur, Tommy, Techno, and Ranboo. Sometimes his wife comes in to volunteer for a day, much to everyone’s enjoyment. Since Phil is the resident dad, she was named the official mom of LARC and was given a very fancy cardboard crown. Despite his reluctant behavior on the surface, he can be passionate at times… rarely. Very rarely. He once chugged one of Ponk’s concoctions from hell and walked away unscathed, mumbling “I drink more caffeine on my good days, try again with an extra 10 energy drinks mate.” Ponk has practically worshipped him since, no one had ever been able to take any of his drinks before Phil. Overall he’s a good natured guy who loves both animals and people, but tends to avoid the public paths because it’s so crowded.

Hbomb - More of Phil’s understudy than an official vet, he’s still learning quite a bit. That doesn’t mean he’s not capable, he’s great when he’s working on animals he’s familiar with or illnesses he’s dealt with dozens of times before. This is his first job as a veterinarian, and he found it quite overwhelming at first. Despite this, he quickly won over his fellow staff with his charm and humor. When asked who his best friend is, he jokingly answers “Fundy!” While Fundy violently shakes his head no in the background. He’s relatively carefree, but he can absolutely get serious when his skills are needed. He’s fine with not being the go-to guy to help with the animals, he’s content with helping Phil whenever he’s needed and sticking to the sidelines.

Niki - Our lovely Marine Biologist, she keeps the aquarium and other aquatic exhibits running smoothly. She’s an expert in her field, and we can go about our days knowing she has everything under control! She can be found most often in the aquarium, but keep an eye out for her around other exhibits!

~

Nihachu - Because the aquatic exhibits are the smallest and have the least amount of animals, Niki can usually run it smoothly. She’s passionate about her job, and has loved animals since she was very little. She originally joined LARC purely for experience, but as time went on she just… never left. She has no plans to either, she loves the strange family she’s found, and the constant flow of new animals keeps her on her toes when it comes to her passion. She never really wanted fame or riches from Marine Biology, she chose to do it because of her love for zoology. On her off time she usually hangs out with Puffy or Wilbur, since their jobs place them near her area. She’s a lovable and soft spoken, but can be serious when needed. She more than pulls her weight in LARC, and has proved herself many times over.

Dave - A spectacular zoologist who specializes in predators and their behavior, Dave handles even the most deadly of animals with calm mannership. He has experience with every apex predator, and treats every animal he cares for kindly. He may seem unapproachable, but he’s willing to help anyone who needs it. He can be found all around LARC, but most often by the big predators.

~

Technoblade - He has proved the statement “Technoblade never dies” many times over. Many. Times. Over. He’s faced bears head-on with no safety equipment (which is not good, please use safety equipment when around wild animals) and come out unscathed. All of the permanent predators at LARC that can’t be released have acknowledged him as an equal, and accepted him into their hierarchy. Even the most aggressive of the big cats hold respect for him, but not through fear. Techno refuses to ever, ever use fear as a tactic to win over animals. He claims it’s not right to rule over other beings through fear, especially such regal ones. He takes his job very seriously, and hates his interactions with animals interrupted. (Tommy did it once and he swears to never do it again.) He’s very skilled, but he often gets put aside when the inspector comes around every 6 months because of his refusal to use required equipment. He may still be as serious and no-nonsense as ever, but he holds his friends close. He doesn’t like to be in the public eye, so he stays as behind the scenes as possible. Like Jschaltt, he doesn’t show it much, but he cares for everyone in LARC.

Wilbur - The counterpart to Dave, Wilbur is our herbivore specialist at LARC! He’s responsible for the majority of the herbivores in our institute, from gazelles to horses! You can find him all around our facility, and if you’re lucky you might catch him feeding the animals!

~

Wilbur - He’s the opposite of Techno in a lot of ways besides just his job. Will actually likes to be in front of a crowd when doing his job, and even got Dream to add an official feeding time for the popular animals so people could come see. His intentions aren’t vanity though, he just likes seeing how happy it makes everyone. Because he cares for the majority of the animals at LARC, he can often be found with Phil and the other animal caretakers. He’s especially close to Phil and Tommy though, and Tommy often finds ways to change his schedule to be closer to him. (Tubbo usually follows Tommy, and then Ranboo follows Tubbo, it’s a whole chain reaction.) On his off time he occasionally causes mischief with other staff, but he’s chill most of the time. He cares a lot about all of the animals he cares for, and makes sure to form a bond with each and every one. Every now and then he brings his guitar to work, and can be found quietly strumming it and humming along in secluded places. Sometimes he even plays it in front of the animals, much to their confused enjoyment. He might be carefree most of the time, but he takes his work seriously and has a close bond with everyone at LARC.

Floris - Floris is our resident field specialist, here to use his experience to help wherever he can! He’s often one of the first to see new animals or release old ones, and always does it with a smile on his face! You don’t see him as often as the other animal caretakers, but he can be found throughout LARC!

~

Fundy - He’s been all over the globe since he graduated, since he got to study under a rather eccentric zoologist. No one knows why he decided to work at LARC and not somewhere more recognized, but they’re not complaining. Whenever he’s on break, he likes to retail all of his adventures in a dramatic manner, but no one knows if they’re true stories or not. Sometimes he shows proof of his escapades, but most of the time he leaves it up to everyone to decide for themselves. But whether his stories are true or not, he definitely has the experience of someone who’s travelled the world. No matter the animal, he seems to know how to predict their behavior perfectly. He’s as excitable and loud as ever, but he loves his job and all the creatures he’s gotten to work with. Oftentimes he’s in charge of keeping tabs on animal behavior, so he’s the first to note when something changes or goes wrong. He has journals full of notes on different animals, both from LARC and his time traveling. He’s definitely passionate and dramatic, but he’s also a good guy that just wants to help animals.

Antfrost - A fantastic mammalogist, he’s been at LARC for a few years now and has proven himself as a great scientist. He knows how to deal with a variety of mammals, from the tiniest bumblebee bats to the biggest elephants! If you ever have any questions, feel free to ask him!

~

Ant - Like Niki, this is his first real job in zoology. He was out in the field for about a year and a half, but he was basically an errand boy for the bigger names he was working with. That’s not to say he’s not skilled though, he’s fantastic at what he does. He often asks Fundy for his notes on the various animals to get to know them better himself, and has read the majority of his journals. He was timid around everyone at first, but he gradually got close to his fellow staff. It was the same when it came to big animals, Wilbur had to help him during his first time with the elephants, giraffes, and other large mammals. But soon he got used to them, and now he spends most of his time with animals. He has no plans to leave LARC, he’s found that this job is more than enough to keep him busy and happy. He’s a bit shy, but when he opens up he enjoys being around everyone.

Jack and Noah - These two, although not often seen, and essential for keeping everything running like a well-oiled machine! From lending a hand wherever it’s needed to helping prepare food, Jack and Noah work tirelessly behind the scenes to make sure everything is a-ok! If you ever do spot them, they’re ready to help with whatever you need!

~

Jack - The more experienced of the two, he’s been working at LARC for a long time now. He can be mischievous at times, but he’s responsible and knows his job is important. He struggles a bit to be close to everyone, despite the fact he’s been at LARC for a long time. He’s acquainted with most of the staff, but he’s not sure if he can really call anyone a close friend. He does have a good relationship with Tommy and Niki, but they always have so much going on and often overlook Jack. He grins and bears it though, keeping his loud and comedic attitude. He’s often all business and work, but there are times he wishes he could just be friends with everyone, and envies the very social members of staff like Quackity and Tommy. He may be a bit distant from everyone, but he still gets along with them… at least that’s what he always tells himself. He’s a bit stubborn, but overall a good guy who’s willing to help

Foolish - Foolish has only been working at LARC for a few months now, but he’s already made quite a few friends, both animal and human. When he’s working he tends to stick to himself, but when on break he enjoys hanging out with others and having casual conversation. He actually has a little corner of the break room for his hobby, making mini-models! He’s very good at it too, he has an intricate Egyptian setup that everyone likes to ogle at every now and then! Every so often he stays after for a bit to work on them, and no one has the heart to disturb him when he gets into it. He spends a lot of time with the animals, especially the aquatic ones. He seems to be drawn to the aquarium, and he’s often caught staring at the ocean tank. He’s positive and high energy most of the time, but he’s not to be underestimated.

Our Volunteers!

Volunteering is open for anyone interested in working at LARC non-officially, as long as you follow our rules and are 15 or older! Our current volunteers are

Toby

Tommy

Grayson

Ranboo

This is subject to change at any time! If you’re interested in signing up to be a volunteer, contact us either through our official website or our in-person help desk!

Volunteers aren’t allowed to be up close to any of the large or dangerous animals for their own safety!

We hope to see new volunteers soon!

