#but this is a legit question and an easy one to answer

[good-to-drive]

What do you think about the Linda tapes?

We'll never know what they say so there's no point in speculating. Paul wouldn't have wanted anything even slightly negative out there, particularly at that time, so there's no reason to assume there were physical abuse allegations or much of anything beyond just normal venting from a frustrated spouse. You also have to keep in mind that, at his level of wealth, a problem you can throw money at is a non-problem. So regardless of how much he paid there's no real reason to think it was some kind of bombshell he absolutely HAD to keep quiet.

[jawnwicks]

Some of the most important parts for me:

“Friendships are built of repeated low-stakes interactions and returned bids for attention with slowly increasing intimacy over time.”

"Deeper friendships are formed with people from those kinds of groups when you do things with them outside of the context of the original interaction."

"Smalltalk is a social script of exchanging trivial conversation about non-personal topics in order to pass a brief period of time together.

This sort of conversation is about figuring out whether you want to get to know each other better, so it's kind of a behavioral test. It's assessing "can I have a pleasant, brief conversation with this person?" because people usually want to know if the answer to that question is "yes" before they share more details of their lives."

"If the person speaking responds to your sharing of personal information with a request for more information (asks about your sister) or by sharing some of their somewhat more personal information (roses are blooming) they might be interested in continuing to gradually share more information. If they respond with more smalltalk, they probably aren't interested in becoming closer friends ... [but] maybe at some point they'll share something with you and it'll be your turn to decide if you want to get to know them better."

"Once you've seen someone several times, you will begin to know little things about them. ... If you want to become friends with them, ask them about these things and offer information in return. Start casually and don't pry for more information, and be sure to share about yourself as well. Eventually you will get to the point that you can have a comfortable conversation on topics of shared interest for at least a few minutes."

"If they agree to meeting up for the thing, they are interested in continuing to develop the friendship. If they don't want to meet up then continue at the same level of interaction as before and perhaps later on down they line they'll ask you if you want to plan a meetup."

"Once you have hung out on purpose a few more times you've got two choices: set a regular meetup, or hang out elsewhere. Setting up a regular meetup is the relatively casual option here; it keeps things in the same location and keeps the context of the friendship the same while still increasing interactions and intensifying the relationship. You can have perfectly good, if somewhat casual friends, who you see regularly in one place and rarely outside of that place."

"Hanging out in a new place changes the context of the relationship; suggest a hangout in a place that makes sense for the mutual interests you've learned over the previous months of getting to know the person."

"If you’re talking about the weather as in the first example, but you mention where you grew up and what the weather was like, that can be inspiration for the other person to also talk about where they’re from! But, unlike with a question, if they don’t want to share that information they can usually dodge it without having to make it extremely obvious that that’s what they’re doing."

Wait, so you said that you can learn to trust others by building friendships, but how does one go about doing that? Wouldn't someone I don't know be creeped out or annoyed if I suddenly walked up and started talking to them?

Friendships are built of repeated low-stakes interactions and returned bids for attention with slowly increasing intimacy over time.

It takes a long time to make friends as an adult. People will probably think you're weird if you just walk up and start talking to them as though you are already their friend (people think it's weird when I do this, I try not to do this) but people won't think it's weird if you're someone they've seen a few times who says "hey" and then gradually has more conversations (consisting of more words) with them.

I cheat at forming adult friendships by joining groups where people meet regularly. If you're part of a radio club that meets once a week and you just join up to talk about radios, eventually those will be your radio friends.

If there's a hiking meetup near you and you go regularly, you will eventually have hiking friends.

Deeper friendships are formed with people from those kinds of groups when you do things with them outside of the context of the original interaction; if you go camping with your radio friend, that person is probably more friend than acquaintance. If you go to the movies with a hiking friend who likes the same horror movies as you do, that is deepening the friendship.

In, like 2011 Large Bastard decided he wanted more friends to do stuff with so he started a local radio meetup. These people started as strangers who shared an interest. Now they are people who give each other rides after surgery and help each other move and have started businesses together and have gone on many radio-based camping trips and have worked on each other's cars.

Finding a meetup or starting a meetup is genuinely the cheat-code for making friends.

This is also how making friendships at schools works - you're around a group of people very regularly and eventually you get to know them better and you start figuring out who you get along with and you start spending more time with those people.

If you want to do this in the most fast and dramatic way possible, join a band.

In 2020 I wrote something of a primer on how to turn low-stakes interactions with neighbors and acquaintances into more meaningful relationships; check the notes of this post over the next couple days, I'll dig up the link and share it in a reblog.

[k-hotchoisan]

missing piece

<seonghwa x fem!Reader>

Building legos is important business and Seonghwa knows that very well when he realises he’s missing a piece.

So who would’ve thought two people attempting to search for one Lego piece would lead to other things?

genres/warnings: smut, pwp, softdom!seonghwa, missing Lego piece (don’t worry it’ll get found later), dirty talk, it’s legit teeth rotting fluff and smut, unprotected sex, breeding kink, established relationship, mild choking, clit stimulation

a/n: another fic exchange with @bro-atz 😎👊🏻 it’s a competition of who can kill each other faster and we both LOSING. love u bro <3 and also finally serving you all the softdom! Seonghwa you all deserve 😛 enjoy my loves 🩷

read bro’s one here 💘

wc: 1.9K

‘A couple activity idea’—apparently the amount of countless generic couple websites would list this idea. 

Yeah, this would qualify for a couple activity idea casually, not when it seemed like a big business deal when it came to Park Seonghwa. 

Seonghwa had the ambiance set, his station ready—the Animal Crossing Soundtrack Playlist with Rain playing through the speakers, his desk clean and white—only stacked with the Animal Crossing Lego sets prepared to to be unboxed, in his favourite oversized shirt, and not forgetting you, who he dragged into his room to watch him build his little building block empire—comfortably seated across him on his bed. 

You didn’t mind watching your partner build the latest Animal Crossing Lego set he just easily blew a couple of hundred on hours before. You watched his inner child take form when he made you sit down with him to watch him unbox the first set he was gonna build, his eyes large and twinkling, just like his Animal Crossing character in-game.

Seonghwa hums softly, and it’s definitely his favourite soundtrack from the game. From time to time, Seonghwa would make the little critter noises his animal villagers would make while he fixes the animal villagers and you can’t help but giggle whenever he does the impressions. He’s finished a cherry tree, making sure he flailed his wrists to get your attention. Your lips pull to a smile when your eyes land on the pretty cherry tree he built, reflecting his satisfaction with his plump lips too. 

Then he’s back to his workstation, and you’re absorbed back into playing your switch. 

“This set is pretty easy”, you hear him comment. 

“Is it?” You reply, your attention focused on trying to slay the beast. 

“Yeah. I think I could finish this in another half an hour.” He sounds confident. 

“Good luck with that sweetheart”, you respond, your eyes trailing back to your game. 

Then midway through, Seonghwa demands your attention again, and this time you watch the way his eyes light up the whole damn room when he shows you the way the little Lego letter fits into its little Lego mailbox. Not gonna lie, it was a very adorable detail. He yaps about it for a good seven minutes before he sinks back into his building block world. 

“Now here’s the million dollar question—pink or brown for the door?” He asks, loosely fitting both coloured doors after one another 

“Pink, obviously”, you pick. Seonghwa seems satisfied with your answer, and you swear you see the little musical notes float out of him when he fixes the door onto the house. 

A couple more minutes later, you glance over at the messy pieces of Lego strewn all over Seonghwa’s table, below his half-completed Animal Crossing cottage. 

He has his cheeks puffed out, and his eyebrows knitted together while he’s carefully scanning over the table. 

“Are you missing a piece?” You ask, setting your console on the bed. 

“Yeah, I think I am”, Seonghwa mutters, his index finger pointing over each piece on the table, in hopes of finding it. 

You take the instruction booklet from his hands, skimming through the pictures before you settle it down onto the desk, your eyes laser-focused onto the mess too. 

“Do you wanna come over to my side instead? Maybe you can spot it better from this view”, you suggest, which Seonghwa takes, so he shuffles over to the bed, and moves to sit right where you are—and now you’re on his lap, with his chest pressing right against your back as he towers over you, arms hugging you from behind. He continues to search for the missing Lego piece. 

You take part in the search too, the game completely forgotten by then. You realise it’s nice just having Seonghwa sitting close to you like this. Maybe this was what they meant by building Lego as “a couple activity”.

“Did you drop it or something?” You ask, shifting slightly to have a better view of the floor. You hear Seonghwa grunt behind you, but you pay no attention, focusing on finding the piece. 

Seonghwa swears he’s focused on looking for the missing piece too—he really wants to complete the set, but at the same time, he’s watching and feeling you move against him on top of the way he’s able to wrap his arms around you easily, smelling his scent on you—it’s not helping his case. He bites his bottom lip, trying to manage himself. 

