#but then a few times they'd just hold off and stand there and allow me to recover

[bam-monsterhospital]

hey eso cyrodiil players: is it common for daggerfall covenant players to message you lightly chastising you about waiting your turn to get annihilated... but then also upholding some strange sense of honor later on, not obliterating your ass when they clearly could have (and had previously. easily. many times)?

[gaylordscooter]

Where Fate Leads Us

Killer, Dust and Horror were in Killer's room, folding the multitude of clothes.

“don't expect me to do more of the chores around here just because you two offered to help me,” Killer said.

“sure, you'll be too busy with laundry anyway,” Horror chuckled.

“i literally will,” he said in full seriousness. He placed the shirt he folded onto the stack of shirts in his closet that was getting taller than he was standing. “i know i’ve joked that you two ain’t allowed to borrow my clothes—but yeah, please take some of these. i didn't expect there to be this much.”

“eh, it's not my style,” Horror shrugged, holding a pair of ripped jeans.

“horror, bud. please.”

Horror shook his head, “shouldn't have gotten so many clothes, man.”

“i swear nightmare gave me more than i grabbed.”

“that's definitely not true.”

“dust, back me up.”

Dust did not back him up.

Killer sighed, looking at his hubris that was the closet filled to the brim with stacks of clothing. He wouldn't have to do laundry that often if he washed all his clothes once he ran out of clean ones, but that would take so long. Eh, he’ll worry about it later.

They didn't see Nightmare until they started to eat dinner. He arrived without a word, keeping his gaze forward and away from the three as he walked over to the door to the hallway.

Killer dropped his fork upon seeing him.

A good amount of the goop on his body was gone, as if half of his body was washed off. Or scorched off. Something smelled burnt.

What surprised Killer the most was seeing his skull. He was a skeleton and he looked like him. He didn't expect that.

Nightmare spared a quick glance at Killer as he tried to walk faster. His gait was erratic, akin to limping. What little slime there was formed slim tendrils by his legs that he used as support to walk. 

The three stayed silent until a few moments after he left.

“he looks younger than me,” Killer said.

But rather than questioning it, the three decided to drop it there.

They didn’t see much of Nightmare until a whole week later. 

They were sitting at one of the tables in the Great Hall, conversing with each other. Soon enough the topic steered over to Nightmare.

“nightmare hasn't put us through anything recently, huh? not even a game of uno,” Horror said. Last time there was a dip in activity, he was paranoid, but he was oddly calm about it this time. Seeing Nightmare's other form changed the way he saw him, he supposed. It was easier to personify him. “what do you two think he's up to?”

Dust merely shrugged. Either because he didn't feel like talking or because he really didn't have a clue.

Killer seemed lost in thought, before speaking up, “he apologized.”

“huh?” Horror cocked his head.

“he apologized, for putting us through all that shit. maybe he meant it?” That apology would be worth nothing if he continued to do it, after all. Which is what he was expecting, but it's been a whole week since then and he has yet to tell them to do anything.

“he actually apologized? that's hilarious,” Horror said.

“i think he was being genuine, but i wonder why he’s been out more often.”

The obvious conclusion to this behavior would be that he's planning something, but none of them jumped to it. Perhaps they were beginning to trust him.

They were also all in a good mood today.

 Killer was able to get a good night’s sleep and woke up well-rested for once. He had a good breakfast consisting of ungodly amounts of buttered toast, tended to the cats, and now he was hanging out with the other two. It was a solid day.

Dust also appeared to be in a lighter mood. He was chatty by his standards and overall more relaxed. It was like less stuff was on his mind.

Horror didn't feel on edge constantly, almost feeling how he used to before the core went kaput. It was as if he felt safe, almost.

In fact, they’ve been in a good mood this whole past week. If their year-ago selves saw them now they'd find this weird and crazy.

“though, he always comes and goes in such a hurry…”

As if on cue, Nightmare entered the hall, throwing the doors open in a dramatic fashion that called for attention. He only had four tentacles out at the moment. That was half the usual amount.

“Hello,” he greeted. “How has everyone been today?” He has never asked that question before. He was being friendlier, perhaps.

“i’m doin’ good,” Killer answered without a second thought.

“‘m fine,” Horror said.

Dust nodded, indicating he felt the same.

Nightmare hid his smile. “I see, carry on then.” He left the hall, sinking into the ground to reappear in his room.

It was happening.

He felt incredibly weak at the moment, sure, but it would all pay off. He just needed to be patient.

He collapsed on his bed, reverting to his normal “passive” form as the protector of the multiverse called it. He was nearing the end of his plan. He will enact the last step tomorrow. He had to. If his exhaustion was anything to go by, he was running out of time.

The next morning, Killer was first to wake up. Another night of feeling well rested. It was a miracle. He sat up and stretched before getting up to throw on a change of clothes.

He went out to the hall, glancing at Horror and Dust’s doors before heading over to the kitchen.

He opened the pantry only to be met with nothing but chocolate bars. Instead of getting annoyed or mad he laughed.

He shut the pantry and composed himself. Why did he find it funny? Nightmare definitely targeted him with that one—No, it was just coincidence.

It was?

Killer shook his head trying to snap himself out of whatever was happening.

Something was happening, right? Something was off.

Nothing was off. He was just being silly.

He scratched the back of his head, opting to open the fridge.

And there was nothing but ketchup.

He slammed the door shut. Laughter erupted from his metaphorical throat. He ended up collapsing to the floor from how hard he was laughing.

He couldn't breathe. He didn't need to breathe.

But his chest still hurt. No it didn't. He couldn't feel pain.

Everything was fine.

His soul snapped into a target shape. He gasped for air and scrambled up to stand. It was like cold water was dumped onto him.

Something’s wrong, he tested the thought. Nothing came to counter it.

Something was messing with his head. For how long? Oh god, for how long?

Where the hell was Dust and Horror?! He wasn't ever the first to arrive in the kitchen, let alone first to wake up.

A cackle echoed throughout the area as the kitchen warped and twisted. The floorboards underneath him cracked and splintered, revealing dark nothingness beneath. The patterns on the wall had eyes, all glaring at him.

What the fuck was happening?

He choked out a breath, rushing over to the door that led to the hall. The door itself looked normal but when he grabbed the doorknob he couldn't let go of it, as if it grabbed back.

Was he still dreaming? Was this a hallucination?

The door flung open. He still couldn't let go of the handle.

It was Nightmare.

“Good morning, Killer,” he said calmly, as if their surroundings weren't collapsing in on itself. “Leaving the kitchen so soon? You haven't even eaten yet. Was the food not to your liking? But I picked it out just for you.” It sounded like his voice was coming from all directions. It was disorienting to say the least.

His eye, along with the eyes on the walls darted to his soul. He looked disappointed when he noticed its shape. He tsked, “After all the work I’ve put in, the stubborn thing is still unstable?”

“wh-what the hell are you talking about?” he rasped.

Nightmare snatched his soul with one of his hands. He leered down at it like a predator stalking its prey. He molded it with his hands back into the shape of a normal monster soul while Killer keened.

Killer grit his teeth as his emotions hit him at full force. It was now that he realized the unusual happiness he felt these past few days was not normal. That had to be Nightmare's doing.

That's why he thought he trusted him.

“you,” he growled, “you asshole!”

Nightmare merely drank up his anger with an amused expression. “Yes? Is that anything new?” he asked.

“fuck you!”

“Using big boy words now, aren't we?”

“i hate you.”

Nightmare was unfazed by the comment. “Tell me something I don't know.”

The door, along with the handle keeping Killer captive, suddenly disappeared. However, he still couldn't move. It was like he had sleep paralysis.

But unfortunately, he knew the demon was real.

“Do you want to know something funny? It isn’t just that I gain energy from negativity, positive emotions hurt. They sting like pouring acid on a wound as you wrench it open. But it was all worth enduring just to see the look of betrayal on your face.”

He was foolish. He was an idiot. He was an utter idiot!

Nightmare's smile spread impossibly wide across his face, curling up at the edges as he took in all of Killer's anguish. He was reveling in it.

“The best part, you were right to be untrusting. And then you second guessed yourself, leading to your downfall. It's pathetically hilarious.”

Killer wanted to wipe that smug face off so badly.

“I may not be able to force people to be happy like my brother, but I can maintain what is there by taking away your ability to feel anything negative. Isn't that fascinating? Your happiness was real. I tore that away from you.”

He felt sick. He felt utterly sick.

“I wonder. Do you think you three were the first ones?”

There was too much liquid determination leaking from his sockets. He retched, leaving a puddle on the torn up ground. He coughed more out, trying to prevent himself from choking on it.

Nightmare watched the display in amusement. He leaned down, reaching a hand out to caress the side of his face in a false display of affection. “Oh, Killer,” he cooed, voice sickly sweet, “You're getting my floors dirty.”

His touch was painful. It trudged up old and awful memories. He imagined that this is what everyone he killed felt when he dealt the final blow. With effort, he managed to tilt his head away from his hand.

Nightmare withdrew his hand, wiping it on his cloak as if Killer was covered in dirt.

“Oh mortals, so easy to fool. You pretend not to know things, ask questions and suddenly you seem less of a threat. He's ignorant to the world. So innocent. Surely he’s just misguided.”

Killer’s breath hitched. He tried not to break down in front of him. He wasn't going to give him the satisfaction. He couldn't. Usually it was second nature to suppress his emotions, but it was too much now.

God, it was all an act for a false sense of security. He played with them like dolls and now he was tossing them out. What was going to happen now? Was he going to kill him?

Back then he wouldn't have cared about that. But now, he wanted to live. He had people he cared about again.

Did he already kill Dust and Horror?

“You're crying,” he said with false concern. “Be grateful you're able to. The others and your cats didn't even have the chance to.”

“NO!” Killer cried at the implications. The dam broke as he sobbed audibly. He clutched at his head, digging his fingers into his skull. He was hyperventilating. “no, you didn't. you didn’t—no.” He collapsed to his knees, shaking as he repeated his words of disbelief.

“You're alone, Killer,” he said in a tone that was a mockery of comfort. His sadness was euphoric. “You know, you were always my favorite out of the bunch.”

Killer was hardly listening now, too wracked with grief to hear.

“Because I knew how satisfying it would be to build you back up, just to tear you down again.”

And it was satisfying. Killer served him a mess of emotions in a cocktail just for him.

This is what he wanted. This is what he was made for. Was the multiverse finally happy with him?

Everything went dark. Killer shut his eye sockets tight and braced himself for certain death.

“Goodbye,” Nightmare growled.

When he opened them, he saw white. He had to blink his sockets until they adjusted to the brightness. Was this the afterlife? It was so empty.

And quiet.

He stayed on the ground, unable to find the effort to stand. So that was it, huh? He thought he was given a second chance. He was given back control over his life—but that was just a mere illusion. They were all his puppets in the end. He was just good at hiding their strings.

He couldn’t deny the sense of betrayal he felt. It was funny, he knew he couldn’t trust him.

He was still crying. There was a stain on the ground now created by the liquid determination pouring from his sockets.

He remembered when he thought dying would bring him peace, but now he was mourning all the things he was unable to do. He already missed Dust and Horror.

He laid on the ground for a little while, numb to the passage of time.

“—and there's the third. Hey man, you good?” A voice spoke.

Killer jolted and staggered to his feet. He looked around the area frantically, not finding anyone nearby—until he looked down. He screamed and backed away on instinct.

It was another skeleton, notably shorter than him, but still looked like a Sans regardless. However, this one dressed drastically different from any Sans he’s seen. He wore a scarf around his neck, some kind of crop top over a white tank top, long brown gloves that only covered his ring and pinky finger, and a brown jumpsuit worn like pants with the sleeves tied around his waist. It was safe to say he was a fashion disaster.

He raised his hands to show he was empty handed and meant no harm. “It's okay, I’m not going to hurt you.”

The way he spoke reminded Killer of how he’d talk to a scared cat. Another sharp pang hit his soul as he remembered that he’ll never be able to see his cats again. “who the hell are you?” he asked, voice raw from all his screaming.

The skeleton looked confused at the question but answered anyway, “The name’s ink.” He did a dorky pose where he pointed to himself as he said that.

“so i’m not dead?” he questioned aloud.

“I sure hope you aren't. Your friends would be sad.”

Killer narrowed his eyes warily. “what friends?”

“Two sanses like you, one had a red eye and the other had his hood covering his face. They asked if i saw you.”

“when did you see them?! they're alive?” Hope kindled in his soul before he had the chance to be cautious.

“They are. I took them over to the hub just a bit ago,” Ink explained. “I can take you to them.”

“please!” Killer hastily said. He didn't even know what the “hub” was but all he knew is that he needed to get over to Dust and Horror now.

He reached his hand out to him.

Killer grabbed it without hesitation.

Ink’s scarves moved like prehensile tails and painted the ground beneath them which promptly turned into a hole.

The two of them fell, startling Killer, but fortunately once they got close to the ground, Ink slowed their fall by floating somehow.

He let go of his hand once they landed.

They were in a whole different world. His eye sockets widened. He looked around the new area and saw a multitude of unfamiliar people.

“killer?”

He whipped his head in the direction of the voice. His face lit up upon seeing Horror and Dust. “guys!” he shouted. He bolted over to the two, tackling them down into a hug.

“you're both alive!” he exclaimed. He clung to the two of them like a koala. “i thought nightmare killed you guys.”

“we thought nightmare killed you.” Horror patted his back comfortingly while Dust simply hugged him back.

Killer ended the hug and stood up after a bit, helping the two up. “i’m so glad it was a bluff,” he said in relief. “fuck, what an asshole.”

“what did he do to you? it looks like you were doused with black paint.”

Killer glanced down at his clothes. Sure enough there were black stains. He didn't really want to think about what happened, but even as he did he found it hard to describe. “well, first of all, everything was fucked up like i was having a bad trip, and then he gloated about killing you two and then i thought he killed me.” It was a really poor summary, but he believed he got the point across.

“and what’s up with all that?” Horror gestured to the black stains that trailed from his face to his shirt.

“i threw up,” Killer said, trying to wipe off the dried determination near his teeth.

Horror absentmindedly wiped his own shirt. He was transparently concerned.

“Woah woah woah, what the hell are these three doing here?!” a new voice shouted.

The three of them snapped their attention to the unfamiliar person, making him freeze in place as a result.

Killer noticed that Ink was next to him.

He was yet another Sans, slightly taller than Ink but shorter than the three of them. He wore a torn-up lab coat over a blue-gray shirt, navy blue pants, blueish-green gloves and boots of supposedly the same rubber-like material. He also wore a bandana the same color as his boots and gloves around his neck.

In short, he looked like a nerd.

Ink told him something too quietly for them to catch.

The nerd-looking Sans, gave them a weird look before daring to walk over to them with Ink trailing behind. He reached his hand out for a handshake. “Hi,” he said simply.

No one made a move to return the handshake.

“Don't any of you know how to greet a new pal?” The way he said that felt practiced. And then he snickered and dropped his hand. “So none of you remember those times you almost killed me? Cool. That's great. The name’s Blue.”

The three exchanged glances amongst themselves, seeing if any of them recognized this “Blue”. Nope, none of them did.

None of them felt inclined to introduce themselves either.

Blue tugged at his bandana awkwardly and then swiveled around to Ink. “do they have to be here?”

Ink rolled his eyelights. “Yes, it's a thing.”

“Like how Dream bursting into flames and turning into some eldritch angel for a bit was a thing?”

Ink didn't even have to reply.

“Of course it is,” he sighed. He turned back around. “Anyway!” The increase in volume made the three flinch, but Blue didn't seem to notice. “Welcome to the hub! This is a place of refuge for people who’s universes have been destroyed or sucked badly, et cetera, et cetera, don't kill anyone here and you'll be provided a home along with food and water, probably.”

They were all disoriented by this change of pace. So they really were just going to live somewhere completely different now. Said somewhere being populated with many other people.

This was definitely going to take some getting used to.

Horror looked uncertain while Dust looked uncomfortable. Killer, on the other hand, looked elated.

“guys this means we're free. we’re free from nightmare!” he realized. “you're not gonna torture us, are you?” he asked Blue.

“Oh god no,” he replied, sounding repulsed.

Killer pumped his fist in the air as if that was a plus instead of the bare minimum.

Blue looked to the side awkwardly. “So then, Ink here will find you guys a place to stay and if you have any questions you can ask me, or Cross and Chara. Those two are the ones who founded the place after all, but they aren't here right now, unfortunately.”

“where can we get some food?” Killer asked. Hunger decided to hit him now and it was likely Dust and Horror were hungry too. None of them got to eat breakfast, to his knowledge.

“Oh, there's a Grillby’s—”

“anything but a grillby’s?” he sounded a bit desperate asking that.

“I gotcha covered!” Ink chimed in, nudging Blue aside. “I can get you guys whatever you want. I’ll get you guys a room first. Follow me.” He walked off towards the buildings in the distance.

There were a lot of other people around the area. A good amount were also skeletons. For the most part, they’d mind their own business, only glancing at them from time to time as they followed Ink.

Dust avoided looking at everyone, especially trying to make himself look small when nearing a Papyrus.

At one point Horror came to a sudden halt with a horrified expression.

There was an Undyne and Alphys, the two clearly together, nearby.

“what? you hate love or something?” Killer snickered.

Horror pulled his tattered hood on. “don't joke with me right now, killer,” he grumbled.

Killer went quiet and kept his head down. He hoped they were almost there. He kept looking at the buildings as they walked along trying to find one that looked remotely like the place they would stay. He realized that, while Horror and Dust seemed bothered by seeing different versions of people they knew, he saw all of these guys as mere strangers. Try as he might, when he sees a Papyrus he doesn't feel anything and can only go off of vague memories to know that he should be feeling something more.

He hesitated to kill his Papyrus. Why did he look at these other versions of him and feel nothing towards them?

He remembered when Nightmare brought a Papyrus to the castle and when they hugged. He didn't feel that much back then either, but he chalked that up to his soul being on the fritz.

“We're here!” Ink finally said. “Well, this is where Horror’ll stay—if you guys want to be separate, that is.”

The building they were in front of looked like an actual house rather than an apartment.

“how the hell do you know my name?”

“Your brother told me, duh,” Ink said as if he should’ve known already.

“my brother?! is he here?” Horror questioned. He looked like he’d strangle Ink if he was joking with him.

Ink pointed to the building with his thumb. “He’s living in there with a few others from your world. I think he's in there right now.”

Horror approached the door and knocked.

“Who’s there?”

That was Toriel’s voice.

“amish,” he answered.

“Amish who?”

“I missed you too.”

Toriel laughed, thankfully. He was pretty rusty on his knock knock jokes. He wasn't sure that one would land.

The door opened a few seconds later.

Toriel looked healthier and less burdened. Her fur was well taken care of rather than matted like it was the last time he saw her. She also had new robes that were much more vibrant in color. She smiled fondly at him. “Hello, Sans.”

He couldn't believe this was real. “heya, toriel.”

He heard a stampede coming from behind her as the whole gang from Grillby’s went up to the door. A chorus of “Sans!” rang out.

“‘sup, guys?” He was surprised to see that all of them were staying in the house.

Many of them were saying things like “we thought you died” and “where the hell have you been?”.

Everyone looked a lot livelier.

Papyrus managed to push himself out from the crowd, Toriel stepping aside to let him get closer to his brother.

Papyrus looked more like his old self. There weren't any more blood stains on him, but his teeth were still crooked. His outfit was completely different. He was wearing what appeared to be a red-orange knitted sweater with the text “Cool Dude” embroidered in white in the middle of it. His jagged neck was exposed without his cape on.

Soon enough, Sans was off the ground and lifted into the air by Papyrus as he brought him into a tight hug. “I KNEW I’D SEE YOU AGAIN!” he said excitedly.

“missed you too, bro. i hope you weren't too bonely without me.”

Papyrus let out a sob at his joke, but not in annoyance but rather joy.

“you good?”

“I MISSED YOUR PUNS,” he admitted. “IT WASN’T THE SAME WHEN TORIEL WOULD MAKE THEM.”

“you dead serious? of corpse toriel can't hold a candle to me, she’s just not as humerus. no body’s funnier than a skeleton like me.”

Toriel snickered at his rapid-fire jokes.

“AND IT’S WORN OFF! I NO LONGER MISS THEM,” he said lightheartedly. He set Sans down carefully. “WOWIE, YOUR CLOTHES SURE ARE…SOMETHING.”

Right, he practically was dressed in tattered rags.

“I THINK I HAVE SOME OF YOUR CLOTHES PACKED IN MY ROOM. DOGARESSA SAID I WAS OVER PACKING BUT I KNEW I WAS RIGHT TO BRING THEM!” he raised his voice even louder as he mentioned Dogaressa. “COME INSIDE, I’LL SHOW YOU OUR ROOM!” Papyrus walked back inside the house eagerly. 

Sans smiled but paused before taking a step in. He looked back to Dust and Killer, who were watching his reunion.

“Are those friends of yours?” Toriel asked.

Friends. He doesn't think any of them have called each other a friend before.

“uh, yeah,” he said quietly.

“Why not introduce them to us?” she suggested.

He never thought about the possibility of introducing Killer and Dust to them. He wasn't sure how something like that would go. Their names themselves would be off-putting. He motioned for them to come over.

They looked hesitant, as if they weren't sure if he really did want them to come over. Eventually, they bit the bullet and started walking over.

“Hello there,” Toriel greeted. “I take it, you two are friends of Sans?”

Man, they've killed different versions of everyone inside that house, Killer thought awkwardly. “yup, the name’s killer.”

