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the-case-book-of-fanfiction · 11 months ago

Text

Burns Like Rum

Ship: Astarion x female!human!reader/Tav

Summary: Astarion's hunger worsens every day and you don't have any blood to spare—but that doesn't stop you from inadvertently tempting him at every turn. Luckily for both of you, you've both got the same idea to cure him of his hunger.

Word Count: 7,840 words

Warnings: sexual content (18+), menstruating reader, hungry Astarion, mutual pining, possibly OOC dialogue, vampire feeding, soft Astarion, no particular timeline but Astarion hasn't told you anything yet

18+ Warnings: period sex, fingering, oral (f receiving), hand job, bite kink, blood kink, aftercare, use of the words cunt & cock

Note: For my usual readers, more Stranger Things content is coming, I promise! But this bitey boy currently owns my heart so I'm gonna show him some love :)

☟ Continue below the fold ☟

Astarion was hungry, and it was entirely your fault, for more than one reason.

The first was that, almost a month ago now, you had let Astarion drink from you. He'd been starving, and it didn't help that the others had given him strict rules about feeding, so when he flashed those sad but gorgeous red eyes at you, complaining of hunger, you'd all but gifted him your neck.

He'd practically drained you that night. You had been weak for days. Of course, the others, namely Gale and Lae'zel, were furious with you for letting him drink from you, but the sated, content look on his face after feeding made it all worth it to you. He'd become more comfortable around you after that, too, and you'd considered that an improvement.

It hadn't been all that bad, really, for him to sink his teeth into you and drink until your grip on him had grown so weak that he'd let up to check on you. In fact, it had been...rather pleasant. He'd been gentle, careful, his bite sharp but considerate. You knew then that you'd risk becoming anemic for a week just to feel the pleasure of his hand cradling your neck and head, his mouth against your neck, his tongue soothing the bite he'd left when he'd had his fill.

But in the weeks that followed, his hunger gradually returned, and with a vengeance. It was as if he'd never fed from you at all, suffering hunger pangs he hid from the others—but you noticed, recognizing them from the night he'd begged you to let him drink from you.

You'd offered him more of your blood since then, but he'd refused you every time. He could smell your guilt, your need to make him feel better simply because you felt responsible for his current pain.

"I won't accept blood from someone who feels obligated to give it to me," he'd said, and his tone made it difficult to tell if he was being snide or kind.

Sometimes, you simply didn't understand that man.

And then three days ago, you'd been injured in a fight. It was nothing fatal, the gash in your midsection missing any major muscles and not deep enough to jeopardize your organs, but it was bloody. You'd limped your way back to camp, your head swimming, the world around you growing darker around the edges with every step.

You'd fainted in Astarion's arms—although collapsed was a better word for it, according to Karlach—drenched in blood, some of which was yours and some of which that wasn't.

"You should have seen his face!" Karlach had laughed when you'd woken up the next morning, woozy but fine thanks to Shadowheart. The blood loss kept you off your feet for the day to recover, and Karlach had taken the time to visit you.

"What do you mean?" you asked, although you already had a good idea what might have happened after you passed out.

"You put him in a right pickle, collapsing on him like that, all covered in blood and losing more of it quickly," she said. "He didn't know what to do with you. It was— It was like he didn't want to drop you, but he really did want to drop you, because all he wanted to do was drink from you. Can't say as I blame him—he's not fed in weeks and you turn up with his next meal draining out of you." You hid your face in your hands with a groan. "Why'd you beeline for him anyway? Shadowheart's tent was just a few paces away!"

You glared at her through your fingers. "You know why I went to him, Karlach!" She, of all people, would understand. She had been the first person to find out that, as much as you flirted with them all, Astarion was the one you wanted.

"Well, obviously," she said, "but it didn't occur to you that he might...have an adverse reaction?"

Rolling your eyes, you snarked, "No, Karlach, it didn't, I was bleeding out and suffering from head trauma. I just...saw someone I trusted to keep me safe and ran to him."

She cocked her head to the side. "That's sweet, but stupid."

You snorted. "Yeah, I know—Shadowheart won't stop yelling at me for it."

You hadn't seen Astarion until that night, when the group of you had gathered at the campfire. It hadn't meant to be like that; you'd seen him and had wanted to talk to him, at least apologize for throwing your bloody body at him, but Shadowheart followed you closely to keep you safe and soon the others had gathered.

It had been like a very strange family dinner, made awkward by everyone dancing around exactly why you'd gone to Astarion, knowing a hungry vampire and fresh blood were not a good mix.

The final reason you were making his hunger unbearable made itself known at the end of the night, when it was just you, Astarion, and Shadowheart at the dying fire.

She must have caught sight of the way you kept looking at Astarion out of the corner of your eye, embarrassedly looking away or pretending to gaze into the trees behind him every time he caught you looking. She tapped your shoulder and told you she needed to get rest. The "you should, too" was implied, hanging in the air along with her worry about your healing.

"I'm fine, Shadowheart, really," you insisted. "I won't rip myself open again, I promise."

"I'll keep an eye on her," Astarion promised. "Nothing too...strenuous for her just yet." Something in his voice made you shiver.

She left the two of you alone. You looked first at the fire, then down at your hands, folded in your lap. Anywhere than at him.

You didn't even hear him move. You only knew he had when you felt him sit on the log beside you, one of his hands covering your own.

"Are you alright?" he asked, his voice soft. "I...am sorry I didn't visit you, it's just—"

"It's just that I threw myself at you when it looked like I'd taken a shower in blood and that made things a wee bit difficult?" you interrupted, the words spilling out before you had time to process that you were speaking. Embarrassed heat flushed through you instantly.

But Astarion only gave you that soft, slightly toothy smile. You drank it in, relishing his smile lines and the brief contentment on his face. "Something like that, yes," he said. "I was...worried I might hurt you if I saw you again and you still smelled so deliciously of your blood. I'm so hungry, darling, it's unbearable. All I wanted was to feast until there was nothing left of you, and I'd never forgive myself if I—"

"Stop." You held up your hand. "Please. I don't... Don't be so nice to me, it makes me feel like I'm on my deathbed."

Astarion laughed, throwing his head back. "I'd hardly call wanting to drain you nice, my love." Almost unconsciously, your gaze dipped to his exposed neck and you wondered idly what he would do if you were to bite him back.

Probably the strenuous activity Astarion had promised Shadowheart you wouldn't be doing.

He met your gaze, a sudden depth and seriousness in his crimson stare. "Stick with me, and you might soon be on your deathbed." Pointedly, he broke eye contact with you, letting his eyes drop first to your neck and then further down your body. You tingled, the feeling reminiscent of the anemia that had possessed your body in the hours and days after he'd drank from you.

You realized Astarion was waiting for a reaction from you, hoping for something more than your stunned silence. So you let your eyes drift across his body, resting on his mouth as you said, "Doesn't sound like a bad way to go out."

From the back of his throat came a sound that wasn't quite a growl or a groan, but somewhere in between, just as needy as either sound. "Don't tempt me, darling," he whispered. "I promised Shadowheart I'd keep you safe, and you certainly wouldn't be if I did everything I want."

Your heart skipped a beat. "Astarion..."

He closed his eyes, leaning toward you, releasing a tense breath. "Darling..."

"What if I want to tempt you?" You put your hand on his leg, sliding closer to him.

"Cheeky thing," he said, eyes opening in small slits. "But only when you're healed. I can still smell the blood on you." He sighed. "You have no idea how much restraint it takes not sink my teeth into that pretty neck of yours."

You frowned. "But I am healed," you said. "Just tender. Shadowheart wouldn't have let me leave her tent otherwise."

"I can't blame you for wanting me," Astarion teased, that familiar charm honeying his words, "but I've never been wrong." He cupped your cheek, his touch taking the bite out of his words. He offered you a small, sympathetic smile.

You put your hand to your abdomen, half-expecting to find that your wound had ripped open of its own accord. Your shirt and the bandage beneath it was dry—but a sudden twinge of pain, appearing only once it had been acknowledged, came from lower. You hissed.

Astarion sat up straighter. "What is it? Are you alright?"

"Shit. I think I've figured out why you still smell blood," you said through clenched teeth.

Astarion's eyes dipped to where your hand rested. "It's that time again already, is it?"

"It's early," you groaned. You stood slowly, regretting it instantly.

He tracked you as you moved, his gaze becoming dangerous and predatory. It was the look that had scared you when he drank from you, practically convincing you he wasn't going to stop. Still, his need for you burned through you like rum, its heat spreading through your belly.

"I didn't smell it before, not under all the blood you had on you," he said. His voice was deep, dark, dangerous. "But, oh, darling—I smell it now." He licked his lips and your stomach did flips that were neither pleasant or unpleasant. The hunger in his eyes was palpable

"I, ah, have to go. For your sake and mine. Um. So, uh, goodnight, Astarion. I...I'll see you when this is all over."

He stood up quickly. "Darling, do you need—" He cut himself off as you waved away his concern, crossing the camp to your own tent.

"No! Goodnight!" you called over your shoulder.

Astarion sighed. "...Night."

~❊~

You avoided Astarion like the plague. Well, perhaps not, because while you never wanted to see the disease, you were always on the lookout for your favorite vampire.

You caught glimpses of him through the open flaps of your tent, sauntering by with a swagger you found unfairly attractive. You saw him reading on his own when Shadowheart helped you changed your bandages, his handsome face fixed in concentration. A few hours later, you heard him arguing with Gale about the very same book, which had apparently gone missing, and you hated the flutter in your stomach at the growl in his angry voice.

"Stop that," Karlach said, glancing up at you as the pair of you cooked, Karlach helping you roast root vegetables evenly.

"Stop what?"

"Mooning over him," she said, jerking her head in Astarion's direction.

Your body flushed with heat. "I'm not—"

"You are, and we can all tell, and you should just get it over with, but only if you mean it."

You frowned, tearing your eyes away from the blessed sight that was Astarion basking in the sun. "Sorry, what?"

Karlach sighed. "If you sleep with him—" You spluttered. "—it had better be because you truly want him and not because you're bleeding."

You blinked at her. "Karlach, of course I want him, you've heard me talk about him before this!"

"I know, I know," she relented, "but I have a feeling there's more to our vampire than meets the eye." She glanced over at Astarion. "Just...be kind to him, dear. He's more fragile than he looks."

You followed her gaze over to him. He was stretching, his arms lifted high above his head, undoubtedly oblivious to the two of you watching him. Want and need bubbled up inside of you, both clamoring for Astarion, agreeing that he would fulfill them both. The deep-seated lust you'd had for him since he'd first put a knife to your neck burned even brighter as the breeze that had been kicking up dust all morning played with the silver hair curling around his ears.

His nostrils flared and you knew he'd smelled you. He looked over at you and Karlach and you froze. She waved cheerily, then frowned at you when you didn't move. You swallowed harshly and went back to removing the scales from the fish in your lap.

"He doesn't like not being around you either, you know," Karlach said, returning to the task at hand. "He's always looking at you when you're not looking. You're perfect for each other like that."

"I don't want to make this harder for him by being around him," you said, glancing back over at him. He was watching you as he poured himself a glass of wine. Had it been normal circumstances, when you weren't driving him insane simply by smelling like blood, you would have teased him for day-drinking. "He's already so hungry, I'd only make that worse. It was bad enough I threw myself at him covered in his favorite snack!"

Karlach snorted. The sound of a light laugh floated over to you and you looked up to find Astarion smirking into his goblet. He beckoned you over and your eyes grew wide.

"Excuse me for a moment, Karlach," you said, clearing your throat.

Karlach followed your gaze and giggled. "More than a moment, dear. I'll come back later to help you finish this." She left the log you'd been sharing and you waited until she was in her own tent again before you jumped to your feet and practically ran to Astarion.

"Hello, darling," he purred. "Care for a drink?"

"I could go for a little," you said.

Astarion smiled, that rakish charm summoning warmth that spread through your entire body. "I hope you like red," he said, and put his own goblet to your lips.

You held his gaze as you drank. You saw his nostrils flare, his pupils growing large. You knew he could hear how your heart was racing, could smell your arousal mixing with your blood.

He pulled the goblet away from your lips and took another swig. You licked the red wine off your lower lip and heard the breath catch in his chest.

"You're starving, aren't you?"

"You have no idea," he whispered.

"I might," you said. "Thought I'd say it's a hunger of a different kind."

Astarion's smirk was so wide you could see his fangs clearly. "Oh, really, darling?"

You nodded, taking a step closer to him. He breathed in deeply. "We could help each other, you know. Satiate our hungers."

His eyes grew dark, trained on yours. "Is that so?" He raised his hand, nearly brushing your cheek, but stopped himself just before he touched you. "You'd let me soothe your pain by..." His gaze dropped to your waistline. "...eating from you?"

A tremor passed through you at the sound of his voice, deeper than you'd ever heard it, laced with a danger and a seduction you were embarrassed to find attractive. Your body was tuned to it, his words seeming to drop like a stone from your ears to your core, spreading fire through your veins and melting your organs.

Astarion took a small step closer to you and took your chin in three gentle fingers, tilting your head up toward him. For a moment, you thought he might kiss you then and there. "I'm going to need an answer, darling."

"Yes." You couldn't get the word out fast enough. It came out breathy, nearly lost on the wind still swirling between you.

He chuckled. "Well, then. You asked for it." He dropped the hand on your chin back to his side. "Once everyone else is asleep, come find me. We'll find a quiet place and...have a little fun."

~❊~

Of all the nights, it had to be this one where everyone came to check on you before they went to sleep. Thanks to Astarion avoiding you like the plague when the two of you had become inseparable, your monthly bleed had become public knowledge. So practically everyone in camp came to you with solutions you declined, claiming to feel fine, even though your pain had worsened over the course of the day.

You watched Astarion slink off into the forest after the sun had gone down and waited until the others were sequestered in their tents, nearly an hour later, to pull your boots back on, stand on shaky feet, and follow the path you assumed he'd taken.

You had started to believe you'd taken a wrong turn somewhere when you heard his cool voice from behind you: "There you are. I've been waiting."

Astarion stepped out of the shadows. He ran his gaze over you, observing your slightly hunched stance, your hand on your lower abdomen. Your shoulders relaxed at the sight of him; he looked softer in the moonlight. The silver light fell across his curls and the statuesque panes of his face, somehow making that face that was so gaunt with hunger unbelievably beautiful.

He looked like a poet or a god, even in just the simple shirt he insisted on wearing around camp instead of the finer silks you knew he carried with him. Or perhaps it was the simplicity that made him so godly. You couldn't tell.

A frown graced his brow. "The pain is worse now, isn't it?"

You nodded. "Just a bit."

Astarion left the small hill he stood on and came closer to you. He offered you his hand. "Come on, dear, let me make you feel better."

You let him guide you away from the path you had taken and into a small clearing just a few feet away, conveniently hidden by thickets, trees, and tall grass. He stood aside, letting you take it in for a moment, as if waiting for your approval of the place. You looked down at the mossy ground and decided it would be soft enough.

"Well, this is nice," you said, seconds before you heard fabric rustling. You turned and blinked rapidly at what you saw: Astarion, his shirt now off and in his hands. You watched him lay it down where the ground was most level. Your breath caught horribly in your throat at the sight of the scar covering his back. You fought back the urge to ask, knowing it would only piss him off.

He turned back to you with a smile. "Your bed for the evening, my love," he said, gesturing to it.

"Oh, Astarion, I can't, I don't want to get blood on your shirt. What would the others—"

Astarion cupped your face in one hand. "The others will assume I hunted something and got messy," he said. "And I'll enjoy your scent while I have it."

Flutters in your stomach nearly brought you to your knees. You looked up at him, drawing in a tiny breath, and brought your hand up to hold the wrist that cradled your cheek.

"Please," you whispered, unsure of exactly what you were begging for but knowing what you wanted.

"Promise me you'll tell me if...I'm too much," Astarion said, and you got the sense he'd changed what he was going to say.

You nodded, whispering your promise, and wound your free hand into the hair at the nape of his neck, standing on your tiptoes to push your lips to his.

It was a messy first kiss. It was little more than teeth and spit, but it felt like heaven anyway, because his free arm was winding around your waist and pressing your bodies together, his leg sliding between yours. Bliss spread through you, starting at your core.

Astarion pulled away from you. "Someone's eager, isn't she?"

You whimpered and he stifled it with another kiss, softer than the first. He was gentle, more than you'd expected from a starving man. He cupped the back of your head and your hand dropped to his hip. You opened your mouth to him and reveled in the feeling of his tongue sliding against yours. He made a soft sound of satisfaction and pushed his leg up against your clothed core. You moaned loudly, your grip on him tightening. Need flooded you and your hips pushed down on his leg, finding relief in the pressure.

The two of you pressed your foreheads together, breathing heavily.

"Shh, darling, not too loud. You don't want the others to come investigate, do you?" His cheeky tone suggested he would love it if the others found the two of you like this—or, perhaps, further along.

You wrapped both arms around his neck and buried your head into his shoulder, heat burning through you, a mix of embarrassment and pleasure. You felt like there was a pendulum inside you, swinging constantly between wanting to slow down, afraid of coming off as too eager, and desperately needing him to get to it.

Astarion chuckled. "Don't hide, love." He smoothed his hand over your hair. "You do trust me, don't you?"

You kissed his shoulder and heard his breath catch. "With my life, Astarion."

"Are you ready?"

You nodded and he walked you over to his shirt and helped you to sit on it. He watched you lay down, his gaze falling your exposed neck. There was something more than hunger in his eyes; it made your breathing hitch.

Astarion crawled over you and placed his hand underneath your head before he kissed you. You draped your arm over his shoulders, holding him close to you, enjoying the soft touch of his lips against yours. It was chaste, as were the next few that followed it in quick succession, one after the other.

One hand slid down your body and stopped at the hem of your trousers. He tugged at the shirt tucked into them. "Darling? May I?"

"Please do," you said.

"Arms up."

He pulled the fabric over your head and tossed it to the side. He looked down at your torso from where he straddled your hips. His hands skimmed over you and he leaned down, pressing more gentle kisses to your neck and collarbones. Your body tingled with remembrance, practically yearning to feel his fangs sink into your neck, to feel your blood leave you with a burning that felt like intoxication.

"Astarion." His name was a breathy cry on your lips, and you saw how much he liked the sound of it when he looked up at you, a smile curving onto the lips still pressed to your skin.

"Yes, dear?"

You gently coaxed him back up to you with your hand on his chin. "Let me kiss you."

He smiled, brighter than the moonlight falling around you, and you pressed your mouth to his. He hummed happily into your mouth, a pleasant sensation that made you reluctant to break the kiss. But you did, kissing along his jaw and down his neck instead. You nipped gently at his neck, pulling a surprised laugh from him.

"Really, darling? Biting the vampire?" Astarion's eyes were sparkling with amusement. His face had relaxed into an easy smile. It was a good look on him; you liked it.

You giggled and placed another kiss over the bite. The pair of you rolled onto your sides and you peppered his chest with kisses, your arm wrapped loosely around his waist. You went back up to his neck and sucked lightly.

