#best cat dad ~ Wedge

[envy-of-the-apple]

alright so i've been obsessing over family man and the more i think about it the more i'm convinced that the cat is gonna come out of the bag at some point. gojo might not want reader to know about jujutsu society, but becoming MRS gojo kinda puts a giant target on her back and the back of her baby and it's unfortunate that she doesn't know it. but. reina is capable of becoming a sorcerer, right?

how do we think familyman!gojo would be like as a dad during her upbringing, especially her teen years, when kids become far more interested in asserting themselves and differentiating themselves from their parents? would he be more controlling of her and if so when? he's so lenient with kids and encouraging them to grow they way they really want to, and i think this gojo would be like that as a dad as well. except. how it could implicate his relationship with reader.

would reina become a student at the tech, or would gojo try to keep her in the dark, too? gaslight her? or maybe worse, let her in on jujutsu society and try to turn it into an 'our little secret' thing, encouraging her to keep anything like that from her mom and sort of delude her into thinking she's protecting her mom by keeping her in the dark as much as possible. (rip kiyo and unnamed grandpa you have no chance at having any serious influence over gojo reina's life now even if you did love her, god forbid satoshi's influence be allowed to surface anywhere)

what would that be like for reader to have her daughter become a sorcerer and not really know it? for gojo to put a wedge between the two of them and keep the two of them from being able to honestly communicate with each other? would he intentionally try to make it a wedge? would he want what's best for reina (having an open and honest relationship with her mom) or would securing reader's ignorance be his number one concern?

what would it be like for him to even become reina's teacher? how would that influence his relationship with her? because canon gojo, i could see him trying to be the best dad he could be no matter what blood relation, and i think out of all the yan's familyman!gojo is amongst the closest to canon gojo in terms of disposition and circumstances (which is probably why he thrills me aslkjjsa),

but. the yan factor. how would reina having more agency and being in the position she is in change everything? and also. this reader isn't dumb. prone to missing things and denial, sure, she's kinda occupied with a LOT. but. i think she'd notice if something was up with reina. she already kinda notices that something's up with gojo, especially after he's made his romantic intentions apparent.

wouldn't reina inheriting her father's cursed technique just about ruin everything for gojo? because as much as she might not want to, this reader can connect the dots.

so like...as cruel as it is to say, the only reason gojo rlly cares about reina is cuz she's ms.sawai's daughter. he kinda sees reina as an extension of miss sawai. as we saw in the fic, he kept obsessing over how similiar miss sawai and reina were. as reina gets older, their relationship with eachother will get more distant. yknow how some parents only want babies and not humans? yeahhhh thats gojo! so he's not gonna be as controlling over her as he would be on miss sawai+any kids they have together. reina gets the best scenario in this case

i think i mentioned this in another ask but reina is a sorcerer and will have ce. so yes miss sawai will also learn about curses as well as how important gojo is buuuut miss sawai isnt gonna be able to put together the dots of what rlly happened to satoshi cuz there's no real papertrail. gojo is able to keep the stuff that he wants secret, a secret.

as for reina, due to miss sawai, i dont think she'll fully become a sorcerer (aka go to jujutsu tech/learn about CE). miss sawai wants reina to live a normal happy life. buuut the same cannot be said for the children miss sawai has with gojo. even if miss sawai tries to plead the case for them to live normally, gojo+ the clan wont accept it. he's gonna consider those extensions of himself and so ya, their all gonna be sorcerers.

strangely enough, Gojo's favorite kid will be reina. again, its mainly due to him seeing her as an extension of you, but he prefers her over his biological children.

and reina wont inherit satoshi's technique cuz the technique wasnt an inherited technique! but for the sake of discussion...i still dont think miss sawai would be able to put the dots together. despite how crazy the jjk world is..how can you figure out that your now husband fell in love with you via switching bodies with your late-husband and then got so jealous he wound up killing him to take his place???

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

AITA for being the reason my mom and her boyfriend broke up?

My (23) mom has been with this person since I was 7 years old. They do not nor have they ever lived together (in fact, he lives a state away and drives here every thursday-sunday). To his credit, he has shown up for me for orchestra concerts, graduation, flight pick ups, etc almost my whole life whereas my dad has not. However I have not liked him since I was around 17 years old (we were in the middle of a very long drive two states away from home yet AT NIGHT. My mom has high anxiety and can't see very well at night and he screamed at her for not driving but then didn't even stop the car to let her drive anyway?? And when she started crying he jerked the radio up to the highest volume and ignored me kicking and yelling at him in the back because I could've driven instead but whatever)

Anyway. He has a history of tantrums and outbursts like the above. He's never been violent, but one time he hid my mom's cat's ashes just to upset her. He broke her potted plants, showed up at her work to yell at her more, etc. Thanksgiving of 2020, he had me cornered against the wall and was screaming in my face about how ungrateful and disrespectful I am because I didnt talk to him enough while I was home for break. We ended up having to leave our house and stay at a friend's.

And yet my mom forgave him because he cried and apologized to her. But never to me. And she expected me to forgive and move on because she "knows he has a good heart."

Anyway anyway, my mom knew how I felt after that. To prevent him having meltdowns on Christmas or his birthday or fathers day, she would get him gifts and put my name on them. Which I never asked her to do.

Well this year for Christmas he decided I once again was not being grateful or respectful or appreciate enough to/for him. My mom told me to call him and apologize and I said no, because he's never apologized to me and I didn't think I had even done anything. Plus, if I DID apologize out of nowhere for not meeting his expectations he would've known my mom told me to do so.

I was on the long drive home for break when they got into a big fight about me. He asked her if she would choose him or me and she chose me. He broke the brand new TV she bought him for Christmas and the entertainment stand it was on. They haven't seen each other since.

My mom says it's not my fault, but I feel like I've always been the one wedging between them. I'm the one who couldn't let things go, I'm the one who obviously avoids him, I'm the one who won't accept his apologies through a third party. She says this is for the best because they're on different paths and now she can focus on herself, her own happiness, and her faith (which is very important to her and not at all for him).

I just wish my mom was able to come to this conclusion without me being the catalyst. There had to have been a better way to go about this. I don't think I'm blameless here. AITA?

What are these acronyms?

[bonefall]

PLEASE make Whitewater be the one who kills Weaselkit. It would be so (tragically) cool, like just thinking about it reminds me of other amazing BB scenes like the Elderberry and Ferncloud scene but on a smaller, background character scale. It would also be a cool parallel type thing to Spiderleg who attempts to kill his son during the same battle. Obviously Spiderleg and Toadstep don’t personally care about the death of a non-Thunderclan kit, so it’s not like they would be aware of the other family murder happening, but WE would know. And we would be shitting our pants. (I’m a sucker for generational trauma and parents failing to protect their children in fiction please mister bonefall)

I HAVE to do it. It fits too well. It's absolutely shockingly tragic and horrrible. Hell opened up and Owlclaw's worst nightmare came lunging out. I have so many thoughts.

Owlclaw has had a whole life dealing with the neglect and abuse he went through, taking it out on others as a bully, and it's only now seeming to get any better

Mentor Oakfur being even more of a parent to him than any other apprentice he's had, knowing Owlpaw needed it.

Whitewater had FINALLY died. It hurt like nothing else, because in spite of everything he loved his mother... but he was FREE

And maybe she was, too. Maybe in StarClan she could watch over him, perhaps now with distance her memory can be something positive.

There was a time he might have wished suffering on her. But he's going to be a dad, now. He's learned that holding onto grudges never seems to do anything constructive.

He started his new life with Pinenose, still in their honeymoon phase. They're a young couple and everything is moving fast, they're welcoming two little twins.

Weaselkit and... Happykit. He still thinks it's silly, but he said it as a sardonic joke because he couldn't think of a good name and Pinenose beamed. How could he burst her bubble?

He has NO idea that his mother didn't ascend to StarClan. Shes doonstairs. He's daring to assume the best, and she's embracing the worst.

She doesn't need long to be completely onboard with Tigerstar's scheme. She didn't even need a discussion with Hawkfrost. The only reason StarClan would throw her down here is because there's a problem.

So, she'll put it right.

The IMMEDIATE validation she feels seeing Harespring training in the Dark Forest is intoxicating. They ARE cursed!! One of them already found its way here!

(AND the spawn of that damn TRAITOR, Crowfeather. The bastard who betrayed Mudclaw's coup.)

Harespring started training here out of curiosity, and a speck of heresy to be totally honest. He wanted to know his biofather, Mudclaw, and StarClan couldn't be all that wonderful if it would allow his brother Kestrelflight to be forced into the Cleric's den so young.

But NOW, having met Mudclaw and hearing his side of the story, and now WHITEWATER landing here as well...

...he has never had stronger faith in StarClan before. Mudclaw was horrible enough. Whitewater is unhinged.

There is no doubt in his mind that these two belong here. The sad stories are outweighed by cases like these, so in his opinion, there SURELY must be things he doesn't know about innocuous cats like Houndleap and Featherwhisker.

He hates coming here, every moment he's trapped with one of his bioparents is a moment he wishes he was spending with papa Torear.

Harespring betrays the Dark Forest the minute he has a chance to. But it doesn't stop Whitewater.

Weaselkit's death happened so fast and they were so young that Happykit can barely remember it. Was it after Dustpelt crunched? ...he thinks it was during.

I can't imagine Happykit will be told about Whitewater until he's much older, but... he knows Weaselkit's death is what drives the wedge between his parents

(Of course that's too simple to be correct. Happy's smart in the way that you get when you have to grow up quick, but still a kid at the end of the day. Owlclaw backslid into old, destructive ways. Pinenose can't handle him and their child and her grief at the same time. They were a young couple to begin with. It shattered like glass.)

I'm not sure who dealt with Whitewater during the Battle of the True Eclipse, but she is definitely double dead. Part of me wants to make it Spikefur, Pinenose's next mate. But Owlclaw dealing with his mother a minute too late, after FINALLY finding peace with it all, is also gut-wrenching.

[itz-ps15]

TFRB/TFRBA Headcanons

These are my AU, so don’t take them seriously. And these are my Headcanons!

Blades loves Anime, specifically MHA(My Hero Academia)

Hotshot is good with dates, physics,geometry,and also BODMAS.

Hoist is an animal and nature lover.

Boulder is the tallest in human form.

Whirl loves doing gymnastics.

Blades is the shortest in human form.

The Bots and Recruits have special necklaces and earrings with Energon crystals so they can turn human.

Heatwave and Quickshadow are together(married)sparkmates.

Wedge loves to tease Hotshot.

Chase is the fastest, and loves writing poems and stories.

Bumblebee is Blades’ best friend, and sees him as a brother.

Medix and Ratchet are related. Medix is Ratchet’s nephew.

Heatwave and Hotshot see each other as father and son. In fact, Heatwave adopted Hotshot. 

Blurr is now a mentor at the academy, and his student is Snowflake(MY TFRBA oc)

Salvage makes new inventions with Frankie,Hoist and Doc Greene.

Medix is more mature and tries to go with the flow. But he does have autism and OCD. But he’s even funnier.

Hoist and Grimlock are buddies now.

Boulder is good with haircuts,he actually cut Blades’ hair for the first time.

Wedge tries to be tough,but he’s a big softie.

Chase is more funny, and he would sometimes let the recruits take breaks.

Blades adopts a human girl named Meg after he and the team had saved her from bad foster care. He also adopted a young female baby Autobot named Arix.

The Rescue Bots and Recruits love playing games like Roblox, Minecraft and Gartic Phone.

Hotshot and Whirl both have ADHD.

Medix may have developed love interest for Snowflake.

Blades is married to his soulmate and teammate,Windblade!

Blades has agrophobia and is timid most of the time.

Blurr goes through depression and sometimes isn’t sure if he was meant to be a Rescue Bot.

Whirl sees Chase as not only her idol, but as her dad and protector.

Cody would sometimes tell stories to the rescue bots.

Dani and Taylor started dating. 

Chase is autistic.

Salvage is the second tallest in human form.

Quickshadow is the second shortest in human form.

Quickshadow loves spy movies and mystery films.

Blurr sings and writes his own songs and Salvage has known for a long time.

Heatwave enjoys watching rom-coms with Quickshadow.

In the future, Cody and Frankie get married.

Whirl and Hoist have feelings for each other.

There are tales about the Griffin Rock mermaid, and it’s real.