Tubbo - He breaks. Everything he touches. Much to Quackity’s dismay, who’s often stuck cleaning it up. He doesn’t mean to break things, he just… does. Despite being quiet and even shy at times, Tubbo is without a doubt the most chaotic person in the entirety of LARC. He doesn’t pull off jokes or pranks like Tommy and Skeppy, he just subtly radiates chaos wherever he goes. He and Tommy are in charge of helping the westward wing (The area with the Africa, North America, and Insect House exhibits, as far away from the Aquarium as possible because Tubbo will break everything) and occasionally the Reptile House. A volunteer’s work isn’t exactly exciting, they mainly cut up and prepare food and do whatever Jack and Foolish are too busy to. Tubbo doesn’t really mind though, he finds the work rewarding and even fun at times. Even when the food he has to prepare is especially gross, some time helping Wilbur with the beehives always makes him happy.

Tommy - Oh man, Tommy… what problems hasn’t he caused? It seems that everywhere he goes he can manage to cause trouble, often roping Tubbo and Wilbur into it. It’s a miracle he hasn’t been fired yet (can you fire a volunteer? I don’t know) despite everything he’s done. He did get suspended for a long time after the Tiger Incident, but that’s the worst punishment he’s faced. He’s also not allowed to be near any of the people that come to LARC because last time he went “Vlogging” and scared away multiple guests. That was Jschaltt’s busiest day and he still has not forgiven him for it. He’s often stuck behind the scenes with Tubbo preparing food, but every now and then Wilbur, or even Techno if he’s lucky, lets him help feed the animals. When he’s off duty he can be found pestering Wilbur, Phil, and Techno or getting yelled at by Dream for causing problems. Despite being nothing but a troublemaker, everyone around him can’t help but have a soft spot for him. And on rare occasions, you can catch him leaving gifts for people to show his thanks for dealing with him.

Purpled - Probably the most laid back of the Volunteers, he’s actually allowed within 40 feet of the Tiger enclosure. (Although he has been known to solve problems by chasing people with a foam sword and yelling “Bedwars!!”) Since Tommy and Tubbo are usually on food duty, Purpled’s the one who delivers stuff to various places around LARC. This results in two things, no one ever being able to find him when they need him and him randomly appearing behind people when they least expect it. Seriously, he’ll just appear out of thin air to scare the shit out of you 5 minutes after you need him. He doesn’t even try to do it, he just… does, somehow. He’s a good worker though, and doesn’t complain much. He somehow managed to convince Dream to get an Xbox for the break room, and every break he gets he challenges random members of staff to a game of bedwars. He beat almost everyone without a hitch, except Technoblade. Currently they’re tied at 38 wins each, and Ranboo brought in a whiteboard to keep track. He may be a bit reluctant, but he likes LARC and can’t see himself leaving anytime soon.

Ranboo - Probably the most shy of the Volunteers, he tends to keep to the background and avoids the big, public areas. Because he’s the gentlest (and the most trustworthy) of the helping staff, he’s usually the one who gets the jobs involving animals. This usually includes helping Niki give the ducklings baths and feeding the deer with Wilbur, but like it says he’s not allowed near any potentially dangerous animals. He’s the tallest person at LARC (but by far the kindest) which results in him often scaring the animals at first, much to his dismay. Because he’s also on the taller side, Wilbur taught him a few tricks to seem less intimidating, which helped greatly. When he does open up a bit (usually around Tommy and Tubbo) he can be a bit mischievous and chaotic, but he knows when to stop. He hopes to become an official member of LARC one day, but for now he’s content with being just a volunteer.

Remember, LARC always welcomes guests, new or returning! We hope to see you soon!

Thank you guys so much for reading, this AU took me waaayyyyyy too long to write, and I’m psyched to finally have it done! I’d be super happy to answer any asks you guys leave, or any questions you have in the comments! Again, thank you so much, and I hope you enjoyed!

-Liv 💫

[awilddreamermain]

Hi, Chels! Congratulations!! I'm so happy for you! You deserve every follower and more! That is a threat, I'm holding everyone hostage 🔪

I would love to get a MHA matchup, I wanna see who you'd match me with! Got me so curious! SFW & NSFW if you'd be willing!

My name is Chloe but I prefer May, nicknames include May-May, Maybell or Chlo.

I'm 25, pronouns are she/he, Cancer Moon, Aries Sun and Virgo Rising. Quite the weird mash of zodiacs, huh?

My favorite colors are pink (that soft pastel kinda baby pink), red (especially blood/garnet red) and...can I add pink again? Any shade of pink this time. Bubblegum or hot pink.

Favorite AU's include A/B/O, Mafia, Historical, Fantasy and does Mythical Creatures count?

Oh...oh boy, I gotta look deep for some fun facts that aren't just...facts but I'll do my best!

1) My sneezes are so short and high pitched I go "chu".

2) I have vitiligo, makes me look like a dog because it's mostly around my mouth and my right eye so I have a spot!

3) I have atrocious balance, my knees and shins are always banged up because I cannot for the life of me walk correctly.

4) I have a stutter, on top of speaking so quickly it turns into a jumbled mess. So good luck understanding what I said because I have no idea either.

5) I have a growing unicorn plush collection. My favorite is Cupcake, one that's actually taller than I am. Big chunk.

My likes are pretty simple. Cute & soft sweaters, blankets, warm coffee and strawberry milk, pastries and the cold! Winter is my favorite season. History, particularly the Medieval and Victorian times.

My interests revolve around creativity and you could say they're my hobbies as well. Drawing in particular, I used to do digital but I'm stuck with traditional pencil and paper at the moment. I'm dipping my toes into painting and its very fun! Obviously writing and reading and if I'm not doing of those listed then I'm definitely playing video games.

Personality I might say I'm quite split down the middle. At first, to a complete stranger I might come across as cold, stoic, with a resting bitch face, that just wants to get whatever I'm outside for done so I can leave. I'd create a witty or sarcastic comeback if I was given sass by a Karen but with my speech issues? I'd be lucky to get one coherent word out at her...and spend the rest of the day fantasizing what could've happened. So I'm rather quiet, agoraphobia hits hard in large or crowded places so I'm an anxiety riddled mess on the verge of a panic attack. In private or with people that I'm comfortable with? Complete opposite. Happy, bubbly, cracking puns and jokes so get those groan worthy reactions. I try to be the "mom friend" and get over my issues if someone is having it worse, I'll march up to a counter and ask for ketchup if someone wanted it but was too scared to do it themselves. The shoulder to lean and cry on, I'm highly empathetic and understanding, compassionate at times. But I have to actively try and keep myself positive and say good things about myself because I do fall into the pit of self-loathing and hate.

For appearance I'd say I'm average height, pale with white splotches that are inching larger due to my vitiligo, chubby, ashy blonde, blue eyes, button nose. I'd say I'm decently cute? I don't know if I can rate myself.

Okay I know I said I'd be looking into Zodiac compatibility for this but— I literally just screamed internally "KIRISHIMA" when I was reading this. You two would be perfect omg. This Libra king would do anything for you. For this you're an artist and the daughter of a mafia boss :) I like to think of ship names sometimes so like, yours would either be like Eijmay or Mayjirou or Kiriloe— that last one and first are awful I know so lets go with the second? I can't write a proper stutter for the life of me so I tried to keep your dialogue to the minimum.

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀ Pairing: Eijirou Kirishima

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀AU: Mafia

⠀Theme Song: You're The One That I Want - Alex & Sierra

How you meet (his point of view):

⠀⠀The gallery was full of black and white suits, tight, floor length dresses with the sounds of laughter and clinking glasses meeting his ears. It was a joyous evening, celebrating the wonderful art work created by the boss's daughter. He had never met her before but he had heard whispers, all good as no one would dare slander the name of their leader's precious little girl. You were the boss's pride and joy, thus he kept you as far away from the darker side of the family business as possible.

⠀⠀Kirishima was still a new hire, a bodyguard of sorts and would consider this his first gig. He had an idea of who he was looking for as he walked further into the mass of people admiring your work but didn't expect what he would eventually come across. You were as far away from the crowd as you possibly could be, guzzling glasses of wine and over all appearing to be a deer in headlights. He couldn't fugure out for the life of him why you seemed so frightened until he watched people approach you to talk, noticing the stutter in your voice when you replied to questions and greetings,your body language telling people to stear clear of you.

⠀⠀So, he did what he was hired to do. "Kindly step away from the lady." He said with a smile, approaching with his large arms crossing over his broad chest as he towered over the guests. They looked at him as if he were a giant shark looking to devour them before scurrying away, leaving the two of you alone. He stood quietly, listening to the voices on the other side of his ear piece as his ruby eyes scanned the area around you. He made sure to not stand so close and avoided in letting his gaze wander.

