#beta joe

[arthur-lesters-left-arm]

yeah, i’m really into podcasts- what. what is an alpha male podcast. what do you mean the guys don’t whimper and cry? what the fuck is “beta male behavior”

…and there’s no murder? not even aggravated assault? or cannibalism? WHAT DO YOU MEAN “DOES HUMAN TRAFFICKING COUNT?”

[ghetto-omega]

In spirit of Biden stepping down, here are

‎‧₊˚✿Trump x Biden omegaverse headcanons ✿˚₊‧

𑁍 I am a beta Joe Biden truther, argue with your mother

𑁍 alpha trump ofc, what else would he be

𑁍 I think that it's like a forbidden love type thing, but everyone knows they like each other, including their fandom

𑁍 once it gets late in their relationship Biden agrees to help Trump through his rut, but he accidentally gets bitched

𑁍 bitching in my personal verse is when an alphas rut goes so deep that it turns their s/o into an omega, or at least makes them begin to experience heats

𑁍 I think Biden catches a lot of flack for being a beta president, even tho there's been a few other ones before him

𑁍 Bill Clinton was also a beta, for example

𑁍 enemies to lovers, but in reality Trump just had a fat crush on Biden and is emotionally constipated so he just ended up being really mean. Think like... Bakudeku

𑁍 A lot of Trump's fandom doesn't like when people claim that Trump has a crush on Biden bc they don't support beta/alpha relationships

𑁍 Trump himself has to get over his own prejudice against betas, but Biden is there to help walk him through his thoughts

𑁍 this isn't to say it hasn't slightly strained their relationship, but Biden is working to work through it for the man he loves

𑁍 during Biden's first heat Trump had to be at a rally, but he rush back as soon as could

𑁍 bisexual Trump and gay Biden

𑁍 Trump has a bit of a temper, and Biden is the only one who can calm him down when he gets too angry, just his scent can placate Trump, but nuzzling him doesn't hurt either

𑁍 Biden's scent is lavender and peach

𑁍 Trump's scent is sandalwood and smoke

𑁍 Trump thinks it's funny when Biden bleats so he makes sure to surprise him as much as possible so he can hear his pretty little noises

𑁍 Trump calls Biden honeybee after his sweet scent, but Biden is too embarrassed to use pet names

Okay is this enough ? I think this is enough.

Feel free to add your headcanons in the notes/reblogs, I think this is funny

Wrote this while listening to a random bakudeku playlist for inspiration

My ask box is open U⁠^⁠ｪ⁠^⁠U ♪

[themummersfolly]

The Escape

“The men out there, they’re not like Vuvalini fathers. A girl to them is nothing but a body for them to use. But that’s their weakness- a weakness you can use. You let him get close, let him think he can use you at will. By the time he realizes he can’t, he’ll already be bleeding out at your feet.”

K.T. Concannon had said these words when Furiosa was eight. In the days that she’d been in the Citadel, they’d come back to her more and more.

Rictus was obsessed with her, she knew it now. By her two hundredth day in the Vault he was inventing reasons to visit, to stand too close behind her and touch her hair. On the day Aqua’s not-quite baby was born, she knew she needed to get out. She wasn’t sure how, or where she would go after, but she knew that Rictus was her key to escape.

“What do you mean, gone? Where is she?!” Immortan Joe stormed through the entrance to the Vault, his wives scattering before him. The Organic Mechanic turned from where he was putting his tools away.

“Easy, Boss, easy-”

“When was the last time you saw her?”

Organic raised his hands defensively as the warlord loomed over him. “This is the first I’ve been in here since the last birth. I come in to do the check-ups, and they’re saying she’s gone. That she’s been gone for two days.”

“Two days?!” Joe whirled on the nearest wife, a heavily pregnant woman who shrank behind Organic.

“We thought you had her,” she whimpered. “S-somebody came in the middle of the night, the night after the birth. We thought it was you-”

Joe slapped her open-handed, not hard enough to hurt the baby but enough to leave a bruised handprint. He whirled to face the Praetorians that had followed him in.

“It must’ve been him. He was out and about that night, and he’s been acting jumpy ever since.” Scrotus paced in the audience chamber. Outside in the halls, shouts and hurrying footsteps echoed as Joe’s Praetorians turned the Citadel upside down. Joe flexed his hands anxiously.

“Search it! Search every nook and cranny! Organic, stay here. If she’s hidden herself this long, she may be ill.” He seized the unfortunate woman by the hair and dragged her to her feet. “You know I did not come here that night. So tell me, who did?”

“I need to know which of my wives was complicit in this. Such treachery cannot be tolerated.”

“They weren’t complicit in anything, Dad.” Corpus Colossus fiddled with the control stick of his powered chair, causing the servos to buzz back and forth. “They hushed it up ‘cause they were afraid you’d go off on ‘em when you found out. Which you did.” Around the time the girl had arrived, Corpus’ opinion of his father’s breeding program had shifted from this is a bad idea to this is worse than I could have thought possible. Had he not been fighting a serious illness at the time, he would have spoken out at length against inducting her.

Scrotus scowled. “How did he get in and out with her if one of them wasn’t helping him? Someone has to pay!”

Rictus sat hunched over in a chair before his father and two brothers. It had taken almost half an hour to find him; when the search for the girl had started, he had tried to hide in the back of one of the store rooms.

“Rictus is a big boy,” Corpus shot back. He can get in trouble all by himself.” He turned to their father. “We need to get his side of this. You know how he is about dolls, and he’s always following the new war pups around. He may be able to tell us where she is.”

“Tell me the truth, Rictus. I won’t be angry.” Joe’s voice was as gentle as it ever got. “Did you enter my Vault two nights ago?”

“No.” Rictus stared miserably at the floor.

“They heard footsteps, someone big. If it wasn’t Dad and it wasn’t you, then who was it?” Scrotus demanded.

“I dunno!”

“Think.” Joe leaned forward, held out his hands. “You were awake at the time, many people saw you. Did you see anyone near the Vault?”

“No! Maybe- maybe it was him!” He pointed to Scrotus, who clapped a hand over his face.

“Rictus! This is serious!” Corpus snapped. “They’re searching your room as we speak. What are we gonna find in there?”

Rictus looked up in alarm. “You’re not gonna let ‘em touch my stuff? Dad, you’re not gonna let ‘em touch my stuff, are you?”

At that moment, one of the Praetorians entered.

“Sir. We found these. They were sitting out in the open in his room.”

In one hand he held a chastity belt, adjusted all the way down, the fasteners cut. In the other hand he held Rictus’ personalized bolt cutters.

Scrotus was the first to find his voice.

“What the fuck did you do?!”

“Scrotus! Shut it!” Corpus yelled. Rictus had contracted in on himself so hard he seemed to be trying to disappear into his own chest cavity.

“Enough!” Everyone fell silent at Joe’s roar. The warlord leaned forward again. “Rictus, my son. You will feel better if you tell me the truth.”

The big man’s lip wobbled. “It wasn’t my fault! I just wanted to see what it felt like. And then her hair came off, and-”

“Wait. Her hair?” Corpus rolled forward a few inches.

“Yeah! It just fell off in my hand, all of it! And then she ran off, and I couldn’t find her. I tried, Dad, I really tried!”

“Rictus.” Corpus craned his neck to meet his brother’s eye. “Where’s the hair that fell off?”

“Uhhhh…”

Joe closed his eyes in dismay. Scrotus threw up his hands.

“You believe me, right Dad? Dad?”

“Fuck’s sake!” Scrotus snapped. “We all know what you did. She’s dead, isn’t she?”

“I didn’t do anything to her!”