"So much for the others not knowing," he teased.

You looked at him through your lashes. "What if I want them to know?"

"Cheeky little thing," he whispered, dragging a finger down the side of your face. "As much as I love this—and believe me, I do love this—I can't wait any longer. I'm starving, darling. Let me taste you. Please."

Slightly subdued, you rolled onto your back. "Alright," you whispered, your chest tightening in anticipation.

Astarion climbed on top of you again. He undid the laces at the front of your trousers and slipped his hand inside them, moving slowly and keeping his eyes locked on yours.

The moment two of his fingers slid between your wet folds, your eyes fluttered shut and a happy sigh slipped from your lips.

"There she is," he whispered, his eyes half-lidded, as he worked you gently and slowly. You felt the blood and arousal gather on his fingers as he grew closer to your entrance. He dragged them back up to your clit and rubbed in a slow circle. You gasped, arching into his touch. Astarion giggled. "Oh, you like that, don't you?"

You wriggled underneath him, trying everything in your power to get more of his touch. He smiled down at you, kissing your cheek and cooing softly at you. If he spoke words, you didn't hear them, too lost in the pleasure he easily, skillfully, brought to you.

Without warning, Astarion plunged both fingers into your entrance. You moaned, grabbing at his hair. He chuckled, curling his fingers inside you. Whimpers slipped past your lips; you couldn't have controlled them if you tried, but you were by no means trying. His smile grew with every sound you made, and you wanted nothing more than to see that smile.

Just as suddenly as he'd pushed his fingers in, he pulled them out. You whined instantly but he shushed you and removed his hand from your pants. A small streak of blood was left on the skin of your stomach as he raised his hand to his mouth. You watched raptly as he licked your blood from his fingers, never once breaking eye contact with you.

He wasn't even touching you and the fire in your belly grew at the sight.

Astarion moaned softly around his fingers. You watched his deft tongue catch every drop of blood, thinned by your arousal, from his hand. He whispered your name in a whine and you let go of a long breath.

Once he'd licked his fingers clean, he bent down and yanked your trousers off your legs. You spread them automatically and he put one leg between them. He pulled off your undergarments and sat back, admiring your naked body with a satisfied smirk.

"Look at you," he whispered.

The need for him to touch you won out over the desire for him to keep staring at you. "Astarion." His name was a loud whine, emphasized by your writhing hips.

He chucked. "Needy girl." His hand returned to your cunt, his palm applying pressure to your clit while his fingers toyed with your bloody folds. His eyes practically rolled into the back of his head, the smell of blood so heady even you could smell it.

He teased your entrance for a moment and pulled his fingers back up, the tips of them coated in thick blood that looked black in the night. He sucked it from his fingers with a toothy smile, his fangs peeking out over his bottom lip.

You pushed your hips up enough to catch his eye. "Please," you whimpered.

"Alright, love, alright," he said. He put his hand back and slipped his fingers back inside you. Relief curled through you—as did his fingers. "I'll starve myself a bit longer for your pleasure."

You cupped his neck and brought his face to yours and kissed him fiercely. He made a surprised but pleased sound into your mouth and quickened his pace. You gasped against his lips and he ducked his head to your neck, kissing you quickly with every curl of his fingers.

You twisted your fingers through his hair, rapidly kissing the top of his head, pushing your hips up into his hand. He chuckled, his breath ghosting over your skin and raising goosebumps. You shuddered in his arms.

"I've got you," he murmured, sucking a light mark into your neck. You felt his teeth prick you and saw the shudder that passed through his body at the tiny droplets of blood that appeared.

He pulled away from your neck and curled his fingers just so. You groaned.

"Astarion!" you cried, throwing your head back.

He grinned and quickened his pace. You sucked in a deep breath, fighting back tears of pleasure.

"Let go, darling," he whispered. "I've got you."

Astarion looked back down at your neck. He locked eyes with you as he pressed his tongue to your skin, slowly licking up the droplets as they began to run down your neck. The combination of his intense stare and the movement of his fingers was all you needed; with a loud cry, you came on his fingers, your walls clenching so hard around him he could hardly keep moving them.

He chuckled. "That's it, dear, that's it." He cooed softly, helping you through it with his voice, his soft touch, and gentle kisses to your lips.

You were breathing hard when he finally pulled his fingers out of you. You whimpered at the slight pain but realized your cramps had all but disappeared.

Judging by the state of his hand, you didn't want to know how bloody his shirt was. It looked as though he'd reached into someone's chest and ripped their heart out; his hand was drenched and rivulets of blood ran all the way down to his elbow.

Astarion giggled at the sight while you burned with embarrassment. "Well, well, well. Someone's happy, isn't she?"

"So are you," you said, nodding to the bulge in his pants.

He grinned. "Well, what did you expect? You were quite vocal, my needy little thing." His eyes drifted back down to your cunt, lust curling through his gaze. "Tight and wet and utterly desperate for me."

He licked a stripe up his hand, his eyes fluttering shut. "Oh, darling, you taste good." He sucked your blood off of every finger, pleasure sliding over his face.

You smiled. "There's more where that came from."

Astarion raised one perfect brow. "Can you handle another little death?" he teased.

You nodded. "I can take a few more."

He chuckled and groaned at the same time. "Oh, my love, don't make promises you can't keep."

You met his gaze as he finished cleaning off his hand. "Believe me, I can keep it."

The vampire grinned. "Very well, then. I'll eat good tonight."

He kissed you chastely as he put his hand between your legs again.

Astarion brought you pleasure unlike anything you'd ever felt before as his fingers slid over your blood-slick skin, teasing your folds and entrance with a smirk, often just barely inserting the tip of his finger before pulling it out again and tracing over your clit and smearing blood across your skin. He kissed and sucked on your breasts, leaving darkening bruises and tiny scratches from his teeth, licking up the tiny beads of blood that sprung from each nick. He kissed along the line of scarring and stitches you had gotten from your injury, fading fast but still a reminder of what had gotten you on your back for him in the first place. Now that he'd eaten a little, he was intently focused on bringing you to the edge and pulling you back, again and again and again.

He worked another orgasm out of you and was on his way to coaxing out the third when you stopped him.

"Is it too much?" he asked, frowning. His unbloodied hand moved to rest on your hip, his thumb smoothing over your skin. His eyes searched your face, looking for anything to tell him why you'd stopped him.

You shook your head. "I need more, Astarion," you gasped, slurring his name into Astari. The unintended nickname made him blush. "I need more of you. Please. Please."

The smile returned to his face, cockier than before. "Oh, darling. I need more of you, too," he said, looking into your cunt and licking his lips. "I could just eat you up."

You spread your legs wider. He settled between them. "Please do."

He breathed in deep and his eyes practically rolled back into his head. "You're going to be the death of me— Ah. Well, you would be, if I was alive."

You frowned. "Would this even be happening if you were alive?"

Astarion thought for a moment. "Let's not think about the logistics," he decided and licked the drying blood from his fingers off your abdomen. Your body trembled. He lifted your legs over his shoulders. You squeaked and smiled at him.

"Lay back," he whispered. You obliged him.

Wet warmth touched your skin just above your clit and you glanced down at him, watching him slowly lick the drying blood from your skin. He kissed your skin as he cleaned it, leaving you covered in slowly darkening bruises.

You stared at the stars as he pressed a soft first kiss to your clit. You let out a slow breath and he began to suck, his lips closing around it, his tongue licking light stripes.

You pushed your hips against his mouth. "Circles," you whispered.

"As you wish," he said, his breath fanning over your cunt and making you tremble. He went back to his feast, licking in circles this time, and you let out a soft whimper. You reached down and he reached up, lacing your fingers together and squeezing your hand. You squeezed back.

He moved further down until his nose bumped your clit and his lips found your entrance. He moaned, the sound deep and guttural, at the taste of your blood. He lapped at your entrance, his tongue sweeping up the blood as soon as it collected there. You shuddered, your breaths coming in heaves.

Astarion kissed your entrance once before he dove in, pushing his tongue into your cunt. You gasped and he laughed and buried his face in you.

Through the pleasure, you wondered dimly how he was breathing (did he, as a vampire, need to breathe?), but the thought was pushed away the moment his splayed fingers on your hip dug into your flesh and pulled you even closer to his mouth.

The sounds you were making were obscene: your moans were loud and coarse, and your cunt squelched lewdly as he drank your blood and arousal. You felt filthy, aware that the mix was running down your legs and buttocks but knowing the vampire eating you out was enjoying you too much to care.

Astarion himself was quite vocal, moaning into you and making you shiver. He whimpered, whined, groaned, and keened, growing louder with every swallow of blood. He alternated between watching you writhe and squeezing his eyes shut in pleasure.

You watched his hand slide from your hip to his bulge. He palmed himself through his trousers, hissing in pleasure, and the sight was enough to send you over the edge for a third time.

But Astarion didn't let up. He lapped at you, sucking so harshly your pleasure bordered pain, until your legs stopped shaking and your breathing evened out.

He lifted his head with a grin. "How do I look?"

You looked at him and started laughing. He was the smiliest you had ever seen him, his eyes practically glowing, and the lower half of his face was covered in your blood. His teeth were stained red and sticky blood dripped slowly from his fangs. It ran down his chin in rivulets and splatters dotted his lower cheeks like freckles. Some of it was even in his hair.

"You're ridiculous," you giggled. "And a messy eater."

He snorted. "Excuse you!"

"It's all over your face!"

He sat up with a grin, licking his lips. "You mean you are all over my face."

Satisfaction curled through you. "Yes," you said, reaching for him. He took your hand again. "Yes I am."

He wiped his face with his hand and licked it clean once again. You reached up and wiped some off on your thumb, then held it out to him. He took your thumb into his mouth and sucked. Your heart stopped beating.

"Feeling better?" he asked you, lightly placing his palm over your abdomen, applying a little pressure, and rubbing gentle circles.

"Much better," you said. "Thank you. But, ah..." Your gaze drifted from his beautiful, if slightly pink, face and down to his bulge. It was just as, if not more, prominent now that he'd gone down on you. "What about you?"

Astarion smirked. "I like your enthusiasm, but don't worry about me. Not tonight, darling."

You frowned. "Why not? What if I want you inside of me?" You walked two fingers up his leg and slowly covered his crotch with your palm. When he didn't protest and his eyes fluttered shut, you gave him a gentle squeeze. He let out a soft moan through closed lips and tilted his head back. You kissed the column of his neck and bit down gently. You sucked—hard—and a rumbling moan came from his chest.

"Because," he said finally, drawing in a ragged breath. "Because that would be a terrible waste of your precious blood." He looked at you with half-lidded eyes. "When this is over, I promise you, you can have as much of me as you want." He pushed his hips into your hand and you gave him another gentle squeeze. He gasped.

You nuzzled into him and his arm wrapped around your shoulders, holding you there. "And what if I want all of you?"

The question hung in the air. He looked at you for a long time and suddenly you saw the fragility Karlach had mentioned this afternoon, which felt like years ago instead of mere hours. You reached up to cup his cheek and, though you were stark naked, the sexual desire in the air seemed to have disappeared.

"I want all of you, Astari," you whispered. The nickname made his eyes grow wide. "All of you, in every way, for as long as possible. If you'll let me. If you want me, too."

He whimpered, and the sound was broken. You hated hearing that pain coming from him. "I want you, I do, I just..." He closed his eyes and you were suddenly very sure there was a darkness, a secret, he was trying to hide from you. You were certain it had to do with his vampiric master he'd so often complained about. "I'll try, my darling, I'll try for you."

You sat up on your knees and cupped his face in both hands and kissed him. You didn't break the kiss once as you pressed your body against his and held him tightly. You felt the scar on his back and wanted to ask but didn't, letting him keep his secrets for now.

His arms came around you, cradling your back and holding you tight to him. The kiss became a long-lasting hug, the both of you burying your heads in each other's shoulders until Astarion pulled away from you, a smile on his face. You returned that smile and sat back on your heels.

His eyes trailed over your body again. There was a note of nervousness in his voice as he asked, "Darling, would you mind...touching me again? I could use some relief."

You grinned. "Of course, my love. All you had to do was ask."

Relief crossed his face. He leaned back as you trailed your hand from his shoulder, down his chest, and back to his bulge. You tipped his head back with your free hand and kissed his neck while you rubbed him. He pushed his hips into your hand, sighing blissfully, and your hand was in his trousers in seconds. He grew loud, thrusting his cock into your hand with a power that surprised you.

"Take what you need," you told him, your voice hushed, your lips directly next to his ear. "Help me give you what you want."

He whimpered, your name a broken cry from his lips, and he cuddled into you as he came. He buried his head into your neck, hiding his eyes and barely holding back grunts. As his thrusts grew weaker and you slowed your hand on him, you felt hot tears on your neck and wondered what this poor man had been through that he hadn't yet told you.

You removed your hand from his pants and he immediately wrapped you in another hug, one strong enough to knock you down and knock the breath of you. You held him as tightly as he held you.

When Astarion at last pulled away from you, his tears had stopped but his eyes still shone with them. He kissed you softly.

"Thank you," he whispered. "I... Thank you."

You brushed some of his hair from his face. "What's wrong?"

He shook his head. "Nothing. You were... It's just that no one has cared about me during sex in a very long time and...you did. So...thank you."

You took his hand and squeezed it. "Oh, Astarion," you cooed. "I always care about you. Like this or otherwise. You could stop this right now—or before it even began—and I wouldn't have stopped caring about you."

He smiled. "Oh, darling. I love the sentiment, but I'm not done with you yet."

Astarion kissed down your body and laid between your legs again. He licked another stripe up your cunt and you saw the coating of blood on his tongue before he swallowed. "Shall we try for a fourth? Or perhaps even a fifth?" He raised his brow, leaving the decision up to you.

You laid back. "We'll try for as many as you'd like," you said.

He bared his teeth in a feral grin. "All night it is!"

~❊~

You woke up the next morning sore and alone and with very little sleep.

Astarion had been relentless and stopped only when you simply couldn't take it anymore and he was practically drunk on your blood—all without making you bloodless and woozy. When you had finished for the final time, he had cleaned you up, helped you back into your clothes, picked up his own shirt, and walked you back to camp. He was so gentle that you didn't even mind the teasing about how you limped.

Dawn hadn't been far off as you each went back to your tents after exchanging a final, solid kiss. So you woke to the sound of everyone else beginning their day just a few hours later.

You felt the soreness in your core before you even moved. Biting back a sigh and not regretting it one bit as you pictured Astarion's happy, bloody face, you rolled over and hoped your recent injury would be enough for the others to let you sleep in.

You were wrong.

Shadowheart opened your tent a few minutes later with a urgency that made you jump.

"What? What's wrong?" you asked, blinking blearily in the bright sunlight.

"Are you alright? You never sleep in, you're always up making breakfast!"

You groaned. "Is that it? Are you just hungry?"

She peered at you. "Are you hurt? Did your wound reopen?"

"What? No! I'm fine, I'm just tired, that's all! I have lost a lot of blood recently, in case you forgot."

She sighed. "Oh. Alright. Well, just know the others are worried, too—Astarion especially."

You remembered how he'd checked in on you last night and had asked if he'd hurt you at all when you'd returned to camp and wondered if you had worried him by sleeping in. Suddenly you were grateful the others could chalk it up to his not-so-secret crush on you.

You dressed and hid the light bruises on your neck and collarbones in a high-collared shirt. You only noticed you were walking with a slight limp still after you'd left your tent and made your way across camp.

Karlach called your name and was at your side immediately. "You're limping! Are you hurt? Do you need me to fetch Shadowheart?"

You blinked at her. "What? No. I'm fine!"

"You don't look fine," Gale said, a few feet away, looking up from the book he'd been engrossed in for days. "Did you hurt your leg the other day? Or have your stitches ripped?"

"My, my," said a suave voice behind you. You turned and found Astarion grinning like a cat. "You do have quite the limp, there, darling. Are you sure you're alright?"

You huffed at him, your body remembering his touch immediately, his ghostly hands sliding across your skin. "I'm fine, I promise. Now hush and someone help me make breakfast."

Both Karlach and Astarion sat with you, Astarion very close to you and giving you a smile you couldn't help but return. Karlach stared at Astarion like he'd grown two heads, her gaze flickering between the two of you. She gasped very suddenly.

"Not a word," you hissed at her, knowing she'd figured it out.

Astarion smirked.

"And nothing from you, either," you added. "You're the reason I'm walking like this, you bastard."

He smiled sweetly at you, catching the fondness in the words. "And I gladly will be again." He took your hand and lifted it to his mouth, kissing it. Your eyes grew wide.

Karlach squeaked.

"You know nothing," you told her. "At least for a little while."

"Yes," Astarion agreed. "At the very least, tell Shadowheart nothing—I broke my promise to her to keep our dear girl from doing any strenuous activity."

You turned red and Karlach groaned, "Not before breakfast, please!"

Astarion opened his mouth—undoubtedly to say something about how you were technically his breakfast, based on the hour you'd returned to camp—but you moved quicker than he could speak. You grabbed him by the collar and yanked him toward you, kissing him heartily to shut him up.

A heavy silence settled over camp. You cracked one eye open and found the rest of your companions staring at the pair of you, mouths agape and eyes wide.

"Oops," Astarion muttered, sounding rather pleased.

You cleared your throat. "I, ah, I've been meaning to tell you all. Honestly."

Gale heaved a sigh. "How much do I owe you, Wyll?"

Your jaw dropped open. "You placed bets?!"

"Alright, you bloodsucker," Wyll said, holding his hand out and waiting for his payment from Gale. "You win."

"Yes," Astarion said, and you expected him to be wearing a smirk infused with his charm, his triumphant eyes on the others. But when you turned to him, he was staring at you, a dopey smile fixed on his face. "Yes, I did."

☞ ❊ ☜

Baldur's Gate 3 // Astarion Acunin

part 2 (Sweet Like Wine) {here}!

Taglist: {comment and let me know if you'd like to be added to the Astarion taglist!}

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reidsdimples · 7 months ago

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After Hours

Spencer Reid x Reader

18+🔥

Spencer Reid Smut ‼️ Friends to lovers

You sneak Spence into a public library after hours🫢

“We can’t be here right now,” Spence whispers as he glances around the dimly lit street.

“Shh,” you shush him.

You grab his forearm and urge him to follow you to a small door at the back of the brick building. You furnish a single key and quietly unlock it.

“Where did you get that?” His pushes.

“I know a guy who knew I guy that worked her,” you grin mischievously. “Come on, you know you want to,” you elbow him and push the door open.

The library has been closed for hours and you’re enjoying making Spencer squirm as he wars with the thrill of getting into a library that’s closed and the moral dilemma of trespassing.

“I am only agreeing to this to see those books they keep in the temperature controlled cases,” he sighs and slinks into the small room behind you.

You and Spencer have been friends for a few years, working closely in the BAU, and bonding over your own interest in law and his knowledge in well… everything.

He pushes some strands of hair from his forehead with long delicate fingers and adjusts his shoulder bag. His hair is shorter than usually but it suits him.

“You do know the penalty for trespassing in Washington, DC is a fine and up to 6 months in jail,” he turns to you.