⠀⠀He couldn't help but admire your skin in quick glances, finding the spot over your eye to be quite adorable. Your silky, ask blonde hair was all dolled up for the event, light make up on your face but not enough to cover the vitiligo. You were stunning and his heart hammered against his chest. So the rumors were true.

⠀⠀You thanked him, voice quiet and careful as you set down your wine glass and clasped your hands together. Out of the corner of his eye he watched you twiddle your thumbs. You didn't want to be here, did you? This obviously wasn't your idea, how could it be? A girl like you, timid as a mouse, didn't want to be surrounded by strangers. "Miss..." He began, thinking carefully because the last thing he wanted to do was piss off the boss and likely get himself killed. But this was his job wasn't it? Making sure you were happy and safe? "Would you like to leave here for a bit? We'll come back of course, but you look like you need some air."

Extra.

He ended up taking you to a drive thru restaurant and got you whatever you wanted, letting you talk about whatever you wanted or sat quietly if you chose not to talk at all If it was quiet in the suv then that was fine too, he just wanted to help you in any way he could. Eventually the silence becomes small talk and then leads to a rather deep conversation about whatever the hell was going on inside that beautiful brain of yours. Kirishima wasn't the smartest man but he wasn't stupid, he wasn't as clueless as most thought he was. You told him how your father made you do this as an attempt to get you out there, to socialize and possibly find a suitor. This was the mafia after all.

The Confession:

⠀⠀It was a tradition now, every Sunday you and Eijirou would go to your favorite café to have coffee and enjoy the early day weather before it got too hot. You sit at the same table, in the same chairs with him facing the door. You get the same drinks and food and just overall enjoy each others company. After that night at the gallery you two became fast friends, which your father obviously had to approve of but thankfully he did. Kirishima was a good man, he's trustworthy and puts you before himself.

⠀⠀The day he approached your father and asked to speak in private was the day he knew he was likely to get thrown in the deepest, darkest depths of the ocean. He has confessed his feelings for you to your old man, who listened intently with a blank face behind his desk. "Sir, I'm in love with your daughter, and with your blessing I'd like to... court her." He was utterly terrified when your father cleared his throat and sighed, shifting where he sat so he could stand and move around the desk. He reached out for a handshake which Kirishima looked up at him with a questioning look.

⠀⠀Your father gave his blessing and now... He just had to tell you, his best friend, that he loved you. God he loved you so much— "Kiri," you interrupted his thoughts, bringing him crashing back to reality," a-are you alright? You seem nervous." He swallowed hard in response but cleared his throat, taking a sip of his cappuccino.

⠀⠀"Oh yeah— definitely." He breathed with a laugh, moving a hand to the back of his neck to scratch. How was he going to say it? "So, uh—" he licked his lips, adjusting himself in his seat multiple times until he groaned and leaned forward. "Fuck, I'm just gonna say it— Maybell, I love you. I have for a long time now and I talked to your father and he said—"

⠀⠀"Said what, Eijirou?" Your eyes widened at his confession and he felt like a complete idiot. Should he had said something to you first? Was this a mistake? What if you didn't feel the same way? God his mind was going to explode—

⠀⠀"That I could... court you. With your permission." You were quick to nod and smile to his surprise, which prompted a grin if his own.

Extra.

Kirishima HAS to be facing the door in any public place you go to. I don't make the rules.

He never let's you walk close to the road, he has to be between you and it at all times when you're walking.

He oders your food and drinks for you when you can't but is there for moral support when you do. He wants you comfortable and happy. He wouldn't ever dare get in your way though, you're a lot stronger and braver than most may think you are.

The Relationship:

⠀⠀On days like this, Kirishima can't help but admire you. He catches himself staring wuite often but he just can't help it. What did he do to deserve such a beautiful partner? He looks at you and all he can think about is how much he loves you and wants to see you smile. He watched you from the kitchen island, leaning against it as you waltz around the kitchen in your pinky fuzzy slippers and one of his shirts that's much, much too big on you. He remembers your surprise when you found his clothing was actually too big on you and how happy you were.

⠀⠀"Maybell?" He hums, adjusting his stance and crossing his arms on the counter. He listened for you to him back in response, a smile on his lips. "You look so cute in my clothes.

⠀⠀You giggled, shaking your head and continued putting the dishes away until Eijirou appeared behind you, arms wrapping around your waist and his forehead coming down on your shoulder. "Need somethin' baby?" You turned your head just slightly, a brow cocked inquisitively. He squeezed you in response, swiftly lifting you and making you squeal. Thankfully you didn't have anything in your hands at the moment. He peppered kisses all over the side of your face, setting you down only to lift you again bridal style.

⠀⠀"I've got all I need right here in my arms." He chuckled and you playfully smacked his chest, letting him carry you to your shared bedroom.

Extra.

TICKLE FIGHTS.

He thinks your sneezes are the cutest thing in the world.

He loves your god awful puns, they crack him up every time.

Adores the fact you're a nurturer, especially with your friends. He thinks you'd make a great mother but if that's something you don't want he respects that.

You take care of everyone, but who takes care of you? Eijirou is always there to be your shoulder to lean and cry on, he's your sound board and is always happy to let you talk about your feelings with him. You're allowed to not be happy and bubbly all the time, he realizes how staying positive all the time can actually do more damage than goof, especially if you bottle everything up.

If on a particular day you're struggling with your speech he's happy to be your voice as well. He understands you better than anyone, even your own father.

Speaking of your father, he can't wait to make Eijirou his son-in-law! He's a good man with a good heart and treats you right, what's not to like?

He has trouble saying no to you and spoils you quite a bit.

The Fights:

...

Extra.

There's nothing, what you say goes and all he can say is "yes dear". He knows better than to argue with you, however when he's right and he knows he is, he finds a way to prove it without making you mad.

The Sex:

⠀⠀"Fuck baby—" he hissed, hands finding your hips and guiding you as you rub yourself on his cock. Your hands are on his thighs and your head is tossed back, giving him the perfect view of your tits. God he loves them, he loves the plush skin of your stomach and your thighs, your ass too, he loved seeing all of you. He was so happy that you allow him this privilege of seeing you, granted you've been dating a while now but still. Your sounds are music to his ears and all he wants is to make more, make you feel so good you're calling his name and making a mess.

He wanted— no, needed, to feel you, to feel inside your warm and wet cunt, to feel it squeeze him and milk him dry. He was quick to flip the two of you over, careful to not hurt you as he did. You gasped and giggled, reaching up to hold his face as he smiled, leaning down to capture your lips in a searing kiss. He loved your taste, he could go on and on about all the things he loved about you all day if he could. "You want it baby?" You nodded excitedly, lip caught between your teeth. He smirked and reached between the two of you, thick fingers tracing a line between your lips and slipping inside your soaked pussy.

"D-Daddy—" you whine, a slight pout on your lips as your face morphs into one of pleasure. He chuckled, pumping his fingers in and out a few times before removing them and grabbing his cock. He coated it more in your slick, guiding it between tge lips of your cunt before slowly pushing inside, groaning at how tight you are. You squeal of course, gasping for breath because Kirishima is an impressive size, you still struggled to take him sometimes but like a good girl you always managed.

"That's my good girl." He cooed, moving so his forearms were on either side of your head. He gave a couple test thrusts, waiting for you to adjust u til you nodded for him to continue.

Extra.

Terrified of activating his quirk while he's fucking you, but he keeps himself under control.

He loves his hair pulled and he loves to be bitten, he especially likes it when you scratch his back when he hits that good spot.

Eats you out for his pleasure mostly, but for yours as well. He loves when you grind on his face and moan his name when you do it. Speaking of, please sit on his face, he loves that shit. He knows how to be careful of his teeth!

If you have pets they CANNOT be in the same roon when you're doing the do, it's just weird.

He'd happily bend you over in the kitchen and do you right there. Hell, he'll fuck you anywhere you deem suitable.

He likes to do a mixture if praise and degradation with you, and edging and overstimulation is a big go-to. He just loves seeing you squirm under him, hr loves hearing you beg and say you need him.

[dreamlover31]

Love Will Find a Way: Chapter 2

At the end of an exhausting day at the shelter, Alexa returned to her apartment to get herself ready for her date with Rafael later that evening. After entering her apartment, she headed towards her bedroom where she left a trail of clothes in her wake as she went into the bathroom, she turned on the faucet and stepped into the warm spray of her shower. As the water cascaded down her naked form, the stress of the day had essentially been washed away along with the suds from the body wash, shampoo and conditioner; when she was finished, she grabbed a towel and wrapped it around her body. 