“Yes you did, you stupid pumpkin head, just like you did to the girl Uncle gave you, you can never keep-”

“That’s enough!” Joe shouted. Rictus, who had started to come out of his chair, promptly sat back down. “Scrotus, go help with the search.”

“But-”

“You will be more helpful assisting with the search, my son. Go.”

Scrotus groaned, but did as he was told. The Praetorian followed him out. Corpus sighed.

“Why’d you do it, Rictus? You knew better.”

“I didn’t do anything!”

“I’m disappointed in you, my son.” Joe took Rictus’ hands in his. “You may no longer go into my Vault.”

“But- when the new baby-”

“Even when the new baby is born. You may keep Corpus company instead. If your new brother is born safely, we will introduce you afterwards.” Joe stood up and turned away. Rictus stared after him, tears in his eyes.

“But Dad, I didn’t do anything!”

“C’mon, Rictus,” Corpus puffed gently. “You need to tell us where you put her.”

“She ran away from me, I don’t know where she is!”

“Come on. Walk me through it, every step of the way, and we’ll find where she is.”

“That character over in Gastown won’t be happy.” The People Eater picked his teeth with a carved bone toothpick. “He was rather fond of her, whatever she was to him.”

Rictus sniffled and got up to follow his brother’s chair. “Ok.”

Night had fallen, and the Immortan sat with his inner circle around the remains of their dinner. Corpus and Rictus were still out, trying to retrace Rictus’ steps in a way that made sense. Scrotus scratched pensively at a rash.

“What are we going to tell him?”

The People Eater chortled. “Not the truth, certainly! That’d be dropping a lit match onto relations!”

“He won’t come after her.” Joe sat back to allow a war pup to remove his plate. “Not after she turned on him. He doesn’t seem the type. But we must not allow word to get out. If it becomes known that one of my wives vanished from the security of the Vault, it will significantly cut down on willing candidates. It’s difficult enough now to convince someone to sell me a healthy full-life.”

Footsteps sounded in the entryway and they all looked up. A Praetorian stepped aside to let the Organic Mechanic pass. Joe perked up.

“Anything?”

“’Fraid not. Corpus is starting to think he just chucked her off a gantry when no one was looking. The Wretched wouldn’t have left a lot to know her by.”

A collective groan went up from the table. Joe shut his eyes.

“A healthy full-life on the verge of her child-bearing years.”

“Ah, if I may?” Organic offered. “You might not have had much luck with her anyway.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Scrotus demanded.

“Well- you know I been with her a long time, I’ve seen her grow from a pup herself. And she’s been healthy the whole way through, eating regular, no hard labor, never had a fever. And I do exams on the regular, make sure all the breeders are in good shape and healthy-”

“I’m aware,” said Joe. “What is your point?”

“My point is- most healthy full-lives at her age have started to menstruate, or are showing signs they will soon.”

“They’re doing what?” Scrotus wanted to know.

“Menstruate. You know, bleed from the crotchal regions. That’s how you know they’re ready- I mean, depending on who you ask, there’s different schools of thought. But I keep tabs on her, I keep tabs on all of ‘em, and she’s never bled. And not just that. She’s got no tits, no pubes-”

“Truly you are a paragon of good taste, Organic.” The People Eater made a disgusted face. Organic turned on him, arms akimbo.

“Speak for yourself, Fatso-”

Joe cut them off. “Are you telling me that she was not, in fact, likely to be fertile?”

“I mean, can’t tell unless we open her up, and we’re not likely to get that chance. But yeah, you probably wouldn’t even get a mutant out of her, much less a son. You really didn’t lose that much.”

Joe sat back, massaging his temples.

“I need to find a way to keep Rictus busy. He’s been getting in too much trouble lately.”

“You need to figure out what you’re going to tell Gastown, too, if they ask.” The People Eater wiped his toothpick clean on his suit and tucked it into its case. Organic shrugged.

“Just tell ‘em she got sick. It happens. She got sick, it was real fast, nothing we could do. Happens all the time.”

“Even to one of my wives?”

“Has Dementus ever seen the inside of your Vault?” Organic countered. Joe nodded thoughtfully.

“Good enough. Thank you, Organic, you’re dismissed. Scrotus, I need you to find something to put Rictus in charge of. He has too much free time.”

“Me? What’s he gonna be in charge of, he couldn’t pour piss out of a boot if the instructions were on the heel!”

“Something simple but time consuming. Scouting runs, perhaps. He’s a good enough fighter that I won’t worry.” He turned to the People Eater. “When does my war rig leave for Gastown next?”

“Seven days.”

Whether or not Dementus believed the Immortan’s story was difficult to say. He was dealing with the fallout from yet another clash between his bikers and the Gastowners, and doing it without the help of his most trusted underboss, who was, he explained, “on walkabout.” The questions asked about the little girl’s demise had been few.

“Then in seven days I will send my regrets to Dementus that the girl he brought me has died of an illness. An unfortunate episode, but one that need do no lasting harm.”

The same story was spread in the Citadel by stone-faced Praetorians in response to anyone asking what that ruckus had been about. But quietly, a different story made the rounds, whispered from war pup to blackthumb, circulating at night through the lice-ridden huddles where the treadmill fodder slept.

Vanished, right out from under his nose.

One of the brothers what did it, I heard. Hid her body in the hydroponics.

Wonder who’s next. Might be cushy, but I’d sell me girl to the maggot farmer ‘fore I sold her up there, if she was alive.

Huddled in the back, a scrawny, mute child listened to the speculation and, comforted, drifted off to sleep.

Like what I'm doing? Buy me a coffee!

[serenitybymoonlight]

sold. - charlie spring x nick nelson - 18+ heartstopper: 1. last day in kent

AO3

Wattpad

November 24th, 2025 10:20 AM

Kent Medical Center, Kent, England

   Even in 2025, things haven't ever become equal amongst secondary gender segregation. Alphas ruled the world, even the ones without a lot of money. Betas were the go-betweens. Even if they were rich, they still couldn't outrank the Alphas. Omegas had the worst of it all. They didn't have any laws or rules to protect them. 

   Things were so bad that there had been spike-ups in suicide around the time Auction Day came around in Omegas. That is, if they don't end it as soon as they find out they are Omega. Alpha's could pretty much slaughter an omega in public and get no punishment in return. 

   To the world, Omega was the scum of the hierarchy. However, they were very sought out because they were known to conceive quite a powerful offspring. They are extremely pleasurable to Alphas. Betas don't have the same pheromones as Alphas and Omegas, so they don't pertain to this.

   Once everyone turned eighteen, they would have to go to the local Hospital to get evaluated. This would tell you and log it in the database for everyone's secondary gender. Depending on how long or short the time was until January 1st, it didn't matter. You must go to the closest Obedience School if you are an Omega. It was optional for anyone but Omegas.

   This way, Charlie was so nervous. He seriously had bad luck. If he were honest with himself, he would admit he was an Omega. It had been in the back of his mind ever since he hit first-gender puberty, but when he turned eighteen and got his second-gender puberty, it was confirmed to him, though he was hoping that he was wrong and that he was a Beta.

   Tao made a face, trying to bear it while waiting for their results. Tao and Charlie were born on the same day, and it had been about a week since their birthday. That was the limit: You had to wait for the Secondary Gender Evaluation, if not in a weeks time then you were taken to the police station and given it.

   "Char... Seriously, you are hurting my hand," Tao said through gritted teeth.

   "Oh... Sorry," Charlie said, letting go of his hand and hugging himself for comfort.

