#but her answering that way implies she took the question to mean 'why did your eye color change'

[mumblesplash]

gem, what happened to your eye?

(wanted to upload this panel separately, original is from this comic)

[uchispeach]

Sycamore Tree (Ch. 2)

Pairing: Dark! Rafe Cameron x Fem! Reader

Warnings: Mention of violence & guns, implied stalking, non consensual touching, obsessive behavior, manipulative! Rafe…

This fic will contain dark content: such as dub-con/ non-con and violence. You have been warned.

12 missed calls. 10 from Jennifer and 2 from an unknown number. That’s what you’ve woken up to.

You sighed while rubbing your face. You were about to get up, leaving the comfort of your silky sheets just as your phone rang. “Hi” You spoke softly. “Thank God you answered!” A high pitched voice received your ears with no previous warning.

“I’m sorry Jen, I just checked my pho-” The dark haired girl was quick to interrupt you, adrenaline bubbling through her veins: “Did they arrest JJ?” The question took you by surprise “Why would they?” A frown decorated your face.

“Because he tried to shoot Topper?” Your upper body lifted itself from the pillows. “Wait- he fired the gun?” You made the move to get out of your bed, coldness hitting the soles of your feet. “Girl, yes he did! It was a miracle he didn’t hit him” Just like an automatic response, you paced back and forth, each step bringing you more and more anxiety.

“Is Topper pressing charges?” Your fingers grew white while you held the mobile with excessive force. “That’s what Kelce told me.” That last sentence made you stop in your tracks, frozen in the same spot.

Hundreds of scenarios traveled your brain, the last worse than the previous. “Y/N!” You flinched, remembering you were in the middle of a conversation. “Jen, I have to talk to Kiara. I’ll call you later.” The words were honeyed, almost like a plea. Even in the worst circumstances, you still worried about sounding rude.

“Alright, I just wanted to know you were safe… Even Rafe was concerned” The mention of the older blond made you tune back a little. “Rafe Cameron?” You couldn’t help the surprise on your tone. “Yes! He even asked for your number.”

(…)

“There’s no way on Earth we are letting you visit that boy!” Your mom didn’t hesitate in raising her voice, all in hopes of reaching your sister’s common sense.

“I already told you, we weren’t even on the same side of the island when it happened!” Kiara was relentless, stubborn with the idea of checking on her friends after yesterday’s rough night.

A lie or two had been told to your parents, something about assisting a small Kook reunion and religiously staying away from any messy party.

“I don’t care about that, you are not leaving this house on your own!” She waved her hands in annoyance. Desperation leaking through her words. “Then-” Your sister was cut short: “And you are not getting your phone back!”

Kiara took some steps back, rage exuding from her body as she stomped her way to her bedroom.

Flushed and tense, your mother made the move to follow behind. Starting with big strides and frustrated huffs.

You didn’t hesitate to step in as soon as she reached the white door. “Mom, I’ll talk to her…Don't stress about it” You basically begged, putting your palms on her tense shoulders as a comforting gesture.

The older woman just sighed, lifting her arms in defeat before turning around.

You waited a few minutes before turning the handle. Your sweaty hands held the metal piece with unnecessary force. Sobs were the first thing you heard, coming from the wobbling mouth of the brunette.

Step by step, you got closer to her sitting body. Your pace was hesitant, still, you made it to the bed. You felt the mattress weighing down as you positioned yourself by her side.

In a natural response, your soft arms wrapped around her. Skin to the raspy fabric of her blouse. “This is all Sarah’s fault” You backed up a little at the sound of her voice, afraid of possible harsh words being spat your way.

Surprised at the blond’s mention, you pulled her right back in, caressing her back with your warm palm. “What do you mean?” Your voice was quiet like a whisper. “Topper caught her and John B…” She raised her head, to look straight at you.

“…getting cozy.” She let out a bitter snicker while a sour look invaded her features. “And just like that, John B was being drowned by that pretentious Kook…We just saw how his life was slipping away. All for a stupid girl.” You struggled to swallow, a big knot already forming in your throat.

“Y/N” She squeezed your hand while her eyes pleaded at you. “JJ was just trying to save him.” A dreadful feeling leaked into your heart, ignoring it, you wholeheartedly said: “Everything’s going to be okay” You rubbed Kiara’s back as the optimistic words left your lips.

And as her teary face buried in your chest, you couldn’t help but think the worst.

(…)

“Please tell me you’re safe” You breathed frantically on the phone’s speaker. “We are for now…No idea what will go down after the police are involved.” You shrugged, Pope’s voice echoing in your ears.

You recognized the fear behind his words. A situation like this was putting his future at risk. “I’m sure they’ll understand JJ’s reasoning…At the end, nobody was hurt!” You voiced out at a rushed pace.

Silence was your answer for some excruciating seconds. “Is Kiara available?” It was clear he preferred to ignore your intended reassurance. “Is not that I don’t want to speak with you…I actually feel a bit better after hearing your voice.” It was almost like he read your mind, just as a childhood friend would do.

“…It’s just-JJ is going crazy without the capability to contact her.” You understood, quietly sneaking out of your room and into the hallway. “I get it. I’ll get her on the phone…Just wait” You focused on avoiding any encounter with your parents.

“Oh and Y/N” His tone was quieter than usual, almost as if it carried some shame to it. “I want you to know I tried my best to de-escalate things…they just got too ugly.” A frown appeared on your brows as you spoke in reassurance: “I know Pope. You have absolutely no blame in this!” You were as loud as you could, showing your honesty.

“Now, don’t beat yourself up. We’ll find a way to sort this out!”

(…)

“Your phone rang like crazy” Your sister handed you the device. With your hands full of unoccupied bags you stared confusedly at her. “Who was it?” Your legs made their way to the porch.

“A random number…I didn’t answer though” She shrugged her shoulders while realization made your nervousness spike. “Oh, probably just spam.” And as hard as you tried to find a hint of suspicion on the brunette’s posture, she simply looked defeated.

“Hey! When I get back I’ll make you something nice for dinner” Your hand caressed her tanned shoulder as a last sign of support.

On your way to the gate, you couldn’t help but stare at the growing number of missed calls. Still, you decided to ignore them and continue your walk to the store.

(…)

The bags felt heavier under the burning afternoon sun, but the summer breeze made the situation a bit better.

Having your sundress lifted up softly by a wave of air made you walk faster to the safety of your home. Too distracted by the possibility of your full bags breaking and making a big mess, you didn’t notice yourself walking straight onto a hard surface.

Your chest crashed onto what you recognized to be another person's torso. A loud gasp was all you could mutter while apologetically staring into the “stranger’s” eyes.

“Rafe” Your voice sounded almost like a squeak of a caught mouse. The Cameron boy stood proudly in front of you, reverse cap, characteristic polo shirt and navy shorts on. He wasn’t late to comment on your clumsy act: “You should really watch we’re you’re going, Y/N.” And as those words left his pink lips, a small smirk started decorating his face.

In contrast, your features morphed into an embarrassed look. “I am so sorry” You emphasized the ‘so’ with clear remorse, as to which the blond only smiled wider. “No worries! I’ve always known you can be a little distracted.” That made you relax a little.

“Let me help you with that.” He expressed while already having ripped off the bags from your smaller hands. “Don’t bother-” he didn’t let you finish. “You know…” His factions grew serious. “…I’ve been trying to contact you.”

Your palms unconsciously got sweaty as you saw him lightly tilting his head to the side, and you noticed how his tall figure blocked the light from the sky, making him look a tad more imposing.

“Oh! How?” You smiled, taking the easy route. “You should really answer the phone.” It was an order, not an advice. “I…” Suddenly, you couldn’t find your communication skills anywhere.

“I was concerned about you.” He took a step closer, making you feel like there was not enough oxygen for both of you (even though you were outside).

“Well” You gulped heavily, before taking a deep, silent breath. “I am not the one who is in trouble.” You couldn’t be anything but truthful, and against all odds, you felt a strong trust for the Cameron boy.

“My house is a crazy place right now, and Kiara is the one suffering the most” You just continued to spill in the almost empty parking lot. “I imagine, why don’t you let me drive you home?” Again, the question stayed as a formality as he got your groceries on the back of his truck.

“Just if you want to.” That made him turn to face you, a wolfish grin showing a hint of his pearly white teeth. “Of course I want to, I’ll be damned if I don't.” You didn’t know if it was his words or the heat of the sunny day, but you felt the warmth reaching your cheeks.

And your flustered state only grew deeper as he put his big hand on your lower back, helping you enter his luxurious vehicle.

Your breath got stuck in your throat as his arm rubbed against your chest and abdomen; only brought back by the ‘click’ sound of the seat belt.

“Safety first” His tongue had a charming tone while still having his upper extremities resting on your skin. You only nodded in agreement, too enticed by his proximity; and when he pulled back, you couldn’t help but feel a bit conflicted.

The blond got on the driver’s seat, confidently turning on the truck and maneuvering the steering wheel with his long fingers. “So, how have you been holding up?” Genuine interest lingered in his question. “I’m…scared. I don’t want my friends going to jail.” You stopped, taking in some fresh air “I know bad decisions were taken, but still…”

“I don’t think you should be around that type of people…” You frowned, and he continued “…volatile people, who put everyone around them at risk. You deserve better than all the stress that comes with it.” You saw him pull his eyes away from the street just to stare deeply at you.

You didn’t know what it was, if his intense gaze, the lack of sleep or a wave of sensitivity thrown your way by the universe; but tears started forming on your eyes and your lip started wobbling, making the young man look at you with sympathy written all over his face. “See? Pogues bring nothing but problems” His hand reached out to pull back a strand of hair that was blocking your face.

“I know…I know they weren’t exactly right for acting that way but-but” You stumbled upon your words, a small sob interrupting your sentence. Rafe’s attention was back on the road but he still looked at you through the corner of his eyes.

“It’s alright…” The palm on your upper thigh took you by surprise; he caressed it confidently, making the hem of your skirt rise a little. “…Maybe we could find a way to…fix things.”

You blinked in uncertainty. “But how?” Even with his head facing upfront, you could still see the playful look on his face. “I know Topper can get a tad too emotional…he just needs a little guiding here and there.” The more he spoke, the more you understood what he meant.

“Would you do that for me?” Your eyes sparkled in hope, hope that kept you from unnerving as his hand traveled further up your leg. “I mean, that’s what friends are for, right?”

“Thank you” Your voice sounded almost like a whisper, produced by the slight dizziness forming on your brain.

“I’m not gonna lie, Y/N. I don’t understand why you’re so attached to them.” The sudden exasperation in his voice was subtle but not unnoticeable. His anger was accompanied by a harsh squeeze to your flesh.

The feeling of his fingertips burying into your skin made you breathe heavier.

The truck stopped without a warning, making you jump slightly. “Here we are!” He let go of you with a pat, cheerfully speaking.

“Thanks!” Was all you managed to let out. Your fingers made the move to open the door but you were stopped by his strong arms.

His warm breath hit your lips, and you stayed still as he undid the belt. “See you around?” He asked with a smile on his face.

“Sure!” You were quick to reply. Before jumping out of the vehicle and onto your front yard, you spoke: “And Rafe, thank you so much for offering your…help.”

“Of course” He nodded charmingly. You made your way inside the house, too shocked with the interaction to think about how he drove you home without the need of giving him the address.

A/N: I had salmonella, I got hospitalized for a few days, then, I was forced to stay at an internet-less town for a month; anyways, I hope I’ll be able to post next chapter in a few days 💕

[ilovefootballwrs]

waiting room

Reader x Leah Williamson

Warnings: Toxic relationship, homophobia, mommy issues

"I wanna make you drive all night just because I said, "Maybe you should come over" Wanna make you fall in love as hard as my poor parents' teenage daughter She'll be the best you ever had if you let her"

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

Present

"How do you know she was the one?"

How did I know she was the on? Maybe it was the way that she made me feel? When we were together it was a mess, we were a mess. But when we are apart? My heart and soul long for her. I could never let her go, it is never going to happen.

"I never said that." I answered to the question.

"I know, but you implied it." She took a long breath before continuing what she was going to say. "Listen Y/N, if this is going to help you need to work with me. I can only help you so much, the real work comes from your side."

"I do really want your help, I really do! I just don't know how."

"Okay, then let's start from the beginning, tell me about how you met."

. . .

April, 2022

"I don't know what you're getting so worked over Y/N."

"This is a big deal for me Abby! What if it goes really bad and I end up blowing it up?" I sigh before setting my coffee down.

"It won't blow up, trust me" Abby said with a reassuring nod.

"And..." She continued, "If you happened to meet a super hot lesbian footballer, give her my number!" She winked at me.

"Abigail, I won't do that!"

"Not even for Lucy Bronze?" She asked me with a pleading look.

"Not even for Lucy Bronze."

I checked my clock and saw that the training started soon.

"I have to go! Can't risk getting late for my first day." I said excitingly.

"Take some hot pics of Bronzy for me! And don't forget to send them to me, for you know a second opinion."

. . .

Present

"Did you ever feel safe talking to Abby about your feelings?" My therapist asked me.

"Abby is my best friend, and I do love her with all my heart, but I never felt comfortable talking about her about those feelings." I said with an emphasis on those.

"Can you try to explain why to me?"

"I never really understood why, I still don't, but I would guess it was because of how open she was about it and I wasn't."

"Did you ever think about coming out to her?"

I took a deep breath and started getting ready to answer the question. I could feel my hands shaking and heart beating faster.

"I guess at one point I wanted to, but I would always get reminded of what happened with my mother." I took another deep breath before continuing, "I wanted to tell her about me and Leah so badly, I really did, but I just couldn't. It wasn't even like I was trying to suppress my feelings for Leah to myself, it was just to others I did that."

. . .

April, 2022

"I am so sorry about the camera, I really didn't mean for it to happen. I can pay you for the cost!" She said in a panic.

"Don't worry, it's not me you should be worrying about because this isn't my personal camera. I got it from the media team." I told her.

"Still, I am sorry!" She looked at me. God, she has the most beautiful eyes I've ever seen.

"It's okay, really." I reassured her, again.

"This is a really bad way of introducing myself." She laughed. "I'm Leah" She struck out her hand for me to shake. I took her hand and answered.

"I'm Y/N."

. . .

Present

"Leah would try to tell me that it was okay, but I never listened to her. I should've and we would've maybe still been together."

"Did you ever feel like Leah was pushing you?" My therapist looked me deep in the eyes.

"She never meant for-" I started before she interrupted me.

"Y/N, did you ever feel like Leah tried to force you to come out? It's a yes or no question and the only one that know that answer to that is you! I am not interested in what she meant or didn't mean, this is not about her it's about you!" She looked at me with a sharp glance.

"Yes, yes it did feel like that to times. It was the reason for most of our fights. She would ask me to stop hiding her and I would tell her that I never meant for that, I just wasn't ready." I sighed. "I understand how she would feel like that though. I wouldn't want that either, but it just didn't feel like she understood where it came from."