Sirena is the mermaid of Griffin Rock.

Dr Morocco once mind controlled Blades with a micro-chip to kill all the Rescue Bots and Recruits at the academy.

Heatwave and Blades are the only Rescue Bots married so far.

Hoist can be clumsy at times with inventions.

Medix not only likes bats and dogs, but he’s a big softie for cats.

Heatwave can have a big soft spot for babies.

Boulder likes watching earth romance movies.

The Burns family have necklaces with a bit of Energon crystals to have connections with the bots.

Blades once got near some sort of flower, it was actually a bush daisy, and he had an allergic reaction to them.

Hoist is allergic to pollen and peanuts.

Whirl loves watching Brooklyn Nine-Nine with Chase.(has to do with cops)

Chief Burns was Doc Greene’s best man in his wedding with Professor Ana Baranova.

Hotshot isn’t good at trying to not to laugh challenges.

Cody wants to be like his dad(Chief Burns), a police officer like him.

Snowflake(my RBA OC) is the shortest of the group, yet tries to be agile. But she’s more on the gentle and sweet caring side of her.

Hotshot hugged Heatwave hard when there was an alligator or a crocodile near the academy. Hotshot is scared of big reptiles.

Wedge is still afraid of heights. He developed acrophobia(fear of heights), just like Blades.

Bumblebee knows sign language.

Hotshot is going through a bit of depression, and also tries to not feel sad when he thinks about his real parents and what happened to them.

Graham finally shared his feelings with Amy, and now they’re dating.

Hope you all like these. For @asmoteeth @komicantspellanything @cayennesugar @cynthiadasorceress @sabiraclouds

[superscourge]

Can you tell us more about the Childhood Friends AU?

yeas

i guess i'll give some lil details abt it. this is gonna be long so under the cut it goes

sonic and scourge (also sonic at the time) meet each other when a portal opens up between their dimensions when theyre both about 10 years old. they both are pretty attuned to changes in their world, so they find it at the same time and are like "What The Heck You're Me!" but they hit it off pretty quickly bc they figure out the other one is just as fast as them and they race and a bond is formed.. they decide to call each other nicknames (buckles for prime sonic, shades for alt sonic bc at the time he's wearing the leather jacket + boots + shades) just to make things easier

for a little more context, in this au moebius is more like just. mobius but a little to the left. its not an opposite world like it is in canon, its just kinda...Different? if that makes sense? so shades isnt Nice, hes kind of a dick and he's rude, but he's not evil or malicious

buckles finds out after a while that shades has...not the best home life. his dad fuckin sucks. so shades stays with him and his nonna a lot (buckles' parents are gone already and he ends up staying with this sweet old cat lady he calls his nonna). this eventually culiminates into an awful thing when theyre about 14--shades ends up being pushed to the point of where he actually kills his dad. he doesnt show up for weeks, and buckles is worried, but he eventually shows up again, but hes different. hes not okay. and suddenly hes talking about how they cant be friends, how hes going to leave and never come back. and they have their first fight, which ends with shades leaving and buckles being left alone and devastated

they dont meet again until a couple years later when theyre both 16. shades had eventually returned to mobius and had been crashing there for a while, but he was stirring up trouble under the name of sonic. prime sonic finds him on angel island--apparently he had caused so much trouble that even sonic's enemies were targeting him now, so he wanted to use the master emerald to gain power so they'd stop messing with him. of course this goes south when he powers up with the emerald and knuckles defends it by slashing him across the chest during the transformation, interrupting it and putting him in a permanent half-super state (the green). he proclaims his new name is scourge, and they fight again, but scourge ends up using the master emerald to chaos control away, and once again they dont see each other for a while after that, bc then sonic is dealing with the Worst fucking year of his life (shadow, unleashed, forces). they basically dont talk again until theyre 19.

when they do talk again, sonic's really messed up from forces--the torture from infinite on the death egg really fucked him up and was making him question his reality even after everything. but scourge runs into him and knocks some sense into him (literally punches him in the face LOL) and sonic realizes this Is real, the war Is over, and everything fucking sucks. his nonna died while he was away. scourge doesnt take this well at all, and neither does sonic when he realizes its real, and they both kinda have a mutual breakdown moment because Neither of them were there when she passed and they both majorly regret it. but scourge still doesnt end up staying; he takes sonic to a nearby village when he falls asleep and then he leaves again. but that lets sonic know that scourge still does care about him, despite pushing him away for all these years. so hes going to figure out why, and bring back his friend.

they finally meet again post-frontiers, when sonic has a clearer head and has healed a lot. they fight again Of Course, but it ends up with scourge finally confessing why he'd run away so long ago, why he'd been trying so hard to push sonic away and drive a wedge between them to make sure sonic would Stay away--it was all because of the thing with his dad. he was ashamed of himself and didnt want his only best friend to see him as a murderer. but yknow what? sonic isnt fazed. he doesnt give a Shit. in fact he literally tells scourge that if scourge hadnt done it? sonic would have. jules was awful and beyond saving and the world was better off without him. scourge is shocked by all this, not really understanding...but they end up making up and finally, Finally becoming friends again

so thats the whole story LOL. ive been developing it w jester behind the scenes and while it isnt a Long au story its a fun and angsty one hehe. might be a little sonourge eventually. you know how it is

[the-togepi-man]

You mentioned that it’s been 3 years since bringing Chester home. What has been the best part of being a “cat-dad?”

Oh there's a lot of reason but it's for sure the naps. I love hopping on the couch for a lunch-break nap and you just hear "Beeerp?" and then he comes over, asks for pets then plops right down on the blanket and passes out. Though lately Chester has been doing this thing where if I have a pillow that im holding he will come wedge his face between the pillow and the couch and rest his head on my side and look up at me, and it's INSANELY cute

[umbral-stigmata-unbound]

.....

[kittenofdoomage]

Autumn Falls: Monday (Pt.1)

Summary: Y/N’s had a run of bad luck that’s left her miserable, so her sister and best friend surprise her with a trip to Autumn Falls, the exclusive Californian resort where your every dream comes true. Seven days of relaxation and luxury await her, but will her vacation lift her spirits or leave her longing?

Pairings (reader is female): Negan x reader, Bucky Barnes x reader, Thor Odinson x reader, Sam Winchester x reader, Negan x reader x Sam Winchester, Dean Winchester x reader, Geralt of Rivia x reader, Steve Rogers x reader

Word Count: 37041

Warnings (expect any combination): slight angst and commiseration, non-disclosure agreements, flirting, conversations about relationships, oral sex, vaginal sex, public nudity and skinny dipping, size kink, sex in a hot tub, suspension (sort of), intense sex, breeding kink, yoga, my obsession with Sam’s hands, massages, dirty talk, slight praise kink, vaginal fingering, anal fingering, and squirting, threesome, double penetration (vaginal/anal), handjobs, shower smut, sex in a kitchen, horse riding, wild nature sex, over-stimulation, excessive orgasms,  comfort, companionship, aromatherapy and hot stone massages, anal sex, light BDSM, restraints, spanking/paddling, anal play, double penetration with toys, gagging, cuddling, post-vacation blues

MASTERPOST

Days had begun to blend together, each one beginning the same and ending the same. She got up, fed the cat, watered her withering house plants, went to work, drank too much coffee, ate too much fast food, and collapsed into bed when it was all done, ready to repeat it until she died. Since Everitt had dumped her for his younger, hotter mistress a year ago, Y/N’s life had been on a downward spiral, where all she had left was her work and Jonas, her elderly cat who pee on her rug every morning at three.

It didn’t help that her prolonged relationship had estranged her from most of her friends and family, something she realized now was down to her devious snake of an ex. She had never thought of herself as the sort of person who could be manipulated like that but it turned out, she was a fool for sweet promises that went unfulfilled.

Luckily, some of her friends hadn’t forgotten her entirely, and she’d never let Everitt drive a wedge between her and her sister, who’d maintained a dislike of him the entire time while respecting Y/N’s feelings. Now he was gone, Kelly didn’t let up on her comments about him, though Y/N suspected it was mostly to make her feel better about being dumped. Along with Sarah, Y/N’s best friend from high school, she’d been there to pick her up when she was at her lowest, and it was partially their friendship that had kept her going through the long lonely month afterwards.

Friday night was girls’ night. Kelly left her two young boys at home with their dad, and Sarah sent her boyfriend off to his favorite sports bar, and they descended on Y/N’s tiny city apartment. Jonas would start hissing at the first sign of company and spend the whole night inside the laundry hamper snoring loud enough for anyone passing within a few feet to hear. It had become a regular fixture over the last few months, and after the week she’d had at work, Y/N was looking forward to some downtime.

One bottle of wine in, and she could tell there was something going on that she wasn’t clued in on. Both women had been sharing secretive little looks all evening, and it was beginning to bug her. “Okay, spill,” she drawled, picking up a fresh bottle of white wine from the rack. “There’s something you’re not telling me.”

Kelly grinned, taking the bottle and twisting the cap off. “We might have a little surprise for you.”

Y/N’s eyes widened. “A surprise?”

Holding out her empty glass for a refill, Sarah smirked at her. “You need a pick me up,” she said playfully, “and we happen to have just the thing.”

“Look,” Kelly continued, pouring out Sarah’s glass then turning her attention to her sister’s, “it’s no secret you’ve had a crappy year. And we both agreed that you needed a break.”

“I’m not gonna disagree,” Y/N chuckled. “But I don’t have time for a break.”

“Yeah, about that,” Sarah murmured.

Kelly finished filling her own glass, placing the bottle on the coffee table. “We already talked to Aunt Kathy,” she explained. “She agreed with us. Now I know, you love your job, but you’ve been working yourself to the bone. Kathy said you haven’t taken a day off in six months. And she appreciates it but girl, you need to relax.”

Y/N’s mouth opened and shut a few times before she scoffed and shook her head. “I know I’ve been a little -”

“All work no play?” Sarah provided.

“Doesn’t this count?” she argued back, sitting forward on the cushions. “So maybe I’ve pulled a few weekends and late nighters.”

“Have you looked inside your fridge?” Kelly pointed out. “You’ve been existing, Y/N. And you need to be living.” She sighed, leaning her arm on her knee as she tapped one finger against the side of her glass. “Aunt Kathy agreed with us anyway, she’s given you two weeks off at the end of the month.”

Glaring at her sister, Y/N’s mouth set into a thin line. “Two weeks?”

“That’s plenty of time to finish up anything you got going on and make arrangements for the rest. Don’t worry about Jonas, we’re gonna take care of him,” Sarah assured her. “You’re gonna love it.”

“Love what?” Y/N squeaked, completely bewildered. “Where am I going for two weeks?”

Kelly shook her head. “Just the first week. The rest of the time is… well, it’s up to you.”

“Kel, just tell me, please.”

The two women shared another look, both smiling, before placing their glasses on the table. Kelly  got to her feet, disappearing off into the kitchen for a moment, returning with her purse. “Aunt Kathy knows this guy who owns a spa retreat in California. It’s very exclusive, invite only, no phones, no cameras.” She retrieved a leaflet from her purse, holding it out to Y/N. Y/N stared at it, hesitating before she took it. “It’s all legal and above board, Kath checked it out - she’s been doing some business with the guy who owns it. And he was pretty grateful, told her if she wants an invite at any time, to let him know.”

The leaflet wasn’t thick, and it looked like the usual standard spa resort; candlelit restaurants, a pool, hiking trails, massage rooms. Across the front, the name of the spa was written in delicate coral colored writing - Autumn Falls, where dreams and desires meet in reality. Cute slogan. “Aunt Kathy suggested this?” she murmured in surprise.

“She’s seen you go through this whole thing with The Douchebag,” Sarah soothed. “Plus, you landed her that big contract with those sweet designs you did last spring.”

“Yeah but… this is…” Y/N flicked through the leaflet, seeing nothing out of the ordinary. “I mean, these places are expensive.”

“Kathy said it’s all taken care of. All you gotta do is get yourself to the airport,” Sarah informed her, taking in her wary expression. “Come on, Y/N. You need this. Even if it’s just a week of fine dining and drinking at the poolside.”

Staring at the leaflet, Y/N contemplated it, dragging her eyes over the picturesque setting. It looked nicer than anywhere she’d ever been and the last vacation she had been on was a depression trip to Florida where it rained the whole time and Everitt left her in the hotel room to meet his buddies, which actually ended up being code for “get drunk and buy hookers”. Other than that, she couldn’t remember the last time she’d left the state.