Obviously, it does nothing, considering he’s having you in such close proximity, and every movement you’re brushing against him is starting to make him grow sensitive. 

His hand snakes down to your thighs, drawing circles, his other hand sifting through the endless pieces of Lego. 

He forces himself to concentrate, and it works for a split second, that is, until you absentmindedly shift his free arm on under your loose shirt, and he snaps. 

“If this is your way of breaking my concentration, you’re doing a good job”, you hear his deep voice ringing in your ears. He’s letting his hands roam all over your body hidden underneath your shirt, his fingers grazing against your nipples teasingly, and it draws gasps out of you. 

“Focus on finding the block, Park Seonghwa”, you tease, readjusting yourself, making sure you press against his growing erection underneath his loose shorts. 

It’s Seonghwa’s turn to draw a shaky breath every time your clothed ass comes into contact with his erection.

You pretend to ignore him, but you can’t ignore the way he’s massaging your tits, and you find yourself sighing and growing hotter through each passing moment. 

You think he’s finally giving you a break, but you’re proven wrong when his hands are sliding down the waistband of your shorts. 

“You’re not finding the block, Angel”, Seonghwa points out, and you pout at his words. Your hand slips under the large opening of his shorts and fuck—his erection is only growing thicker. 

You hear him groan behind you when you let your hands wander to stroke his cock through his underwear. So he retaliates with his finger sliding past your panties, cursing when he realises your pussy is growing wetter by the second.  

“We’re supposed to be looking for the Lego piece, Hwa”, you mutter, mind growing hazy as his fingers get drenched from your slick, circling your clit gently. 

“Mmhm. We are, baby. You’re just not focusing”, Seonghwa replies, his index and middle finger spreading your folds open letting his index finger find your clit more easily, and it’s driving you fucking crazy. 

Your legs push open automatically, your hands pausing stroking him off, well, not that Seonghwa minded. 

“That feels so good”, you sigh. Seonghwa’s other hand cups your jaw, and you turn to face him, feeling the way his hands slide down your throat while Seonghwa has your lips on his, eating up your whines and moans before letting you catch your breath.

“So fuckin wet for me, Angel. You like it that much?” He teases. 

“Mmhm, your fingers feel so good Hwa”, you nod, your grip around his arm tightening as the pleasure builds in your stomach every time his finger strokes against your clit. At this point, you can’t even pretend.  

His lips are pressed against your ear, his voice deep yet you sense traces of whining in his tone when he says, “Sit on my dick. I need you on my fucking dick now, Angel.” 

Of course, you comply, despite your legs trembling slightly, letting Seonghwa slip out of his bottoms. His arm is wrapped around your waist, pulling you impossibly close to him, his lips making a whole garden of bites down your neck before he has both his hands lift your hips. 

Seonghwa lines himself against your fluttering cunt and he pushes himself into your pussy hole, his moans of relief sending you into a spiral on top of his cock sinking into you. 

Fuck, he’s filling you up so fucking good. 

“Fuck. That’s it, babe. You’re so fucking good”, he groans when you squeeze against him. 

“Hwa, oh my fucking god, you’re so full in me”, you sob, trying to adjust to his length. 

“Do you think we can find the piece better like this?” He jokes while peppering kisses down your neck to distract himself so he doesn’t fucking just burst in you just yet. 

Even in your pleasured haze, you still manage to laugh while you try to keep your eyes open. 

“I think we can”, you reply with a giggle, before squealing when you feel him twitch in you. You shift forward slightly, feeling his cock shift in you, dragging along your walls, a small whine escaping past your lips. 

With the last of your sanity remaining, you glance over the desk one more time, biting your lip to stay grounded, obviously to no avail, especially not with Seonghwa and his little movement behind you. 

“I really think it’s-fuck-not here”, Seonghwa mutters behind you, forcing himself not to thrust into you, his fingers slithering down to your wet clit once more. 

“I’m pretty sure it d-dropped. We haven’t checked the floor yet-ngh-right?” you manage to ask.

“Mmmm nope”, Seonghwa responds, mesmerised at the way your slick growing thicker on your clit and on his cock as he continues to rub your clit. “I guess we can do that later ‘cause I really need to fuck your pussy right now, Angel.” 

He doesn’t give you much time to answer because you’re a complete goner when Seonghwa is making you bounce off his cock while he gets you off with his fingers. 

You’re trembling from the sheer pleasure, your vision slowly growing hazy, the knot tightening in your abdomen more quickly than you thought. 

“H-Hwa! Gonna cum-Oh fuckkkk”, you draw out, white clouding your vision. Your cunt flutters around his cock, dopamine shooting up your body while you completely let go on his cock as Seonghwa fucks you through your orgasm.

“Fuck, you’re such a good fucking girl. “That’s it. Be a good girl and cum on my dick like that, Angel”, Seonghwa groans into your ear, his gaze traveling down at the way your thick cream streaks down his cock when he pulls out. He shuts his eyes, sighing into the nape of your neck while he listens to the way your cunt is just so loud and wet for him while he fucks your cream out of you, thrusting his hips upwards. 

“God, your pussy feels so fucking perfect. Fuck. I’m gonna cum. Gonna fill you up so good baby”, he pants before his hips thrust and press against yours, filling you up with his warm and thick cum accompanied by his low groans. 

You feel Seonghwa’s hands run down your body, soothing you after emptying his fucking load into you before he slowly pulls out of your cum-filled pussy. 

“I’ll get you a towel, Angel”, Seonghwa tells you, pressing his lips on your temple before leaving the bed. 

He retrieves a spare towel from the bathroom and cleans you up, before releasing you to wash up in the bathroom. 

When you renter his room, Seonghwa is switching gazes between his half-completed set and the instruction manual. 

He looks up at you with a grin that’s making you feel uneasy. 

“Babe, turns out I wasn’t missing a piece—I already had it in all along!”

Taglist: @bro-atz @diamond-3 @mcarebearsstuff @choisansplushie @pre1ttyies @songmingisthighs @yeosangiess @mylovelymito @softwsan @yourlocaljonghoe @itza-meee @ywtf @jeon-ify @miss-fallon @bunnyluvr25 @eggyboy5 @hourswithoutyou @iwishiwasthemoontonight @yunhogrippers @watermelon2319 @vampiregirl215 @kibs-and-bits @s-h-y-a @luvt0kki @httpseungmxn @vic0921 @sanhwajoong @bitejoongie @no1likevie @woojirang @jjoongstar @yuyusgirl

[snipersfucker]

As someone new to transformer fics, I'd love a fic where Mirage and the reader learn what the others name for body parts are (hand/servo, etc.) And obviously Mirage uses it as an opportunity to put the moves on the reader.

yall are so creative with these i legit opened my mouth when i read that...... such a good idea omg lets go (im so deep in that shit i legit remember most robot names for these body parts without having to look em up lmao)

"That's a chassis."

You let out a sigh as Mirage pointed at another part of his metal body. You knew you wouldn't be able to remember all these ridiculously strange names, but still wanted to be a good student, especially because you asked him to teach you.

"Mine's a bit bigger than the ones your little boys have."

And there it was. His constant bragging, showing-off, comments that indicated he was damn aware he was better than humans.

You raised an unimpressed eyebrow at him, not having to look up that much because he was sitting on his... aft. Or something.

"Helm, face plate, optics, pedes, tank..." He kept pointing at random body parts of his, naming them as fast as he could just to get to the most interesting ones he could use to finally rizz you up.

"'m surprised you don't have a diploma for being the best teacher ever, Mirage," you muttered under your breath shamelessly, sarcasm dripping from your tongue as you stood there with your arms crossed on your chest.

He liked the way you said his name, even if it wasn't in a particularly nice tone.

"No speaking unless you're being spoken to, miss," he reprimanded you like a strict teacher would, using his best Optimus Prime voice. Then, before you could talk back, he extended his left arm, putting it right in front of your face. He made a fist but allowed his middle finger to stay up, "What's this called?" he asked you, even though you haven't gone through this particular body part yet.

"Flipping someone off, sir," you answered in an overly eager, sweet tone, as if you were trying to sound like the teacher's pet.

You calling him sir made his spark skip a beat or two.

"Wrong." He lowered his hand and placed it on his metal thigh with a soft clang. He shook his helm in fake disappointment, letting out a long sigh. "It's a digit. And what do we do with digits?" he continued in a teacher's voice, making a specific motion with his servo to encourage you to answer his question, even though he automatically did so in his mind.

We put them inside disobedient girls.

"We flip people off, sir," you responded in a fake innocent, childish tone, straightening your back and smiling widely as if waiting for praise for giving him a good answer. It made you cringe internally but you also thought it was funny so the choice whether to continue talking like that or just leave was easy to make.

He snorted at your words, shaking his head in amusement once more as he brought his servo to your body and flicked your arm gently with his two digits.

"That's what we do with 'em."

"Oh, fuck off." You smacked his servo before he could pull it away from you. Even though you could barely feel the flick of his robot fingers, you still massaged your arm, hoping it'd make him feel at least a little bit bad, and he'd stop bullying you.