. . .

January, 2023

"I just don't understand Y/N! Why can't you just tell Abby at least? She would understand!" She yelled.

"I get that she would understand, Leah! But that isn't the point! I'm just not ready." I tried to explain.

"What are you waiting for Y/N? There's nothing stoping you from telling her, what's the big deal?" She said.

"What's the big deal? Leah, how coming out not a big deal?" I yelled at her, at this point I was furios.

"You've already come out to your mum, why can't you just come out to Abby?" She questioned.

"And how did that go Leah? She hasn't talked to me since!" I felt the tears in my eyes at this point. How could she not understand. "I thought that you of all people would understand Leah, but I guess you're just like everyone else."

"I tried not to be! But you never gave me any other choices. I want to be with someone who will drive the whole night just to be with me, but you can't even tell people about our love. Y/N, I'm not your waiting room, I can't be."

. . .

Present

"That's the last I've heard from her." At this point I was sobbing. "I tried texting her and calling her but she blocked me. She doesn't want anything to do with me." I tried to calm down, but it didn't help. "After this, I told Abby. I had to tell her. If I just told her sooner, maybe I still would've had Leah. But it's too late now."

. . .

The end.

[sgiandubh]

idk if you’ve watched it yet but in the 10th celebration video, the part where Sam says “we dnt even know when we’ll be released” and Caitríona’s reaction to it had me👀….like the rest of us it seems they too can’t wait for it all to end so they can finally “released” and free from St*rz clutches. But i thought that was interesting thing to take notice of

Dear Reaction Anon,

Of course I watched it. Friday, even. But I have a dinner to plan for Wednesday, my car to sell (plot thickens...), dinners in town and various people to see.... So, sorry for the delayed answer and so incredibly sorry for being also late to the Shipper Feast.

Almost everything has been dissected to death, as it always happens, but I might still throw in my two cents, after all. So, I'll simply relisten to that video as I answer you and hit stop every time something interesting that has not been mentioned in here yet, made me go hmmm, ok?

At the 01:35 mark, S: 'yeah, it was such a whirlwind, you know, I mean, going straight into screentests and then looking for THE Claire, and it took quite a while, and then this one landed in Scotland, you know, weeks before we just started'

Here is her reaction - definitely fed up with this peasant, right?

Also, as a side note, did you notice how emotional S gets every single time babies and domestic scenes are mentioned? For a man who supposedly has no family of his own, that is surely strange.

And then you are so, so right, Anon, this is how she reacted to his 'being in a bubble for ten years and we don't even know when we'll be released what the world looks like' comment:

Did I notice an impish smile? Well, I surely did, Anon - and so did you.

It was a smart move to watch them watch OL. I found it very interesting, lots of clues about their joint dynamic:

She, as always, is leading the pack. He is more reserved and usually takes his cues from her, constantly seeks her approval. Gradually relaxes as she seems to imply the context is 'safe enough' to loosen up a bit. And yes, this is all instinctive, by now. If I knew absolutely nothing about These Two and saw them act and react like this IRL, I would definitely have questions.

And yes, I think he could listen to her talking about WWII medical pamphlets and bandages for days and still never get bored. This guy still lives to make her laugh:

Psst, Anon - see how they hate each other, here? Which really makes me think the 'just promo/fan service' argument is borderline schizophrenic, really - and why is S wooden and clumsy when promoting anything else with ANY OTHER WOMAN in our galaxy, by the way? Also, S and McTavish pretending they were still friends at that MIK event in London was 'just fan service' - this? This is not really that.

And then, oh dear me darling, that photo. I can almost hear two different kinds of 'shiiiiit' reactions, here:

He knows he mustn't slip - as he usually does, she is more like 'shiiiiit, hehehe, see what we've done here'. Logically, then, he brings about that sorry modicum of an excuse 'I've been so jetlagged' (jetlag was actually the least problematic thing, in that pic, ROFL; also, there are two people in that pic, bless your 💖🤣). Followed by the only diversion he could think of: bringing in the 'thousands of people, that was incredible, blah blah' - and then she dutifully chimes in: ' I think we did Hall H...? the big one...?' (strange comments for a pic where one can see two very cozy and scantily dressed people, LOL). Dilute, dilute, dilute. But it's Horowitz reply that interested me the most: ' it's too bad you guys aren't photogenic, even after a long flight, like what a mess you guys look like, there':

He threw a bait, C took it: 'weeelllll...' and then Josh ended it with a simple, smiling 'please' that, in my mind, is on par with KDS' 'believe what you want'.

I also found very telling one of the last remarks by Horowitz, too: ' it's ok, they can't fire you now, it's too late, it's way too late'. Granted, it was about the trivia and allegedly in jest, but really?

And there you have it, Anon. Perhaps it's not much, but as always, I tried to take the road less traveled by. Thanks for giving me the opportunity.

[railingsofsorrow]

(not so) stupid things

[spencer reid x reader]

A/N: hi! this is my entry for the CM meet cute challenge created by the amazing @imagining-in-the-margins

summary: the one where reader is a detective responsible for a case the FBI is called to work on and as they try to make a good first impression, it slips their mind that one of them does not shake hands.

or... based on the eighteenth episode of criminal minds' S8.

pairing: s.reid x gn!reader

w.c: 1.7K

warnings/content: anxiety (implied); case related violence; mentions of injuries and blood; mentions of needles; two awkward people (try) flirting; fluff; language.

navi

masterpost

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

“The number of pathogens passed during a handshake is staggering. It's actually safer to kiss.”

“O-oh,” you stutter out, blinking in surprise and immediately drawing your hand back. How could you have forgotten this?

Your boss had told you some important information about the team you were going to work with: the Behavior Analysis Unit. It completely slipped your mind who the “Doctor who doesn't shake hands” was. You just vaguely knew Aaron Hotchner and David Rossi, but the rest was a bunch of strangers you hadn't connected the name to the face yet. That included the Doctor who was giving you a tight-lipped smile and had sputtered out the most quick statistics data you had ever heard.

Did he just said kissing is safer than shaking hands?

The blonde sighed, her glare towards Dr. Reid softening when she turns to you. She offers her hand and you take it with a light chuckle.

“That's just Spencer's way of saying he doesn't shake hands.” She clarifies. “I'm Jennifer Jareau, but you can call me JJ.” She introduced herself and then proceeds to do the same with the rest of the team. You finally connect the name to the face and you feel more at ease.

“Nice to meet you all,” you say. “I've prepared a room for you to set in during the investigation.” You lead them to the bigger roundtable room you had in the station and wait for them to scatter around to start listing the findings of the case you had until now.

They had a quick way of thinking – it was the first thought that went through your mind as you observed each Agent throw a possibility on why the crimes were happening and the reasoning for the M.O as well. It kind of amazed you how connected they seemed to be to have reached that adjustment within themselves.

The first lead took you to a museum. Your main goal there was to find anything on the suspect you've been following. That required you to speak to one of the museum tour guides who apparently had contact with them as you saw in one of the security cameras.

“How long have you been doing this?”

You immediately grimace at the invasive and completely inappropriate question that leaves your mouth. You couldn't help saying stupid shit when you were nervous. The FBI made you nervous. You had been chasing the suspect for more than three months and only now you were able to find a pattern in their behavior. Obviously, you weren't working alone, but you still feel dumb for not having noticed what is clearly obvious in federal agents’ eyes.

“Doing what?”

Your attention snaps back from the crowd of people to him, whose head was slightly tilted in confusion. The question you made escaping your mind for a second. “Oh. I— Actually. You don't have to answer that, I'm sorry.” Cheeks burning and hands sweating weren't a great combo right now. Your witness still hadn't stepped away from the group of children so you had to wait.

“It's okay.” He shrugs, burying his hands on his pockets. His eyes fall into your fidgety hands and he's familiarized with the feeling of being uncomfortable in big crowds. The museum was full, which was unusual according to you. “Mhm, did you mean how long have I been in the FBI?”

You hum quietly, arms folding across your chest.

“Seven years, five months and twenty-one days.” Your lips part in astonishment.

“Seven years?” You ask, dumbfounded. Spencer nods in affirmation. “You look like a college student—” you quickly cover your mouth with a hand, your cursing being muffled by it. “Sorry, I'm sorry. That came out wrong, I just meant that you look young and—”

“No, no, it's okay.” Spencer chuckled, amused by the whole thing. “I do get that a lot. Technically, I am a college student. I'm on my third PhD.”

Have you just met the next Einstein?

“How do you do it?” You say in wonder. “I mean, I went through college one time and I couldn't wait to get far from it as I possibly could and—” you were interrupted by the sound of his laugh, his eyes crinkling at the sides caused you to smile a little. You realize your shoulders were less tense and you could actually feel your feet again.

Spencer clears his throat before responding, his face carries a soft flush and you find it endearing. “I like studying.” Before you can ask him to elaborate, your eyes narrow at the tour guide, who you were supposed to talk to, stealthily disappearing into a hallway. This is how you end up running around a museum chasing someone that had just moved up to be the primer suspect in an ongoing investigation.

“You okay there?” Agent Morgan's voice pulled your gaze away from the medic stitching up your wrist.

Luckily, you and Doctor Reid succeeded in catching the museum tour guide, leading you to find out that the murders in the city were actually premeditated by two people, not just one. But that didn't go smoothly, the unsub — a curious name the BAU used, you've never heard it before — had a knife in their possession. Just as you were about to snatch it away from their reach while Spencer talked him down, your skin earned a slice right on your wrist because you were bold enough to tackle them to the floor.

Not a nice feeling, but you faced similar situations before, so that wasn't out of the ordinary. That didn't mean you enjoyed the feeling of being poked around.

“I'm fine,” you give him a grateful nod. “Just a scratch.” The image of the BAU's genius flash through your brain. “Huh, is Doctor Reid okay? I'm pretty sure he almost got one of these in his face.” You refer to your cut that was currently being dealt with.

Something that you can't recognize twinkle in the Agent's eyes. Amusement? Smugness? “Oh, Reid's alright. He's actually been asking non-stop about y—”

“Morgan.”

You see his smirk increase when Spencer strides over to where you are. The two share a look that you can't translate due to the tickling of the needle in your sensitive skin.

He's sitting beside you in no time and you're about to say that he doesn't have to bother, but he beats you to it.

“Up to 1 in 10 adults struggle with needles. 16% of them actually avoid getting vaccines because of their trypanophobia.” You look at Spencer as he inhales to keep rambling. “Studies show that many people grow out of that fear, but some remain with it.”

“Clearly,” you mumble, embarrassement causing your neck and cheeks to become red.

His eyes widen and he quickly raises his hands, “Oh, no! That's not what I— I didn't mean to—” he sighs as your lips try to hold back a smile. “I tend to say stupid things when I'm nervous.”

The medic says you're good to go and that's your cue to let out the breath you've been holding in instant relief as you can not longer see the needle. You thank them and step out of the ambulance.

“Like claiming that kissing someone is safer than shaking their hand?”

He stumbles upon an answer which takes you to a laughing fit that attracts some attention. You ignore the ugly looks in order to focus on a warm touch on your shoulder, stopping you from bumping into a police officer.

“Sorry, I was messing with you,” you say slightly breathless, your shoulder tingling where his hand lay. “I say stupid things when I'm nervous, too. I guess we have that in common.” Spencer is grinning when he pulls his hand back. You wonder what his thinking as his eyes travel across your features.

Maybe he's finally concluded that I'm a fool.

“Why would you be nervous?” You look away at a passerby to avoid his stare.

“Nothing, I—” he swallows, folding his arms and unfolding them right after. You don't need to be a profiler to realize he's nervous.

Your slow pace halts when he stops following you. You wait for him to sputter out random statistics or literally anything except for what he says next.

“Can I have your number?” He croaks out. “I thought that it wouldn't be unprofessional after the case was over because technically we aren't working anymore and— you know what? Never mind, forget I said—”

“Doctor Reid,” you say carefully. He clips his mouth shut. “Yes, you can have my number.” He lets out a soft oh and you smile. You ruffle through your pockets to find a pen and when you do find, you silently ask for his hand and he raises it towards you, confusion drawing his brows together.

He feels a tickling sensation as you write your number down on his open palm.

“There.” You offer him a smile to which he replies with one of his own as his eyes scan your scribbling on his hand. A vibration in your blazer forces a heavy sigh to leave your lips. You apologize as you grab your phone. “Ah, yes. I'm— I'll be there.” You turn to Spencer with a disappointed look after the call ends. “Sorry, I have a lot of reports to finish and they need me in the station.”

“It's okay.” He nods. “I understand.”

You don't leave right away though, hesitating in your step. He just as awkwardly stands there. Are you back in high school or something? When have you ever been that shy?

“So, I'll see you around?” You ask.

He outstretches a hand to your surprise, “Yes.” When you accept it, your fingers tingle at his soft skin. Both of you draw yourselves back at the same time. “Bye, Detective.”

You wave at him, already retracting to leave to avoid further embarrassment. “Bye, Doctor.”

You can't help the giddy feeling in your chest as you walk back to your car. A few hours later, your phone screen flashes with an unknown number.

[lanawinterscigarettes]

hi gorgeous!! can i req pumpkin picking with jennifer and a female reader?? its not kinky but ive been needing some jen fluff! (i livee for your writing btw 🫶🫶)

ofc you can! and thank you so much, you're very sweet 🥰 (so far you're the only person who's requested for something fall/halloween themed that isn't related to kinktober believe it or not) hope you like it 💕💕

Pumpkin Patch (Jennifer Check x fem reader)

Warnings: very brief and mild swearing, Jen is implied to have already been possessed by the demon at this point but the reader doesn't know, fluff other than that <3

"What about this one?" You asked while pointing to one of the many pumpkins that dotted the massive field.

"It's not round enough," your girlfriend Jennifer critiqued, giving it a judgmental look.

Her answer didn't surprise you. It had been almost an hour since you'd arrived at the pumpkin patch, and she still hadn't found one that she liked.

"Jen, c'mon, it's starting to get cold outside," you lightly complained while zipping up your jacket. "Just pick one so we can go."

"Oh, I'm sorry, you're right. The look of the pumpkin doesn't matter, it's the inside that counts," she replied in a snarky tone, placing her hands on her hips. "Which means any old pumpkin will do, even if it's fugly as hell."

You remained quiet while she spoke, pretty used to her attitude by this point. "Seriously, though. We're just going to end up carving it into a Jack-O-Lantern anyway, so why does it need to be perfect?"

She let out an aggravated huff at the question, giving you a look that said, "Are you stupid?" before responding with, "This is kind of, like, my first ever Halloween I've spent doing stupid couples activities. I just want to find one that'll be perfect."

You suddenly felt like the worst girlfriend ever. No wonder she was so deadset on having a perfect pumpkin, she didn't want her first holiday season with a partner that actually cared about her to fall short of her expectations.

"How about we walk back over this way again? Maybe you'll happen to find one that you like," you suggested in a tone that was both soft and understanding while holding your hand out for her to take.