After exiting the bathroom, Alexa made haste to the walk in closet, as she browsed through her wardrobe, she felt a little giddy at the idea that she was about to have dinner with the most well renowned ADA in all of Manhattan. After making a second sweep of her closet, she finally settled on a spaghetti strapped, maroon colored dress that practically screamed sexiness. Hmmm, I wonder if maybe this is too forward…I mean it’s a gorgeous dress but I just don’t want to give him the wrong impression, suddenly she was startled by the vibrations coming from her phone that laid on top of the dresser right across from her bed.

As she looked at the screen, she saw that it was a text from Rafael.

Hey just wanted to let you know that I’ll be a little late in picking you up, have to finish up some paperwork at the office, I should be there no less than 5 minutes.

After she read his text, she quickly sent one of her own telling him that she understood his situation and that she would wait for him, once it was sent Alexa continued to finish getting ready; she decided to go with the maroon dress and then picked out a pair of black four inch heels. From there she went through her jewelry box and decided on a pair of black beaded chandelier earrings and a choker, then she sprayed on her favorite rose scented perfume and went over to the long wide mirror that hung on the bathroom door, as she gave herself a quick glance over, she thought to herself: oh yeah, this is definitely the outfit…I hope Rafael doesn’t have a heart attack when he sees it. It was then that she heard a knock at the door, when she reached it, she opened it ajar only to find that it was Rafael standing there holding a bouquet of roses.

After she unlatched the chain, Alexa proceeded to fully open the door and stepped aside to let him in, as she turned around to face him, his jaw practically fell to the floor when he said:

“Wow…you look beautiful”

“Thank you, are those for me,” Alexa asked as she pointed to the bouquet in his hands.

“Oh yes, here” 

After he handed her the flowers, Alexa went into the kitchen to put them in some water, meanwhile, Rafael decided to take an impromptu tour of tour of her apartment. Overall, he was impressed at how meticulous and coordinated the furniture was; a beige colored couch that sat in the middle of the living room as an oak brown coffee table laid out in front of it, a 50-inch plasma screen placed up against the wall on top of a TV stand that matched the color of the coffee table. Also, he takes note of the colorful landscape paintings that hung along the wall, when he finished looking across the room, he then made his way towards the bookshelf that sat on the left hand side of the room. 

As he glanced at the collection of romance, crime and justice, and self-help books; he did not notice that Alexa had come up from behind him and placed her hand on his shoulder, he quickly turned around as she said:

“Sorry I didn’t mean to scare you”

“It’s alright, I was just admiring your collective works of art here”

Alexa smiled, “Well shall we make our way down to the restaurant” 

After gathering her purse, they made their way out the apartment and upon exiting the building, Alexa slinked her arm around Rafael’s as they walked down towards the Italian restaurant. During their stroll, Rafael couldn’t help but peek at Alexa’s remarkable physique, her long slender legs, the curvature of her body and the pout that formed from her perfect lips that made it difficult for him not to lean over and kiss her. Alexa felt Rafael’s gaze upon her and smirked.

“Why don’t you take a picture it’ll last longer”

“I’m sorry, I don’t mean to stare”

“It’s ok I get it”

A few moments later, they made it to the entrance of the restaurant, before even entering; the smell of garlic bread and parmesan flooded their senses. Their mouths practically watering as they entered, Rafael made it known to the hostess that they had a reservation, after it was confirmed, she escorted the two of them halfway across the restaurant to their table. Once they were seated, a waiter came by to take their drink orders, both Rafael and Alexa ordered a glass of red wine. As he took his leave, the two of them looked upon each other while being surrounded by the chatter and commotion of the restaurant, a few minutes went by before Alexa decided to break the ice:

“So how’s work?”

“Ugh…brutal, I recently lost a case in which a television actor and his friend gang raped a woman in the bathroom of a nightclub”

“The Bobby D’Amico case?”

“Yeah”

“Oh man…I saw it on the news, but kudos to whoever leaked that video of the two of them almost raping that undercover cop. Those bastards got what was coming to them”

“I couldn’t agree more”

It was then that the waiter came back with their glasses of wine, at the same time, Rafael and Alexa placed their order. He ordered the chicken parmesan while Alexa ordered a simple pasta dish, as the waiter departed from their table again, the two of them continued their conversation:

“Listen I hope you don’t mind me asking but what made you decide to work at a domestic violence shelter?”

Alexa paused for a moment as she took a sip of her wine.

“You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to…” Rafael’s voice trailed off but then Alexa interrupted:

“No it’s ok…um my dad he uh…he would use my mother as his personal punching bag, whenever he thought that she was cheating on him or for no reason at all. One time he beat her so bad that she bled out all over the kitchen floor, she had to have 20 stitches in her head.”

As she continued to describe the horrors of her childhood, tales that involved severe beatings and acts of emotional terrorism, small tears started to prick in her eyes. Rafael reached out to comfort her by placing his hand on top of hers as he looked upon her with eyes that conveyed to her that he understood her pain, with her free hand; Alexa wiped her eyes.

“I’m really sorry you had to go through that…I know what it’s like to live in a house where you don’t know what’s going to set a madman off”

“What do you mean?”

“My father was like yours…he took out his misery and self-loathing on me and my mother, I hated every minute of it, there were times where I’d pray for his death. Even though he’s been dead for 15 years, my hand still curls up into a fist whenever I think of him. I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that it’s probably one of the reasons that I became a prosecutor…I wanted to provide a voice for those who were being treated like they were less than human beings”

“Wow…I don’t what to say”

“Well we all have a past, the trick is to not let it define us”

“True”

The waiter came back with their orders shortly after, when he left, they reached for their utensils and proceeded to dive into the fine cuisine displayed before them. During the course of their meal, Alexa and Rafael continued with small talk, but then he brought up the subject of her last relationship and all of sudden it was like all the air had been sucked out of the room.

“There’s really not much to tell Rafael”

“I’m sorry I don’t mean to pry”

“Alright…you want to know the story? I gave the guy a year of my life that I’ll never get back only to find out that he’d been screwing some piece of office trash on the side”

“If you don’t mind me saying, he was a fool to let someone as smart and as beautiful as you go…seems to me like he didn’t know what he had”

Alexa smiled as his words sunk in, it became apparent to her that maybe she had finally found someone who would appreciate her and possibly love her in the way that she deserved to be, once they cleaned off their plates, Rafael asked for the check. After paying the bill, he proceeded to walk Alexa back to her apartment building, along the way; Alexa thanked him for his kind words but he reiterated to her that he meant every single word.

“Well here we are,” Alexa noted as they stood facing each other outside her apartment building.

“I had a really great time tonight”

“Me too”

After a brief moment, Rafael leaned in to kiss Alexa only to have her pull away from him.

“I’m sorry, I just”

“It’s ok I understand”

“Please don’t take this wrong way, I really like you but I just want to take things slow”

“Alexa, It’s alright”

With that, they exchanged their goodbyes as she made her way up to her apartment, as soon as he had visual confirmation that she was inside, Rafael walked down the street and waved down a passing cab. Alexa looked out her window as she saw the cab drove by with Rafael in it, as she made her way towards the bedroom, she began cursing at herself for letting a golden opportunity get away from her; What the hell is wrong with you?

Tagging: @madpanda75 @laceybellerain @southern-magnolia @tropes-and-tales @thatesqcrush @teamsladsandgents @karens-imagined-world @itsjustmyfantasyroom @youreverycolor @misssirenlove @beccabarba @glimmerglittergirl​ @madamsnape921

[luchicm04]

lost in the forest - part 19

Masterlist

Summary: The aftermath of last night's events results in Karen struggling with many emotions to process.

Pairing: Senju Tobirama/Original Female Character

Tag: #lost in the forest fic

posted on ao3

Word Count: 4.3k

Overall warnings: canon-typical violence, adult content, time skips, angst, kidnapping, implied rape

The ground is hard when she falls flat with her ideas moving abruptly from the handling. Her cheek burns from a blow that she should not have received so hard, but considering the difference in skills, a simple slap stings as if she were hit with a closed fist. 

Spitting blood, Karen is slow to react with everything else happening. 

How did she end up there? Well, it’s easy to know when you see your friend in the bushes with a man on top of her and not exactly in the best condition. Mikami is unconscious... she assumes it at first glance when she sees that she doesn’t react to the wickedness of her supposed suitor. 

Ryu, with heartbreak and too many drinks, is not a recommended friend. 

The rejection of a marriage proposal did not make him fall into her good graces, transforming the bitter shopkeeper from a small store into another abrupt thing that makes him end harshly. 

“You’re a stupid civilian... I don’t know why the leaders still treat you like you’re important,” the grumpy man growls as he tugs on her ankle with a strange look. 

She doesn’t scream, she makes sure to kick ready to defend herself with tooth and nail. She curses her situation... where is everyone right now? Oh, right, there is an event that is supposed to be still happening in the distance. 