   "Charlie, Why are you so nervous," Tao comforted him with a hug, "Youre gonna be a beta, trust me," he sighed. "Are you scared about what we saw on the walk here?"

   Charlie tried to shake the memory out of his head. Walking to the Hospital from the parking lot, they witnessed a fight between a Beta and his Alpha. It was much less of a fight than an Alpha beating their Omega. 

   The Alpha was a Werewolf that had shifted, and he latched onto the Beta's throat and pinned him down to the grass. Charlie and Tao covered their ears and ran away before seeing what the Omega had planned to punish or kill the Beta.

   "Why do you think I shaved my head? " Charlie's lip trembled. Tao looked and realized that was what was different about Charlie.

   Whenever Omegas first developed after their body accepted their second gender, a small part of their hair depended on what species they were. This was very helpful before society advanced in the medical field. This was a way of knowing when the Omega had conceived. When they conceived that this small patch of hair fell out of the head.

   "Shit..." Tao pinched the bridge of his nose, seeing the deep purple patch of hair at Charlie's right temple when he focused on it.

   They heard the door opening, and the nurse came out with their forms. He quickly grabbed Tao's hand again. "Charlie... you're crushing my hand again," Tao grimaced as Charlie slowly pulled away.

   Charlie couldn't physically look at the result as the nurse gave it to them. He felt frozen and like he was about to combust into tears. "Woah! No way! I am an Alpha!" Tao smiled from ear to ear, momentarily forgetting about Charlie. Then he looked over to see Charlie spiraling.

    "Do... you want me to help?" Tao asked, and Charlie nodded. He leaned over and opened the forms. "Oh... Um," Tao said, not knowing if he could tell him. Charlie started to sob as he knew what Tao was about to say.

   "Mr. Spring, The Doctor would like to see you before you leave for Obedience School," The Nurse said softly.

------- TW: Implied Forced Abortion 12:01 PM

Nelson Chateau, Kent, England

   Nick woke up wet, and sobering up took him a moment. He looked over to see his mother opening the curtains to let the daylight in. She had a pot in her hand, so he assumed she had just thrown water on him. She had done it before, as he was a pretty heavy sleeper.

   "Turn off the light," Nick sighed, covering his face with his pillow. He had been out all night drinking with his high school friends. It had been a couple of months since he returned home from college.

   "Get your clothes on and come downstairs, Now," Sarah said in her serious tone. Nick widened his eyes as he knew he was in deep shit. 

   Nick went to the bathroom to dry off before getting dressed, and he pushed the air function in the shower before groaning. He liked airdrying in with the air function because it took less time than using a towel, but he had forgotten his parents took that away because he was grounded. 

   He had been a little troublemaker when he was at college. His family, descendants of the Queen Alpha, was quite well known, and he had been in the tabloids several times in the past week. This infuriated his father, who cared more about his reputation than his sons.

   Nick was trying to think of what he had done to piss his mother off so much, and he knew it had to be bad if she was pissed. He slipped on his sweats with his family crest on them before heading down.

   Nick's paternal family was from one of the most prominent lines of Hybrids. Before the 16th century, it hadn't been heard of Wolves and Bears cohabitating, but his distant relatives were fated together, creating one of the biggest families of hybrid wolves and bears. However, Nick only got one of his father's and his mother's shifters. 

   Nick was an Alpha Wolf/Golden Shepard, while his brother passed on the Wolf/Bear lineage. This made Nick feel like the black sheep of the family. His father had never told him this, but he knew he was disappointed Nick had broken the hybrid linage. So, putting on the family crest did break him a little every time. He just tried not to look at the little portraits of the wolf and bear on there.

   Nick saw Imogen and her parents at the door as he walked down the grand staircase. He froze in place and gulped. It had to be important if the Heaneys were in Nelson's Chateau. There had been a centuries-long grudge between the family because they couldn't decide which side's ancestor had betrayed the other, but they were convinced they were on the right side.

   "Nicholas, please tell me what this girl is saying isn't true," Stephane said. Nick raised an eyebrow, not knowing what the issue was. However, he didn't like how his father looked at her judgmentally.

   "She has a name, Father," Nick crossed his arms, closing himself off. David was looking at him like he was in deep shit now, and he couldn't be happier.

   "Nick..." Imogen looked at him like she was terrified. She hunkered down a little as her parents looked just as angry as his parents did. "I am pregnant," Imogen said, and Nick froze. Then he walked down to her and hugged her. 

   "That's amazing!" Nick smiled from ear to ear. Their fathers stopped them from hugging, and he was the only one who refused.

   "I-I am sorry, Nick," Imogen said, and Nick raised an eyebrow. They had been good friends since they were 13, keeping it a secret from their parents. It started as just friends with benefits, and then it fizzled out a couple of months ago as they liked other people. Imogen hated that she had to say this because she knew how much Nick wanted to be a father. "I am not keeping the baby,"

   "Um... L-Like, you are going to put them up for adoption?" Nick asked, and Imogen looked down. He couldn't see her wanting to terminate the pregnancy. He believed it was his father's doing, so he glared at him.

   "I will not have my bloodline even more by a weak Beta Rabbit... especially a Heaney," Stephane said with distance.

   "Imogen," Nick stepped closer to Imogen and tilted her head to look him in the eyes. "Tell me you want to get rid of the baby, and I won't do anything to stop you," Nick said, believing it was mostly her choice. He was taking issue with their parents, forcing her to do this because of a disagreement centuries ago.

   "I don't want the baby," Imogen said emotionlessly. Nick knitted his eyebrows together. "I am fated to Ben Hope. We are getting married in a month," Imogen and Nick closed his eyes and accepted this by hugging her.

   "Okay, Let me just change, and I will go with you," Nick said.

   "Nick... I am sorry, but it has already been done," Imogen said, and Nick froze, mixed emotions on his face. She stood on her tippy toes and kissed him on the jaw, "I am sorry, Nick... we should have been more careful," Imogen said before nodding and walking out. Her parents glared at him before having a few choice words with his father going after her.

   Stephane stepped forward and grabbed him by the arm, forcing him to look at him. Nick pushed at him and backed up. "You have exerted my patience, boy. You are going up to your room and packing your shit. You are going to intermediate training school in Alaska,"

   "I will never forgive you for this," Nick pointed in his father's face. He felt like he could kill him at that moment.

   "Oh, you will be fine," Stephan swatted him away, "it's only for a couple of years,"

   "I don't give a fuck about school. I will never forgive you for taking away what would have been my firstborn," Nick snapped, "I know this wasn't Imogen's choice. "You paid them off, didn't you," he growled and looked at his mother. She quickly looked away because she couldn't lie to him.

   "Dad, you are missing the best part," David chimed in, and Nick gave him a warning glance, "Don't you know Nicky? You are soon to be betrothed." David said, and Stephane rolled his eyes as Nick looked at him. "Daddy bought you a brand new omega!"

   "What?" Nick snapped.

   "You and your brother are a disappointment," Stephane said, and it went quiet. David's smirk wiped off his face. "Your brother just had to be fated with a Beta. His son is a disappointment. We can get some powerful hybrids back in the mix with an Omega.

   Nick looked down. He hated omegas. They always fawned over him and distracted him. He never wanted to get married this young, either. He just wanted to get married of his own will and have children—not powerful ones or hybrids—just healthy ones.

   "We will take you to the airport at sundown," Stephane declared.

   "Whatever..." Nick muttered, walking up the stairs defeated. Please Vote, Comment, Add to your reading list, and share with your friends:) Check out my subreddit for my writings r/QuinnLake.