“I think we’ll be alright,” you grin and tap your badge.

After about an hour of roaming the shelves, he finally becomes more relaxed. He’s crouch on the floor, examining a stack of old documents from a filing cabinet. Books are scattered around him chaotically.

You watch for a moment as his fingers work to trace over the text, his brain working exceptionally quick to intake the information instantaneously. You always find yourself amazed at the way his brain works.

The small crush you’ve harbored for him has been tucked tightly away. Keeping things professional is essential in the line of work the two of you share and you won’t jeopardize the friendship. Still, you allow yourself moments to admire him in all of his beauty.

His tongue darts out and swipes his bottom lip like it always does when he’s focused, his brow furrows slightly as he reads, and he mouths words here and there. He rocks back on his heels and sits on the carpet next to a bookshelf.

“Okay brainiac, I have a game,” you bounce into the room hold the stack of books. He looks up at you curiously, his brown eyes like honey in the dim light. You swallow.

“A game?” He asks.

“I found the most random and niche books I could, I’m gonna hold them up and you’re going to give me a synopsis. I’m positive I’ve found one that will stump you,” you smile and sit with your criss crossed in front of him.

“I haven’t read every book,” he starts. You raise your eyebrows at him. “Just most of them,” he shrugs.

You hold up a book about gardening and he gives you a run down of it.

“Why did you read this?” You ask.

“I skimmed it in high school,” he appears please with himself. You hold up another;

“Let me save you some time,” he grabs the other six books. “Lovers during World War Two, the rise of buddhism in western culture, lame romance about a cowboy… who dies at the end…” you snatch the book from his hand.

“You are insane!” You laugh. He smiles and holds up another.

“Julie is married to a man but is in love with his brother and noone has a happy ending,” he gives you a cocky grin but continues. “Inside Richard Ramirez’s life and…” he flips the last book over. “Oh, sci-fi about a journey to the Cigar galaxy,” he finishes.

You snatch it, examine it, and then throw it at his chest.

“What was that for?” He laughs and rubs his hand over the spot you hit.

“You’re too smart for your own good,” you sigh in defeat. He collects the books from around you, his knees knocking into yours.

A spark of heat seems to be exchanged from the touch, his breathing hitching so low that you almost miss it.

He glances up at you for a moment, searching your eyes as a strand of hair falls over his own. You reach out instinctively and push it back.

Your hand lingers in his hair for a moment, your fingertips grazing his scalp. He sucks air between his teeth as though the sensation is shocking to him. You lean forward and push your hand further into his hair, you don’t know why but you feel the need to touch him. He doesn’t protest, he’s staring at your lips.

The two of you gravitate closer, your heart pounding when his hand runs up your arm and entangles your hand further into his hair. He’s urging you to tug, to massage, it feels too good. His hand on yours, laced with your fingers, you oblige and take the control, you push his head closer to yours, overwhelmed by the small noises he’s making in the base of his throat.

His jaw tenses and he’s done with restraint. He drops the books and closes the rest of the space between you, leaning up on his knees to kiss you. You drop your hand from his hair and meet him there, winding your hands into his dark button down shirt, tugging on his loosened tie.

He tastes like mint, like heaven and earth collided, his lips soft and warm. A moan escapes your lips when his hand grips your hip, the other winding into your hair. You can’t believe what’s happening. You don’t want it to stop.

��Spence,” you whimper and pull away to look into his eyes pleadingly. Your grip still from on his tie. He nodded, understanding what you’re asking.

You push him backward, forcing him down onto the floor, a small laugh escaping him. His eyes are wild, his hair tousled, his lips reddened from the kiss, and he’s lying below you allowing you to take control.

Fuck.

You straddle his hips, papers and books being kicked around beneath you. Both of you are panting with need when you kiss him again.

“You’re so beautiful,” he breathes. You pull his shirt open while his hands caress your body, long fingers trailing up and down your spine and hips. It drives you wild, sending heat gathering between your thighs.

That heat builds up so quickly when you begin to kiss his bare chest that you have to grind down onto his growing erection to appease the need.

He tilts his head back, reveling in the feeling of the friction.

“So…” he swallows when you rock your hips again. “So good.”

He pulls your tight sweater up over your head, greedily taking in the view of your breasts in the lace bra. His face is red, he’s burning with need too.

You fumble with his belt and finally pull his cock free, the sight and size mouth watering. You push away the thoughts of Hotch reprimanding the two of you for what you’re about to do. Yet the thought of sinking down onto him is too overwhelming. You don’t care about anything in that moment, but getting him inside of you.

“We’re going to be in so much trouble if someone finds out,” you muse as you tear yourself free of your own pants. He leans up on his elbow and tilts his head as though he hadn’t thought of that yet.

“So no one finds out,” he demands. It takes you off guard when he pushes himself up and takes you to the floor, pinning you beneath him. His eyes darken, his gaze more primal when he leans down to kiss your neck.

His hard cock prods at the entrance of your vagina, your wetness soaking the tip. He slides his cock upward, between the lips teasingly, coating himself in your arousal. Your lips meet and your tongues fight for dominance as he groans. You reach down and grab his cock, stroking it in warning.

“Give it to me Reid,” you bite out.

He smiles but obliges. He pushes himself into you, slowly so that you can stretch around him. You buck your hips up, taking him off guard. He slams his other hand onto the floor to steady himself, the raw pleasure of being seated completely inside of you stealing his breath.

He throws his head back and works himself out slightly before pushing back in.

“Fuck, Spence,” you moan. His shirt is hanging open but you kiss and suck at his chest while he finds his sweet sinful rhythm.

He pushes your legs up and open wider, slamming deeper into you until you’re crying out into the empty library.

“Shhh baby, you’re taking it so good,” he whispers. He doesn’t stop his hard pounding into you, drawing you closer and closer to the edge.

You tighten around him, a warning of your impending orgasm. He smiles knowingly and gives you long slow strokes to ride it out to. Your nails dig into his back as your legs wrap around his hips, greedily taking all of him while you explode around his cock. You pulse around him, squeezing, and practically begging him to cum too.

“Ah-“ he shutters and slows his pace. He doesn’t want to cum yet. He grunts and grabs a fistful of your hair before pushing himself back into you.

He buries his face in your breasts, abruptly biting hard as his hips wind and work his cock in and out of you. He nips at your nipple, causing you to tighten around him. He grins into the soft skin, breathing hard against you. Your hands are in his hair again, holding on as another organs builds within you.

“Reid…” you moan. But he bites you again, thrusting hard as though he needs it more than life, more than oxygen. “Spencer I’m going to cu-“ you don’t get to finish the words.

His hands wind into your hair, yanking your head upward and back and he drives into you with unrelenting speed.

“Fuck,” you swear he groans under his breath.

Your orgasm comes over you without mercy, ravaging your core, blinding you with pleasure, and causing your legs to shake violently around him. He whimpers as you tighten impossibly tight around him and it consumes him.

His hips sputter as he erupts inside of you, pumping you full of him. He slides in and out of you, rolling his hips a few more sinful times as though to enjoy the sensation. As though to solidify the memory of how it feels to be inside of you.

His kisses you deeply and buries his face in the crook of your neck as you hold each other.

Neither of you want to be pulled from the moment, so you lavish in the afterglow in each other’s arms.

#mgg #mgg pics #spencer reid one shots #spencer reid #matthew gray gubler

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tightjeansjavi · 9 months ago

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Slow Hands | Chapter 11

“a wolf in sheep’s clothing”

A/N: another emotionally charged chapter that has left me in a puddle of my own tears 😔 there’s only 2 chapters left (crazy, I know) writing this story has truly been a journey for me, and it’s bittersweet knowing that it’s ending soon. As always, thank you for reading, and thank for betaing @angelofsmalldeath-codeine

~word count: 6.2k~

Summary: Angie goes missing, another letter, and two brothers letting the past go.

Pairing | Joel Miller x f!reader

Warnings: ‼️DEAD DOVE DO NOT EAT‼️graphic depictions of violence, kidnapping of a minor character, minor character death, talk of suicide, anxiety/PTSD episode, angst, grief, guilt, emotionally charged conversations, protective!joel, Tommy is a girl dad in this universe (not canon but I hope it becomes canon) no age gap, reader has no physical descriptions, +18 minors dni!

A wolf in sheep’s clothing: someone who hides malicious intent under the guise of kindliness

They moved like cloaked shadows in the night. Swift, sure-footed, silent. Cody couldn’t let him down. And with Joel’s blood still crusted underneath his fingernails, and spattered on his shirt, he led the way to Angie’s quiet home.

She put up a valiant fight, nails acting as claws swiping through the air. She didn’t want to die, not yet, not now. Please, just one more day.

Her nails made contact with his cheek, slicing through the skin, drawing blood to the surface. Her screams died in her throat when his ready fist made contact with her fragile face. Out cold. Still.

Cody is messy, always has been. It’s a detrimental price to pay, but he can’t let him down.

Her door is left ajar. Sticking out like a sore thumb come morning.

When she awakes, her head throbs, it pulses. Her eyes blink, stinging with pain as she becomes conscious of her new surroundings.

The woods.

Two men are arguing as she struggles to move, only to find that her wrists and ankles have been bound together with rope that has been tied so tightly, it bites into her skin.

“You’re a fuckin’ fool, Cody!” The man yells, striking Cody across the face.

He’s an abuser. He’s been one since the end of the world. Maybe even longer, but he can’t seem to remember the moment he chose the path to abuse. To harm. To kill. It doesn’t matter, he has no means to atone himself.

“A goddamn, trigger-happy, fool!” He hits him again, shoving Cody against a nearby tree. “Do you have any fuckin’ idea the risks you’ve just put out on the line?! Huh! Do you?! I asked you to do one fuckin’ thing! One goddamn fuckin’ thing! You’ve always been messy, Cody. Fuckin’ never cleanin’ up after yourself!” He yells in his face, and Angie’s blood runs cold.

She knows that voice.

She knows.

“I thought—I thought you would be proud of me!” Cody shoves back, body switching to defense mode in an instant. “I TOOK DOWN THE FUCKIN’ MOOSE!”

The other man sneered, shaking his head, and laughed. It's a bone chilling laugh. Cruel. Unkind. Sadistic.

“You fuckin’ moron. You didn’t kill him.” He scoffs.

“That old fuck is dead. I killed him!” He insists.

“Killed him? No. Wounded him? Sure. It takes a hell of a lot more to take down a moose than just kicking him in the fuckin’ head!” The other man places his hands on his hips, his tone is nothing short of condescending. “What do you think is going to happen when he wakes up, Cody? He’s gonna come straight for you.” He jabbed at his chest.

“He’s dead. I killed him. I killed Joel Miller.” Cody’s voice wavers the more he thinks back to the moment his boot connected with Joel’s face. Was he dead? He appeared to be. He must be. He has to be.

“Ah. Are your actions catching up to you? Are you beginnin’ to realize that you have managed to jeopardize everythin?’” The other man scoffs before his attention is drawn to Angie.

“You were supposed to bring her to me. You were supposed to bring her home, where she belongs. I asked you to do one fuckin’ thing, Cody. And you failed. You failed me.” He tsks, tongue in cheek. He crouches down in front of Angie’s trembling frame. She tries to escape, but there’s nowhere for her to run. She’s ensnared, and running out of time. The backside of his hand strokes against her cheekbone with a horrid softness that is anything but soft.

“Instead, you bring me this pathetic excuse of a life. Angie, isn’t it? What a doll. I really enjoyed your cookin’, sweetheart. I think I’ll miss that the most.” He chuckles, leaning in as his nose brushes through tendrils of her hair. “I could..keep you alive.” He whispers as tears begin to roll down her cheeks. “I could..but then that wouldn’t teach Cody a lesson, now would it?”

“Please—please. I—I—don’t want to die. You don’t..have to kill me.” She pleads, eyes squeezing shut.

“I don’t.” He agrees. “I don’t have to kill you, Angie. I could keep you as my own. You could replace her, and the constant hole I feel in my pathetic heart after she left me. “I was so good to her, Angie. So good..and she left.” He sighed almost as if he was feeling a moment of empathy for what he was about to do.

“I—I could replace her. I could. Please. I would never leave you. You don’t have to kill me. I’ll stay with you. I’ll—I’ll love you the way that she couldn’t.” Angie begs, and this is his favorite part. The moment where his victim begins to believe that he’ll spare them, that he’s not really a monster. That they’ll live to see another day.

“Oh, Angie, you haven’t really been payin’ attention at all, have you?” He sneers. “You’ll never replace her. You stupid fuckin’ bitch.” He spits, and a glob of saliva lands on her trembling cheek.

He looks over his shoulder at Cody just as a flash of lightning strikes above and illuminates his face in bright light. He faces her once more, fingers brushing across her face. He’s gone in for the kill, like a snake attacking in the grass.

She pleads for her life one more time. Hoping, begging..until it’s over.

He snaps her neck swiftly, in a blink of an eye as her body falls to the ground with a sickening thud. A single tear rolls down her cheek, landing in the dirt below. Her eyes are unmoving, body twitching, and then going still. A little fall of rain can hardly hurt her now.

She’s disregarded like trash on the street, nothing more than a sack of flesh in his eyes.

Raindrops begin to steadily fall as he stands above her body looking down at it with disgust. “Get the fuck back to Jackson, and bring her to me.” It’s a threat, and Cody knows what his fate will be if he returns without you.

When 20 minutes turned into an hour, that’s when the fear began to trickle in and fester like an open untreated wound. Ellie hadn’t returned, and there was no sign of Joel. You were alone and beginning to imagine the worst possible scenarios in your head. Ellie told you to stay inside, keep the doors locked, but that prodding voice inside of your head was growing louder, and louder. You could only tune its harshness out for so long before you would inevitably snap.

Ellie isn’t coming back.

She’s out there all alone, and you’re gonna continue to be a sitting duck?

Joel’s dead, I bet. He’s dead, and it’s probably all your fault. How’s that make you feel inside, Beanie? You killed them. You killed them both.

You had picked the skin around your cuticles to the point where they were raw and bleeding. Joel and Ellie were okay. Nothing bad happened to them. That voice inside of your head wasn’t true. None of it was true. It couldn’t be.

Ellie said she’d be back. She’s okay. Nothing happened to her. She found Joel and they’re on their way back now.

I didn’t kill them.

They’re alive.

Are you sure? Let’s face it, something happened to them both. The two people that you love the most in this world are dead and it’s all your fault.

Your fault.

Your—

“I DIDN’T KILL THEM!” You yelled suddenly as your emotions bubbled over.

It felt like every wall in Joel’s home was beginning to close in on you as if you were an unsuspecting bug that was about to be crushed under the weight of a shoe.

It felt like all the air in your lungs had been snatched, and you were suffocating, clawing for air.

That’s how you found yourself stumbling out back onto the porch, hunched over, heaving with tears streaming down your cheeks. The voice inside of your head only seemed to grow louder and louder as images of Joel and Ellie laying in a pool of their own blood flashed cruelly in your mind. You blinked, and blinked, and blinked, but the picture was as clear as day, and it wasn’t going away.

You don’t remember how you ended up in Joel’s shed surrounded by the comforting aroma of sawdust, pine, and Joel. He cloaked your senses like a warm hug, or a hot cup of tea with honey soothing your throat. You collapsed into his chair, hugging yourself for dear life, and then, the voice was silent and you were still, frozen on the spot, numbed.

What the fuck am I supposed to tell Beanie?

Hey, so I don’t want you to freak out or anything, but Joel got his ass handed to him, and he’s beat up pretty bad.

When I found him..I thought he was dead.

But don’t worry, he’s not gonna die! He’s fine. Joel is fine.

Ellie’s footsteps were trailing a good foot behind Jesse’s and Liam’s. The weight of her own gun felt heavy in her palm. Rain had steadily begun to fall and soaked the dry earth beneath her worn down converse. Tears began to blur her vision when images of Joel lying in a pool of his own blood attacked her mind.

“El?” It was Jesse. “Y’okay?” He had slowed his footsteps so she could catch up. And when she was close enough, he reached his hand out and gently squeezed her shoulder.

“I’m fine.” She sniffled and wiped her nose on the sleeve of her hoodie. “I’m fine, Jesse.” She went to brush his hand off her shoulder but refrained because she knew he was just trying to comfort her.

“Are you sure? Tommy didn’t really tell Liam and I what happened but—”

“What did he tell you?”

Jesse paused and let out a sigh. His eyes met hers in a brief stare. “Somethin’ along the lines of Joel getting the shit beat out of him in public. He didn’t say by whom.”

I know who the fuck did it.

“Yeah. Some fucking cowards probably jumped him.” Yeah, some cowards alright.

“He’ll be alright though, right?”

“Joel is as stubborn as a mule, Jesse. He’s going to be fine.”

Jesse nodded and took a step back to give her some space. “Yeah, you’re right about that.”

When they reached the front steps to Joel’s home, Ellie was nudged out of the way when she reached for the door handle. Liam muttered under his breath about it being some standard protocol to which she scoffed under her breath, withdrew her gun and shoulder checked him for good measure.

Ellie’s blood ran cold when she did not immediately find you on the couch in the same spot that she left you.

“Fuck.” She muttered under her breath, finger hovering over the trigger.

“Ellie? What’s wrong?” Jesse came up beside her, his own gun drawn at his side.

“I left Beanie right here, Jesse. Right here on the fucking couch!”

If anything happens to her, Joel will never forgive me. Never.

“You’re sure you left her on the couch, Ellie?” Liam interjected, pushing past both of them.

“You think I’d fuckin’ lie about that? I left her on the couch.” She snapped back. “I told her to stay here and keep the doors locked.”

“I’ll check upstairs. Liam, you and Ellie check the kitchen and do not go outside without me.” Jesse said firmly. He was looking right at Liam with a stern glare.

Liam was half tempted to flip him off but refrained from doing so. It wouldn’t have been worth it in the end.

He and Ellie did a full sweep of the kitchen and lower level while Jesse went upstairs and checked every room.

The trio met back at the foot of the staircase.

“The only place we haven’t checked yet is Joel’s shed outback.” Ellie said with a huff to mask her nerves. “She wouldn’t just..up and leave for no fucking reason. Unless someone was here, or she was suspecting someone.”

“Joel’s shed? Why the hell would she go there?” Liam scoffed under his breath. “Ellie, we sweeped the whole fuckin’ house. She’s not here.”

“Fuck you, man. Don’t pick up an attitude with me. Do you have any idea what that woman means to Joel? Huh? Course you don’t. If something happened to her—”

“El, breathe.” Jesse said calmly. “We’ll do a sweep out back, okay? I’m sure she’s there. I’m sure she’s fine.” He reassured her.

Ellie inhaled a shaky breath of air and nodded her head in Jesse’s direction. Once she was regrouped enough, she took the lead and headed towards the back door with Liam and Jesse in tow.

The rain was coming down with a blinding force now and obstructed Ellie’s vision momentarily as she cautiously approached Joel’s shed. A bright flash of lightning illuminated her face before it was casted back into darkness.