She seemed to be more concerned with his odd soul than his name. To her credit, she didn't question either. “My name is Toriel, it is nice to meet you.” She looked at Dust, who was probably sweating bullets underneath his hood. “And you are?”

Dust kept his hands in his pockets and his gaze downward as if the ground was very interesting.

“oh uh, he doesn't talk. we call him…” Killer desperately tried to think of any other name to call him that didn’t literally mean corpse. “dusk.”

“It is nice to meet you as well, Dusk.”

“Nice of you guys to get acquainted,” Ink said, appearing behind the two skeletons. “Now if you don't mind, you two, we gotta get a move on. I’m a busy skeleton.”

“right, we’ll see you around,” Killer said. “bye, h—sans.”

Sans waved goodbye and went inside the house after his brother.

“Farewell,” Toriel said and then closed the door.

Ink led them to a hotel building a few blocks away from the house. The walk was quiet and lackluster.

That is, until Killer realized something. “hang on.”

“Hm?”

“you said horror’s brother told you his name.”

“Yup!” he confirmed.

“Horror’s brother doesn't know he's called that.”

Ink looked like he was caught robbing a bank, and then he laughed it off. “Wow, it took you that long to notice that? Anyway,” he gestured to the hotel, “this is where you two will be staying.”

“don’t just change topics—”

“I don't have time to explain to you who I am and how I know literally everything about you. Like how you're gonna ask me if you're gonna share a room with Dusk and then you'll get sad when I tell you ‘well I did have two rooms prepared’ and then stupidly happy when I say ‘but if you want you guys can share a room’.”

Killer looked mortified. What the hell was this guy’s deal? Could he see the future?

Ink handed him a key. “Anyway, here's your room key, it's on the second floor. Yes there's two beds but I doubt you need the extra one—”

“hey.”

“Have fun.” His scarf painted a hole in the ground and he jumped into it.

Killer sighed, inspecting the key in his hand. It had the room number on it, fortunately. “c’mon, man,” he said to Dust.

The two of them walked into the hotel, which thankfully didn't have anyone in the lobby at the moment. They were able to get in their room without any interruptions.

The moment Killer locked the door shut, Dust threw himself onto one of the beds with a sigh.

“how you holding up, dust?”

“don't call me that,” he muttered angrily.

“oh.” He went over to sit on the other bed, proving Ink wrong. “so is ‘dusk’ fine?”

He didn't protest, so he assumed it was a yes. It was funny, they hardly sounded different. In fact, Killer came up with that name because it sounded similar.

Was it because of the meaning behind the words or because of the person who gave him the name that made the difference? Killer knew it was more likely to be the former.

Dusk laid on the bed lifelessly, as if he was an actual dead skeleton.

Killer couldn't blame him. The only reason he wasn't breaking down was because someone else was in the room, and he was getting tired of all this emotional turmoil.

He heard a knock at the door. “i’m going to stab whoever's outside if you don't make like a tree and fuck off,” he threatened.

“Geez! I just brought you guys some food. It's lumpia. I’ll leave it at the door,” that sounded like Blue.

Killer waited a bit until he got up to open the door. There was a bag of takeout on the ground. He picked it up and shut the door, locking it again.

Inside the containers was a food he didn't recognize. thank god, he would've snapped if it was Grillby’s. He left one of the containers on Dusk’s bedside counter.

He ate like a starving animal, pleased to find out that the “lumpia”, as Blue called it, was pretty good. Honestly, he’d eat literal dirt but that didn't stop him from appreciating well-cooked food.

He heard Dusk sit up and grab the container on his bedside counter.

They ate in silence for a bit.

“i’m glad you're not dead,” Dusk said eventually.

Killer snickered, “me too.” He realized how that came out. “i’m also glad that you're alive, i mean.”

He saw him smiling underneath his hood.

“i dunno if my cats are okay, though. even if he doesn't hurt them directly…who's gonna take care of them?” His smile faltered.

Dusk put the container back and got up to sit next to him. He thought of what to say. He wasn’t that good at comforting people in the past and he definitely wasn’t good at it now. “they were strays, right? they’ll probably be able to fend for themselves.”

“god, i hope so.” That wasn’t even taking into account the possibility that Nightmare himself will hurt them. Killer supposed he never explicitly said he killed anyone, and the other two turned out to be fine, but that didn’t stop him from fearing the worst.

He felt Dusk’s arm awkwardly wrap around him. Instinctively he turned to hug him back.

Maybe they’ll end up okay.

[goldsbitch]

I gave so many signs

summary: First unrequited love is not the one to ever leave your mind. Y/N looks back at her missed connection with Charles Leclerc from the time they were just teenagers and regrets having him slip away.

song fic (disclaimer: rights belong to the respectable owners)

exile - Taylor Swift Lie to me - 5 Seconds of Summer (feat. Julia Michaels) Worst of you - Maisie Peters

warning: Present time, the past

Coming back home to Monaco always brought a sour smile to her face. She loved growing up in this strange small town where everyone knew each other and celebrities came to show off and then went back to wherever, to tell stories of Monte Carlo.

They say that you get to experience three very different real loves in your lifetime - and only if you're lucky, it would be with the same person. Her first love was Charles Leclerc.

I saw you lookin' brand new overnight I caught you lookin' too, but you didn't look twice

Visiting family was the reason why she always came back, but going out with the few girls from high school who stayed there was a treat she dared not to miss. There is just something about hanging out with those people who helped one buy the first eyeshadow and with whom she pregamed at one of their step dad's dermatology office before going on trying to get into any club that would allow minors in. So there she was once again, at the old time spot, having a harder time to hold her alcohol since she'd passed the magic non hangover years. And to her luck, he walked in only a bare half an hour later than her.

Whenever she saw him, even after those years, it was like everyone else had dissapeared from the room. He seemed to age like wine.

It's 3 AM and the moonlight's testing me I know that you've been holding on to someone else And now I can't sleep

"Come here to me," she teased, moving closer to him. He tried to stop her and playfully pushed himself the furthest away possible the couch would allow. "Charlie, let me see!" she insisted and sat on top of him. She had to act quickly, there would be no way for her to keep the upper hand. He was just turning eighteen soon and the time in gym was starting to bring back results. "I do not have any hairline, Y/N," he gasped, annoyed. His tone changed. Back then she interpreted it as just him being done with her shit. Looking at it now, there probably was a different reason why he became more stiff. She sat on him, going through his hair and taking few photos, blissfully unaware. "I'll show this to you in a few years and we'll see! Ha!" Charles eyes were shooting arrows in her direction. She looked back at him, curious and not grasping the moment in the same way as he did. "What?" she asked simply. "Nothing..."

I can see you standing, honey With his arms around your body Laughin', but the joke's not funny at all

She laughed a bit at that memory as she sipped her drink and tried her best to avoid keeping looking back at him as he sat with his current friends and an absolute gorgeous girl laughing at his joke. She knew who she was. Sometimes she peaked at his socials and then blocked him again right away. She certainly knew he had her blocked.

They went to different schools and Charles had his racing activities anyway. So they'd spent a lot of time texting. A lot.

It was just one of the horrifically long school days where she doubted the point of her existence. Life had to be more than sitting in a pointless computer science class. She wanted to be a big lawyer girl boss one day, so why would she ever care about programming. There she was, staring at the assignment from the teacher who was stuck in 20th century anyway, having little to no clue what to do. As she'd usually do, she texted Charles. Bombed him with twenty texts demanding attention, before he finally responded. "OMG i thought someone had died" "i am dying charles" "no your not" "*you're" "i can go back to my race simulator if you keep being a little shit" "nooo, please dont go. you're my only hope. sorry, your. i get it, you got out of the school too early." "that's it, i'm gone" "noo, please stay, I'll be nice and say nice things about you" "i'm staying, go on" "you are absolutely gorgeous" "yes, agree. more" "you are soo funny, amazing, future heart breaker and your passion for racing is so inspiring" "i like this. more"

Second, third, and hundredth chances Balancin' on breaking branches Those eyes add insult to injury

They were inseparable, yet nobody knew. Always meeting alone, because they did not need anyone and their social circles didn't really meet together. Whenever he was back in town, the two of them would hit up their favorite café or hang out at his house and then go for a walk. The two of them walked around Monte Carlo as if they were suppose to be the cartographers creating the first map of that area ever. Those were the good old days that came to end very unexpectedly.

We always walked a very thin line You didn't even hear me out (Didn't even hear me out) You never gave a warning sign (I gave so many signs)

His hands were shaking when he sent the email. But he just could not take it anymore. He was over the moon in love with her and didn't know how to contain it.

"there is no easy way to say this. i love you. sorry. i'm stupid and i know we're just friends. but i basically live only for racing and seeing you. i'm terrified of seeing you with someone else. if there is at least a cell in your body that feels the same, please let's meet up and talk about it. if not, do not reply and i will never mention this again and deal with it. i love you."

She was seventeen when she got his message out of the blue. A scared little girl who was petrified of feelings and anything relationship related. So she never replied to his email.

All this time I never learned to read your mind I couldn't turn things around (I couldn't turn things around) 'Cause you never gave a warning sign (You never gave a warning sign)

Charles had a very little hope that she'd feel the same - why would she, such an amazing person, kind, fun and totally glorified in his eyes, so he could not even imagine him being worthy of her. But what if? What if he was enough? With every day when she did not respond to his email, his heart sank lower. Still, the pain of the first rejection is a hard one to take, because it's usually from a scared unexperienced heart to another and the clumsiness causes great deal of accidental collateral damage one remembers until the end of their life.

You're not my homeland anymore So what am I defending now? You were my town, now I'm in exile, seein' you out

She texted him from school few days after that - a normal text, as if nothing happened. Both of them were too chicken to address the situation openly. So he opted for buring his feeling and she for playing like she had no idea. Deep down, she always knew, even before he emailed her. They texted, continued to meet up. But it was never the same again.

Flashing back to New York City I was done, but you undid me Classic me to run when it feels right

It was hard to get closure for her. After all that had happened and the mess the two made for each other was a hard lesson she remembered vividly. She glanced at your first love again - and finally she met his look, after almost two years of managing to missing each other while they were both back in Monaco. She'd daydreamed about bumping into him, the two chatting and smiling again. The world stopped again for few moments. He shot her an unsure quick half smile that said it all. She knew him too well for that.

And now I wish we never met 'Cause you're too hard to forget While I'm cleaning up your mess I know he's taking off your dress

It was her prom night and she could not be more excited. All her friends were here, family, even Charles managed to get in town to watch her dance and drink all night. She had the night of her life, perfect end to end this chapter of life. The excitement her eyes held was contagious. She spent the first half of her evening with the family and Charles, sharing few dances and laughs. If felt like the good old days. But one shot of tequila led to another and there she was, drunk as pirate and unhinged like a teenage girl. Charles did his best to keep her parents at bay, keep them occupied while he got one of his friends to take care of her. He was worried she might do something stupid, like walk up to the stage and fall down breaking all of her bones. Finally, her parents decided to leave without having to saying goodbye to her after Charles spent a good half an hour convincing them she was just in the back stage and that he'd get her home safe. When they were gone, he began to search for her, only to finally find her sitting on the stairs, making out with the friend he assigned to keep an eye on her.

So take me to every party and just talk to your friends Why don't you let me down, I'll let you do it again Go on and walk all over me, just don't walk away Give me the worst of you 'Cause I want you anyway

It was like being cut open alive and having people watch. There was nothing even remotely graceful about her actions, she was literally sitting on the floor having a battle of tongues with another drunk teenager while people had to walk pass her. It was embarrassing. Charles didn't know what to do. He wanted to run away and never come back, but he couldn't leave her there alone. He couldn't bring himself to stop the two of his friends, because he was just too sad and heartbroken to do so. He just stayed nearby and kept an eye on them. It was one of the longest nights in his life.

She couldn't remember the second half of her prom night and Charles would never speak of it, even though she begged him many times. He always became stiff and started to leave the room. She only kept asking, because it marked one of the biggest shifts in their friendships. He became cold, unresponsive and after few weeks, he stopped communicating completely.

You were my town, now I'm in exile, seein' you out I think I've seen this film before

Funny how people's faces change with years, but the eyes stay the same. The eyes and the look. Charles looked at her the second time this evening. It was like staring back at the eighteen year old boy who was drowning in his feeling.

It was one of her last nights in Monaco before leaving for university. Finally, her dreams were coming true. She was more than ready to get our to show the world she was a force to be reckoned with. She sent Charles countless messages before her final departure, at that moment, she was sure she'll never ever get back to Monaco and wanted to at least understand why he became distant. One evening, he finally agreed to meet up and talk. She was over the moon. Knowing that she could always turn Charles over, she left feeling confident - he was one the very few people she was sure shared the same soul as her. It was as if they'd never stopped talking. Jokes flying everywhere, the two of them strolling around, having no idea this would be the last time (and maybe, that was better for her at the time). There was so much to share, the two kept talking over each other for hours. Charles was happy when she finally stopped to take a breath for a moment. She looked him in the eye and saw a look she'd seen countless of times on his face. There was a shift in her mind and out of nowhere, she was kissing the boy she'd been unknowingly in love for years. She'd realize that she loved him only once she started dating a random guy from her college, expecting the same feeling Charles gave her. But it never came. Had she known, she'd have stayed with him. He tried to convince her to start dating him. Almost begged her to try it with him long distance. But there was a whole world for you to discover, places to be and versions of her that needed discovering. She had kissed only once. But it was a kiss of a lifetime. He blocked her on all socials after she rejected him again.

I never learned to read your mind (Never learned to read my mind) I couldn't turn things around (You never turned things around) 'Cause you never gave a warning sign (I gave so many signs) So many signs, so many signs You didn't even see the signs

The girls were laughing at some joke she missed while digging in her memory for traces of her first love. Charles Leclerc. He was sitting few tables away from her. This time, her heart sank as he kissed his girlfriend on the cheek as they walked away from the bar. She wanted to run to him, to talk to him again after all those years. To tell him the same thing he once emailed her. To explain that she was just too young to notice she had the love of her life right next to you. But she knew all too well what his answer would be. And just like he had back then, she never wanted to hear it out loud.

And I know that you don't, but if I ask you if you love me I hope you lie, lie, lie, lie, lie to me

part 2

[jaemmphilia]

★ 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 ★ || hwang h.j & lee f.x

★ summary: hyunjin desperately needs inspiration for a painting that's due in his visual arts class. he has to paint the subject on a large canvas using nude colors. the problem is that he can't seem to find a model, he's asked everyone he knows, and it turns out that not everyone wants to sit naked in a uncomfortable pose for hours on end. not even his hyung, chan. well, there's always that really, really attractive boy in his creative writing class, hyunjin has spoke to him a handful of times, he would consider them to be close. hyunjin also knows the boy is a mutual friend of felix's. it wouldn't hurt to ask right?

★ characters: kang y/n, hwang hyunjin, lee felix, chan and changbin are only mentioned once, johnny from nct is also mentioned

★ warnings: threesome, sex on a large canvas, smut, oral (all characters receiving), unprotected sex, (wrap it up yall), nudity, paint in places it really should not be (none of it will be inside of anyone, of course), hyunlix are both whipped for y/n, college au, mentions of alcohol and weed, author says cock too many times to be considered normal, reader is called little doll a few times

★ word count: ~5.8K words (i got carried away again..)

★ requested?: yep, thank you to @belladonna6-6-6 for the idea !!

★ binnie's thoughts: when i got this request dm'd to me i just couldn't resist... hyunlix is just so sexy and i know they'd be the perfect boyfs … enjoy this filthy threesome !!

★ disclaimer: this fic in absolutely NO way represents the stray kids members as people. this is just for fun, so don't take it to heart. just enjoy!

Hyunjin doesn’t know who to ask at this point. He’s asked every single person he knows (which is a lot of people, he’s quite popular on campus, mind you), and every last one of them either flat out said no or they had something to do that day. As he contemplates bribing one of his friends with food, he hears his roommate enter their shared dorm. Felix lets out a heavy sigh as he kicks off his shoes, placing them neatly on the shoe rack they built together during their second year. 

Felix is a great roommate, he knows not to touch Hyunjin’s expensive art supplies, and he always asks for permission before entering Hyunjin’s room or his art studio. He also makes the most delicious brownies and cookies Hyunjin has ever had the privilege of tasting. Felix likes his personal space, but he also is fun to talk to. The two of them like to curl up together on their super comfy couch, a weighted blanket draped over their laps as they share a large bowl of sickly-salty popcorn, a stupid and trashy reality show playing on their large television. They both know not to watch ahead of the other, because it’s their thing, you can’t just break the roommate code like that. It’s just part of the rules. 

“Hyun, what’s got you so upset? I can just smell the disappointment radiating from you.” Felix calls out, bending down to open their mini-fridge, the poor thing littered with stupid stickers of Pokemon and other random things. Hyunjin sighs again, this time louder as he throws his head back against the armrest, a soft thump coming from the impact. Hyunjin lifts his head up with a pout, his hand coming up to rub the dull throb residing on the back of his head. Felix lets out a chuckle, standing fully with a can of soda in his hand. Felix makes his way to the couch, tapping Hyunjin’s long, slim legs, a gesture telling the male to lift them up. Hyunjin lifts his legs, allowing Felix to sit where they previously were. Hyunjin lays his legs down on Felix’s lap, liking the way the younger male rubs little shapes on his skin. 

Felix’s hands are always warm, even after holding a cold soda or a cold beer in his grip. Hyunjin likes to feel the blonde’s hands dancing across his bare skin, soft, supple skin stroking him in all the right places. Of course they’ve hooked up. They’re both healthy young adults who have needs, needs that can’t be ignored for too long. Oftentimes, Felix will waltz his way into Hyunjin’s room and crawl under Hyunjin’s soft blankets. Hyunjin is a light sleeper, so any movement in his bed causes him to stir, his eyes squinting to adjust to the darkness of his bedroom. Felix doesn’t have to say anything, Hyunjin already knows the poor boy had a nightmare and needs a distraction. Well, Hyunjin’s idea of a distraction is filling the male full of his throbbing cock until tears are streaming down Felix’s freckled cheeks. 

“I can’t seem to find a model for my visual arts class. I’ve asked literally everyone. Not a single person said yes! Even Chan hyung said no!” Hyunjin whines, his hands covering his eyes as his lips contort in a pout. “And you know Chan hyung loves to be naked at all times of the day, so why would he say no?”

“Maybe because he doesn’t want to sit in a single pose for so many hours?” Felix asks, taking a sip of his soda, his eyes on Hyunjin. “Besides, you didn’t ask everyone. You didn’t ask me.” 

“I can’t paint the same person if I’ve already painted them once. I painted you for my final exam last semester, remember?” Hyunjin says, uncovering his eyes to look at Felix as he speaks. He had gotten a near-perfect score on that painting, and it currently sits in the school’s very own art gallery. 

Felix hums, remembering having to sit on the grass of the school’s garden, yellow flowers of all kinds surrounding him. He had a good time, except for when a bee decided to land on a flower that was next to his shoulder. Hyunjin’s wide eyes totally gave it away that there was something creeping beside Felix and soon enough, Felix was darting out of the patch of flowers. 

“So, I don’t know who to ask at this point. I could always paint myself, but then I would have to take pictures of myself and choose the one that’s best. That would take too long, so my best choice is to just paint someone else.” Hyunjin sighs, grabbing his phone to go through his contacts for the millionth time that day, hoping that he missed someone. 

“Wait, I might know someone who can help. I think you know him, he’s in your creative writing class.” Felix says, and Hyunjin is lost. He doesn’t talk to a lot of people in his creative writing class, most of the people around him donning headphones of various brands and kinds. Now that he thinks about it, there is one person he does talk to and has had plenty of nice conversations with. 

Kang Y/N, a rather quiet individual with a soft smile that happens to match his overall vibe. He’s a nice guy, always jumping to help anyone who needs it, whether that be studying or helping get rid of a nasty hangover. He just draws people in, the type of person you can’t bring yourself to hate. Only because he would probably just apologize for upsetting you enough to hate him. 

“Oh, yeah? Who is it, I’m so desperate at this point, Lix. I will literally paint Professor Shindong, it’s that serious.” Hyunjin says, trying to fight the shiver that creeps up his body as he imagines his professor naked. 

Felix lets out a loud snort, coughing as he covers his mouth and nose, fizzy liquid seeping in between his fingers. Through his coughing fit, his body thrashes with giggles and cackles alike. Why would Hyunjin put that cursed image in his head? Might as well add that to his list of nightmares. 

Felix finally calms down, wiping his wet hand on Hyunjin’s bare leg, causing the black haired male to playfully kick him in the side. “Let's not even go there. No, I’m talking about Y/N. You know, the same guy who gave Johnny a lapdance at his party?” 

How could anyone forget that night? It was truly… something. Everyone was drunk off their asses, some people stripping out of their clothes, some others dancing on tables. Bodies grinding against one another as the music courses through their drunken veins. Hyunjin and Felix had been there to experience the entire thing, even if the two were also very intoxicated. A game of truth of dare had broken out, and everyone resorted back to their middle-school selves, giggling as they grabbed their friends to join in on the circle of other party-goers. Hyunjin was dragged into the circle with Felix, the two of them stumbling as they fell on top of each other, eliciting laughs from everyone around them. They played the game, doing any dare that was thrown at them. The game got interesting when you were asked to give the birthday boy a special lap dance in celebration. You agreed with a nonchalant shrug, influenced by alcohol and weed, quickly made your way to Johnny, who was sitting on the couch, holding a conversation with his fellow hockey player teammates.