The moon is the only witness of what he wants to do. “Let me go!” Orders the woman when she feels herself being dragged. 

“Oh no... I enjoyed it once, I can do it again.” 

She frowns at the man’s clouded logic. Her pride makes her take whatever she can find to try to hit the man, but he is skilled at giving her another slap with an amused air. 

Is this man that sadistic? 

“Now if you would shut up,” he insists on wanting to give her another blow that doesn’t arrive just when a shadow rises imposingly above them. She doesn’t know how this man has done so much damage with the absence of an arm... she can tell that being retired is not a symbol of weakness. 

Bitter and ready to divert her attention from her humiliated situation, Karen is willing to think about other meaningless things. 

Everything will hurt tomorrow... she can even feel her face swollen. 

“What do you think you are doing?” Someone whose voice she recognizes rises with coldness that almost makes her fear for her life in a different way than she has felt before, almost like that day when she was sold or other similar situations. 

She had never seen Tobirama with those glowing red eyes. 

A slight hiccup came from the man who quickly removed himself. “Tobirama-sama... I was just teaching some valuable lessons,” he stated smug and confident. 

Karen frowns... fear is struck when she gets up with insecurity beginning to want to make her run. She limps... she can’t help but feel that her ankle is not alright, heading towards where the girl is. “Mikami.” She doesn’t cry, but her heart breaks when she sees her friend so battered. 

She was sure it wasn’t long before she lost sight of them... how can someone do this in seconds? She shallows a curse... she begins to want to cover up, conceal as best as she can what is a suspicious stain on her yukata. 

“This shouldn’t happen here... right? The clan is family... a safe place,” she doesn’t avoid saying as she almost jumps when a presence appears far from the optimistic one she knows. Hashirama is at her side. He looks at her and tries to say something and touch her face. She walks away and frowns. “Heal her... she’s much worse,” she speaks again with deep regret in her chest. 

She wants to say more, but only her tears come out like those days of disastrous feeling. Again, it reminds her what kind of place this is. “This should not happen,” is the only thing the clan leader says when he takes her friend in his arms. He looks hesitant for a few seconds when he sees where his brother is. 

There are more people... when did the others arrive? 

“Tobirama.” 

The albino frowns nodding when he disappears in their typical technique. She prays... Karen doesn’t avoid doing so with her heart in her chest, worried about her friend. She wants to walk... however, her body does not react with the emotion washing away any extra energy. 

“This shouldn’t happen here.” Karen no longer sees the culprit of this. Her skin is starting to swell with her cheeks inflated and not out of her own volition. Her eye closes, her feet are wobbly... “It’s a safe place, right?” 

“Shut up...” 

“She’ll be fine, won’t she?” 

Tobirama does not say anything when he catches her trying to follow what she believes is the route where said leader went. He stops her. “Let me see your wounds.” 

“I’m fine... I’m fine,” she tries even though it hurts... even though it doesn’t look good. 

“Karen,” the man barks harshly when he notices her stubbornness. She is anxious... she has a panic attack when he takes her by the shoulders... Ryu was not kind, he was forceful and hard, and it is notable when everything Kaori and Mikami fixed up is missing. 

The night does not become kinder. 

“I... tried to help, he... he was on top of her,” she begins to ramble with an intermittent cough of words that seem to be fighting to come out at the same time. When she is nervous... when she is not well, she usually speaks quickly. Her sister complained about this. 

Her mother and father did the same. 

Tobirama tightens his grip silencing her. She feels a blow squarely on the back of her head that makes her stagger to the hard chest... yes, she remembers this man is not the most empathetic in life. 

Making her sleep carelessly like he has done other times. 

She’s a foolish civilian, one who thought she was in a safe place... she’s not. 

Why does she have to remember it like that? 

──

She wakes up startled and looks around when her face is affected... she can’t open one eye, which hurts along with the injured jaw that almost makes her scream. 

Too bad she can’t. 

“Do not move... you are fine. Just rest.” Kind as she usually is, the elderly Kaori is at her side. 

“...?” She wants to say a lot. 

“Your jaw is bad, it is being treated at the moment and your eye... well, it is swollen but they were able to save it somehow,” the old woman says with cryptic information. “Among other injuries... you are alright.” 

“Mi...?” She tries to ask, but her mouth doesn’t finish speaking. It hurts like hell, so she gets frustrated looking at the ceiling. 

Not even did she end up like that when she was at the mercy of those treatments... that is what she gets for intervening instead of asking for help. 

Great! 

“It is alright, just sleep.” 

“Uh...” 

“You will be fine, girl... so you better sleep,” the old woman insists with an audible sigh, which makes her frown because of all the things that she wants to question, to know... How is her friend? What happened to bastard Ryu? Did the Uzumaki notice? The latter, she hopes not. 

They were kind people, even though she had a strange conversation with Mito and a curious proposal with her brother. 

She snorts... when her only open eye closes, so tired of thinking, of getting angry without being able to express how disappointed she is in this place, of the bitter reminder of how fragile she is before those people with magic. 

She laughs internally at the irony. 

She is tired of this... of pretending that she had a job in a place that frankly has a lot of things to work on. Karen no longer wants to dwell on the matter. 

She has fatigue, frustration and too much in her chest to continue longing for a freedom that she knows she will never have. 

Since when did she stop thinking about this? Settling for the sad security that is as fragile as a sheet of paper drifting in water? She growls... she closes her eyes and lets herself go. 

Darkness is her best friend. 

──

A week passes for the swelling on her face to go down due to the old woman’s austere treatments without questioning why they didn’t use their magic on her... Karen never asked about her friend again. 

It’s not because she wasn’t worried... but because they didn’t answer and her jaw hurt too much. 

It took two weeks before she was able to open her eye even though it was burning. She stayed in bed all that time with night terrors that were so common and painful when she woke up as she injured some of the parts of her body that took the longest to heal. 

Three weeks passed when her eye no longer bothered her, having a slight blurring vision that she hopes will disappear with the passage of time. She fears that she will have to use something else modern to help her vision. 

At least she had no other lasting damage. 

Four weeks were completed when she was able to say a word with her voice and jaw still making strange sounds when opening and closing her mouth. At least, she left the secretions that they had commonly given her... she is sure she lost weight again. 

She doesn’t want to look at herself in a mirror. 

It is depressing. 

Five weeks passed when she finally decided to go out. Her ankles no longer hurt but she’s sure her sides are still uncomfortable. However, she’s tired of lying down. Her back hurts so much that it’s better to start overcoming the fear of going out. 

Ryu won’t come, Kaori convinced her of that... “Mikami?” She dares to question now sitting in the almost autumn sun in the fresh air of the trees. 

Kaori doesn’t look at her... but she tightens her yukata. “She is... improving,” she brings herself to say. 

“She is?” 

“Karen-san... it is better if you do not ask.” 

“She wasn’t to blame,” she frowns, offended by the woman’s tone, almost as if it were a sin to talk about her friend when she knows she is alone in this. 

“I know.” 

“Does she have a family?” She decides to ask, watching the birds begin to migrate elsewhere. 

“No, her parents died when she was young. Her grandparents and uncles, the same.” 

“Uh... oh.” She is not surprised by such a short family. Now she understands why she was always by her side... it is lonely not having when she got used to her presence. “Will she come back?” 

“I do not know.” 

“Kaori... she isn’t in trouble, right?” 

“No.” 

“I... tried to help her,” she awkwardly adds with her chest heavy with this feeling. 

“We know.” 

“Uh?” 

“Despite being a civilian... you received a lot of damage...” 

“I see,” she manages to say so little expressed. “I hope she is well... and if she needs something from me, will you tell me?” 

“I will send you the message.” 

“I hope so... because she shouldn’t have to go through this alone, no one should.” 

“Do you think so?” 

“Yes,” she sighs because she remembers that special police series of this type of crime. The victims, despite what others say, have it difficult to get out of the depression that comes and insecurity after such events. If she still has nightmares... She feels those strong hands hitting her... hurting her. 

She gulps, wiping her cheek from those tears of helplessness that run carelessly. Her friend is going to have a difficult time and she doesn’t know if this will be for the best. 

She doesn’t know the justice system of this clan. 

She hopes he pays... she hopes he does. 

Karen, deep down, believes that they can’t disappoint her anymore, right? She prays for that. 

──

Hashirama appears after two months of silence. Autumn begins to do its thing, refreshing the mornings again with a thick yukata... Karen has not returned to the village of her own free will. 

And they have respected this by not sending her extra work. “I didn’t think I would see you,” says the woman, still sitting with a parchment in hand. She has worked on her own things. 

Practicing the language... making a series of recommendations regarding women’s rights. 

“You have worked on something...” The leader doesn’t look excited, much less bright as he usually is. The tiredness is noticeable when sitting next to her... she almost has the nerve to move away from that extra warmth. 