Maybe a vacation would be good for her.

“Okay,” she murmured, looking up at her sister and her best friend. “Where do I sign up?”

She wasn’t sure what kind of “exclusive” required a non-disclosure agreement beforehand but after a quick call with her aunt, Y/N found herself signing her name on the documents and sending them back to the office at Autumn Falls. Every single day of the two weeks until her flight seemed to drag, the apprehension and excitement growing even more when she couldn’t talk about it beyond saying “a spa in California” whenever she was asked if she was going somewhere nice.

Her flight was early, and while she couldn’t sleep the night before, she found it easy to drift off on the plane. It landed in San Diego only a few hours later, and when she left arrivals after collecting her luggage, she was met by a tall man in a smart suit, holding a sign with her name displayed on it in neat cursive. He had long thick hair, and the suit looked like it was barely containing him.

“Hi,” she squeaked as she approached, giving the man a little wave. He smiled, nodding his head. “Are you the driver?”

“Miss. Y/L/N?” he asked in confirmation, and she nodded back. “I’m Jason,” he greeted, dropping the sign with one hand and holding his other one out. She took it, shaking firmly, trying not to seem too awkward. “I’ll be your driver today.”

“Nice to meet you.”

He grinned, gesturing towards the exit. “The car’s this way. Can I take your bags?” His hand was already reaching for her larger suitcase and she surrendered it with a shaky smile, letting him lead her away from the crowds and out of the large glass doors. The parking lot was only a short distance away, and when he pulled out his keys, a huge black SUV beeped, the lights going off as its wing mirrors popped out automatically.

The inside seemed even bigger than it appeared from the outside, and Y/N took in the luxurious vehicle interior as Jason put her bags in the back. When he climbed into the driver’s seat, he turned, giving her another brilliant smile.

“It’s about an hour out to Autumn Falls, would you like me to put some music on?”

“Um, yeah, that would be great,” she replied, sitting still and tense with her hands folded in her lap. 

“Feel free to wind down the windows,” he added, “and there’s some sodas in the compartment here.” He tapped the central console and it opened with a dull thud, the mechanism pushing the door open. Icy tendrils of steam curled out of the chilled interior, revealing several cans of brand sodas, along with a bottle of champagne. Jason smiled again. “It’s a pretty nice drive. Relax and enjoy it.”

It took a while for her to actually relax like he said, and he wasn’t wrong about the drive. Once away from the airport and off the main freeway, the journey took them through rolling farmland until the ground became steeper and the roads smaller. With the windows down, Y/N was treated to amazing views of the land as they climbed higher, and then it was thick, beautiful forests as far as she could see.

“Wow, they weren’t kidding when they said middle of nowhere,” she murmured, leaning forward to look out of the window, trying to see the tops of the trees.

The road narrowed to a single lane further on, and Jason took a side road through a large ornate metal gate that closed behind the car. It was slightly steeper here but he handled the SUV well, and the road opened up a few yards along, leading into a circular courtyard with a fountain in the middle. Y/N took it all in as the car rolled to stop, remaining in her seat as Jason climbed out.

He fetched her baggage first, and as he did, the double wooden doors at the front of the building opened. A woman with bright red hair strode out, a smile on her perfectly made up face, and a clipboard in her hands. She was dressed casually in a long summer dress, and as Jason opened Y/N’s door, she greeted her pleasantly.

“Y/N Y/L/N?”

“That’s me,” Y/N replied, stepping down out of the high vehicle. “Hi.”

“Julia,” she offered, holding out her hand for a quick shake. “Good flight?”

“Yeah. Little bumpy coming in.”

Julia smiled a little wider. “Well, how about we get you all checked in, and we can go through the paperwork. Jason, could you take Y/N’s bags up to her room?”

Y/N looked up at the huge wooden front of the spa, noting the carved lettering above the entrance that spelled out the name. It was three storeys high, with large glass windows along the lowest floor, and smaller ornate windows that she guessed were rooms. The building was even more impressive on the inside as it was on the outside, and she had to bite back a gasp as she took in the luxurious staircases and leather armchairs in the lobby.

Julia led her past the front desk and into an office underneath the main staircase. Everything looked so expensive, more so than any hotel she’d ever stayed in.

“You look a little apprehensive,” the redhead chuckled, walking around a desk and gesturing for her to take the chair on the other side. 

“I don’t think I’ve ever been somewhere so… nice,” Y/N replied, shaking her head in awe. “This place is amazing.”

Another dry chuckle followed as Julia sat down. “I’m sure you’re going to have a wonderful stay. I just need to double check you understood everything in the NDA and then I’ll show you up to your room. I’ll be here throughout the week but your personal liaison will be handling all your needs and wants.” She leaned down and pulled out a file from a drawer Y/N couldn’t see, placing the paperwork on top of the desk. “Everything was signed perfectly, but we’re very high on privacy here, so I just wanted to make sure there was no confusion.”

“No problem.”

“There’s a safe in your bedroom that you can set the code to. Any problems, speak to your personal liaison. We don’t expect you to be fully cut off from the world, but you must not take any personal devices or cameras outside of the bedroom. Absolutely no photos.”

“Understood.” Y/N didn’t really get why that was, and didn’t feel confident enough to ask, but she wasn’t about to break the rules when she’d been given a free vacation. A little time away from social media and constant screens would probably do her some good.

Julia smiled, ticking off something on the top sheet of the file. “Your stay here is completely complementary. The owner is somewhat of a philanthropist, and our guests are by invite only. We’ve got a list of your allergies here -” She passed over a different sheet and Y/N scanned it quickly. “Everything accounted for?”

“Yeah, that’s everything.”

“Perfect. Oh, I just need to make you aware, we do have a medical professional on site in case of emergencies. Again, anything you need, just ask your personal liaison.”

At the third mention of her “personal liaison”, Y/N tilted her head. “So this is the person I’m going to be checking in with or…”

The other woman chuckled. “He’s quirky,” she confessed, “and he curses like a sailor, but I’m sure you’re going to enjoy his company. He’ll be along to your room soon, and he’ll answer any questions you have.” She turned the file to Y/N, passing her a pen. “Just one last signature and your week of relaxation can begin.”

Signing quickly, Y/N got to her feet when Julia did, following her back out of the office and out from under the ornate staircase to where three elevators were along the back wall. Julia stopped at the middle one, pulling a card from inside the file. She swiped it over a pad on the wall, then handed it to Y/N as the door opened.

“After you,” she gestured, smiling, and Y/N smiled back nervously, stepping into the elevator, followed quickly by Julia, who pressed the button for the second floor. “Your referee indicated you weren’t such a fan of heights, so your suite is on second.”

“Oh, thanks,” Y/N chuckled.

The elevator ascended quickly, opening onto a long corridor on the second floor. The two women stepped out, with Y/N following as Julia headed left. She slowed to a stop before the end, at a door with the number “15” on it, and turned to face Y/N.

“Your bags should already be inside. Negan should be along soon.”

“Negan?”

The redhead smiled. “Your personal liaison,” she explained before pointing at the door. “You wanna check that the card works?”

Stepping forward, Y/N pressed the card against the door reader, and the door clicked, opening for her. Julia grinned, clasping her hands around the file she held.

“I hope you have a very pleasant stay, Y/N.”

“Thanks, I’m sure I will,” she replied, watching with one hand on the door as Julia turned and carried on down the hall, disappearing around a corner. Exhaling softly, Y/N slipped into her room, gasping as she saw it wasn’t just a regular hotel room but a suite. A luxury suite. “Holy crap.”

The room she’d walked into was a lounge area, complete with mini-fridge and bar. A large corner couch occupied the center of the room, looking out beyond a gigantic television to floor-to-ceiling windows that opened up onto a balcony. She walked further in, moving past her luggage piled neatly next to the couch, her attention drawn by the view outside. She was at the back of the building, evident by the way the balcony was half-set into the rock behind it, but the whole right side provided a beautiful unobstructed view of the valley and the forest that she’d just driven through.

“Wow,” she breathed, reaching out to find the clasp for the door, which popped open easily once located. The balcony appeared to be mostly wooden, and there were two comfortable looking loungers separated by a table, with plenty of space besides. She realized quickly that the lounge only occupied the middle of the balcony, which meant there were two other rooms to her suite at least.

Curiosity dragged her back inside and she closed the door again, hoping it locked automatically. She chose a door, heading into a huge bathroom, decorated in pearl and gold, and an impressed noise left her as she inspected the bathtub big enough for three adults and the biggest corner shower she’d seen outside of a gym.

“And this is free?” she wondered aloud, trying the faucet for no particular reason. The water pressure seemed decent too.

The room on the other side of the lounge was just as impressive; the bedroom, obviously. A bed larger than any six people would reasonably need was up against the further wall in the middle, with more floor-to-ceiling windows that opened onto the balcony again. Another television was mounted on the wall, and she looked for the remote, quickly looking through the channels.

“HBO too? Cool.”

A knock at the door made her swiftly turn the television off, and she hurried back through to see who it was. Opening the door, she froze as her eyes landed on the man standing outside; he was tall, tall enough that she had to lift her chin slightly to meet his gaze, though she struggled not to let herself drink in the tight fitting black t-shirt and equally tight denim on his lower half.

“Hi,” she managed, forcing a smile through her stutter.

He smiled, and her knees wobbled. “Hi,” he greeted, holding out a hand. She took it as if in a trance, unable to stop looking at him. “I’m Negan.” He bent, lifting her hand to kiss her knuckles, and her stomach was suddenly filled with butterflies.

“M-my personal liaison, right?”

God, his smile was beautiful. She could stare at it all day.

“That’s right, darlin’,” he drawled, softly releasing her hand. It fell back to her side, awkwardly dangling as she tried to appear casual. “How’re you finding the place?”

“It’s amazing,” she gushed.

Negan chuckled, licking his lips, and Y/N felt like her heart was going to thud out of her chest. “Well, if you like, we can start with a tour of the place. Julia told me you got a spot at the salon this afternoon, but we got an hour or so to kill before then.”

She nodded enthusiastically. “Sounds great, uh, should I change or - ?”

His gaze dragged over her in a way that made her feel naked, and she struggled to suppress a shiver. “You’re good,” he murmured, stepping back. “Just make sure you don’t forget your card.”

Holding it up, she moved out into the corridor to join him, suddenly stopping as she remembered her phone was in her pocket. “Oh, wait, I haven’t put my phone in the safe.”

“No problem, you can take care of it now.”

She stepped back into the room, holding the door open as an invitation to him, and Negan took it, following her inside but stopping in the lounge. For a second, she floundered, unsure where the safe was but remembering Julia had said it was in the bedroom.

“It’s in the closet, right hand side,” Negan offered in amusement, and she flashed him a smile of thanks.

Setting up the digital safe was easier than she expected, and she tossed her phone, wallet, and keys in there. She closed it up and rejoined Negan in the lounge, smiling at him again. “Okay, I’m set.”

He went first out of the door, and she checked for her card again before letting the door shut. When she looked at him, he flashed her another dazzling smile, and in her head, she collapsed against the doorframe under the weight of its charm.

“I thought you might be hungry,” he suggested. “A light lunch and then we can tour the outside grounds first?”

“Awesome,” she exhaled, a shaky smile on her lips, her legs trembling as she tried to keep up with his pace. He noticed almost immediately that she couldn’t walk quite as fast as he usually did, so he slowed, glancing back at her as she finally drew level with him.

The elevator back down was filled with silence and she couldn’t tell if it was awkward or not. She had a bajillion questions since her arrival, the least of which being about the details of her personal liaison. It seemed like such a strange way to phrase it and the underlying feeling that this spa might offer services outside of massages and hot tubs was growing stronger with every intentional-or-not-intentional smirk that Negan sent her way.

He led her out of the elevator onto the first floor and round the same front desk she’d seen when she arrived. There was still no one in the vacant chair, and the whole lobby seemed vacant of any other guests. Negan turned at the desk and went the opposite way to where Julia had taken her earlier, going through the chairs she’d seen earlier and a set of large wooden double doors that opened up into a wide space filled with a few tables and comfortable looking chairs. The bar at one end gave away the purpose of the area - the restaurant - though it seemed smaller than she would have thought, with seating for less than ten guests overall.