You just swung your legs over Johnny’s lap, the bigger male’s eyes widening as he welcomed the newfound weight on his lap. You rolled your hips in circles, your arms wrapped loosely around Johnny’s neck, feeling his growing length under your ass. 

Everyone stopped to look at the two of you, some people gasping while others cheered you on. Someone even threw a ten dollar bill at you. Once you felt that Johnny’s lap dance went on long enough, you peeled yourself off of him, going back to join the circle, a sultry sway of your hips as you walked. The night ended with Felix and Hyunjin stumbling into their dorm room, the both of them passing out as soon as the door shut behind them.

“Oh, god,” Hyunjin starts his face lighting up as he remembers the night. “It was Y/N who gave Johnny a lap dance! You would never expect that from him, but to be fair, he was drunk.” 

Felix nodded as he took in Hyunjin’s words. “Why don’t you ask him to be your model? You know who he is, so he isn’t a total stranger.” 

Hyunjin thought about it for a second. Felix had a point, you really weren’t a stranger to him, you shared a class together. You both often helped each other with writing assignments that had you stumped, and whenever you would see each other outside of class you always offered a smile and a wave to Hyunjin. Every single time you flash that pretty smile at him, Hyunjin can see the lights of heaven calling to him from above. 

“I’m convinced and desperate. Do you have his number?”

It isn’t often that you sit on a wooden stool, all of your clothes discarded as you look off to your right, looking out of the window, a solemn look on your delicate features. Actually, this is the first time you have ever done anything like this. Curse you and your need to please people when they ask you for a favor. Your left leg is crossed over your lower half, covering up your soft length. The window casts a soft yellowy-orange glow all over your naked body. You were testing out a few poses while you waited for Hyunjin to return with his mixed paint.

(Of course you have done some questionable things during your time in college, the most memorable one being that time you gave Johnny, the captain of the school’s hockey team, a lap dance at his birthday party last year. You were absolutely hammered that night, and Johnny never held that against you. The two of you still laugh about it to this day.)

Hyunjin stands in amazement as he stares as you pose so prettily on his wooden stool just a few short steps in front of his XXX-Large canvas. He knows he should probably start painting before he gets caught staring at you, but he simply can’t help it. He was surprised when you agreed to be his model, and he was even more surprised when you still agreed to be his model when he failed to mention that you had to be nude. He assumes it's because you’re the type who can’t find it in yourself to say no to anyone. He was shocked when you replied to his text pretty quickly, agreeing to model for him, asking for other details. 

Hyunjin shakes his head to remind himself that he has work to do and gets his paint, quickly mixing the colors he needs. Then, a lightbulb goes off in his head. He takes a look at his mixed paint tins, examining the colors. His eyes are darting back and forth, looking at the paint and your skin. He chews on his bottom lip before he picks up a deep brown color that’s almost black. 

“Hey, Y/N?” he calls to you softly, his cheeks heating up when you turn your head to look at him, a soft ‘hm?’ coming from you, your eyes wide and curious to hear what he has to say. 

“Is it okay if I place a hand mark on your thigh? I think it’ll look good for the theme of the painting,” Hyunjin asks softly, his head tilting to the side as he waits for your approval or disapproval. 

“Hyunjin, I’m simply your model, a lifeless doll for you to move and shape to fit your vision. If you feel that a hand print is what will set you apart from the others, then go ahead.”

Hyunjin could listen to you speak forever. You have such a way with words, it’s easy for him to get lost in the words you speak. Hyunjin might not survive for long if you keep buttering him up with the words you say to him and the way you say them. 

“Of course, I think the pose you were in was perfect as it was. So, if you could pose like that again, that would be perfect.” He says, covering his hand in a deep brown paint that he mixed up just a few minutes ago. 

Hyunjin’s hand is shaky as he walks over to you, his eyes scanning the naked expanse of your soft, milky skin. He counts the blemishes of your skin, noticing that you have beauty marks of various sizes and colors littering your skin. He makes a mental note to include those very marks in his painting. Hyunjin stands in front of you, his mind swimming with thoughts of you, and how truly honored he is to see you in such a soft light, naked and looking as beautiful as ever. He lifts his shaky hand and carefully places it on your bare thigh, not missing the way your leg jolts at the contact. 

“I didn’t expect it to be cold,” you let out a chuckle, relaxing once you get past the initial chill of the paint. You feel the warmth of Hyunjin’s hand on your thigh, and your cheeks and ears warm up, finally coming to terms that you are indeed naked in front of your crush. You crushed on Hyunjin from afar, deciding to just adore him from a distance, your friends attempting to hype you up to get you to actually speak to the male. That is until he spoke to you for the first time in class, his eyebrows furrowed, his expression telling you that he didn’t quite understand the assignment. You mentally squealed as you explained the assignment in a way he could understand. From then on, the two of you would have a conversation every day in class, giving each other ideas. 

“Sorry about that, I hoped my hand would warm it up enough so that it wouldn’t be so cold,” Hyunjin explains, removing his hand from your thigh, already missing the way your soft skin feels under his touch. “How about we get started? Just pose how you were a second ago, and keep that same expression on your face.”

As Hyunjin adds the final touches to his painting, you are in the bathroom, washing the paint off your leg. You hope the painting looks exactly how he wants it to, otherwise this would have been a waste of time. Well, not exactly a waste, you and Hyunjin had an amazing conversation as he painted you, the two of you learning more about each other to pass the time. You learned that Hyunjin has a pet at home who he loves dearly, and that he loves to paint vases with flowers in them. You also learned that he is pretty close friends with your cousin, Changbin. 

Hyunjin also learned a few things about you, the most shocking thing being how you are somehow related to Changbin. You had told him many stories of your childhood with Changbin and how big of a crybaby he was back then. Hyunjin wonders how someone like Changbin, extremely muscular and dedicated to working out, could be such a crybaby as a young kid. You and Changbin are so different, you being on the quieter side, with a soft voice and a soft face to match, while Changbin is a walking tornado siren, his voice distinct and commanding. Hyunjin also learned that you major in English literature, and that you want to become a writer one day. He smiled at the way you lit up as you spoke about writing and how it makes you feel, your eyes shining under the lights of his art studio. 

He hears you step out of the bathroom, and he feels your warmth behind him, your hand placed gently on his shoulder, his skin burning under his sweater where your hand lies. 

A soft gasp leaves your lips as you stare at the painting. It’s truly breathtaking, you’ve never seen yourself look so… soft and ethereal. No picture could ever capture you the way Hyunjin did. Hyunjin captured your solemn expression perfectly, adding sparkling tears falling down your cheeks. He painted every single detail of your body, every blemish and scar. He even included the splotchy birthmark on your right hip and the small bunny tattoo on the inner part of your arm. The handprint on your thigh is what catches your attention next, Hyunjin made it look smeared, wrapping around the meat of your thigh, tying the painting together perfectly.

“Oh my gosh, Hyunjin..” You start, and Hyunjin swivels his head around to look at you, a soft red on his cheeks as he just smiles cheekily at you. “This is amazing! How do you do it?” You comment your eyes not leaving the painting for a second.

“Well, when your model is as pretty as you are, you find motivation to make sure you capture that beauty perfectly.” 

You gawk as you finally look at Hyunjin, your jaw dropped open slightly. He thinks you’re pretty? You can’t help the way your heart beats heavily in your chest that you can feel it reverberating in your ears. You watch as Hyunjin stands up, his taller frame looming over you. Hyunjin doesn’t miss the way his wine red silk robe hangs on your frame, the material falling off your shoulders. You look up at him with wide eyes, face warm and lips slightly parted. Hyunjin brings a hand up to cup your cheek, his eyes searching yours for any discomfort or rejection. When he doesn’t find any, he slowly leans in close to you, and you meet him in the middle, your parted lips connecting with his as you both close your eyes. 

Your lips mold together easily, the two of you quickly adding your tongues to the mix. Hyunjin’s tongue fights with yours, saliva gathering at the corners of your mouth as a soft whimper spills from you, your legs feeling weak from the feeling of Hyunjin’s lips on yours. Hyunjin pulls away from you for a second, chuckling as you chase his lips for more kisses. 

“Patience, little doll, we wouldn’t want your pretty portrait to get ruined, right?” He says, taking the painting to dry in another area of the room where it won’t get ruined. As he’s placing the finished painting aside, his eyes land on a blank canvas that’s the same size as the one he just placed down to dry. He grabs the blank canvas, placing it on the floor as you stare in confusion. 

“Hyunjin, what are you doing with that? You aren’t starting another piece, are you?” You question, your head tilted to the side as you watch Hyunjin retrieve two mid sized buckets of paint. One bucket has dried and crusty paint coating the rim, the color a pastel blue that reminds you of the hydrangeas that your grandmother grew. The other bucket looks like it’s maybe a soft pink color. As you get close to look at the name on the metal bucket, you see that it reads ‘dusty rose.’ You had never heard of such a color, you wondered if it was dark or light. You may not know everything under the sun about colors, but the required art classes you took during your school years have taught you plenty. 

Hyunjin uses a flat tool to pop both lids of the paint buckets open, then he looks at you with a faux-innocent smile on his pretty face. There’s something swimming in his dark brown eyes, you can see it. “I want to make a masterpiece with you, little doll.”

Your breath catches in your throat as you catch on to what he means. He can’t really be serious, can he? This is something right out of a raunchy movie about a girl having a dom-sub relationship with a rich CEO that she works for. 

“Wait, you want us to– have sex on that canvas?” You question him, your voice small and quiet as you chew on your lip waiting for Hyunjin to reply to your question. 

“Only if you're comfortable, I won’t do anything that could make you uncomfortable. If you would much rather us fuck on my bed, that’s fine by me.” Hyunjin says with a smile, his eyes searching your face for any sign of uncomfortableness, but he’s only seeing a bit of uncertainty and a large amount of lust. That’s a good sign to him, you’re still in the mood to fool around with him, you just need a little bit of a push. 

“I– I mean, it could be interesting..” You say, trailing off as you have an internal battle with yourself. Did you really want to have sex with Hyunjin on top of a canvas, the two of you covered in paint as you roll around making shapes with your bodies? You would be stupid to say no to something like that.

“I need a real answer, cutie. Yes, or no.” Hyunjin says, now standing in front of you as he lifts your chin up with his fingers, making you look up at him. You gulp as you stare at him, trying to find your voice.

“Yes, Hyunjin.”

You find yourself covered in pastel blue paint, Hyunjin using his hands to rub the paint all over your naked body as he kisses you with fervor. Hyunjin stands before you, his body rid of all clothes, his lean body on display for your eyes. You think he looks like a god. The once orange light of the room, now darker as the night creeps in, dances across his body, turning his sepia colored skin a few shades darker. The sun is slowly sinking away to sleep, allowing the calmness of the night to take over.   

Hyunjin pulls away from the kiss and grabs the bucket of dusty rose paint, and prompts you to cover him in the paint as he did for you just a few minutes ago. And you obey, dipping your hands into the chilly paint, and you lightly shake off any excess that drips down your fingers. You bring your hands up to coat Hyunjin’s soft skin that reminds you of those tasty shortbread cookies you receive during the holidays. Your soft hands rub up and down his slim body, your mind racing as you wonder how you ended up here. The intense lust overrides all, taking over any doubts you may have had. 

Hyunjin locks his lips with yours again, his eyes closing as he hums into your mouth. You swallow any noise that leaves him, your fingers gripping his supple flesh as you dip your hands in the paint one last time. A sly smile crosses your face as you bring both hands around Hyunjin, lightly slapping your hands on his ass. His body jumps a little, not expecting such an action from you. He feels your hands grip his ass, a cute but evil laugh bubbling in your chest. 

“So it’s like that, huh?” Hyunjin questions, cocking one of his perfect eyebrows. He stares down at you as you nod. 

Hyunjin just shakes his head as he guides you to lay down on the canvas, his body hovering over your own body. Hyunjin trails kisses form your lips all the way to your neck, leaving a light sheen of saliva in their wake. You tangle your hands in Hyunjin’s long, black hair and you untie the hair tie that’s keeping his hair contained and out of his face. The hair falls gracefully, framing Hyunjin’s face perfectly. You feel goosebump litter your skin as his hair tickles your cheeks. 

As you keep kissing Hyunjin, his body laid on top of your skin, sticky from the paint, his body is keeping your legs spread. He’s rocking his body upwards, his soft abs rubbing against your growing length, causing you to moan softly into his parted mouth. His tongue is licking into your mouth, tasting the sweet pastries you ate before you arrived at his dorm. The taste is intoxicating to him, he just can’t stop kissing you. He loves how soft your lips are against his, and how they faintly taste like mint. You can feel the desperation in the way he kisses and touches you, the way his hands roam your body, the paint mixing together, creating a marble-like effect. 

“I could kiss you all damn day,” Hyunjin pants out when he finally pulls away to allow you both to catch your breath. Your body is buzzing with excitement, the feeling of Hyunjin’s creamy and soft skin rubbing against your hard length causes a pulsing thrill to course through your veins. Hyunjin can feel the precome leaking from your tip as it coats his body, giving him a nice glide as he continues to rub all on you. 

The sound of a door opening shakes both of you out of your dazed and lustful trances. You both turn your attention to the door wide eyed as the person pokes their head into the room. Your body immediately heats up as your eyes land on a mop of blonde hair. Blonde hair that belongs to your gaming partner, Felix. If you weren’t so clouded with high desire and lust, you would be embarrassed. But the fact that you’ve been caught under Hyunjin’s naked body makes your veins tingle. 

Felix’s soft brown eyes flick back and forth between you and Hyunjin, his eyebrows furrowed and a slight frown settling on his freckled face. You’re a little confused, why does he look like a kicked puppy? Is he upset that you and Hyunjin are engaging in such an intimate state of affairs? You want to cradle his face and kiss his frown away. 

“Oh no, Y/N. We forgot to include poor Lixie. What kind of friends are we?” Hyunjin says as he looks at Felix. Hyunjin waves Felix over, gesturing for the blonde to join in. Felix walks into the art studio, his eyes falling on your body. He takes in the way your legs are spread open, the pastel blue paint coating your skin, with small amounts of dusty rose paint mixed in. He so desperately wants to join you and Hyunjin, and he’s almost positive that you want him to join in as well.

As Felix stands there, not entirely sure what to do, you speak up. “Hyunjin, is Lixie going to be joining us?” You ask. 

“We have to make it up to him somehow, don’t you think?” Hyunjin says, and you nod in agreement. Felix’s face warms up, his cheeks and ears turning a soft red color as his heart pounds heavily in his chest. “Come on, Lixie. Get undressed and join us.”

Felix wastes absolutely no time in ridding himself of his clothes. Once he’s fully nude, he kneels down beside your head, his length hanging heavily between his legs. You examine his naked skin, noticing that his freckles don’t stop at his cheeks. You notice the light scattering of freckles on his thighs and stomach and you want to kiss every single freckle. 

Hyunjin helps you sit up, and he stands up. “Why don’t you make it up to him, Y/N. Give him plenty of kisses to show how sorry you are for leaving him out. I’ll be back in just a sec.” Hyunjin says as he goes to get some more paint for Felix. 

You turn your body and look deep into Felix’s eyes. You notice flecks of light brown in his eyes. His pupils are blown wide as he looks from your eyes to your lips and back again. You both lean in at the same time, meeting in the middle as your lips connect. Kissing Felix is very different from Hyunjin. Felix’s lips aren’t as soft as Hyunjin’s, and the chapped skin rubs against your own lips in just the right way. Fe;ix slides his tongue inside your mouth as his hands find their place on your hips, rubbing little circles on the flesh there. You hum into his mouth as you scoot closer to him, and you find yourself on top of him as he pushes your hips to grind your hard cocks together. 

Hyunjin watches you both make out for a while until he’s setting a paint bucket down, causing you to break your kiss with Felix, but not once letting up on the grinding. 

“Y/N, why don’t you cover Lixie in some paint? We wouldn’t want to leave him out of this masterpiece, would we?”

After you all are messy and covered in paint, you find yourself on your back as Hyunjin is buried deep inside you, his hips moving at the pace of a snail. Felix is hovering over your head, his cock buried inside your wet, warm mouth. Hyunjin and Felix are kissing messily above you, drops of their mixed saliva falling on your body. You’re whining, the sound slightly muffled by Felix’s cock being forced down your throat. It burns a little, but not in a bad way. You were no stranger to giving blowjobs, but you’ve never taken one that was the size of Felix. He was huge, to be frank. His cock is thick too, you wonder how someone as slim as him could live with such a monster cock. His cock stretches your throat nicely, it makes your eyes roll to the back of your head. 

“Look, Lixie. Our little doll’s eyes are rolling to the back of his head. I guess we’re doing a good job of stuffing his holes.” Hyunjin teases and you can hear Felix chuckle as he thrusts into your mouth, and you can feel his short wiry pubic hair touch your chin. You let out a choked noise when he does, spit falling from the corners of your mouth. 

“I guess so, Hyun. I have an idea, though.” Felix says, pulling out of your mouth, a string of saliva connecting between your bottom lip and the tip of his cock. He sits back on his heels as he watches Hyunjin stop the slow thrusts of his hips. “Let’s see who can make our little doll cum the fastest, yeah?” Felix says, knowing Hyunjin can’t resist a little competition. 

“That’s a perfect idea, Lixie. Why don’t I go first since I’m already inside him?” Hyunjin says. Felix agrees as he grabs his phone to keep track of the time. He sits down by your head again and he starts the time. 

Once Hyunjin gets the go-ahead, he starts to slam into you at a brutal pace, causing you to arch your back off the canvas. You let out a high-pitched whine as you feel his hands grab onto your left leg, placing the limb over his shoulder so he can pound into your tight heat much deeper. You cry out, Hyunjin’s name falling from your lips as your body bounces from the force of his thrusts. 

Hyunjin grunts continuously as he loses himself in the pleasure. His dark hair is sticking to his forehead and his neck as the small art studio quickly heats up. He can feel the sweat dripping down his body, little drops falling from his nose and into his mouth. He brings his hand to wrap around your angry length, stroking it fast and matching the pace of his hips rocking into you. It doesn’t take long for you to cry out, long and loud, as you spill all over Hyunjin’s hand, the milky white liquid splashing onto your chest. Your body shakes with pleasure as you feel Hyunjin paint your inner walls white with his release. He pumps himself inside you a few more times before he pulls out, watching as the white liquid drips out of your hole. 

“Four minutes and twenty-two seconds, Hyun.” Felix says turning his phone to Hynnjin to prove that he isn’t lying. 

“Huh, not half bad. Think you can do better, Lixie?’ Hyunjin says. There’s a teasing lightness to his voice, and Felix tuts, handing the older male his phone. 

“Tch, of course I can do better. Just watch me.” Felix says as he crawls over to you. He helps you get on your hands and knees. You let him move you, your mind still reeling from the way Hyunjin just railed you like it was nothing. 

As you hold yourself up as best as you can, you feel Felix’s length slide its way into you. You feel full, a soft whimper falling from your lips. Hyunjin starts the clock, and Felix is fully inside you, his tip kissing your prostate without him even having to try. He lets you adjust for a few short seconds until he’s absolutely slamming into you. He hits your prostate dead on, and you can already feel that tight coil in your gut beginning to unravel. You let out a string of curses as Felix abuses your hole, your cock dripping in between your legs. You can’t hold it anymore at this point, and you feel yourself gushing all over the canvas below you. You cry out, tears falling down your cheeks as overstimulation takes over your body. You feel your arms giving out as they wobble. Hyunjin, acting fast, makes sure you don’t fall flat on your face as he slides under your upper body, allowing you to fall into his lap. Your ass is still up in the air, your hips held tightly in Felix’s hands. He thrusts a few more times and he finds himself spilling into you, his cum mixing with Hyunjin’s. He pulls out of you, using his thumb to push any cum that attempts to drip out of you. 

“Well, looks like you win, Lixie. Three minutes and seven seconds.” Hyunjin says. There’s a pout on his face, not really liking the idea of losing. He’ll have to get over it, because the only thing he’s worried about right now is making sure he and Felix didn’t break you. He strokes your hair as you lay on his lap, breathing heavily, your body twitching every few seconds as you come down from such an intense high. 

“We should really clean up. The paint is drying and getting crusty.” Felix says, picking at the soft purple paint that’s drying on his skin. Hyunjin nods, and a smirk creeps onto his face. 

“Round two in the shower?”

Oh good lord. Someone please help you. 

[axcel-lucci]

Support

Trafalgar Law x reader (fluff? Angst??)

A/n: it's currently 12:47, idk why but I can't sleep lol. Prolly because I need to write 200 word essay for mon- oh wait, that's today.

My masterlist

Upon the crew hearing about their captain's plan of infiltrating dress Rosa and possibly die in it, they were totally against him to the point that NO ONE entered the navigation room to drive the sub.

So they just... Floated around for the time being.

Law was getting frustrated more and more as he packs his bags and orders the crew to do as he says, if they don't, they get dismembered.

It doesn't matter though, the crew was willing to get their hearts taken away than their captain being away for good.

The crew's scribe, (y/n), is entirely unaffected by the news. In fact, they support him.

Not because they don't care, but because they know that he won't die. He can't.

(Y/n) has always been distant and cold to the crew, it's just something they got used to as their mannerism since their work as a scribe is rather gruesome and even tiresome.

Them and Law work closely together, usually for reports and documenting.