Karen is bitter because this is a quick reaction to something that will be difficult to get over. 

She almost sees him wanting to do something else... like that man. 

“I am,” she assures, swallowing the bile of such anxiety. She endures... she doesn’t say anything else when she leaves the brush in her hand. “I worked on something...” 

“Mmm...” 

“Tell me the truth... how is she?” She takes from her chest as Kaori hasn’t said much about the matter. Karen sighs looking into the face of whom is still focused on her features. 

Disturbing but silent... Hashirama sighs audibly. “It worries you a lot, doesn’t it?” 

“It’s stupid to ask.” 

“I know.” The man does not laugh but he leans on his knees, sitting on the floor that faces the door. She is still at his height in that desk that they have changed for another one on the floor. 

Traditional... 

“Are you going to answer? Or, as always, will you keep quiet about anything that you don’t think is prudent to share with someone who is not from your clan?” 

“Karen... it is complicated.” 

“I know it is, but it affected me... it affected my friend.” 

“I’m sorry you have been involved in this.” 

Karen frowns dignifiedly from her point... the distance of her short space dedicated to work is centimeters, the bed in the back of that small room that has been her place since they began to give her freedom. 

Not as much as a prisoner. “She is fine,” the leader assures after a while. 

“Are you sure?” 

The man sighs, looking into her eyes, so firm... “If the decision of what to do with him, guilty of such actions, were in your hands... what would you do?” He throws out of nowhere, surprising her with such a bitter comment. 

“Why do you ask me?” 

“Just tell me.” 

“I don’t know,” she says, looking at her parchment again, moved by such a question. “I think I wasn’t the more damaged one to ask.” 

“Do not minimize what he did to you, ” the man harshly admonishes without losing an ounce of seriousness. It’s scary... she doesn’t avoid feeling uneasy about such an essence. 

Which even on her worst days of arguments with Tobirama she feels. 

“I don’t minimize it... I’m just saying that it would be better to ask Mikami, she was the one...” She presses her lips with the memory on the surface. “It’s difficult... to tell give an answer... what will you do it I tell you something about it?” 

“I do not know.” 

She would laugh at the irony, but she just looks seriously at the parchment on her desk. “Do they want to do something else?” 

Hashirama does not answer. 

“In my world, they would do an investigation... if he is guilty, they would lock him away from the victim, in addition to helping her overcome this through certain victim aid programs.” She clenched her yukata firmly and pursed her lips, because if this society is the same as the old Feudal one... 

She knows it will have another unfriendly resolution for her friend. They are family... a clan, and everything stays between them. 

Could it be? 

“...” 

“He was above her, you know? For a moment, I didn’t react... I should have asked for help, right? Run to one of you to tell you what was happening, but she was bleeding... he had his pants down,” she points out. With her gaze now firmly on the wall, she raises her chin remembering every moment... what happened and has haunted her ever since. 

“It is not your fault.” 

“That’s not what I feel... if I had been a shinobi, would the result change?” 

“...” 

“I am a civilian... a simple person who was about to be murdered by one of your own. I wanted to protect my friend... I didn’t arrive in time,” she sighs, controlling the bitter feeling in her chest. “Tell me that at least the solution is favorable... that you didn't come to me asking for a result that is frankly not in my hands.” 

“...I guess you are right.” 

“You are an idealistic man... a person who seeks peace. I know you know what the best outcome of this is... at the end of it all, you are a capable leader... I trust your resolve, it is unnecessary to ask me,” Karen says frankly, remembering what she said to Mito that night, what she remembers seeing in their interaction and dragged her to her business to start working on a future. 

Furthermore, she is still a foreigner. She does not feel she has the right to decide, even if it were for her... it is difficult to reach a sensible conclusion where justice is done or feels done. 

Hashirama doesn’t smile... but nods drily. “Do you trust me despite everything?” He comments out of nowhere. 

She doesn’t know what he means. “It’s been a while... but I think I’ve gotten there at some point.” She’s honest because she unconsciously thought about them when she was in trouble. 

She sighs at the pain in her jaw. She has spoken too much. 

Hashirama is at her side. “I think this has been enough for now, no?” 

“Mmmm...” Karen doesn’t move away from the touch, letting out a slight snort at such an accurate comment. The closeness doesn’t bother her, but for a moment the air became strange. 

“Rest, and try not to force yourself to speak,” he reminds with a gentle touch to walk away, leaving her alone without any type of response according to what has arrived. 

She squeezes her hands, looking at all the work done. The pain is persistent, so she does not hesitate to take some of the herbs brought to better sleep for a while. Waking up with a headache is not unusual when her whole face remembers the weight of the damage. 

Something that will take time to heal. 

──

Almost three months have passed when she hears about what has happened outside her place of confinement. The pain in her jaw and each wound is replaced by distant sensations. 

“Karen-san!” The young Masarato catches up with her, which makes her tense, forcing herself to relax for such a show of affection. “I am sorry,” he screams guiltily. 

“Don’t worry,” the woman says with a blink. She brings some parchments under her arm, ready to catch up with the numbers. 

She still feels that it is too early to leave, but she will not waste more than a year oblivious to everything again... she feels the gazes of others, the whispers or women don't wait. 

“I have not seen you for a long time,” he looks confused and worried. 

“I’m fine,” she assures with a severe pat on that soft hair tied in a ponytail. “I’m glad to see you’re better, by the way.” 

“Uh... yes.” The boy looks embarrassed. Besides, the last time she saw him, she was still in bed and working hard with her typical anxieties about what she experienced. As shinobi, they work on it differently. She has noticed it and not mentioned it. 

“You are strong.” The woman looks less sour than how she arrived. That makes Karen happy in a different way for leaving that black cloud that continues to crave answers for the solution that Hashirama presented. 

“I am not that much.” 

“But you have aims. Don’t run, kid... there is time and I know you will get there,” she winks, amused, happy about this encounter. 

“Yes!” He looks sure of himself. “And I will make sure that what that man did does not happen again.” Hies eyes shine differently than the ones the child normally shows. 

She blinks twice and purses her lips because of course, in a small town, hell is big... she was too optimistic to think that they wouldn’t notice, to hope that the Uzumaki might have remained oblivious to the scandal. 

Even though they have been gone for a while... and even though she didn’t say goodbye because she was in bed... it was sad not to see them. 

“Uh... it would be better if you didn’t find out.” 

The child does not understand her shame, her own weakness, but she assumes it is normal when he is oblivious to her growing anxiety of the regrettable memory that will continue to haunt her like other demons that have grown up in this forced stay. 

Karen has bad luck... but she believes it could have been worse. 

“I am sorry to remind you of it,” Masarato breaks her train of thoughts, which makes her shake her head. 

“Don't worry,” she says again. “By the way, what have you been doing during this time?” 

“Oh, well, I resumed my training,” he states proudly. “Sensei says I am being very good. Plus, I started seeing my other teammates.” 

“Good. I hope you can keep coming back... I wouldn’t like it if one day you didn’t.” She feels sad because even though she has remained oblivious to their work, she cannot deny that the possibility of him not coming back, now that she has had a lot of time to think... is painful. 

“Y-yes!” He looks firm, but Karen stops dead, almost dropping the parchments in her hand, just when she recognizes someone passing with a sad air next to an old woman that she does not recognize. 

There is silence... she almost feels tense and curious by those who see the scene from an external point of view, the morbidity is palpable when blinking harshly. “Mikami?” She doesn’t avoid saying when she notices a certain woman. 

She stops... she blinks with an odd gesture that doesn’t avoid being read. For a kunoichi, it’s careless when she just stands there like a statue. 

“ What are you doing, girl? ” The old woman looks and then focuses on her. “ Tch... you are seriously annoying, ” she complains impudently with the intention of dragging her away, bitter and quite tired of this situation. 

As if she were forced to carry the weight she didn’t want... Could she be her grandmother? She doesn’t think so, Kaori assured her she didn’t have a family... so who is she? 

“Mikami,” she can’t help but say. She wants to get closer but it’s the girl who takes a step back... completely embarrassed, as if something was burning her. 

Masarato stays at her side. He takes the scrolls are almost ready to fall into place. “Karen-san,” he calls carefully. 

“This civilian is seriously not tired of causing problems,” the bitter old woman complains with a severe glare. “Come on, girl. I do not have time.” 

“I apologize, ma’am.” Mikami does not avoid pressing the basket she was carrying against her belly, as if wanting to hide something that Karen sadly noticed from the beginning... her stomach twists, and she can’t help but turn to a nearby bush to throw away the bile of this situation. 

She coughs. Her eyes fill with tears for this cruel five-months result after what happened... Mikami is pregnant, and she doesn’t know how to overcome what must be difficult. 