She wanted to roll her eyes and scoff, but she could tell you were really trying your best to make her happy. "Ugh, fine."

Jennifer took your hand, lacing her warm fingers through your cold ones. You had no idea how she always managed to stay so toasty even in such freezing weather conditions, but you weren't complaining.

After what seemed like ages of searching, you were finally able to find a pumpkin that you could both agree on. It was pretty heavy for you, but she didn't even seem to break a sweat when lifting it up.

"You know, I should really be the one carrying it for you so you're not forced to do any hard work," you lightly teased, knowing full well your knees would instantly buckle under the weight.

This time she did roll her eyes, but it was more playful than anything else. "And have you break your back? Absolutely not. I'm not lugging both you and this pumpkin all the way to the emergency room because you decided you wanted to show off."

You grinned at her response, finding it amusing. Despite her aloof personality, you knew if something actually did happen to you she'd be there at an instant in order to help you.

"So how should we carve our pumpkin? Do you want to do the traditional look of a Jack-O-Lantern, or something else?"

"I don't want my pumpkin to look like it was carved by a bunch of nerds, if that's what you're asking," she said with a hair flip, the breeze catching the scent of her perfume and causing it to waft in your direction. You didn't want to sound like a creep, but god did she smell good.

"Well, we can always go online and look for a design there. Maybe Pinterest will have some cool inspos for how we should carve our pumpkin," you began before adding, "Or we could always just freehand it. I mean, if we mess it up we can always just start again with a new one."

Jennifer wasn't even listening at this point, too caught up by the melodious sound of your voice and the exicted sparkle in your eyes to pay much attention to what you were saying. She realized then it didn't even matter how the pumpkin got carved, because she was just happy she got to spend this time with you.

End notes: this was really fun to write <3 I promise I haven't forgotten about Kinktober y'all I'm working on getting a few more days done before I start posting for it again

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[matan4il]

What's your evidence that Joost Klein harassed Eden at ESC? I've only seen evidence of Joost being harassed by Israeli delegation. And he was an assholeish idiot at the press conference but he wasn't the worst. And can people pleaaase stop spreading the smear campaign the EBU put out about him. He made a rude gesture, that's it.

Hi,

I'm gonna admit that if you saw the Dutch performer's behavior at the press conference, IDK how that doesn't constitute harassment? I mean, the part where he didn't like that the ESC organizers made him sit next to the Israeli singer, and he didn't want to be in the same frame with her, so he covered himself with the Dutch flag wasn't just being an asshole, he was publicly humiliating her, transmitting to everyone what a pariah she is, not based on anything she's said and done, but simply based on her nationality (and this little stunt was obviously going to attract attention, meaning he minded being photographed next to her, but he didn't mind being photographed covered up with the flag like that in the same frame with her, making it clear this wasn't him wanting to avoid political stuff).

In my book, that's bad enough, but then he added insult to injury. Eden was asked a disgusting question by a Polish journalist. He wanted to know whether she considered that she would be putting everyone else at ESC at risk (victim blaming much? Eden was the target of a violent mob besieging her hotel room, and turning her participation into an event requiring security. She didn't ask them to do this, she didn't force them to, she's a 20 year old girl, who has dreamt of representing her country at ESC for years, and when she finally gets to, she's being asked to carry the blame for the violence aimed at her due to her nationality... Imagine asking Ariana Grande after her Manchester Arena performance if she took into account that she was risking the lives of all of her fans, because an Islamist decided to use her event for a terrorist bombing that killed 22 young people, and would she never perform again, now that she was aware of the risk? No, that didn't happen, because it's a disgusting, victim blaming, terrorism-rewarding question). The panel host rightfully grasped that this was a political and harassing question, and told her she didn't have to answer it. Joost Klein then shouting at that, "Why not?" was harassment. He was piling up on the victim blaming, on top of showing zero empathy for a fellow performer targeted for her nationality, in a way he never would have agreed to be himself.

(I think that's last assessment is obvious since we now know he thought, even for a split second, that it was okay to threaten with fists a female camerawoman working for ESC, doing her job, filming the performers when they got off stage after their performances. This was done to the other performers as well, IDK what made Klein think his consent was needed in that moment, since to me it seems implied by agree to represent the Netherlands at ESC, but even if he had the right to refused being filmed, I have no idea what made him believe it was okay to use violent threats against an ESC employee).

I'd like to ask you where did you see "evidence" that Klein was harassed by the Israeli delegation? As far as I'm aware, there was only one vid trying to make that claim, and what was seen in that one, was an Israeli journalist (so, not a part of the performing team), working as a European correspondent (he also covered the war in Ukraine, to give you an idea of what that job entails, so he's a "respectable" journalist, not just a guy with a mic interviewing people for his ESC blog), called Dov Gil-Har (as far as I know, he's aligned with the left politically, so not exactly someone likely to be harassing people out of nationalistic sentiments), who was trying to ask Klein questions. Which... the last time I checked is his duty as a journalist. And Klein refused to answer Gil-Har's questions, which is his prerogative (though I do think it was pretty disgusting when some performers, like the Norwegian ones, refused to give interviews to any Israeli media outlets. Since it's based on nationality, it's once again hateful IMO), but then the Dutch team's manager (or whatever he was) really got in Gil-Har's face, and more than that, because I clearly heard Dov saying, "Don't touch me." Keep in mind, this was after Klein's shameful behavior at the press conference, and also after he missed a rehearsal that day, there were rumors circling around it somehow had something to do with Israel, so it is honestly the most natural thing for Gil-Har as a journalist, that he wanted to ask the Dutch team some questions. That should not have ended with him having to say, "Don't touch me," but to further misconstrue this as him harassing the Dutch team...!? WHAT?

It feels like another instance of DARVO, where the attacker/harasser/abuser shifts the fire away by reversing who was doing the harassment and who was being harassed. Everything we saw on camera was harassment of the Israelis, including even the media, while I've not seen one documentation on film of the Israelis harassing others. Plus, I heard the claim that the Israeli team was harassing everyone, yet we know that some performers didn't feel, act or express themselves that way.

(for all of my updates and ask replies regarding Israel, click here)

[the-tomcat-disposable]

Short fic based off of this by @nami-ramen because I couldn't stop giggling about it

Summary: the Waldos take turns tossing around the detective. Why not play with their food a little bit?

TW: non consensual tossing?? I guess. Very briefly implied murder.

No beta read we die like Waldo's victims.

Shoutout to the dumb little joke me and @wyvernet made once about the Waldo clones calling each other who/what/when/where/how

The detective was by no means a morning person. They blinked their eyes open and groaned at the tightness in their head as their alarm blared obnoxiously. Ever since they were assigned to Waldo's case, they'd been getting headaches more frequently. They hoped that this wasn't the start of one. They reached over to the alarm clock and hit whatever button their hand landed on first to silence its beeping. Hesitantly, they carefully slid out of bed, wishing they could stay longer in their wife's hold, but their job was important.

After stretching and popping all their stiff joints, they yawned as quietly as they could, giving Wenda's sleeping form a gentle kiss on the cheek before dragging themselves to their shared closet. What Waldo would do to make their day worse is a mystery that they did not look forward to.

...

They did enjoy the morning commute to their office. The crisp air of autumn and the orange leaves illuminated by the rising sun made life feel so surreal. The morning news played through the radio, reminding people to stock up on candy for trick-or-treaters with a warning for parents to check their kids' bags afterwards for drugs and such. They detective sighed at that— it really was never as big of an issue as the news reported it to be, and they had the statistics to prove it, but they knew that there were people out there who were the reason that the lady reporting it needed to say it every year. They briefly wondered if taking a job as a news reporter would be better than the constant stress that Waldo puts them under.

"Make sure you stay warm! The weather this week—" the detective groaned as they tuned it out. Cold, yes, just like it was for the previous weeks. They saw frost settling on the ground and their breath forming a cloud when they exhaled, not to mention that they felt like a block of ice. That was plenty to know that they probably should have borrowed one of Wenda's scarves today, but it was too late. They had already pulled into a parking lot behind a coffee shop and noticed a barista catch sight of their car on the way in and run back to the kitchen.

Something rustled the leaves of the hedge behind the detective's car as they slammed the door and locked the car. They glared at the now unmoving leaves for a short while, always suspicious of a potential Waldo attack, and sighed with some disappointment when a cat jumped out of it and mrowed a greeting at them. It blended in very well with the orange and brown of it's surroundings.

"Hey, little guy—" they glanced at the cat's name tag, "Egg. You here for coffee too?" the detective questioned her, and she nipped their leg and ran off with a hiss.

"Ow! Rude! This is why I prefer dogs," they scolded. They swore they heard a chuckle as they walked to the front of the nearly empty coffee shop and entered. Thankfully, the barista had already had their coffee ready.

"Your coffee to go, Mr 'black with enough caffeine to kill a horse,'" the barista joked, wearing the forced smile that they were trained to wear, though it seemed genuine when they saw them. The detective reached into their coat and pulled $12 from their wallet to hand to the barista.

"It's still $12, correct?" the barista hummed an 'uh-huh' as they took the money and tossed it into the register. "Such a shame that this place isn't flooded with customers. It's that season when people usually do."

The detective sipped their coffee as they chatted with the barista. They'd attempted to ask questions about the Waldo case, though the detective would not answer them. A cat— maybe the same cat that bit them— yowled from outside, and the detective quickly thanked the barista before rushing back outside towards the parking lot to investigate the commotion.

"Ah, detective, hello! Fine morning, isn't it?" the tall, striped figure stood beside their car, holding the cat by the scruff and away from himself. He balanced on his cane and the cat yowled in terror as Waldo's grin widened impossibly wide before changing to look more human again. He dropped the cat and she scattered away faster than the detective had ever seen a cat run.

The detective blinked at Egg as she left then back at Waldo, who had moved slightly closer. The detective moved backwards the same amount of steps and silently prayed that they wouldn't meet the same fate as his predecessor who they considered to be a mentor. They chugged down a few more gulps of their coffee and felt it as the caffeine and heat properly woke them up.

"Couldn't you wait until I clocked in?" the detective scoffed. Waldo kept his distance and laughed over the sound of faint static from somewhere nearby.

"I believe this is a special occasion, detective. Why wait?" Waldo stepped closer. "Do you know what day it is, detective?"

"Fuck o—" the detected hissed as they stepped backward, cut off by long arms swooping them up bridal style. The surprise caused them to drop their coffee on the cement as they yelped at the sight of a second Waldo grinning mischievously at them. Would this be the end for them?

"Heads up!" was the last thing they heard before being hurled into the air with surprising force from such a lanky creature. They squeezed their eyes shut to brace themselves for the pain of the impact against solid ground but they hadn't landed against the cement. They opened their eyes to stare up at Waldo, then quickly afterwards, noticed three more clones standing in a circle. Their canes were each hooked around one arm as they held them both open.

They quickly understood what was happening as they attempted to escape Waldo's hold, though it was futile as his grip only tightened.

"Detective, struggling will get you hurt," Waldo scolded with a tsk-tsk-tsk. Before the detective could ask why he was tossing them back and forth between himself, Waldo shouted to one of them. They shouted curses as they were hurled into the air repeatedly with calls of "Where, catch!" or "How, catch!" which the detective gathered to be nicknames these pretend humans used for each other.

This continue for a while, until the Waldo nicknamed "What" had shouted to "Who" to catch. "Who" seemed different from the rest. The most notable difference being that his cane seemed lighter than the others'. They didn't have time to think on this, as they were thrown into the air once again before landing with a thud against "Who," both of them landing on the cement.

The Waldos all groaned with displeasure at this as three of them had cursed and disappeared with a crackle of electricity. The detective stood up to get a proper look at him. He was different. He looked almost just like the rest of the Waldos, except for small hairs above his lip. Before they had a chance to question this, Waldo scoffed and hooked his cane around the detective's neck and yanked them against his body and spun around, holding them there as they kicked and grabbed at the cane for what felt like longer than a few seconds.

"Detective, you had the opportunity to capture one of us just then, you realize?" Waldo grinned, purring with curiosity. He released the detective and with a gasp, they looked to where "Who" had been just moments ago. As expected from a Waldo, he wasn't there now.

"Damnit," the detective cursed as the last remaining Waldo hummed the tune of a Halloween classic. They looked solemnly at their spilled coffee on the ground, completely unsalvagable now. Their $12 was wasted all because Waldo thought a game of "catch the detective" would be funny. As a car horn honked in the distance, a static crackle sounded as they turned to lunge at Waldo, only to find a red envelope in his place.

"Dear detective, I appreciate your attempt to capture me, though you should have taken the chance to do so sooner. Don't cry over spilled coffee, now! You'll have an opportunity to stop by here again.

— Waldo"

[hannibals-favourite-meal]

Ignorance is Bliss

Sam Winchester x plus size reader

Dean makes a startling discovery about his little brother’s love life and now he wants to wash his eyes out with bleach 

Warnings: implied smut, crack humour, Dean is done

WC: 797

Minors DNI

The world had seemed to have reached a state of calm. There were monsters, sure, but they were just the normal ones, no more of God’s siblings or corrupt archangels trying to write books, or even were-piers. Just regular old monsters.

And Dean was happy with that. Sam was safe, they had a home, and now one of their best friends was living with them permanently. They had movie nights and went out on adventures, they even had family dinners once a week like normal people! Everything was perfect!

Everything was awful!

Dean cringed as he cleaned out Baby. Months of living on the road definitely made the build up of trash a monumental effort to clean out. But he took it in stride, glad to be doing something as mundane as cleaning his car. Yet, he didn’t expect to find a pair of ripped and suspiciously stained panties. A pair of panties that he knew well because he actually enjoyed doing laundry. A pair of panties that belonged to-

“Y/N!”

“What!!” She shouted back at him, determined to not move from her comfy spot on the couch in the library, but after a few seconds of him not responding, she groaned and stood up. Sam glanced at her from over his book. 

“What does he want?” She shot him a glare.

“How the fuck should I know, he’s your brother.” 

“He’s your best friend.”

“Shut up Winchester.” She started walking from the room, taking unusually ginger steps with bowed legs. Sam chuckled and went back to his reading.

By the time she reached the garage, Dean had determined that he was going to kill her and then himself. Her because she obviously had sex in his Baby and himself because he had to clean up her mess. “What do you want Dean? I’m supposed to be having enrichment time.”

A bundle of pink fabric flew over the car and landed at her feet. So that’s where those panties went. “Yeah I don’t care about whatever book you were reading. YOU HAD SEX IN MY CAR!” His face was red and blotchy, his jaw ticking with anger. “Who did you sleep with?”

“You don’t wanna know.” She warned as she kicked the ruined underwear behind her. But that seemed to set the hunter off even more.

“Yes I do because they’re also going on my kill list.” She shrugged nonchalantly.

“Seriously man, you don’t want to know.” 

“Tell me!”

“Tell you what?” Sam evidently chose the exact right time to enter the garage behind Y/N, his brunette eyebrows scrunched in confusion.