“Are there other guests?” she asked curiously as Negan kept going, out of the restaurant-bar area and out into the sunshine, where there was an outdoor grill. She noticed then that there were other people - two employees at least, all wearing similar attire to Negan.

“Not this week,” Negan replied, nodding his head as one of the employees, an attractive blond in maybe his thirties, stepped around him and flashed her a dazzling smile.

This place is staffed by GQ models, she thought.

“Tom,” Negan greeted, slapping a hand on the counter by the grill. “What’s good?”

The man behind the grill turned, and Y/N felt her face heat up at his charming grin. “That depends on our guest,” he replied in a crisp British accent. “Would you prefer meat or vegan?”

She froze, stumbling over her answer. “Oh, uh, I guess… it depends what meat it is?”

“I’ve got organic chicken drumsticks,” Tom offered, tossing his head back to get his long black hair out of his eyes. “With salad?”

“That actually sounds pretty great,” she chuckled, feeling a little more at ease.

“We aim to please,” Tom grinned, winking at her.

Her heart fluttered and she ducked her head. Negan laughed a little, pointing at the grill. “I’ll take a hotdog,” he requested. “You mind bringing them over?”

Tom held up the barbecue tongs, obviously happy to oblige. “Sure!”

Leaning over the counter, Negan grabbed for something underneath it, his hand coming back into view with two sodas. “We’ll be by the pool.” Y/N just about caught the can he tossed her, and he tilted his head to indicate that she should follow him. “I take it Julia went through the non-disclosure bullshit,” he drawled, pulling out a chair for her at the first table by the crystal-clear pool.

“Uh, yeah,” she mumbled, taking a seat and scooting herself in as Negan took the chair next to her. He opened his can with a little bit of flair, and she found herself captivated by his fingers for a second before he looked at her, and she smiled awkwardly. “I’m not entirely clear on what I’m not supposed to be disclosing though.”

“We can talk about that later,” he promised. “I’ve got a reservation for us tonight in the restaurant. Today is all about getting to know each other.” He sat forward, placing his drink on the table as he looked at her. “Once we’ve eaten, we’ll take a stroll down to the stables, and I’ll show you where everything is.”

“Can I ask one thing now?” she asked, chewing the inside of her cheek. “Only because I’m not clear on what a personal liaison does.”

Negan chuckled under his breath. “My job,” he started, “is to make sure you have every single need, want, or desire, catered to. Literally anything you want, I’ll make it happen.”

Her throat tightened a little as her mind went to places he was probably intending with the low rumble of his voice. Just the way he said the words was enough to make her toes curl inside her shoes, and she shivered a little when she met his dark eyes. “Anything?”

He smirked. “Anything.”

“Oh.”

“But like I said,” he continued, leaning towards her a little, “there’s time for that later.”

Feedback is golden, please let me know what you think 😁

[peterparkers-bad-youtube-apology]

The Night We Met

That Which Binds You III

Pairing: Stark!Peter x Blackcat!Reader

Warnings: canon typical violence

Summary: Time for you to break into Stark Towers. What could go wrong?

Taglist

Masterlist

Series Masterlist

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With only five days of planning the job was bound to be a bit of a mess. There just wasn’t wasn’t enough time for you to execute the break in with the level of precision you preferred. You’d set up some cameras on nearby buildings to watch during the day and spent the past five nights staking out the building in person. In an ideal world you would have been able to find some untraceable way in and out, but it just wasn’t doable, the building was too well guarded.

You’d determined that your best bet was going to be the helipad. Every hour a single Shield agent would come out to do a security sweep, but other than that the area was left unguarded. All you’d have to do was take out one agent and slip inside, but it was a bit of a Hail Mary after that. Normally you were able to gain access to the blueprints of the buildings you were breaking into, but everything involving Stark Towers was inaccessible.

All you could find regarding the building's interior were a few interviews and office tours done by Tony and his wife, Pepper. It wasn’t much, but you’d at least been able to confirm what floor his lab was on. You’d considered trying to get a tour from Peter, but quickly decided against it because you hated the idea of using him.

If you had a little more time you would have tried to figure out if any of the Avengers were slated to be there that evening. At the very least you had confirmed that neither Peter nor his dad would be there that evening. Tony was at a tech conference in Europe, and Peter told you that he was going to the movies with Ned. That was two of your biggest worries gone.

“It’s now or never,” you mumbled to yourself as the Shield agent stepped out onto the roof.

You jumped off the roof you were perched on and zipped towards the tower. You fell onto the helipad just behind the agent and placed a chloroform soaked ragged over her mouth. She fell unconscious in a matter of seconds and you picked up her key card before setting her gently down on the concrete. You used her card to let yourself into the building and began looking for the stairwell.

Luckily you found it was empty, and the lab was only two floors above you. You peaked out of the door carefully after climbing the stairs to make sure no one was waiting on the other side. You climbed onto the ceiling so you could creep through the halls undetected. A few guards were patrolling the halls but security was surprisingly minimal, you managed to make it to the lab without any hiccups. Once you entered the lab you pushed a large metal table into the doorway to wedge it open in case they initiated some kind of lockdown. It seemed that everything was going your way until you got the drive plugged in.

“Intruder detected,” a robotic voice called out as alarms started to sound within the building.

You weren’t surprised, you knew there was no way you’d be making it in and out without being spotted. All you could do was hope the drive would work fast and you’d be able to run before security showed up.

“Hurry up,” you begged, waiting for a small loading bar on the screen to fill up, “Come on, come on…”

“Well correct me if I’m wrong, but I’m pretty sure you’re the intruder everyone’s looking for.”

You whipped around and spotted Spiderman, hanging from the ceiling above you. You were confident in your ability to out maneuver most people, even most Avengers, but he was going to be a problem. He was faster and more agile than you, plus he’d have the advantage in the air. You had no idea how you were going to slip away from him.

“Blackcat right? Or at least that’s what everyone’s been calling you,” he hummed, “I guess it makes sense with the cat ears and all.”

“And you’re Spiderman,” your lips drew to a smirk when you addressed him, “What could you possibly want with a little kitty like me?”

“To talk,” he dropped from the ceiling and stepped towards you, “Why are you here? You’ve been targeting Hammerhead, I thought we were on the same side. You don’t need to steal from us, we can help you take him down.”

You nearly laughed at the idea.

“I don’t take sides Spider,” you purred, reaching behind yourself to grab the drive, “I’m just following orders.”

“Who’s orders?” he pressed.

“Well I normally don’t give up information for free,” you slipped the drive back into your pocket and grabbed a smoke grenade, “But maybe if you can catch me we can have a little chat.”

You tossed the grenade at him and ran past him as the room began to fill with smoke. You dove over the metal table still wedged in the door and took off down the hall. Shield agents were starting to gather but you didn’t have time to fight them with Spiderman still following you. You tossed another smoke grenade in the hall and ran up the wall, over the group of agents trying to grab you. There were even more agents waiting in the stairwell, you swept your legs under one of them, knocking him over before you threw yourself over the railing. You landed a floor down and slid down the railing to the door you’d originally entered from. You swung open the door, two more agents were waiting at the exit for you.

“Oh come on,” you groaned.

They drew her guns and Spiderman shouted behind you, “Don’t shoot her just grab her!”

“You worried about my safety Spider? That's cute!” you called back, elbowing one of them in the side of the head.

You punched the other, knocking him back before you grabbed his wrist. You swung your elbow back into his stomach and ripped his gun from his hands. You shot it at the roof before you ran out the door. Debris tumbled down in front of Spiderman, buying you just enough time to get into the air before he reached the roof. Being in the air wasn’t good for you, the grappling hooks at your waist weren’t nearly as flexible as his webs, but you needed to get out of his sight as quickly as possible.

You attempted to round a corner and found that one of your grappling hooks wouldn’t retract. Spiderman had shot a web at it, trapping it in the building it’d been lodged in. The momentum sent you slamming into the large glass wall. You swore and used your claws to try and cut through the webs. Spiderman came crashing into you before you could get yourself free. He set his hands on either side of your head, trapping you between him and the building.

“You caught me Spider,” you teased, “What now?”

“Tell me who you’re working for,” he demanded.

“Oh I’m not giving it up that easy,” you chuckled, “Don’t you know cats have nine lives?”

You slammed your head into his and brought both legs to his chest, using them to kick him off of you. Your claws tore through the webbing and you sprinted up the side of the building with him following right behind you. When you reached the top of the building you threw yourself onto the roof and went sprinting for the other end. Another web caught one of your feet and you fell onto your stomach. You flipped over quickly and attempted to cut yourself free again. He shot another web at your hand, sticking it to the ground beside your foot.

“Now,” he took a hold of your free hand, “Do you want to waste all nine lives running from me? Or do you want to tell me who you’re working for?”

You gritted your teeth and racked your brain for a way out.

“I’ll talk if you let me up,” you tried to bargain.

“How about you talk to me and then I can help you,” he offered.

“Help me?” you scoffed, “What makes you think I need help?”

“You’re obviously scared of whoever it is, I can help you get away from them,” he promised, “I know your track record, I know you aren’t a bad person. I think you just got involved with the wrong people, and I can help you get out of that. You just need to talk to me.”

You opened your mouth but quickly closed it again. You weren’t a bad person, at least you didn’t think you were. Trusting him wasn’t an option, but maybe you could use him. If he took the drive you could just tell Fisk he’d caught you, that the job was just too big. Shield would have time to warn their double agents that Fisk was after them, and no one would have to die.

You took a deep breath before finally speaking again, “Take the flash drive, it’s in my waist pocket.”

He reached into your pocket hesitantly and grabbed the drive, “Can you tell me who you’re working for now?”

“I’m only doing this because I don’t want anyone’s death on my hands, not because I need, or want, your help.”

He frowned, “What’s on here?”

“They told me it’s the identities of double agents, it could be more though. I have no idea what that drive did, they just told me to plug it in.”

“Okay,” he relaxed his grip, “Will you tell me who they are?”

You knew you couldn’t do that, if you told him about Fisk you’d also have to reveal your identity. Everything would fall apart. There’d be no more college, no more normal job, no more better life.

“No can do Spider,” you ripped herself free of his grip, slashed through the webbing, and jumped to your feet, “I’m sure we’ll be seeing each other again, try not to miss me too much before then.”

He stood by when you ran off the roof, letting you disappear into the city and out of his view. You knew he’d let you get away, but you didn’t know why. Some sort of savior complex is what you figured. He was sorely mistaken if he thought he was somehow going to rescue you, but you’d let him believe it if it meant he was going to take it easy on you.

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The door closed softly as you could and tip-toed towards your bed. You slid your bag under your bed and dug your pajamas out from your dresser. Fisk had berated you for the better half of an hour when you returned without the drive. He’d made it clear that if something like that happened again there would be consequences. You’d expected as much and promised him to do better before you retreated to the dorm. MJ was passed out in her bed when you got back so you were trying to be as quiet as possible.

“(y/n)?” MJ croaked, squinting at you in the darkness.

“Yeah, sorry, I tried to be quiet,” you apologized.

“It’s okay,” she yawned, “How was the party?”

“It was good,” you pursed your lips, “How was the movie?”

“It was good, I wish you could have come.”

“Oh, thanks,” you blushed before adding, “You don’t have to invite me to hang out with your friends you know? I won’t be offended if you don’t.”

MJ sat up and turned on her clam shaped lamp, “I didn’t feel like I was obligated to invite you or something, I like hanging out with you, we all do. If you don’t want to go though you can’t just tell me no.”

“Yeah,” you gripped the pile of clothes in your arms and sighed, “I’m sorry MJ. I know I can be a little cold sometimes.”

“Well that’s alright, I’ll just keep bringing Peter around. He doesn’t seem to have a problem warming you up,” she smirked.

You decided it was best to ignore the comment, “I’m gonna take a quick shower, and I’m sorry again, I’ll be more quiet coming in next time.”

“Don’t worry about it, I always wake up when you come home.”

“You do? I’m sorry, I didn’t realize I was so loud.”

“Don’t worry about it,” she repeated, “I like to know you got back safe anyway.”