"You kiss your mother with that mouth?" He raised his optical ridge at your words, not being able to fight back a teasing smirk forming on his lips.

You could kiss me with that mouth.

As soon as the thought appeared in his mind, he immediately got rid of it, not letting it distract him.

"Tibulen, cadulen..." he began naming other body parts, and there was no way in hell you'd be able to remember those. "Glossa..." He stuck his metal tongue out, pointing at it lazily with his index digit.

A question popped up in your head, "You got saliva?"

For the first time, you were actually curious about something, expecting an actual, truthful response, but instead you got what Mirage was best at. Sarcasm.

"Oh, yeah, our saliva's made out of corrosive acid actually. Cool stuff." He shrugged nonchalantly as if what he just said was nothing. "Want me to spit on you so you can get the drill?" he asked overly casually, already slightly leaning in your direction.

He was having so much fun...

You grimaced at his question, even though you knew he was most likely joking. Most likely.

"Pass," you murmured under your breath.

"...But there are other ways you could... feel it."

His time to shine has come which he was very much aware of.

His unnecessarily mysterious tone made you snort quietly, an eyebrow involuntarily raised as you asked him with amusement dancing on your tongue, "Care to share?"

He tilted his head with a very, very sly smirk on his lips, which partly gave you an answer to your question. The realisation almost made your face drop but you contained yourself, and just rolled your eyes at his silent offer, pretending not to notice the heat spreading across your own cheeks.

"No."

"I didn't say anything," he responded in an amused, innocent tone, raising his servos in a defensive gesture.

"Yeah, but your eyes said a lot," you argued, the sudden shift in your confidence making you unable to find the situation as funny as before.

He made an unbelievable amount of butterflies awaken and fly around in your stomach, and as pleasant as it felt, you couldn't show him that.

"Optics," he corrected you immediately, playful superiority in his tone coming back just in time to crush you once more. He leaned in, making the gap between your faces a lot smaller than before. "And I'm pretty sure you're just imaginin' things," he added teasingly, the smirk almost challenging you.

His plan was working.

"Am I?" You tilted your head slightly to the left, your gaze never leaving his blue optics.

The intensity of your eye contact made him back off just a bit, before he shook his head in both amusement and surprise at the sudden comeback of your confidence.

"We're not done yet," he just said, which may have sounded like a warning but you felt like he was talking about something else than this game you were both playing. "I didn't show you everything," he explained, even though this lesson about his anatomy was the smallest thing occupying his mind at the moment.

You refrained yourself from frowning, feeling pretty sure that he'd already named every single body part of his possible, but you didn't want him to notice how little attention you were actually paying. So you just nodded, getting ready to hear more of that very interesting stuff.

"...Ever seen a metal dick?"

Your jaw almost dropped when your brain registered his shameless question. You couldn't even say anything to that, just unsurely shaking your head to show him that you, in fact, have never seen a metal dick.

And you thought he was about to offer to present one to you just now, but he just let out an amused noise. "Too bad."

And with these words, he transformed into a silver Porsche and drove past you towards the exit of the garage, leaving you confused, breathless, and wanting something more...

might make a part 2 for this with smut if you want

[floofeh-purpi]

Through the Screen. (Pt. 2)

Self-aware! Obey Me x Gn! Insomniac! Reader

MAG EY KA MUNA EYYYY!!!! Also, off topic but I think it's now going to sound like a fanfic... 😭🙏

『Beloved fluffball/s mentioned below! 💜』

@rotin0 @cherry-blossom-sword80 @leniisreallycool @mc-cos-charm @imtotallynotthere @cosmo112 @cheeseburgercasserole @kanashi-aivy @dead-d0ves

Warnings: Cursing, spelling/grammar errors, it feels like I'm awake at 3am even though I started this shit at 8:13pm, you might be based by me in terms of some stuff going on w you (sorry), one mention of you being su*cidal, what the fuck im now half-asleep.

【Part 1】

• Ok, you sometimes voice call your friends in messenger (or whatever app you use to call them) for whatever reason.

• Lets say you might call them so that yall can play an online game that doesnt have voice chat.

• Fuckers they can hear you.

• As in the characters, they can hear you.

• Every foul word that comes out through your mouth? Yes.

• Those noises of you aggresively clicking your keyboard? Yes.

• The air conditioning doing its own thing? Yes.

• Hell, THE WAY THAT YOU BREATHE? YES.

• You dont know about that part yet

• So now that you know that they know how to make some changes to the game's code...

• Let's just say your initial reaction was legit: :0

• But realization risen upon you. Oh shit...

• If they'll break outta the game and into your phone, does that mean that they can see what you have on your phone, gallery, and the edits you saved on your phone thats crying for you to free some space in its storage. 😨

• Luckily, this new yet somewhat not-so new phone has the ability to hide away your apps, files, pictures, and videos into a hidden folder! :D

• You kept your more not child-friendly stuff into that folder in case your parents will check your phone.

• And I kid you not, what if they will somehow find a way to connect/join with your other devices too?! D:

• You decided to play Obey Me, since that's how you cope with the fact that quarterly tests are approaching your grades dangerously close.

• ...Tests be damned?

• Tests, be damned it is.

★ (this means timeskip)

• ...Maybe it was a bad idea.

• Because you're literally sweating bullets as you're looking at the first question written on the test paper.

Welp, I'm fucked.

• No shit, the very few questions that you know that you'll get right is your name and date.

• And not to mention that time pressure is a thorn to your mind right now.

Class, you have 30 minutes left!

• Sternly exclaimed the teacher, with students making stressed-out noises and sounding like they we're binge-watching anime last night. This was totally not targeted towards a certain someone in my school. Nope.

• You groaned along with the other students before you buried your face in the sweating palms of your hands and then moving them to your forehead to answer the next question. 29 out of 30 questions... you'd be finished right now if it was your favorite subject. But this test was easy. Way too easy...

• Hm...

• God damn it. You took your words back as soon as you saw the arch nemesis of your life.

• And... Is that x3+y3+z3=k?

...EAHHHGGHH—

• Why... You were so certain that not a single math teacher could've taught this yet.

• You we're so damn thankful that this was multiple choice. Omfg.

• Anygays-

Eeny meeny miny Moe...

(This divider means a longer timeskip.)

• Ok so, after all that suffering, you can finally get the hell out of this dumpster of a fucking school!

• You skip your way out of that shitty classroom, with the first thing– or rather person– to greet you was your non-fictional and only best friend! Yipee! :D

N/n!!! :D (N/n means Nickname)

• Exclaimed they, the person who has been with you through thick and thin.

We'll go to your house just like you promised, right?

• So bright, like the stars blanketing the night skies.

• Sometimes you wish you were like them.

• Cheerful, positive, an absolute sunshine up your face, not-so suicida—

Uhm... N/n?

• Oops. You spaced out again.

Yah, lesgo.

• After y'all went inside your... miserable excuse of a house (you know you havent cleaned this shit up for god knows how long.)

• Luckily, your parents (mainly your dad) was in an EXTRA good mood today, (they weren't present after they screamed profanities at you last night <3) so you had the house all to your yourself.

Don't worry, my parents aren't here today..

• You said, which eased the concern building up inside your best friend's mind after they remembered what you told them about your... 'normal' relationship with your parents.

C'monnn, let's study in the living room.

• You best friend whined before dragging your sleep deprived ass to your couch.

★

Wahhh! Are you sure this ain't corn syrup?

I think so. Yah. Wait I don't even buy that shit to shove it up the drawer's ass...-

• Ok uhmm.... What was supposed to be a study session turned into a cooking session.

• Bless Solomon for not being present in the kitchen. Yet.

• You were about add some extra spices to- what the fuck were you making again??? when your loud ass 6pm alarm rang.

Augh...

• You groaned. Your hands were oily as fuck and you needed to take your maintenance. Great timing up my fucking ass.

Yo B/f/n, pass me my pills. Please?

Yah su-

• You and your friend suddenly got a loud ass obey me notification on your phones. They at least still had the decency to pass you your pills even while they're still shocked at the kind of notification they got.

• I mean, no shit dipshit.

• Bitch how tyhe fuck did they know that you eat dinner at 9 in the fucking eveni-

• Oh..

• OH...

• You forgot they can practically stalk you through your phone and you haven't told your good ol' bestie about that now, did you...

• ...Oops. 🥰

If you think this is short, and its your first time stubling upon the dumpster collection of a blog thats also 95% full of reblogs, wait until you see that sagau series that i havent finished yet 😭🙏

Published: October 14 2024. 8:13pm.

[sweetsirenscribbles]

Morning After

John Price x Reader

A/N: This is legit only my second fic ever. I don't have anyone to proofread, sorry for any mistakes.

MINORS DO NOT INTERACT!