Please. Please, be in there. Please be safe, Beanie.

Jesse and Liam had their guns aimed at the ready when Ellie grasped the shed door handle and pushed it open.

You were caught like a deer in headlights when Ellie, Jesse, and Liam came into view. Your hands trembled around the loose grip you had on Joel’s letter to Bill and Frank.

Ellie immediately lowered her gun to her side with a visible sigh of relief and tucked it into her hoodie pocket. “Beanie? Fuck. What are you doing out here? I thought I told you to stay inside. I—I thought something had happened to you!”

The look on your face is all Ellie needs to understand that you don’t remember.

“You don’t remember anything..do you, Beanie?” Her tone is soft compared to the way that her heart is beating out of her chest.

You shake your head and bite down harshly on your lower lip as you look between Ellie, and the two men beside her. You’ve seen Jesse around before, but Liam is unfamiliar.

“Can you guys..give us some privacy?” Ellie speaks quietly to Jesse and Liam.

“Holler if you need us. Okay, El? We’ll be outside.”

“It’s fuckin’ raining. We’re gonna get—” Liam’s bitching is cut off by Jesse forcefully grabbing his bicep and pulling him back outside into the pouring rain. He pulls the door shut behind him leaving you and Ellie in total privacy.

“Ellie..where’s Joel? What happened?” You questioned immediately and Ellie let out a deflated sigh. Her shoulders slumped in a defeated motion.

“He’s..hurt, Beanie. But Tommy’s with him. He’ll be alright. He always comes back home. Even when he’s hurt, nothing stands in his way.” Ellie’s doing her best to reassure both herself and you. She walks further into the shed and finds herself sitting along the edge of Joel’s workbench next to you.

“What happened to him, Ellie?” You look over at her, eyes glassy with tears that are threatening to spill. “How do you know for sure that he’ll..come home?”

“I don’t know exactly what happened to him. I found Tommy first, and he discovered Joel laying in the dirt outside of your home. He was covered in blood. I—I thought he was dead, but Tommy reassured me that he wasn’t.”

She rests her hands along the dust covered table and looks down at her lap. She smiles, but it doesn’t quite reach her eyes as she looks over at you. “Because..before Joel took me to the Fireflies base, there was a time where I thought he was gonna die on me. I remember bein’ so afraid of losin’ him. I didn’t know what the fuck I was gonna do without him.”

She swallows hard and blinks back her own tears. “He tried to push me away. Told me to go back to Tommy’s and leave him to die. I refused. So, I did everything I could to help him get better. His wound was infected and I knew he needed medicine fast. I risked my life for him not knowin’ if he would make it.”

You reach for her hand and entwine your fingers just as her tears begin to fall. “Somethin’ terrible..happened to me after I got Joel the medicine he needed. And I wasn’t sure if I’d ever see him again, truthfully.” She sniffled and squeezed your hand gently.

“I remember stumbling outside in the snow covered in blood, and he was there. I thought he was a ghost, Beanie. But he was there, and he was holding me.”

“Ellie..” you trailed off.

Your teary eyed gazes met as the rain pelted down along the roof of the shed.

“Do you need a hug, kiddo?” You asked softly. Ellie was like the daughter you never had, and like Joel, you’d put your life out on the line to keep her safe. It’s what empaths do. They put others feelings above their own. And right now, Ellie needs you.

“Yes.” She murmured. “I need that more than ever right now.”

You set the letter down off to the side and stand up just as Ellie slips down from where she’s sitting on the edge of the table. You gather her up into your arms and hold her tight. You didn’t need the full story to understand what happened to her before Joel brought her to the Fireflies. “It’s okay. I understand. I’m here for you, El.”

She wrapped her arms around you with her tears soaking into your shirt while you rubbed soothing circles into her back with your freehand cupping the back of her head, cradling it gently.

You held each other like this as the storm outside roared on. Ellie was the one to ultimately pull away from the hug and quickly wiped at her eyes.

“Thank you.” She whispered, “I really needed that.”

“Of course, El. I’m always here for you.”

“What’s this?” She gestured to the letter resting along the table and reached for it.

“It’s another one of Joel’s letters.”

“Joel’s been..writing letters? To whom?” She picked it up gently.

“To those he loves most.” You said softly.

“Can we..read it together?”

You nod and pull the chair up closer while Ellie begins to read the letter out loud.

Bill and Frank,

By now I’m sure you realized that I found your letter. I know that you and I didn’t always see eye to eye, but I did consider you a friend. Someone who I respected, trusted, and in a way, admired. I never got the chance to tell you just how much I respected you, Bill. I think back to the first time we met, where yours and mine clicked instantly. I don’t think I ever saw Tess smile as much as she did that day. You and I were both pretty pissed off about it, huh? But hey, whatever makes those we love happy, right?

You were one hell of a man, and I’m honored that I had the pleasure of knowing you, even if the time was cut short.

So, I’m gonna tell you something because I know that you’ll understand.

I found two people in this shit-hole world that mean somethin’ to me. I lost a daughter, but I gained another. She was just cargo to transport to the Fireflies, but as much as I saved her, she saved me. Her name is Ellie, and I think you woulda loved this kid. I pushed away feeling anything for so fuckin’ long, and then she came into my life and showed me that I still have a heart. Her and I? We’ve been through hell, but there’s nothing I wouldn’t do to keep my kid safe.

And then, I fell in love with this woman who has a heart of gold and a kindness that I never thought I’d feel again. She reminds me of Frank. Artistic, soft-spoken, and this breath of fresh air that can melt even coldest of hearts. Her name is Beanie, like coffee beans. She and I actually briefly knew one another in Austin. She owned this coffee shop, Cuppa Smiles and every-time I’d come in with Sarah, she’d put a stupid little smiley face on my morning latte. Well, we met again…and I fuckin’ love her silly little latte art. She’s my person, Bill. And even though I feel I am undeserving to love someone as beautiful as her, I’m so fucking grateful. This is all to say you’re right. You and I do have a purpose in this world, and that is to protect the ones we love. To keep them safe. And god help any motherfuckers who stand in our way, right?

Godspeed.

-Joel

By the end of the letter you and Ellie are both feeling new waves of emotions. Joel Miller loves you, and you’ve known it for a while now, but to see it on paper? Well, there’s really no feeling to describe it. To love and to be loved, is one of life’s greatest treasures.

“Did you ever get to meet Bill and Frank?”

“No, but I do know for a fact that Bill was a fuckin’ badass. He had a whole wall of guns in his house!” She couldn’t help but giggle at the memory of Joel grumpily telling her no when she implied on taking one of the guns for herself. Dude. There’s a wall of them.

You could picture Joel’s face now, and it too made you giggle because oftentimes he was rather grumpy over just about anything.

“Oh my god, you shoulda see how much of a mean motherfucker Joel was when I first met him!” She’s truly reminiscing now and there’s that childlike wonder to her again. All giggles, cheeks stained with tears, but she’s smiling a big toothy grin.

“Why don’t you tell me all about the first time you met Joel?”

And so she does, starting with the first interaction where Joel basically threw her into a wall in front of Marlene and Tess.

Well, I guess that’s what I got for spookin’ him. Shit really fuckin’ hurt, but I’m glad he and Tess showed up when they did. Who knows, maybe you and I wouldn’t be having this conversation right now if they hadn’t.

I’m really glad Joel and Tess showed up when they did too.

“Hey, Beanie?” Ellie suddenly asks as the rain is beginning to lighten up for a moment.

“Yeah?”

“Did you grow up listening to Linda Rondstadt?”

“I did.”

“What was your favorite song? If you had to pick one?”

“Oh, that’s an easy one, El. Long Long Time.”

She just smiles.

“Tommy..” Joel croaks, voice hoarse and barely audible.

Joel’s eyes are barely open and his face is visibly swollen and puffy. But he’s alive, he’s breathing, and that’s all Tommy can really focus on.

“Joel? Hey, how we feelin?’”

Joel cracks a smile, a painful one that has him wincing from the minimal movement. “Like I jus’ got hit by a fuckin’ bus.” He attempts to joke, but it falls flat when he realizes that Tommy is holding the letter.

“Yeah, well, y’look like dogshit, Joel. Doc said—”

“Don’t give a fuck what Doc said, Tommy.” He doesn’t mean to be short, not really, he’s just in a lot of pain.

Tommy falls silent. His eyes cast downwards and focus on the words written in the letter. The fluorescent light catches Tommy’s face at just the right angle for Joel to see the dried tears along his cheekbones.

“Tommy..I—I saw Sarah.” Joel’s voice cracks as the two brothers briefly make eye contact.

“Whad’ya mean you saw her, Joel?”

“She came to me in my dreams. She had daisies in her hair..She looked so beautiful. My baby girl.”

Tommy rests the letter along his lap and reaches for Joel’s hand. He gives it a firm, yet reassuring squeeze. His freehand immediately rises and he quickly wipes away fresh tears that have begun to fall. “She was so beautiful, Joel.”

There’s a moment's silence sans Joel’s labored breaths, and Tommy’s sniffles that fill the stagnant, all-too clean air.

“I thought..you were dead, Joel. All I saw was you layin’ in the dirt. Not movin.’ Covered in blood, and all I could think—And then I saw the gun, and for a minute I thought that maybe—” he takes a shaky inhale, squeezing his eyes shut. “But then I couldn’t find the entry wound, and I felt so relieved. So fuckin’ relieved.”

“Tommy, after all these years? After proving to you that I’d do anything to keep us alive? Why would your first thought be that I finished myself? Ellie needs me. I’d never do that to her or to you. Why would I cross the country to find you to only then shoot myself?” Joel doesn’t mean to be so harsh with his words, but despite all the years that have gone by, that guilt lives freely on his conscience. It’s plaguing, and reminds him of a scab that never quite properly heals because he’s picked it over so many times. It’s hammered into his skull with a rusted nail.

“Killin’ yourself ain’t gonna bring Sarah back, Joel. Its fuckin’ selfish that you—”

Selfish.

A man loses his only daughter in a brutal way, and he’s got nothing to live for. No path guiding him. No light at the end of the tunnel. No hope. Nothing. It was ripped from him the same way the rain of bullets ripped through her body.

“I have everythin’ to live for now, Tommy.”

It hits Tommy like a freight train at maximum speed. It thrashes like a fish breached on land, depleted of oxygen, slowly dying, baking in the sun. His feelings bubble over, and he doesn’t try to hold them at bay.

“Because the day you tried to kill yourself still haunts me. I couldn’t think rationally in the moment because I was brought right back to Texas. Right back to your home. Right back to the second I heard the gunshot and your body hittin’ the fuckin’ floor.” Tommy whispers the last part as tears blur his vision.

Joel reaches for his hand, knuckles bruised and crusted in blood and dirt. His body aches all over, but he pushes through the pain and grabs Tommy’s hand, squeezing it reassuringly. “I ain’t fuckin’ goin’ anywhere, Tommy.” His words are firm and hold true.

Tommy can only nod as he glances down at the letter once more. More tears have begun to flood the paper and blur Joel’s penmanship, but even though ink isn’t permanent, the words read like a script in his brain.

“When..did you write this letter?” Tommy finally asks.

“Shortly after I wrote the letter to Tess and after what happened at the Tipsy Bison.”

“And you meant every word in this?..”

“Absolutely.”

“You’re right. I did grow resentful. I couldn’t understand why you thought that..killin’ yourself was the only option. As if somehow that would bring Sarah back. I did think you were being selfish, and that was wrong of me. I know that hurt you more than you’re willin’ to admit. And I’m sorry, Joel. For all of it.”

“Y’gotta understand that I did think that it was the only option I had. I fuckin’ lost my daughter. She died in my arms. I was a shell of a man, and you—“ he took a deep breath as his tears began to freely fall. “Y’made me feel so guilty after. So fuckin’ guilty. The guilt consumed me. I knew that you weren’t sleepin’ much after that. Always thinkin’ that I’d attempt it again. Always on edge because of me.”

“It felt like we were walkin’ on eggshells around each other for years. There were so many times that I wanted to bring it up and apologize, but fuck, as if we had any time for that, right? Tess and I..we talked about it once, in private. She told me I should jus’ rip the bandaid off, but I never did.” Tommy admitted.

“Yeah, and then you left me for the fuckin’ Fireflies after everythin’ I did to keep you safe. To keep you alive, you left. Always wanted to be the fuckin’ hero. Didn’t matter what I said, you weren’t gonna listen.” Joel snapped.

“I jus’ wanted to try and make a difference in the shitty world that we live in! To erase injustice and make up for all the shit we did. All the people we murdered. I didn’t want to live with—”

“Didn’t want to live with knowin’ that there’s blood on your hands, Tommy? Those things we did? We did them to survive. It was either them or us. I have my regrets too, y’know.”

“We killed innocent people, Joel.” Tommy said somberly.

“Why did you cut fuckin’ communication with me? Huh? What was the reason? I’m your fuckin’ family. Your flesh and blood. And while you were livin’ all cushy with your new wife, bacon, and a warm fuckin’ bed, I was scared shitless that my brother was dead.”

“if I tell you the truth, you’re going to hate me.”

“I’m your brother, Tommy. I could never hate you. Jus’ tell me the reason. I don’t want a bullshit excuse. I want the fuckin’ truth.”

“Maria had some influence on my decision. She reassured me that cutting communication off with you would maybe be for the best. It was selfish of me, Joel. I just never expected—”

“Me to come fuckin’ lookin’ for you? Nothin’ was gonna get in my way of findin’ you, Tommy.”

“I wasn’t thinkin’ at the time. The thought hadn’t crossed my mind. Look, it was gettin’ to the point that everytime we’d talk, the conversation was always just so fuckin’ negative. That shit started to really eat away at me. Maria started to notice how it was affectin’ me, and she suggested that maybe...I was holdin’ on too much. At the time it felt right to cut contact off with you.”

“Are you fuckin’ kiddin’ me? Tommy, the world fuckin’ ended. What the hell was I supposed to be positive about, huh? Christ! The only positive thing in my life outside of Tess was knowin’ that you were alive! And then you took that from me too. I swear, that woman had rose colored glasses on the second she fuckin’ met you.” He snapped.

Tommy could already feel himself recoiling from his brother's words, and that utter feeling of shame came trickling in and knocking at the door. “I know I took that from you, Joel. I swear it wasn’t done outta malice.”

“No. You just wanted to move on with your life and I was holdin’ you back. The second you met Maria, fell in love, and got everythin’ you ever wanted, you pushed me away. Your own goddamn brother.”

“And I feel fuckin’ shameful for my decisions! The second you fuckin’ showed up here outta the blue, I felt that shame. I’m sorry..for all of it. But I’m tired of feelin’ this way, ain’t you?”

“Of course I’m fuckin’ tired of feelin’ this way, Tommy. Half the time I don’t even feel like I belong in this community. That I’m always gonna be an outsider. And I think your wife is partially to blame. I respect Maria, I really do. But she ain’t have any rose colored glasses on when it comes to me. I think that’s the most frustratin’ bit. Is that your wife judges me for the things I did to keep us alive, yet she refuses to acknowledge all the fucked up shit, and all the people you killed, Tommy.”

“I know you and Maria ain’t ever seen eye to eye. I don’t agree with the way she’s treated you either. She and I have talked about it. I’ve brought up how she treats you differently. I jus’ haven’t gotten through to her yet, but I’m workin’ on it. I can’t make her change her mind about you, but what I can do is defend you, tooth and fuckin’ nail. Jus’ like how I shoulda after the altercation at the Tipsy Bison.”

“I jus’ want you to feel…proud to be my brother again, Tommy. I don’t wanna keep walkin’ on eggshells and feelin’ like I ain’t belong in my own family. I love you so much, and I jus’—I want us to be okay. I don’t wanna fight anymore, I don’t wanna feel this resentment and guilt all the fuckin’ time. That’s why I’ve been writin’ these letters.. They’re healin’ me. They’re helpin’ me forgive.”

“Fuck.” Tommy sniffles. “You think I ain’t proud to be your brother, Joel? You’re still my fuckin’ hero, and you’re my fuckin’ family. My flesh and blood. I love you so much, and I’m sorry for hurtin’ you. I’m sorry for pushin’ you away. I’m sorry for bein’ selfish. For holdin’ so much resentment against you and the things we’ve done. I want us to be okay. I want us to be brothers again.”

“And I forgive you, Tommy. I’m sorry too. ‘M sorry for puttin’ you through hell. Shoulda apologized a long time ago.”

“We both should have. I never thought I would have the opportunity. I never thought I’d see you again.”

“You and me both.”

“Is..that why you ain’t really open to bein’ in Willow’s life? I try’n not bring her up because I know you’re still mournin, but it hurts that my brother doesn’t want to be involved in my daughter’s life.”

“Jealousy is a bitch, Tommy.” Joel said with a sigh. “Y’get to be a father to a little girl, and I lost mine. It ain’t right to you, or your daughter, but the grief still stings.”

“But Joel, you are a father. You might not be Ellie’s blood, but you’re her dad. I understand that you’re still grieving. Hell, I am too, but I want you to be in Willow’s life. I want you to be my daughter’s godfather..”

“..you want me to be her godfather? Tommy, I’d-I’d be honored.”

“Of course I do. I want that more than anythin.’”

“I wanna hug you, but everythin’ fuckin’ hurts.” Joel forces a laugh past his cracked lips. It comes out hoarse, rough around the edges.

Tommy hugs him anyway. It’s a gentle yet grounding caress and when the two brothers part, Joel knows he has to tell Tommy what really happened.

“Tommy.” He starts. His jaw ticks, nostrils flare. “It was Cody.”

Tommy’s blood runs cold. His fists clench, and his brows furrow. “What’re you talkin’ about, Joel?”

“Cody. He was outside of Beanie’s house. I saw him and immediately grew suspicious. He wasn’t alone. There were two other patrol guys with him. Alex and Oliver. There’s a whole fuckin’ pack of them. Cody and I got into it..he knocked me out.”

“They were lookin’ for Beanie?”

“Yes. But we ain’t have no tellin’ on how many of them there really are.” Joel gruffly said.

“Well, there’s four that we know of, right?” There was no time for Tommy to mourn this realization. Men that he trusted were just a bunch of wolves in sheeps clothing. It left a bitter taste in his mouth. Pungent. Betrayal. Anger.

“Tommy, we can’t lose focus, alright? We gotta bring these fuckers to justice. You and me. You want your daughter growin’ up in a world where sick fucks get away with shit undetected? You wanna be a hero, right? You wanna make sure your baby girl grows up only knowin’ love and safety. Cody thought he could bring down a moose, but he’s in for a fuckin’ surprise. I say we pump ‘em full of lead.” For good fuckin’ measure.

“I’ll be damned if I let her grow up in a world livin’ in fear with men who would jump at the opportunity to hurt her. We need to alert Maria immediately. I wanna do more than just pump ‘em full of lead. I wanna make them fuckin’ suffer.”

Ah. There he is, there’s the Tommy that I know.

Joel was already getting ready to swing his legs over the side of the bed when a very exasperated Jesse appeared outside the door. His cheeks were flushed, and it looked like he was barely holding it together.