“Who she got it on with in MY car so I can kill them!” His hazel eyes dropped to the concrete floor, spotting the garment that had sparked this whole debacle. Thin lips curled up into a truly wicked smirk and before anyone could react, Sam wrapped his arm around Y/N’s thick waist, tugging her into his side and said:

“I don’t think you want to kill your little brother, Dean.” And everyone froze. Y/N sighed deeply, already extremely fed up with her boyfriend, Sam’s grin kept widening as the look of horror on Dean’s face grew. And well, Dean also looked like he was about to have an aneurism.

His gaze flicked from Sam to Y/N, and then back to Sam, and then back to Y/N. “Son of a bitch! How long!” But that was most certainly a question he didn’t want answered, yet he still asked.

With a look of smug pride, Sam indulged him. “Seven months.”

“Seven months?!” A large hand slowly slipped from her hip, all the way down to her plump ass. Y/N shot him a glare but it’s not like that ever deterred the giant before.

“She’s never even slept in the room we gave her, and the key word there is slept.” He winked and Dean just about lost it.

“Shut up Sam.” He kept going.

“I’m surprised it took you this long to figure out. I mean we have had sex literally all over the bunker and pretty much all the motel rooms we’ve been in. Why do you think you caught me washing the dungeon at three in the morning?”

Apparently that was Dean’s last straw. “Right! You two are disgusting and I’m going to wash my eyes out with bleach and get blind drunk. When I wake up tomorrow, I will not remember this conversation and you will not remind me of it. Capiche?”

He stormed away but not before yelling over his shoulder. “And clean my fucking car!” There was a beat of silence and then Sam turned to his girlfriend.

“Wanna have sex in it before we clean it?” She shrugged.

“Why not, we’re both dead anyway.”

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[chroniclesofbts]

Call Me Home Part 3

Idol hybrid BTS x hybrid foreigner reader

Warnings: implied sexual themes, smut, angst, fluff, polyamorous relationship

If you’re not 18+ please, do not interact.

As always, my works do not represent BTS in any way, this is purely a work of fiction.

*short chapter, I cut this part in half because it was so long*

Y/N's POV

Coming to, I can hear voices around me and an annoying beeping. Listening intently I hear the words, "not heat", "too risky", "trauma", and "management". The monitor attached to my heart gave away that I was waking up, the beeping increasing. My eyes flutter open, the light blinding me initially.

"Hey, welcome back. You really scared me there" Jin said softly, sitting on the edge of the hospital bed. "I thought my face was just too handsome for you" he joked to lighten the mood.

"How are you feeling Miss... ?" A woman in scrubs asked

"Fine, head is a little heavy, I'm a little sore too. What happened?" I questioned

"You passed out in the shower with Jin. You didn't hit your head or anything, he managed to hold you up and call Jungkook for help." I flushed at the thought of Jungkook seeing me naked. "Can I ask you some personal questions?" The doctor asked gently, "Your pack can stay here or leave if you feel uncomfortable at any time"

"Um, s-sure" I stuttered

"Do you have any nightmares?"

"Oh, uh yeah, most people do though" I joke

"How many a week?" She says writing things down on a clipboard.

"Uh it depends, maybe like 5?" Jin's hand finds mine, and holds it in a comforting manor.

"Do you ever feel numb?" She continues

"Yeah, I guess if I get too overwhelmed I do." I answer honestly

"Do you feel like you startle easily? Have trouble concentrating?"

"Sometimes" I answer, starting to close in on myself.

"Last question, where do you see yourself in the future?"

"I mean, how far out? I see myself with the pack, for as long as I have left" I answer, feeling Jimin lean his head on my shoulder from the right side where he was sitting.

"I see, thank you for answering my questions, I will talk to your packs leader and you should be able to go back to their dorms in the next few hours." She smiled, motioning to Namjoon to follow her.

"How long was I asleep?" I ask Jimin

"3 days, you must have been tired and your body was recovering from the shock to your system with the pills you took." Jimin explained.

"Why was she asking all of those questions?" I ask him nervously, "Did I do something wrong, are you going to replace me?" I whimper

"No! No, baby, never" Jin said, squeezing my hand. "We just want to make sure we can help you, make sure we can be enough for you"

"Oh, why?" I mumble confused as I feel myself blush.

"Because you deserve the perfect pack" Jimin said, pushing his nose further into my scent gland.

"Wait, I thought I was in heat" I look at Jin, who looks away bashfully.

"Your body has never had a heat, it wasn't ready for a heat, your body was fighting the medicine, it caused you to get sick. Right before you passed out I could smell the shift in your hormones, I just didn't figure it out until you passed out. I, o-overwhelmed your b-body. I c-caused it, I am so sorry" He cried, "we don't deserve to be your pack, we couldn't even take care of you as soon as we got you"

"Jin, I don't blame you. It's not your fault, how could anyone have known? You caught me, right? I didn't get a concussion. It's okay"

Before he could respond, Namjoon came in the door followed by a man I had never met before.

"This is Sejin, one of our managers. After talking with the medical staff, we think it's best to start you on a month of medicine to encourage a natural heat cycle. This will also give your body time to adjust to being in a pack, as well as let your mind work through everything that has happened recently. With the rush of moving and education, now this, your body and mind are overwhelmed. We want to make sure you're completely healthy and ready." Namjoon explained as the nurses started to detach me from all of the medical equipment.

"Take it easy for the first week, bed rest for the first 5 days at least. Your body is recovering and we don't want anything to delay the process." The nurse explained.

"Here, we brought you some clothes, its ours, but we will get you your own soon" Jungkook said, handing me some clothes that smell like all of them. He helped me up with a blush and led me to the connected bathroom to change. I quickly changed into the sweatpants and shirt, pulling the drawstrings so they fit move comfortably. I opened the door and found him waiting outside, eyes widening, pupils dilating, at me in their clothes. He extended his hand to me and started to walk me over the the wheelchair.

"I don't need that" I said, trying to pull out of his grip.

"Okay" Jungkook smirked, sweeping me off my feet, "but you can't walk, doctors orders. I prefer this way too" he winked.

"W-wait, actually, the chair l-looks fine" I stuttered through my embarrassment.

"Sorry, cutie, I like this way" He smiled, staring at me with a fondness I haven't seen yet. He carries me through the lobby and outside to the waiting car. Jimin's mouth dropped open as he whined about how unfair it was that he got to carry me, causing a few others to grumble too. He hands me to Namjoon, who pulls me close in his lap, shoving his face into my neck and relaxing. The drive was filled with lots of joking and flirting, I swear my face was always flushed. Jin steals me away from Namjoon to carry me inside and up the stairs to their room. It has a large bed where they obviously sleep all together, lots of pillows and blankets resembling a den. Jin gently lowered me into their den, showing through actions that he could care for me. I immediately relaxed, realizing that even being surrounded by predators, I was safe. I let my eyes flutter closed, my body pulling me under with exhaustion. The last thing I register is a body laying down gently next to me, in their animal form, their purring lulling me deeper into dreamland.

Taglist open (please let me know if I missed you): @dachshunddame @minjianhyung @minhanbyeol

[nerdieforpedro]

It’s not that crazy of an idea

Chapter One of “Come live with me Angel” Series

Benny Miller x Diana (plus size OFC)

This fic is for readers 18+ MDNI

Word Count: about 2.2k

Summary: Bailing your friend Benny out of jail isn’t what Diana counted on for her night. She also didn’t count on needing to explain anything to him either.

Warnings: mention of jail/county, mention of violence, injuries from a fight, implied family issues, some pining (maybe)

Notes: I’ve had this idea for quite a while, a friends to lovers with our dear Benny Miller! I was finally able to make my ideas coherent. So here we are. 😆 We’re keeping it cute from now on, maybe. 🤔

Main Masterlist / Benny Miller Masterlist/ Come live with me Angel Series

“I’ll send you the money Diana, I just need you to go get him tonight before midnight. After midnight they’ll take him to county and we won’t be able to get him out until Monday.”

“Will, I mean I get why you can’t you’re out of state but I don’t know how to bail someone out of jail. Never done it. Like how do I get someone out?”

A deep roll of laughter is heard on the other end of the phone as Diana sighed. This was not funny. It’s 10:45pm and there’s a little over an hour to bail Benny out of jail.

“I’m telling you, it’s fine. Just use the money I sent to you and bring him home. I’ll deal with him Tuesday.”

“Did he say why he beat the guys up? He took down three of them didn’t he? That’s a lot.”

“Not really for Benny. That’s an easy job for him. The problem is his current profession and history. He can be considered a deadly weapon. In some circles, but he’s just my idiot little brother that I need you to bring home. Just help him out.”

“...Okay Will. I just go to the central booking. I’ll do my best.”

“You’ll be fine Diana. You couldn’t fuck it up if you tried.”

“I’m glad you're confident. I’ll call you again when he’s home.”

Nothing exciting had happened on a Friday night for Diana. She came home from work, cooked dinner, watched some TV and then showered and put on a Hallmark movie. It was after she had dozed off when her phone vibrated on her lap. She never had the ringer on. It was Will. He had never called her and she didn’t know he had her number. He asked her to bail Benny out of jail. Pope was overseas advising some local government on security, Fish was on daddy duty and Will was in New Mexico speaking to new recruits and wouldn’t be back in time to get to Benny. She was the only option. As far she knew, Benny hadn’t had any trouble with the law for the last few years. He had been keeping his nose clean and in his MMA career. Will never answered her question about why Benny would send three men to the hospital. But she could ask him in person, she popped on a grogu t-shirt and black leggings with her sneakers and headed out, following the directions from her phone to a large imposing building.

She told the man at the gate who she was here to bail out which he snickered and allowed her in. She didn’t get why he did that but focused on parking her small blue car and headed inside. Diana was patted down twice on her way in, it disturbed her both times. Not that either officer did anything odd, she just wasn’t good with touches from people she didn’t really know. Eventually through different gates and several sleepy looking guards later, she arrived at the holding cells. They were behind another large gate. The woman at the counter looked to be close to retirement, the fluorescent light highlighted the purple in her blonde wig. Diana didn’t think that it was supposed to be that color, but gave her a warm smile. The woman’s orange lipstick twisted with her lips as she spoke.

“Who ya here for honey?” She asked with a slow drawl. A question she’d asked many a time over the years.

“I’m here for Benny. Ah, Benjamin Miller. He would have come from the Tipsy Cantina bar.” She answered softly, her hands squeezing her phone and wallet.

The woman chuckled and reached through the small oval opening at the bottom of the plexiglass to touch Diana’s hand. “Simmer down honey. First time? No one usually tells me that much info. Yer boy’s fine. Few scrapes and bruises. Tell him to keep his nose clean. I wasn’t supposed to see him again before I left this place behind and got my place in the glades.”

Diana nodded and let go of her phone, setting it down on the counter and held the woman’s wrinkled hand, her rings dug in a little bit but that was fine. At least there was a person here who was calming. The woman turned toward a tall guard with a long beard that was braided at the bottom. “Johnny, bring out the Miller boy. His lady friend is here. You got his bail honey?”

“Y-Yes. Right here. Um, do you take cash, credit or…”

“Any’s fine dear. Whichever ya got.”

Diana let go of the woman’s hand and put her debit card in it. The woman swiped it and took the amount of money that Will had told her the bail would be. She put the card back and heard several loud buzzes before hearing two gates open.

“He’ll be out shortly honey.” The older woman assured her. And he was, but watching him walk down the hallways toward her felt like it was at least ten minutes.

Benny was glad to be out of that small cell where he had been stuck for the last three hours. He swore he’d never end up back in here after the last bar brawl he’d been in with all the guys. At least in that one, Pope, Fish, and Will had been in here to make the time to go easier. He did strike up a conversation with a guy who got caught with a prostitute and they discussed beer of all things. Weird subject to talk about but better than listening to the other guy who clearly was high speaking about the aliens telling him to probe people. He didn’t have much with him, the one officer gave him his jacket and wallet back along with his hat. Benny was expecting a stern talking to from his brother who said he was going to come up with the money. He didn’t mention how he was going to get here though. Will had left for New Mexico sometime last week and that flight was at least a few hours if they even had one coming out this way.

The MMA fighter was shocked to see who was here to pick him up. He wasn’t looking forward to explaining why he was here. It’s bad enough she knows he’s in jail, but did she bail him out? Did Will give her the money? She looked worried and scared, they still do pat downs and crap when you come in here don’t they? That might be why, or she could be scared of him now. She’s supposed to know him as fun-loving goofy silly Benny, except in the ring of course. He licked his bottom lip that had a cut on it and ran his fingers through his hair he’d let grow out to the base of his neck. The bruises and cuts were still fresh on his hands and face from the fight and there was a little dried blood on his white t-shirt, could have been from him or one of the guys he decked, wasn’t sure. Benny was going to say hi at least but Diana wrapped her arms around his torso and hugged him tight. It hurt his ribs a bit since he had taken a few hits there, but bent down slightly to hug her back and patted her head.

“Hey Angel, sorry you had to come here. You alright? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” He led with a weak joke that earned a sniffle instead of the chuckle he was hoping for. Diana looked up at him with her face tight. Instead of fear, now she was angry.

“Such a stupid joke Benny. Are you okay? You look worse than after a match! What the hell happened?” She asked as they let go of each other and walked over to the desk with the elderly woman. She handed Benny his wallet and jacket.

“You scared your girlfriend here Benjamin. I thought I wasn’t going to see you back here until I retired and went down to the glades.” She gave him a wry smile. He returned it and counted his money in his wallet before sticking it in his back jeans pocket and put on his jacket.

“Yes Ma’am. That was the plan but circumstances didn’t allow for that. Had those guys shut up, I’ll be seeing you the next time me and the guys go fishing.” He answered and held the old woman’s hand.

“She seems sweet. Don’t worry her too much now.” She cooed.

“Ma’am. We’re not…” Diana went to clarify but was shooed by Benny as he was given a final check by a nearby officer. The older clerk whispered to Diana as she took her hands and pulled her close.

“He’s impulsive but a good man. You came because you care. Get ya man hun.” She let out a long laugh as Diana felt her ears burn and nodded. Not that she disagreed with the woman but they’re friends. Have been for the last six months since they met at the Saucy Cantina bar. The pair left the building and Benny chuckled wondering how he was going to fit in her tiny blue hatchback car. Diana put her hands on her hips and said that if he wasn’t willing to sit up front, then he could lay in the back, just to be grateful that she came. Benny gave her another hug and told her that he was, though he still felt bad that she had to come and he knew that he’d interrupted a movie for her. Diana hated that he knew her routine so well already.

Being the goof that he was, Benny spread his long body across the backseat of the car and Diana drove, telling him to keep his shoes off the seats and he spoke about the new specials Ramon was starting at the Saucy Cantina. It wasn’t what she wanted to hear. She wanted to know what possessed him to beat up three men. It was clear Benny wasn’t up for talking about it right now. They arrived at her apartment where Benny could sleep on the couch and she would take him home tomorrow. As Diana unlocked her door, she had forgotten about the boxes though and how she’d have to explain them.