Warnings: smut but not detailed, drinking, a teeny tiny bit of angst, fluff

When you woke up, you didn’t open your eyes. The sheets against your skin felt odd. Your mouth was sour, letting you know you had fallen asleep without brushing your teeth. Taking a deep breath in you stretched your limbs in the bed. You let out a satisfied groan before you realized you were completely naked. That made you stop mid-stretch and open your eyes. The room was dimly light by a floor lamp next to a chair in the corner. You didn’t recognize the lamp or the chair. As you sat up and took stock of the room you found yourself in the events of last night flood your brain. You had gone out to dinner with a friend for their birthday, but you ended up at a bar playing pool. The group had gotten nostalgic over your days as young adults with less responsibilities and better tolerance for alcohol. Which is how you ended up at the bar in the first place. You personally had only planned on staying out for a little while, but your friend had pulled the birthday card on you knowing you didn’t have any real plans the next day. While playing pool your group began chatting up the guys at the table next to yours and learned it was a group of military guys. There had been a guy who was so pretty you had initially thought he was a model. He had been introduced as Gaz. There had been a guy with a mohawk and Scottish accent who went by Soap and a man wearing a black face mask and a beanie who seemed impossibly large that Soap called Ghost. Ghost had been quiet the entire night only communicating in one word answers and grunts. Then there was John. When you had spotted him a zing had run up your spine. He had fixed his steady cerulean eyes on you when your friend had introduced you to his group. John had made a point to shake your hand during the introduction process which had caused heat to rush up your neck into you hairline. You remember hearing your friend snicker next to you while you stuttered out a greeting. The way John’s eyes crinkled around his eyes made your heart skip. You had vaguely thought the he was the only person you’d ever seen that had muttons chops that you found insanely attractive. During the course of the night you had chatted with him while you all played pool and drank. John had been surprisingly easy to talk to and you had soon found yourself chatting and exchanging flirty remarks with the man. You had planned on working up the courage to exchange numbers with him before you left. However, as you friends settled their tabs and ordered Ubers, John had asked you if you’d like to come back to his place. You’d had just enough to drink to be tipsy and agree before too much thought. You sent your friend a quick text and also starting sharing you location, because safety. Once you’d gotten to John’s house he’d pushed you against the inside of the front door and made you cum on his tongue twice before he carried you to his bedroom.

Just thinking about how things had gone down (pun intended) made your skin flush. You must have passed out at some point in the night. The man in question was not currently in the room. You get out of the bed and search for your clothes. Everything was folded neatly on the chair next to your lamp. Thankfully your phone was still in your pants pocket with 20% battery life and about ten messages from your friends asking how you tonight had gone. You dressed quickly and made your way out of the bedroom. Once you were out of the room you could smell coffee and hear movement in the kitchen. You walked down the hallway and found yourself standing in the living room. “You’re awake.” A voice called from your left. You turned to see John standing in his kitchen shirtless smiling at you softly. “Yeah, I figured I’d worn out my welcome.” You rushed, feeling only slightly embarrassed at being caught. “Oh sweetheart, you haven’t worn anything out. I think I might have worn you out last night though.” John remarked with a gleam in his eyes. Heat flushed your cheeks and ears as you opened and closed your mouth, at a loss for words. A dark chuckle rumbled through John’s chest as he made his way to where you stood. “Don’t be shy now love.” John caressed your cheek gently as he peered down into your eyes. The urge to close your eyes and lean into his hand was so strong, but you just stood and stared at him. Your heart thudded in your chest quickly. “Come on, I made us breakfast.” He dropped his hand from your face and turned back to the kitchen. 

You waffled between trying to make a break for the door and sitting down at the kitchen table. You watched John start to make two plates, before you finally walked into the kitchen with a small huff of resignation. You really liked John a lot. He seemed like a good guy, but he was career military and you were under the impression he wasn’t exactly looking for more than a fling. While you didn’t regret having sex with him, because truthfully it had been the best sex you’d ever had, you didn’t really want a situationship.

John pulled a cup out of a cabinet and turned to you. “How do you take your coffee?” He asked turning to the refrigerator. “John, this really isn’t necessary.” He turned back to you with a frown tugging at his eyebrows. “Do you prefer tea? Let me put the kettle on.” He said turning back away from you. “No. John. I mean all of this. You don’t have to feed me. I’d rather not draw this goodbye out longer than needed.” You blurted out. John took a step towards you. “What are you going on about?” He questioned with an unreadable expression. You took an uneasy step back. “T-this,” you stammered. “Who does this for a one night stand?” The edge of the table pressed into the back of your thighs. You realized then you’d been backing away from John and was now stuck between him and the kitchen table. “One night stand? Is that what you think this is?” John crossed his arms over his chest.Your eyes flickered down to take in the way his arms bulged across his hairy chest. When you meet his eyes they had a knowing gleam to them. “I mean I’d like to see you again, but I figured that with your job you wouldn’t want to.” You sputtered feeling like you were being scolded somehow. John grabbed your hand gently and brought it to his lips before softly kissing each of your knuckles. “I might have gone about things out of order, but I very much want take you out on a proper date and get to know you better. I know me being in the military isn’t ideal, but I want to try if you’re willing.” He declared staring into your eyes. His words surprised you and you couldn’t help the goofy grin that formed on your lips. “I’d like that very much actually.” You breathed out. “Good.” John mumbling staring at your lips as he leaned into your space. Your eyes fluttered shut when his lips pressed against yours delicately. John’s tongue ran along the seam of your lips. You pulled back. “John, I have really bad morning breath.” You tried to deter him. “I don’t care.” He growled before capturing your lips again. A whimper escaped your throat and John took the opportunity to tangle his tongue with yours. Your hands come up to his chest to ground yourself. The steady thump of his heart pulses where your hands rest. His hands rested on your hips as he pressed against you. You could feel his length harden when he wedged himself against you. You pull back to catch your breath. John took the opportunity to trail kisses along you jawline and neck. Before things could get more heated, your stomach takes the opportunity to voice its discomfort. John pulls back and lets out a bark of a laugh. “I suppose I should feed you first.” He says pulling a chair out for you to sit down in. “Now then sweetheart, how do you take your coffee?” 

[silverzoomies]

silverzoomiezzz hi hi i was eating my cloudberry ice cream and i dont know why i start to think about peter and then i think about you. and i have a question for you. what do you think peter’s fav snacks that he would save it for you because he wanted you to enjoy and love it as much as he does? this is so silly lol but anyway have a great summer <3

💗oh my gosh, hello anon sweetie !! i'm sorry for answering so late !! i hope your summer has been nice !! it's been pretty decent here, aside from the lame ass humidity.🔥🫠🔥

i'm so honored you would think of me, after thinking of our beloved speedy boy. 💗honestly, i take that as such a huge compliment !!

⚡snacks i think peter maximoff would like (he hoards them, cuz he's the snack hoarding type. ty dofp 💗):

⚡in canon, he hoards hostess snack cakes. specifically the chocolatey, cream-filled kind ⚡and twinkies. dude's got twinkies for two movies in a row ⚡like it's no wonder people assume he's a twinkie fiend ⚡we also see him with so much pepsi and mtn dew ⚡and i know it's just product placement obvi. but he does seem like a mtn dew guy, right? i bet he'd love baja blast. code red too ⚡dk if this counts as a snack, but he'd probably love taco bell. i mean, it's fast. it's cheap. it's addictive. it's easy to indulge in. mans would quote those old taco bell commercials with the chihuahua ⚡sour candy. all of it. gummy worms, airhead x-tremes, sour twists, sour patch kids. tell me i'm wrong. i'm not ⚡he'd make a mess with some fun dip, lemme tell ya ⚡any candy they used to give out on halloween? he'd be addicted to all that shit. he'd love sugary junk. he constantly needs his fix. laffy taffy, nerds, now and laters, skittles, pop rocks, m&m's - you name it, he's into it ⚡imagine the dorito fingers, anon. the cheeto fingers. the takis fingers. do y'all think he'd be more into regular cheetos, or hot cheetos? he reads as a hot cheetos guy to me ⚡he'd slam some icees. slurpees. any kinda syrupy, frozen drink. he mixes all the flavors, sucks it down, and feels no brain freeze ⚡if you took him to carnivals, boardwalks, or amusement parks; he'd put the funnel cake stands out of business ⚡sweets are his kryptonite, really ⚡i personally like to imagine he knows his fair share of international snacks too. since he can zip around the world in a blink. taiyaki. baklava. conchas. tres leches. pirozhki. european chocolate. any and all kinds of street food. he knows all the best 7-eleven instant ramen - and the best toppings for 'em too ⚡i think he'd also go hog wild over a really good steak, y'know? or some barbecue. some ribs. some brisket. all the shmeats !!