“Karen-san.” Said kunoichi throws the basket to go to her side. She feels so bad that even now she is being comforted by someone with a terrible fate. 

Oh, she doesn’t know what to think... Before, she didn’t think about how unfair the result was for two lives if she counts the infant in the womb of the one rubbing her back. The words get stuck when she throws back the little she ate. 

This has surpassed her. 

“I’m fine,” she manages to say when she has already sculpted so much. People continue standing where they are, no one willing to help her... Masarato is the only one who awkwardly hands her some water. 

Where were those people who were already being nice to her? What broke during that time? No matter the rest, feeling Mikami so worried, Karen does the only thing she can do by wrapping her neck. She feels the tension ... her anxiety to get away from her. 

But she clumsily clings to returning the hug. “I’m so sorry,” is the only thing she can think of to say with regret in her chest. It hurts more than she thought despite having prepared herself for some kind of unpleasant development. 

Seeing it in person is heavy. 

“It is not your fault.” 

“What do you think you are doing, girl?!” The old woman looks upset, almost ready to go where the women are if it weren’t for someone getting in the way. 

But Karen doesn’t care, not when she feels she has failed... not even all her experience has been of much value in preparing her for this occasion. Nevertheless, she hopes that with thiss she can do something to make the burden her friend carries less heavy. 

Finding out that the lady is Ryu’s mother caused another upset in her stomach. Also, the fact that the council has forced her to be with her attacker’s family was another blow to her mental state, however... the positive side is that the aggressor has been punished. 

She feels it is not enough... but it is the only thing she could achieve. 

Now, what will come next? 

A/N: As you can see, the situation in which our protagonist has become entangled is complicated. A delicate topic that is simply difficult to debate even now, but I will not get into that... I just threw it into what I believe is possible considering the concept in which the story is based.

Still... Karen feels more could have been done or with worse results, yet the leader was firm in his punishment in a way that no one expected, but it was accepted by the council and supported by his brother, not only because he hurt one of their own kunoichi, but also because he hurt a civilian, this creating a new law among the clan.

Not to involve civilians or harm them as it is unfair. The council did not appeal but more rumors were created... around the relationship with Karen since they keep minimizing her situation and damage. What happened to Mikami having more weight compared to the importance of the civilian.

This has caused an unexpected twist in what Karen has been working on this time. However, she... unintentionally trusts Hashirama and his brother.

What will happen with this? Will our civilian survive this harsh world with ugly solutions? I don't know... it’s an answer that will continue to arise in the course of history.

I hope so.

Author-chan out! 

[obvious-captain-rogers]

For Buddie First Kiss Week: Day One. Pride for me right now is going to be pushed back for another month, so I’m glad that I could write a little about our boys enjoying it!

Prompt: Related to Pride

           Buck had gone to Pride every year since he’d moved to L.A. His first year, he’d gone alone since he’d only just started at the 118 and wasn’t sure about being out at his job just yet, especially since everyone seemed pretty set in their opinion that Buck only chased after women for his hookups. Heteronormativity was a hell of a drug. After he’d tipsily come out during one of their infrequent team nights out after a shift, and once the time rolled around, Hen asked Buck if he wanted to come with her and Karen to Pride. Buck had felt a smile tugging at his cheeks and he’d agreed. They’d both acted a little bit like Buck’s older sisters- making him miss Maddie with a sharpness that he hadn’t felt since right after she’d left to move in with Doug- and they’d made a deal to go together every year. Which they had, Michael having joined them in the past couple years, and for Buck it was really good to have people there that he knew had his back.

           But this year was different.

           Hen was working so hard on studying for her MCATs that Buck knew it had most likely slipped her mind completely since she hadn’t brought it up. And he wasn’t upset. He was excited for Hen to be doing what she was so obviously perfect for. So, he hadn’t brought it up to her even though it was just a handful of days away.

           Buck was debating with himself if he should still go or if he should just ask Bobby for an extra shift that day- granted, some firefighters were on standby at Pride just in case there was an emergency so he could volunteer for that- when Eddie came into the locker room.

           “Hey,” Eddie said and moved to open up his locker so he could start changing into his uniform. Buck’s eyes flickered over Eddie like they sometimes- normally- did whenever the other was changing into his uniform. His neck felt hot and he turned his eyes back towards the inside of his locker.

           “Hey,” Buck responded and he knew that he sounded distracted.

           “Everything okay? You seemed to be in your head when I walked in,” Eddie said and leaned back against the lockers as he buttoned up his shirt, tilting his head a little to fish for Buck’s gaze.

           “Yeah. Just thinking about this weekend,” Buck said and finished tucking in his shirt.

           “Big plans?” Eddie asked with a teasing grin that had Buck rolling his eyes as he closed his locker.

           “Not exactly,” Buck said and sat down on the bench to tighten the laces of his boots.

           The grin faltered a little at Buck’s tone. “What’s going on, man?” Eddie asked and sat down next to Buck, their shoulders brushing as they always did when the two of them sat next to each other.

           “It’s… dumb,” Buck said and shrugged as he plucked at the string of his boot. Eddie’s slight frown only seemed to deepen and he knocked their knees together to prompt Buck to keep going. “Pride is this weekend and I usually go with Hen, but since she’s busy with her MCATs-” Buck shrugged.

           Eddie hummed and then he bumped against Buck’s side playfully. “Why don’t I come with you?” Eddie offered easily. Buck’s heart kicked up in his chest and he glanced over at Eddie with a raised eyebrow. Eddie had been fairly open with the team about his own bisexuality not long after Shannon’s death, but Eddie was overall a private guy. This would be- in Buck’s mind- a major concession to Eddie’s comfort.

           “You don’t have to, Eddie,” Buck said and rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.

           “I know,” Eddie said and stood up. “But I’m offering, Buck. If it means that much to you- and it obviously does- then I’ll go with you. Though, I’m telling you right now that I’m not putting on any hot pink shorts or body paint.” He narrowed his eyes at Buck jokingly, a grin breaking out across his face- making Buck marvel at how handsome Eddie was- as he tucked his hands into his pockets.

           “Well, damn,” Buck said with a joking grin. “There goes my plans for your outfit.” Eddie snorted as Buck stood and they made their way up to the loft to grab a cup of coffee before the start of shift.

…..

           Buck had spent the night before over at the Diaz house, Eddie insisting that it would just be easier on the both of them and that they could get ready together, and he could admit to feeling a funny sense of home when Christopher came into the spare bedroom and loudly scrambled up into bed to- accidentally- knee Buck in the stomach in the guise of waking him up. “Buck, Dad said you had to get up,” Christopher said before flopping across Buck’s chest.

           “I am up,” Buck said, though he sounded a little winded since Chris had some sharp knees, as he combed his fingers through Christopher’s hair.

           “No,” Christopher laughed a little and pressed his face against the side of Buck’s neck. “Up-up. Not just awake,” Christopher said and poked at Buck’s ribs. Buck snorted a little before nodding.

           “Oh, okay. Got it,” Buck said teasingly and he laughed when Christopher lifted his head to wrinkle his nose at Buck’s tone.

           “I sent you to get Buck out of bed, not pin him down in it,” Eddie said from the doorway and Buck turned his head to look at where Eddie was shaking his head fondly.

           “Buck can get up if he wants to. He’s pretty strong and I’m not that heavy,” Christopher pointed out and rolled his eyes a little at the two of them.

           “Let’s not test that theory. Come on, kid. You’ve still got to pack your stuff for your sleepover at Abuela’s,” Eddie said and gave Christopher a look. Christopher shuffled to the edge of the bed and Buck sat up, stretching his arms and his back before ruffling Chris’s hair and getting out of bed. Christopher laughed a little before he went about what Eddie had told him to do.

           Eddie crossed his arms over his chest and there was a small smile on his face as Buck moved to dig in his duffle bag that he’d brought with him. “I got you something. You don’t have to wear it today, but I figured if you didn’t have any other ideas- and before you ask, there’s no hot pink involved,” Buck teased before tossing Eddie the shirt once he’d found it. It was a white t-shirt with the L.A. skyline across the best in black with Los Angeles in blocky letters right under it. Across the back right over the shoulders was PRIDE in varied colors.

           “Alright,” Eddie said and settled the shirt over his shoulder like he did with the dishtowel whenever they were cleaning up after one of their game or movie nights. “Thanks, Buck.”

           Buck felt something warm settle in his stomach and he just nodded mutely.