“Jesse? What’re you doin’ here? Did Ellie make it home safe?” Tommy asked as he stood up from Joel’s bedside in a haste.

“She’s fine. Liam and I walked her home and then we found Beanie.”

“Found Beanie? What the hell does that mean, Jesse? Y’better start talkin’ or so help me–” Joel was cut off swiftly.

“She’s okay, Joel. Ellie and Beanie are fine. But Tommy, Maria is lookin’ for you. Angie’s missing. She didn’t show up to her breakfast shift, and it looks like someone broke into her home. We suspect that foul play was involved, and Maria is calling for an emergency council meeting.”

Tommy and Joel slowly looked over at one another. Angie was missing. Jackson was no longer safe, and it was up to the two brothers to protect the community, and those they loved most. Tommy nodded in understanding, and it was as if he was reading Joel’s mind in real time.

“Looks like we got a meetin’ to get to.”

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spaceumbredoggos · 7 months ago

Text

However fucked up Alex reveals Bill and Ford’s relationship is revealed to be in The Book Of Bill, Kenz and Bill’s is a hundred times worse.

Disclaimer: I am not glorifying abuse in any way shape or form. I myself have had nightmares similar to this despite never being sexually abused, both Bill related and otherwise. Some of these are based on personal experience (such as the nightmares), whilst others are a device used to show how fucked up shipping Bill with pretty much anyone is. Not even the Axolotl is safe in my opinion. If Bill was real, I’d guarantee he’d probably be a massive creep and with how thirsty his fankids are (and I’m calling myself out here) he’d probably use his magic to g*oom those kids like a church pastor. The thing that scares me the most about Bill being canonically real is not that he could catastrophically end the world, it’s his oversexualization in the fandom that got so bad, Alex himself had to make him unattractive. This will be along the lines of a Yandere Bill Cipher x Reader headcanons. With that being said, here’s a few content warnings:

G*ooming, Pedoph*lia, s*xual abuse and assault, physical and psychological abuse, mind control, cult-like things, psychosis, and general paranoia. I’m not saying these things actually happened, but knowing Bill’s character and his powers and history, if he was real, I’d generally be afraid for anyone in the Gravity Falls fandom. Especially minors.

This could be my most controversial post yet, and it could jeopardize any potential of getting into some colleges. This may sound like paranoid rambling, but I know that Bill is just a cartoon character. That being said, Alex like the blur the line between our world and the world of gravity falls with Bill’s character, dicing around the fact that he’s influenced history and wrote all religion on the basis of a lie. I’m not scapegoating him as “controlling global politics on a massive scale” because that would be stupid and I’ll sound like those tin foil hat rednecks that snort moonshine and burn pride flags. My heart goes out to all those who have been impacted by all forms of abuse as an abuse survivor myself. Alex, if you see this post (or any other of my posts/ read my fanfics), just know that it’s a critique on the fandom and the canon lore, and a cautionary warning to avoid lawsuits in case The Book of Bill Cipher causes mass psychosis.

As a kid (ages 7-9) I would watch Gravity Falls casually. At that age, the only thing I consumed online content wise was Skylanders and Minecraft content (Skylanders until age nine, then it was pretty much a lot of Team Crafted, Popularmmos, DanTDM, and other Minecraft YouTubers.) I didn’t invest in the Gravity Falls fandom until I was eleven (that’s when I first started writing my fanfics. The drafts are long gone because they were on school computers that were crammed with viruses due to kids installing Minecraft mods (this was just before chromebooks became mainstream. I went to a special ed middle school specifically for autistic individuals (it was pretty ableist, gonna make a post on that.) so the rules on what was allowed in school were pretty loose content wise. It didn’t have to be educational, as long as it didn’t have blood or guns. There were no safe search filters or Go Guardian (I remember one of my friends accidentally finding Iris from Pokemon black and white vore. I also found Pacifica vore.)) Before that, the February before my tenth birthday, my dad took my TV out of my room due to behavioral issues (undiagnosed autism go brrr). Around that time, there was talk in my town that the Disney channel was “rotting kids minds” with bad attitudes and crude humor (this could be said about any child’s television network (I mean, look at Nickelodeon.) but I lived in a pretty conservative area of Southern California and had a pretty conservative dad. So naturally, Disney was the scapegoat (this was way before the “woke” era of Disney.)) All of this talk of Brainrot made me stop watching the Disney channel during the peak era of gravity falls (2015 as a whole) and I didn’t watch gravity falls again until summer of 2016 when my tv was put back in my room (with intense parental controls so that I couldn’t watch my vet shows.) That’s when I had my first gravity falls dream about Bill cipher. It had to do with getting unicorn hair to protect my house from Bill Cipher. I had an interest in dreams previously due to warrior cats. It was at that moment when Gravity Falls was added to the obsession list.

As a neurodivergent eleven year old surrounded by other neurodivergent preteens and teens, we found common ground talking about Gravity Falls at school. I also would, whenever I didn’t feel the prying eyes of the grown ups or my peers would go off outside and act out my gravity falls x pokemon x warrior cats fanfiction (I’m not sure if those are signs of maladaptive daydreaming disorder or I simply had an intense imagination that would consume my body and make me want to just act out my fanfictions outside. I don’t do this anymore, mostly because of my own embarrassment and I can just write it out.) Yes, there were times where the discussion or action played out Bill Cipher being real. A lot of my “play” as I called it back then was me being kidnapped or possessed by Bill. I even wrote some really cringey fanfics involving my friends and Bill Cipher. To this day, I still involve my family in my fanfiction, but more final drafts will have their names changed. Weirdmaggeddon was a common topic, as well as Bill Cipher possession.

As time went on, I had more dreams about Bill Cipher, fueling the obsession and the fact that Bill could be real. During my middle school years, I never had a crush on Bill Cipher, despite what my friends seem to think. My parents just took it as whatever and as long as I was happy and just working towards going to a neurotypical non-sped school. My crush on Bill Cipher didn’t start until I was in high school. I remember it specifically being Valentine’s Day 2020 when I learned that I have a crush on the triangle. My dreams of Bill would only get more frequent and worse from here (involving the typical horny teenage dream that I don’t want to elaborate because I feel weird doing so (you’ll see why later on.))

Now there’s typically nothing wrong with having a cartoon crush. Given any other cartoon character that doesn’t have a canon history of influencing this world (Bill’s history of influence is vague but it still counts) I would excuse this as another silly cartoon crush like PurpleCliffe simping for Cynthia and the like. However, given that it’s in the show’s canon that Bill could be real and he crossed over to our world, do you understand what implications this could have? Bill is trillions of years old, he’s likely seen every timeline to ever exist. Meanwhile, there are whole armies of fankids who are down bad for him (including me.)

Notice how when I first started getting into Gravity Falls that I didn’t have a crush on him. How many other fankids felt the same way? It wasn’t until years of obsessing over Gravity Falls did I develop feelings for him. And of Alex says in the Book of Bill Cipher what I think he’s going to say (that Bill probably ab*sed Ford sexually with possible g*ooming involved), notice the pattern that is being presented here? Alex, if you blur the lines between fiction and reality with a villain who may or may not have canonically g*oomed and abused someone, possibly using mind control given his powers and his role as a dream demon, could it really be so far fetched that… (I’m not going to say it because it’s leaving a sour taste in my mouth, but use your imagination.)

If we take Alex’s word that Bill has crossed over to our world, then we can only assume that there are vulnerable kids and adults being… You get the picture. I’m not explicitly saying that it is happening right now, but this is problematic because revealing that Bill ab*sed Ford in that way means that Alex would probably imply that Bill is doing the same to MINORS. I may sound paranoid and this may just be a ramble, but considering the show’s canon and how mythology is filled with cases of degenerative acts from deities, this is a really fucked up situation.

It may be funny to say “haha, evil triangle man is sexy” but at the end of the day, Alex stated that Bill has crossed over into our world. For all we know, he could be taking advantage of the fact that people thirst for him, probably not in pleasant ways.

#gravity falls #bill cipher #the book of bill #ford pines #tw abuse #tw grooming #Alex Hirsch #bill cipher x reader #is bill cipher real #I may overly psychoanalyse myself for the sake of making a statement #but what if #this took me a day to write #don’t cancel me #hear me out

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sxtvrns · 2 years ago

Text

publicly romantic

🎶 now playing: in my heart (demo) - grentperez

P: Lee Felix x Fem!Reader

S: He fell first, and he fell hard. When you were on the big screen behind him, he knew he fell for you even more.

W: fluff, drabble because im in my kpop era now, no knowledge of skz at all, short

N: if im being honest guys the only reason i decided to write this was because i got inspired by those fan dance things during their world tour ive only ever listened to case 143 and i apologize if this makes me an outsider but i thought this was cute okay enjoy the content

please interact if you enjoy!

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When your boyfriend said he was going on a world tour, you did not think it was going to last for nearly an entire year. JYP better give them a break after this.

Dating Felix was a handful. He was always busy and his schedule was packed, you both were travelling constantly, having a home in Sydney and in Seoul. With the tour on his hands as well, it didn’t make it any easier. You saw all the edits of him flooding the internet, all of them reminding you of how much you missed your boyfriend.

So when you were told he was going to Australia, and you were conveniently going to be there at the same time as his concert, you had your fingers crossed you could get tickets. You didn’t care if you were in the pit or in the nosebleeds; you were happy to even be in the same room as him for a little while, even if you had to admire him from afar.

You texted him and called him as much as you could. Whenever your phone rang, you always assumed he was on a break or had free time, knowing that it probably meant the rest of the day was full of work. The amount of people that love him reminds you of how lucky you are to have such a handsome guy who seems so out of reach be your boyfriend.

Things weren’t kept secret for long. When you visited Felix one time, he forgot he was live, saying your name and three forbidden words out loud and straight to the camera: I love you. You never showed your face that live, your hand merely waving hello. It wasn’t until you left the room that both of you had realized what he’d done.

You came into his room after he finished his live, putting his phone away. “What the fuck did you do.” You say, more of a statement rather than a question. “I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to– it just slipped out!”

“If I knew you were going live, I wouldn’t have come. You slip up easily whenever I’m around.”

“That’s because I love you. And that’s also exactly why I didn’t tell you because I wanted to see you.”

You pace around the room, panicking. “JYP’s gonna kill us. He’s gonna kill you. Your fans are gonna come and kill me!”

“He already knows.”

“What do you mean, ‘he knows’?”

“Chan accidentally ran his mouth. If anything, you wouldn’t be in my room right now if JYP forced me to break up with you. He just told me to be careful… and I do. Ever since we started dating, I’ve been careful.” He sighs, setting his phone down and walking up to you. “I’m sorry. I… you can stay here for a few days if you’re too scared to go outside.”

He knew that people could find what you look like and all your other information with a mere search of your name. This wasn’t the same as other people knowing who his sisters were. Him getting into a dating scandal would jeopardize your safety and his group. He didn’t care about his group at the moment, he was scared for you.

“I… I’d like that, actually. I hope you don’t mind.”

“I assume that means you don’t mind sharing a bed? Unless you want me to sleep on the floor.”

“You really think I want you to sleep on the floor after the amount of time we’ve been apart?” Your response makes him smile, pressing a kiss to your forehead and pulling you in for a hug, his hand caressing the top of your head. “I’m really sorry. I know I messed up. And I’m sorry I can’t be there for you all the time.”

“I know. It’s okay. You’re doing your best, and that’s enough. I know you’re working hard and you’re busy. But… I’m hoping we can still try to enjoy ourselves for the time being.”

He pulls away to look at your face, being confused about your sudden switch up.

“Yes, I’m scared, yes, my life is probably going to be in danger at some point, but I did not come to see you just to worry about this and our relationship going public. It’s out there now, and there’s nothing we can do about it. I know I was panicking about it a few seconds ago, but I’ve come to terms that it happened already. I forgive you. And honestly, I’m glad that you’re that comfortable with me to say it in front of thousands of people.”

“I’m sorry–“

“You’ve apologized enough. It’s okay now.” You cut him off, going onto your tip toes to kiss his nose. “Can we order something? I’m hungry.”

“You didn’t think of doing that before my live ended?”

“I was gonna ask you, but I felt I intruded already.”

After that whole fiasco, people found your social media accounts, some of them even following you, flooding your comments with nothing but sentences that had the name Felix in it at least once. You got a few death threats even, but you tried to not let it get to you too much. It made you a bit paranoid, but the more you went out, the more you forgot about them.

Articles were written; Tiktoks and edits took over your feed about the ‘mystery girl’ or ‘Y/N’ behind the camera that gave Felix heart eyes whenever he looked at you. Eventually, they found out what you looked like, and though you were expecting insults, you were instead given compliments.

Pretty, adorable, beautiful… words that made you feel comfortable to be a part of Felix’s life publicly. He never brought it up during conversations or interviews unless another person did, which, he was very cautious with what he was saying.

You had your fair share of hate. It bothered you a little bit, but then remembered the only reason they hated you was that you had something they didn’t: Felix. His love and affection, his admiration and attention. It boosted your ego unhealthily, but you weren’t gonna get all full of yourself over it.

He wasn’t necessarily open about his relationship. He wouldn’t bring up the topic himself; usually someone else would have to. He would answer any questions, but there was always a limit to them. He was all nice about it though, always asking you after if what he said was okay to share with others.

“‘How’s Y/N?’ She’s good. She’s actually visiting, so I hope I’m not too loud.”

“‘How did you two meet?’ She does camerawork and paid us a visit, shadowing someone else. She always came along for a few shoots in a row, but I didn’t want to miss the opportunity so I just asked when no one was looking.”

“You wanna see her? She’s not too comfortable on camera, so I don’t think–“

“Felix, do you want this?”

You look at his tripod set up, then his surprised expression, as if he’d seen a ghost. “What’s wrong? Am I interrupting?”

“Nothing. What is that?”

“It’s a grilled cheese. I put the last of your gochujang in the butter.”

“Ah, thanks, we needed to get rid of it somehow.” You eye the camera. “Your face isn’t showing.” He clarifies, allowing you to walk into frame, letting him take a bite of the sandwich. His eyes light up, enthusiastically nodding. “It’s good!”

“Do you want it? I’ll make another one for myself.” He nods, taking the plate from you. “Thank you!” He says, mouth full as you walk out the door. “Look at this, guys. You guys summoned her, now I get good food.” He bites into it again, visibly enjoying the simple sandwich you made. “I love my girlfriend.”

The clip went viral. It’s now one of Felix’s iconic moments, and the first of your own.

You two were certainly romantic, private and in public. On the occasion you’d post photos of the two of you together, and you were also open about it if you were to do lives together. You weren’t in every live, but he invited you once and it was fun, so you were open to other opportunities.

You kept your hood on, which hid your face a bit well enough on camera.

“Y/N, what are we making?”

“Rose tteokbokki.”

“If you don’t know already, my girlfriend is an amazing cook and she gives me food sometimes during some of my other lives.”

“Then Felix makes brownies after and it’s a full meal.”

He notices your amount of clothing, greater than his. “Why are you wearing your hoodie? Is it not warm?”

“I’m hiding myself, I’m scared.”

“There’s nothing to be afraid of when you’re so pretty.”

“I cannot believe you’re flirting with me in front of over a hundred thousand people.”

“They deserve to know.”

His hand rests atop your head, his fingers gently gripping the hood. You let him take it off, fixing your hair right after. “Isn’t she pretty?” He shows you off to the camera before you hide your face in his chest.

You sat in an innocent little bubble tea shop, scrolling on your phone when you get a call from him unexpectedly. “Hello?” You greet, sipping on your drink. “Y/N, do you wanna come backstage after the concert? Feels like it’s been forever since I’ve last seen you.”

“Probably because it has. Can you really do that?”

“Chan’s parents and siblings are coming, and they’re going backstage, my sisters are coming too.”

“I mean, I’d like to, if it’s possible.”

He chuckles. “I’ll see you there.”

“Love you.”

There’s a brief pause, and you think about hanging up.

“Love you too.” He mutters, ending the call. It wasn’t very ‘professional’ of him to be calling his girlfriend when he should have been out there practicing, but he’s been kept from you long enough. He just couldn’t help himself.

And besides, he’d do anything for you.

As if it were a coincidence, it turned out you were sitting next to Hannah, who greeted you with a hug when she saw you sit down in the seat beside hers. Now you were sitting in your nosebleed seat, eagerly leaning forward to stare at the screen, the sudden random play dance coming on.

From your knowledge, a camera would focus on a certain fan in the audience, mostly in the further back, said fan having to follow one of the boy group’s dances. This would usually come on mid performance, meaning the members would be watching as well.

You’re so engaged staring at the screen, excited to see who’s on next that you don’t realize that it’s you. “Y/N!” Chan says, looking over at Felix. The choreography for God’s Menu begins to play as Hannah forces you up onto your feet, cheering you on.

You hand her your lightstick and place your bag down, forcing yourself to get over it and just do the dance for the few seconds you’re on screen. In your opinion, you did pretty well, judging from the screams that erupted from every inch of the room. You do the ending fairy, leaning against the railing again with a hand under your chin, sending a wink and a flying kiss across the arena. You immediately get shy, hiding your face in Hannah’s shoulder.

“Wow.” Felix starts, feeling Chan pat his back. “That’s my girlfriend, everyone.” He points in your direction, the arena flooded with screams as Felix’s ears and face slowly go red on the screen. You feel your own face heat up as you cover it, Hannah shaking you uncontrollably. “He’s blushing!” Han teases, pointing at your boyfriend’s crimson face. “C’mon, man, say something to her!” Chan says, ushering him closer to the edge of the stage.

“Y/N, I love you!” He holds a finger heart up, sending a flying kiss back to you. Your face goes warm at his bold move, yet you feel pride that he’s comfortable to do that openly in an arena full of his screaming fans. “Don’t cover your smile, you’re beautiful.” The screams somehow get even louder, and you feel as though a million eyes are on you as you wave your lightstick gleefully.

“Aww, so sweet!” Seungmin adds, poking at Felix’s open affection.

“Do you guys wanna know what Felix does? He scrolls through her photos sometimes before practice and he comes back all red. His excuse was that warm up was tough on him.” Chan exposes, though isn’t immediately stopped by his friend. You laugh at the thought, it being heartwarming at the same time.

You wait with Hannah, her parents, and Felix’s family after the concert, seeing Chan walk out first and greet his family, then you. “Felix ‘s coming, just grabbing something.” You nod, letting him reunite with his family for the time being. You smile at his feuding with his sister, feeling a tap on your shoulder.

Felix is standing right behind you with the biggest smile you’ve ever seen, and you practically jump into his arms. “Geez, I’m so sorry, I smell so bad.” His sweat makes your hands cling to him, yet when you look at his face, it made him all the more attractive. Still smelly, but somehow sexy at the same time. He had a towel on his shoulder, wiping his sweat off as best he could. He pulls away to greet his mom and his sisters, taking their pictures for them. You watched in awe how sweet their connection was and how close they were.

You overheard his mom talking to him before they left. “Treat her good, okay? You don’t want to lose her.” Your heart melts, now aware you’ve truly earned his mother’s approval. He walks over to you, stopping to simply admire you, his hand tucking your hair behind your ear.