⚡snacks i think peter maximoff would save, just so he could share them with you💗:

⚡he wouldn't ⚡correction: he couldn't ⚡c'mon, do you honestly think he'd have the self control? ⚡you're asking him to do the impossible ⚡see, anon, he'd think about saving a yummy treat for you ⚡keyword being think ⚡like, just as he starts to realize he's crushing on you big time ⚡he's guzzling something tasty, when he has the thought: hey...wait a sec! you'd probably really like this!! ⚡but a second later, the treat's already gone. devoured in an instant. whoops! oh well!! ⚡he's just way too impulsive to save anything ⚡like it would have to be out of sight, out of mind ⚡or you'd have to pick from his own, secret stash ⚡because otherwise, he can't hold himself back. he'll gorge any snacks in the nearest vicinity ⚡he'd legit have to wait 'til you were both together. in that moment. if you had a few minutes. he'd be like, "hey. babe. babe. babe. babe. i got somethin' i wanna show you." ⚡he speeds you away for some mind-blowingly good street food, in some country you've never been to, nor heard of ⚡even on valentine's day. he has to snag you one of those heart-shaped boxes of chocolates last minute ⚡that, or he has to hide it from himself. if he doesn't, he'll be lookin' down at an empty box - chocolate all over the corners of his mouth - like "ah, shit."

[starguardianniom]

Billy background

Ok so thanks to chapter 4 we got some background on Billy now and like I promised here are some of the many pictures I took about it, (it took me an hour just to get through it all because I legit took a picture of almost pratically all dialogue but I'll spare you all the details and just jump straight into it) and some more.

The Sons of Calydon just straight up trust Billy with their truck and their freaking bangboo for starters because he used to work for them, surprise surprise, we all thought so from the beginning and we were right. Still the fact that they are on good terms enough for that kind of job already warms my heart a lot you have no idea.

What fate are we talking about exactly? Why did you leave? You seemed pretty well liked, I don't get it. I need more information, you are being so vague about the details it drives me nuts, still love you though, but dang you will make me work to get your secrets won't you? Fine, that just makes you even more interesting in my eyes. ^^

Just like that Billy you just saved us a lot of trouble I feel. I bet Nicole was so relieved.

So you talked to Lucy then, must have been interesting.

Well, since you are the messenger it would be rude to decline their offer.

Wow, you really just follow orders to the tee and Nicole cares enough to actually be willing to let go of the case if we refuse, dang the honor code is strong with The Cunning Hares. ^^ Don't worry my dear I want Perlman in jail as much as you guys do so we'll go meet them~.

So you are doing a side job for a few days for them and Nicole is letting you, good for you my man. Wait does that means that Red Moccus actually is staying with you and the Cunning Hares for the next few days? Wild. I bet Amillion was thrilled.

Dang, I guess Nicole is mad that you let Perlman get away right under your nose, don't worry I'll make sure that we get him back so that you get paid. I do hope that Nicole would still actually pay you even if you did let him go considering the sole reason why she, Anby and Nekomata are still alive was because you were there to help Lycaon climb aboard to save everyone so I do hope she will go easy on you.

Sibling concern as usual, fortunatly~

No dice on what was my answer, right? ^^

My thoughts exactly, pretty nice to see that out of the Cunning Hares Billy seems to be the only one who could still go back to people and friends he knew if it came to that, even if he doesn't seem interested in going back for some reason.

Yeah, if you're friends with Billy that automatically makes you friends with the Sons of Calydon, hell yeah! They aren't even mad that they had to rescue us and that Billy left them all that time ago, this is how you leave groups people, on good terms, take notes y'all. Caesar is so wholesome.

On the other hand, why are these the only options available after this wholesome dialogue, hoyo do you want us to have a problem being friends with Billy despite me already having maxed his trust, or make us tsunderes? Stop making me insult my boy please!

That ain't convincing very much Belle but I feared the other possible answer too much so sorry about that Billy you are still my favorite character in the game and Hoyo will never make me dislike you, try all you want he's still gonna be in my heart forever.

That one question I've been waiting for is finally here!!!

This. I straight up swear, while the Cunning Hares are a found family, you don't see Nicole and Anby calling Billy "bro", the Sons on another hand do. I keep hearing Anby saying "I got you sis" refering to Nicole in battle, and telling Billy to get some repairs while she's switching with him.

I would like to highlight that Caesar is saying that even if Billy has left the gang for a while so I guess he still has the title even if he isn't with them anymore, guess that means that if he ever leaves the Cunning Hares he can just go back to the Sons and get back his title and nobody will protest.

So Billy had a pretty big job in the Sons, neat. With all the responsabilities and stress that comes with it. Interesting~

Lighter having Billy has a rival, he also calls Billy his predecessor, meaning Billy had the position first and then it went to Lighter I guess. Lighter saw Billy in action and found him worthy of being his rival. Also that last sentence makes me thinks that Lighter forgot that Billy was literally made for battle, he's an Intelligent Tactical Unit, a battle android, he was made to fight so of course his combat skills are something else. But I really am tempted to pull Lighter just to have a few more info on Billy, given he seems interested in a duel with him and admires him, it seems legit that he might talk about him in some of his trust events, I sure hope so at least, because I will be very disappointed with Hoyo otherwise.

Again Hoyo, stop dissing my boy when others are praising him, like I know we might be used to the goofy side of Billy but like we also go on commission with him and the Cunning Hares a lot so surely we would be used to seeing him in action by now shouldn't we and like we are proxies not fighters we legit have no room to talk Billy is the one going in the Hollows risking his life we just give him the directions and the exit but if Eous is damaged we'll be safe at home, while Billy won't, so can we just stop with dissing him already? Please and thank you.

Going by that comment I assume Billy used to behave a lot more differently in the Sons than how he is now, but it does beg the question of how much drastic the change was, I mean an entire freaking gang of thugs ran away from him when they recognized him, so he must have been pretty scary and intimidating back then, but now he seems to look back on that side of him with a bit of shame? Anyway seems like he's pretty happy with his life with the Cunning Hares according to Lighter, being his dream life, which again, good for him this is wholesome on so many levels. ^^

Finally done, this took a while. I got fed with Caesar and Lighter happily providing info on Billy, but I still need more!

Still it was all very interesting, I will stay on the lookout for more info on Billy, feel free to also come at me with what you find about him too, or just talk about him, or gush about him, or shoot me your headcanons too, I will talk about him forever. ^^

[waynes-multiverse]

Polaris – Chapter 2

Series Summary: When Beau Arlen moved to Montana, he left behind a past he wasn’t proud of. But when a series of murders requires the FBI’s help, Sheriff Arlen‘s ghosts come back to haunt him one by one. With a wrong turn waiting at every crossroads, it’s hard to make the right choices and find his way back home – back to you.

Pairing: Beau Arlen x FBI Agent!Reader

Warnings: 18+, flashbacks to past relationships, awkwardness, mentions of cheating

Word Count: 6.1k

A/N: Jenny and Cassie should come with their own warning 😂 Probably the lightest chapter of this series. Just some getting-to-know fun (& tons of awkwardness on all sides). Enjoy the peace while it lasts 😉

Series Masterlist || Main Masterlist || Tag List

Chapter 2: No Signs, No Compasses

Motel coffee sucked. It was a well-known, globally accepted fact.

You had tasted enough of those in your career to know it wasn’t even worth a try at this point. Thus, finding a good source of caffeine became sort of an adventurous challenge on every work trip. Back in Houston, you had your spot and the server knew your order by heart. Here, in Helena, you were new and still had to navigate your way around.

In search of a decent cup, you passed a sign on the highway and entered the Blue Fox Diner. It was a bit on the outskirts of town, but, frankly, you had no idea where the border truly ended. Everything was damn far apart from one another, the only houses which adjoined were the ones on Main Street USA. That was it.

The diner was bright and comfy, giving you an immediate welcoming feeling of home-cooked food and a good roast. Your first sip of black, delicious liquid confirmed it – this was your spot.

“Special Agent Y/L/N?”

Your head snapped up from your cup of joe to a female voice, recognizing the blonde deputy from the Sheriff’s Department yesterday.

“Deputy Jenny Hoyt, right?” You gave her and her friend a smile as the two women sat across from each other in a booth by the big window. You could tell by their curious and mischievous looks that your spectacular entrance wasn’t lost on them.

Great…

“Uh, yeah. You wanna sit with us? Heard you’re staying for that serial killer case,” Jenny said and offered you a seat next to her.

“Sure.” You accepted her invitation without hesitance, knowing you had to get over the awkwardness at some point. After all, you had to work together, and you wanted to get it out of the way rather sooner than later. How did you so gloriously fuck this up in the first place? You usually were professionalism personified – someone J. Edgar Hoover would’ve been proud of.

Right. Beau. There was your answer.

“Cassie Dewell,” the other woman introduced herself and shook your hand as you slid into the leather seat next to Jenny. “I’m a private investigator in town. Special Agent Y/L/N, was it?”

“Oh, yeah, I’ve passed by your agency. Nice to meet you,” you said, smiling. “And Y/N is fine.”