           They all three had a quick breakfast of cereal and coffee- milk for Christopher- before going about getting dressed and ready for the day. Buck pulled his own L.A. pride t-shirt on before shimmying into his best pair of jeans. They were just on the right side of tight and they were pretty worn and comfortable. Buck cuffed his jeans before tying on his bandana to help keep himself cool and slipping on his socks and shoes. He looked at the face paint in his bathroom bag before blowing out a breath. Eddie wasn’t going to make fun of him, he had to keep reminding himself of that. He painted the bi flag onto his cheek, a grin pulling at his mouth and making it tough to make sure his lines weren’t all smudged. He tossed the little brush back into his bag after rinsing the paint off.

           He stepped out and Eddie was fastening his watch on in the hall as he wandered down towards where Buck had been getting ready. Buck’s mouth went a little dry. The shirt fit Eddie perfectly in all the best places and Buck’s heart thudded against his chest uncomfortably as he took the other in. “All set?” Eddie asked and lifted his head from his watch band. His eyes flickered over Buck and for a moment Buck thought he saw something hot burn in Eddie’s hazel eyes. But it was there and gone so quickly that it must have been wishful thinking on Buck’s part.

           “Yeah,” Buck said and gave Eddie an easy smile despite the way the nerves had settled into his stomach. He always felt like this a little bit whenever he went to a Pride event or something associated with his sexuality- it was leftover from his teenaged years of having to cram everything down. “Let’s go.”

           “Uh, wait,” Eddie said and touched Buck’s wrist. Buck felt a spike of worry that Eddie had changed his mind and that he didn’t want to do this with Buck anymore. “Could I- uh- I mean if you don’t mind…” Eddie pointed at his own cheek awkwardly before nodding in Buck’s direction. After a moment it clicked, Eddie wanted Buck to paint his face too.

           “Yeah, Eddie,” Buck said and slipped his hand into Eddie’s easily from where the other still had a gentle grip on his wrist. He tugged Eddie into the bathroom and had him lean back against the counter as he dug around for the brush and the face paints. Buck stepped into Eddie’s space, and held the other’s chin with one had as he focused on making sure that Eddie’s came out perfect.

           “What’re you doing?” Christopher asked and Buck turned to look over at where he was standing in the doorway with a curious tilt to his head.

           “I’m painting your dad’s face so me and him will match,” Buck said and pointed to the colors on his own cheek since he only had blue and was working on the purple on Eddie’s cheek.

           “What’s it mean?” Christopher asked and Buck looked to Eddie.

           “It means that Buck and I are bisexual,” Eddie said and held out his hand for Christopher without moving his head so Buck could keep going with the face paint. Christopher leaned into Eddie’s side. “The blue stands for liking the opposite gender, the pink- which Buck hasn’t got to yet- is for liking the same gender, and the purple is for both,” Eddie explained and Buck couldn’t help but smile a little.

           “Oh,” Christopher said, sounding like he was in thought. “Okay.” He shrugged and kept watching as Buck changed to pink and finished up with Eddie’s face. “I think it’s pretty, and Buck did a good job.”

           Eddie twisted so he could look and grinned a little, his eyes flicking over to Buck’s in the mirror. “He did.” Eddie turned around and patted Christopher’s back easily. “Alright, kid. Let’s get you to Abuela’s.”

           “Can’t Buck paint my face too?” Christopher asked with just a little bit of a whine in his voice.

           “How about I make you a deal?” Eddie offered and tapped his fingers against Christopher’s shoulder. “If you’re good for Abuela, and if Buck wants to, he can paint your face when we get back.”

           “Deal,” Christopher said with a bright smile.

           “Alright. Now go get your shoes while me and Buck finish up.” Eddie watched Christopher go and they lingered a little in each other’s space while Buck put his stuff away. “Thanks,” Eddie said quietly and rubbed at the corner of his eye with his thumb.

           “Any time, Eds,” Buck said and bumped their shoulders together before nodding. “Let’s go.” Eddie nodded and ducked his head, but not quick enough that Buck couldn’t catch a glimpse of one of Eddie’s rare bright smiles that resembled Christopher’s.

           They dropped Christopher off at Abuela’s- Buck staying in the car with a slightly uneasy feeling in his stomach. Eddie talked with Abuela for a moment, and then she was touching Eddie’s forehead, chest, and then either shoulder in quick succession before kissing him on his unpainted cheek. She glanced over at the truck, said something to Eddie with a look that Buck didn’t recognize, before she was raising her voice. “Evan, what are you still doing in Eddito’s truck?!” Buck stiffened a little but he hopped out of Eddie’s truck and made his way over to where Abuela and Eddie were standing. “¿Te ibas a ir sin saludarme? You know that I love seeing all of my boys.” Abuela gave him the same soft smile that she normally did on the times that Buck came and picked up Christopher from her house. It helped to ease some of the unease in his gut. “Ven aqui, mi amor.” Buck felt the tension bleed out of him as Abuela pulled him into a tight hug. She repeated the motions from earlier, murmuring softly in Spanish too quick and quiet for Buck to understand, before kissing Buck on the cheek as well. “Alright, now go have fun and be safe.”

           “We will,” Eddie said before throwing an arm around Buck’s shoulders easily and tugging Buck towards the truck. It wasn’t until they were driving again that it clicked for Buck: Abuela had blessed him. He had known that it was a pretty common occurrence for Abuela to do so when Eddie dropped Christopher off occasionally before he went to work, Eddie had teasingly laughed that she worried too much but Buck could tell how touched Eddie was that his grandmother cared so much. Buck quirked a little smile and felt a lump forming in his throat at the little gesture.

           When they were parked, Buck and Eddie hopped out of the truck with Eddie reaching into the back to grab a bag that he’d packed with things they might need: waters, sunscreen, and a small first aid kit just in case. Buck watched as Eddie swung in onto his shoulder and then gave Buck a small smile. Buck returned it as best he could with his nerves ratcheting up to an eleven.

           They walked around for a bit and Buck started to relax as they listened to the music that seemed to fill up the entire park. They stopped at a few booths here and there whenever it caught either of their interest- and they made sure to stop at the LAFD booth to see if there were any familiar faces, which there weren’t when they passed by- but it was mostly just them hanging out together as they walked.

           There was only a slight problem when they ran into a cluster of protestors like the ones from the call at the military funeral. Eddie went stiff as could be and Buck put a hand to the small of his back to try and steer him away before any of the idiotic people were stupid enough to say anything to him.

           “Assholes,” Eddie muttered under his breath as they went to find a place to sit for a bit after grabbing lunch from the food trucks. “They’re only here to try and start shit with people.”

           “I know,” Buck said and they found a patch of grass where they could stretch their legs out and just relax for a bit. “You should have been here the first time that someone started to start shit with Hen in earshot,” Buck said with a laugh as he unwrapped his sandwich and shook his head. “She got all up in this huge guy’s face and absolutely shredded apart everything they said about me and then when they tried to start in on her and Karen, I had to pull her away before she landed her ass in jail. Don’t think Athena would have appreciated a call from either of us.” Buck pulled a face at that before taking a bite of his sandwich. Athena had still been pretty skeptical of Buck at that point, but it had been nice to have Hen stick up for him when they hadn’t really known each other that well yet.

           Eddie snorted and broke out into an easy grin. “I would have paid money to see that. Maybe next year,” Eddie said and he dropped it so casually, but he gave Buck an almost shy look as he said it.

           Buck’s heart kicked up in his chest and he cracked a small smile. “That was real smooth there, Diaz,” Buck joked and he bumped Eddie’s ankle with his own.

           “Thank you, I really tried,” Eddie said and pressed their legs together easily. He opened his mouth as if to say something but then he closed it and looked away. Buck didn’t push. He knew that whatever it was, Eddie would tell him whenever he was ready to say. They finished up their lunches, put on some more sunscreen, and then walked around for a bit longer.

           They found where the music was coming from, an amphitheater with a rotation of performers, and hung out there for a bit. Buck didn’t really know how- and in all honesty, he didn’t really care how- but he ended up dancing around to the music with Eddie, and he leaned into Eddie’s chest easily as they both laughed breathlessly. There was a moment, a spark, and then Eddie was leaning in and kissing him softly. Buck was surprised but when he didn’t immediately kiss back, Eddie pulled away with an embarrassed grimace. “I’m sorry, Buck. I didn’t-” He made a noise as Buck leaned in to kiss him to fend off any apologies.

           Buck clung onto the front of Eddie’s shirt and Eddie’s hands pressed warmly into Buck’s waist as they kissed. It didn’t feel like a first kiss with how easily they fell into it, but Buck felt his stomach swoop anyways. Buck couldn’t help the huge grin on his face as he pulled away from Eddie, not really moving out of Eddie’s space. “Took you long enough,” Buck joked and Eddie let out a laugh, holding onto Buck’s waist just a little tighter.

           “Well, I was just looking for the right moment,” Eddie said back as he stroked his thumb over Buck’s waist.

           “I think you found it,” Buck said and ducked in for another quick peck because he couldn’t help himself and because he finally could.