Law was grumbling to himself in his room after having another argument with the crew about his plans, he heard someone knock on the door.

"If you're going to convince me to stay, dream on because I am standing my fucking ground!" He yelled out of frustration

"How rude, captain." He heard their voice, slightly muffled by the door.

"Oh... It's you... Come in..." He muttered before seeing them open and close the door behind them.

"Look, captain. Find a common ground with them... Do you know how annoying it is when you guys scream? I can't do my work properly" they scoffed

"I know... It's just..."

"Captain." They called as he looked at them, "they're worried. They're just worried for you. Assure them you'll come back, give them something to hold on to. It's not practical, sure, but... It's the only way for them to let you off. Give them a run down version as to why..."

(Y/n) knows the reason, of course they do considering Law vents to them a lot in the day as they work together.

He sighed softly, "it's just... I don't want them to see me weak..."

"Captain... Your past is not a weakness, if anything, bearing yourself open to them is a sign of strength. You are willing to open yourself to the people you protect... Maybe then they'd realize that it's alright. That you'd be alright..."

Law seemed to think it over just a bit before getting up from the bed with a grunt, "you're right..."

"I'm always right."

"Yeah, yeah... Whatever... But still... Thanks..."

They nodded slightly, "you're welcome."

After that, he told them the run down version, sure a few tears were she'd, but the crew finally allowed him to leave.

So much for being a captain.

But in the end, Law is able to leave for punk hazard while (y/n) and the others stay at Zou.

It was hard for a couple few days with no contact from their beloved captain, but when the news finally reached them, they were overjoyed.

Of course (y/n) was no difference, but they just knew he'd be alright. As if they're proud that he's THAT strong to face the man he vowed to destroy.

Once Law was back into the crew, everyone showered him with tears and even a few threats were made that if he does that again, they'd have no choice but to chase him.

(Y/n) only shakes their head at the childish remarks, but then again, this is now Law's only family since then. A found family.

Once they were alone, (y/n) and Law finally had a peaceful talk without the snots and tears of the crew.

"That was tiring..." He muttered

"I can tell... That... Strawhat kid, he's gotten stronger since we last saw his scrawny ass, huh?" (Y/n) says with a slight amusement.

"True... He has gotten stronger... But he's still so annoying." Law grumbled

"You speak as though that kid didn't help you achieve your goal, no?"

Law could only chuckle, "yeah... Right."

Silence fell between them as they admired the beauty of Zou's forest.

"Say... (Y/n)-ya..." He called as they looked at him, "wanna watch the fireworks with me? I heard they'll set it up for tonight."

"What a selfish request, but since it's the captain's special request, I cannot refuse."

It made him laugh a bit.

It felt... Good to Law... To be able to laugh again... He looked at (y/n) with such adoration that he didn't notice they were calling him, "what...?" He muttered as soon as he snaps back.

"Daydreaming? Seriously dude? Sheesh..."

"My bad"

"Yeah, sure"

....

"Everyone's here, huh?" (Y/n) hummed softly as Law powered up his devil fruit and transported them somewhere excluded.

Shachi and Penguin saw him do this and knew his plan. Actually, they were actively looking for the two as soon as they disappeared into somewhere.

"Ooh, fancy." (Y/n) hummed softly, "clear view of the sky."

Law nods slightly, "hey... Uh..."

"Hm?"

Law looks back at (y/n) as they stare back at him with wonder

"Don't be mad, okay?"

"Uh... Sure...?"

The fireworks set off, momentarily replacing (y/n)'s attention to watch the colorful bursts of different elements in the sky resulting into blasts of colours.

"(Y/n)..." Law called as they turned back to him.

And with a blink of an eye, as well as Law letting his instincts take over, he grabbed her tightly and pressed his lips against theirs as if they've both done this before.

(Y/n) couldn't help but melt into the kiss softly and kiss him right back.

The background noise of others cheering and the fireworks blasting off into the dark sky was now just a muffled mess as the two had their attentions on one another as the kiss eventually deepened before pulling away for air.

The both turned away, embarrassed at what just happened while panting breaths.

They both eventually looked back into each other's eyes, before laughing softly at how absurd the situation just has been.

"I... Wanna do that again..." Law muttered

"Oh yeah? What's stopping you?" They smirked

"This long ass speech I prepared"

"Oh wow. You came prepared? Let's hear it."

He could feel himself laugh again before composing himself, "(y/n)... This may be cheesy or corny but... Ever since I met you and worked with you, I can't help but feel comfortable and lightheaded in a good way... You're always there for me... You... Support me... I can't thank you enough for that... It may be a shallow reason but... Will you be my partner...? Hopefully for life...?"

They smiled at him and kissed the tip of his nose, "fine... That speech was long as fuck."

They both laughed eventually.

[splendsay]

COD Fic // Callsign: Sunshine // Chapter 11: How to Catch a Zombie

hi hello yes it's me again sorry for the delay ya girl had a RUFF friday the 13th it's ok tho I lived and here is another chapter YAY HUZZAH WOOHOO

lil blurb of semi-importance: it came to my attention (my husband told me) that Sunshine's original rank (First Lieutenant) would not be possible if she was an enlisted soldier, so you will note that her rank has been corrected to Sergeant in the earlier chapters (which affects how she is addressed in said chapters but little else and nothing plot-wise).

ok das it, bye ..................................................................

Callsign: Sunshine // Chapter 11 // How to Catch a Zombie

.................................................................. CWs: Explicit language, descriptions of guns

Characters: Simon "Ghost" Riley, Reader (You), Kyle "Gaz" Garrick, Johnny "Soap" MacTavish, Captain John Price, Kate Laswell

Chapter Excerpt:

A week and a half later, you find yourself standing in a wide, grassy meadow, about an hour's hike from the estate. Soap, Gaz, and even Price, are here too -- across the field, maybe fifty meters away, still up-range. Another hundred meters beyond them, is a line of targets, each comprised of varying combinations of wood and hay, haphazardly spray painted with red and black. Ghost is standing next to you with a pair of binoculars held up to his face. 

"Any day now," he drawls.

There aren't many clouds in the sky today, the warm sun a nice change of pace. There's a slight, balmy breeze and the field is abuzz with insects. Little blue flowers grow in patches about waist high, and you find yourself distracted by their loveliness on more than one occasion. 

You're holding a rifle -- a regular one -- Ghost's, actually. The one you'd admired that first night, traversing through the desert. They still haven't let you touch the upgraded weapons, to your constant and pervasive annoyance. Price insists it's because they worry you aren't strong enough yet to handle the recoil, but you know it's actually because they still don't quite trust you. 

And why do you know that? Because this is the first time they've allowed you to hold a gun at all that isn't your own pistol. You'd complained to Ghost a hundred times about not getting any shooting practice as part of your training, but he'd mumbled and grumbled things about "not being ready" and "too dangerous" and "waste of bullets" each time. 

Finally, a couple days ago, thanks to endless groveling -- and the new secret weapon in your arsenal to getting your way: Soap -- you were able to convince the group to take you to a range. 

You'd started the morning around the kitchen island sipping coffee and frowning into a bowl of oatmeal -- just the five of you. When Price and Laswell had returned from wherever it was they'd gone, Laswell had stayed long enough to hear about your father's descent into madness and its implications on the future of humanity, and had then immediately turned around and jetted off to some other mission base. She hadn't offered you any information about her and Price's prior whereabouts, but she had brought you another large box of hand-me-downs. She'd even included a few new pairs of shoes -- these actually in your size. A couple more pairs of sneakers, and a surprisingly lovely pair of worn-in leather lace-up boots. She'd handed the box to you with a stern expression and a covert wink. 

..................................................................... Links to: Spotify Playlist Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11

[ptn-imagines]

Can we have some headcanons for a romantic relationship with Cinnabar please? The reader might be either a chief or a sinner, it's up to you

This finally got me to finish Cinnabar's interrogation, and I'm glad it did! As a note, usually if a gender isn't specified I try to write gender-neutral, but there's enough subtext with Cinnabar that I'm not comfortable writing her romantically with anyone masculine-leaning, so I opted to write for f!Chief.

Romantic relationship between Cinnabar and f!Chief

By far, Cinnabar is probably the most normal partner in the whole MBCC that Chief could have picked – aside from perhaps Nightingale – and it shows.

There was no crazy romantic confession or outlandish gesture with these two. Heck, there wasn't even alcohol involved – just some coffee and cake slices at a cozy coffee shop Cinnabar took Chief to on one of her rare few days off.

Cinnabar was the one who confessed, and to her credit she managed to keep her voice more or less steady, even if she did blush as red as Cabernet’s hair.

(Chief later found out that her comrades at Serpent Eye had egged her into finally confessing, which made why the usually professional and somewhat emotionally shy Cinnabar suddenly confessed make sense.)

Compared to other Sinners, settling into a relationship with Cinnabar was… surprisingly easy. She was aware of Cinnabar's temperament, but also of every other Sinner's – so when nothing really seemed to change, Chief wondered if they'd done this wrong somehow.

Of course, it quickly became apparent that Cinnabar was being shy, even with the recent change in their relationship status. It was adorably endearing, and Chief began to try to think of ways to encourage Cinnabar to be a bit more confident showing affection.

It takes time, but Chief’s patience bears fruit. She’s able to get Cinnabar comfortable with hand-holding! It’s not much, but it’s honest work.

Given all this, Chief was surprised the first time Cinnabar entered her office, looking weary after a long and difficult dispatch – and pulled Chief into a gentle embrace.

Surprised, but not at all protesting. Any words died on the Chief’s tongue as she quickly wrapped her arms around the Sinner in kind, but this unusual behavior still worried her; reaching out with the shackles, she discovered that Cinnabar was even more tired than she had initially seemed. She wasn’t physically harmed, thank God, but even so… Cinnabar was an Endura Sinner for a reason. Seeing her this worn down to the bone set so many alarm bells ringing.

That night, Chief broke several Bureau rules and allowed Cinnabar to sleep with her in her bed. Cinnabar didn’t even protest the breach of etiquette, which only made the Chief even more worried. Just how exhausted was she? She was more than happy for the chance to cuddle with her usually hesitant partner, but…

When Cinnabar woke up the next morning, she was mortified at the breach in protocol. She apologized over and over, saying that she shouldn’t have let herself be so improper with the Chief, girlfriend or not. Nothing Chief said could change her mind, and her propriety was as endearing as it was frustrating in this particular instance.

Chief ended up telling Cinnabar she’d “let her off with a warning,” though she had no intentions of punishing the Sinner if this happened again. Of all the Sinners in the Bureau, Cinnabar was the least likely to try to take advantage of what had happened and make a habit out of it, so Chief saw nothing wrong with her seeking comfort and relaxation in a moment when she truly needed it.

Still, the Chief did order Cinnabar to rest for the next week, worried about her wellbeing. Cinnabar didn’t make a fuss about it, but it became evident by the second day that the Sinner was restless and more tense without something to do, so Chief had Cinnabar stand guard over her. It wasn’t like anyone was likely to be able to harm her in her office, and they both knew it, but it worked nevertheless; Cinnabar was able to wind down a little with something low-stress to do, and Chief got to enjoy her girlfriend’s company. This whole routine quickly became Chief’s go-to whenever she noticed Cinnabar was overworking herself.

Due to the workaholic natures of both Cinnabar and the Chief, dates for them are usually small outings tacked on after a mission, before they return to the Bureau. A walk around the block holding hands, or small talk over tea and cakes in a cafe; these dates are never anything grand, but then again, they wouldn’t want it to be.

The first time Cinnabar and Chief kissed is a moment neither of them will ever forget. It was in the wake of a particularly strenuous mission that had left the two of them stranded in a danger zone, hiding from Corruptors as they waited for a rescue team to come retrieve them. Huddled tightly against Cinnabar’s warmth, feeling her heartbeat, seeing her brows drawn and a light frown on her lips as she concentrated…

Adrenaline and impulse guided Chief to place a quick kiss on Cinnabar’s lips. It was a good thing that the bodyguard had already cleared out the nearby Corruptors or this could’ve proved a fatal distraction; Cinnabar’s concentration immediately broke as she flushed tomato red, staring at Chief with mouth agape and eyes wide. She seemed at a loss for words – but judging by how she leaned in for another kiss, she wasn’t unhappy.

Kissing Cinnabar didn’t happen often, despite everything, so Chief found herself cherishing whenever it did from then on. The kisses were far from perfect – neither of them had relationship experience before so figuring the whole technique out was a process of trial and error – but it was them, and that was what mattered.

Of course, Cinnabar brought Chief along whenever she went to visit Serpent Eye, and Chief was quickly accepted as part of the family. Though both she and Cinnabar blushed whenever someone joked about the two of them marrying, which they did often – remarking on how lucky Cinnabar was to “have a wife as perfect as this” was a common one that neither of them ever got used to.

[cantwritethetword]

A Good Distraction

Fic Descript: After what felt like a particularly poor performance training with your brothers, you're feeling pretty shitty. Luckily, your brothers know how to calm you down and get you back to your usual upbeat self.

~A/N  - Sorry this took a while ^^

Got a request for a spn fic:

(also I checked with them and they're ok for a gender neutral reader)

I know feelings on 'cheer-up tickles' often vary, but I feel like I've got a pretty solid way to make them work so that everyone can enjoy it

Hope it's what you were looking for ^^

- Enoy! ~

Tag List: @fullsongphilosopher

Masterpost Link 

For the most part, you absolutely lived for hunting with your brothers. It was your world, and you loved every moment of it.

But sometimes, that little voice of doubt would creep into your head and question whether you were really good enough to stand next to them.

This was one of those moments.

You were making your way down the halls of the bunker, having just finished a training session - covering the whole range of strength, cardio, accuracy, and combat - and for some reason you felt completely off today.

You had tired earlier than usual, your sprint times were significantly slower than last time, for some reason you struggled to concentrate on the multitude of homemade targets the boys had set up in their diy firing range, and to top it all off, Dean had landed a few more hits than usual when you were sparring together. None that properly hurt your body, just your pride.

To put it bluntly, you felt like shit.

And, your brain being the lovely brain it is, was taking your thoughts and running with them.

You're kidding yourself if you think you'll ever be half as good as Sam and Dean.

They only keep you around cause they have to, if you weren't related to them they'd have dropped you at the nearest motel and high-tailed it.

They wish they could just train properly without you.

By this point, you had accepted defeat. Tonight was a hide-under-the-covers-and-cry kind of night, and you just wanted to make it to your room before your mind had any other fun ideas to make you feel even worse. Sleep seemed like your only way out of this funk.

Unfortunately, as well as having a keen sense for hunting, your brothers also had a keen sense for when something was wrong.

"You good Y/N?" Dean called from behind you, right as you went to reach for the door handle.

You nodded silently without thinking, your attention currently preoccupied by holding back the tears prickling at your eyes, and pushed the door open.

You didn't have to look back to know your response only heightened Dean's worry for you. You were never quiet after training, even if you had pushed to the brink of exhaustion.

So, of course, a few moments after you collapsed onto your bed, Dean gently knocked on the half-open door.

You gave an unintelligible mumble to allow him inside, and he slowly made his way over.

"I didn't hurt you, did I?" He said with a soft half-chuckle, laying a hand on your shoulder.

That was enough to break your resolve.

You shook your head, trying to keep your breathing steady as the teardrops slid down your nose. The room slowly filled with silence, Dean clearly looking for something to say or do to help you feel better.

Just to make sure he knew you weren't upset at him, you rolled over and wrapped your arms awkwardly around his waist - tucking your head under your arm on Dean's leg. It was a little difficult, with him sitting upright and you laying down, but he got the message.

"You wanna tell me about it?" Dean ran his blunt fingernails through your hair a few times, knowing that always relaxed you. "Maybe I can help?"

You thought about it for a minute, but before you considered if you should respond or not Sam's voice came from the doorway.

"Everything ok?" He asked, and you knew the exact look of concern that would be pressing on his brow.

As the bed creaked under a third body's weight, you knew you probably weren't going to get out of this without saying something to your brothers. They would never force you to talk, of course, and if you needed some alone time they'd oblige - no questions asked - but they certainly wouldn't stop looking out for you over the next while until they knew you were ok again.

How difficult it is having a caring family.

"I just feel like I was crap today." You admitted, trying your best to keep your voice steady.

Dean sighed sympathetically, moving his fingers down to gently scratch across your back. You released the last bit of air you had been holding and relaxed into his touch, silently grateful they weren't pushing more of an explanation and were just letting you calm down.

After a few moments though, Dean's fingertips strayed a little too close to the right side of your back. You were so chilled out you didn't even realise you had let a giggle slip as you flinched under his touch.

"Shit, sorry." Dean said softly. "Wasn't trying to tickle you."

"It's nice." You once again murmured - too relaxed to properly consider how embarrassing that admission would usually be.

"Are you sure?" Dean half-laughed in surprise. "You're ridiculously ticklish, and most people hate being tickled at the best of times."

Well, in for a penny in for a pound.

You nodded, trying to suppress the flush forming on your cheeks. "It's a good distraction."

Dean gave a single, silent chuckle, before continuing to softly scratch his fingernails along your ribs. Gentle giggles flowed effortlessly out of your mouth with each touch, your torso occasionally leaning to one side if he his a particularly ticklish spot. As Sam's hands joined in rubbing your lower back, your crappy thoughts dissipated leaving you to half fall asleep.

"Are you sure it's ok?" Dean asked again, breaking the comfortable silence.

You laughed in response, "If you worry any harder you're head's gonna explode."

That earned a gasp.

"I'm helping you you little shit!" Dean grinned, poking up your sides - this time with ticklish intent.

You squealed, hands rushing into position to protect yourself (but not actively working against Dean's just yet).

"Yeah, that's no way to talk to your brother!" Sam added. "Though now I'm wondering if you were trying to get a reaction like that..."

"Nohohoho!" You shook your head, giggles spilling out of your grinning mouth. "Screhew yohou bohoth!"

"Oh you're definitely asking for it." Dean chuckled, and was about to pin your arms above your head when you suddenly twisted away from his grasp and shot your hands under his arms.

The oldest Winchester cackled, flinging himself backwards onto the bed to escape your wriggling fingertips wreaking havoc on one of his most ticklish spots. And, never one to give up the opportunity to annoy his brother, Sam joined your attack by squeezing Dean's hips.

With the three of you wrapped in a tickly tangle, your worries of today's training session faded into the past. Thankfully your brothers would always be there to cheer you up.

[call-me-a-simp]

i love your writings so so so so much ❤️❤️❤️

can you please make rhea and damian x reader where maybe they had been too rough or too hard punishing reader and she has to safeword because when she told them to stop they wouldn’t? and they go from being mean to super soft and taking care of reader like readers shaking and crying because she was in too much pain but they ended up taking care of her 🙏

Safeword (Rhea Ripley x Reader x Damian Priest)

Tw: rough sex, anal fucking, whips, use of safeword

You were laying in bed together, spending some quality time with each other when your girlfriend Rhea decided it was time for some soft sex. Usually you were quite rough in bed, especially when your boyfriend Damian joined you. Together they always pushed you to the edge. But you trusted them, knowing they'd always stop when you used your safeword and that they would care for you and apologize.

"I love you" Rhea murmurs as she gently trails kisses down your neck. She was on top and you were holding here tight, caressing every inch of her body. "I love you too" you whisper in between kisses. "Then show me" she smirks and surprisingly but still carefully pushes her index finger inside of your pussy.

"Mmhh" you moan quietly. Rhea smiles and gently pushes in and out while still kissing you and whispering sweet nothings. It were just a few minutes until you hear the front door being opened. "Shit" you curse under your breath and make attempts to get out of bed but Rhea keeps you down. She tells you not to worry and that a little punishment was worth the time you had. Plus, she didn't like keeping secrets from your boyfriend.

Damian walks in on you still making out with your girlfriend. You lock eyes and you can instantly see the anger in his eyes. "Didn't I tell you not to fuck with anybody without my consent?" he growls. "I- " but Rhea cuts you off in an attempt to calm Damian down, saying it was her idea and that you didn't do anything. "Guess I won't go that hard on you then" she smiles and takes of his shirt. He crawls into bed next to you, wraps his arms around you and kisses you. "You weren't scared, were you?" he whispers. "Maybe a little" you admit and grin.

You joke around a little until your girlfriend starts to complain that she's horny. Damian and you look at each other, quietly agreeing to give her what she wants. "Come here love" you say and pat between you legs. Rhea sits down with her back against your chest and her head on your shoulder. You tilt her chin up a little so you could kiss her while Damian took off the rest of his clothes.

Rhea takes one of your hands in hers and guides it to her breast while you sneak the other one down to play with her clit. "Good girls" Damian praises as he strokes himself a few times. He aligns the tip of his cock at Rhea's entrance and she moans a little when she feels him. Priest pulls you away from your girlfriend to kiss you and pushes into Rhea carefully. "Huhh" Rhea breathes out loud and let's her head fall back against your shoulder.

Your hands keep roaming her upper body, while Damian goes faster and harder on her. "I- ahh I'm coming" Rhea moans but your boyfriend dares her not to cum until he allows her to. "Fuck you Damian, I can do whatever I want" she curses and releases. You chuckle but Damian looks a little pissed. He grabs her by the throat and squeezes it, making her gasp in shock and look at him. "You made a mistake Ripley" he warns her. She pushes him off "What'cha wanna do huh?" she challenges him with a grin. "Oh, I know I can't do anything against you, but y/n, hell ye she doesn't stand a chance" he smirks. "Ohh only if I get to have fun too" she counters back and they both look at you with a devilish grin.