“So, how do you like Helena so far?” Cassie asked curiously, although you caught the underlying question between the polite smiles. ‘How do you like our sheriff so far?’

However, you weren’t going to make this easy for them. “Well, uhm, not seen much aside from my motel, the Sheriff’s Department, and this diner. Coffee’s great, though.”

“Leave it to Donno to brew a decent pot,” Jenny muttered with a bitter huff and rolled her eyes.

You threw her an inquisitive look, partially amused. “You don’t seem to be a fan.”

“Oh, it’s about the owner, Tonya. Jenny doesn’t like her,” Cassie explained.

“Then, why exactly are you here?” You were happy the conversation steered clear of you. For now. You knew this bliss and peace wouldn’t last forever. They were just warming you up for the Spanish Inquisition.

“To keep an eye on her. She used to work for a cartel,” Jenny replied.

“Before she went legit and became a real estate agent,” Cassie added.

“Legit my ass,” the blonde huffed. “Pretty sure she stole those fifteen million…”

“She did help us with Gigi,” Cassie countered, which didn’t seem to convince the blonde too much. “And that whole Avery situation.”

“Well, you know, you could always tip off a rivaling cartel. Might get rid of your problem,” you suggested jokingly. “I have a few contacts.”

Jenny’s lips curved into a delighted grin. “I like that idea.”

Cassie snorted, laughing. “Yeah, nice.”

“So… you and Beau are… dating?” Jenny questioned quite forward.

And there it was. The one you’d been waiting for. You sighed internally.

“Jenny!” Cassie chided and threw her friend a look over her directness as the blonde mouthed back an innocent “What?”

Your cheeks blushed slightly, but you were all about being direct as well. You cleared your throat, tapping your nails on the table. “It’s fine. After my more than embarrassing entrance, I deserve the third degree.”

“Good answer.” Jenny smiled encouragingly, making you feel a little more at ease. They weren’t aiming to claw your eyes out; they were just curious about you. If the roles were reversed, you’d be as well.

“And it wasn’t that embarrassing,” Cassie placated your nerves. “Trust us, me and Jenny had our fair share of drama. You’re good.”

“Well, I’m glad, I guess…” You let out a relieved chuckle, hoping you wouldn’t stay the small town gossip for long. “And, uh, to answer your question: No, we’re not dating. He’s a nice guy, but it’s nothing like that. We just go way back, and I guess old habits die hard.”

And boy, was that true. Beau and you had once been inseparable. It still felt weird to think about that now you weren’t and hadn’t been for a while. Your heart still ached and longed all the same. That stupid, useless feeling of missing him. He was cut out of your soul, but the phantom pain remained.

Jenny nodded and shared a look with Cassie. “Honest. I like it.”

“Me too.” Cassie’s mouth formed a smile of agreement and reassurance. “So, how long have you guys known each other?”

That was when the cop portion of your chat started. You hadn’t expected anything less, but you were determined to keep it professional and, most of all, shallow. Chitchat and oversharing were more Beau’s territory, but it certainly wasn’t yours.

“About ten years.”

Jenny nodded pensively, thinking about her next question. “You worked a cartel case together, right?”

“Oh, a few cases over the years, actually. I’m stationed at the FBI field office in Houston. Used to work Narcotics before switching to Major Crimes,” you said.

“Hence the serial killer here,” Jenny filled in.

“Can’t believe we’ve got another one,” Cassie remarked with a huff, shaking her head into her coffee cup.

“Oh yeah, right! Heard about the Bleeding Hearts Killer at that campsite.”

You remembered a newspaper article about it. Occasionally, you did still check up on your ex like every sane person would. You even followed him on Social Media, although all he ever posted about was fucking trout fishing. But that same news article had also informed you about Beau leaving his early retirement in the rearview mirror, being referenced as the acting sheriff on the case. It almost seemed like a weird coincidence that one of your active cases would lead you right to him not long after. Cosmic jokes and such.

“Yeah, Sunny and Buck Barnes,” Cassie provided.

“Cassie is actually dating their son,” Jenny told you, smirking at her friend.

“Yeah, we’re not that official yet,” Cassie deflected but noticeably blushed. “You guys need any help with your serial killer?”

Jenny looked at you, knowing you were the one who called the shots now.

Nodding, you twitched your shoulders. “Sure. The more the merrier. More female eyes might even help, considering we’re probably dealing with a woman.”

Jenny cocked a brow. “A female serial killer?”

“It’s rare, but our profiler sure thinks so. As do I,” you confirmed.

“Oh, this just got interesting.” Cassie grinned, intrigued. “We sure never had that one before.”

“No, we did not,” Jenny reiterated, chuckling.

“What didn’t we have?”

Beau’s gravelly voice startled you from behind, but you tried not to let it show. Of course, you’d run into him. It was a small town, after all, and this diner was probably the only place to get good coffee. Avoiding him was not only improbable, but it was an impossibility.

Beau was a good man. But the truth was that he was more than the Southern-charming, bad-dad-jokes, never-shutting-up sheriff everyone had grown to love in Montana. There was another side to him. A side that defied authority, broke rules, and caused trouble. A side you knew better than anyone.

“Female serial killer,” Jenny supplied with a grin.

“Really? A woman?” Baffled, the green-eyed sheriff lifted a brow and looked at you.

“Why, you think a woman can’t do it?” Cassie challenged him with a teasing grin. You knew there was a reason why you immediately took a liking to her.

You watched Beau purse his lips as he struggled for an answer. You had a feeling he had to do that a lot with these two. It almost seemed unfair.

“No, women can do murder just fine. Especially you three,” Beau retorted and then circled the booth with his finger, sipping his coffee. “The three of you bonding is my nightmare.”

“Oh, c‘ mon.” Jenny snorted in amusement.

“Yeah, we’re harmless,” Cassie added.

“Right… Who are you tryna fool here, huh?” Beau chuckled and scratched his beard. “Mind if I sit down?”

“Sure, hop in,” Cassie said and offered up the seat next to her.

“Yeah, I was about to head out anyway. Have to call my supervisor with an update,” you excused quickly and stood up before Beau even sat down. “By the way, I have eight boxes of files in my trunk. It’s gonna be a fun afternoon for us.”

“Well, I’m looking forward to it,” Beau said, trying to remain professional, even though you could tell he was bothered by your abrupt exit.

You, however, weren’t ready to face him yet and spend a whole afternoon with him. You needed more time… and space. Which was hard, considering you two had to work a case together.

Hard but not impossible.

“Oh, uh, Beau, that’s not necessary. Cassie offered to help, so we have enough hands on deck for now,” you said innocently and tried to hide your astute smile as best as possible. “I don’t wanna keep you from your sheriff duties. I saw the giant pile of files on your desk. But I’ll let you know when we need you.”

Admittedly, that was a little mean. You knew how much that man hated paperwork.

Defeatedly, Beau pursed his lips and overplayed his loss with a sour smile. “Yup, alright… thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” You grinned and didn’t care he knew exactly what you were doing.

“Hey, Y/N, you know, uh… it’s kind of a tradition to buy a round of tequila when you first arrive in town,” Cassie noted with a smug smile.

You matched it, amused, although you could smell an ambush from a mile away. “Oh, yeah? Well, that’s a tradition I can get behind. Where and when?”

“Tonight? Bar called Boot Heel around eight o’clock?”

“I’ll be there,” you accepted the invitation. “But just a heads-up, pouring tequila into me isn’t going to make me open up more.”

“Really isn’t,” Beau confirmed wryly.

“Dammit,” Cassie sighed in feigned disappointment but grinned nevertheless.

Jenny coolly shrugged it off. “Was worth a shot.”

Beau watched you leave with dread in his heart. As soon as the glass door fell closed behind you, he let out a longing sigh.

“Alright, what did you do?” Jenny’s voice ripped him from his thoughts. The blonde crossed her arms over her chest and arched a brow.

He had almost forgotten they were here, too.

“Yeah, she’s been barely here twenty-four hours. That’s fast, even for you,” Cassie chimed in with a teasing smile.

“Okay, I didn’t do anything, alright?” Beau defended with a creased brow and a bark in his voice, but his curiosity soon got the best of him. He leaned in closer, resting his elbows on the table. “Why? Did she say somethin’?”

“Yeah, he stepped in it,” Cassie commented dryly and looked straight at Jenny, taking his question as a confirmation of their theory.

“Yup.”

Beau rolled his green eyes, his patience already thin after the sleepless night he had. “Alright, did she say something to you guys or not?”

Cassie sighed. “No, she was very… courteous.”

Jenny nodded in agreement and shrugged one shoulder. “Yeah, she kept it professional. Said you were nice.”

Beau felt a surge of relief. “Well, that’s good, right?” he asked but watched both women shake their heads with pursed lips. “It’s not-… it’s not good?”

“Nope.”

“Nuh-uh,” Jenny retorted, “You don’t wanna be called nice. Not in that way, at least.”