“My god, you’re beautiful. I’ve missed you so much.” He mutters, the words making you blush and jump onto him for a long awaited kiss. One of those long, cheesy movie kisses was a way to describe it, but who cares if it was cheesy, you finally got to kiss him after months of being away from each other. “Loved your dance, by the way. When’d you get the time to learn that?”

“Circumstances. Figured it’d be best to be prepared.”

“You did fuckin’ amazing, then.” His hand covers his mouth, eyes widened in shock. “I didn’t mean to say that.”

“You aren’t live anymore, it’s fine.”

“Still felt wrong.”

“Do you guys want me to take a picture of you?” Hannah appears out of nowhere, startling you. You nod, handing her your phone, posing for a couple pictures, feeling Felix’s hand on your hip the entire time. “Alright, now kiss!” Hannah says jokingly, Chan shoving her shoulder.

“Seriously–“ You get cut off by Felix’s lips on yours, smiling into the kiss. Hannah eagerly takes photos, even when he pulls away, simply staring into your eyes as if he could see a whole world behind them. “Can you post that?” He asks, his lips curling into a smirk.

“Am I allowed to?”

“I’m the one that asked.”

That was a yes.

When Hannah hands your phone back to you after scrolling through the photos, she says, “You know I was joking, right?” You huff with a smile, staring at the photo of the two of you kissing. “If Felix was given a chance to kiss me, he would do it in a heartbeat, no questions asked.”

missed this goofball <3 love you always and forever, lixie (ps i love ur abs)

YALL R SO CUTE

AWWWW

i want this SO BAD you dont understand

that should be me

SHE IS SO PRETTY

tbh felix same id fold too

HAHAHA CAPTION IS SO REAL

“Have you been doing that for every show?” You ask, Felix running his fingers through your hair. “Doing what?” His eyes dart from your eyes to your lips and back. “Showing your abs. Lifting your shirt up and shit.”

He chuckles, his smile so pure talking about such a suggestive topic. “Yeah, why?”

“You’re telling me if I went to your Korea concert, I would have seen your abs there too?”

“You can see my abs anytime, Y/N.”

“I can?”

“You’re my girlfriend, of course you can.”

“Well, I don’t see you enough to see them that often but–“ When you turn back, his shirt is lifted up, showing them off in the middle of a Sydney sidewalk at an ungodly hour in the morning. You yank his shirt back down, Felix laughing almost too loud. “How indecent of you.”

“If indecent is what it takes to make your face like that, I’ll be it all the time.”

“Shut up.”

“You know you like it.”

“Maybe I do, so what?” You turn your face away from him, feeling his fingers rest under your chin to face you towards him again. “So… show me that you like it.”

“Felix, I am not having sex with you in the middle of the sidewalk at one in the morning.”

“So you’d have sex with me if we weren’t on the sidewalk?”

“I don’t think I can even have sex with you. At all.”

“Who’s stopping us?”

“Your fans. Your company.”

“They don’t have to know.”

“‘lix–“

“I know, I know. I’m just joking. Maybe when this whole idol thing is over.”

“It’ll be a while, then.”

“Hope you’re still in love with me by the time I’m 30.”

“I’ll always be in love with you, ‘lix.”

“Really?” He stops in front of you. “Really.”

“You promise?” He holds out his pinkie finger. You hook your own with his. “Promise.”

And he kisses you. Again, and again, and again.

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i wanna be where you are; feel so close though you’re so far, you’re my girl. 🎧

#lee felix #lee felix x reader #skz felix #felix x reader #stray kids #stray kids felix #felix drabbles #felix blurbs #skz x reader #skz fluff #fanfiction #sorry if this is bad

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mermaidsirennikita · 18 days ago

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First of all, love your recs and all your hot takes.

I have a recommendation request that I'm vaguely ashamed of because I greatly dislike cops in the real world for obvious and good reasons but I also watched Practical Magic at just the right age that the "how many times have you read my letter?" scene was very formative for me. The whole I-want-you-but-its-wrong thing just works for me. Same thing in Cable Girls with the detective and Angeles. Like he just wants to be a good moral man but he also wants her so so bad lol

Do you have any recs that match that vibe? (Cops absolutely not required, just the vibe of its morally wrong and also may lose my job wrong but why does it feel so right)

Hi! So, I totally get it—and I don't read books with modern cops for the reasons you mention. But I do read historical romances with old school detectives sometimes, and I do have some books that I think would appeal :).

Midnight Pleasures with a Scoundrel by Lorraine Heath. James Swindler is an expert detective, and he's disturbed by his interest in a woman he Knows is up to something (specifically, she wants to kill the man responsible for her sister's death). This has one of the most INSANE twists I've ever read.

The Widow's Kiss by Jane Feather. The heroine has been widowed four times, and is suspected of killing her most recent husband. This is set in Henry VIII's reign, and the hero is sent in to investigate her. It has EXACTLY the vibe you're talking about.

If you're down for m/m romance, KJ Charles's Will Darling trilogy may work, specifically the first book (and then you read for the rest). Will isn't gonna lose his job, exactly, because of Kim. But he is at risk of running afoul with the lawmen who are trying to work with him because of Kim. Who's quite slippery indeed.

Any Duke in a Storm by Amalie Howard. This one gender flips it a bit, wherein the heroine is a spy working for the crown, and the hero is a suspected criminal she probably needs to bring in. But he tempts her.............. severely.

The Untamed Mackenzie by Jennifer Ashley. This is a novella, but it's about the detective bastard Mackenzie brother investigating a murder, which he suspects was committed by his... sister-in-law's sister? (Not his sister, to be clear.) The issue being that they're falling for each other...

Lady Sophia's Lover by Lisa Kleypas may give these vibes. The hero is the head of the Bow Street Runners (early cops tbh) and the heroine is his housekeeper, who's actually undercover and wants to seek revenge against him. Obviously, their entire relationship jeopardizes his job, and she also feels compromised (in her mission) by her growing, forbidden feelings for him.

The Rogue of Fifth Avenue by Joanna Shupe. Not a detective! But the hero is a lawyer and the fixer for the heroine's rich father, which means she's VERY forbidden and it VERY MUCH threatens his job.

#romance novel blogging #romance novels #book recs

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hyperactivewhore · 9 months ago

Note

One of my biggest pet peeves is when people claim that it’s Marcel’s fault that Klaus was missing from Hope’s life. First of all, Klaus deserved everything he got after all the suffering and trauma he put Marcel through. Marcel is a saint compared to Klaus, who has done unspeakable things not only to Marcel but to thousands of others as well. If Marcel had kept Klaus locked up in a sewer until the world ended he would be more than justified.

Secondly, absolutely no one stopped Klaus from picking up his phone and calling his daughter. No one stopped him from sending birthday cards or Christmas gifts to his daughter. In fact, many people encouraged him to talk to Hope, including Hayley, Caroline, and Hope herself. He was the one who decided not to call Hope. He was the one who decided to cut off all contact with his daughter. He was the one who thought that the best course of action was to go no contact with Hope. But while he had no problem practically abandoning Hope (who was only a child at the time), he continued to seek out his brother knowing that being in close proximity to Elijah could hurt Hope.

So many people try to say Klaus wasn’t a bad father by blaming Marcel, Hayley, Hope, and everyone else in the entire show. But the reality is, Klaus was a bad father because of his actions alone.

And even to the every end of his life, he continued to be a bad father. He chose to flirt with Caroline when Hayley (Hope’s mother - practically Hope’s only parent) was missing and was in grave danger. He chose to spend his last remaining days showing Caroline around New Orleans as if he didn’t have a heartbroken, devastated daughter back at home who was grieving the loss of her mom and preparing for the loss of her dad. This man, who willingly chose not to contact his daughter for years, decided to spend his last remaining hours with his one night stand instead of Hope - and people have that audacity to say that it’s Marcel’s fault that Klaus was missing from Hope’s life?

Don’t get me wrong, I love Klaus. He’s a very interesting character. But I hate it when people justify his actions - especially because they will occasionally vilify Marcel to do so. Marcel and Hope deserved a better father. Marcel and Hope simply deserved better.

I'll never understand why people are surprised Klaus was a shitty father.

Loving your kids is the bare minimum and treating them right is like the least thing you can do, yet Klaus already failed miserably step two with Marcel. Klaus never respected Marcel as a person and let alone as his son, I don't care what people think. He liteally brought Marcel to that bridge in season three to remind him of his slavery, mocked his whip wounds, laid his hands on him in season one, and didn't even care to have a special goodbye with him when he was gonna die.

He literally told Hope she was meant to be broken by him, constantly jeopardized her safety when she was a baby, practically ghosted her most of her life, probably told Hope that Elijah didn't save Hayley, purposefully leaving out he was whoring around with Caroline, and was ignoring her the day he was gonna die choosing to spend his last hours with that same woman, and literally left Hope all in her own after losing her mother like the week before because he couldn't live without his brother.

Marcel had every single right to take revenge against the Mikaelson, and so does Hope. Their supposed family never gave any damn about them and yet people blame everyone but Klaus simply because they think Joseph Morgan is hot.

#klaus mikaelson #elijah mikaelson #hope mikaelson #marcel gerard #the originals #the vampire diaries #tvd #to #hayley marshall #rebekah mikaelson #joseph morgan

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tatortart · 2 months ago

Note

for the shipping ask game! leo/gordy: 6 and 13, for mikey/moriko: 9 and 17; for either one: 7!

Answers under the cut!

6. What do they call each other?

Gordy calls Leo “hero” as a joke at first, but it sort of sticks towards the end. He also likes to call him Nardo when he’s feeling like a brat. Leo calls him Gordy when they first meet, but as their relationship grows, he eases into Go-kun.

When Gordy irritates Leo, it’s nothing but Gordon, all the way through. :) Gordy fuckin’ hates it.

13. First to confess their feelings and how?

Answered!

9. Beach day - who collects shells, who gets buried, who starts a splash war, who brought the snacks and sunscreen?

Moriko and Mikey both bring snacks! She goes hunting for sea shells while he drags Takumi into the water for some step-dad/son bonding time. Towards the end of the day, they’re all napping together underneath the beach umbrella. Mini turtle pile in the sand!

17. Favorite movie to watch together?

So at first, Moriko is willing to follow Mikey’s example when it comes to what movie to watch. But as she gets used to the cultural landscape and finds what films really catch her eye, she falls in love with Guillermo del Toro’s work. Which thrills Mikey to death—he knows she’s no big horror buff, but del Toro’s films are that perfect blend for them both to enjoy. Just a bit of horror, a bit of romance, a bit of weird. The Hellboy movies are their go to when they want to watch something together.

Moriko still makes her argument for The Shape of Water every time tho.

7. What’s something they’re afraid to tell each other?

Less of what to tell each other and more of what to ask each other, which…says a lot about what they really want to get to the root of. Leo wants to ask if Gordy’s happy being a mutant. Being with him, being nothing like what he used to be. And Gordy wants to ask Leo what the hell does he even see in him? Both are plagued with their own self doubts and that lovely little voice of “am I really good enough?”

They’re both afraid that in the end, neither will be enough for the other. That they won’t measure up.

As for Mikey and Moriko…Mikey’s scared shitless of admitting that the whole step-dad deal kinda wigs him out. Because he knows Moriko and Takumi are a package deal! And he loves the li’l guy, he thinks Takumi is a riot. But step-dad…that’s a big move. He’s gonna be responsible for a little life, a kid that actively looks up to him. That’s a whole lot different than the cat dad title he proudly wears!

Moriko, on the other hand? It’s her fear she’s afraid of sharing with Mikey. So much of this new world scares her and he’s so eager to share it with her. She doesn’t want to jeopardize what they’re building together, but so much of what he shows her leaves her wanting to find the deepest, darkest hole and bury her screams in there. She’s overwhelmed! Everything is so much at once and she doesn’t want to seem a dud by asking him to maybe take things down a notch or two.

#tay talks #tator ocs #moriko and takumi #Gordy Morrison #Tator art #I wanted to draw more for this answer but I’m exhausted today blehhh

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lushlovers · 2 years ago

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Jamie, J Burrow

summary; he just misses her.

warnings; heavy angst, alcohol abuse, swearing, mentions of bars and driving under the influence, talk of loss of loved one's. all around sad stuff.

word count; 1k

note; this is inspired by one of my favorite songs at the moment, Jamie by Zach Bryan ft. Charles Wesley Godwin, feel free to listen as you read for the best experience. i did cut it short because i'm not killing off joe, sue me.

please let me know if i missed anything in the warnings and if any of the warnings mentioned above may even slightly trigger you, please skip this work. there will be a fluffy one-shot of the burrow's coming soon for those who choose not to read. <333

There ain't much a war when it's 4:34 With the man you were before that bar door.

This Joe wasn't who he used to be. Drowning his sorrows in whiskey or any hard alcohol he could get his lips on was never his way of grief. Never had he ever been such a heavy drinker in all of his time in this world. He doesn't even like to drink. But love drives people to do the unimaginable, unfortunately for him, Joe Burrow was no exception to that fact.

No one loves you enough to give you a ride and your cars sittin' right outside, Oh, Jamie

Given the time no one was answering his calls and he wasn't in the right might set to find any friends who were willing to go with him and be the designated driver. Joe's made a few mistakes in his life, drunk driving was never on the list of those. He learned from a young age that was never a good decision.

Keep your tires between the ditches And your eyes peeled on the road.

Unknowingly, Joe swerved the expensive BMW that used to belong to his wife, driving it gave him a slight sense of relief. He used to always drive it, never alone though, she always in the passenger seat. She never liked being away from him, always loving just being in his presence.

There's two more minutes before you're back home.

The bar he chose to drown his feelings in drinking at was just seven minutes from their his expensive home. Going back there was always dreaded, especially knowing the one he once loved wouldn't be snuggled up in his clothes waiting on his arrival. He's not sure how he's driven the five minutes, his minds more clouded by liquor than it's ever been.

Don't 103 feel so free? You always loved the revelry Oh, Jamie

His wife was always one to get him out of his comfort zones, introducing him to new things. One thing she could never get him into was partying. She always used to tell him about the parties she had went to when they were back in high school, Joe never could imagine jeopardizing his nearly spotless career, so he settling for story telling.

The flashing red and blue in a cracked rear view.

"Goddammit," he murmured, pressing his foot down a bit harder as the cop's light flashes along his clammy face. As if his life could get anymore difficult, the last thing he needs is a DUI charge against him. The cracks of her rear view mirror obstructed his line of sight ever so slightly, he remembers the call he got from her stressed about the crack in her mirror. He was quick to reassure that it was the cold or something.

He remembers the smile he once owned.

Joe used to be the happiest man on the planet. He had a great upbringing, the perfect wife, a baby on the way, anything a man could ever ask for and then some. There was almost never any complaints from him about anything. He was simply content all the time. He used to smile until his cheeks would hurt, now the only expression he made was when the burn of his drink of choice hit him.

But he ain't gonna stop for any cop, from here to damn near Wichita County.

If he gets caught in this act. his excuse'll be that there was no where to pull off. There's no way he could pull him over in this area, maybe he'll understand how close he is to the neighborhood? What Joe couldn't seem the grasp was the fact that he was driving so dangerously, the cop who saw him to he was out of his mind and needed to be stopped immediately.

I'll go tonight, boys. I don't mean no harm. I just miss my lovin' lady and layin' in her arms. (2x)

The only thing his mind was on was her and the baby girl who he never got to properly meet or hold. His girls.

'Cause there's a tombstone hidden in a place that he don't visit.

Every time he took the tiny dirt road back to the secluded place he chose to lay them, his heart broke impossibly more. Life could never be the same for him, everyone knew it. The funeral gutted him from the inside out, seeing her their completely lifeless made his breath catch. Panic set in pretty quickly and all he saw was black.

Where the love of his life was laid to rest, he'll make it there by dusk that is where they'll draw their guns, Oh, Jamie.

He felt heavy, like he was carrying burden on him at all times or maybe he was the burden. His eyes blurred with tears that he was quick to wipe away. The blue and red lights followed him the entire way to his destination, no shock there though.

Cause this life ain't worth livin' if the love that you've been given is taken before you are.

There was nothing left for him. No one to come home to, no one to call his own, no one to run his mouth about to his friends. nothing, just a canyon in not only his heart but his soul. Nothing could fill this, no amount of booze or therapy could fix the pain he felt at this time. He's tried it all and failed every single fucking time.

Now Jamie is dancin' and spinnin' around his baby in the stars.

He had this analogy. That they were watching him, dancing around in the clouds and painting every sunset to keep him going. Even the simplest of tasks felt impossible in his situation.

I'll go tonight, boys. I don't mean no harm. I just miss my lovin' lady and layin' in her arms. (2x)

#joe burrow x reader #joe burrow fic #joe burrow #joe burrow x you #nfl #nfl fan fic #lushlovers #joe burrow oneshot #joe burrow angst #joe burrow fan fic #lushlovers fic #im so sorry for this #tw drinking #angst tw

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anarchyrpbook · 7 months ago

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FALLOUT (TV SERIES, 2024): Episode Seven Feel free to edit the sentences, places, pronouns, etc, as you need. NSFW TW: Mentions of violence

“Thank you, darling.”

“Well, hell, I probably still got some of your lead in me somewhere.”

“But today, I’m just looking for information.”

“I’ll tell you anything, as long as you leave us in peace.”

“We haven’t heard from him since.”

“There’s always some new little faction, ain’t there?”

“Brand-new team of believers with their own dumbass ideas about how they gonna save the world.”

“What did you do? What is that envelope?”

“But my problem is, by the time I got this letter off your [relation], it was a little bit hard to read.” *holds up bloodied letter with a hole in it.*

“For some reason, I just can’t make out their location. Now, you give me that location, and I’ll be on my way.”

“I didn’t want to spend my life digging through dirt, I want to build something, and we have the chance -”

“Tell him what he wants to know! Or else he’ll kill us all!”

“Now, please, leave us.”

“What is it about [location], that we all came to this place?”

“But it is just a dream, it’s not real.”

“This is about all the horseshit I can take.”

“I have my principles, [name], that’s all.”

“How do you know them?”

“My research company was acquired by her division.”

“Hypocrisy is like violence in your movies; if you only let bad guys use it, the bad guys win.”

“A good bad guy doesn’t see themselves as the bad guy.”

“It’s a listening device.”

“You want me to spy on them?”

“Good luck with that revolution.”

“I’m not a [foul description/title]. That’s just a dirty word they use to describe people who aren’t insane.”

“We let you into our home. Tended to your wounds, gave you food and water.”

“You’re experimenting on them… It’s sick.”

“What is this?”

“At this point, it would be irrational of me not to acknowledge that these may be my last words.”

“Sorry, I uh, haven’t seen that footage in a long time.”

“I had no idea the original [vault dwellers] here were so… so weird.”

“Your ignorance cannot excuse your cruelty.”

“You have infected our home with violence and now you must pay the price.”

“Are you done?”

“I’m gunna fucking die.”