"Go ahead, I can take the both of you" you challenge them and crawl over to Rhea, sitting down on her lap facing her. "What do you have in mind?" you tease her and start grinding on her lap. "Stop that y/n" Damian warns you and pulls you off of Rhea, pushing you down on the bed. "Or did you forget who's in charge?" you shake your head slightly "No, I didn't" "Good girl" he praises you with a quick kiss.

Rhea bends over to kiss you passionately and plays with your breasts while Damian got to work on your clit. "same safeword?" Rhea whispers against your lips. You hum in agreement and feel Damian aligning the tip of his cock at your entrance. Your hand wanders down in an attempt to slow him down but he already pushes into you. You break the kiss with Rhea so gasp for air and let out a surprised yelp. "Shh sh" Damian shushes you and leans down to kiss you, pressing Rhea down onto you chest, but she doesn't complain as it's secretly one of her favorite spots.

"Got an idea" Rhea whispers as Damian gets off her and she can move again. She gets up and grabs a whip from your toy stash. "Don't be too harsh, okay?" you manage to breathe out in her direction while your boyfriend increases his pace. "Ten hits alright? And I want you to count out loud" Rhea offers you. You nod and inhale sharply as Damian unexpectedly pushes in harder than before. "Damian please" you press out. "Not that hard today" but he seems to ignore you, or didn't he hear you? Instead he slaps your ass like he wants you to shut up.

"What are you waiting for Rhea" he chuckles. He pulls out, picks up your legs and pins them next to your head so your butt was sticking up in the air. "Damian please, no" you whine, knowing what he was about to do. This time you were sure he heard you and just didn't listen. "at least he's careful" you think as he slowly began to fuck your ass. A sting runs through your body as Rhea hits you for the first time. "Argh- One" you whimper. "Two- ugh" a single tear falls. Damian goes faster, you could tell he was about to cum by the way he was panting and moaning. "Ahh three" you shout as Rhea hits you harder this time. Damian pulls out again to let your legs down.

This time he shows no mercy as he fucks your pussy again. Rhea also hits you harder than before and everything just gets too much as you shout for them to stop. "Stop it! Damian, Rhea!" but they don't. Damian even increases his speed and fucks you even harder. "Stop! STOP!Stop it, STOP IT!" you scream. But again he doesn't listen. Rhea hits you hard again before she notices that you might be serious, as tears are streaming down your face now. "Red! RED RED RED!" you scream on top of your lungs now and try to push Damian off.

Only now he realizes that he went to far and pulls out. "Y/n I- I'm sorry I didn't mean to-" he stutters but you cut him off "Out! Get out, I SAID GET. OUT!" you scream and try to get space between you and him. He slowly gets off the bed and leaves, closing the door behind him. "God what have I done" he whispers to himself, knowing he went too far this time and that you needed space now. Rhea just stands in the corner of your bedroom, completely helpless. She doesn't know what to do or say so she very carefully approaches you.

You were laying on the bed, knees tucked up to your chest. Your back was facing her and you were shaking and crying because of the pain they caused you. "Y/n.. Baby hey.."she whispers soothingly. "I uh- I'm not sure what to do or say right now but I want you to know that we didn't mean to push it this far" she continues and carefully places a hand on your hip to let you know she's there. You flinch at the contact and Rhea retracts her hand a little but decides against it then and places it back on your hip. "Baby.." she stumbles, scared to loose you. "Hey come here, you don't need to get through this alone.." She tries to calm you and gently pulls you towards her.

After a few seconds you give in and snuggle up to her, hugging her tight and crying into her shoulder. "Why didn't you stop?" you sob. "It was already too late when I noticed you were serious, I'm sorry.." your girlfriend admits and strokes your back. You hear a knock and Damian asking quietly if he can come back in. Rhea agrees and he hesitantly opens the door. "Hey.." he says and slowly approaches you. You stiffen up and cling a little tighter to Rhea, afraid of his touch. "I'm so sorry.. I don't know what's gotten into me.." he whispers. As you don't react he gently touches your hand. You flinch a little again but allow the touch. Damian holds your hand for a while, glad he didn't fuck up completely. "Can I hug you?" he then asks quietly and you nod. Releasing Rhea from your grip you move over and hug him back. He holds you tight and you feel a few tears running down your skin as he buries his head in the crook of your neck. "I am so incredibly sorry baby" he mutters and hugs you even tighter. "It's okay Damian, it was a mistake" you reply, so quietly he almost couldn't hear it.

You let go of him again to lay down between your two partners. Cuddling with Rhea, your head on her chest, Damian wraps his arms around you from behind. "I know I fucked up but I promise, I'll always listen to you from now on" he whispers and kisses your neck. "I know baby" you say and take his hand in yours. "I never doubted that but in that moment it just was all too much" you explain. Rhea strokes your head a little until she's sure you're asleep. Damian and her stay awake a bit longer, talking about what happened today, what the trigger was and how they could have helped you better. In the end they also fell asleep, promising each other to never let that happen again.

---------------------------------------------------

Little oneshot with Damian and Rhea, hope you enjoy :)

[sky-kiss]

prompt: they* go fishing

*whoever you want, raph/haarps would be fun maybe)

A/N: Mslanna, you wild and I love you. I truly should have taken this opportunity to write like. Wild West Au Raphael. Out on a boat. Fishing.

_________

Raphael x Haarlep: Fishing

_________

"You're brooding, boss."

Raphael doesn't look up at this little gibe, attention fixed, glaring, on the drafted contract. It's hardly his best work. He could fit a few more manipulative subclauses into section sixteen. A few phrases in the main body need reworking to allow for the maximum wiggle room on his part, but…

…well, he supposes his heart truly isn't in it today. It's a shame not to love your work.

Haarlep snorts, inspecting their claws. "Oh, Raphael is pouting, darling. His new favorite toy doesn't want to play." 

"Hush, you." 

"'Hush, you?'" They give him a look, hands planted firmly on hips. Haarlep hooks an arm around his neck, slipping into his lap. "Take note, Korilla: this is what depression looks like. No energy for witty repartee. No time for his old hobbies." 

His warlock shakes her head. Haarlep adjusts themself in his lap, squirming into some semblance of comfort. It'd be easier as the Archduchess, but ease has nothing to do with their prerogative: Haarlep wants attention. Haarlep wants to distract and inconvenience.   

"You're being tedious," they grumble. Haarlep pinches the back of his neck, claws threatening to break the skin. "They'll never want to play if this is how you act. Come, have a little fun. Entertain me." 

"I've no interest in your flesh, servant." 

Haarlep snorts. "However shall I cope, princeling?" The incubus waves off his rebuttal, sliding from his lap in one fluid movement. They clap their hands. "Oh, it's been a while. Can't we play in the Well?" 

The cambion pinches the bridge of his nose. Fishing, Haarlep likes to call it, though it is barely an accurate reflection of the sport. "Haarlep…" 

"You'll feel better. You always feel better after, dear." Almost as an afterthought, low and sickly sweet. "I know you, Raphael. Trust." The words make him itch, innocuous but with a hint of command. Trust? In the Hells? Trust this miserable creature? He thinks not. 

But Raphael stands, hands linked at the small of his back. He lets himself be led to the soul pillars, his prized jewels. Haarlep delights in them, eyes flickering over the shimmering service, tracing the souls trapped within. Their tail thrashes behind them. 

He's reminded of a housecat: trapped indoors, still hungry for prey, watching birds flutter past their window. 

"You'll have to throw them back," Raphael warns. 

"No fun at all." But Haarlep plunges their hand into the pillar, snake-quick. The stone's surface breaks around their arm like water. Haarlep catches one unfortunate soul, brings it forth, and squeezes. Savage glee flits across his features. The incubus holds their victim up for Raphael's inspection: a pretty little thing, no more than twenty, screaming, agonized, pledged to him for all eternity. A summer of pleasure for eons of torment; Raphael chuckles. 

"There, look at you enjoying yourself. Good boy," Haarlep purrs, dragging the tips of their claws across the spirit's flesh. They howl. Irritated by the noise, he tosses them back into the pool. It's no fun without a fight. They want something more stoic, more breakable. "You'll feel so much better about the situation if you just relax, princeling. Here," they yank their hand free of the pillar, bringing a fresh soul. Raphael recognizes them: one of his newer acquisitions. An opinionated little shit who thought they'd retain the upper hand in a deal with a devil. "Make this one scream." 

He does. And when the spirit is too weary to satisfy them with its cries, Haarlep thrusts them back into the pillar and fishes out new entertainment. The cycle begins again. A touch of mindless cruelty to break the monotony of his day…

…and Haarlep is right, damn them. Raphael feels better.

[seramilla]

If / whenever Odette proposes to Verosika— it’s not something big or grand. Instead it’s intimate and quiet when Odette shows the ring to verosika, it’s a beautiful ring— it had probably cost Odette a pretty penny. No one had seen it coming, not even Carmilla—who knows her girls like the palm of her hand.

Odette and Verosika have talked about marriage before. It's to be expected after watching, and participating in, Carmilla and Sera's wedding. Theirs had been an extravagant, social affair, thanks to Zestial and Lucifer, with every blue-blood in Hell who was on good terms with them present. But to the girls, neither really finds those kinds of huge public expressions of love appealing.

Verosika has to put on a show every day, so she'd told Odette, if and when it happens for her, she wants it to be more real. Not during one of her shows, and certainly not on stage; just something small between herself and her beloved. Odette can't say she disagrees. In fact, that's exactly what she'd hoped Verosika would say. Because that's exactly what she'd been planning.

Verosika already has everything a demon could want, and then some. So does Odette, honestly, and while both demons can afford to give each other the world, that's not really what Verosika wants, or what Odette wants, either. She desires to make it special, but also not too over-the-top. She decides to get Ozzie's advice on the right way to approach this. He is, of course, very helpful...but mostly about the honeymoon, and all the fun things that can come after.

He does know the name of a jewelsmith in Greed, though, and after some conversations with them back and forth over the phone, Odette orders a personalized pink diamond in a gold band, fit exactly to Odette's specifications. Not a big one...it's honestly rather small, but still worth a small fortune, she comes to find out. She still thinks it's more than enough to make Verosika happy. Odette hopes so, anyway.

Odette chooses to ask her on a night after Verosika gets back from a tour. They'd already had a date at Ozzie's planned. The king of Lust didn't have any other shows planned, and just reserved a small corner of the showroom for the two of them, allowing the musical stylings of Fizzarolli to complement their dinner of something Odette is too nervous to eat at the moment.

Verosika seems to notice Odette's not eating. Her girlfriend does have a hard time remembering to feed herself sometimes, and she brings it up to Odette, who is quickly shocked out of her state of internalized anxiety.

"Babydoll, you going to eat anything? You look pale."

"Oh! Yes! Sorry! Umm...shit. I was just thinking."

Verosika takes a sip of her wine. They'd only ordered one bottle; Odette wanted to be sober for the events yet to come.

"Thinking about what?"

Verosika reaches across the cozy table to touch Odette's hand. Odette's other hand is fumbling with the small box tucked safely into her pants pocket. Fizz has finished his last musical number, and walks off-stage to take a break. If there's any moment to act, Odette thinks, it's now. Taking a breath, she stands, and moves toward Verosika, before kneeling on one knee at her feet.

"Verosika Mayday...!" Odette starts, pausing more out of anxiety than dramatic effect. She hopes it makes her look cool, and not anxious, at any rate. "Ever since I met you, here, after what seems like a lifetime ago...my world has never been the same. I never imagined a literal pop star would ever look my way, let alone talk to me. You've taught me so much about actually living, and loving...and to never take anything for granted."

Odette pauses again, getting the box ready in her pocket.

"You've also taught me patience, and to love myself, and to never judge a book by its cover. You're my best friend. My confidant. My north star. I want to spend the rest of eternity with you, for however long that lasts. So, um, will you do me the honor of, uh...hold on..."

After a few fumbling attempts and only a little blushing, Odette manages to take the box out of her pocket, and opens in it front of Verosika. The succubus is wide-eyed, the pink of the diamond shining back at Odette through her eyes. Odette finishes her question with only a little bit of a flush on her face. She hopes Verosika will forgive her awkwardness.

"Will you marry me, Verosika?"

Odette doesn't even have to wait for an answer. One minute, she's kneeling at Verosika's feet, and the next, Verosika is lifting her off the ground, and placing her on the table on her back. The rest of their food and drink be damned. It gets everywhere. Odette's glad she's not wearing one of her lab coats, because it's soaking into the black pants suit she wore for the occassion. She puts the ring down on the table, before she drops it.

Verosika kisses her, full and flagrant, forcefully on the lips, and pulls away with a smack! She only lifts from Odette long enough to screech into the room, "Yes! Fuck, Odette, yes! I will!" before she's kissing her again, pushing Odette even more into the table. Odette worries they might be causing a scene. Unfortunately, her fears are confirmed, because Fizzarolli's already making obscene hand gestures behind the stage, grinning with his tongue out the side of his mouth.

So much for being discrete.

Fuck it, Odette thinks. Let him watch. She brings Verosika down further on top of her, and really starts sucking face with her girlfriend -- no, her fiancé -- right there on the table. Ozzie and Fizz give them two pairs of thumbs up, but neither of them notice. They're too busy celebrating, in their own little world, ignoring the captive audience behind them.

[topknot32]

Miami (5/5)

Rio/OFC

summary- the short and sweet conclusion to this Rio & Olivia mini series.

warnings- none

word count- 2.2K

Chris kept quiet the entire drive back to the house, and Olivia didn't have the courage to try and break the silence. He hardly even acknowledged her presence when she came out of the restaurant a few minutes after he left in anger. Olivia knew from conversations with Beth how sharp the edge of Chris's anger could be, but she'd never experienced it firsthand. It stung so badly when they pulled into the driveway she considered taking the cash she still had in her purse and getting a cab to a hotel.

What he was asking of her was a lot, and the fact that he refused to even consider sparing her friend in return made Olivia's own anger flare up. She had to get word to Beth, or get home before Chris could send out an order to one of his goons.

When they pulled into the driveway, Olivia jumped out of the car before Chris even had it in park. She hurried across the driveway as fast as her heels would allow, and a few seconds later she heard the sound of his quick steps on the pavement behind her. "Olivia," he said, his tone hiding none of his frustration.

She pushed through the front door and paused, listening for any sign of the boys. Laughter trickled in from the front living room, and she headed that way before Chris could catch up.

"Olivia, stop," he said as he shut the front door.

Still she ignored him. She found Sofia and the boys watching a movie on the enormous theater screen, and she tried to wipe the stress from her face.

"You're early," Sofia said.

"It's been a long day, and I'm just so tired," Olivia said, forcing a smile. "Come with me, Kai."

The toddler popped up out of a pile of blankets on the floor. "Hi, mama."

"Hi, honey, let's go. Time for bed."

He stood and ran over, wearing a new set of pajamas they'd just bought that afternoon. Olivia took his hand and turned to find Chris standing just inside the living room with his hands resting behind his back. "What are you doing, Olivia?"

Olivia picked Kai up and said nothing, walking straight passed Chris toward the stairs that would take them to the bedroom. She knew he was following her. He didn't try to hide the sound of his footsteps, and panic was building in her chest. He'd admitted his feelings for her, but if she didn't agree to stay, she was a liability. Their location, their business, all of it was at stake if she opened her mouth.

When they were out of earshot of Sofia, he spoke again. "Please don't do anything stupid."

Tears started to burn at the backs of her eyes. "Your toothbrush is in the bathroom on the counter," she said to Kai as she set him down inside the bedroom. "Go get started and I'll be in in a second."

Kai ran off, leaving her alone with Chris who shut the door behind him as he entered.

"Are you going to let us leave?" she asked, her voice trembling ever so slightly. She couldn't face him, so she stared a hole in the bathroom doorframe.

"Not tonight."

Her stomach lurched. "I won't say anything about where you are."

She heard him let out a sigh, and she turned to see him holding the bridge of his nose. "That's not my concern."

"Then why can't we go?"

"You're not running off in the middle of the night alone with a kid. You can sleep here and we'll talk about this in the morning."

He turned to leave, but she called his name before he got to the door. "My mind isn't going to change about Beth," she said, and he froze. "Please don't make me choose." She thought he might try to get the last word in, but instead he walked out.

Despite the stress. Olivia slept like the dead for several hours after climbing into the king sized bed with Kai. She'd tucked a chair she found in the hall beneath the door handle and made sure the glass patio door was locked, and since she hadn't slept much since leaving Detroit, she was out like a light as soon as her head hit the pillow. But before the sun came up, she was awake and anxious. She laid beside Kai for a long time, staring out the massive floor to ceiling windows at the ocean. Without waking the toddler, she climbed from the bed and made her way over to the sliding glass door that led out to the balcony, grabbing the satin robe she picked up from the lingerie store the day before on her way.

The smell of the salty air was refreshing, and she stood at the railing watching the waves come and go. This could all be hers if she just cut out a piece of her soul and fed it to the wolves, but Olivia didn't think she could do that. There was something between her and Chris, something she didn't want to give up, but she didn't see any other way. They'd done a lot of illegal stuff back in Detroit, and a few people ended up dead, but not because of choices she made.

"Can't sleep?"

Speaking of the devil himself. She should've known, and maybe a part of her did because she wasn't all that shocked to hear a voice in the dark.

"Can you blame me?" she asked, and turned to find him sitting in one of the patio chairs wearing a black sweatshirt with the hood pulled up. His long legs were stretched out in front of him, his hands clasped together over his stomach. She couldn't see his face. "What are you doing out here?"

"Oh, you know, a little soul searching and what not."

Olivia raised an eyebrow. If she wasn't so mad at him she might've laughed. "Any self discoveries?"

Chris chuckled, and she wished she could see his face more clearly. "I guess I'm wondering if anyone is capable of forgiveness, or if it's something you're born with."

"And what brought on that line of thinking?" she asked even though she knew.

"You did."

She took a few steps toward him. Their anger seemed to have dissipated, and for the moment her fear was at bay as well. He met her gaze as soon as she stepped into his line of sight, but he quickly looked down at his hands.

"I know I'm asking a lot of you," he said, and he sat up in the chair and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "I guess I didn't consider that exactly what it was I wanted you to give up was the reason I wanted you to stay in the first place."

"And what's that?"

"Your humanity, the fact that you're a good person, Olivia." She didn't know what to say to that, so she kept quiet. "Come here."

She considered refusing, but it felt like they were actually making progress, so she closed the distance and stood in front of him. "What if I told you that I had a change of heart?"

"About Beth?"

He stared up at her with soft eyes that made her want to cave. "Mhm."

"Why would you do that?"

"Because there's nothin' left for me there, and I know that if I made you choose, you wouldn't choose me."

That stung, and it showed on her face. "Not because I wouldn't want to."

"It's okay, babe, I wouldn't blame you."

She reached out and took his face in her hands. His eyes closed as he leaned in to her touch, and she took another step forward so she was standing between his legs. His hands slid up to rest on the satin of her robe.

"You'll leave her be, forever? Annie and Ruby, too. No changing your mind, no tricks or blackmailing."

The internal struggle was written all over him. He didn't want to concede, and the stubborn part of him that usually reared it's head right now was clawing at the surface. "If you stay," he said.

A bubble of hope formed in her chest, replacing the heat and anger with something that felt good. "I need more commitment than that." She pulled a hand from his face and held out her pinky. "Pinky promise."

Chris stared at her for a second before shaking his head and laughing. "You're serious."

"There's nothing more serious than a pinky promise."

Finally he returned the gesture, but kissed her knuckles before releasing her hand. "I promise."

Olivia smiled. It spread wide across her face, and the hopeful feeling in her chest grew even bigger. She felt like she'd just won the lottery. She could keep everyone back home safe, but at the same time she was getting him, too.

She kissed him softly before taking a few steps back. Chris stood and followed her lead, and once they were back in the bedroom, she slipped off the robe leaving her in a satin short and tank set. He tugged off his sweatshirt, exposing his naked torso, and together they climbed into bed, careful to not disturb a still sleeping Kai. Chris stretched out on his back, and Olivia curled into his side with her head on his chest.

For a while, Olivia laid there and thought about what life would look like here. The more she came up with, the more excited and nervous she became. This was a different level of crime than she'd ever participated in before, but she knew she could do it. Like Beth, the mundane life wasn't for her. She couldn't spend her days cooking and cleaning and carpooling. The last eight months of quiet normalcy had nearly bored her to tears, but that was over now.

She sat up enough to see Chris's face to find he was staring up at the ceiling. She pressed a kiss to his lips, and curled back into his side. She could t wait to get started.

TWO MONTHS LATER

Chris sat by the poolside with his phone in hand. There were dozens of emails he'd been putting off answering, but they couldn't be ignored any longer. His connections were working on the construction of a brand new warehouse about an hour outside of Miami, and they were waiting on him to sign the checks. Metaphorically of course.

The villa was busy today with a few of Mick's friends, and he'd thrown a party the night before so some of the guests still lingered. There were several women sunbathing in and around the pool, most of them he didn't recognize, but Chris didn't have the patience to engage in their sorry attempts at catching his attention.

When he opened up his inbox, pulling up the most recent one, he found it'd already been replied to. Chris furrowed his brows and read through the response and viewed the attached files. It sounded like him, and followed the encryption and code necessary to send anything over technology, but he definitely wasn't the one who sent them. He started to stand from his chair, but felt a pair of hands slip over his shoulders from behind, the palms coming to rest on his chest. The smell of her jasmine perfume told him exactly who it was.