“I don’t?” Beau cocked his eyebrow at the two, feeling rather confused at this point. “So, what’s the verdict?”

“Depends on what you did there, cowboy,” Cassie taunted him with a grin, which was mirrored by Jenny.

“Oh, I’m not telling you guys,” Beau huffed, shaking his head. Contrary to popular belief, he knew when to keep his mouth shut.

“You’re not talking for once?” Teasingly, Cassie popped an eyebrow at him.

“Must be bad then,” Jenny finished the thought. “Did you-, you know… cheat with her on Carla?”

Perplexed and slightly offended, Beau furrowed his brow. “What? No! Nothing like that. Carla and I were already separated. As in papers served and signed… I’m a very loyal-commitment kinda guy, alright?”

Beau didn’t want to admit his answer might have been a slight overcompensation on his part. While it’s true that he never cheated and would’ve never even considered it, he wasn’t without faults, either. There had been certain feelings towards you fermenting in his stomach, slowly but surely festering in his heart before he even knew what was happening and could put an end to it.

“That sounds like she was your rebound,” Jenny pointed out.

“Yeah, and casual,” Cassie threw in.

“No, it was nothing casual, alright? And she wasn’t my rebound,” Beau replied with an exhaustive breath. Jesus, did you get the third degree as well? At this rate, he should consider himself lucky if you were still in town by tomorrow. His head was spinning. “I mean, if she was my rebound, I was hers, too.”

Dammit, he said too much. He knew the two women would take that piece of information and run with it over the mountains of Montana, probably even making it over the border to goddamn Canada.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Jenny questioned as expected. “Is she married? I saw the ring on her finger.”

“Yeah, looked like a wedding band,” Cassie mused.

“Okay, Sherlock and Watson, enough, alright? She’s not married,” Beau replied, but only to save both your reputations. “It’s a sentimental thing. There’s a lot of history there.”

“What kinda history?” Jenny’s knitted brow practically stared at him.

Beau grew tired of their interrogation and dragged a palm over his face, leaning back in his seat. “It’s complicated.”

The two women then shared an inquiring look that held an entire conversation, knowing their interview had run its course. Beau wouldn’t answer any more of their questions.

“Want our advice?” Cassie offered.

Beau hesitated for a moment, puckering his lips in thought. He was desperate, and they could smell it like coyotes. “Alright, lay it on me. What d’you got?”

“Nothing.” Cassie twitched her shoulders and met his annoyed glare with a pleased smile.

“Yeah, see, you actually have to tell us first what happened before we can help you,” Jenny elaborated.

“Alright, I’m done,” Beau said frustratedly, tapping his knuckles on the table once as he rose from his seat.

“Oh, Beau, c’mon, we’re just messing with you.” Cassie chuckled softly and looked at him apologetically. “Fine, you want our advice? Apologize.”

“For whatever you’ve done,” Jenny added.

Pensively, Beau nodded and clicked his tongue. “What if I’ve done that already?”

“Do it again,” Jenny advised simply. “Until she hears you.”

“Yeah, get down on your knees, you know,” Cassie deadpanned. But as Beau suspiciously eyed her at the particular word choice, she burst into laughter.

“Nice.“ Jenny joined in, tears stinging the corners of her eyes as the two clinked their coffee mugs together for a toast to their cleverness.

Beau chuckled out of sheer uncomfortableness, his cheeks flushing embarrassingly red. “Oh, you two are hilarious… I’m heading to work,” he grumbled. “You know, you might wanna join me if you wanna keep your job, Hoyt.”

With a sigh that resembled a yawn, you stretched your shoulders and spine as you got up from the uncomfortable wooden chair in the Sheriff’s Department. You checked your watch and noticed it was already past 2pm.

“Alright… you guys want something for lunch? I’m buying.”

Technically, the government was buying, but you would take any chance you could get to make yourself a little more popular with your colleagues. Jenny, Cassie, and Deputy Poppernak (who told you to call him Mo and started looking you in the eyes again after you brought him a sandwich and a coffee this morning) then gave you their lunch orders, and most importantly, where to get it. What you didn’t expect, though, was Beau appearing behind you out of nowhere after he had locked himself (pun intended) in his office all day and had given you your requested space.

That courtesy apparently was over.

“I’ll come with you,” Beau announced. And although his facial expression resembled a friendly, soft Golden Retriever, you detected the stern bite in his voice. He wasn’t going to be cast aside again.

Stubborn as you were, you still had to try.

“Oh, you don’t hav–,” you tried to interject, but he swiftly waved you off.

“Nonsense. You can’t carry all that alone. I’ll help. Part of the sheriff duties,” he said in his most neighborly tone and grinned triumphantly at you, beaming with Southern chivalry.

You huffed a sigh. Great…

Ignoring Beau Arlen was like trying to avoid air – it was impossible unless you planned on suffocating. Not even a fast pace could get him out of breath enough to stop pestering you. His voice trickled like slow poison into your mind. One of these days, it would infect your heart and destroy your defenses.

“Y/N, hey, can you slow down a little? I didn’t bring my marathon shoes to work, alright? Don’t make me write you a ticket for speeding!” Beau huffed behind you in a half-joking tone, chuckling at his own wit. “C’mon, I just wanna talk. Lord knows you already had your fun today.”

With a heavy sigh, you stopped in your tracks and turned to face him on the sidewalk, Beau almost crashing into you. He clearly hadn’t expected you to actually listen to him.

With a fierce glare in your eyes, you crossed your arms over your chest. “Look, I’ve got nothing left to say to you, okay? Can we just keep this civil?”

Beau pursed his lips but quickly recovered, offering you a charmingly desperate smile. “Well, lucky for you, you would just have to listen.”

You rolled your eyes and started marching ahead again, feeling Beau hot on your trail.

“Y/N, c’mon!”

“Dad?”

At that, both you and Beau spun around, recognizing the voice in an instant as Emily walked out of a shop.

Beau’s face immediately lit up. He gave her a tight hug, kissing her temple. “Hey, kid.”

“Aunt Y/N?” Emily’s face tilted in surprise, brow knitting as she noticed you and left her father’s arms. She greeted you with a bright sunshine smile.

“Hey, Em,” you said and happily mirrored her smile. You had always loved that girl since she was little. Something she wasn’t anymore. It had been a while since you’d last seen her. “Wow, look at you. You’re all grown. You look like you’re about ready to head off to college.”

“Don’t remind me,” Beau mumbled with a sigh next to you.

“Yes, please don’t make him cry,” Emily begged you, chuckling, but her look was still pleadingly serious. It made you laugh. You remembered how protective Beau was of her. It was endearingly sweet, which made it a little harder to be furious with him. “What are you doing in Montana? Are you visiting Dad?”

“Oh, uh, I’m here for a case, actually,” you replied, swallowing, and shot Beau a quick glance to check how much you were allowed to share.

“What kinda case?” Her brow furrowed as she looked at her dad with concern. It broke your heart a little to know that, whenever you were involved, Emily thought her father was in danger.

“Em,” Beau warned her softly.

You had figured he still refrained from talking about work with his family, not wanting them to worry unnecessarily. After what his daughter had been through this summer, you couldn’t really blame him.

“Right, sorry,” she said meekly and bit the inside of her lip.

“Beau?”

Every molecule in your body shuddered at the sound of that voice. God, you so didn’t want to do this right now. The last time you’d seen Carla, it didn’t end well. If you could, you’d teleport yourself somewhere else – preferably Hawaii.

Beam me up, Scotty!

Beau flashed you a glance over his shoulder that said pretty much the same thing – shit. With a thick swallow, he angled his face toward his ex-wife and forced an awkward smile to his lips.

“Hey,” he rasped, his throat drier than the Death Valley.

“Y/N?” As soon as Carla spied you, her brow arched and her features turned sinister. The unhappy surprise of finding you here was written all over her face. And if it hadn’t been, her words soon made her feelings for you abundantly clear. “What are you doing here? Wrecking more homes? At least you’re wearing clothes this time that don’t belong to my ex-husband.”

Yup. You hadn’t expected a warm welcome, but that even exceeded your expectations. You gaped at her, a bit speechless. Even Beau seemed temporarily at a loss for words and was taken aback. Only Emily looked the most upset and voiced it, too.

“Mom! Really?!”

Carla then looked apologetically at her daughter, aware of her inappropriate comment, her mouth falling open in shame. You knew it was a knee-jerk reaction.

“And that’s my cue to leave,” you retorted. As you spun around, you glanced up at Beau and touched his shoulder comfortingly, letting him know you were still here, even when you were mad as hell at him. “Call me when you’re finished here. Or if you need an alibi…” you muttered into his ear in passing.

“I’m coming with you,” Emily announced with a scowl over her shoulder at her mother. She hopped next to you and looped her arm through yours, following you inside the restaurant.

As soon as you and his daughter were out of sight, Beau glowered at his ex-wife and shook his head. “Really, Carla? Was that necessary? You know nothing ever happened when we were married.”