“If you were a person, you wouldn’t have any friends, you realize that?”

“Okay, I got to reevaluate here.”

“Oh, you want this too, huh? Everybody wants this. Guess what? It’s mine.”

“You think everything’s for you. It’s pretty selfish, actually, you know that?”

“You’re a loose cannon, all right? This is a very important mission, and I can’t have you jeopardizing it.”

“You can breathe in there, right?”

“It doesn’t matter where you come from or what you believe, you deserve safety… Unless you threaten that peace.”

“It’s almost there.”

“Need to get that sharpened, please.”

“You’re just… Letting me go?”

“That’s, uh, very nice of you guys.”

“I know that I’m not really in the position to be asking favors…”

“I can help people with this. You, for example, I want to help you.”

“I was supposed to marry a stranger, from another [vault]. It didn’t turn out so good.”

“I don’t have the best luck when it comes to strangers.”

“But, [name], I can honestly say, you’re the best stranger I’ve ever met.”

“There’s something I should tell you.”

“He was threatening me, so instead of helping him, I watched him die.”

“So all that stuff you were saying, you know, uhm, about me being a good person…”

“I just threw acid in an innocent man’s face.”

“Do you want to come live with me in my [vault]?”

“Don’t kill me, I’m a doctor, I can help you!”

“Before we start, there’s the small matter of my fee.”

“Remember, wherever you end up, that’s where you belong.”

“Ugh, more death, I wish it would end.”

“What did I tell you, [name], words have meaning.”

“So, you’re just gonna forget about everything we’ve seen?”

“I feel like this is a good moment for a fresh start.”

“You’re a coward, you know that, [name]?”

“We all are, that’s why we live in a [vault].”

“I’ve got three hot cocoas on deck, two marshmallow, one plain.”

“I’m sorry, [name], but you ain’t them.”

“Yeah, uh, my ride should be getting here any minute.”

“People just, uh, can’t be nice.”

“God, I suck without a scope.”

“Why am I not dead?”

“Well, I’m not just gonna leave it there.”

“[Name], I think you might be a ghoul.”

“They’ll kill me if they find out.”

“They’re never going to stop looking for it.”

“I’ll wait for you.”

“And now we say goodbye to all those that are leaving us for [Vault 32].”

“Uh, excuse me, I don’t live there. I, uh, live here.”

“Sorry, sorry, that was weird. Sorry.”

“Are you compromised?”

“Mission not going as planned.”

#rp sentence meme #rp meme #sentence meme #roleplay meme #source: fallout (2024)#mine*

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bruhstation · 1 year ago

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I've been thinking about the setting of my TUGS au, the prequel to casa tidmouth, and by extention I began thinking about the show TUGS itself.

it's kind of depressing to know that TUGS is most likely set during the years RIGHT before world war 2. I remember watching a TUGS iceberg video a long time ago, maybe last year-ish. after a series of callbacks and alludes to the little environmental details right at the end of the video, the creator said that the show is possibly not set during the 1920s, but the 1930s, nearing another war period, and that's why I've changed the era of what this AU is set in many months ago.

mitton and cardona claimed that the show is set during the "booming era" of the 1920s, but I can't help but think that maybe the 1920s isn't the most fitting era with how the tone of the show is.

the 1930s setting really does make sense though -- the atmosphere in TUGS is much more, I dunno how to exactly say it, gloomy? serious? it's still a mostly lighthearted kids show, but, to quote some things indirectly from the iceberg video; what's with the munitions? the flammable barges? johnny cuba? the constant mention of broken ships? characters dying right on the screen in such a macabre fashion? burke and blair's whole job? then my mind thought about the star tugs and z-stacks, their relationship and purpose and how it ties to the pre-ww2 feeling of the story.

the conflict between the star tugs and z-stacks isn't fueled by personal grudge against each other. I apologize for comparing TUGS to ttte, but in comparison to its sister series where the engines of sodor have personal banter against each other selfishly, still manage to fool around during their jobs, get into accidents due to their own hubris, and end the day where they learned their lesson, TUGS is much different. they're just there to work and carry through their contracts. they still banter with each other but they know their priorities. they are also driven by their conscience and rationale, not just some "oh he made fun of me so I'm not gonna help him out. I'm bigger and more important so I refuse to do this job and go back to my berth".

zorran dislikes the star tugs but knows that the contracts are much more important and he is willing to work with them if it means the job will be done. top hat, despite his personal distaste for anything smelly, QUICKLY changes his mind about lord stinker and works with him to save the goods engine. zebedee is a character more driven by his personal view on what's good or bad -- he helped the star tugs push princess alice back into place and showed concern when ten cents was pushing the oil barge to the sea, but there's a part of him that's definitely concerned for his own well being.

they have their personal opinions on both their teammates and their rival company's tugboats, but they know better than to let those feelings get in the way. not working means their presence as tugboats will be jeopardized.

these points, added to the very high possibility that TUGS is set during the late 1930s, creates another layer to the overall murkier feeling of the show. the characters know the times are dire. the characters know that they have contracts to go through. they know that something big is coming. they've went through world war 1! with how bluenose and the navy inserted their presence in bigg city port, there's also an idea that there's gotta be at least one character with a sense of foreboding amidst the business.

I also reckon they've grown some kind of fondness (???) for their rival company? it's like when there's a kid at school who keeps annoying you, but next day they're not there and you got a bit worried on where they might be. the two factions don't necessarily like each other, but their rival has formed a place in their normalcy that to get rid of them entirely is not going to do any good, really.

so yeah. that's all I have in mind right now.

#zin.txt #this is tugs #oh and to answer. the AU is gonna be set in around 1938 #the stories aren't linear per se? probably like casa tidmouth where the story spans for the whole summer of 1999 #especially there's regatta (summer) and bigg freeze (winter) like at least it'll take place a full year #oh boy. time to do some MORE history reading #also I just realized something #ten cents sunshine and zip are late teens in the late 1930s #and there's a war coming #uh. I'd rather not think too much about the implications.#fortezza bigg city

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oh-katsuki · 2 years ago

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hey how has his death been foreshadowed if you don't mind me asking? haven't read jjk in a while but these leaks .....

MAJOR JUJUTSU KAISEN SPOILERS BELOW THE CUT!!!!! MAJOR MAJOR MAJOR for like the entire manga.

there's been a LOT of indication that megumi will either fall victim to sukuna and lose his life or be used by sukuna in general. he's got a lot of death flags in his general character existence (ie; his willingness to kill moreso than other characters around him, the fact that he doesn't fear death, etc).

the largest one though is probably that people continuously talk to him about death. itadori tells him to live a long life, gojo mentions that in the past a limitless/six eyes user and chimera shadow garden user fought to the death and killed each other, reggie's last words quite literally foreshadow his death.

reggie tells him "let fate toy with you before you die like a fool" and that general statement is given an entire page in the manga. sure, a character was dying so they're gonna get more panels of them, but gege does a lot of things very intentionally and usually plays up a lot on irony. (here's the manga screencap)

it's also important to know that in a lot of fiction, protagonists are punished by the narrative for behaviors (as are villains but we'll exclude them since they follow slightly different rules). in this scene, megumi has just killed a man. death is often given opposite and often disproportional retribution in fiction. when a protagonist kills someone who could be considered morally gray (like i consider reggie to be compared to everyone else), the narrative seeks to punish them. reggie basically curses him with the narrative (not in the jujutsu sense) by saying that to him and i don't think gege would include it unintentionally. it's also a hUGE death flag that reggie MENTIONS megumi being his executioner before basically predicting his death because it's setting up the narrative justification of whatever retribution is to come.

not only that, but megumi is an ironic character, similar to nanami imo. he's someone bound by circumstance to be in the position he's in and (at first) wasn't all too attached to the idea of being taught with someone who stupidly ate one of sukuna's fingers. a lot of his interactions contain an irony that only really comes with death in the narrative (ie; the irony of itadori telling him to live a long life while on death's doorstep).

i also think it's important to note that a lot of the art in the series indicates that megumi will / would fall victim to sukuna (like the popular series art going around now of sukuna's hands around megumi's neck). not only that, but the indication that megumi would also have to fight gojo (whose general character pattern tends to jeopardize the ones he loves).

gojo, in chap 117, explains to megumi that in the edo-period, two head jujutsu sorcerers killed each other in a fight. one of them was a limitless user with the six eyes and the other was a ten shadows technique user. gege didn't invent this fact in their history for nothing. it indicates a larger and more prominent tie to those two characters' current fates. there's also a lot of series art that indicates that gojo and megumi will end up fighting (most likely to the death).

also, as an aside, reggie mentions fate and letting it toy with megumi. i think it's important to remember that "fate" in the jujutsu world isn't an abstract concept like it is in ours. gojo is bound to tengen and the star plasma vessel by fate and I don't think it's a coincidence that megumi is the son of the only person to alter that course. fate in jjk is an evident and very tangible concept, so the fact that reggie mentioned it while stating megumi as his executioner and predicting a fool's death, is very symbolically important. it sets up a fate-ordained altercation that will most likely rely on emotional irony (hence my prediction of gojo and megumi needing to fight to the death at some point).

i have a LOT of thoughts on this and i apologize if this is incoherent. it doesn't even really scratch the surface of the thoughts I've been having surrounding megumi and gojo (especially since seeing he leaks yesterday). there's a lot of stuff concerning sukuna and mahoraga (and gojo) as well that i haven't gotten into, but it essentially boils down to: a lot of the series has been hinting that sukuna is after mahoraga through megumi and that the fight will most likely come down to sukuna in megumi's body, gojo, and mahoraga in an exorcism ritual that results in either a repeat of the edo-period gojo/zen'in clan death match or some kind of ironic twist on it.

i think the series will ultimately boil down to being a complete tragedy.

sorry if this makes no sense. i have a lot of thoughts and jujutsu kaisen is REALLY hard (but fun) for me to try and make sense of. i got a little lost in the sauce in the middle but these are my current thoughts on it.

#[ 🏩 – chatting ]#this is really long i am so sorry i got so carried away #jjk spoilers #jjk manga spoilers #jujutsu kaisen spoilers #jujutsu kaisen manga spoilers #jjk 212 leaks #i have SOOOO MANY THOUGHTS AND ALL OF THEM MAKE ME MISERABLE #hoping and praying that gege decides they all live #but..... hoo boy it is NOT looking like that's how it's gonna turn out

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saltygilmores · 2 years ago

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Thoughts While Watching Gilmore Girls-Season 2, Episode 12, Part 2 ("Richard In Stars Hollow")

Part 1 and all other episodes here

"You built me a car?" "I built you a car." Version 2.0:

Yes it has already been established that a car has been built.

Sorry Lorelai, he's not gonna build you a plane for you to fuck him in. #SexPlane

Let's see how Lorelai takes this completely factual observation.

If your grandfather had pulled out your father wouldn't exist and I wouldn't be here listening to "you built me a car" again and having to hear about Lorelai's Sex With Dean Plane. What does your father and grandfather being good with cars have to do with anything? How does that make you a mechanic? Where's that motorcycle you supposedly had in season 1? Why is your scarf so ugly? I bet that coat you're wearing smells. That haircut is so stupid. It's that time again! Time for "Dean proceeds to get a very snippy attitude with an adult and Lorelai doesn't care because he's not Jess and she wants to fuck him on their Sex Plane."

You're a certified Butthead, that's all you are.

Gotta love Lorelai jeopardizing her daughter's life by letting her drive some death trap built by a 17 year old butthead with zero automotive experience because "it's a nice thing he did." It's not a fucking ceramic mug he made for her in a pottery class, it's a car. He built her a car (did you catch that yet?) Lorelai just gets more and more insufferable and we're only at the halfway mark of season 2. It will continue to go downhill from here. *straps in* Isn't this the car that Jess totals in Teach Me Tonight? That's the only good thing to come out of that wretched episode.

Rory, you gotta stop with that sad puppy face, you're breaking my heart. If he's so fucking good at bulding cars why didn't he do that for a living after high school instead of just being a career butthead? Why didn't he go to automotive school or something and keep himself busy and do something to contribute to society instead of trapping poor Lindsay into making his meatloaf? (#JusticeForLindsay) Why is his face so god damn punchable? I hate everything about you, sir. I wish you would perish. Truly. He claims Gypsy inspected the car (I think this is the first time she's mentioned on the show?) but literally 30 seconds ago Richard asked him "have you even driven it past a mechanic?" and he said no, but now all of a sudden all of these people have inspected the car. Butthead continues to snip at, make sarcastic comments to, and raise his voice at Richard. Rory and Lorelai just stand there. I'm not convinced Butthead can even read no less build a complicated piece of machinery. Richard and Dean mosey on over to Gypsy's in their respective cawrs so Butthead can prove to Richard that his Death Trap is safe. Gypsy inspects Dean's Metal Box of Death and declares there is absolutely nothing wrong with Dean's handiwork. He did a perfect job. We are to believe this 17 year old butthead who had to fake knowing how to read to impress Rory and is not in the automotive trade made aboslutely zero mistakes building a car from a scratch. Mmmkay.

Really? Great! That was the plan all along.

...should have pulled out. We learn a little more about Butthead's family history besides the fact that his father's pullout game is weak. His father has a shop where he sells and installs stereos. His mother transcribes medical records. And that was your peek into the exciting World of Butthead.

While it feels like every breath and eye blink exchanged between R&J has had a PHd thesis written about it at some point, there are some scenes that nobody seems to care about, like this one? It got to a point that I never saw it on Twitter and Instagram and between viewings of the show I would start to think I must have imagined it. Why, I don't know. Because it's cute as heck and it's one his more clever pranks. Certainly better than the chalk outline.

You gotta love Jess putting dirty movies into G-rated movie boxes. Unlike the chalk outline prank, he did it purely to get back at the people who had screwed Rory over. My sweet baby.

How utterly depressing that this is not even a joke anymore and a completely true statement in the year 2023.

No. No bye. You stay right here. *holds him hostage* Let's enjoy a few screen shots of pure unadulterated joy.

HE'SS JUST A BABY.

PURE JOY.

#gilmore girls #lorelai gilmore #rory gilmore #jess mariano #literati #denise rewatches gilmore girls #gilmore girls season 2 #richard in stars hollow #joyyyyy #milo ventimiglia

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serpentmessmer · 1 year ago

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i can't keep track of who i already sent a dadfucker friday ask to but happy dff💀

HAPPY DFF YOU HAVEN'T YET SO I'M GONNA SIT HERE AND TALK ABOUT SUPERPEAKS MORE AND HOW DEAN DATING LAURA JUST FURTHER ENMESHES HIM WITH HIS DAD

bc like, the thing is, laura is being sexually abused by her dad that's like....that's the whole thing that's the main horror and the main tragedy is that was happening and no one helped her because they chose to see what they wanted to see

and it's much the same with dean. not that sam COULD stop what was happening but i really do think that a lot of the time sam put himself in positions where he could cling pretty hard to plausible deniability because your brother fucking your father is fucked up, even for the standards of their world. and others outside of their family unit almost definitely saw things that should have flagged as "something is wrong here" that they chose to not pursue, for whatever reason.

now how does this relation further enmesh? simple, when laura dies dean doesn't have other outlets. he can't talk about her death with sam, he'd never tell sam that he was suspicious of leland, and john won't talk to him about it because john knows in his gut exactly what happened to laura and admitting that to dean would, in his mind, shatter the bond that he's built with dean and with sam fighting to go off to college, he cannot jeopardize that bond with the son who stayed behind

and so it's all knowing looks and sentences trailed off before either of them can swallow their pride and fear and unwillingness to be vulnerable to really talk about laura, and dean doesn't have that with sam and then sam leaves him, just like laura, just like everyone but dad

#box time #missmisdemeanor #johndean for blacklist #i shant say #superpeaks #sorry everyone its not even an au anymore i have folded preseries twin peaks into preseries spn canon

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saltnpepperbunny · 2 years ago

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Till World’s End- 4: Seven Days Remain

PREVIOUS: Eight Days Remain > NEXT: Six Days Remain >

COVER

Till World’s End is rated Mature. Viewer discretion advised. Content Warnings listed on the Cover.

* * *

“… He said what?”

“You don’t want to be the one who stands in his way,” Shadow reiterated. Selkie ground her teeth together, smoke practically puffing from her nose. Of course Lyn the human had approached her and she missed it! How irritating! She would’ve liked to scratch his nose off when he insulted her to her face!

But she tossed her irritation aside with a short exhale. It was illogical to be irritated about trivial insults in the midst of open warfare. She’d make a misstep if she let her anger run rampant. “We know for sure, then. Lyn is here to save the world.” A grin tugged at the corner of her lip. “We truly do have an enemy.”

“Yeah! It’s not good!” Shadow yiped. “You said you were working on a solution. Did you think of anything?”

Selkie sweat. “Of course I’ve thought of something! Just what do you take me for?” She whipped her head to the side. “But if you have any ideas as well, I’ll hear them out.”

Shadow’s ears drooped. “You’ve got nothing, huh?” The question came out more as a dejected statement.

“No.”

“We’re doomed!” Shadow started pacing about the room like a caged animal in a veterinarian’s office. “If you can’t think of anything, what can I even do? Selkie, are we gonna have to k-k-kill him?!”

“Ideally not! Calm down!” Selkie hissed. She watched Shadow’s stormy eyes swirl. “I would rather avoid killing him. It certainly would make things easier, but breaking the pokemon’s laws could jeopardize us. I’m not willing to endanger you.”

Shadow sighed with relief. His eyes dripped honey, no doubt from her last comment. “But then what can we do?”

Selkie tapped her chin with her claw. She’d been considering Lyn’s arrival since the morning briefing two days ago but was uncertain how to approach the problem. What if she misstepped and did something too risky? She didn’t want to make a move that would put Shadow in danger, for she knew how humans treated weak pokemon. And after yesterday’s events, she was hesitant to act recklessly. She felt powerful enough that any move she made would likely work out, but if she fucked up, she’d upset Shadow again. Was it too risky to confront Lyn directly? What about spying on him? Neither felt like an issue, but what if it went wrong? Shadow had really put her in a bind here!

“There’s one thing other thing.” Shadow’s voice cut through her train of thought. “I think Lyn sensed you were a human, too. But after we met, he thinks otherwise.”

Selkie’s eyes widened. “So, he thinks I’m a pokemon… Excellent.”

Shadow’s brows shot up. “Excellent?”

“Excellent! We have the upper hand!” Selkie’s tail swished back and forth. “Lyn was warned of me, but now he doesn’t think I’m a human. He’s wary but has no real reason to suspect we might stand against him. We can gather information and form a proper plan.”

Shadow grinned wide. “From the shadows!”

“From the shadows,” Selkie echoed. How adorable her partner was. She shuffled towards the bedroom door. “Everything will be fine. But this is all contingent on ensuring Lyn’s ignorance. Whatever we do, Lyn must not find out that I am a human.”

Knock knock knock!

Selkie’s eye twitched. Who dared disturb her team’s peace? She swung the dorm door open to see—

FUCK!