[negotiumcrucis]

a heart like mine

Joe/Nicky, Omegaverse, Mature (wip)

When Joe’s bag gave way, spilling all its contents on the corridor floor, it took every ounce of willpower not to fall on his knees and weep like a child. Of course, Hana had finally settled down in her carrier, and she continued to sleep despite the crash of a half dozen cans of baby formula hitting the carpet, so Joe merely blinked back unshed tears and took a deep breath, finding his key and unlocking his flat. He left the door ajar as he carefully put Hana’s carrier on the sofa and quickly went back to retrieve the scattered cans.

After the tragic passing of his omega sibling, alpha Joe got custody of his newborn niece. Unfortunately, things weren’t progressing as well as they should and now Joe has found himself in dire need of a wet nurse.

---

read @ ao3

---

I have a new omegaverse wip... please mind the tags and the author notes!

[fandomgirlz01]

So a little while ago Nat and I {Faith} decided we would like to have Beta readers for our works. We then thought maybe some of you would enjoy being that for us while helping you guys be a little more interactive with us. That being said, we made an application for you guys to fill out for a chance to be a reader, so if you are interested the link will be down below.

We will be closing the application process down October 20th, 2024 and we will be going though them October 21st, 2024. If you enter we will contact you a few days later to let you know if you've been chosen or not.

We are so excited to have some of you join the team! Happy applying!

Here

[jellofish-of-the-deep]

Y/N Dies of a Caffeine Overdose and Lycaon Finds Your Corpse in a Public Bathroom

Read on ao3 here:

It was a day like any other for the employees of Victoria Housekeeping. Rina was ordering her Bangboos (Bangboo? Bangbi?) to dust the bookshelf, Ellen was holding the vacuum cleaner in one hand while tapping at her phone in the other, and Corrin was busy being useless.

In the middle of the room stood Von Lycaon, proud and diligent president of the company, the pocket watch in his paw reflecting gilded sunlight onto snowy fur. In a smooth, practiced motion, he stowed the watch in his breast pocket, sighing.

“Corrin, although I admire your tenacity, your performance has been lacking this morning. I have noticed a twenty-two percent decline in incomprehensible sobbing from you today, and an almost seventy percent decrease in rampant property destruction. At this rate, you are never going to hit your quota.”

“Ah!” squeaked Corrin as she tripped over thin air, catching herself by stabbing her saw blade into their very rich client’s very expensive and irreplaceable rug. The rug spontaneously burst into flames. The pair looked at it for a second, before Corrin practically slammed her head into the ground. “I-I’m very sorry for not meeting your expectations, Mr. Lycaon!”

“It is quite alright Corrin, we each have our off days. However, may I inquire as to the reason for your lapse in focus? If there is any way in which I may assist you in upholding your ‘dojikko-moe’ character, as the kids these days call it, I shall be happy to lend you my aid.”

“Please… please don’t ever say that again, boss,” Ellen muttered emotionlessly, blood trickling from her ears.

“Well, you see, Mr. Lycaon… I-It’s [Y/N].”

Lycaon raised an eyebrow. “The Proxy?”

“Yes! I’m just so worried about them, Mr. Lycaon… Oh, they’re not in danger or anything! At least, I don’t think so…”

Lycaon did that thing that hot fictional men do where they put their index finger and thumb on their chin. “Would you care to elaborate, Corrin?”

“Oh, yes! Well, it started last week…”

One week ago

After two hours of crashing into every single person who walked by, Corrin finally managed to escape the train station and step into Sixth Street. It was one of her favorite places to visit, as it was never too loud and there were plenty of alleyways she could duck into to break down crying at a moment’s notice.

Unfortunately, Corrin did not have time for a nervous breakdown today, as she was here to run an important errand for Victoria Housekeeping: namely, to repair their Butler Bangboo that she mistook for an Ethereal yesterday before promptly brutalizing it with her fully charged EX Special Attack. Now, if she remembered correctly (a rare occurrence), she just had to turn this corner to get to the Turbo Remodeling Shop…

“FUCKING SHIT GOD DAMN IT I’M GOING TO END IT ALL!”

At the sudden string of expletives, Corrin yelped and dove headfirst into the nearest trash can, startling the cats that happened to be sleeping inside and leaving Corrin with a fresh set of claw marks on her face.

“W-What was that?” Corrin whimpered, peeking around the corner. The noise, she now recognized, was coming from the music shop, Bardic Needle.

“WHAT DO YOU M E A N, I’M OUT OF MASTER COPIES??? I HAD HUNDREDS OF THOSE LITTLE SHITS SAVED UP!!!”

A tired, robotic sigh echoed across the street. “Please, [Y/N], this is quite inelegant-”

“QUIET, ELFY, OR I’M DOWNLOADING YOUR AI INTO A B-RANK W-ENGINE!”

That was [Y/N]’s voice! But what exactly was upsetting them so much, Corrin wondered, as she trepidatiously slid open the door.

“H-Hello, Master Pro-”

“CORRIN SWEETIE PLEASE YOU HAVE TO HELP ME I’M LOSING MY MIND,” [Y/N] screeched, causing Corrin to flinch and knock over an antique record player.

The legendary Proxy was hunched over in the middle of the store surrounded by a comically large pile of nearly identical music disks, hair completely frazzled, eyes bloodshot, looking as though they had just snorted several lines of Ether powder. Elfy stood in the only uncluttered corner of the room, hands dragging down her face, muttering to herself about closing down the shop and taking a swan dive into the nearest Hollow because Corruption couldn’t possibly be worse than this. Corrin hadn’t realized that robots could have bags under their eyes.

Corrin cleared her throat. “You seem to be in a lot of trouble… M-May I ask what is bothering you, Master Proxy?”

[Y/N] visibly took a deep, shaky breath, and tried to lower their voice. “Well, you see… I’m trying to farm Fanged Metal Drive Disks for mommy sorry I mean mommy sorry I mean mommy sorry I mean Jane Doe, but these stupid things KEEP GIVING ME HP AND DEF SUBSTATS!!”

Corrin cowered in fear at the sudden volume, but [Y/N] continued to raise their voice to a howl. “AT THIS RATE I’M NEVER GOING TO REACH 420+ ANOMALY PROFICIENCY FOR MY TOP TIER S-RANK DUMMY THICC HOT RAT DOMMY MOMMY WAIFU! WHAT AM I GOING TO DO?!”

“Please, try to calm down, Master Proxy! I-I don’t exactly understand any of what you just said, but I’m sure it’s very complicated Proxy things that I’m not knowledgeable enough to understand… A-Anyways! Let’s try to think about how to approach this!”

Corrin frowned. “You mentioned earlier that you were ‘out of Master Copies’, whatever that means, but… Is there a way to get more of them? O-Or, maybe there’s another way to get…” she looked around at the hundreds of music disks piled on the floor, “…whatever it is that you need, without them?”

“I can’t get any more Hi-Fi Master Copies,” [Y/N] groaned, “I’ve already maxed out my Fortnite Battle Pass this season. And the only other way to get these is through Routine Cleanup, but I’ve already used my Battery Charge for today… Unless…”

[Y/N]’s eyes widened.

“OF COURSE! I just need to get more Battery Charge, and then I can suck the military’s dick for CDs as much as I want! And the best way to do that is…”

[Y/N] turned around, crouched down into a running start, and tore through the wall of Bardic Needle, leaving behind a [Y/N] shaped hole.

“CAFFEINE!!!” echoed their voice, leaving Corrin and Elfy to stare at the now-demolished music store.

“W-Well, I’m glad I could help?” Corrin called back, hesitantly.

Elfy very calmly turned around, sat down in her chair, and began a factory reset.