You felt your cheeks flush under the dim light. It was a sweet gesture and you didn't know how to respond, so you just retreated into the bathroom without another word.

next chapter

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Taglist:

@spideyspeaches @spideyssunshine @niallsvirgosun @namoreno @roseke @thevery-firstpage @emistrash @tomsirishgirlx @peachyafshawn @andreagf956 @agbspidey @sleepybesson @misshale21 @raajali3 @nj01 @prancerrparkerr @ellabellabus07 @mayal0pez @xoxomaterialgirl @belovedholland @rednights @inthegetawaycarwithtaylah​ @zspideyy​ @minjix​

[rayshippouuchiha]

"stripper!izuku"

...

non hero quirkless (vigilante) izuku who's mom gets sick and he needs some extra cash to pay the medical bills and starts stripping

and shouta is dragged to a stripper joint by nemuri, tensei, and hizashi bc "u need to get out and enjoy urself" and he sees this cat boy (?) or maybe bunny boy stripper who's moving in a very familiar way

but he gets destructed be wow the muscles on those thighs he wants his head to be crushed

Oh hell let me just take this and twist it a bit:

So Izuku’s life has been pretty shit.  He was labeled quirkless at 4, his dad left by the time he was 5, and school was hell.  Inko did her best and she loved him but, well, it’s hard for a woman with a son like him.

So things were never easy.

But by the time he’s 16 Inko’s dead and he’s out on his own and things get harder.  His saving grace?  A few of the dancers from a local club on the scruffier side of Mustutafu.  They don’t care that he’s quirkless or that he;s scrawny and he mumbles or anything like that.

They’re just ... kind. Something Izuku’s seen too little of in his life.

They take him in, get him a job busing tables and sweeping floors because nowhere else but the clubs want to hire someone like him.  They even find him a place to rent for super cheap where the only real issue is the way he has to make sure he wedges a chair under his doorknob every night. But he normally uses the window instead of the door anyways so it works out.

So the dancers help him out and he balances finishing school as fast as possible (because he promised Inko he would no matter what and the teachers are more than happy to see him go) and his new life that happens at night. Working in this new world of glitter and sequins, thigh highs and flesh.  It’s rough and it’s messy but it’s good in so many ways. Filled with laughter and long nails scratching at his scalp and bartenders who feed him and dancers who slip small yen notes and coins into his pockets when he’s not paying attention because he’s “just baby, look at those cheeks”.

And he knows not all of them have tragic backstories, some of them just like to dance, but none of that matter because they’re all so good to him.

He gets older.  Turns 17 and a few of the dancers see the way he wiggles to the beat when he buses tables and sweeps floors and they start teaching him in the down time before the club opens and after it closes.  He’s always been good at patterns, always been good at keeping aware of his surroundings and once something catches his attention he latches on hard.

And dancing, this thing that’s such a huge part of all these people who’ve taken over his life now, absolutely catches his attention.

He gets real good, real fast and the owner is more than willing to let him take a turn on the stage on slow nights for half the regular stage fee.  But then it becomes the full fee because Izuku’s good.  Good enough to where the owner asks him what he wants his gimmick to be.

And it’s cliche, he knows it is, but all he can think is how Inko used to laugh and poke him in the cheeks and tug lovingly at his hair when he was little and coo “look at my little bunny” thanks to how he’d hop in place and flap his hands just a bit whenever he was excited about something, unable to stand still.

So soon he’s not just busing table anymore he’s a fulltime dancer too, Usa-chan on the stage.

He still helps out around the club though. Still runs drinks and even takes shifts behind the bar if necessary.  And once the night’s through he’ll take the time to walk a few of the dancers home because he wants them to be safe.

So of course when someone tries to rob them, tries to steal the money his friends worked so hard for Izuku steps in, body just moving on its own.  But he’s strong now.  Running and dancing and working the floor have all seen to that.

“My hero,” Nanami-chan sobs, half smothering Izuku in his cleavage even as the other dancers coo and laugh and agree. 

And Izuku just ... yeah, he still wants that.  So after that night Izuku just, never stops stepping in wherever he goes, with whatever he sees.

Turns out dancing is actually a pretty good source of income and training for a vigilante too.  A flexible schedule, good pay, and a job that guarantees him a special kind of physical training in the process.

So time passes, he gets older and while his life isn’t perfect, while it’s still hard and it’s still rough in a lot of ways, it’s also ... good.  Better than he’d ever imagined.

And then, one night when the music is loud and the club is packed, he ends up in the lap of Eraserhead himself and everything changes.