“So were you going to tell me that you’re planning on moving or just stop coming out with us and let me figure it out?” Benny asked, mimicking her with his hands on his hips as she had done.

“Well, my roommate is moving out with her boyfriend so I can’t afford this place on my own. It’s going to be an hour commute to work instead of thirty minutes and I planned on mentioning it eventually. I wasn’t sure how to tell you Benny.” Diana admitted. Her roommate still had some boxes to pick up so most of them were Diana’s. She needs to be out by the end of the month and planned to move back in with her mom for now.

“Why didn’t you just ask me? I got room. My house has three bedrooms and despite what you think I do clean, when I remember.” He flashed her a smile and she nearly said yes, but she’d be moving in with a man she had a crush on. What if he brings back someone? Will we have to talk about socks on doors?

No, no no no.

“I appreciate the thought Benny but it’s the most cost effective-”

“Are you sure you wanna move in with your mom? Didn’t you say you have issues with her and you two normally end up fighting?” Maybe she spoke to Benny too much about her family drama. She was seeing that now and she’d have to remember not to do that from now on.

“Can we talk about it tomorrow? Let’s just get some sleep.” Diana settles and walks to what will be her room for the next two weeks. Benny watches her walk away and waits until her bedroom door closes. He hears her on the phone and it sounds like Will since she said his name. It was short, just letting him know that he’s out. He then got a text from Will saying that they needed to talk when he got home.

“Ain’t shit to talk about that. I need to think about how I’m going to convince her to move in with me. It does sound crazy, but an hour away? That’s bullshit.” He removed his jacket, putting it on the back of the couch and set his shoes by the door. He laid on the couch and closed his eyes. Having Diana that far away bothered him for multiple reasons. Not only could he not just pop over to her place after practice, for a meal, movie or just to play some games with her. He would play his guitar sometimes because Will took it after his last visit to county. Benny had been able to convince Fish to bring his guitar over to Diana’s for safekeeping from his brother.

There’s too many things Benny wants to experience with Diana and to tell her. He’ll come up with a plan in the morning.

Hopefully.

Chapter two

Peeps who’d bail Benny out no questions asked ❤️: @tinytinymenace @laurfilijames @rhoorl @musings-of-a-rose @megamindsecretlair

[strangelittlestories]

“Where are we going?” asked Khalida, attempting to adjust her denim jacket to hide the worst of the scorch marks.

Cassandra took a moment to answer. She tucked her domino mask into the pocket of her combats, then cast her eyes around and upwards. Satisfied they were not being observed, the ducked out of the alley and merged with the flow of pedestrians.

“To see someone I used to know.” the hero replied, quietly. “An old friend?” Khalida’s voice rang out with enthusiasm. She lowered her voice in response to Cassandra’s pointed look. “Dang, I love the whole ‘visiting an old friend for help’ thing. Always a juicy dynamic.”

“Not exactly a friend.” she looked up and down the street, eyes flicking up and down. “Not anymore.”

“An old enemy? That’s even juicier? Are they, y’know, your very *best* enemy?”

Cassandra sighed.

“They’re an old … something.”

“Ah, a classic ‘it’s complicated’ type situation. Very nice. Love a tangled backstory.”

“It’s not a backstory, kid. It’s my life.”

“I mean, yeah. Sure. But also: you’re a hero! So, to *you* it’s your life. But to us fans, it’s kinda also backstory.”

Cassandra could practically hear the girl adding tags to her mental blog post. There were exclamation points.

“You realise you have powers now, right? You gonna start thinking of your own life as backstory?”

“Are you kidding me, I’ve already started my entry on HeroWiki!” she produced her burner phone and triumphantly showed a draft on the screen. “Wait, is the person we’re seeing on Hiki?”

“I hate that portmanteau. Sounds too much like ‘hickey’” Cassandra finally spotted what she was looking for and started steering the two of them towards a particular sewer grate.  “But … yes. She’ll be on there. Search for Troubleshooter.”

“Oh dip.” Khalida looked up with open mouth. “She’s on the anti-hero section.”

“She wasn’t always.” Cassandra reached into her seemingly endless pockets and handed Khalida a high vis vest. “Now put this on, so no-one will ask questions about us dropping into the sewers…”

---

Troubleshooter’s sewer lair was surprisingly dry and homey. It smelled of lemon and baking soda, making Khalida think someone had been making cakes (though there was no sign of sweet treats among the utilitarian fittings).

“You bringing trouble to my door again, Cass?” Troubleshooter was squaring up to Cassandra; both were bristling with tension.

“Well, trouble is your business, Shoots.”

“It used to be.” Troubleshooter’s hand was on the sidearm holstered beneath her armpit. “But folks got … snippy about the solutions I offered.”

“Thought you’d be thrilled for me to admit I couldn’t handle this on my own.” Careless of the implied threat, Cassandra leaned in to speak softly in Troubleshooter’s ear. “I need you.”

Troubleshooter looked up at Cassandra and bit her lip. Slowly, fingers unwrapped themselves from the weapon.

“Why didn’t they like your solutions?” Two sets of eyes snapped over to look at Khalida; they’d nearly forgotten she was there. “You’re a prognosticator, right? Like Cassandra. You should be, like, the *most* helpful kinda hero.”

“I’m not a prophet. Not like this one.” Troubleshooter tutted. “It’s more … extremely limited universal knowledge osmosis.”

“Huh?”

“I see a problem. I know the most efficient way to solve it. Step-by-step. Like God’s instruction manual.”

“That’s amazing!”

“Not when the problem people bring you is a *person*. They get pretty antsy when you tell them the best solution is a bullet.”

“Oh.” Khalida gulped and looked nervously between the two of them. “Um, Cassandra, did you bring me here to…”

“No, kid.” Cassandra ran a hand through her hair. Suddenly she looked tired. “Here’s the situation, Shoots: I had a prophecy. End of days type stuff. Told me to be in a place to find a person. The place was full of bad-tempered hired muscle. The person was Khalida here. The visions since then are confused, but they all call her the same thing: ‘Reality Ender’. So here’s the problem I put before you: how do we help her *not* destroy reality?”

“You know you might not like the answer.”

“But we’ve still gotta ask.”

“Fine.”

Troubleshooter’s eyes went blurry. It was as if they were vibrating, flickering suddenly through a thousand upon a thousand realities, like searching for a station on an old radio. Just as suddenly as it started, her gaze blinked back into the present.

“Huh.”

“That doesn’t sound like a good result.”

“No. But it’s not a bad one, either.”

“Explain.”

“Let me put it this way: you hear ‘Reality Ender’ and your mind goes to ‘end of *existence*’. Makes sense - matches your prophecy. But that’s not her *power*.”

“So what is it?”

“Oh, it’s still ‘Reality Ender’. But … not ‘reality’ as in ‘existence’. It’s ‘reality’ as in ‘real versus fiction’. As in, ‘possible versus impossible’.”

“...I don’t get it?” Khalida’s voice was small and lost.

“I think the best way to put your deal would be … you’re a Potential Manipulator.”

“Um…that sounds a little problematic. Like, very cancel-able. Could we go with, I dunno, Possibility Manipulator?”

“Honey, trust me, being cancelled is the least of your worries…”

---

Enjoy my writing? Consider supporting me on Ko-Fi with a one-off or recurring donation https://ko-fi.com/strangelittlestories

[ruhorih4ra]

Hello again! 🐏 This is part 13! It contains violence, angst and horrible descriptions of horrible things (why can't I word things better you ask? I'm tired af, my brain is done.)

You may find lots (and I mean it, lots) of grammatical mistakes and inconsistencies (me translating a sentence in spanish to english even tho I don't know if it makes sense xDD upsi).

Get out of my way 🌈

You remembered everything at once, their faces, your own feelings of agony. There was an essential question waiting to be answered. Are these little D.’s here because of your corrupted soul or, maybe, have you been corrupted because of them? Does it really matter? You looked at your hands and then at Lilith, she seemed angry.

“Five times this week!! You couldn't be satisfied with any of them!” You didn't like the sound of that. “What are you implying?!” you asked. Lilith didn't hold back, too emotional after having remembered her brothers’ faces of anguish. “You want to hurt them!! That little demon of greed appeared because you can't get enough, no amount of suffering can satisfy you!! You want to hurt them to the point of no return!!” Each word pierced you more than the previous one, you felt caged between the wall and the sword. You had no shield and Lilith was merciless.

“That's not true.” you said, your voice barely perceptible. “Oh but it is! I begged you to stop!” The former angel wanted to say more but noticed the eerie silence and lugubrious atmosphere. She looked at you and guilt washed her over, you had paled and tears streamed down your face. “Mc, no... I'm sorry. Mc I-”

“Is it true, Lilith? Did they try to hurt our brothers?” Both you and Lilith looked towards the voice, Lucifer's voice.

You hadn't noticed how the Little D.s' chattering stopped, now all of them stood up impersonating the brothers. They were looking at you from their place, a few meters away, standing still in complete silence, with their eyes looking through you. “It's getting cold, we should go home.” You tried to ignore them but something felt wrong.

They seemed dangerous, you felt like a prey under their gaze. “Go home? I thought you didn't want to be part of our family? You don't have a home, do you? Not here.” Lucifer said. You knew he wasn't the real one, but it was getting harder and harder to tell. “Hey! Shut up and go back to your nonsense!” Lilith put a brave front, even though she felt weaker than ever before. “They tried to kill Belphie, Lilith!” Beelzebub said. “I Would never do that, Beel!” you replied. Lilith's eyes widened in desperation. “No, no, no!! He's NOT Beel!”

You couldn't even think about moving, your figure engulfed by darkness on a night with no moon. From behind you felt Mammon's breath and his voice whispering in your ear. “Mc? Is it okay now?” You turned around swiftly and Mammon revealed the figure of Leviathan with his mouth severely sewed. He was paler than usual, and the bruises around the stitches gave him an even worse look.

“Levi!!” you pushed Mammon away and warily took Leviathan's arms, caressing his face and tenderly touching his now half scarred lips. “No, no, Levi! Oh my god, Leviathan! Why did you do this?!”

“Mc! He’s not Leviathan, he’s a Little D!” Lilith screamed.

“Hmmf morm.” Levi tried to answer, both the stitches and the blood prevented it. “Shhh!! Don't talk!! Let me help you.” tears running down your face, the tremor of your hands equalling the one in your voice. “May the vestiges of pain that linger within the demon before me be eliminated."

Suddenly, Leviathan forced his mouth open, breaking the stitches and covering you with blood. “For you, Mc. I did it for you.” Shock crossed your face and your mouth dropped.

Lilith stared in horror at your worried figure, to her it was obvious that you couldn’t properly distinguish between her brothers and the Little D.s "MC! Levi is safe. He’s not here!” She walked towards you, but before she could reach you, the Little D. of Pride in the shape of Lucifer took her hand, “I have to thank you, dear sister.” Lilith only watched Lucifer, clearly confused. “What do you mean?”

Lucifer laughed before exhaling a satisfied sigh. “We wanted to push them, we wanted to press all their buttons.” He watched intently to Lilith as his smile grew wide. “But who would have guessed? It was you who did it first, our little sister.” Lilith couldn’t shake Lucifer’s grip, couldn’t escape his eyes. She turned her gaze to you, screaming to get your attention. “Mc! Run!”

You cast spell after spell, but Leviathan’s wounds didn’t heal, on the contrary, they got worse. “Levi, don’t worry, it’ll be okay.” You felt Levi’s blood on your face and the smell filled your nostrils. “Your words can’t cure me, they only make me worse.” He said, and you sobbed, trying to speak but only three words came out. “I’m sorry, Levi.” Your tears mixed with the fake blood of the Little D. of envy, if you weren’t so distraught you would have noticed how the eyes of the little demon glowed with joy and amusement.

“Mc! They are the Little D.’s! Mc!” Lilith shouted with all her will, but it was useless. Your unfocused eyes, your shallow breathing, your red and swollen eyes. “Forget it, Lilith. It's too late for them, you couldn't save them, neither you nor your brothers, not even the prince, no one.” Lucifer said.

“Mc?” Beelzebub touched your arm, momentarily distracting you from Levi’s injuries. “Beel?” You replied, narrowing and rubbing your eyes. “Do you know where Belphie is?” Beel asked. Suddenly you did not hear a sound, you saw Lilith scream but everything was in complete silence. You felt your ears clog and an oppressive atmosphere. Beelzebub grabbed your forearm and squeezed it until you screamed. “Ahhh Beel! Stop!” But his grip tightened, his mouth inches away from your ear. “I obeyed you but I’m still hungry.” Your breath was caught in your throat while your heart fought to escape your rib cage. “W-what?” You murmured before hearing a loud thump at your feet. Slowly, your eyes looked at the object that had fallen.

You wanted to scream, to let out the most horrible, painful scream you had ever heard. Instead, no words came out of your mouth. Only the failed attempts to breathe, only tears running down your face. A million shards of glass stabbing your heart, but you couldn’t even move, as Belphie’s head rolled until his lifeless eyes met yours.

“MC! LOOK AT THEM, LOOK AT HIS EYES! THOSE ARE NOT MY BROTHER’S EYES!!” You heard Lilith’s voice like a soft echo even though you knew she was screaming. You wanted to believe her, but right there, looking straight at Belphegor’s eyes, it was clear to you. Belphie’s purple eyes were looking at you, it was him. Not the completely black eyes of a Little D. but the soft purple color and the speck of pink that fades in between. But if they had color that meant that… no, it couldn’t be real.

“Mc!” Lilith shook off Lucifer’s grip and ran towards you, you tried to meet her halfway, weakly raising your hand towards her, but she vanished before you could touch her. A white mist surrounded you, with the fading voice of Lilith calling you. “L-Lilith?” You could not see a thing, your eyes looked into the white fog searching for anything. Unexpectedly, Asmodeu’s face appeared in front of you. Eyes out of his sockets and a smile from ear to ear. “Booh!”

“AAAHHHHHHH!!” you ran into the woods, no matter if you were blindly running into the night, away from the path and safety you knew. Anything was better than this.

Lucifer had gone to a meeting with Diavolo, they were drinking and he was on his second drink of demonus. He wouldn’t be lying if he said he couldn’t stop thinking about you for even a minute. Where were you? Would you ever forgive them? Was it too late for him?

He yearned for your presence, your laugh and the comfort of your smile pressed against his lips. “I should go now, Diavolo.” he tried to get up but a sharp pain shot through his chest, right where the mark of your pact it’s located. Diavolo hadn't heard Lucifer's groans of pain in a while, he was at his friend's side in seconds. “Lucifer!? What's happening!?” The Avatar of pride tore his shirt in a feeble attempt to ease the pain, he looked everywhere searching for you. You were calling him, he could feel you all over the place and then nowhere. “Lucifer!?” Diavolo's voice carried urgency, he could smell the burning skin of Lucifer.