Present day

“So, then they went to the coffee shop, you said?” Lycaon asked, rubbing his temple.

“Yes, Mr. Lycaon! I spoke with the barista later. Apparently they had a heated argument, because he’s only supposed to serve customers one coffee per day, but he gave up after [Y/N] threatened to drink a k-cup mixed with ketchup and orange juice.”

“I… see…” Lycaon frowned, unsure as to how to process this.

“Was it with or without pulp?” Rina asked, scribbling in her cookbook. Her two Bangbongle flew out from the drawer they were cleaning.

“Ewwwww, orange juice with pulp fucking sucks!” Drusilla pitched in.

“Fucking sucks! Fucking sucks!” Anastella parroted.

“Rina, for the sake of our clients’… survival, I would urge you not to replicate the Proxy’s handiwork in a professional setting,” Lycaon coughed, as Rina’s Bangbussy giggled to each other.

“Do it when I’m around,” Ellen said, “I kinda wanna try it.”

“Ahem. Returning to the matter at hand,” Lycaon gave a pointed look to Rina and her Boob, “I do not understand much about the underlying issue myself, but I am concerned about how much stress it seems to be putting the Proxy through. Corrin, was this the last time you spoke with them?”

“Yes, Mr. Lycaon, I-I tried to message them several times this week but they didn’t respond, and when I went back to their video store there was only the Bangboo at the front desk… I’m really worried about them, Mr. Lycaon…”

Lycaon sighed. “It is no wonder you have been struggling as of late.” He retrieved his pocket watch and flipped it open. “Well, as proud representatives of Victoria Housekeeping, it would be quite unbefitting of us to leave a client in want of assistance, would it not?”

He smiled and reached down to pat Corrin’s head, who squeaked and leaned into his paw. “Don’t worry, Corrin, I’ll go check in on them, to make sure that our friend is doing okay.”

The mood was becoming too fluffy for a crack fic, so Corrin promptly tripped and broke a vase that was filled to the brim with live spiders.

~~~

After sending the Proxy a message and confirming that there was no response, the first place Lycaon investigated was the Random Play video store. He was greeted only by the cheerful ehn-nas of Bangboo 18, which was disappointing but expected.

He then tried Bardic Needle, which was permanently closed. Listening to the gossip on the street, he learned that the owner of the place had transferred her consciousness into a Bangboo and ran off into the night to find a new calling in life. To each their own, Lycaon supposed.

Finally, Lycaon walked into Coff Cafe, and was greeted by a robot slumped over on the bar.

“Ugh… I swear to god, [Y/N], if you keep coming in like this, your next coffee will have cockroach powder in- Oh wait, you’re not [Y/N]!”

Tin Master looked up at Lycaon and sagged noticeably in relief.

Lycaon raised an eyebrow. “Good morning to you, sir. As a matter of fact, I have come here for the purpose of inquiring about that very person. You’ve seen [Y/N]?”

Tin Master groaned. “Been taken hostage by them, more like.” The robot slammed his head down onto the bartop. “Yes, I’ve seen them. For the past week, they’ve been coming into my cafe every ten minutes to order a coffee. Twenty. Four. Hours. A day.”

The barista sighed. “I know that my cafe is open 24 hours, but even us robots need some downtime to recharge, you know? But every time I try to explain that to them, they just pull out a thermos of that horrid concoction…” He shuddered. “I’ve had to run on low power mode just to survive! Isn’t it awful?”

Lycaon blinked. “I… am very sorry to hear that, sir. Are they here right now?”

“Yeah, they went to use the bathroom. That was what, ten minutes ago, now?” Tin Master looked up at the clock and squinted blearily. He rubbed his eyes. “Huh, I could’ve sworn it hasn’t been that long.. I guess my internal clocks are malfunctioning from battery deprivation.”

Lycaon tried to quell the rising anxiety in his throat. “May I ask sir, how long ago did they enter the bathroom?”

“About two and a half hours ago.”

Lycaon’s eyes widened. “And they’re still in there?”

“I never saw them walk out, that’s for sure.”

Lycaon sprinted past the disoriented barista and slid to a stop in front of the single-stall bathroom. He hurriedly knocked on the door. “Master [Y/N], are you in there? Can you hear me?”

He placed his ear against the door. He faintly picked up on weak gurgling that his heightened Thiren senses were able to identify as that of the Proxy.

“Master Proxy! Forgive my intrusion, but I am opening this door to confirm your safety! Yell at me if you wish for me to stop!” Lycaon shouted as he broke open the lock with one swift kick (he made a mental note to reimburse Coff Cafe later). He pulled, and the door swung open.

The bathroom was a complete mess. The mirrors and tiles that were normally kept, according to Tin Master’s sanitary standards, “shinier than my ex-wife’s crocodile tears during the custody battle, like, she had artificial tear ducts installed into her frame and everything,” were spattered with speckles of fresh and vaguely coffee-scented vomit. In the middle of the carnage was [Y/N], slumped over and drowning in the toilet bowl.

“Proxy!” Lycaon yelled in alarm. His cybernetic leg pistons fired as he propelled himself towards [Y/N], grabbing them by the collar out of the toilet with one hand and steadying them with the other.

[Y/N] coughed and sputtered, dangling limply from Lycaon’s arms. Their skin had turned a deathly pallor, and Lycaon could see their cheekbones - when had the Proxy last eaten anything of substance? They opened their eyes. “Wha- Huh? Where am I-”

“[Y/N]! You are currently located in the lavatory of the Coff Cafe establishment on Sixth Street. What happened? Do you require me to call you an ambulance?”

The video store manager groaned. “Probably, yeah, I think I might’ve had too much caffeine- urp-” They gulped, then turned around and threw up violently in the toilet. “Uh, shit.”

There was now a bloody mess inside of the toilet. “That’s not good,” [Y/N] mumbled, blood dripping from their mouth. “Chat, I think I grinded too hard.”

They collapsed.

“Proxy!” Lycaon yelled, catching [Y/N]. He pulled them close to his chest, and took out his cellphone. “I am going to call an ambulance for you, Master, just stay with me!”

[Y/N] closed their eyes, sighing dreamily. “Oooohhh… I can’t believe I get to spend my last moments on earth cradled in the arms of a furry butler sexyman… My life’s mission has been fulfilled, now I can die in peace.”

Lycaon paused, and coughed into his hand. “You will have to pardon my coarse language, Master Proxy, but I must ask: What the actual fuck?”

[Y/N] took one final breath, and went limp in his arms.

“Proxy? Proxy?!” Lycaon shouted, checking for a pulse. Their heartbeat was as still as a rock.

“No… Proxy!!!”

~~~

The funeral was a sombre one in spite of [Y/N]’s efforts to “spice it up”, according to their will. At one point, an unnecessarily high-quality animatronic made to resemble [Y/N]’s rotten corpse violently burst from the ground, causing Nicole, Billy, and Corrin to faint. Corrin somehow managed to land on the casket and smashed it open, creating even more chaos as everybody scrambled to repair it. Anby was the only person who found it funny, which [Y/N] would’ve considered a win in their book.

Ben, the executor of the will, downed two bottles of aspirin. (As unwilling as he was to set up pranks for a day of mourning, the terms of the will were VERY clear and legally bulletproof. Ben wondered how much money [Y/N] spent on lawyers and elaborate props for this. He also wondered why they had to choose him, of all people.)

Rina floated over to where Lycaon was standing.

“You realize it’s not your fault, dear,” she said to him with a saddened expression, laying a comforting hand on his shoulder. Even her usually energetic Bag were silent today. “You did everything you could.”