"I see Mick's birds of paradise are keeping you entertained," Olivia whispered in his ear as she pressed a kiss to his jaw.

"Who?"

The sound of her laugh warmed his insides. "As if you haven't noticed the nearly naked women in front of you."

He turned in his chair to see her clearly to find her barefoot wearing cut off shorts and one of his t-shirts. "Mama, if I wanna see somethin' worth lookin' at, I'll come find you."

The milky skin of her neck flushed red, and he smirked. Chris held up his cellphone. "Did you respond to these?" She was the only one with the passcode.

Olivia took the phone and scrolled. "Mm, yeah, while you were playing in the pool with the boys. Mick's been teaching me."

That surprised him, but he found that he liked the way it felt. He took her wrist and dragged her down to press a kiss to her lips. "Thank you."

She waved a hand like it was nothing, but it wasn't nothing to him. "Of course."

Chris took her wrist and dragged her around so she could slide onto his lap. Having her here was already so much of an asset to him, he didn't know how he did it on his own before. She kept both boys on a tight schedule with their tutor's and schooling, but also managed the entire staff within the villa. Before he had to think about all of it constantly, every thought leading into a new task, but now he actually had time to breathe.

Chris didn't think he needed a romantic partner. And after getting shot by Beth and nearly dying, he was committed to swearing off women in general. They clouded his judgement, made him act out of character and focus on things that weren't important, but Olivia was always in his peripherals of doubt. She wasn't as forward as Beth or as outgoing as Annie. She was more reserved and observant, and somehow she'd captivated him.

He'd come to Miami full of hate and rage and scorn for the way it all fell through in Detroit, but now he had his family back. All of it. And as he sat there holding the woman he loved, he knew he'd do anything to hold onto it, and to her.

[whumpshaped]

Weak pulse from your vampire bingooo. Loving this blog!!

thank u :D

masterlist bingo card

tw vampire whumper, mind control, kidnapping, memory loss, gaslighting, manipulation, conditioning, dehumanisation, lady whumper, lady whumpee

Helle swallowed hard as they stared at the enthralled woman. They couldn't shake the feeling that she reminded them of someone. Someone from their life? They had no idea. It was so frustrating, the fact that all they could remember were their last few days. Their next earliest memory was already from the mansion.

"Whatever is the matter, pet?" Lady Marie was standing next to them, gesturing towards the human. "You have demonstrated a remarkable amount of talent today, it is only fair I let you reap the benefits."

"Thank you, Mistress," they said absentmindedly, still just staring at her. Their mother, maybe? They couldn't remember her face, so it was entirely possible. Or maybe they'd had a sister. Or a wife.

"You do know they are nothing but cattle, yes? She will eagerly offer herself up if you wish it. You can even make it pleasant."

"Have I killed like this before?" they asked, turning to face their sire instead. "I... have I done something like this in the early days? The days I cannot recall?"

"What a silly question." She smiled. "You have been in the mansion since the day of your rebirth, pet. I have never given you permission to feed on a fresh human before. Now, go ahead and drink up before I lose my patience."

"Yes, Mistress."

They decided to try their luck with making her a bit more willing, and they couldn't stifle a dumb grin when it worked. The woman clung to their shirt and tilted her head to the side, whispering soft pleas for them to bite.

And oh, her blood tasted sweet. Almost as sweet were the sounds she made as the venom took hold, and they savoured every drop and every whimper that came alongside it.

They never wanted to stop.

"Do you wish to kill in this manner?" Lady Marie interrupted, grabbing them by the hair and pulling them off. "You must exercise some restraint, pet."

Helle let go of the woman, letting her stumble back and lean against the wall of the nearest building. They could hear her admittedly weak pulse, the way her heart struggled to keep up with the loss. "I apologise," they said quickly, scared eyes darting between the stranger and their sire. "It– it will not happen again. Have I– have I taken too much?"

"Yes, you most definitely have. I do not allow my servants to drain humans without my permission." Right. Lady Marie couldn't have cared less about the woman's life. Just cattle, they reminded themself. "Maybe someday, if you have done something exceptional. But never at a time when you carry no stake to remedy it, and never without my say-so."

"Yes, Mistress."

She sighed. "All in all, not too horrible for your first time." She glanced at the dazed victim, who had since slid down to the ground, head lolling to the side. "We shall bring her back to the mansion."

Helle's eyes widened. God, why this one? Why the one that made them feel so weird? "Wh- what?"

"You heard me. I do not like the way you look at her." She flicked them on the forehead, something she did whenever Helle was being stupid. "You must understand that humans are merely prey. Food. They are as good as the taste of their blood, really. Getting attached to one is... It is simply silly. You would not get attached to a bottle of wine."

"I, I am not attached to her, she just reminded me–"

"So there will not be any issues, then? Go and grab her for me."

Helle bit their lip and nodded, walking over to the woman and scooping her up into their arms. The bridal carry seemed easiest, but it also made the feeling so much worse. Like they'd done this before.

"Let us head back. The others are surely waiting."

Helle brushed it off and rejoined their sire, trying to focus on the freedom of being allowed outside instead. What did it matter what they'd done in their life? It couldn't have been that important if they just forgot. And Lady Marie was right. It was pointless to think of humans as anything other than dumb animals.

~

taglist: @whumpsday @the-scrapegoat @hidden-dreamland @dismemberment-on-a-tuesday-night @delicateprincepaper @whumppmuhw @florissimps @nicolepascaline @oliversrarebooks @the-cyrulik @pirefyrelight @there-will-always-be-blood

[dragonjesterwrites]

hey dj!! if you find and time/motivation, would you write a sun x moon thing? i love em sm, and u write them rly well!! preferably a first kiss or confession or something if that’s okay! i’m a sucker for the getting together parts, and there’s not much when it comes to these two :(

again, if you’re not feeling it dw! but thanks anyway, love ya!! <3

Paris my beloved (platonic) 🫂 I'm sorry this took so long!! You get two stories, because I misread your ask originally (I'm illiterate) and wrote something cute but unrelated- then I fixed it and wrote a whole 'nother story! (I'll put the Ao3 links to both stories at the bottom)

Anyway, I hope you see them and enjoy 💛✨️

Circuit Board Sparks (+ Origami Kisses)

Word Count

Circuit Board Sparks: 5,759

Origami Kisses: 1,434

Pairing: Sun/Moon

Summary/Genre

Circuit Board Sparks (Angst, fluff, suspense): Fazbear Entertainment strictly prohibits their animatronics from forming romantic attachment. Thankfully, Fazbear Entertainment is stupid, and will do anything if it means saving money.

Origami Kisses (Fluff, minor suspense, a wee bit suggestive 😳): LGBTQ/worker's rights win! The robots are slacking off work to make out in the closet

~~~~~

Sun didn't know why he did these things to himself.

He held the pink, heart shaped card aloft, rubbing its glittery edge idly with one thumb and causing a small sprinkling of white and red sparkles to fall down on his faceplate.

But he didn't react, except with a simulated sigh, as he stared at the picture on the paper. A delightful little doodle of him and Moon, separate and standing on either side of Ava, one of their little regulars. Everyone was smiling and holding hands, and they were all standing on a grassy, flower-filled field, with blue skies made purple by the pink of the paper and scribbly, rosy-white clouds.

My dads and me, read the caption above- well, a few letters were backwards and the ‘a’ on the ‘and’ was missing, but Sun was accustomed to the wonky handwriting of toddlers and translated it with ease.

They weren't the girl's fathers, of course- that honor belonged to Ava's two lovely and hilarious mothers that she followed around like a little duckling, but during her time without them at the Daycare, she'd decided that she needed two fathers as well… preferably ones in a relationship like her mothers were. As many times as Sun and Moon had tried to gently dissuade her from referring to them as her married fathers- it wasn't allowed- they weren't allowed- she was resolute, and they'd taken to answering any suspicious probing from upper management with a shrug and a cheerful kids, am I right?

It was a little troublesome, sure. But they adored her anyway, and besides, they'd gotten good at being convincing.

If only Sun was as good at convincing himself. The truth was, he would give anything to be free from this wretched mall, and have kids of his own, and… and marry Moon. The thought made his processors stutter, his fingers twitching against the back of the card and triggering another tiny glitter shower.

He'd tried to bury his love deep. He'd almost tried to rid himself of it, make himself forget. Maybe he had- it's not like he'd remember. But if that were the case, it had come back, and with force. Sun would often lay awake on the rickety bed they'd constructed together and wonder if the squeezing hurt in his circuits was at all comparable to what the humans called heartache.

What he'd give to raise little ones with Moon. He'd be such a good father, Sun just knew it. They could have a big, big house somewhere, with a big ol’ bedroom filled with all the blankets and pillows Moon desired. A big kitchen too, Sun thought. He could make so many snacks for the kiddos! Like cookies, and brownies, and homemade candy… go upstairs, past all the pictures of them together, and walk into the room with a trayful of treats, only to find them all cuddled up and asleep. Sun could just see it. 

A storybook in Moon's gentle grasp, still open and drooping towards the plush carpet. His music box, chiming softly in the cozy dark of the room. String lights and nightlights casting rainbow reflections on the walls. And all their kids, snuggling up on Moon's chest where he cradled them, or nestled comfortably in his lap, or laying next to him on the massive, starry beanbag in the center of the room.

And Sun would set the cookies down as quietly as possible, and pad over to give each child and Moon a little kiss on the temple. He knew he'd linger on Moon, keeping his grin pressed softly against his love's faceplate for at least several seconds, before pulling away to fetch his charger. Sun would want to savor the contact, to make up for all the times he-

…to make up for all the times he couldn't. 

Like now.

The squeezing grew tighter.

Sun sighed again, though this time it was more of a strangled huff. He shook his head wordlessly, the heart beginning to tremble in his grasp.

With a flurry of clicks and whirs, he abruptly stood, and marched over to the arcade machine- behind it sat a small plastic chest Moon had pilfered from the old supplies that were to be thrown out. It had a crack in it that Sun had patched with outdated bandaids, hiding, for the most part, the contents inside.

He brought it out from its hiding place, opened it up, and placed the heart inside, along with all the other offered-up notes, doodles, and gifts from the kids that even remotely suggested he and Moon might be in a romantic relationship. The chest was getting a bit full, now… they'd need another soon.

Sun stared down at the heart for just a moment longer. It rested on top of the stack, the newest addition to the collection of something that never could be. Perhaps never would be, anyway- after all Sun's internal strife; his daily cursing out of the company, their backwards, restrictive policies, and their penchant for electric punishment- he had no idea if Moon even liked him back.

He dropped the lid, and it shut on the heart with a snap!

Once again, Sun decided as he dragged himself back to bed, he would bury his feelings. Everything hurt, the shocks would hurt more, and it was late. Flopping into the bed face-first did nothing to alleviate the pain, but Sun knew something that would. He reached out blindly for his charger, patting the blankets for it. There.

It slipped easily into his charging port, and he let himself relax into the bed with a series of discordant click-tick-clicks as the charger's influence began to take over him. As his programming slowed, the hurt ebbed away with everything else, until he was nothing more than simple code in a dreamless void.

~~~~~

Click. Click. Click.

Moon tapped the pen against his carved teeth, reading over what he'd wrote.

There were two things, actually- two letters, one to Sun and one to management. Moon sincerely doubted they'd listen, even though he made some very good points about the cost-effectiveness of his idea, but it was worth a shot. He'd never stop trying for this favor in particular.

A tiny bit of red glitter swirled down on to the letter, and he paused his tapping to watch it come to rest on the word separate.

Hmm. Moon set down the pen and reached up to his grin to scrape at it with his fingertip, only for more glitter to join their lost piece on the page. When Moon pulled his finger back, it, too, now sparkled with little bits of red and white, and Moon let out a fond hum, tilting his head at the sight.

“Up to some arts and crafts, were you, Sunny?” He asked the empty room. His voice echoed back at him, and he huffed quietly, looking down at his letter. With any luck, he'd soon never have to hear his own voice come back to him again. With any luck, their room would be filled with shared giggling, and teasing, and songs sung together after a long day's work.

The idea filled Moon with both an incredible softness and a deep, deep longing. It was dangerous to want like this, he knew that. Didn't stop him. As long as he wasn't open with it, they wouldn't punish him, or Sunny. As much as it killed Moon, he'd keep it in.

He could still be friendly with Sun, though. Management didn't order them to hate each other, just forbid them from expressing romantic feelings. So Moon got away with what he could, putting little blue hearts on his ‘i's (it wasn't like they were red, humanity's typical symbol of romantic love) asking Sun how his day was, and bringing him gifts he hoped he'd like from the lost and found.

He wasn't half as good at arts and crafts as Sun was, but he attempted that from time to time, too, sometimes spending hours cutting out paper dolls and doodling silly things to make him laugh. And if little heart sequins somehow found their way onto the paper and cardstock with the rest of the glitter, well, whoops. Total accident.

Moon lifted the letter to management and gave it a good shake, sending the red and white bits of glitter down onto the letter to Sun. Hm. Speaking of arts and crafts…

He left the letters on the floor and headed for the balcony. His cable came when called, clipping onto his back and allowing him to soar down to the supply closet.

He was back five minutes later, the supplies necessary bundled into his long arms. He set them down besides the letters, spread them out, and got to work. Moon was careful, each snip of the scissors and swipe of the glitter glue's brush deliberate and slow.

He was probably pushing it. If management found out, he was sure they'd have some questions. But after Moon finished up, and as he headed down to both return the supplies and drop off the letter to the Parts and Service supervisor's office, he thought of what he should say if questioned. By the time he was back at the Daycare and sitting in front of his finished piece, he decided he was content with his defense, and plugged in for the night with only a little bit of unrelated anxiety sparking in his circuits.