“M-mc is in danger.” Lucifer murmured, trying to breathe. Diavolo cast a glance towards Barbatos, but it was not necessary as the butler was already on his way.

Mammon was laying on your bed waiting for your return when the pain hit him, his chest burning and his back arching painfully until his knees touched his forehead. Although it was paralyzing, Mammon changed into his demon form and quickly left the house of lamentation, frantically looking into the darkness of the devildom’s night. “MC!!!” His voice was desperate, loud and frantic. “Treasure!!” The pain increased and forced him to fall on his knees, but he never stopped calling your name.

Satan watched how Asmodeus’ eyes widened just to quickly close again, how the pupils of the demon of lust dilated as he tried to breathe. “Mc!” Asmo gasped, before falling abruptly. “Asmo!” Satan squatted down but the feeling of your burning pact stopped him, his mind became blurry and from one moment to the next the only thing in his field of vision was the ground. “We have to help them! We…”

You couldn’t see anything, the branches hit your face and scratched your skin to the point of bleeding, but that didn’t stop you. Your legs burned from the effort, you weren’t aware of how much you ran but it didn’t feel like it was enough. “I’m sorry Lucifer!” you screamed, but it wasn’t as loud as you wanted, you were out of breath and the cold air was painful to breathe. “I’m sorry, Levi!” You said. Your legs couldn’t run anymore, but you kept walking, pushing your limits. “I’m sorry, Belphie!” You murmured, no longer moving. “I’m sorry.” You cried.

“I’m sorry, Belphie!” The eyes of the avatar of sloth opened, was it because of the nightmare? Was it because of the intolerable pain in his chest? He didn’t care, he was awake and you weren’t there. He tried to move, but it was impossible, something similar to sleep paralysis. “Mc!!” he cried. “Beel!” he tried again. When he managed to move, the first thing he saw was his twin gasping form, unable to move or pronunce a word. Beelzebub didn’t need to say a word for Belphie to understand, they were feeling the same, you were on danger. You were here with them, you were far away, gone.

Leviathan felt a burning sensation in his chest, fire blazing his skin. However, when he sensed your pact, he felt cold. As if the water seeped into his lungs and sank him into the ocean, cold and alone. And above all that, you. You asking for his help from the surface. “Mc?” Your call through the pacts grew in intensity and the pain did the same.

You wanted to call them, to say sorry and speak the truth. You wanted them to come for you, but at the same time you were afraid. Afraid because you had their lives in your hands and they were ready to give in. No, you couldn’t call them even if that’s what you desired the most.

Something moved behind you, you tried to fight but you were too slow to react. Too slow and too weak, your legs could no longer support you and you fell, who knows where.

Part 14? ಠ⁠_⁠ಠ

Taglist: @yuumaofc @kodasstar @sadlily1 @asmolover1234 @gallantys @prefesro @urminebutidontwantyou @fiveofspades @owl778 @unknownbish101 @pinkvelvetcake1 @bontensbabygirl

Thanks for reading! ʕ⁠ ⁠ꈍ⁠ᴥ⁠ꈍ⁠ʔ I do have something else to say. I have to prepare for my finals and so I won't be able to update for at least a month ಥ⁠‿⁠ಥ Having said that... Mc is fine y'all (maybe???), next part it's 75% comfort (maybe?? xD), see you!! (⁠人⁠ ⁠•͈⁠ᴗ⁠•͈⁠)

[that-ari-blogger]

Are We the Baddies?

I have stated before that She-Ra thrives on realism and morality, and stand by this view. But in terms of morality, apart from the first two episodes and Catra's entire deal, this hasn't been explored explicitly. The story has heavily implied some moral complexity, but not developed the princess alliance in any depth.

Ties That Bind changes this, and the way it does that is fascinating.

Let me explain.

SPOILERS AHEAD

Before I begin, I feel the need to get on my soap box and explain something: Morally complex does not mean evil. This is a lesson that a fair few TTRPG players need to learn, as well as the people writing The Boys. You can have nuanced morality and still be a good guy, or a bad guy, or something in between.

The overarching plot of this episode is essentially a bottle episode, characters get trapped together and have to work out their differences. Usually in live action media, this is the episode for with the crew realised they had no budget left over, so they use actors that are on hand and the set they last filmed in to make something interesting.

I say this, but these episodes have a habit of being some of my favourites in the series. Heaven Sent and Blink for example are often praised as the best Doctor Who has to offer, and they follow this rule, and Wild Blue Yonder is my favourite of the 60th anniversary specials despite the set being the Tardis, a greenscreen and two treadmills and some corridors.

Characters being trapped in one place is also the foundation of a fair amount of horror and detective fiction, and its the premise of my favourite play ever written: Waiting For Godot, by Samuel Becket.

However, you may have noticed that She-Ra and the Princesses Of Power is not, in fact, live action. If you haven't noticed, I'm not sure what to tell you at this point. So why does it have a bottle episode? What are the benefits of this style?

The answer is complicated, but it mostly pertains to character drama. Characters stuck in a room together with a mutual need to get out of that situation are forced to work together. Even enemies will work together if they have a common goal. Star Wars: The Clone Wars did this in Dooku Captured and The Gungan General.

But here's the thing, Ties That Bind subverts this in one simple way, the two parties in this story have opposing goals. If they get to Brightmoon, Catra will be imprisoned. So she works to stall the journey. The story isn't three people who don't want to be in a situation, it's two people who are trapped with a third.

Catra is a gremlin in this episode. She leans fully into the idea of power that Shadow Weaver taught her, manipulation, and it gets her pretty far. Although there are a few cracks, my favourite of which being how easily Bow pushes her buttons in return, and he's doing it accidentally.

"Come on. I bet even the Horde has friends. What about Adora? You two grew up together, right? What was she like as a kid?"

Bow's love of friendship is scoffed at. Catra doesn't have friends, so she thinks she is immune to this line of question. But then Bow brings up Adora, and touches a nerve, so he keeps pushing until Catra responds with a snarl. She's trying to keep up a bulletproof exterior, but that armour still has a weakness, that being Adora.

Catra also gets outmaneuvered by Glimmer, who has learned from previous adventures enough for an escape plan. So, her manipulation skills aren't as good as she thinks they are.

Bow isn't a particularly morally gray character; I don't think that is a hot take. He's the heart of the group, and usually holds everyone else to account. That isn't to say he is morally uncomplicated; the nuance of Bow's character gets shown when he interacts with complicated problems, like the guilt of having left Entrapta behind, and the question of what to do with Catra.

"We took a hostage! We're supposed to be the good guys."

And so, a question is raised, in times of war, do your ethics change? Is this a good thing or not? Just, please don't argue about it in the replies.

Bow's ethics don't change, he is kind and empathetic, and will remain these things, even towards a prisoner, and like Shadow Weaver before her, Catra uses this as a weapon.

Glimmer, on the other hand, is much more complex, and as perfectly moral strategies begin to fail, she is the one who is more likely to actually step into the more dubious territory. This gets displayed multiple times in the episode. For example, when falling, Glimmer plays a game of chicken with Bow's life, and I'm not actually sure what her goal is with it. Maybe she's just trying to scare Catra.

But there's also the scene towards the end when Catra calls Glimmer's bluff again. But this time, Bow isn't directly in the way, so she very nearly does outright kill Catra. Once again, however, it is Bow that keeps her sane.

"We can't take that chance, we're not them."

That's all it takes. All Glimmer needs to hear is that she has becoming her enemy. Bow's line draws attention to what he perceives as the difference between the Horde and the Princesses. The Horde gambles with people's lives, the Princess Alliance doesn't, in his eyes. But throughout this episode, Glimmer has done just that multiple times.

Glimmer's complexity comes from her strength of will. She is the person who will take that extra step when everyone else stops. She has the loosest moral code, and despite still being a good guy, she can react to situations in a completely different manner to others on her side.

The reveal of Entrapta's loyalty also brings up something interesting. People in this story can have goals beyond "good" and "bad", most of them do, in fact. Entrapta's switch from Team Princess to Team Horde shakes Glimmer and Bow's preconceived notions about binary morality. The best way of explaining that is actually this:

"You're on the side of the Horde?"

"I'm on the side of science!"

Don't get me wrong, the Horde is evil as an organisation, and people who are a part of it get up to some pretty heinous acts, this episode just complicates that. It gives a bit of wiggle room within the two sides of this war. But it makes something abundantly clear with Entrapta:

"At least we know for sure that Entrapta's alive, and working for the Horde, making weapons to wipe us out."

Being morally grey does not obfuscate the actions taken. Entrapta isn't villainous, but her actions do further a destructive end, and she is very clearly accountable for that. Being neutral is possible, but Entrapta is very much not neutral, she has chosen a side, and is aware of the consequences of that. It's a stretch to say Entrapta is evil, but she isn't good either, and she is complicit in the Horde's destruction.

Final Thoughts

This episode is ok. I'm not overly impressed by it, but there is some neat storytelling on display, and the animation is cool. Adora's storyline does raise a few more questions about the first ones, most notably: Why did Mara break the watchtower? There's more to this story and Light Hope isn't telling Adora what that is.

Next week, I'll be looking at Signals, so stick around if that interests you.

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[horseshoegirl]

Damn Those Dog Tags: Part 9 - Hang On, Hang On

This is the one you’ve been waiting for 💛 also, that second photo - I actually took it, which I’m really proud of!!

Kay Peeps, if you hadn't heeded the +18 warning, you better do so now. I mean it! Smut is an ever-present possibility from this point onwards.

18+ minors DNI. Ageless and blank blogs are blocked without warning.

❗+18, strong language, godmother reader/original female character, original child, sexual themes (I mean Smut, so get outta here if you ain't +18), Nightmares, Sad (And scared) Sadie is back.

#6.8k Words

Part 8 | Masterlist | Part 10

“So, what’s going on with you and Hangman?” 

You choked on your drink, coughing hard, as you spat out, “Nat, come on.” 

Natasha had pressured you into having a drink with her at the Hard Deck on your day off, holding you to your promise of having a girl's night before she was deployed. 

Not that you didn't want to spend time with her, but you weren't feeling up to this particular Friday night. Or it could have been due to the fact she couldn't stop hounding you about Jake volunteering to pick Sadie up from school.

You had to give her credit. She knew something was up ever since they came home. And despite her best efforts to corner you, you had successfully evaded her. That was until now.

When you told her you couldn't because you didn't have anyone to watch Sadie, she saw right through your bald-faced lie, saying she knew Amelia would be coming over to help Sadie with a science project.

You were left with no way out of it.

“Rooster had a ‘chat’ with us,” she exclaimed. “Told us we needed to stop being mean to Jake, or we won’t be able to see Sadie anymore.”

You rolled your eyes. "He's exaggerating. You know I would never stop you from seeing Sadie.”

She nodded her head in agreement, but it didn't stop her from pressing further. "So spill. There was no way that would have come out of his mouth willingly."

She wasn't going to let this go, you thought. Maybe filling her in on bits and pieces of what happened would calm her curiosity, and you'd catch a break.

"Jake was helping me get through the whole CPS situation." you started, knowing Jake would have told Rooster as much. "Then I found Tyler's letter while you guys were deployed. So I showed it to him, and... Well, you know Bradley, he jumped to conclusions and thought he saw something he didn't."

"He basically accused me of not thinking about Sadie," Nat's eyes softened with your words. She knew without a double you considered Sadie before doing anything for yourself. For Bradley to suggest otherwise was harsh.

"So, I told him to stop being mean to Jake as an apology."

"Did Bradley see something he though he saw?”

You swallowed at her words. There was no way she saw you and Jake too. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, did Bradley actually see something going on between the two of you? When you showed him the letter."

You dug your nails into your thigh as you replied, "Are you implying something is going on between Jake and I?"

Nat didn't hesitate when she answered you with, "Come on, Liz, how many female friends does Jake actually have?"

That made you pause, blankly staring at her. She was right. 

"Jake doesn't do that with most people."

You felt pinned down. With no way out but to deny everything. So instead, you went for, “How much do you know about Jake?” 

“Besides the fact, he’s an ass?” 

“Nat.” You snapped. “He’s not. Stop with that.” 

Phoenix leaned back in her seat, a pleased grin on her face. “You like him.” 

“Nat!” 

"Hey, I know I was against it initially, but I honestly think you are making a difference for him."

Much like Penny's reaction, you thought Nat would have undoubtedly jumped to your defence, threatening to kick him to the curb or shoot him down the next time they went up together. So the fact she was actually reacting positively made you question everything.

You pinned her with your eyes. "Why are you so suddenly changing your mind about Jake?"

"Besides the fact he is good with the Bug? I think he genuinely likes you."

Well, that made your ears burn.

"He was different this time out. Less harsh on everyone.  Actually wanting to talk to us like decent human beings. I don't think that's a coincidence."

“A man doesn’t change his ways for a woman,” you rolled your eyes at her. 

“He does if it’s the right woman.”

You dropped your elbows to the table, leaning forward. “That’s so fricken cheesy, Nat.”

She huffed out a laugh, you joining in with her.

“I meant to say, if you want to, I’ll back you up.”

You opened your mouth, some retort about Jake never going for someone like you ready on your lips, when someone collapsed into the empty booth next to you, a body trying very hard to use you as a personal pillow.

It could have only been one person, literally from the fact he had done this once before.

“Bob?” you questioned, your hand coming up to rest against his cheek. 

“Hi, Lizzie,” he hiccuped, burying his face into the back of your shoulder. You looked up at Nat, shocked. She stared at Bob for a few seconds before putting her face into her hands. “Dammit, Bob, not again.” 

Rooster, Coyote and Jake swarmed your table, Rooster exhaled after finally tracking down Bob, sighing out under his breath, "There he is."

Clearly, that wasn't the correct thing to say in front of Nat.

“What did you guys do to my WSO?!” She cried out, staring at Rooster.  

“It’s not our fault he’s a baby.” 

Javy was hanging at the back of the group, a disappointing look on his face, which led you to believe he had nothing to do with Bob's current state. Meaning Rooster and Jake, standing at the front, were at fault.

You glared at Jake, your face saying everything words couldn't.

He only shrugged. “He wanted to play 8-ball for drinks.”

You were about to open your mouth to reply before your phone blared out. You looked down at your phone, frowning at the notification. 

Serve weather warning. Seek shelter immediately. 

“There’s a storm warning." You said out loud, scrolling through your phone to read the weather report. "It looks really bad.” 

“I bet we could make it back home in time?” Coyote suggested, looking to Bob before looking out the back windows of the Hard Deck. You followed his gaze, and judging by the sky outside, the waves, and the sudden bursts of wind, they wouldn’t. 

“Nope. Out of question. All of you are staying at mine tonight.” 

It wouldn’t be the first time you’ve dragged the squad back to your house after a night of drinking. You were sure it wouldn’t be the last either.