“I know, Rina. It’s just…” Lycaon hung his head. “I have failed my clients in the past, over the course of my career. But never before have I had one lose their life while under my watch. Not just a client, a comrade …” He clenched his fist. “I should have been there sooner.”

“Not even you can be everywhere at once, Lycaon,” Rina reassured him. “At the very least, you made sure that they weren’t alone when they passed away. Speaking of which,” she tilted her head, “What were their last words?”

Lycaon thought about it for a second.

He pinched the bridge of his nose.

“Fuck.”

[bouquins]

love at first check: a tale (pt. five)

finally, an update!

I | II | III | IV

It is safe to say I never once imagined that I would one day escort one of the most recognizable figures in American sports to an outdoors chess club in Baltimore a scant few days before said astronomically famous man was scheduled to play against longtime franchise rivals at their home turf. Yet, here I am, scurrying through downtown Baltimore to attend the early morning iteration of an outdoors-only chess club, right outside War Memorial Plaza, with a hulking man beside me hellbent on checkmating a king or two. Only a few weeks ago I had told him about a few chess hotspots in town, and he jumped at the chance to attend one before his own much more physically demanding match later.  

As we scan across the plaza to find the club, I look back on how I came to this peculiar junction. Joe and I, after much earnest exhortations on his part and hesitations on mine, finally managed to create an itinerary he could squeeze in among his professional obligations. In between Joe's questions on why Baltimore loves flamingos or comments on how the Ravens should be the Crabs, and even advice from Alice on how to dress to impress, I somehow managed to keep my cool even when the MARC train left D.C. and pulled into Baltimore that sunny October afternoon. It wasn’t hard to spot Joe at the station; although he wasn’t dressed as flamboyantly as his earlier public appearances, being the tallest and bulkiest person in the vestibule made him stick out like a sore thumb as I saw him pace on the tiles, waiting for me to arrive. Any sense of calm I tried to cultivate was destroyed the moment he made eye contact. His intense gaze towards the arrival clock at once transformed into a soft smile once he became aware of my presence.  

“Hey, you! I thought I’d pace a hole in the floor before you got here,” Joe joked and motioned to hug me. I melted into his chest as he squeezed my back. “I finally met the chess queen in person,” he said into my ear, and the rumble of his voice made me look up into his eyes and smile.  

“Well, maybe if the train got delayed for an hour or two, then maybe you’d make some headway.” Joe met my gaze and laughed. The chuckles made my nerves fade, but the air was still full of tension. I couldn’t help recognizing it as the same friction one feels on a first date-nervous, yet hopeful, and hoping neither one shows a bad hand.  

Wait—a date?  

Alice would be happy to hear that her insistence that this occasion ought to be considered a date had finally wormed its way into my brain.  Now the mere friendliness we had just shown each other had taken a more romantic tinge: was Joe’s smile only a smile, or did I see him lick his lips in anticipation? Was his gaze filled with longing?  

Joe broke my musings when he asked, “So, where’s the chess haven you’ve been hyping?”  He still held me, and I was distracted by his hands which still caressed my back. I felt my face redden when I finally remembered we were still standing in the middle of a train station. “Oh, it’s the War Memorial Plaza just up the way—we can just walk up there if you don’t mind some walking.”

“It’ll be the easiest exercise I’ll have all weekend—of course I don’t mind!” Joe gave my back one last pat before releasing me and followed me to the exit. I was about to open the door myself when he grabbed it before I had a chance, giving his best impression of a doorman.  

“After you,” he said with an exaggerated bow. I couldn’t help but giggle when I curtsied back.

Not a bad start at all, I think as we leave the train station and start our pilgrimage to the War Memorial Plaza. Not bad at all.

_______________________

“If I get beat up by a bunch of Ravens fans, I’m definitely going to blame you,” Joe mutters as we reach the center of the plaza, already bedecked with upright folded chairs and portable chess sets warming in the sun.

“Well, you not wearing Cartier helps you blend in,” I say as I elbow Joe in the side as we approach the group clustered towards the plaza’s center. As we search for an open table to play, a familiar voice calls my name just behind me. Joe and I turn around to find tall, lanky man wearing a Carhartt beanie and oversized glasses approaching us and narrowing his eyes toward Joe in curiosity.

“Hey, Keevy—uh, and guest—glad to see you could join us!” The man offers his hand to Joe, and they shake hands before I formally introduce my friend.

“Hey Eli, this is Joe—he's visiting from Cincinnati for the weekend. We met playing chess online, so I’m just showing him around town.” I gaze up at Joe, and he looks down at me with a soft smile and gives my shoulder a squeeze. “Joe, Eli runs the chess club!”

“It's always great to see new faces out here—I hope Keevy won’t give you too much of a hard time!” Eli nudges Joe in the ribs. Joe frowns down at Eli in confusion and I can’t help but snicker a little.

“Anyway,” Eli continues, completely ignoring the look of annoyance on Joe’s face, “you two have fun!” Eli turns on his heel and walks off to a pair sitting near the limestone horse statue, overlooking their moves.  

Joe and I look at each other and I give a small shrug. “Time to play some chess, I guess.”

[72bread-pasta88]

What a gentleman

[terresdebrume]

Looking for a beta reader!

Specs of the fic

Length: About 11.3k

Fandom: Band of Brothers, but you don't need to be familiar with the show to understand the plot.

Rating: General audiences

Genre: Family crisis/siblings fight followed by reconciliation.

Warnings: The characters have a couple of strong words for one another, and one of them bowls the other over.

What I need:

Style check: mostly for run-on sentences.

Clarity check: does everything make sense or are there places that need clarification?

Spelling check: I make so many typos, I'm bound to have missed one.

[astrabear]

The fic is not quite finished yet. It's going to be around 8k words. It can easily be published as a single chapter but there are some natural breaks that create chapters 1.7-3k in length. (By "not quite finished" I mean I have over 7k, I just need one more short scene in the middle and I need to redo a couple of short passages.)

[serenitybymoonlight]

cauterized - heartstopper - 18+ Twilight AU: 1. Home

Summary

After an incident in the UK, Charlie Spring moves to Kentwood, Oregon, to live with his estranged cop father and kid brother. He finds himself in the middle of a supernatural war and the love interest of two men on opposite sides. Charlie has scars, mentally and physically. He doesn't know what he wants for breakfast, let alone who he chooses to be with. Are you Team Nick, Team Ben, or Team Tao?

Wattpad

AO3

TW: Mentioned Gun Violence and Trauma

I've been sacrificed. My heart's been cauterized Hanging on to hope Shackled by the ghost -Halestorm

August 23rd, 2005 10:22 AM

Portland International Airport, Portland, Oregon

   Julio was ecstatic and overjoyed that his firstborn son would move in with him. Though he was anxious since he hadn't seen him since Charlie was 13. Julio felt so disappointed in himself that he always told himself he would be a better father than his, but it turned out he was just like him. 

   Julio and Jane only got married because Charlie was on the way, so it took a little while for Julio's attention to wander. Charlie was about 3 when they got divorced. Jane hated America, so she moved back to Britain. Julio had just landed the job as sheriff then. He made sure to get it every summer, at the least. 

   As Charlie got older, Julio felt he had a grudge for what he had done to Jane, but he wanted Julio to save him from Jane's erratic behavior. When Olly came along, Charlie told Julio that he had a new family now and that there wasn't a point of him coming to visit anymore. It was harsh, but Charlie wanted his father to be there for Olly and felt he would burden them. 

   Julio's heart nearly stopped when he got the call in the middle of the night. After all these years, Charlie still memorized the landline. Words couldn't express how more terror Julio felt when he heard what his baby boy had endured without his knowledge. 