But Nerumi is a huge supporter and likes to frequent the local clubs, showing her support to the dancers and just enjoying herself. Hizashi’s always down for a night out and Tensei is surprisingly at home anywhere. So of course that means Shouta gets dragged out more often than he might like to one club or another.

~~~

For his part Shouta’s never been a strip club kind of person.  Nothing against the people who work there it’s just that they’re normally loud and crowded and sometimes the lights hurt his eyes.

He’s absolutely not expecting to be taken in by one of the dancers. But Usa-chan is all lithe muscles and mouthwatering thighs and he dances with something that looks a lot like a sensual sort of violence in every move and Shouta can’t help but watch.

And Nerumi, Hizashi, and Tensei can’t help but see him watch. So of course they interfere, more money than necessary piling up between the quickly as they wave Usa-chan down after his set and buy a lap dance for their grumpy friend.

“Oh,” Usa-chan practically squeaks as he pretty much lands in Shouta’s lap, face flushed and dark lined eyes wide.  “Eraserhead!”

And Shouta’s shocked of course that he’s been recognized here in this club.  But then Usa-chan smiles, this wide and bright sort of grin and leans forwards to brush a barely there kiss against the arc of Shouta’s cheek.

“Thank you for all you do,” Usa-chan tells him softly with a small wink.  “Let me make this dance really good for you.”

And Shouta’s stuck there with a lap full of dancer while his idiot friends hoot and holler beside him and, well, Shouta’s always been a cat person but maybe bunnies aren’t so bad either.

Maybe.

[jellicle-chants]

Breaking and Entering

Munkustrap decides to go out of his comfort zone to hunt down a gift for Mungojerrie when things go catastrophically wrong, as they always do.

My Jellicle Community Event post for @rainbowratsstuff! I hope you enjoy this, it was an absolute blast to write!

This was a stupid idea, Munkustrap thought as his eyes scanned the dark basement, looking back up at the window he had just fallen through. It must’ve swung shut behind him and pushed him inside. Typical. He had no idea how Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer did this with any sense of grace at all. Maybe that was part of the joke.

No use crying over spilt cats, though, so he picked himself up and headed for the stairs. He could have all the doubts he wanted about going through with this while he was still outside, but now that he had gotten in, he might as well do it. His claws clicked rhythmically up the tile steps, and he eventually emerged out into a well-furnished study, lit only by the pale glow of a streetlight peeking in a small window.

That was no issue for Munkustrap, of course, and he leapt up onto the office chair, then the large oaken desk that filled the center of the room, sending the chair into a lazy spin. What kind of thing would Mungojerrie want as a gift? He suddenly realized he had no idea. Jerrie broke into houses all the time to take whatever he pleased. How could he possibly find something for him?

Like he had said: a stupid idea.

He considered the pens and paperweights strewn across the desk for a few more moments, then shook his head and dropped back down. The kitchen would probably be a better option — if nothing else, Jerrie would probably appreciate whatever morsels he could find in the pantry. “There’s nothing like a nice cut of meat to win a tom’s heart,” he quoted to himself, emulating his dad’s brassy baritone.

• • •

Mungojerrie leaped down from the windowsill, glancing over his shoulder to watch Rumpleteazer follow behind him. She giggled as she bounded across the carpet towards the living room, and he shushed her, more out of tradition than any need for secrecy. They were alone in the house — they had watched the family leave on holiday that same afternoon, slobbery old bulldog in tow. He raced to keep up with his sister as she scoped out the best area to begin their antics.

They should have been alone in the house, but as he watched Teazer claw her way up a set of curtains to get to the top of a china cabinet, he could’ve sworn he heard noise from a few rooms over. And there it was again: a quiet rustling sound, just barely different from the wind in the trees outside. “Did you hear that?”

“What?” She looked up from where she had been trying to wedge her paws in the crack of the door and force it open. “It’s just leaves, Jerrie. Nothing to worry about.”

“If you say so.” He scratched behind his ear, still not convinced. “Well, you keep working on that, and I’ll go see if I can’t find us something for dinner.”

Her voice was strained as she pushed against the cabinet door, freckled cheeks turning pink. “Sounds… good… to me.”

“Isn’t that a lock right next to you?”

“Oh. Yeah. Good eye, Jer. I saw it too — I was just testing the magnets first.”

He grinned knowingly at her and strolled off towards the kitchen. Whatever it was, he hoped it was a good surprise.

• • •

Munkustrap panicked, rushing for the kitchen door. Of course, it was just his luck that the three of them had picked the same house to break into tonight. If he could just catch Mungojerrie on his own —

“Straps?” The tiger-striped tom looked as confused as he felt.

“Jerrie…”

“What the hell are you doing here?”

“Keep your voice down and I’ll tell you,” he said, pulling Jerrie further into the kitchen. He wasn’t really in the mood for the non-stop pestering he’d get from Rumpleteazer if she found out what he was here for. Or everyone else in the junkyard, for that matter — she wasn’t exactly known for keeping secrets. “I was… trying to find you a gift. Something nice. I saw you and your sister stalking this place out the other day, so I figured it was a safe bet.”

He expected Jerrie to scoff, but he just smiled that cheeky grin of his. “Wow, I never thought I’d see the day ol’ Munkustrap would actually break a rule. I really must be a bad influence.” His brow furrowed as he seemed to remember something. “You know this family’s got a bulldog, right?”

So that was the Pollicle smell he’d kept running into outside. “Guess I just got lucky, then. So, will you help, or…?”

“Yeah! Right. Don’t worry, Straps, I’ll come up with something so we can slip away.” He waggled his eyebrows and flashed another smile that didn’t exactly instill confidence in Munkustrap. “You just stay in here so Teazer doesn’t spot you.”

He didn’t have time to object before Jerrie opened a cabinet door behind him and pushed him inside.

• • •

Mungojerrie let his eyes wander around the kitchen, waiting for something to catch his attention. He hadn’t had the chance to tell him, but the thought of stuffy, by-the-numbers Munkustrap breaking into someplace to get him a present made him feel quite nice. He wasn’t actually all that stuffy, he had to remind Teazer sometimes. He just cared about everything at the junkyard running smoothly, like their dad and his trains. He knew Teazer wouldn’t dare call Skimbleshanks boring.

But back to the task at hand. Maybe he could open up the oven, or knock the wastebin over and spill all the trash. All of that would certainly draw her attention, but it wouldn’t exactly result in him and Straps getting away. He’d need something better…

That’s when his eyes were drawn to the flower vase sitting on the counter.

“Hey, Tea, come watch!”

Jerrie heard a sound like fabric ripping and Teazer bounded into the room, skidding to a halt beneath him and picking curtain fibers from her claws. “What’s up?”

“Mind your head, this one’s gonna be a doozy.” He got behind the vase and pushed it up to the edge of the counter, then glanced over to make sure she was standing out of the way. Sure enough, she was practically vibrating with excitement on a nearby stool, glancing back and forth to judge the distance the vase would travel to hit the floor. “You ready?”

“Oh, stop mucking about and just push it already!”

He grinned, then nudged the vase forward to send it over the edge with an “oops!”. It teetered for a moment before finally giving up and falling to the ground, bursting open like… well, like a smashed vase. Shards of ceramic glittered on the floor beneath him. Perfect. He eyed the debris, calculated the jump distance, and —

• • •

“Yeowch!”

Munkustrap winced sympathetically. It had been bad enough seeing the vase — surely an antique, decorated to the nines with precise lines and colors — destroyed against the tile floor. But then, to watch Jerrie leap down and land with his back right paw amongst the destruction? Truly a horror show. He couldn’t look away.

“Jerrie!” Rumpleteazer nearly pounced on her brother in her haste to rejoin him. From his vantage point inside the cupboard, he couldn’t see much except a blur of calico. “What’d you do that for?”

“I didn’t mean to — ow! That hurt.”

“Well, of course it’s gonna hurt, you stepped right in it, you numpty.”

“Oh, I’m a numpty? And who was telling me the other day that she slipped and fell into the loo trying to look at her tail in the bathroom mirror?”

“I told Victoria that in confidence! Oh, she’s gonna hear it from me when I see her…”

Sometimes, the two of them resembled their parents more than they realized. Eventually, though, they managed to sort themselves out. “Why don’t you go on by yourself, and I’ll head back home?” Jerrie asked, trying to sound nonchalant.

“What? I’m not gonna let you walk back with your foot looking like that. Numpty.” She stuck her tongue out as extra punctuation. Munkustrap sighed.

“Nah, I’m fine. Look, it’s healing already.” He held up his paw and she squinted suspiciously at it. “Besides, I don’t even like looking in the vanities anyways.”

At the suggestion of jewelry, Teazer perked up, her concerns forgotten. “Hmm, I guess you’re right… Well, I’ll see you around then. Happy trails!” With that, she was gone, and Munkustrap finally felt like he could breathe again.

• • •

Mungojerrie walked over to the cabinet where Straps was hidden, trying his best not to favor one foot over the other. He swung the door open with a grin and a shrug. “How’d I do?”

“Well, I probably would’ve appreciated it more if you hadn’t actually gotten hurt.”

“Yeah, well, we all know who the actor is between the two of us, Straps.”

He chuckled, and Jerrie’s heart beat just a little bit faster. He loved to make other cats laugh, but Munkustrap’s felt especially well-earned. “I suppose we’d better get going back to your place, then.”

“Wait, but… I was really just saying that for Tea’s sake. Don’t you want to go do something, just the two of us?”

Munkustrap was undeterred. “Tell me how your paw really feels, then we can talk about where we want to go.”

He was right, Jerrie supposed. His paw would probably be fine by morning, but it still stung to walk on for now. “… I suppose a night in isn’t the worst idea I’ve had. Sorry you never got to find anything to get me, though.”

“Ah, yes! That reminds me,” he said, turning back to the cabinet, “while you two were making a mess with the vase, I came across something that I think you’ll quite like. But keep your eyes closed — it’s a surprise.”

Jerrie blushed a little as Munkustrap’s paws reached around his neck to tie something there, but his eyes stayed closed. He could feel something cold and metallic being pressed into his paws, so he took it. Whatever Straps was planning, he had no idea.

“You can open your eyes now.” Jerrie did, and looked down at the spoon in his hands. His confusion must’ve been noticeable on his face, because he smiled and said, “It’s to see your reflection.”

“Oh, right.” He held the spoon up to his face and noticed a cream-colored piece of fabric tied into a neck scarf, just above his collar. He played with it a little, adjusting the knot to be off to one side, then realized he hadn’t said anything yet. “Straps, this is great! You just found this in there?”

He beamed, looking both proud and a little relieved. “It was part of a napkin set. Taffeta, I think. I figured with all of the other mess, they might not notice it’s gone.”

“Imagine their faces when they go to set up Christmas dinner. And they’d never even know it was you! You’d made a pretty good criminal, Straps, admit it.”

“You didn’t see the way I got in here, then, or you wouldn’t have said that.” He chuckled and held his arms out to Jerrie. “You want some help getting home, then?”

Jerrie sprung into Munkustrap’s arms with a grin. “If you’d told me you were going to carry me earlier, I wouldn’t have made nearly as much of a fuss as I did.”

“I think I might have made a mistake giving you that,” he said, looking at Jerrie’s scarf. “It suits you far too well.”

“I love it.” As he directed Munkustrap back home, Jerrie forgot all about his sore paw, instead imagining the compliments he’d get on his brand new scarf. It had been a pretty good surprise after all.

[lilikags]

✑ synopsis; adopting a pet with their s/o (requested) ✑ pairing(s); mort x gn!reader, vildred x gn!reader, krau x gn!reader, tywin x gn!reader and kayron x gn!reader ✑ tags; fluff hcs ✑ wc; 646 ✑ notes; I hope i didn’t take too long,, i took a really long time im sorry v_v also im sorry if this doesn't make as much sense as it should, ive only ever owned a fish

mortelix *～♡

mort already considers humans sort of as pets, but it's really not so bad for him to get a pet! he'll get whatever you want, a dog, cat, fish... anything, really. he'll get it for you. want something from the chaos gates? he has it covered. want to find the cutest dog available that has been put for adoption specifically from ritania? he'll put up with it and get it for you.

mort... is not good at taking care of pets. he doesn't really understand how they work or what they need, but he'll gladly watch you take care of them.

he doesn't really care for the pet at first, but as he spends a lot more time with it, he'll learn how it is to actually care for someone other than you. he's learning, slowly.

vildred *～♡

vildred would love to get a pet! he has a soft spot for them, and the thought of taking care of one with you warms his soul. he's very open to it, and he really likes dogs, but he'll be open to getting whatever you want

he's very touchy-feely with the pet, if it's a dog or a cat! he loves having it in his lap and would always be petting it and spending time with it, to the point where you have to wedge yourself between them. don't worry, he's always going to love you more than he can love any other person, and you're always welcome to join the cuddle session

if you get a pet that needs to be trained, he's the one training it. he'll show you all the cool tricks he's taught it- please be proud of him; he worked hard to achieve that!

krau *～♡

krau loves your idea of getting a pet. he would try get the most expensive thing at first, but then he will always end up getting the one you like the most!

he becomes a total pet dad. he might just end up taking care of it more than you, and if the pet ends up liking him better, don't be surprised!

he also spoils your pet so much. he makes a whole room for it, with all sorts of things specially made for it by the best crafters in Taranor. he's just extra like that, don't mind him. he has money now though, and a whole castle. is it really a waste when you have this much stuff?

tywin *～♡

tywin... is not familiar with pets at all. he's never had one, and he doesn't really know how to take care of one. but do not worry! books exist for a reason, and he will be studying

he doesn't really know what kind of pet he'd want, so he lets you choose. he's happy with whatever you choose, after all. if you're happy, he's happy.

tywin's often out working- after all, he is in such a high position in lefundos, but when he comes home, he's always tired. he'll spend time with you and your pet, and it's one of the things he treasures the most <3

kayron *～♡

kayron appears to be so against the idea of a pet. he says that they're useless and annoying and a waste of time, effort, and money. though, really, he doesn't find it too bad... as long as you're happy

it takes A LOT of convincing, but in the end, it's very possible to get him to agree. he doesn't really mind in the end anyways, "it's just an animal"

kayron doesn't know anything, but if you teach him or ask him for things, he'll get them for you. he may pretend that he doesn't care (it's a lie, he actually is learning how to care for lives) but he really does care, and if it gets into danger, he'd be so fast to protect it.

ᴺᴼᵂ ᴾᴸᴬᵞᴵᴺᴳ : lili’s notes…

↻ ◁ II ▷ ↺

➽ please rb if you liked this! it would make me so happy <3

➽ masterlist

➽ taglist: @smoochi-modest @oiphity @appletart09 @definetlynotseren

➽ please send an ask to join the taglist!

[everybody-loves-purdy]

Heck it I mentioned Berrynose so it’s Berrynose time. Here comes my perfect terrible egotistical boy I love my absolute worst man I could find that isn’t just straight up evil. Also Jayfeather is here.

So him and Jayfeather become surprisingly close because I always thought they were kinda similar in a way but also a bit opposite let me explain. I don’t know if this is headcanon-y but from the way everyone thinks about and talks about Berrynose I always got the impression that while he is a social guy no one is really friends with him? He’s like the guy in the friend group that no one is actually friends with outside the group and doesn’t get invited out with everyone else cuz he’s kind of a pain in the butt. He’s egotistical and bossy and overly self-confident so while people are ‘friendly’ with him they’re not actually friends with him.

Jayfeather is sharp and from most characters first impressions of him seems a little off-putting and cold. That combined with the fact he’s a medicine cat, at this point in the canon story the sole one for a while, just kinda puts a wedge between him and his clan mates. But despite this Jayfeather actually seems to have good friends and does seem generally well regarded amongst his clanmates. Both their personalities are off putting but Jayfeather was still able to build bonds, and I think it’s because Jayfeather still comes off as well meaning. What I mean is that he’s grumpy and short but when he’s harsh to a patient you can tell it’s because he cares about their well-being ultimately, like snapping at cats to stay still while applying something or chastising someone for not wanting to take whatever he’s giving them because it tastes bad. Whereas Berrynose being pompous comes off like he cares about himself above everyone else and believes he’s better than them, so it drives people away instead. Similar fronts with opposite effects basically.