Sun's letter and Moon's gift sat by their bed, ready for Sun in the wee hours of the morning.

~~~~~

“Hey, Sunny.”

Sun couldn't help but wince, despite the little ones sitting beside him at the craft table. He knew that tone. The helper approaching him was friendly enough, but her tone was not one of camaraderie. 

“Why, hello, Julia! How are you this fine morning? Would you like to join us? We're making paper puppets!” Sun said, wiggling his fingers. A few of them fell off, and he let out a dramatic gasp, making the kids laugh.

If Julia picked up on how forced his cheer was, she didn't say anything. She did grimace a little, however. “Yes, but P and S want you. I can take over- I'll save you some supplies for when you come back.”

At once and in unison, the kids groaned, and Julia's eyes narrowed, ever so slightly, at Sun. Sun shrugged subtly back at her- he understood why she'd be suspicious. Honestly, training the kids to guilt trip the adults is exactly the sort of stunt he'd pull, but he was pretty sure it was just because he'd been even more active with them than usual. 

Throwing himself into his work was always a good distraction.

“Don't take Mister Sun away, Miss Julia!” One of the kids cried, pouting at her and throwing down their supplies. “We just got started!”

“Don't worry, kiddo. Mister Sun will be back before you know it! Well… by the end of the day at least.” 

Oh, no. End of the day? It was only eight in the morning!

Sun picked up the kid who'd cried- Percy- and held him up, to Percy's surprise. “Oh, can't it wait just a little longer, Ms. Julia? Just until Percy and I have finished our puppets!”

Julia's sympathetic twist of the mouth became a frown, and when she spoke she'd lowered her volume to a murmur. “Sun. C’mon, man. Don't do this.”

Sun met her stern and mildly disappointed gaze with an innocent blink, but then Percy began to squirm.

“Mister Sun, I can't finish my Monty puppet from up here.” Percy protested, kicking his legs a little.

Sun closed his eyes and sighed, setting the boy down. “No, I suppose you can't. Very sorry, Percy, go ahead and keep creating! I'll be back to see it before you have to go, okay?”

“Okay. I'll watch your stuff.” Percy said, pulling Sun's craft towards him. Sun had no doubt the little Moon puppet would vanish before he returned, but even in the midst of his anxious despair, he appreciated the thought.

“Aww, thank you Percy!” Sun stood and clapped his hands together, briefly catching the attention of the more focused toddlers. “I'll see the rest of you superstars in just a few hours, okay? Have fun, and be good for Ms. Julia!”

A chorus of okays and bye-byes was offered to him, and he returned each and every one as he swapped places with Julia.

It was only once the kids had returned their attention to the crafts, and he couldn't drag it out any longer, that he turned and let the cable take him to his room. The Parts and Service tech was waiting for him at the door, and they waved the keeper device over his upper right arm. It deactivated the boundary lock that kept him within the bounds of the Daycare and Theater, and simultaneously activated the tracker that the company could use to, well, track him and Moon down if they ever managed to escape.

It was a too-short walk down to Parts and Services. He fiddled with the heart locket Moon had made him, hidden safely from suspicious eyes in the deep pockets of his jester pants. It couldn’t ease his anxieties entirely- just having it on his person brought its own little pang of anxiety- but Sun was glad for it regardless. It was probably the closest he'd ever get to holding Moon's hand.

The tech escorting him hadn't told Sun anything about the apparently lengthy procedure planned, and Sun hadn't asked. He was just too nervous, he didn't want to know.

But as the tech opened the door for him, and Sun walked into the room to be greeted by at least a dozen techs turning their heads to stare at him, he really wished he had.

“Alright, let's do this.” Lance, the ever-blunt and irritable head of Parts and Service began giving orders, and the techs scrambled to obey. “Daycare Attendant, go ahead and get in the cylinder chair. Irene, Max, go in with him. Strap him down and turn him off, then get his measurements. Tyler, Muhammed, you're on cutting station, Flor and Charlie- wiring…”

Sun walked as slowly as he could without attracting attention for it, quiet but rapidly puzzling over all the information he was taking in as fast as possible. Too many techs- training? No, they're too quick- professional. Why bring in professionals? And why so many? Different stations; metal-cutting, wiring, endoskeleton-

Oh. Oh, no. They're not- surely they're not decommissioning us?

He squeezed the locket and chuckled as he got into the hard plastic chair, the sound high-pitched and nervous even to his own audio receptors. “You know, I forgot to ask- silly me, hah- what is all this fuss about, hm?”

“It's a surprise, if that makes you feel better.” Irene told him with a smile, Max nodding along as he tugged Sun's hand out of his pocket so he could wrap his wrist in the restraint.

Sun's voicebox crackled with a hummed laugh. His now empty hand flexed under the newly tightened restraint, before he dropped it so his fingers could tap out a shaky rhythm onto the chair rest. “Oh- no, that's quite terrifying, actually.”

The pair of techs laughed too- they must have thought he was joking. But before he could say more, Irene reached up to the back of his faceplate. “You'll be fine, big guy. Gonna turn you off now, alright?”

NO-!

Then he woke up. Woke- woke up! Oh, thank every star in the sky-

“Alllrighty, bud, up you get.” The tight pressure around his wrist released, and he turned his head to see Max and Irene, looking significantly more tired and dirty, their uniforms spattered and streaked with grease and machine oil. “Moon's turn.”

“Moon's turn?” Sun repeated. He looked down at himself and through his software, examining inside and out. Unlike the humans, he was clean- not just that, he was completely unchanged.

“Yeah, he- ah, right. We didn't tell you.” Max chuckled. He lifted his arm, pointing at the opposite side of the glass cylinder. “Look for yourself.”

Sun turned, and if he had had a jaw to drop-

Moon stood on the other side, staring at him through the glass. His eyes glowed blue, so brightly Sun was amazed he hadn't noticed the glow reflecting off of Max and Irene. They grew even brighter as Sun met his gaze, and Moon tipped his faceplate, wiggling his fingers at Sun in enthusiastic greeting.

Sun was out of the chair in a flash, vaulting over the armrest to press against the glass. “Moon. Moon! Moony, is that really you?”

The glass muffled Moon's response, and Sun flexed his fluttering rays at him in half confusion and half delight, but then Moon stepped closer and pressed his hand against the glass, too, so that only two inches of glass separated their palms. It's me. I'm here.

“Hey, Sun, you can talk to him for real if you use the door.” Irene's amused voice snapped him out of it, and he whipped his head around, first at her, then at the door.

“Then tell him to come in for us.” Max added.

“Yes- yes, of course!” Sun took one last look at Moon, and watched his eyes flash, his faceplate tipping to the side. A sense of playfulness gripped him, and he dropped to a crouch, preparing to dash out. Moon did the same, and Sun ripped his hand away, booking it for the doors.

He almost crashed into Moon, and reached out to catch him. Moon grabbed onto him in turn, large hands warming Sun's casings, and they both burst out giggling, clutching at each other, overwhelmed with joy.

“Hey! What did you do to them?” Lance called, exasperated. “Why are they acting high?”

“They're not high.” Erica- one of the techs that had been by Moon- laughed. “They've got the zoomies. It's like- two excitable dogs meeting each other for the first time.”

“Well, you can throw them a ball later. We've got work to do.” Lance said firmly. “Daycare Attendant Moon, get in the cylinder.”

Moon's laughter died down, and he glanced first at Lance, then at the cylinder, eyeglow dimming significantly. “Right. Yes, sir.”

Moon's voice wasn't at all what Sun had expected, but Sun loved it regardless. It was soft, and raspy, and crackly, and it made its home in Sun's processors right away. But he pushed the rush of adoration aside for the moment, focusing instead on assuring his counterpart.

Sun squeezed his arms, prompting Moon to look at him. “Hey, Moony. I'll see you when you get out, and I'll be right here, waiting for you, okay? Not gonna move an inch, no sir!”

Moon eyes regained most of their original brightness, and Sun heard his fans whir a little faster. “Okay, Sunny. I'll see you soon.”

Sun barely resisted the urge to press his forehead against Moon's, instead squeezing him again before letting him go. It took the last remaining scrap of his self-control to do so, and he watched him go, eyes never leaving him for a second.

He didn't have to wait long to touch him again, thankfully. The techs were just finishing up, running tests on them both to make sure Moon worked right and Sun still worked right after the techs had gone poking about his gears and wires, moving things aside so they could compare their bodies as they built Moon's.

Sun told them he'd never felt better, but they still insisted on running the tests on him too, which he put up with only after another brush against Moon as he passed him back into the cylinder, the contact making his wires buzz.

And then, once the restraints had come off again, he jumped out and all but ran to Moon, who beamed at him before turning away. Sun followed his gaze, landing on Lance standing nearby, frowning down at a clipboard as he flipped through its pages.

“Okay, you're good. Get out of here.” Lance ordered, after just a minute more.

Moon whipped back, faceplate spinning in delight, and grabbed Sun's hand. Sun had barely a second to register the feeling of Moon's hand slipping into his and holding him tightly before Moon was pulling him down the hall and towards the double doors.

It only took, oh, about ten seconds for his processors to catch up, but when he did he let out a joyous laugh to match Moon's adorable giggles, and put on a burst of speed, which Moon was happy to match.

They ran all the way to the Daycare, and it was only once they reached it did they slow to a stop.

“Oh, goodness.” Sun peered through the netting, letting his gaze sweep the empty, clean Daycare. “I- or, well, we, I mean- must have been gone the whole day!”

“They did a good job of cleaning up without us.” Moon said. Sun felt his rays flutter just hearing Moon speak, and he turned to him right as Moon did the same, his eyes brightening again. “I guess that means we get to spend time together.” 

Spend time together. His words, and the sweet, tender way he said it made Sun feel all fuzzy and gooey and warm inside.

He chuckled, his rays fluttering again. They might not have stopped, actually. Is this what being drunk felt like? “O-okay.”

His processors caught up a second later, and if he wasn't holding Moon's hand, he'd have slapped himself. Sun, you fool! Say something else! You're programmed with over 170,000 words, surely you can come up with something more eloquent!

His voicebox only stuttered once before he managed to get it working. “I would love to spend time with you, Moony.” 

Moon's eyes brightened, and he stepped closer, so close Sun could feel the heat his fans were pushing off him. Moon reached up, his hand making gentle contact with Sun's cheek, and Sun melted further, letting his faceplate roll into the touch. Oh, if only Moon knew the effect he had on him.

A little bit of doubt crept into Sun's mind- what if Moon was just being friendly? What if the barely-held-back need to grab him and kiss him silly- as best he could with his immovable grin- was all his own?

But Moon chased away Sun's worries with little brushes of his thumb over Sun's cheek, and Sun reached subconsciously up to hold Moon's wrist, fingers sliding between the bells and making them ring quietly. Moon leaned in even closer, eyes dimming into something soft. “Hey, Sunny?”

“Yeah, Moony?” Sun breathed.

Moon's voicebox buzzed almost inaudibly with the beginning of a sentence, and then his eyes flickered brighter, and- Sun thought- moved briefly to the side, but he wasn't sure. Moon tore away and spun with a clean pirouette, leaving Sun stunned and only able to watch as Moon then pranced over to the slide.

“Race you to our room.” Moon taunted, before grabbing the top of the Slide Into Fun! sign, picking his legs up, and launching himself down like a blue and white torpedo. “Last one there is a rotten egg!”

For a moment, all Sun could do was stand there and listen to Moon's cackles echo up the slide, hand still hovering in the air where he'd been holding him. He took in a deep artificial breath, then glanced to the side. Doors. Right.

His heart wasn't really in it, but he still vaulted over the railing with ease and speed, then booked it down the stairs three at a time. Moon crashed audibly into the ball pit by the time Sun reached the doors, which were pushed easily open and then kicked shut behind him.

Moon was wading noisily through the pit, and Sun caught his eyes flash as they locked gazes. Sun called for the cable, but Moon was faster and closer. It dropped from the ceiling, clipping onto Moon's back and pulling him up and out. “Ooh, too slow!” Moon teased, and despite the worry and emotional stranglehold on his circuits, Sun still huffed, amused by his counterpart's antics.

The cable dropped Moon off on the balcony, and Moon took one last lingering look at Sun over his shoulder before disappearing between the curtains.

The cable came for Sun next, having logged his ping. It clipped securely behind him, and brought Sun soaring up to the balcony next. He listened for Moon as it detached, noting the sound of his machinery heading further away- he was probably heading into the second room via the tunnel.

The carabiner released fully, and Sun pushed through the curtains, looking around the room before heading down the short steps. “So!” He called, trying to keep the disappointment out of his voice. “What do you want to do first? We could do arts and crafts- that's what I was doing with the kids before I was called to Parts and Service.”

Sun reached the lip of the plastic blue tunnel that connected the rooms, and began to crawl through. “Ooh, we could also build a pillow fort! Or play cards, or read together.” He got out, standing and brushing himself off before continuing. Odd, but he couldn’t see Moon anywhere.

“We could also play one of our board games! I just found a game called Battleship collecting dust in the supply closet-”

“Actually, Sunny... I had something a little different in mind.”

He barely had time to turn around before Moon was stepping into view and into Sun's personal space again, both hands taking his faceplate. “Wh-”

Moon closed the distance and kissed him, hands coming around the sides of Sun's faceplate to weave through his wires. Sparking electricity shot through Sun's circuits, his whole body suddenly buzzing with warmth. The same joyous delight from before gripped him, but this time it was so strong he locked up, unable to move.

Moon broke away several seconds later with a quiet pant, like he'd actually run out of air kissing Sun. “Sun, I… Sunny? Are you okay?”

Sun meant to say something along the lines of yesI’mokaypleasepleasekissmeagain, but sadly, the only thing that came out of his voicebox was a lame wheeze, and Moon's eyes grew bright and wide with what Sun presumed was alarm.

“I- I'm sorry, I should have asked.” Moon stammered, pulling his hands quickly away. “I just- are you- do you- are you alright?”

YesI’mfineI’mfinekissmeagainpleasepleaseplease-

Sun tried again to speak, but this time instead of a wheeze, his voicebox produced only a static crackle. Hmmmm… alright, maybe I'm… not fine.

Moon hesitated only a moment longer before grabbing Sun's hand and tugging him over to the bed, pressing on his shoulders to get him to sit. Sun's concern for himself all but vanished with each touch of Moon's hands on his body, and was completely forgotten when Moon's trembling fingers tangled through his head wires again.

“Stars, what have I done?” Moon muttered as he poked around. “Moon, you idiot. Kiss him without asking, break his voicebox.” He raised his voice a little from its low growl, becoming something softer and apologetic. “Sun, I'm sorry- I can fix it. T-the second thing, at least.”

Sun tried to respond, but still nothing. Then there was a click! in the back of his head, as much a sensation as it was a noise, and his voicebox beeped in his chest. Reset.

Moon scooched quickly back, the blankets rustling as he moved. Sun turned to look, watching as Moon began to fiddle with a section of one. “Are you okay? Does it work?”

“Mmhmm. It works.” Sun confirmed.

Moon sighed in relief, joints clicking as he deflated. “I'm glad. And I'm sorry again, truly, I just- I was so excited, and I really like you-”

Sun got up, and all but tackled Moon back down, wrapping himself around the other animatronic. Moon let out a surprised grunt, bouncing on the bed a little and blinking up at Sun with bright blue eyes as Sun began to ramble.

“Oh, Moony, I like you too! I was so worried you wouldn't, I was so excited to finally hear you and see you and touch you and kiss you but I didn't know if you liked me back, and I didn't want to scare you off, and-”

A giggle, soft and crackly but growing louder, caught Sun's attention, and he faltered, peering down at Moon beneath him. The lunar animatronic reached up for him, eyes bright and frame trembling with mirth. One shaky hand caressed Sun's cheek, ghosting over the rounded silicone. “I'm sorry, I just… I love you so much.”

Sun's processors came to an abrupt halt, clearing any other thought but that one out of his mind. “You… you love me? You really love me?”

Moon took a proper hold of Sun's cheek, cupping his face in his hand while his eyeglow softened, along with his voice. “I do. I love you a lot. More than words can say. I- ooh-”

Sun dropped, smashing their grins together in an overjoyed kiss. He wrapped his arms around Moon, holding him tight, as tight as he possibly could without crushing him, and his circuits sparked when Moon returned both the kiss and the embrace, pressing his grin back into Sun's and laying his hands on his back.

It was Sun who broke the kiss, though it was only so he could press kisses onto every other inch of Moon with a pronounced mwah! between declarations of love. “I love you! I love you so, so much and you have no idea how long I've wanted to say that- well, okay, maybe you do, but- I'm just so so so excited to say it, I want to say it forever, and hug you, and kiss you, and hold you forever and ever-”

Moon, for his part, was reduced to a flustered mess, giggling like mad and barely able to reach up and pull his hat over his face- but with each delighted spin of his faceplate, he had to let go of the brim of his nightcap, and Sun could see just how brightly those beautiful eyes glowed.

Moon's laughter made Sun giggly too, and it wasn't long before the dizzying euphoria stripped him of words, and he ran out of untouched casing to nuzzle and kiss. He kissed him all over a second time anyway, just to make sure Moon knew how cherished he was, but eventually collapsed on top of him, panting between pleased chuckles and little extra nuzzles against Moon's chest.

Their laughter exhausted itself eventually, and they settled into each other's embrace in the cozy, afterhours quiet of their room, holding each other as close as possible and purring just loud enough for the other to hear. After a few minutes, Moon shifted ever so gently, and Sun moved his faceplate to look up over at him, rays fluttering.

“I love you too, Sunny.” Moon's voice was thick with affection, and he nuzzled against the top of Sun's faceplate, eliciting a louder more rumbling purr from the solar animatronic. But then Moon sighed and averted his gaze, eyeglow dimming, and Sun searched his face with increased attention, worried. 

Was… was I too much? He wondered, but then Moon continued. “...We'll have to hide it, of course, but-”

Oh.

“No.” Sun shook his head, rays pulsing. “No, we're getting out of here.”

Moon's eyes brightened, then dimmed again, just as quickly as they'd lit up. “How?”

“I don't know.” Sun replied. “But we are. I absolutely refuse to live in a place that won't even let me hold hands with the love of my life. I mean, it's ridiculous!”

Seized by indignation, he sat up, and Moon let him go, watching him with brightened eyes as Sun stood and began to pace up and down the dusty floorboards. “Can't put ideas into the kids heads,’ they say. As if there aren't plenty of kiddos with gay parents already! No, no, it's not that. They know if we fall in love, we won't stand for seeing our partners suffer at their hands. We're used to getting hurt ourselves, but seeing each other receive the same treatment?”

He growled, shaking his head to clear the image of Moon writhing in pain. “I'd- oohoohoo, I'd do something I might regret, that's for sure.”

“Sunny.” Moon's soft call of his name made Sun falter, and he turned to look at Moon. The sight of him laying there in their bed, head propped up in his hand as he watched Sun with those beautiful eyes of his made Sun turn to absolute mush, anger fading and guilt taking its place.

“I'm sorry.” Sun said, making his way back over to the bed. Moon scooched back and opened up his arms in invitation, and Sun gladly accepted his embrace, laying down on his side, facing Moon. With the hand not settling on Sun's waist, Moon brushed his knuckles against Sun's cheek, and Sun sighed, closing his eyes. “It's just… I love you, and I hate them, and I couldn't stand to see you hurt. The very thought makes me furious.”

“It's alright.” Moon murmured. His voice was so kind, so gentle even underneath the static crackling, and Sun felt more of his anxieties fade. “I love you, too, and for what it's worth, Sunny... I share your sentiment.”

The kindness had dissolved in those last words, replaced by an underlying growl, and they were punctuated too with a squeeze around Sun's middle. But then Moon huffed, and when he spoke again, he just sounded a little bit tired. “But yes… we will escape. We'll have to bring the others with us, it would hardly be fair to leave them behind… but once all is said and done, we can enjoy our freedom. Maybe find a nice big house out in the middle of nowhere to make our own.”

Sun could feel his casings grow warmer, despite the efforts of his fans. “Aww. I had the same idea.”

Moon chuckled. “Great minds think alike.” He pulled Sun closer, and Sun obliged him, snuggling up. “We can make plans later, though. For now, how about we just enjoy each other's company? All the humans have gone home, and there are no cameras in here. We're safe, Sunny, and we're together.”

“Yes. That does sound nice.” Sun whispered, and Moon lowered his hand, then leaned forward to gently press the top of his head to Sun's. 

“I love you, Sunny.”

“I love you too, Moony.”

~~~~~

Ao3 Link to Circuit Board Sparks

Ao3 Link to Origami Kisses

[95jezzica]

how do you think sweden is as a parent? any headcanons?

It's canon Sweden kind of spoils his kids quite a lot (with that I mainly mean Sealand and Ladonia, but to a degree this also includes Iceland). Not really spoiled in a bad way though? At any rate Sweden pays a lot of attention to his kids, constantly defends Iceland against Nor's and Den's teasing, and even pretends to lose wars against Ladonia. It's sweet, and I figure it's worth mentioning.

As far as headcanons go, this also means I headcanon Sweden as a pretty chill parent in general. As long as they don't endanger/hurt themselves or others, he allows them to do a pretty much what they want (within reason) - but he's still able to put his foot down if he thinks something is going too far.

With that said, if they want a tree house to hold their micronation meetings in? Then you'll be damn sure he's going to build a gigantic treehouse for them. If they're hungry they can usually just go and eat something from the kitchen - though Sweden likely has some rules about what they eat and when.

(Example: If dinner will be ready in 30 minutes they're probably allowed to eat a quick fruit like a banana, but not stuff themselves full on sandwiches. Sweden would probably also tell them to avoid sugary stuff like candy until after dinner, but as long as they don't overdo stuff he wouldn't be too strict on which days they decide to eat their candy).

For Sealand specifically I reckon Sweden & England have shared custody, and as a result Sealand technically has several rooms. (One in each house). To avoid Sealand having to choose between them on holidays they also make sure to celebrate major stuff together or alternate the days between them.

For an example Sealand's birthday is celebrated with everyone together. Meanwhile Sealand celebrates Christmas with the Nordics on the 23-24/12, then goes to that big party America is said to have (which probably is on the 25th), and then Sealand celebrates "Boxing Day" (26/12) with the "eyebrow family", NA-brothers and France.

They'd also have things they celebrate on their own, such as Sealand being with the "eyebrow family" to celebrate things like St. Patrick's Day, St. George's Day and Bonfire Night (Guy Fawkes). Then Sealand would be with Sweden and the Nordics to celebrate things like the June birthdays (Ladonia/Den/Swe), Midsummer and Lucia. Just to mention a few examples.

I'd say Sweden and England try to keep the days where Sealand spend his time time pretty even, but they also don't stand and count every minute to make it "fair". One year Sealand might spend a few days/weeks more with Sweden, and another year Sealand might be a little more with England. Living costs are similarly divided. For an example I imagine England was the one who bought Sealand a mobile phone when it became more necessary, but Sweden was the one who bought Sealand a tablet.

Sealand strikes me more as a boy longing for adventures. Sure, he enjoys to sit down and play games/watch TV from time to time, but he's also boy with endless energy. I can imagine him and Sweden doing stuff like going on hikes, building rafts to sail on the local lake - etc - as quality time when they're alone together. Sealand strikes me as someone who if they don't get to DO enough stuff in a day to run off some energy he'll have a hard time falling asleep in the evening.

Now, Ladonia spends pretty much all his time living with Sweden unless he's having a sleepover with a friend or one of his many uncles. As a micronation who nowadays mostly functions as an internet nation, Ladonia has a lot of the latest technology available to him (through Sweden) since he's also more dependent on them.

Because of this Sweden obviously also make sure the house their family lives in has excellent internet connection. Though Ladonia mainly uses his own laptop while moving/traveling around, I headcanon Ladonia also has a robust PC inside his bedroom ("home base" in a sense) and a back-up laptop that he SOMETIMES let's Sealand borrow if they want to play games together.

(At some point Sealand got to choose between getting a computer, laptop or a tablet from Sweden. He chose a tablet).

I've mentioned in earlier posts that I headcanon Ladonia as literally having been born looking like a newborn baby, and as a result of that I think Sweden is/was very protective of him. Obviously Sweden is also protective of Sealand, but it's on a much higher level for Ladonia after Sweden spent YEARS not sure if Ladonia would even survive or how much "nation" Ladonia was since he grew at roughly the same speed as a human for the first 3-5 years of his life. It wasn't until Ladonia's aging slowed down a bit that Sweden could start to breathe easier.

Ladonia also has a big canon interest in Pokémon, so it wouldn't surprise me if he has most of the consoles and Pokémon games. Heck, some of the Quality Time stuff Ladonia and Sweden do together alone is likely a lot of video game playing, and they might even go watch tournaments and regionals being played. Sweden likely even ask Japan for favours to get tickets for the World Championships. I reckon Ladonia would enjoy amusement parks too, so that's another one of the few things Sweden can use to "get Ladonia away from the screens" for a few hours if Ladonia isn't having friends over. xD

Originally I also wanted to write about Sweden and Iceland's relationship as a bonus, but this post is getting really long and I've already done a few posts with them before, so I think I will end here for now. xD

Thanks for the ask, and hope you enjoy this!

[beefromanoff]

Tempting Fate Ch. 4

summary: Evie made it through her first full week, has a breakthrough, and gets to celebrate!

author's note: I love a slow burn, but I want to get to the good stuff here. anyone else?!

masterlist

tag list: tag list: @yiiiikesmish @sunflower1290 @barnescamboy @thedisc0spider @bitchy-bi-trash @kulteule @kandis-mom @i-mushi @unknown-writings

A few hours and two large coffees later, Evie sat in her usual spot in the lab, her fingers flying across the keyboard. The screen in front of her was filled with complex lines of code, diagrams, and a myriad of data points. Her mind was a whirl of thoughts and possibilities, each one adding a new layer to her evolving solution for cracking Orpheus' defenses. She’d gotten right to the cusp last night, and today she’d been able to blow this motherfucker wide open. 

The lab was quieter than usual, the other engineers having gone for their lunch break or taken Friday off altogether. All except for Chris, the one who’d infamously mistaken her for one of Tony’s one night stands on her first day. Since then, he'd been skittish around her, but they'd developed a tentative working relationship. Evie respected his skills and found his nervous energy somewhat endearing. She wasn’t one to hold grudges, nor was she one to get her feelings hurt over a misconception that––truth be told––made sense. He was the only other engineer with SHIELD security clearance, having been the main technological consultant before Evie was brought on board.

"Chris," Evie called absently, not looking up from her screen. "Get your ass over here for a second."

Chris, who had been tinkering with a circuit board at the other end of the lab, jumped slightly at the sound of her voice. He hesitated for a moment, then made his way over to her workstation.

"Uh, okay," he said, fidgeting with the screwdriver in his hands. "What’s up?"

Evie continued typing for a few more seconds before stopping and turning to face him. "I need a second pair of eyes on this. I’ve been at it all night and I might just be hallucinating, but I think I’ve found a solution to Orpheus’ defenses. Can you take a look and tell me if I'm just sleep-deprived or if this actually makes sense?"

Chris blinked, then nodded. "Of course, let’s see it."

Evie turned her laptop screen toward him and started explaining her solution in the rapid pace that only ever came out when she was excited. 

"Alright, here’s the deal," Evie began, tapping a key to bring up a detailed diagram. "Orpheus’ encryption is a hybrid adaptive cryptosystem. They’re using a combination of RSA for key exchange and AES for data encryption, but they’ve added this insane layer of polymorphic encryption to constantly change the encryption keys on the fly."

Chris frowned, leaning in closer. "Okay, so how do we counter that?"

Evie smirked. "Glad you asked. The key is to exploit the timing discrepancies during the key exchange. By using a side-channel attack, we can measure the slight variations in execution time to predict the next set of encryption keys. From there, we inject a custom-built Trojan that piggybacks on their own update mechanism."

Chris' eyes widened. "You built a Trojan for this? Overnight?"

"Yes," Evie said, waving her hand dismissively. "It's a polymorphic Trojan, meaning it changes its code every time it replicates. That way, it can evade their adaptive defenses. Once it’s inside, it creates a virtual bridge, giving us a backdoor into their system."

Chris nodded slowly. "So, we use their own system updates to slip in unnoticed?"

"Exactly," Evie said, her eyes gleaming with excitement. "But that’s not all. I’ve also designed a recursive algorithm that exploits a vulnerability in their communication protocol. Every time Orpheus sends or receives data, the algorithm intercepts and duplicates the packets, allowing us to decrypt them in real-time."

Chris stared at the screen, his mind racing to keep up with her explanation. Slowly, he began to nod. "Evie, this is... I mean, this is incredible. You've actually figured it out. This should work. This should work…perfectly."

Evie’s eyes flicked off the screen and met his. "Really? You think so?"

Chris nodded more vigorously. "Yes, absolutely. It’s brilliant."

Without thinking, Evie jumped up from her chair, a huge grin spreading across her face. "Yes!" she exclaimed, leaning over to kiss him on the cheek. "Hell YES! Thank you!"

Chris stood there, utterly flustered, his face turning a deep shade of red. "Uh, you’re welcome," he stammered.

Evie shoved her laptop into her bag, grabbed her coffee, and rushed out of the lab, her heart pounding with exhilaration. "You’re the man, Chris!"