 But if this was the first major storm of the season lurking in the sky as an imminent threat and your house being only being five minutes max away from the Hard Deck, this would be the easiest way to ensure everyone remained safe, especially with Bob.

You wouldn’t risk the chance of something happening to them if you could help it.

“Are you sure?” Phoenix asked. “I don’t know about the others, but I would really appreciate that. But I don’t want to impose.” 

You stared at her ridiculously. “Nat. Seriously. You guys have done a lot worse.” 

“Okay,” She held her hands up, then looked to Bob. “But I’m not bunking with any of these lightweights.” 

Judging by Bob’s hiccup against your shoulder, you didn’t blame her. Glancing at him from over your shoulder, you remarked, “This one is walking home with us.” 

You looked back at the group.  “Any takers?” 

Bradley immediately replied, “I’m not turning down your couch. That thing is awesome.”

Javy nodded, adding, "It would be nice to have breakfast with Sadie."

Then you turned to Jake, raising your eyebrow. “You in? I promise I have enough room.” 

You felt Nat kick you from under the table, and you did your best not to react.

Jake looked conflicted for a moment, his forehead scrunching together and narrowing his eyes. "You walked here again?"

"Why would I waste gas when I'm five minutes out?"

He couldn't really argue with your logic, but that didn't stop him from worrying about you walking by yourself. Not that you would be this time, but during the nights when you closed.

But a night under your roof? There was a time he had asked that question with nothing more than the intent to get you into a bed and fuck you until he was stated.

But now? He would do anything just to be near you.

Jake reached for Bob, peeling him off your body before handing him over to Rooster and Coyote, before holding out his hand to help you out of the booth. The cocky smirk was back as he said, "Lead the way."

Bradley and Javy hooked their arms under Bob’s shoulders, lifting him up and over to the front door. You quickly said your goodbyes to Penny and Jimmy, who swore they would be okay by themselves to close early. Deciding to walk was an easy decision. If the storm was as bad as the report said it was, they were better leaving their cars in the parking lot overnight rather than in your tiny driveway and along your street.

The heat was stifling as you exited the bar, the storm in the air and the sky behind the thunder clouds a deep orange. A car horn honked at you when, in your eagerness to watch the sky, you weren’t looking where you were going.

Jake walked next to you, making sure to put himself between you and the road on your journey home. And when a strong gust of wind threatened to knock you over, he pulled you tight into his side, his arm fastened around your waist as if you’d be swept off with the next gust of wind. 

Your mind should have been racing with more thoughts about Jake’s hand on your waist. What it meant, if it was related to New Year's Eve, if he was just being a good friend or whether Rooster or Coyote saw now that Nat was no longer an issue. In fact, you were certain she was going to start encouraging it if it meant getting a reprieve from the tension amongst the team. 

But Rooster and Coyote were too busy making sure Bob didn’t fall over because of the wind. And Nat was ahead of you all, leading the group up the street quickly because she didn’t want to get wet. 

Instead, for some strange reason, you couldn’t help but wonder if the car driving out of the parking lot was the same as when Jake drove you home from your shift that night. 

_____

You awoke to a rumble of thunder shaking the house. 

The storm had only progressed in the hours since you arrived home with the Daggers. Amelia had already helped Sadie to bed when you greeted her at the door. You offered for her to stay, but she assured you she could get home before the real brunt of the storm hit. You only let her go if she promised to let you know when she got home. 

Rolling over, you spied Nat on the other side of your bed, perfectly passed out and unbothered by the ruckus over your house. You envied her ability to sleep wherever, though you pitied the why. 

Tossing and turning, you couldn’t get comfortable. You thought maybe counting the time between the rumbles of thunder and the sparks of lightning would lull you back to sleep, but nothing seemed to help. 

Your eyes shot around the room, taking in the objects you carefully placed to make this room your own, till you paused at your bedside tablet. Your small jewellery box, a photo of Sadie, your alarm clock revealing 3:00 A.M. in bright green numbers. And your book Pride and Prejudice, the bookmark still in the same spot since the day you read it on the beach last year. The brief thought of reading came to mind, but you pushed it aside almost instantly. You knew you’d only pick it up to read the same page over and over, never venturing from the last sentence on that page, before you’d slam the book shut and throw it back to its resting place. 

Deciding to bite the bullet, you lifted your covers, watching Nat carefully as you climbed out of your bed, thinking maybe a cup of tea would help. 

After shutting your door carefully, you tiptoed through your hallway, pausing for a second outside your office door, where Jake would be fast asleep on your pull-out couch.

The minute everyone arrived, they went about making themselves at home, following the same routine they always did when staying over.

Nat instantly sought out your room with nothing more than a 'Goodnight, Losers!" over her shoulder. After Bob was settled on the opposite end of your couch, Rooster flung himself down into the cushions, an arm strung over his face covering his eyes as he pilfered the blanket you had strung over the back of the couch. Coyote had taken the floor, having dug around in your garage for your air mattress, finding it perfectly adequate.

After checking on Sadie, you found Jake standing in your kitchen, looking a little lost. You simply had looped your arm through his, taking him down the hallway to your office where you had already pulled out the bed, sheets and all ready.

Deciding against opening the door, you forced yourself to continue to your kitchen, the storm lighting your path. You hand sought out the light switch under the upper cabinets before reaching for your kettle.

After filling it up, you placed it back on its stand, pressing a few buttons before rummaging through your tea chest for Chamomile tea.

It would be a couple more minutes before the kettle boiled, so you pulled out your empty trash can from under the sink and a bottle of water from your fridge. After a quick pit stop at your bathroom, you made your way into the family room, carefully navigating yourself around the room so you could place the objects in front of Bob for when he woke up in the morning.

Even though Rooster's snores and the pain pelting hard against the roof, you heard the kettle whistle, and you eagerly made your way back to make what you hoped would be a cure for your insomnia.

Nursing the cup of tea between your hands, your oversized sleeves protecting your skin from the extreme heat, you leaned against the kitchen window over the backyard.

A gasp escaped your lips when you heard the sound of glasses clicking against one another a few seconds later. You whipped around to see what made the noise. Jake froze, his arm slowing dropping down after grabbing a glass.

 “Sorry,” he said softly, voice riddled with sleep. “I just wanted to get a glass of water.”

You relaxed instantly, pressing your mug back to your chest. "It's okay."

After filling his glass, Jake joined you, leaning up against the wall opposite.

“Can’t sleep?” He asked, bringing the glass to his lips. You shook your head.  

“I used to like storms,” you reminisced, playing with the string of your tea bag. “But now…”

You didn't need to say anymore. Jake knew, given the way you trailed off, making your body smaller by curling inwards on yourself. He decided to change the topic, offering a “Bob drunkenly confessed Rooster had a chat with him.” 

You chuckled to yourself, knowing exactly what Jake was referring to.

"I'm sorry if it wasn't my place," you apologized to him. "I just had enough."

"Enough?"

"Of them treating you like that. Of Bradley not giving you a chance," you shrugged.

“I can't say it's not unwarranted,” he replied, glancing out the window to take in the storm. “I may have said something about his Dad in the past.”

"Jake..."

He faced you, looking ashamed. "I know what you're going to say. How could I, right?"

"I wasn't going to say anything," you spoke softly. "Only that it's your past. It's not who I know you as."

Here you go again, he thought. Treating him as if he wasn't undeserving of you defending him.

This time, it was you who decided to change the topic.

"I never thanked you for picking up Sadie. She had a good time."

Despite the heaviness from before, Jake smiled to himself. "She's a good kid."

Then he offered, “You don’t want to know what she wanted to talk to me about?” 

You shook your head. “If she wanted to tell me, she would have. I don’t mind she has secrets, but I trust if it were important enough, she’d come to me when she needed me.” 

“Besides,” you said, bringing the tea to your lips and smirking into the mug, “She told me you faced Ursula.”

The look on Jake's face was priceless. You didn't know a lot about what happened, and Lyssa was short on details. But they both told you Jake didn't bat an eyelid when she tried to flirt with him. But judging from the look on his face, something happened that they didn't tell you about.

Then suddenly, your words made you think back to you and Jake sitting in the booth that night before the almost kiss. He wanted to tell you something before Bradley decided to be an ass. 

 You thought about it for a second, knowing if you went down that road and brought up New Year's Eve, it would undoubtedly lead to a discussion about whatever happened between the two of you that night. You'd never know why the witching hour was suddenly the moment you decided you’d need to ask the hard questions. If you did, would Jake answer you honestly, here and now, in your kitchen? 

You were about to ask, but the next rumble of thunder over the house was too close for comfort, the force causing the window next to you to clatter in the frame. You gasped, jolting away from the glass, a crack of lightning following right after. 

Your power flickered once, then twice, before going out completely, and you instantly looked for Jake in the darkness. But the next sound that echoed through the walls didn’t come from a crack of lighting or a rumble of thunder. No, it was one of the most jarring screams you had ever heard. 

You didn’t register it right away—another crack above masking the tail end of the sound. But Jake had. He was gone, running out of your kitchen and into your hallway, the bolt of lightning illuminating your kitchen and the spot where he once stood within seconds. 

Only one person in the house could have produced such a scream. 

Sadie. 

You almost dropped your cup of tea, carelessly sliding it along your kitchen counter as you took off after Jake into the hallway, hands skimming along the walls as your heart pounded hard in your chest. 

Her door was already open by the time you turned the corner. Reaching the door frame, you caught the tail end of Sadie lit up by another flash of lightning from her window, all red-faced and crying, scrambling into Jake’s arms as he sat on the end of her bed. 

Taking her into his arms, Jake spoke soothingly, “Easy, Bug.”

"Uncle Jake," she whimpered back.

“It’s just a storm," he placed a hand on her back. "We’re safe. Your safe.” 

She gasped out a sob, clutching Jake harder, burying her head into his chest. She dropped her hand down from the back of his neck, gripping his shirt tightly in her fist as she cried out, “Don’t let me go! Don’t let me go!”

“Not a chance,” he muttered into her hair. You pushed forward from the door, racing to the side of her bed, a hand on Jake’s back as you kneeled down next to them.

“Sadie?”

A bolt of lightning lit up her room, and you caught her shuttering at the light.  She turned her head, still buried in Jake’s collarbone, to look at you. You placed your other hand on her back. 

“It was a nightmare,” she sniffed before retreating back into Jake’s chest. 

“It’s okay to have a nightmare, Bug. We all get them.” You soothed, rubbing your hand up and down her back. Meeting Jake's eye, you could see his panic wash away, now replaced with concern that Sadie was merely scared than seriously hurt.

“Even me,” Jake offered. You were about to ask her, but Jake must have known what you were thinking when he followed up with, “Do you wanna talk about it?” 

It took her a second, but she managed to squeak out a muffled, “Everyone didn’t make it home.” 

Jake’s arms flexed just a little at her admission. It was obvious he didn’t want to let her go. Sadie didn’t want to let him go either. 

“And… then the storm,” she stuttered. “Mum…and you. It's too much."

Jake and you let her catch her breath, Sadie wiping away her tears before resuming the grip she had on his shirt. "I was alone."

Your voice was firm, even if your heart was breaking at her words, when you replied back, "There will never be a point in your life, Sadie, where you will be alone. You have my word."

Another rumble of thunder shook her window, making her whimper. Her voice was small, “I’m scared.” 

“What are you scared about?” Jake asked her softly.

“The thunder,” she cried. “The lightning. What else is up there.” 

You caught Jake’s smile from where it was hidden in her hair. “Well, I can tell you from first-hand experience that it’s nothing but clouds up there. If there were, I would have seen it by now.” 

Sadie pulled back, resting her chin on Jake's chest, peering up at him to take in his words. "Really?" She asked. Jake nodded. "I promise."

"Do you think you can manage to fall back asleep?" you asked her.

"I don't want to be alone," she managed to say before another burst of lightning filled her room, making her jolt.

“I gotcha, Bug.” Jake consoled her. “We won’t leave till you feel safe.”

Jake pressed his cheek to the top of her head, eyes closed as he held her, rocking back and forth as another rattle shook the house. Sadie shook harder with each roar, and he tried to soothe her the best he could. 

As the worst of the storm passed, although no less intense as rain pelted against the windows, Sadie fell back asleep holding on to Jake. He lifted his cheek off her, glancing down at her with so much tenderness it made you want to cry. Placing a hand on the back of her head, he carefully picked her up so as not to disturb her sleep. 

It brought you back to the nights Sadie would fall asleep on your chest as a baby or when she was only five years old, Ridley working night shifts at the hospital, and it was just the two of you. Falling asleep in the rocking chair in her room or on the couch, much like Jake was doing now, you’d carry her back to her bed, wondering how long it would be before she grew up and you couldn’t anymore. 

Gently laying her down, Jake delicately peeled her hands off his shirt, ensuring she was settled, tenderly brushing away a piece of her hair covering her face. He stepped back to allow you to pull the covers over her. After pressing a kiss to her forehead, you motioned for Jake to follow. 

Softly closing her bedroom door after Jake walked ahead of you, you pressed your back up against the wall next to her door. 

“Thank you, Jake.” 

“You don’t need to thank me for that," he said, standing opposite of you, looking down at the floor.  

“No, I do,” you couldn’t gather the words to describe just how appreciative of what Jake just did for Sadie. “I… I don’t know what we’d do without you. She adores you... I..” 

You had to stop yourself. You weren't going to admit to Jake that you liked him like this. It would be taking advantage of him, especially after that. But your mind raced, and instead, you went back to the question you wanted to ask before Sadie screamed.

You needed to know. If bringing up New Year's Eve would bring the downfall of this friendship, if setting a boundary with Jake was needed, then you'd rather rip the band-aid off now before your heart would ache further.

So standing in the middle of your hallway, just outside Sadie's door, with the rest of the daggers asleep in the house, you opened the can of worms.

“What did you want to tell me New Year’s Eve at the Hard Deck?” you asked him softly. 

Jake lifted his head, shocked. “What?” 

“When I showed you the letter, you wanted to tell me something.”

Jake shook his head, eyes cast down towards your floor, murmuring, “It’s not important.” 

You frowned at his dismissal, pushing yourself off the wall. “Jake, it must have been important to you if you wanted to tell me.” 

He turned around, raking his fingers through his hair. 

“Jake?” 

He looked to the hallway leading to your family room, pausing a few seconds before looking to your bedroom door, to Sadie’s, and then coming to rest on you. There’s a heat in his eyes, and you cannot help but feel the weight of it flushing down your body.

But you were still concerned. It wasn’t like Jake to be like this. 

“Jake?”  you tried again. This time your voice was significantly lower and a bit more concerning, hoping it would encourage him to speak. But then he licks the bottom of his lip, the little movement making your brain shortcircuit. 

There you were, standing there looking up at him, worried something was wrong. In a sleep shirt, ten times too big for you. Standing outside Sadie's bedroom door.

You. His possibility of someday.

Penny gave him a green light. Sadie told him she was okay with it. But he realized he didn't want to be searching for those commanding orders in any decision regarding you.   