   Jane had poor mental health. She didn't know how to be a mom because her mom used to beat her. She had man after man in the house until she married David Nelson, a man a decade younger than her and with tenfold mental illnesses. Charlie had lost his mother... he had been there for everything. He jumped from the second floor of the house to escape the burning down house. Julio could have saved him from this if he had fought more. 

   "Olly baby," Julio kneeled in front of Oliver. He had grown up so much since Charlie had last visited. Charlie always wanted a baby brother, so they would exchange letters and emails when Olly was old enough. Oliver was so excited to meet his Bubba in person. "I know you are excited, sweetie. Just don't jump on Charlie like you do when greeting others. He is injured, okay?" Julio reminded Oliver as Charlie's plane landed and people started coming out of the gate. 

   "Okay, Dad," Olly said like a little angel with a halo above his head. "I know Bubba is hurt. That's why I am going to take care of him,"

   "You are now?" Julio chuckled

   "Yeah! I cleaned his room and made his bed! I even saved him one of my favorite candies because he must be hungry after the longest flight,"

   "Atta boy, you have always been the strongest of the two of us," Julio pinched his cheeks and ruffled his hair before standing straight to look for Charlie. 

   Charlie had waited for everyone to get before him. He didn't want anyone to bump into him. It had been two months since the fire, and Uncle Antonio squished him in a big hug before boarding the plane, so he was still sore. 

   He walked out to see his little brother alone. Charlie raised an eyebrow, looking around for Julio. "Charlie Barley!"

   "Ack!" Charlie gasped. His father had mistaken him for another passenger. He picked him up in a hug and spun him around. "Daddy! Daddy! Ribs are still broken!" Charlie panicked.

   "Oh my god, I am so sorry," Julio gasped, setting him down and searching to see if he had done any real damage. 

   "I'm okay, you just scared me," Charlie hugged his dad with one hand. 

   "Y-you said you got your cast off. Are you still in a sling?" Julio widened his eyes, and his lips trembled. Charlie was so tiny, to begin with, but he looked skinnier from the back when Julio rushed to his bedside in May. 

   "I'm fine, Daddy. The doctor said to wear the sling for just a couple more weeks," Charlie said and looked down at Oliver, who was cautiously approaching. "Hi there, Olly," Charlie said softly, seeing Olly wanted to hug him but didn't want to break him. "C'mere, this is my good side... just don't hug too hard, okay?" Charlie said, and Olly nodded before hugging him like a glass figurine. "Are... you crying? Why is he crying?"

   "He loves you, baby. He is worried about you," Julio knitted his eyebrows together. He was tearing up, even more so because Charlie was extremely confused. 

   "I'm sorry..." Charlie frowned before Julio hugged him on his bad side but was careful. 

   "You're home now, Charlie Barley," Julio kissed his forehead.

   "I will be a good little brother and protect you, Bubba," Olly sniffled, and Charlie remained a little emotionless. He didn't know how to react to this from Olly or Julio.

   "Okay, Boys." Julio ruffled Charlie and Olly's hair before standing up. He placed a hand on Charlie's shoulder. He looked down to see the burn on the side of his neck, which was on the side he was touching, so he quickly moved to the other side. "Let's get your luggage and head home, okay?"

   "Yeah!" Holding Charlie's hand, Olly pulled at him, "I can't wait for you to see your room and meet Peanut!" Olly bounced a little hyper, not wanting to keep the emotional atmosphere between all of them.

   "Peanut?" Charlie asked.

   "It's Olly's cat he got for his birthday," Julio said, taking in his son's appearance. Emotion overtook the moment, so he only took in his injuries. Charlie was wearing all-black clothes and had on smeared emo eyeliner. His hair was dyed jet black with a purple streak. Julio saw this as Charlie going through an emo phase. It was clear how much pain he was in.

   "Oh, you have a kitty?" Charlie smiled. He loved animals—dogs more than cats, but he didn't hate cats either. Jane was allergic to pets, so he had never had one before.

   "You talk silly," Olly said, pointing out his brother's accent.

   "No, you talk silly, you little rascal," Charlie giggled, patting his head. He started to grab his bag from the area when he saw it, but Julio swatted him away to get them himself. "Thanks, Daddy... Were you able to take off work for the weekend?" he remembered his father saying that in his latest email.

   "No baby, I am so sorry," Julio sighed, and Charlie gave him a reassuring look, "It's just... there has been a lot of m-u-r-d-e-r-s lately," Julio spelled out, and Charlie raised an eyebrow.

    "In a small town like Kentwood?" Charlie asked

   "Yeah... we think it has a tie-in with a c-u-l-t," Julio said. He pinched the bridge of his nose and stopped. "Shit, I am so sorry, I don't want to trigger you,"

   "It's okay... it's just life," Charlie said, not wanting his dad to panic.

   "I know what you spelled. I am nine, not five," Olly said proudly. Charlie chuckled and high-fived Olly.

   "While we are on the topic, Charles... he has never been caught," Julio said, referring to David and Charlie's faces dropping. "Now I trust you to be alone at the house, but I am gonna have a guard for you until he is caught... and when the crime goes down in Kentwood,"

   "Daddy?" Charlie sighed, thinking his dad treated him like a baby, just like Olly felt.

   "I know. I told him we didn't need a babysitter. I could protect you alone," Olly huffed.

   "I know, you two are completely capable of protecting yourself. It's just precautionary," Julio told them both. Come on, we can eat at Harry's before I have to head in," Julio said, and Charlie tried to contain his face.

   "Char! Youre going to sit in the back with me, right!?" Olly said, bouncing, "I can protect you better like that and show you all the pictures I have drawn for you!"

—- 3:29 PM

Harry's Dinner, Kentwood, Oregon

   Charlie hadn't been to this restaurant in years, and he used to ask his father to go every day in the summers when he would visit. However, Charlie had developed many eating rules, and all this place had was greasy food and meat.

   "Are you sure you just wanted a soup?" Julio raised an eyebrow as it wasn't even soup. It was just some vegetable broth with ice cubes. "You used to love getting country fried steak and a big chocolate cherry milkshake, buddy? You don't have to worry about money,"

   "Oh... I'm not worried about that," Charlie explained. I am sort of a vegan now," Charlie said, and Julio widened his eyes as he was nowhere near equipped to cook for a vegan. He was still determining what he could eat on the menu if he were to list other things. "I am picky about salad, and I don't like hot foods because they're um..."

   "Well, you can still eat milkshakes and cake, can't you?" Olly widened his eyes, "Here, you can share this with me!" Olly handed Charlie some toast.

   "It has butter on it," Charlie chuckled at his little brother as he gave him back the bread.

   "But... But butter isn't meat,"

   "It isn't, but it is dairy," Charlie smiled and noogied his brother, "Don't worry about me. Eat your toast, Bubba. I had a lot to eat on the plane," Charlie said. He could tell his father wasn't fully convinced, so he tried to change the subject. "Did I make it into this semester at the high school?"

   "Oh, yes," Julio took the bait and explained everything he had been told. "You will start school on the 2nd in the senior year," he said, and Charlie sighed. He had worked hard to get enough credits to graduate early, but it hadn't been enough. "Youre also going to go to physical therapy in Port Higgs on Wednesdays and Therapy at the same place on Mondays,"

   "Oh, I don't have to go to therapy anymore," Charlie said, and Julio raised an eyebrow, as that's not what Antonio said. "Dr. Moon said that I was all better," Charlie shrugged. Julio passed on a tell when lying to Olly and Charlie: After they told a lie, their noses would scrunch up.