Lyn the human stood in her doorway. A familiar yungoos recruit and Margarine the cutiefly were at his sides. Lyn’s eyes darted between Selkie and the zorua, and after the briefest of pauses, he shot her a wide, sharp-toothed grin. “Good morning, Team Tempest! The Guildmaster has assigned you to accompany my new team on a mission today!”

“…. Okay.” Selkie couldn’t decide whether to snap Lyn’s neck or her own.

* * *

“So, this is a mystery dungeon, huh?” Lyn stepped forward. His half-lidded yellow eyes widened just slightly in wonder; his mouth fell into an o-shape. “It looks just like an ordinary cave!”

“Ordinary caves don’t have stairs,” Selkie muttered. She pushed past Lyn to the front of the group. “Now, stick with me if you don’t want to die.”

This was great. Just fucking great. Leave it to the Guildmaster to ruin fucking everything! It had assigned Team Tempest and the newly formed Team Apex to fetch a lost item in Silver Inlet. Why Selkie’s assistance was even necessary on this mission was lost on her. Apparently, the Guildmaster wanted an experienced team to accompany Lyn on his first outing and provide extra support so Team Apex—consisting of Lyn, Margarine, and Thistletooth the yungoos—could figure out how to work together. But why hers of all teams? This wasn’t even an outlaw capture job! She couldn’t wait to gouge out that kommo-o’s throat, feel the blood run through the fur of her flippers and take its fangs as her prize. Fuck that stupid dragon.

Shadow came close to her and nosed her gently. Selkie took a deep, shaky breath. With a last glance at the members of Team Apex, she turned towards the dungeon’s entrance. “Let’s just find that joy ribbon and get out of here.” She shuffled forward, Shadow fell into step at her side, and Team Apex plodded after her. Together, they entered the dungeon.

Silver Inlet was one of the nearest local mystery dungeons. Due to the low numbers of ferals, rookie teams often took missions here to get their feet wet before graduating to bigger challenges. Selkie had never spent much time here as a new recruit; the more challenging dungeons had always been more alluring. However, she did appreciate the atmosphere of Silver Inlet. It was a spacious, silver cave littered with stalactites and connecting pools of water.

“It’s so… wet here,” Lyn muttered. Selkie glanced over her shoulder to see the litten’s fur stood up on his back. His eye twitched every time he stepped in a puddle.

“Bad choice in first dungeon for a fire-type,” Selkie muttered at him.

Lyn squinted. “I didn’t—… I didn’t pick the mission, the Guildmaster did. I wouldn’t have picked somewhere damp and cold.” He shot her a cheeky smile. “But I suppose these conditions are ideal for a popplio.”

“Oh, yeah. If I wasn’t babysitting, I could navigate this dungeon with far more ease.” Selkie gestured to a nearby pool of water with her flipper. “The pools here are all connected through tunnels under the ground. Swimming between them is the easiest way to navigate. Unfortunately for us, the Guildmaster shackled us with a fire-type. A feline one, at that.”

Lyn rolled his eyes. “Very funny.”

“It wasn’t a joke.”

“Hey! Come on!” Margarine flitted in between them. Selkie hated that incessant buzzing of its wings. She wished she could swat it out of the air. “We all gotta work together on this, okay? Let’s not fight. It’s my first time ever on a team mission, I wanna do this right.”

“Sorry, Margarine,” Lyn said.

“Yeah,” piped up Thistletooth. The yungoos has been lingering at the edge of the group, but it now paced forward. “Sorry the Guildmaster ruined our chances before we even got out the gate.” It narrowed its eyes at Selkie and Shadow. “Why did he have to give us the psychos?”

“Hey—” Shadow growled.

Selkie bared her teeth. “Oh, petty insults, how clever! You speak so boldly for a recruit who’s been with the Guild several weeks now, yet still needs to be babysat even in the mildest dungeons! I would personally be embarrassed to spit in the face of the pokemon assigned to keep you alive, since you apparently can’t be trusted to do that yourself!” She leaned down and thrust her pink nose into Thistletooth’s snarling face. “Next time, consider biting your tongue, you insolent little whelp.”

Thistletooth snarled at her but otherwise said nothing, and Selkie lifted her head back up. “Besides, listen to your teammate. We’re not here to bicker.” She shuffled forward, and Shadow padded after her. “I don’t want to be here anymore than you do. Let’s just get that lost item and go.”

After a moment of silence, she heard the plodding pawsteps of Team Apex quietly following her lead. Fucking finally.

They traversed the dungeon in blissful silence after that. As the fire of Selkie’s anger dwindled, boredom nibbled at the creases of her brain. Curses. Curse the Guildmaster, curse Lyn’s inept rescue team! She didn’t like coming here! Silver Inlet was boring! There were hardly any ferals nor items to find, never a monster house to crowd surf in! Just walking through damp, sparkling caves. Selkie ground her teeth together. Damn this boredom. She walked amidst an enemy who most definitely knew what she was at this point and still managed to find it dull.

Selkie glanced over her shoulder at Lyn. He was in a quiet conversation with Margarine, the two muttering together under their breath. Margarine caught her eye and gave a smile. Selkie stared back. The cutiefly dropped its gaze and went back to whispering with Lyn. Hm.

Selkie’s social connections amongst the Guild were sporadic and strenuous at best. Most recruits regarded her as the village psychopath, the creature to whisper behind the back of, the monster to poke and prod but never outright provoke. Few pokemon had the will to approach her, and most who did just challenged her to fights. Margarine was the sole exception: Its values guided it to seek out resident freaks to offer kindness to, and since Shadow was too terrified to talk to it, Margarine targeted all its efforts at Selkie. They spoke occasionally about their troubles, and what started as impulsive fibs on Selkie’s part had warped into an elaborate web of lies surrounding her dysfunctional popplio family, monetary troubles, and poor, ailing grandmother. She was rarely one to trick others in that way—she lied often, but keeping track of elaborate stories was more work than she was often willing to put in—but Margarine practically begged to be manipulated. Its trust was unyielding, its graciousness knew no bounds, and its pockets overflowed with coin. Selkie couldn’t fathom how a cutiefly family got rich, but economic disparity was just as stupid in her own world, she supposed. Wringing out the stupid little rich kid for its coin was an admittedly phenomenal pastime, and it gave her extra cash to spend on Shadow. (She knew he loved it.)

But now, Lyn and Margarine were together. How that happened was beyond Selkie; perhaps Margarine’s attempts to buy friendship from its fellow recruits finally paid off? Undoubtedly, the two would discuss Selkie at some point. All pokemon gossiped, humans especially so. What would occur when Margarine told Lyn of Selkie the human’s impoverished popplio family and ailing popplio grandmother? Would he tell it the truth? Let it live the lie? Could this exchange of information jeopardize Selkie’s mission at all?

She supposed it remained to be seen. Oh well. Hopefully, the end result would at least be interesting.

The group made their way through the dungeon, descending stone staircase after staircase. About three floors down, they walked in silence, Team Tempest at the head and Team Apex behind, when the fur of Selkie’s neck suddenly stood up.

She stopped in her tracks, eyes darted about the cave. “Selkie? What’s wrong?” Shadow asked her, but she did not respond right away. The shadows concealed the various tunnels around them like black curtains, but she could still hear it: the scratching and scuttling of approaching ferals.

“Ferals are coming. Prepare for battle,” said Selkie.

“B-b-b-battle?” Margarine spluttered.

“Aw yeah! Time to show our stuff!” Thistletooth yapped.

“Don’t get cocky,” Selkie growled at it. The last thing she needed was one of the Idiots Three charging into battle headfirst and getting wounded. That would be the epitome of inconvenience, if her escort mission suddenly became a real rescue. By the sound of it, a lot of ferals were approaching. Enlisting the help of Team Apex would be the easiest option, wouldn’t it? But how could she do that without this battle spiraling into a chaotic mess?

Out from the darkness burst a hoard of krabby. Selkie counted five, ten, no, fifteen? She stopped counting after twenty. The members of Team Apex backed away from the approaching hoard, hackles raised. Only Shadow stood his ground, but he lowered himself into a battle stance, teeth bared, and Selkie saw the nervousness in his eyes. How could she protect him without risking herself too heavily? How?

Suddenly, something awakened in her.

Selkie leaped up onto a tall, nearby boulder and slapped her tail to make an echoing THUD! Team Apex flinched and looked up at her, and her bark bounced through the cave. “If you want to survive, listen to me now!” She combed her brain, rifling through memories left dusty from years of neglect, and the corpse of a girl who had once prized pokemon opened her eyes.

“Cutiefly, use silver wind and knock them back!”

“O-o-okay!” As Selkie thanked herself for having looked at Team Apex’s movesets ahead of time, Margarine flapped her buzzing wings and unleashed a whipping wind that knocked back the oncoming krabby. The ferals grunted and braced against the attack, and Selkie whipped her head to Thistletooth. “Yungoos, use sand attack on as many of them as you can!”

Thistletooth snarled at her. “Don’t tell me what to—”

“JUST DO IT!”

Thistletooth flinched from her shriek and, with an irritated snarl, got to work. A fair amount of sand was fortunately available in the wet cave. The yungoos dashed past the hoard and kicked up a storm cloud that flew into their eyes and mouths. The krabby spluttered and hissed, and Selkie saw them open their mouths in preparation for bubblebeam.

“They’re going to attack! DODGE!”

The bubbles launched. Thistletooth, Margarine, and Shadow were quick to duck out of the way. Shadow charged forward, vanishing in a flickering shadow for a moment before he reappeared and bashed some krabby into the wall with a sweep of his paw. Margarine launched another silver wind to knock back the oncoming bubbles. Selkie barked at Thistletooth, “Focus on using bide to deal as much damage as possible! Let the bubblebeams hit you. Only use pursuit if you see one trying to flee!”

“Don’t need your advice, Psycho!” Thistletooth barked at her but followed orders regardless.

Selkie realized she’d lost track of Lyn, and her eyes darted around in search of the human. But before she could find him, Shadow’s bark suddenly rang out. “Selkie, be careful!”

She looked down to see a group of krabby scrambling up the boulder towards her. She snarled and readied disarming voice in her throat. Coming for the trainer, eh? She would show these idiot ferals what-for! A krabby launched a bubblebeam, but before Selkie’s own attack could leave her throat…

SMACK!

Something big and heavy slammed into her side. Selkie went tumbling down from the rock. The disarming voice left her throat in a yelp, and beneath her, the rocky walls of the mystery dungeon glowed blue and split open. “SELKIE!” Shadow screamed out, but he was too late to do anything. Selkie—and whatever had attacked her—rolled through the opened slice in the stone. She caught a glimpse of Shadow’s terrified face, hordes of krabby behind him, as the opening in the dungeon sealed once again. She hit the rocky floor with a thud.

There was no way back.

“DAMMIT! STUPID MYSTERY DUNGEONS!” Selkie jumped back onto her belly and slapped at where the opening had been with her tail. “OPEN UP! ARCEUS DAMN YOU!”

“Oouuuugh…”

Selkie’s ears pricked. She whipped around to see Lyn on the ground, rubbing his head with a red paw. No other pokemon was in sight. Frustration bubbled in Selkie like a boiling pot. She gnashed her teeth and barked at him, “You fucking idiot! Did you try to protect me back there?! What was the point of that?!”

Lyn hissed and looked back over his shoulder at her, yellow eyes crossed in irritation. “I was trying to protect you from those krabby, obviously.”

“Well, now we’ve fallen through a hole in the dungeon! We’re likely on another floor, and your team has no protection besides my partner. Good job!”

Lyn curled his upper lip to show his teeth. “My teammates can protect themselves just fine.”

“Then what am I here for?!”

“I didn’t ask you to come! The Guildmaster did! I would’ve been fine coming here on my own!” Lyn suddenly barked at her. Selkie’s brows shot up. So, he could raise his voice!

“Clearly not, if you can’t even organize your own team for battle! I had to step in!” Selkie shouted. “And now we’re uselessly stranded on the other side of the dungeon, and my partner is alone with your troupe of circus clowns! If Shadow gets hurt, you’re dead, you hear me?! You’re dead!”

Lyn’s tail thrashed side to side. He glowered at her, yellow eyes flashing with irritation. “Like you give two shits about that zorua.”

“He’s my teammate,” Selkie growled.

“Your teammate is gonna be dead in seven days and you damn well know it!”

A fog of silence settled between them. Lyn’s sides heaved. He gritted his teeth. Even in the dark, gray cave, his lamplike yellow eyes shone bright as gold. There was life in there, a fire that bore deep into the murky depths of Selkie’s still water eyes. Finally, Lyn brushed the dust off his chest with a paw and gave Selkie a look that oozed disappointment.

“The Guildmaster didn’t ask you to bring my team out here, did it?” Selkie muttered.

“No.”

“What do you want from me, Lyn?”

“I want to understand.” Lyn paced towards her, his head lowered like a predator. “You’re like me. And I know you’re like me because I was warned of you. The one who brought me here said that another would stand in my way. But I don’t understand… Why?”

“Why what?”

“Why won’t you save the world?!” Lyn cried. “I’ve been here for three days. You’ve been here for years. And all you’ve done is dawdle around a rescue guild on some tropical island, adopt a pet zorua, and pull teeth off random outlaws! Do you not get it? In seven days, you’re dead, too!”

“I am completely aware of that fact, yes.”

Lyn looked at her like she’d just spluttered gibberish from her mouth. His brows crossed, his expression a mixture of offense and sheer confusion. “Wh… What? What?! Selkie, in seven days, this entire world will cease to be! The pokemon here, your zorua, yourself! Do you not understand?!”

“Do you think I’m dumb? I know what will come to pass! I perfectly understand my choice.” The skin of Selkie’s muzzle furrowed as she curled her lips. This was getting real annoying real fast. Oh, humans and their insistence on treating her like an idiot.

Lyn scoffed. “You’re suicidal. You’re meant to be the hero of this dying world, and you’re too suicidal to do anything about it.”

“I’m no hero,” Selkie growled.

“Well, luckily for you, I am.” Lyn slinked closer and began to circle her. He lifted his chin high and tall, a glass cup on the edge of the countertop begging to be swatted down. “Unlike you, I understand my place in this world. Before I came here, I was nothing. Just another human. But now, I’m a pokemon. I’m better than a pokemon. I’m the hero who’s gonna save this world.” The smirk he shot her made Selkie want to claw his face off. “Whether you like it or not, Edgelord.”

Selkie’s eye twitched so hard she thought it would bulge out of its socket. “I’m the edgelord? Me? I’m not the one who seems to think he’s the protagonist of a goddamn isekai.”

Lyn quirked a brow. “Oh, you know anime genres? Takes one to know one.”

Selkie rolled her eyes. “For a grand hero, you sure do come off more as a self-important schoolyard brat! Do you think anyone will thank you for saving the world?”

“They will.”

“They won’t! You’ve assigned yourself to a thankless job, and no good will come of it!” Selkie’s bark bounced about the cave. “You think you’re better than me because you want to save a bunch of worthless animals from themselves? Don’t make me laugh! All you’re doing is as you’re told!” Though her chest was empty, cold, and still, a chuckle bubbled from her lips. The giggles dropped and pinged against the floor like falling coins. “Haha! Hahahaha! You are so human, aren’t you, Lyn? You follow instructions like a trained rockruff. You sit and roll over and save the world as you’re told, all to save a bunch of pokemon you don’t give two shits about, and for what? To bolster your ego? At least mine is not so fragile!”

Lyn’s pupils turned to slits. He scraped at the ground with his claws. Agonizing noise. “You think I’m doing this cause I was told to? I accepted the mission cause these pokemon don’t deserve to die!”

“Hahahahahaha! Oh, but they do! Of course they do! There is a single pokemon in this world who doesn’t deserve to die, and he has CHOSEN death!” Selkie laughed. Her heart suddenly panged. What emotion was that weird heavy sensation meant to be? “Ahahaha! Everywhere I go is the same. Our world is rotten to its core, life there is torment, and the weak are eaten alive. This one is the same! If our world isn’t worth saving, this one isn’t either! Ahahahahahahaha!” She laughed and laughed. She thought of her zorua in the belly of that dark, monochrome cave. What was this pressure behind her eyes? “Isn’t it hilarious? Isn’t it tragic? How a world of innocent creatures can still mutate like this? Break like this? There is no difference between humans and them!” She stopped laughing. She looked Lyn dead in the eye. The pressure faded. Her body ran cold. “That is why they deserve to die.”

Lyn stumbled back. “Y-you’re a freak.”

Selkie wondered for a moment how to respond to that. Then, she shot him a bright grin. “Yours truly!”

Lyn’s eyes darted this way and that, a rattata in search of a bolt hole. Selkie shuffled towards him, and he hurriedly slunk back and jumped when his tail bumped against the cave wall. Selkie truly felt like the goddess of this world as she shuffled so close they were nose to nose, stretched a flipper out to lean against the wall and box the litten in. The fur of Lyn’s neck stood on end. Eyes wide as Selkie leaned down.

“Let me put it this way, Lyn. In one week, I am going to give Shadow his happy ending. I am going to have my happy ending. No creature in this world nor the one we came from has the power to save us. If you should choose to stand against us? Let’s just say…” Selkie raked her claws down the cave wall, and sparks of delight popped in her chest as Lyn shrank beneath her. “You do not want to be that person.”

They stared each other down in silence for what felt like eternity, Selkie’s eyes steadily narrowing as Lyn’s grew wider. She breathed in his fear, his weakness like curling smoke, let it wash through her lungs. In that moment, she was the most powerful being in this world. And then suddenly, Lyn’s golden eyes narrowed into a deep, dark glare.

War.

“Selkie!”

She knew that voice. Selkie’s head shot up to see Shadow dashing towards her from down the tunnel. Behind him came Thistletooth and Margarine, and when the yungoos saw Selkie pinning Lyn against the wall, it sucked in a gasp. “Get away from Lyn, you psycho!”

Selkie pushed away from the wall, giving Lyn room to stand back up as the humans’ teammates rushed up to him. Thistletooth and Margarine surrounded Lyn in a fretful swarm, checking their leader for signs of misuse, as Shadow stepped up to Selkie’s side.

“I’m so glad I found you, Selkie,” Shadow sighed with relief. “Are you okay? Did you finish the mission?”

“No. The mission’s off. We’re leaving.” Selkie ripped her rescue badge out of Shadow’s treasure bag.

Margarine suddenly spluttered. “W-w-what? We’re leaving? But the mission isn’t over, we haven’t found the lost item! I-I-I—”

Selkie growled at the cutiefly. “You’re on your own. Your leader lied through his teeth. The Guildmaster never assigned my team to accompany you. You’ve lost your babysitters.” She lifted her rescue badge above Shadow’s head, and he vanished in a swirl of blue light.

As Selkie readied herself for the teleport, something light tugged on her collar. She glanced over her shoulder to see Margarine staring up at her, eyes wide, wet, and watery. “I-I-I’m scared to be alone here, in this dungeon. Don’t you care?”

Selkie blinked at Margarine. Her still water eyes were still, her heart empty for the thing that deserved to die. “No,” said Selkie.

She left in a flash of the dungeon’s blue light.

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