I like the idea of Berrynose being a little envious of Jayfeather as a result, but after the great battle that doesn’t really matter anymore. Mostly he can relate to his grief, they both had large families they were close to in particular their litter mates who they lost. Jayfeather has more guilt however, as he’d been on bad terms with part of his family until basically right before they all died which leaves a lot of not really resolved issues and the regret of wasted time. And now he’s the sole medicine cat again except he doesn’t even retain a connection to Starclan (what good that connection did him when most of everyone he cared about it dead). So at first he’s more isolated than ever before, he does his job best he can but he’s kind of on autopilot unusually quiet even for him.

I want Berrynose to be the one to extend a paw to him just dropping any envy immediately and trying to connect with him, they both really need it in the circumstance and most the other adult cats are too busy regrouping too just pay any sort of personal attention to others yet. He also is the one that’s there for Morningkit and the apprentices during this time as well, trying to keep their spirits up. Like the other person I like the idea of Berrynose having inherited some parentalness from Daisy and the situation kinda brings it out of him, but not really in a paternal way. He’s less of the apprentices and Morningkit’s dad and more like your cool but overprotective older brother, and he’s a couple years older but he’ll humour your kid stuff and take you out on day trips and buy you snacks and demands to know who upset you when you’re sad. He takes care of the emotional side of the situation and while he’s still got some of his egotistical self the front has slipped a lot and he’s better for it.

I have a bit more about Berrynose along with Jayfeather in particular, but this is already too long and I am very sorry I’m just an enjoyer of terrible but not villainous men. Also I love the name Earthclan I am swaddling it in a blanket and cradling it to my chest like a baby, thank you so much for it you are so smart. Sorry these keep getting longer and longer, I think this will probably be the biggest one though I just have many Berrynose thoughts.

This is so good I love this so much. No need to apologise, send more whenever you want I am loving this au

[thran-duils]

Lost in Zero Gravity (P.21)

Title: Lost In Zero Gravity (Part Twenty One) Summary:  Fem!Reader x Mob Boss!Tony Stark x Mob Boss!Steve Rogers.  Reader is a call girl who runs high end parties. She catches the attention of Tony Stark who invites her back to his room with his friend. She might have performed too well because she becomes their new favorite play toy and they don’t like to share. Words: 3,051 Warnings (for the fic in entirety): Smut, prostitution, infidelity, angst, domestic violence, stalking, possessive behavior, drug use

Part Twenty || Part Twenty Two || Masterpost (mobile) || Fanfic masterpost

“What the hell happened?” Rhodey demanded after a few moments of awkward silence after Steve had stormed out.

Happy had closed the door after Steve, also looking at Tony now with expectation for an answer.

“Nothing,” Tony said aggressively, pushing the reactor and the suit began retracting.

“Nothing? You don’t get to cause that uproar here in the facility and then not give any of us an answer—” Rhodey started to argue.

“Who’s in charge here?” Tony interrupted him shortly.

Rhodey shook his head, “Tony, that’s not fair. And you know it.”

“Life isn’t fair,” Tony quipped, walking over to his desk to snatch up his phone. He began texting quickly.

“If something is going on between you two, the rest of the team deserves to know! Especially since you’re pulling the ‘who is in charge’ card. That’s the two of you!” Rhodey said. “You manage a lot of people and factions are not what the operation needs to function properly.” He stepped closer and continued, “It’s her isn’t it? Heard pregnancy test and that’s not hard to deduce why both of you would be concerned about that.”

Tony was scrolling through his phone, not answering Rhodey.

Irked, Rhodey pressed, “I don’t know why the two of you thought sharing was going to work out. You are both hardheaded, sons of—”

“Rhodey, if you’re going to continue nagging at me like an old lady, please just leave. I’m busy,” Tony interjected again, distracted still.

“No! You need to be open!” Rhodey shouted, finally fully catching Tony’s attention. Happy rose his brows in surprise at his boldness. “You two just almost plummeted each other.”

Tony ground his teeth, staring Rhodey down. Exhaling sharply, he finally said, “Fine. Yes. You’re right. Her. And you know, everything was going fine before Steve started having his martial problems. And he started playing fast and loose with Y/N’s safety. He brought her on a mission a couple of days ago – with Bucky and Sam, mind you, so they’re also on my shit list – using her as a pawn and she had no idea what was going on. He left her on a boat with Qian and Perez. Got her caught it the middle of the crossfire, so that was a fun clean up job for me.” That was shock to Rhodey and Happy, both of them caught off guard. “So, yeah, I’m a little fucking piqued, you could say. He’s spiraling because of things at home.” He paused for a beat before sighing, “And he was fucking with her birth control. So, hey, I might be a dad. Again. Even if I didn’t want that.”

Tony all but collapsed into his chair behind his desk, tossing his phone down on the desk. “I don’t know if I should move her. I told him to stay away, and he lured me away and snuck in there and took her. He has a key.”

Rhodey was silent for the first time in the conversation but Happy offered, “It might be for the best.” Tony turned his attention to him and Happy continued, “If you are really worried about it. Removing temptation… sometimes that is the best medicine.”

<><><>

“Let’s go,” Steve said shortly, coming into the locker room. He threw open his locker and reached inside for the freshly washed uniform.

“What the hell happened?” Sam demanded, seeing how disheveled Steve was. He was fresh out of the shower after having done an intense work out.

“Nothing. I’m gonna get suited up and start working. Are you going to join?”

“What do you mean ‘nothing’? Your chin is cut up and—”

Steve barked, shutting Sam up, “I said nothing happened, Sam!” He tossed his suit on the bench behind him and began working at the buttons on his three piece to get undressed.

Sam stood up, gripping at the towel around his waist, staring Steve down. He glared as Steve tossed his suit jacket onto the bench and ripped his tie off. Steve noticed his glare and his hands began to falter under the intensity until they slowly fell. His dress shirt was unbuttoned, and his belt undone.

Evenly, Sam asked, “What happened? What is going on?”

Steve sighed heavily, his hands coming to his hips, head hanging. He was quiet for a few moments, breathing deeply. His voice was quiet when he admitted, “Tony and I got into it. Badly. Right in his office. I… he pissed me off and I just saw red. He hit where he shouldn’t have and he did it on purpose to get a rise out of me. And I fell for it. Like a fucking idiot.” He rubbed at his face. “I don’t know what to do.”

“Take a step back.”

“It’s not as easy as that, Sam!”

“I mean from work. Take some time. You don’t need to throw yourself into this just to escape whatever is happening. Take a step back from work and focus on the shit in your personal life.”

Steve chewed on his lip before saying quietly, “You’re right.” He nodded this time and repeated, “You’re right. I… I need…”

Sam cut in, picking up his slack. “You need to do what’s best for you and your wife. That’s what’s important.”

Steve nodded again. Sam was not privy to his relationship with Y/N. All he knew was she was a prostitute that Steve visited sometimes. But he was right on one thing; he did want his relationship better with his wife. And right now, that was something that was going to be easier to control than his relationship with Y/N.

<><><>

Sitting at the table, eating lunch, you heard voices outside the hall coming closer and you put your fork down. The front door opened, and Tony walked in, followed by a handful of men. Luna booked it from her cat tower down the hallway towards the bedroom at the crowd. You stared at them confused as Tony was giving them directions about what to pack together. You spotted a few bringing in copious amounts of broken down moving boxes, carrying packing tape.

“Bedroom things first. That’s the most important. She needs somewhere to sleep obviously. The bed is easily broken down. The tools for it… I think are in the top drawer of the nightstand on the far side of the bed by the window. I made sure it would be nearby,” Tony was telling a few of them. He had failed to look or notice you at the table, sitting there bewildered. “I saw the cat run down there, so close the door when you go in. She’ll probably run into the closet if she’s under the bed. I just want her corralled and out of the way of everyone else. Do not – and I repeat, do NOT – let her out! We’ll get her into the cat carrier after everything is packed up. And you all are in charge of making sure that bed is ready to go at the new condo.”

New condo?

He turned towards a few more of them and said, “Start breaking down the living room.” To the last couple, he said, “The bathroom. Be sure to properly label everything.”

Tony finally laid eyes on you and walked over to the kitchen table, pulling out his cell phone. “How are you doing, love?”

“How am I… what is happening?” you inquired.

“You’re moving,” Tony informed you, texting.

The men were already setting to work, and you moved your gaze around the apartment in disbelief. Who were these guys and what in the actual fuck was going on?

“Why?” you asked confused.

“Because. I found somewhere better priced.”

“Where?”

“Carnegie Hill.”

That was his neighborhood. He had told you that before, to your immense surprise, giving away his home location. But he had – as you suspected – started trusting you more in recent months. Why was he moving you closer to his family? And especially in that neighborhood? Cheaper? You were hard pressed to believe that bald-faced lie.

“You found something cheaper there than this?” you asked him, completely disbelieving.

“Yep,” Tony told you curtly, still not looking up from his phone. “A nice condo. Nice dropped living room and dining room. Iron work looks great.” You were staring at him intensely as he clicked away on his phone. He felt the burn of your stare and looked up. “What?”

Exasperated you threw your hands out, “What… Tony! I’m just sitting here eating lunch and all these people are in here now and just packing up my stuff! And you’re telling me I’m moving!”

Tony exhaled sharply, tossing his phone onto the table as he pulled out a chair beside you and sat down. Leaning in close he said, “You’re moving closer to me. It’s easier.”

“Easier?”

“Better,” he offered.

“Why? So I can run into your wife into one of the coffee shops and she can maul my face there?”

Tony’s expression was hard, and you really could not give a shit less. You had already told him how you felt about being in close proximity with her.

“First off, Alessia does not go get her own coffee. She sends people for that, Or she has the maid make it for her in her French press. Hell would freeze over the day she was asked to stand in a line and agree to it,” Tony started out, his tone tight. “And secondly, only I will have a key to the place.”

Reality set in on what he was doing. He was leaving Steve out. Did Steve even know this was going on? The memory of Tony last night telling you that he loved you outright flashed through your mind. He had been furious when he had learned what Steve had done to you. A wedge had been driven between them at your expense.

“So, yes, easier. And better,” Tony clipped, leaning away from you again, keeping his gaze fixated on you for a few more moments before tearing it away. He picked up his phone again and unlocked it. “Finish your lunch. You don’t have to lift a finger for this. They’ve got it covered. All we gotta do is get Luna into a carrier. And that’ll be easy, right?”

You were at a loss for words. What if Steve came looking for you? How angry was he going to be when he realized that you were no longer here? And would he think it was you that had asked Tony to move you? You had so many questions.

Tony picked up your fork and held it out to you. “Eat, love. Just relax. I’ve got it covered.”

Timidly, you reached out and took the fork from him, and he visibly relaxed of the tension in his body. You stuck your fork into your rice and took a bite, watching the men working warily.

<><><>

Steve kissed up Cecile’s abdomen, his trail leading between her breasts and up to her lips. She smiled against his lips as he entered her slowly. They rocked together in tandem, coming down together. Steve held her close and whispered in her ear, “Let’s take a few days. You and me. Maine?”

“Seclusion is always nice,” Cecile told him, pecking him on the nose, causing Steve to smile.

“Right on the sea?” Steve questioned, holding her close, cognizant of her swollen abdomen.

Cecile traced his face and said, “You know what I like.”

“That I do,” Steve returned softly. He kissed her deep and relished in feeling like they were truly close again.

<><><>

You had just gotten out of the shower to wash the chlorine off of you. One of the perks of the new condo was the pool. You enjoyed doing laps and the hot tub afterward. Sitting in a robe, you picked up the remote and turned on the TV. Choosing a show, you unwrapped the popsicle you had taken out of the fridge.

The familiar sound of the key in the door echoed and you did not bother to move, knowing the only one who would be coming in was Tony. You had been here for a week and had finished rearranging all of your things in the new layout a couple days ago. Thankfully, Luna had adjusted and loved the window beds on the large windows, giving her access to watch out over the street.

He was dressed down – unusual for him. And he looked nervous, and you were on edge immediately just as you had been when he had looked that way sitting in the living room when you had come home from the gym.

“What?” you asked him reluctantly.

He said nothing. He held a bag out to you, and you stared at him for a moment before you opened it, peaking in.

Your stomach dropped, seeing another pregnancy test.

“Why are you making me do this? For real this time?” you asked him seriously.

He licked his lips and sat down stiffly on the opposite end of the couch. He was refusing to look at you, his elbows resting on his thighs, hands clasped. “I… you need to do it.”

“Why?” you pressed.

“Because. You… you might be pregnant.”

Shaking your head, you told him, “I already took a test. Less than two weeks ago!”

“Have you missed a period?”

“I rarely bleed,” you countered.

“That makes it even more important that you take the test then.”

“Why are you so concerned about this?”

Tony exhaled sharply, hanging his head. He was silent for a few moments, the suspension in the room thick. His voice was brittle, “You weren’t protected. For over a month. December and January, respectfully, between the two.”

You gaped at him. Stammering, you asked, “W-what are you talking about?”

He looked resistant to speak but he shook his head, “Steve.”

“Steve, what?” you asked dangerously.

“He told me at the beginning of January that he had been fucking around with your birth control. Giving you placebos.”

You felt like you had been kicked. Your fingers grasped tighter onto the paper back, it crinkling in your hand. The silence in the room was deafening; Tony refusing to look at you made it even worse.

If what he was saying was true, Steve had betrayed you beyond belief. You had thought his actions at the docks were the lowest he could go but apparently, he was determined to prove you wrong. And for what? To lock you down further?

“Why?” you rasped.

Tony shrugged, “I don’t know. Really. He… he’s having problems. At home, with his wife, I mean.”

“And? Getting me pregnant was going to solve that?”

“No,” Tony gave a dry laugh, shaking his head. “No, it wouldn’t have solved it. He’s… he’s not thinking straight. That has been made noticeably clear.”

“You knew?” you asked quietly. And he finally looked at you, shame etched into his features. “When you asked me to take the first test?”

His answer hit you like a ton of bricks. “Yeah, I did.”

“And you didn’t say anything?” you asked breathlessly.

“You… you were negative. And I was just going to let it rest and move on. No purpose of drawing up drama when it didn’t need to be drawn up.”

“I trusted you,” you half gasped, getting up from the couch.

Tony followed your movement, half stumbling around the opposite side of the couch to chase after you as you clutched the bag close to your chest. He quickly dove into excuses, “I mean it when I said I thought it should stay buried. As long as it was okay. To save you from that stress. And I thought Steve could get his head on straight. But then he went and proved me fucking wrong. So wrong. And that’s why I moved you. He doesn’t know where you are. I’m not going to let him around you. Not until he can prove he has himself set straight again. And if that never happens, then you don’t have to see him again!”

He sounded so desperate for you to forgive him, thank him for what he was doing.

Swallowing sharply, you put up a wall. Coldly, you told him, “I have to go do this.” You tapped the bag. “You know… something I didn’t want to have to do. Ever. But here I am forced again by controlling men to do shit against my will.”

Tony looked wounded by that, and you ignored it, turning on your heel, storming down the hallway. You gritted your teeth. You were going to do your damndest to not cry.

<><><>

It had been over ten minutes since Y/N had locked the bathroom door before he finally heard something.

Tony was leaning on the wall outside and he heard her stifle a sob. His eyes closed, exhaling deeply. He pushed away from the wall and his hand came to the door handle of the door, but he hesitated. His hand fell from the handle, deciding to give her space, and he walked away back towards the living room, his hand coming up to rub at his face, distressed.

Yes, it was going to be easier having her close by pregnant to watch over, he thought to himself.

Regardless of if it was his or not.

<><><>

Daryl or Eric were not in the lobby, causing Steve to frown. Were they upstairs? He got into the elevator, a bad feeling swirling in his gut.

He exited the elevator, holding the envelope to Y/N’s favorite local boutique close to him. He meant to just slide it underneath the door to avoid pissing Tony off even further but to still connect to her. Extend an olive branch and slowly apologize, getting himself back to her good graces.

He stopped though, seeing Terrence or Wylan were not there at the hallway’s end. Worry was beginning to seep in deep at the fact both sets of men were not where they were supposed to be.

Picking up his pace, Steve moved to her apartment door and his heart hammered seeing the keylock on her door instead of a deadbolt. That meant she had moved, and the apartment was empty.

His jaw set, fury burning its way through him.

Tony, that son of a bitch.