As she disappeared down the hallway, Chris stood there for a moment, still processing what had just happened. Finally, he shook his head with a small, bewildered smile. "Unbelievable," he muttered to himself, before returning to his workstation.

Evie practically sprinted through the halls, her coffee sloshing in her cup. She reached Tony’s private lab upstairs and burst through the door the second her keycard turned the access pad green.

Tony looked up from his workstation, raising an eyebrow at her sudden entrance. "Well, well, if it isn't the wunderkind herself," he said dryly. "Ever heard of knocking? You might see something you don't want to see."

Evie waved off his comment, her excitement palpable. "Yeah, yeah, spare me the pleasantries, Stark. I need to show you something."

Tony leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest. "This better be good. It’s barely noon, the crack of dawn here."

Evie quickly set her laptop on the table and pulled up her work, launching into her explanation. "I've been working on Orpheus' encryption all night, and I think I've cracked it. Look, their system uses a hybrid adaptive cryptosystem. RSA for key exchange, AES for data encryption, and a layer of polymorphic encryption."

Tony started to pay attention, but his eyes flicked over her attire, and a smirk formed on his lips. "Hold up a second. Are you wearing Cap's sweatshirt?"

Evie glanced down at the navy blue crewneck she had on, suddenly realizing the emblem on the sleeve clearly featured the Avengers trademark “A” with the words ‘Captain Rogers’ embroidered right beneath it. She rolled her eyes. "Yeah. I pulled an all nighter and didn't want to show up in the same clothes from yesterday. People might make assumptions, as they already have." She raised her eyebrow impatiently.

Tony's smirk grew wider. "And you didn't think they'd make assumptions if you showed up in Captain America's sweatshirt?"

Evie shrugged. "He’s not my boss."

Tony chuckled, but his eyes were now glued to the screen. "Alright, what you do in your own time is none of my business anyways. Show me what you've got, Langston."

Evie dove back into her explanation, her fingers flying over the keys as she navigated through her code and diagrams. "Okay, so, their encryption changes the keys on the fly. To counter that, I developed a side-channel attack to measure the timing discrepancies during their key exchange. We use those discrepancies to predict the next set of encryption keys."

Tony's interest piqued, and he leaned forward. "Timing attack, huh? Not bad. But what about the polymorphic encryption?"

"Glad you asked," Evie said with a grin. "I built a polymorphic Trojan that changes its code every time it replicates. It evades their adaptive defenses and creates a virtual bridge, giving us a backdoor into their system. And there's more. I designed a recursive algorithm that intercepts and duplicates their data packets, allowing us to decrypt them in real-time."

Tony stared at the screen for a moment, then let out a low whistle. "Damn, Red. You really outdid yourself."

Evie's grin widened. "So, you think it’ll work?"

Tony nodded slowly. "Oh, it'll work. I'm just wondering how the hell you managed to put this together in one night. And then still had time to swipe Cap’s sweatshirt.”

She shrugged. "I work well under pressure. And I love a challenge." 

Tony laughed, shaking his head. "Alright, genius. Let's get this to Maria. She’s going to want to see this ASAP. Let’s go to the boardroom, I’ll conference her in."

Evie grabbed her laptop, feeling a rush. "Let's do it."

As they headed out of the lab, Tony glanced at her again, the smirk still playing on his lips. "Rogers couldn’t handle you in the first place, kid."

“All I know is he makes a killer breakfast.” 

__________

The lab was quiet, save for the soft hum of machinery and the clicking of the keyboard. Evie was hunched over her workstation, the glow of the screen illuminating her face. She meticulously reviewed her code for what felt like the hundredth time, making sure every line was perfect when Tony walked in, his footsteps echoing in the large, empty room. 

"I swear, I’m either getting very old or this is deja vu." he called out, making his way over to her.

She didn't look up from her screen. "I don’t think those two are mutually exclusive."

Tony sighed dramatically, leaning against her desk. "You know, I hired you because you’re hot. But being in the office for 30 hours straight without going home to shower is seriously ruining the mood."

Evie glanced up and flipped him off. "You're hilarious, Stark."

Tony raised his eyebrows. "Seriously, what the hell are you still doing here? It’s 7pm on a Friday night. Surely you have something better to do than this.”

“I’m just going over everything again.”

“It’s perfect. We went through it ten times today. You won't make it any better by staring at it all night."

Evie leaned back in her chair, rubbing her tired eyes. "I just want to make sure. This is big."

Tony nodded, his tone turning slightly more serious. "I know. And you did an amazing job. Which is why I’ve already invited the team out to celebrate your brilliant discovery and for finishing the work before the mission deadline––which, considering they’re used to working with me––is a novel concept. Also, to celebrate your first full week of working for me."

Evie raised an eyebrow. "You’re serious?"

"Dead serious," Tony replied. "We’ll be meeting at the bar in an hour and a half. And I’ve got Happy waiting for you outside to take you to your building."

Evie blinked. "Wow, thanks, Tony. But really, I’m fine. I just need to pick up around here and then I can just head straight to the bar."

Tony shook his head. "No can do, Red. Happy has strict instructions to make sure you get into the elevator and don’t try to come back to the lab. You need to get some fresh and fix…” he gestured vaguely to her hair and outfit. “...this situation.”

Evie rolled her eyes but couldn’t help the small smile tugging at her lips. "You’re such a control freak."

Tony shrugged. "Yes, and you’ll thank me later. Now, go. Freshen up, put on something that doesn't smell like coffee and palladium, and be ready to celebrate like I taught you."

Evie stood up, stretching her arms. "Alright, alright. I’ll go. But you’re still an ass."

Tony chuckled. "I’ve been called worse. Now get out of here before I tell FRIDAY to revoke your security clearance for the weekend."

Rolling her eyes, Evie grabbed her laptop and bag, heading towards the door. As she walked out, she glanced back at Tony. "Thanks, Tony. For everything."

Tony waved her off with a smile. "See you in a bit."

Evie made her way outside, squinting at the sun to see Happy standing next to the black SUV, waiting patiently. He gave her a nod and opened the door for her.

"Miss Langston," he greeted with a smile. "Ready to head home?"

Evie grinned. "Yessir, thanks for the lift, Happy."

"Anytime," he replied, closing the door behind her.

As they drove towards her building, Evie allowed herself a deep breath, shoulders rolling back from the hours hunched over a workstation. It had been an intense week, but she had proven herself and made a significant breakthrough. Tonight, she would celebrate with the team –– the fucking Avengers –– knowing she had earned every bit of it. 

Evie slumped against the back seat of the car, exhaustion and a sense of accomplishment washing over her as she snapped out of her single-minded work mode. She stared out the window, her mind processing the reality that was her life. This past week had been a whirlwind – a literal dream come true.

Happy glanced at her through the rearview mirror, a good-natured smile tugging at his lips. "So, how's it feel? First week at Stark Industries under your belt. Bet it's been a ride."

Evie sighed. "Oh, Happy. It's been everything. I think I slept about 10 hours the whole week, half because I was too excited and half because I couldn’t get myself to leave the lab.” She looked out the window. “It probably sounds childish, but part of me feels like if I go to sleep, I’ll wake up back in my tenth grade calculus class bored out of my mind. It’s like…it’s just a dream.”

Happy chuckled. "It doesn’t sound childish at all. I remember the first time I met you, back at the alumni gala. When Tony brought you out to the car, I thought you were…well––"

“You thought I was a cocktail waitress trying to end up on a yacht.” 

“Well, yes, something like that.” His cheeks flushed. 

“Astute observation.” Evie grinned. “I’m sure you weren’t the only one to make it.” 

“Of course, after meeting you, it was clear––” 

Evie laughed, waving him off. "Don’t worry about it, Happy, seriously. I’m sure you’re conditioned to assume that with Tony."

"You could say that," Happy replied, shaking his head with a grin. “That was a fun night. When we drove back to the city the next day, Tony couldn’t stop talking about you. He kept saying you were ‘the princess who was promised’, or something along those lines. He may have still been a little drunk, but even so, he’s not one to rave about someone’s intellect besides his own. "

“He’s been watching too much Game of Thrones.” Evie chuckled. “That’s very flattering.”

“I’m not kidding, he told me from that very first weekend that he thought you’d change the world. He wanted to convince you to drop out and go work for him that second.” 

“Believe me, he tried.” 

“Well, for what it’s worth, I’m glad you stuck it out.” Happy met her eyes in the rearview. “Especially if you’re prone to workaholism, I’m glad you got to live your life for a while.” 

“Considering my boss is the one who threw me out of the office and told me to get my ass to the bar, I don’t think that’s going to stop.” 

Happy shrugged. "Tony’s lost himself in his work before. I don’t think he wants to see that happen to you."

Evie smiled. "That’s oddly wholesome."

“Mr. Stark is an enigma.” Happy's eyes crinkled as he smiled. "You know, I got kicked out of my own car that night at the gala."

Evie raised an eyebrow. "Really? Why?"

"Tony wanted some alone time with your best friend," Happy explained with a smirk. "So, I logged some significant time playing pool with grad students in the bar until I got the all-clear. Your friend was quite the charmer, apparently."

Evie shook her head. "Yeah, that's Jade. I got far too many details about that night."

Happy shuddered. "I don’t even want to know. But hey, it worked out. You got to where you wanted to be, and Tony… well, he got what he wanted too."

As they pulled up to her building, Happy glanced at her sweatshirt, doing a double take. "Is that Cap’s sweatshirt?"

Evie smirked, a mischievous glint in her eye. "Maybe. Why?"

Happy laughed, shaking his head. "Just making sure you're not causing any trouble."

She winked at him. "Wouldn't dream of it."

Happy parked the car and got out, opening the door for her. "Alright, Miss Langston. You go get ready and do whatever it is that Tony insisted I bring you here for. I’ll be back to pick you up in an hour."

Evie stepped out, shrugging her bag onto her shoulder. "Thanks, Happy. I’ll see you soon."

He gave her a nod. "Take care, Evie. And remember, no trying to sneak back to the lab."

She laughed. "Got it. See you soon, Happy."

________

Evie walked into the bar, a surprisingly normal looking joint in a lesser known part of the city. She didn’t know what she expected, something flashier and possibly on a rooftop? Dancers in lingerie in floating cages above the crowd? That seemed much more Tony-esque than this pseudo dive bar. Not that she was complaining, it reminded her of The Bos, giving her a warm rush of nostalgia. They crossed the busy room, Evie turning heads and drawing a few catcalls as she navigated toward the back booth where Earth’s Mightiest Heroes sat. Happy gave the already drunk catcallers a stern look and a wave of his hand. "Alright, keep moving, nothing to see here," he said, holding a hand out to clear a way through the crowd.

"Thanks, Happy," Evie nodded.

Tony's voice rang out above the low roar of the bar. "There she is! The woman of the hour!" He relished in the attention of the bar as he strode over, placing his arm around Evie's shoulders and escorting her to the large corner booth where the team was waiting.

"Evie!" Wanda called out, standing up to give her a warm hug. "It’s so good to see you."

"Hey, Wanda," Evie replied, hugging her back. "It’s good to see you too."

“One week down, that’s like a lifetime with Stark.” Natasha gave her a friendly nod. "Nice work this week, Evie. Heard you’ve been killing it."

"Thanks, Nat. I’m just trying to keep up with you guys," Evie gave a humble nod, her usual borderline arrogance fading in the face of Black Widow herself. 

Sam clapped her on the back. "You’re doing more than keeping up. You’re setting the pace."

Evie grinned. "Thanks, Sam."

Before anyone else could greet her, Tony held his hand out in front of her.  “In order to make an effective toast, the toastee needs a drink. Shall we?” 

“We shall,” Evie put her hand on his, grinning. She turned back to face the team and looked at Steve, who was watching her with a small smile from his seat. "Oh, Steve, I promise I’ll return your sweatshirt. Thanks for letting me borrow it this morning."

The team erupted in a chorus of “ooh” and “Alright, Rogers” as Steve blushed, grinning down at his drink. 

Tony guided her to the bar, placing a hand on her shoulder.  “You know exactly what you’re doing, I assume.” 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Evie gave a wry smile.

"Come on, genius. First round’s on me."

Evie smirked. "Correction: every round is on you because you’re the one who invited me out."

Tony raised an eyebrow, clearly amused. "Is that so?"

"Absolutely," she replied confidently. "You dragged me out of the lab, so you get to pay for my drinks. It's only fair."

Tony laughed. "Alright, alright. You drive a hard bargain. What’ll it be?"

"I’ll start with a whiskey sour," Evie said, sliding onto a barstool.

Tony ordered their drinks and turned to her. "So, how does it feel to be the second smartest person in the room?"

Evie snorted. “You tell me."

Tony handed her the drink, a smirk on his face. "You’re insufferable. I love it. Here’s to a brilliant first week."

They clinked glasses, and Evie took a sip. "Thanks, Tony. For the drink, for this, for everything. This week has been a dream come true."

Tony nodded, his expression sincere for once. "Just keep doing what you’re doing, Evie. I’m glad to have you. Now don’t go getting all weepy on me, I’m trying to cut back on sentiment."

They returned to the booth, where the team was waiting with smiles and cheers. "Alright, everyone," Tony announced. "Here’s to Evie and her first week at Stark Industries, and our lives being in very capable hands. Let’s make this a night we wished we could remember!"

The team raised their glasses, and Evie couldn’t help but feel a surge of happiness. She was exactly where she was meant to be. As she downed another gulp of her drink, she let all thoughts of work and code and trojans and missions fade to the back of her mind.

An hour passed as the group chatted and laughed, some breaking off to play pool, some (Sam) ending up on the dance floor in the middle of a bachelorette party. Steve and Bucky found themselves in a quiet debate in the back of the booth.

"You flip," Steve suggested, holding a coin between his fingers.

Bucky shook his head. "No way, you flip. Last time, I got stuck with the tab."

Steve chuckled. "Alright, alright. Heads, I offer. Tails, you do."

As he prepared to flip the coin, Evie noticed their quiet discussion and couldn’t help but be curious. Handing Nat the cue stick, she walked over to where they were sitting.

"What's this about a coin flip?" she asked, leaning against the table and giving them a teasing look.

Both men looked up, slightly caught off guard at someone returning to the booth. Evie guessed they usually ended up the only two still sober at the end of the night due to their Super Soldier something or other.

"Just a little game we play," Bucky said coolly, rolling the coin around in his metal fingers.

Steve nodded, smiling up at her. "Deciding who buys the next round."

Evie raised an eyebrow. "How about we skip the coin flip and both of you buy me a drink?"

Steve and Bucky exchanged a glance. "Deal," Steve said, standing up. "What’s your poison?"

Evie pretended to think for a moment, tapping her chin. "Surprise me. But make it something good."

As Steve headed to the bar, Evie slid into the seat next to Bucky. "So, do you always use coin flips to make decisions?"

Bucky chuckled, leaning back in his chair. "Only when we can't decide. Or when it's something important."

"Buying me a drink is important?" she asked, half a question and half a statement.

Bucky met her gaze, his blue eyes intense "You could say that."

Steve returned with two beers and a bright red drink with two cherries floating on top, setting them down on the table before sliding in on Evie’s other side. "One surprise drink, as requested."

Evie picked up her glass, examining the contents before taking a sip. "Hmm, not bad. Four stars, two enthusiastic thumbs up."

She leaned closer to them, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "So, what else do you two decide with coin flips? Who gets the best mission assignments?"

Steve chuckled, shaking his head. "No, that one's above our pay grade."

"But we do use it for simpler things," Bucky added. "Who gets to take the motorcycle, who has to run with Sam, things like that."

Evie laughed. "Sounds incredibly meticulous, very fitting of two Avengers. It must be fun, having your best friend to share all of this with."

Steve and Bucky exchanged another glance. "It has its moments," Steve said, his smile genuine.

Bucky nodded. "Yeah, it's not so bad."

“Do you share everything?” She tugged on a cherry stem, popping the fruit in her mouth.

“Not…everything.” Steve said slowly, eyes flicking down to her lips for a split second. “I’m sure the team would say we’re a package deal, but some things are still kept separate.” 

Evie took another sip of her drink, watching them. "So, tell me," she said, leaning forward, her eyes locked onto theirs. "What’s the craziest thing you’ve done lately? You can flip the coin to decide who spills first."

Steve and Bucky glanced at her, then at each other, both grinning sheepishly.

"Honestly, our lives are pretty... regimented," Steve admitted. "Missions, training, repeat."

Bucky nodded in agreement. "Yeah, we don’t get much downtime. Not that we’re complaining, but it doesn’t leave a lot of room for…crazy."

Evie laughed, shaking her head. "You guys need to get out more.”

“Coming from the one who Stark had to drag out of the lab.” Bucky sipped his beer, not breaking eye contact. 

“Forgive me for wanting to make sure the technology that’s going to keep your asses alive is foolproof.” She winked. “Besides, I have plenty of experience being out.” 

Steve raised an eyebrow. "Oh yeah? How so?"

"Well, I used to bartend, so I spent a lot of time in a place just like this," she said, gesturing around the bar. 

"Doesn’t sound too crazy on your end either," Bucky said, leaning onto the table. "Unless you have another story sweetheart, you’re still talking about work."

Evie leaned onto her elbows, eyes locked on his. "I guess I just like to keep busy."

Steve looked thoughtful for a moment before a spark of an idea lit his eyes. "You know, maybe we should start doing something like that. Hold each other accountable for getting out and having fun."

Bucky shot him a curious glance, tearing his eyes from Evie’s. "What are you suggesting, Rogers?"

Steve shrugged, his smile growing. "I’m saying we make Friday nights our mandatory 'fun time.' No missions, no training, no work. Just us, going out and doing something together. If nothing else, it would get Sam to get off our case about being old and boring."

Evie raised her glass in a mock toast. "I like the sound of that. I could probably benefit from leaving the lab every now and then, wouldn’t want to turn into a mad scientist."

Bucky tilted his head, considering. "I’ve heard worse ideas."

"Great," Steve said, raising his own glass. "To Friday nights and mandatory fun."

They all clinked their glasses together, taking a long drink. 

“Wait,” Evie fished her phone out of her purse. “Let’s take a photo to commemorate this historic agreement.” She held her arm out, fighting the flutter in her stomach as both men leaned closer on either side of her, smiling at the screen. “That’s a keeper, for sure.” She grinned, zipping her phone back into her bag.

As the night wore on, they continued to talk and laugh, different members of the team coming and going from the booth. No one stopped to ask them for photos or autographs, which Evie guessed is why they liked this place. She wondered if they were regulars, giggling at the thought of the ones who save the planet from intergalactic threats being regulars anywhere.

"So, what's the first thing we do for our new Friday night tradition?" Evie asked, leaning back in the booth.

Bucky eyed her as he raised the bottle to his lips. "Something tells me you’ve got some ideas."

Evie grinned. "I’ve got a few."

Steve chuckled. "We’re at your mercy. Here’s to new traditions and great company."

They clinked their glasses once more before Sam came to steal them all for a rousing game of darts. It was short lived, seeing as Bucky hit a bullseye with every single left-handed toss. As the evening wound down, the group made their way out of the bar just before last call. Tony had blown her a kiss across the bar an hour prior, he and Sam leaving with the bachelorette party. Nat and Wanda hopped into the car with Happy, waving goodbye as they pulled away from the curb. Evie fished her phone out of her bag, preparing to call an Uber as she swayed near the curb.

“Hold up, Evie,” Steve said, stepping closer. “We can drop you off.”

She looked up, eyes wide. “You guys don’t have to do that. Besides, you’ve been drinking too.”

Bucky smirked. “Super Soldiers, remember? Alcohol doesn’t affect us the same way.”

Evie hesitated, a small smile tugging at her lips. “You’re sure?”

“Positive,” Steve replied, his tone leaving no room for argument.

“Well, okay then,” she said, feeling a warmth spread through her that had nothing to do with the alcohol. “Thanks.”

The drive back to her building was euphoric, the top was off in Steve’s jeep and the wind whipped through her hair. Evie leaned back in the middle of the backseat, spreading her arms wide as they drove through the night air. When they pulled up to her building, Steve put the car in park before hopping out to open her door and give her a hand down. 

“Thanks for the ride,” she said, trying not to slur her words too much as she turned to look at them both. “And for tonight. I had a lot of fun.”

Steve smiled. “So did we.”

As Steve hopped back into the driver’s seat, she leaned on the ledge of Bucky’s door. “Sweet dreams. I’ll see you guys on Monday.”

Bucky nodded, his expression softer than usual. “Looking forward to it.”

She gave them a small wave as she spun and headed into her building, feeling a strange mix of emotions. There was something about the way they’d cared for her, looked out for her, that disarmed her usual bravado and flirtation. It was a feeling she wasn’t entirely used to, but one she found herself liking.

Evie walked into her luxurious penthouse apartment, the city lights casting a soft glow through the floor-to-ceiling windows. She kicked off her heels and headed to her bedroom, the plush carpet soft under her feet. She tossed her bag on the bed and pulled out her phone, shooting the photo she’d taken earlier to Jade as she started to change into her pajamas.

Unsurprisingly, her phone buzzed only seconds later, despite it being the middle of the night. Jade was probably closing up The Bos anyways. 

J: HOT

J: why do I feel like it won’t be long before i’m not the only one who’s fucked an Avenger?

E: a lady never tells…

J: a lady might not, but you better!

E: i’ll call you in the AM, sweet dreams baby J ;)

J: dirty dirty girl. talk soon. you better have a good story for me.