A bell, a snake, his own fucking hesitancy. There would always be something preventing him from doing what he wanted. If he wanted to do it, he had to do it now.

If not now, when.

He doesn’t even lower his voice when he says, “Fuck it.”

Jake is in front of you in two strides, taking your face into his hands as he bends down without hesitancy, pressing his lips to yours. You froze, unable to move as your arms hung limply by your sides, trying to process exactly what just happened as everything around you went silent with his touch.

When you don't react, Jake releases your lips, his eyes wild and lips red as he takes in your face. And it hits you, at that moment, how desperate and turned on you were for him to give you more from that one kiss alone.

You lean up, pressing your lips back onto his. Jake wrapped an arm around your shoulders, walking forward and backing you up against the wall. 

You were in absolute disbelief, yet a small part of you wanted to shake with joy. Maybe you were shaking with joy. Or nerves. You couldn’t tell. Not with how hard Jake was pressing you into the wall. His hold on you was just that tight. His other hand slips down from where it landed on the wall, along your hip bone, before grazing the bare skin of your thigh. His callouses a stark contrast on your soft skin. 

But it’s not enough for him. He moves to grip the back of your thighs with both hands, bending down slightly to lift you up. Your legs instantly wrapped around his waist, and you let instinct take over, your arms wrapping themselves around his shoulders, hands and fingers looping around the back of his neck to weave through the roots of his hair as you keep kissing him.

You had no idea how quickly the two of you got where you were so quick, but you didn’t want it to stop. But your heart fluttering hard against your chest was telling you to stop, competing with the quiet urge deep inside you screaming for you not to ruin the moment and let yourself experience it, to take as much as Jake was willing to offer.

But you couldn’t. You were too terrified, beneath how your body responded to Jake and his touch. 

You needed him to know. You needed him to understand. 

You weren’t somebody he could fuck around with. 

With Jake releasing your mouth, you sucked in a desperate breath, “I’m not a one-night stand, Jake. I don’t sleep with people for fun.” 

The words spilled out of you before you even really knew you were saying them. The defence mechanisms that had been slowly breaking down since the night at the Hard Deck, the hike, the video chat, and the almost kiss on New Year’s Eve were crying out in some last desperate attempt to survive. This a last attempt at warning you nothing but trouble and heartache would follow should you choose to keep walking down this path. 

You were subconsciously aware of Jake’s hand travelling up your back, fingers catching the top helm of your baggy sleep shirt, pulling it down and exposing the skin of your shoulder, his nose softly tracing your cheek near the corner of your mouth.

I know you don’t,” he rasped before kissing you again. Heart soaring up your throat, you forced yourself to pull away, panting out, “You have a reputation.” 

“Do I?” He whispered against your jaw before pressing open-mouthed kisses down your neck to your collarbone before sucking on the soft skin of your shoulder. “Enlighten me.” 

“A trail of one-night stands,” you whimpered as he sucked harder, your hand going to his chest. “Quitting bartenders of broken hearts.” 

Words were hard. It took you a couple of seconds, between feeling him stroke at your skin and his mouth at your collarbone, to formulate the words you needed to explain your point. 

“Your call sign up in the girl's bathroom.”  Shit.  “It’s obvious.” 

“Is it?” He had the decency to sound like he wasn’t as affected as you were, with no wavering of breaths or stuttering responses. Even if his voice was a little bit rough, it oozed confidence. 

“It’s what I’ve been told.” 

The hallway around you was non-existent. The storm raging on was non-existent. Nothing mattered but the feeling of Jake’s body, his hands, his mouth pressing up against you. His fingers splayed across the small of your back, sliding down only to grope at the bare skin of your ass underneath your sleep shorts. 

It was too much. And not enough. 

“What happened to the clean slate?” 

“The clean slate was different - Shit,” your voice caught in your throat when he adjusted his grip, you dropping a few inches down the wall, your pelvis now flush against his. “I thought you wanted to be friends.” 

“Do friends want to do this to each other?” he smirked against your jawline. 

They certainly don’t, was the first thought in your head. Friends with benefits, maybe, but you weren’t that type of person.  You cared too much ever to let your heart get hurt like that.

So you challenged him back, “Why do you think Penny hired me back? They all left because of you.” 

“Not for what you think,” Another sharp kiss, all teeth pulling at your bottom lip, hard.

“I don’t believe you.”

“Let me prove you wrong.” 

You stilled in this hold, nails digging into his broad shoulders and your hand pushing him away as you gasped slightly at his words. Jake hesitantly pulled back to look at your face, hands pausing in their efforts.

“Jake,” you managed to say, your breath harsh as your chest heaved with effort. “Are you asking to take me out on a date?” 

You saw the gentle movement of his Adam’s apple as he swallowed before giving a terse nod.  “Just one. That’s all I’m asking, Liz.” 

You started at him in shock. “You don’t date.” 

“I would for you.” 

“And when you realize I’m not worth it? 

“Bullshit.” 

He was angry at you for saying so, back to pressing an open-mouthed kiss to your lips as if it would prove to you just how much he thought you were.

“You don’t want me,” you spoke in between kisses, Jake responding in kind by urging across your lips, “Yes, I do.” 

“No," you pulled away from his mouth, panting harshly as both your hands pushed at his chest.

“Since the first moment I met you,” he is sure in his words. “Making an ass of myself by attempting to pick you up. But I didn’t realize how much until we spoke when I was overseas.” 

“Why?” 

“Because,” he started. “You’re not the type of person someone spends the night with. You’re the person they come home to.” 

“Jake,” his name is a cry on your lips. There was no way he would see you like that. It was fucking insane. He must be fucking insane. 

You went to shake your head, Jake catching a kiss on your cheek, preventing you from following through. Then another, and another before he found the corner of your mouth. You were unable to resist the feeling, the drive to turn your head back to meet his lips. 

Jake couldn’t stop kissing you. If this were all he could get, he would take what he could while he still could. He just couldn’t understand why you thought you weren’t worth a chance. 

“You should know what you're getting into,” you said, tilting your head back to whisper against his lips. “If you want to date me.” 

“What am I getting into?” he challenged, lifting his chin up to rub his nose against yours. 

“I have little to no dating experience, Jake.”

“According to you, neither do I.” 

“I’m not like other girls.” 

“It’s why I like you.” 

“I’m off limits.” 

“Fuck them.” 

“Jake, I’m…” 

“Stop.” 

Another kiss. But this time, you let him. You let him press you harder into the wall, letting yourself gasp into his mouth, to hear him moan with you, to let him stroke up and down the back of your thigh, only to realize Jake was working his mouth down your body once more, down your neck and across your collarbone. Your hand finds a grip his hair, anticipating the path his lips might take. But instead of going back to your shoulder, Jake goes for your chest.

An open palm trailed up your stomach and over your ribs, pausing just below your breast. “Can I?” he rasped. 

“God, yes,” you managed to croak. You couldn’t help yourself. Not when this touch was making you feel this good. Jake kneaded your breast, and you mewled, your head thumping back into the wall. He used his grip to bunch up your skin, taking in a mouthful exposed by the dip of your shirt to suck. You let out a cry behind a closed mouth, Jake grunting with the noise. 

Something was building in the pit of your stomach. Was it heat? You certainly felt hot, your skin exposed, vulnerable, under Jake’s touch and mouth. And the way he was working his way around your breast, tongue travelling down your skin. His tongue shot out, creeping just at the underside of your breast, your hand shooting out to the wall, searching for a grip that wasn’t there. 

“I’m a package deal,” you gasped up towards the ceiling. Jake paused in his efforts, looking up at you before bringing his face level with yours. 

It felt cheap to throw Sadie in as the last resort. But you needed him to know, to really understand Sadie was a part of this too. Even in his arms, feeling his body pressing into yours up against the wall, your legs wrapped on either side of his waist. That if he really wanted this, he needed to know it wasn’t only you he had to consider.

You already knew what he was going to say. 

You just needed to hear him say it. 

His eyes were soft as he replied, “It’s the both of you or nothing at all.” 

“Are you sure?”

You didn’t mean to make your voice so small or shut your eyes. But even with your back-and-forth internal monologue of fuck it and no fucking way, your insecurities came out front, right and center. 

He didn’t hesitate when he replied, pressing his forehead to yours, “I wouldn’t ask if I wasn’t sure.” 

Every brick you had ever built to protect yourself from accepting you felt something more than just mere friendship with Jake crumbled at his words. 

“One date, darlin’.” He breathes out. “Give me a chance.” 

You could no longer keep lying to yourself. The last brick had fallen, and with the realization settling in your stomach, there was no possible way you would have ever kept that stupid promise to yourself. 

You wanted Jake Seresin more than you needed to breathe - in all the ways that mattered. And he wanted you too.

“Okay.” 

Jake pulled back, the hand gripping your hip proceeding to hold your jaw. The back of your head hit the wall, forcing you to open your eyes. 

“Okay?” 

He looked worried, you thought. But there was also something desperate about how his stare took you in, pinned to the wall with his body and hips. As if you possibly couldn’t be saying yes. Despite the nerves in your answer, you shakily raised your hand off the wall, fingers threading themselves through his hair once more. 

“Okay,” you affirmed, nodding once. “One date.”  

Relief. That was the look on Jake’s face as he took in your words. He closed his eyes, body sagging into you as his face found a home in the crook of your neck. 

The two of you stayed like that for a while, your legs still tight on his waist, his hand holding you in place as his breath warmed the phantom sensations from the number he did to your neck. You’d have to escape to the bathroom to hide the evidence before anyone woke up. 

And as you stroked your fingers up and down the back of his neck, all Jake wanted to do was take in the feeling of you in his arms. Your softness, your warmth, the smell of your bath soap. The pressures of maybe, what ifs and his inevitable ability to fuck things up abated for now.

You had said yes.

The realization led him to press small, gentle kisses to your collarbone. They were feather-light touches across your skin that made you press a kiss to his temple in contentment. 

“I don’t put out on the first date.” 

“Either do I,” a muffled reply against your skin. 

You chuckled, fingers messing through his hair. “Liar.” 

“Not with you,” feeling him speak against your jaw, a vibration just barely thrumming in your ear. “I want to take this slow.” 

You couldn’t help the smile. “You call this slow?” 

Jake bit down on your neck, a sensitive spot that made a shriek escape your lips and throw your head to the side. Your breath hitched at the feeling of his tongue soothing the sharp sting. 

“For now,” his voice was rough. “Just let me keep kissing you. Before somebody wakes up or something stops me for god damn fourth time.” 

Maybe it was the fire burning through your veins encouraging this bout of sudden confidence. You usually weren’t this forward. But the words spilled from your lips before you really knew what you had said. 

“The last time was your fault. You should have aimed for my lips.” 

Jake canted his hips, the arm wrapped around the back of your waist to pull you down hard. There was no mistaking the deliberate press of his hips or the meaning behind it when he squeezed your hip. The feeling of him hard, through the layer of his pants, caused a mix of a whine and a gasp of surprise to escape your lips. 

Jake covered your mouth with his in an attempt to silence you; his voice honeyed against your mouth as he asked, “Did I aim right this time?” 

It was a miracle the Daggers currently in your house weren’t light sleepers. If the low rumbles of thunder and cracks of lightning outside your house hadn’t woken them up now, your voice as Jake continued to work his mouth over your body surely wouldn’t.  

Jake here, pressing you up and next to Sadie’s bedroom door, would not go over well.

You just hoped Sadie was still asleep on the other side of the wall.

So... no more pitchforks? 😂 Right?🫣

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Part 10: Let's Dance coming soon.

Wickett ;)

[theheroand]

Adrift in the Harbor

Claramay finds Ganyu at her most vulnerable.

Word count: 702

Tagging @kayakoto-enterprises and @serenadeofsunshine because they asked to be tagged in my writing :)

Claramay opened their eyes to find themselves alone in their bed. The other side of the mattress was cool to the touch, implying that they had been alone in their bed for quite some time. They gingerly stood up, the silken sheets rustling under their movement, and looked towards the balcony on the side of the room. They saw a figure there, bathed in the gentle light of the moon, resting against the rail of the terrace. They took a step towards the silhouette.

"Ganyu," their words left their mouth tentatively, "are you... okay?"

Their partner turned toward them, her cornflower blue hair flowing in the nighttime breeze. A lacy white nightgown draped across her elegant figure.

"What are you doing up so late?" She asked, as if she herself wasn't wide awake in the middle of the night.

"I could ask you the same question," they replied with a touch of humor, but concern seeped into their words.

"I was having a difficult time sleeping," she answered matter-of-factly. She turned back to face the outside, looking up at the crescent moon, and Claramay took a few steps forward to look at her closer. "The moonlight is an excellent place to think."

They joined her in her spot, leaning against the guardrail next to her. Her eyes almost seemed to glow in the dim setting, the violet and peach-pink hues sparkling with the light of the stars. And yet, there was something... else, that they could see on her face. Something distinctly familiar.

"You're homesick," they blurted out, "aren't you?" The two of them looked at each other for a moment, as if they were trying to figure out what was just said.

"I..."

"I'm so sorry, Ganyu," they interrupted, "I didn't mean to... I shouldn't have said that." She rested her fingertips delicately on the back of their knuckles. Her touch was ever so slightly warm.

"No, it was a rather astute observation." She smiled slightly, looking up at them. "To be quite honest... I haven't felt this strangely in a long time."

"About Jueyun Karst?"

She looked at them with a pained gaze for a moment, before the look in her eyes softened again.

"Among other things," she finally replied, looking down at the view below the balcony. "In truth, I am not sure if I've really ever had a home."

"Ganyu..."

"In Jueyun Karst," she continued, "there are very few means for company there. Being only half adeptus, I've never fully grown accustomed to the solitude."

"Is that why you came to Liyue Harbor?" Their hand clasped at the neckline of their shirt, wanting to reach out to her and comfort her but unsure how.

"Yes, and yet... I still do not belong. These people, they've lived here all their lives. They've been able to put down roots. And yet, I, who have been here since this region's infancy, still feel like an outsider. In neither companionship nor isolation do I feel welcomed."

There is silence, for a moment, only the sounds of the autumn breeze permeating the air.

"I'm sure it's not the same," Claramay admitted softly, "but I understand a bit of how you feel." She looked up at them, their eyes catching each other and this time, not averting. "Growing up in Mondstadt, with my family, was difficult. It never really felt like I was a part of it. That's one of the reasons I began traveling so much. I was looking for something I've... never quite had."

"Did you find it?" Ganyu asked, in an uncharacteristically tentative voice.

"I think so." They stepped a bit closer to her, and held out their hands. She placed her own gingerly in theirs. "In many ways, we are different. But there's one thing that I know, Ganyu. I know that I love you. And I would like to be your home, if you'd let me."

They watched as tears welled up in her eyes. Without a word, she lunged into them, arms tightly wrapped around their shoulders, face buried in their chest. They held her tight as her body trembled. They had never seen her cry before. "It's okay," they murmured, stroking her hair, "it's alright. You're home."