   "Is that so?" Julio said, and Charlie nodded confidently. So it's just like that? Are we already going to start lying to each other?" Julio was a pretty lax father, but he wasn't a pushover.

   "It... I don't like PT and Therapy," Charlie sighed, looking down at his soup and playing with his spoon. PT hurts. I went to one when I got the cast-off, and... therapists want time to talk about that day," Charlie said, showing emotion for the first time he was here.

   "Daddy, knock it off. You are scaring him," Olly said, hugging his brother.

   "Boys... I am not trying to be mean... I want Charlie to get better, and that means PT and talking about hard things," Julio said, placing his hand on top of Charlie's. The boy looked annoyed, but he knew that Julio was right.

   "I just... I don't want to," Charlie sighed.

   "I know, Bubba, but Daddy and I are going to be there for you," Olly patted him on the back. Charlie held back the pained face as Olly patted the burned side. He didn't want to scare Olly.

   "I know..." Charlie hugged his brother and father as they finished their first dinner together of many.

   "Okay... Vegematarian," Julio said to himself so he would remember it.

   "Vegan," Charlie explained.

   "Okay... er, is there anything else I need to know... I should probably go by the store when I get off work," Julio told himself.

   "I-I am gay," Charlie exclaimed out. Some older, nosey generation around them cringed at that and clutched their pearls.

   "Gay? Like in happy?" Olly asked.

   "Er... no, he likes boys and not girls," Julio said softly, hugging Charlie and kissing him on the forehead paternally. "I love you all the same. Do you think I would have a problem with that?" Julio raised an eyebrow

   "I dunno," Charlie blushed.

   "Well, I don't," Julio shrugged.

   "Yuck... Boys and Girls have cooties. I'm never going to like any of them," Olly crossed his arms, making the other laugh.

   "I think the guy who is going to be your School Buddy is the head of the SAG club at Kentwood High," Julio said, and Charlie raised an eyebrow.

   "Do you mean the GSA club?" Charlie asked as he was surprised a small town like Kentwood had a queer-friendly student body. "School Buddy? Who is he?"

   "Oh, it's what they call your guide. The school campus is a bit confusing, so you will have a guide for a week. And... I don't know if you know him, Tao Xu. He is a sweet kid," 

   Charlie was nervous about coming to America, a really small town, and he knew there would be homophobes and bullies everywhere. However, he didn't want to be in the closet any longer, especially since he had almost passed away.

   This would be different for Charlie. He would make the best of his life but didn't know how different life would be for him in return. Please Vote, Comment, Add to your reading list, and share with your friends:) Check out my subreddit for my writings r/QuinnLake.

[widowshill]

I drink to our ruined house To the evil of my life To our loneliness together And I drink to you — To the lying lips that have betrayed us

- Anna Akhmatova t. Katie Farris and Ilya Kaminsky

[insomniacbat]

mutuals pls 🙏

i need mutuals on here cuz I'm new to this so if you're obsessed with the following people/fandoms, lmk 🫶

oscar isaac

pedro pascal

boyd holbrook

tenoch huerta

jon bernthal

tom hardy

wilbur soot

aaron taylor johnson (there are so many more so I'm just gonna continue with fandoms: )

(as of dec 2023)

MCU

Outer Banks

Triple Frontier

Hunger Games (+TBOSAS)

Shadow and Bone duology

You

The Gray Man

Bullet Train

Top Gun

The Last of Us

Ex Machina

Star Wars

Narcos

Suits

Shameless

Beta Squad

Batman (C.Nolan)

Bridgerton

^list will update :)

i think that's abt it 😭 ( i probably missed out 1 or 2 things but )

have a great day ppl, stay safe 🫶

N 🎬

[icanthocusfocus]

Just a quick writing thing based on Goncharov (1973) I’m rewatching it soon and I wanted to compare what I remember. So here’s how I recall the first scene.

Goncharov hears music. Somewhere nearby is the restaurant where Katya will wait for him. Wait for an hour at most until she goes home for the night and makes no calls come morning. His wife is a smart woman, blonde and soft skinned in appearance. This song which plays now reminds him of one he knows he played. It was two years ago, the night the two of them were engaged. 

Katya was wearing a dress, either red or white, and white gloves. His eyes are blurred now, and he doubts he could tell you the colour of that dress if she were standing in front of him now wearing it. Andrey was there as well, something or the other about finances. Someone in Russia was alerting him that a certain ‘product’ would not be returning to Italy. Another slab of meat. 

Andrey was wearing a grey suit, looser in the shoulders and waist but laying flat against his chest. There were two button keeping it closed, which became undone one hour and twenty two minutes into the night. He had a flower peaking out his coat pocket, a dull red colour. By the time Katya is wearing his ring under her silky gloves, Andrey’s lips are twice as pink as when he arrived. 

That night, Goncharov plays violin for his lover. He dreams of a duet between them, gentle fingers enticing the piano to sing along. 

Goncharov dreams now. Of Andrey’s pink lips and Katya’s red ones, always pristine. 

He thinks of this when the music is dulled by a passing automobile and a fright light descends upon him. He is surprised to find his place in heaven, but relieved. He is less surprised that he should die lying against the cold snow, melting snowflakes falling upon his bloodied face.

A car door slams, and Mario Ambrosini blocks his view of heaven. Headlights, he realises, and so he flinches. The movement hurts more than the epiphany. 

“You are Goncharov?” Ambrosini asks this through his cigarette, kept burning by the sanctity provided by the umbrella he held. The Russian is ugly on his tongue.

He responds instead in Italian, a language he is not often allowed to use. The communists worry it’s warmth might melt the Russian hearts. “It is true, I am Goncharov. Tell Andrey I send my regards.” 

Mario clicks his tongue as he hoists the laid out man to an upright position. “I need not bother, my friend. If you are who you say, then I expect you will be meeting him yourself soon enough.”

Seated into the passenger’s side of Mario’s Chevrolet, the battered man laughs heartily. “I have not yet had the pleasure of being anyone else.”

”That is exactly what I would like to offer you, Mr. Goncharov.” They begin to drive, and he dares not ask where. “We could not help but notice that you have had poor luck as of late with securing deals. Your Russian comrades seem to be falling prey to the cold. You are running out of allies. Worse yet, you are running out of time.

“We in Italy could use a man as punctual as you. Tickets have been purchased for both you and your wife. I am going to drop you off at the dinner you have had planned for the past three weeks and you are going to inform her as such. You must bring her with, obviously. It would not do well to leave her in Russia during such trying times, and you have sworn her vows.

“My cousin, Sofia, will keep her company.”

Goncharov knows this street well, he has been walking it since he was a boy. A left will lead him to the poorest town in the country, where the locals will be thankful for a body to loot. A right, and he will be dining with his wife within minutes. He checks his watch and finds that he is soon to be late. 

“Tell me, Mario, are Joseph and you still as close as you were? We always said he’d burn himself alive one day, and I’d be terribly put out if we were correct.” He snaps the watch shut. 

“Ice pick Joe is as rabid as ever.” Mario’s foot eases on the breaks, reaching a full stop.

”I’ll have to see for myself.” The mobster pulls a right, resuming his previous speed. It makes sense that they sent him. No other dog warrants such a long leash. Cut his collar and Mario Ambrosini will walk beside you awaiting a new one. 

”He’ll be glad of it. These” He pulls out a thin envelope, “are your tickets. And this” pulling into a rounded driveway in front of the lavish building, “is your stop.”

Sparing one last check of his watch, Goncharov exits the car. 

“It has been warm in Italy far too long, Goncharov. These summer children require a firm hand.”

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