~~~

Forever tags: @coconutqueen21 @undecidedsworld

Fic tags: @icant-hangout-imdrumming @oceaniamaddness @multifandom-superlover @imsonick @holl2712 @here4thefanfics @agustdowney @fanofalltheficsx @buttercandy16 @last-saturday-night

[peachypunk22]

Harringrove Feedback Fest

not me participating in something when I haven’t been active in months 😅 

fic recs from AO3 authors that inspire me! these fics are all incredible and i’ve re-read each one listed multiple times!! 

@gothyringwald thank you for putting this together! its such a cute idea!

knit more tightly together by lymrics (E) @lymricks

part one of the blues in chicago series. i think one of the first harringrove fics I read. love the steve/billy dynamic and so emotional and high tension that im pretty sure it made me cry at some point? even though it’s not a sad fic! idk it just really pulled some emotion up. literally the fic that got me into the fandom and wanting to write for it! the whole series is amazing!

Steve takes a second to feel relieved it's not Dustin getting all sorts of arrested in places he shouldn’t be, then he goes back to staring.

It's Billy, who looks as good now as he did the last time Steve saw him: three years ago. He looks just as complicated, too. He’s got bruises on his face, a split lip.

star-crossed bullshit (black holes feast) by ?? (E)

this work got orphaned, but i’m so glad the author didn’t delete because it’s one of my all time faves! strong dom/sub undertones and messy relationship with an incredible use of the unreliable narrator! plus it has mechanic!billy 

Billy makes a mixtape for when he fucks boys, except it’s on Spotify, and he’s only fucking Steve, and all the songs are oddly, and suspiciously, romantic.

liquor (on your lips, makes you dangerous) by eternalgoldfish (E) @eternalgoldfish

i love a college!au with some gross hot Billy and this one is so good. equal parts cute, funny, and sweet with a side of kinky that I hadn’t read before

“Careful, sweetie, don’t break a nail,” Billy said, leaning over Steve’s shoulder, lazy cat’s-grin gleaming up to his eyes.

“I’m not going to break a fucking nail.” Steve hissed and elbowed him, like he hadn’t been thinking the same thing as he struggled to wedge one of his shiny red nails into his wallet’s tight leather pockets.

Or, Steve makes a bet he can't win and Billy doesn't realize his mistake.

i’m saucing on you by Boardingschooled (E)

speaking of college!au’s this one has fratboy!Billy being gross hot in all the best ways. also sweaty concert grinding, boys being absolutley smitten, and waffle house breakfast dates? it’s like college slaps you in the face and makes you listen to AMINE and it’s great

Steve wants a ticket to the biggest party on campus; Billy's got one with Steve's name on it.

Tale as Old as Time by hoppnhorn (M) @hoppnhorn

i’m an absolute sucker for beauty and the beast au’s and hoppnhorn is such a fantastic writer that i had to include this one

Prince William, imprisoned in the form of a beast, can be freed only by true love. What may be his only opportunity arrives when he meets Steven, a man who bewitches him from the very moment he steps foot in his enchanted castle.

Honeyed Wine by Antarc (T) @rascheln

am i biased because this fic has literally all of the thing i like because it was written for me? perhaps. but for real, this fic is SO sweet and well-written! it has baker!billy and a twist at the end that i did not see coming at all. every time i read it i just have a huge smile on my face

While he recovers from an injury at Robin's farm and helps run her market stall, Steve unexpectedly reunites with his old high school rival. Billy, once a tough asshole who got into weekly fights, is now a proud owner of the best bakery in town and mans the stall right next to Steve's- with the best croissants Steve has ever eaten.

samarra by gothyringwald (T) @gothyringwald

i think this was the first fic in a long time that i’ve read that took a more gen/mystery/sci-fi approach, with the romance taking a backseat for most of it, and honestly this fic made me remember how much i like reading. the story and universe building is excellent. very trippy and gives off a lot of twin peaks dream walking surrealist vibes.

When the kids bring Billy back from the dead, it doesn’t go quite as expected: he’s alive but his soul has been left behind. And Steve is the only person who can bring it back.

Salt in the Wound by SheWritesDirty (E) @shewritesdirty

if ‘fuck your enemies’ was a genre, this would be THE fic. rough, gritty, and violent. I could wax poetic about how much I love the writing style and imagery and how different it feels in comparison to other fic. steve and billy are toxic and messy and so bad that its good

The way he ate slow, like his jaw hurt. Like it was tender, like whatever had put that bruise on his face had left more of an impact than just… flesh and bone. And now that he was seeing it... Steve knew that he hadn’t done that to Billy.

That someone else had, after that night and over the weekend... someone else had gotten their hands on Billy and put karma into his skin.

And he still hadn’t looked at Steve.

Here I Go Again by HeckinaHandbasket (E) (WIP) @heck-in-a-handbasket

oh god oblivious!Steve is top tier in this A/B/O fic. combine with a lifeguard!billy that’s trying (and failing) in his rough, fumbling way to make it obvious that he’s courting him and you get this adorable mess. it’s so sweet and funny and the rest of the gang are actual little kids that run around and create havoc. i’m always excited when it updates!

Not just a new lifeguard, either. No, Billy was the lifeguard supervisor.

Because of course he was, the prick.

Swing Away by lemonlovely (E)

sports!au sports!au sports!au - specifically a baseball!au that actually serves as a really cool character exploration of billy and his dad and sports. this one is so bittersweet and i love the dynamic between steve and billy as they figure out a rocky start to a friendship and romance

Steve and Billy go to the same Hawkins Baseball Camp that Steve's been going to since he was a kid, and Billy is not particularly thrilled to be there - he fucking hates baseball, alright? And he tells Steve as much.

lamp-bright rind by nagdabbit (G) 

chef!Billy teaching his neighbor Steve how to cook au. unbelievably sweet and a writing style that is unique, expressive, and comedic. you really fall in love with the characters, as flawed as they may be, and the descriptions of food. did i mention its an almost 100k slow-burn? 

Billy spies on his cute neighbor, his cute neighbor doesn't know how to cook. Luckily, Billy can do something about that.

[bewitchingbooktours]

Ice Floe by Melissa Birling  #YAFantasy #YARomance #PNR #Mermaids

Ice Floe

Ice Floe Series 

Book One

Melissa Birling

Genre: YA Fantasy Romance, YA PNR 

Publisher: Purpance Publishing

Date of Publication: April 28, 2022

Number of pages: 320

Word Count: 87,000

Cover Artist: Thea Magerand

Tagline: Secrecy is safety. Sisterhood is everything.

Book Description:

Seventeen-year-old Glacia didn’t plan to track a kidnapper, stick a middle finger to the government, and fall into a forbidden summer fling. This is simply what happens when you’re the resident odd girl out, in a shoal of all-female mermaids whose values are a little cracked. Or a lot cracked, if you consider government-endorsed murder and the seizure of male infants to be an issue.

When society rules, family, and romance collide, Glacia fights back the best way she knows how: by taking the matter into her own combat-trained hands and kicking some tail. The problem is, no amount of training can prepare Glacia for the crime circle she discovers, secrets she unveils, and human guy she can’t get out of her head. Glacia finds herself at a crossroads where she must decide whose rules to follow. Who she can trust. And ultimately…who lives and who dies.

Amazon      Goodreads

Ice Floe Excerpt: Chapter 6

We’ve been sitting on the ledge a while now, mostly staring at the view. I steal occasional glances at Tucker. I can’t shake the feeling that there’s a force between us. Energy. A pulse. A magnet. Something. Every time I focus my thoughts elsewhere, he pulls me back in. It’s distracting.

“You ready to head down?” he asks.

“You might as well get started. I can’t climb down with all your equipment in the way.” “I have an extra harness. You should come down with me.” He reaches for his pack and stands up.

I jump up to join him. “No way. I’m not hooking myself into that death trap.”

“Glacia, come on. This cliff is super challenging, and it’s way more difficult to climb down than up,” he says, his voice growing louder. Here we go again.

“I’ll be fine once you get your stuff out of the way.” I raise my volume to match his. “It’s not safe. I would feel horrible if I let you climb down and you got hurt.”

“Let me?”

“Not let you. It’s your choice.” “I choose NO.” He clenches his jaw tightly and grinds his teeth. I take a few steps back in preparation. There’s enough room up here to land a solid kick to the face. That should knock him out, then I’ll have to figure out a way to climb down his cat’s cradle setup. Tucker crosses one arm over his chest and raises a hand to cover his mouth. We glare at each other – at an impasse.

“Let’s make a deal,” he offers. “You climb down with me using a harness and rope, and I’ll take you on a boat ride.”

This catches my attention.

“That’s right, I saw you light up when I mentioned my dad’s boat shop,” he continues with a cocky air.

He’s more perceptive than I gave him credit for. Volatile and perceptive. A hefty combination.

“Have you ever been on a boat?” he asks.

I shake my head. I would love to go on a boat. Tucker knows how to fix them and can teach me everything a trainer could, plus more. What am I thinking? This is crazy. I can’t go on a boat with a human. What excuse would I give if I got caught? I can’t pretend I’m seducing. Everyone knows that’s not high on my priority list, and you’re not supposed to seduce alone. Maybe I could say that I’m collecting information to share with the girls I teach… Hmm. That’s almost believable, given my dedication to the studio.

Tucker can tell I’m on the fence about it and ups the ante. “I’ll teach you to drive the boat.”

Unfair. Of course, I want to learn how to drive a boat. That’s a beyond useful skill in my back pocket. I peek down the cliff face to assess the reliability of Tucker’s wedge-rope system. Stupid. Like I know what I’m looking for.

“Fine,” I agree. “We need to be hooked together, so if I die, you die.” “Seems reasonable.”

“AND I get to drive the boat.”

“Deal. Let’s see, today is Monday, and I already have plans tomorrow. Wednesday?”

“What time?”

“Eleven a.m. on the Ula pier.” “I’ll meet you there.” Tucker flips his pack around, unclips a belt, and offers it to me. “Do you know how to wear a harness?”

I snatch it from him, compare it to his gear, and step into the leg holes. When I have it all clipped in, I throw my hands on my hips.

“Now what?” I ask.

Tucker leans in toward me, rope in hand, then pulls back and reconsiders. “That’s not quite right,” he says haltingly. “Can I fix your harness?”

“I already agreed to this mess, didn’t I?”

He rolls his eyes. “I think that’s a yes. Pull the harness up – it has to sit higher on your hips.”

I follow his instructions, and he flops the rope over one arm. He moves in closer and bends down to reposition the harness. His fingers wrap around the loop against my leg as he pulls it up below my hip. My heart beats faster and my insides twists. I evaluate the top of Tucker’s head in an effort to distinguish these sensations from other emotions. He secures the loop and raises his gaze to meet mine.

“Is that too tight?” he asks. His hazel eyes penetrate mine. The edges are a deep brown that blend into a murky green with an amber starburst around the pupil. I shake my head and look away. I hope he can’t tell how disoriented this is making me. “Pull the tabs on your waist tighter,” he instructs.

I cinch the waist while he rearranges the other loop on my leg. Why is this making me so agitated? He’s only fixing my gear so I don’t fall to my death. Tucker gathers the rope into his hand and reaches out to tie it to the front belt loop. As he does, his fingers brush my skin just below my belly button. A jolt of electricity shoots through my body. I take in a small gasp of air and hold my breath. He freezes, his fingers lingering on my stomach. Did he feel that too?

 About the Author:

Melissa Birling strives to experience life from a “both and” rather than “either or” perspective. She enjoys living in metropolitan cities and on a small farm. She appreciates burn-your-tongue Mexican cuisine and delicious London pub food. Lately, Melissa spends her time engaging with cyber security professionals and mermaids. Not actual mermaids, although if you know any, she’d love to meet them.

The revelation that one can be both a successful corporate consultant and a fantasy author who writes about mermaids, encouraged Melissa to finish her debut novel, Ice Floe. The emotional high of typing “The End” at the completion of her first draft, triggered a writing spree that hasn’t stopped since. On any given Saturday or Sunday, you will find Melissa writing. She won’t respond to any attempts at human engagement, because she’s “at a good part,” but you’ll find her typing away, nevertheless.

Melissa lives with a ceaselessly supportive husband and their dog who enjoys hunting neighborhood skunks.

https://melissabirling.com/

https://www.instagram.com/melissabirling/

https://www.facebook.com/AuthorMelissaBirling/

Sample the First Four Chapters for Free at 

www.icefloeseries.com

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