“I know, I know,” Carla agreed and sighed, clasping her temples. “I’m sorry. I really am… It just came out. I guess it’s just old wounds, you know? I was surprised to see her here.”

“Yeah, I get that.” Beau bobbed his head in understanding, smacking his lips. He hated everything about this and knew he could only blame himself for it. “I mean, c’mon, you two used to be friends once, right? What happened? You’d think after what you went through with Avery, you’d have a little more compassion for what she’s gone through.”

Carla pursed her lips and bit the insides of her cheeks, surely stifling a fiery comment. “You wanna know what happened between us? You did, Beau,” she snapped, but before he could open his mouth to respond, she heaved a sigh and shot him a remorseful look. “But you’re right. I’ll apologize to her later.”

“Thank you,” he said graciously as his shoulders deflated and passed the tension.

“What’s she doing here? Everything okay?” Carla asked, lines of worry etching her brow. It told Beau that she still cared about him, even if it was just a smidge.

“Uh, yeah. Just work. Serial killer,” he replied. Since their eventful summer, Beau tried to be more open and honest, keeping a clear line of communication with his ex. It was a step forward. “Three victims so far.”

“Serial killer? Again?” Carla raised her brow and scoffed. “I guess it’s good I’m bringing Emily back to Houston, then.”

“You still wanna do that?”

A part of him hoped they’d stay because he wanted to stay here. Montana had given him a fresh start. One that was much needed. Houston, on the other hand, was haunted and full of ghosts he didn’t want to face. He had been running from them for a while now, although they were slowly catching up to him.

But he also needed his family, his daughter. He wanted to be a constant in her life, not just a variable.

“Honestly, I don’t know,” Carla sighed and looked a bit torn and helpless, which was rare for her. But Avery’s secrecy and death had done quite a number on her, and Beau supposed she was still working through a lot. “What d’you think?”

Beau thought it was ironic she was suddenly asking for his input, considering she didn’t ask for his advice the first time she took their daughter and moved several states away. But he knew better than to say that out loud, especially since he was partially at fault.

Rubbing his beard, your earlier words reverberated in his head. His daughter wasn’t a little kid anymore and would fly the nest soon, as much as he didn’t want to admit it.

“Maybe we should ask Em what she wants. I mean, she’s almost seventeen. If your work isn’t a factor, then maybe we should let her decide.”

Carla nodded pensively as if she was actually considering it. “Yeah, okay,” she agreed and let out a sentimental sigh. “She’s growing up.”

Beau’s smile carried a drop of sadness. “Yeah, she is.”

Surprisingly, his talk with his ex-wife went better than expected. He just wished things would be as easy with you. All he wanted was just a chance to make it right. He couldn’t screw up another relationship.

“Beau… For the record, I want you to be happy, okay? No matter how, where, or with… who,” Carla told him and gifted him a cordial smile that showed her sincerity.

He appreciated her words. There’d been bad blood between them. Divorce made people bitter, he supposed. But old wounds had to heal eventually, too.

As you stepped outside the restaurant with Emily, you flashed an insecure glance at Carla. You averted your gaze to Beau, holding up a big brown paper bag. “You ready? Got the food.”

Beau checked quickly with his ex-wife, who nodded, letting him know that they were done here.

Carla then turned to you and cleared her throat, and you were sure it took a lot for her to even look at you. “Y/N, I’m sorry about earlier.”

You nodded, accepting her apology. You’d never done anything wrong, but the situation was complicated. It was hard on all of you.

“It’s fine. We’re good,” you assured her and gave her a half smile. “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry, too. I heard about your husband.”

“Thank you,” she replied courtly and motioned for Emily to follow her. “C’mon, honey. Let’s go.”

“Bye, Dad.” Emily waved at her father.

Beau quietly watched his family saunter down the street before he glanced at you and offered you a clumsy smile. “Well, this went better than expected, right?”

You didn’t share his humor, however, and threw him a dark glare. You spun on your heel and trudged back to the Sheriff’s Department. “I have to get back to work.”

Beau exhaled heavily. This wasn’t how he had imagined his outing with you, wishing for a sign or at least a damn compass to show him the way.

March 2014

“Maybe it was the courier?” Beau suggested as he caught the pigskin before throwing it back to his partner across the desk. Passing the ball had become a ritual, helping them work through their case theories one by one.

“Nah, I don’t think so.” Randy shook his head when it was his turn. “What about the maid? She certainly had motive.”

A few more exchanges and tosses back and forth happened before you waltzed into the police station. Randy missed his catch, the football almost flying through the Captain’s window, but you gracefully caught it just in time and placed it securely down on the desk.

“Nice catch,” Beau complimented you, impressed.

“Hi, honey,” your husband greeted you and found your lips, kissing you deeply. You giggled and locked your arms around his neck as he pressed you into the edge of his desk.

“Geez, really? Get a room you two,” Beau huffed jokingly, making both of you laugh enough to stop your make-out session but not enough to detangle yourselves from each other.

“We’re newlyweds. We’re supposed to make you sick and scratch your eyes out,” Randy quipped with a grin.

Smiling warmly, Beau shook his head at the two of you. “You got married eight months ago. When’s that honeymoon phase ending, huh?”

“Never,” both of you replied in unison and started kissing again, causing Beau’s eyes to roll back.

“God help me…” He sighed dramatically.

His sigh of exhaustion was soon joined by a second one. “Ugh, again?” Carla asked as she stepped into the station and tilted her head at you and your husband.

“Yeah,” Beau confirmed, amused, and kissed his wife’s cheek. “How did that court case go?”

Carla exhaled a breath of fatigued annoyance. “Y/N’s buying drinks tonight. Thanks to her Oscar-worthy performance on the stand,” she replied as you grinned winningly at her. The two of you had a deal – whoever won a court case was inviting the other for consolation drinks. “You know, I’ve never seen someone so convincingly fake-cry during cross.”

“You’re welcome.” You smirked slyly. “My high school drama teacher taught me that. I think he would’ve been proud of me today. Those were real tears, you know?”

“Oh, the jury certainly thought so.” Carla laughed bitterly.

“So you lost?” Beau glanced at his wife. “I’m sorry, darlin’.”

Carla arched an eyebrow and knowingly crossed her arms over her chest. “Are you, Beau?”

“Nah, not really.” He laughed and said, “You did defend a tweaker who killed three people over a little bag of meth, so…”

“Well, I know better than to argue with two cops and a federal agent over the rights of American citizens,” Carla fired back.

Beau snorted in amusement. “Wow, okay. Y/N really pissed you off, huh?”

“Again, you’re welcome.” You beamed with self-satisfaction.

“Oh, you both are pissing me off,” Carla retorted jokingly and then looked at you, smiling. “I gotta get back to the office. I’ll see you at the bar.” She then turned to her husband, pointing a finger at him. “And I’ll see you at home.”

Beau leaned in to kiss his wife goodbye, but Carla already rushed out of the station before he got a chance. He heaved a small sigh, his eyes drifting to Randy and you as you giggled like two lovesick teenagers.

“I gotta get back to work, too,” you said as you withdrew from your husband’s lips. But then you noticed an opened case folder on Randy’s desk. Curiously, you tiptoed up and spied over his shoulder to get a better look at it. “Unless you two got something fun here…”

“Ay, hands off! That ain’t your jurisdiction,” Beau warned you playfully and stopped short of batting your hand away.

“C’mon, we’re stuck. She might be able to help,” Randy interjected with an innocent shrug and a puppy dog look.

Beau heaved an exasperated sigh and then smiled challengingly at you. “Alright, what d’you think, Special Agent Y/L/N?”

Grabbing the file, you leafed through it for a moment and then mused, “Hmm, couldn’t have been the maid. Her schedule doesn’t match time of death. But maybe it was the courier? There’s a theft ring hitting several states. They use bike couriers.”

Beau’s smile widened to a triumphant grin as he pointed a finger at his partner. “Ha! That’s what I said.”

“Alright.” Your husband groaned defeatedly. “Let’s check it out.”

“Oh, now you suddenly want to, huh? After the wife said it? That hurts, man,” Beau teased.

Randy shrugged smugly. “Yeah, well, she’s a lot smarter than you.”

Beau pursed his lips and nodded, hiding his smirk of amusement. “Yeah, I guess that’s true.”

“Well, you guys have fun with this,” you said and kissed your husband’s lips one last time. “I have to get back to work. The tweaker Carla defended gave up his supplier in Brownsville. The DEA wants me to come down to Matamoros with them tomorrow. They think the guy is Gulf Cartel.”

Randy furrowed his brow, and you could see the concern shimmering in his eyes. “How long will you be gone?”

“Two weeks maybe?” You shrugged, not knowing exactly how long assignments sometimes could last. Worst case, you could even be undercover for a couple of months, and your husband knew that.

“So, we’re gonna have fun tonight?” Randy smirked and wiggled his eyebrows, resting his palms on your hips as he pulled you closer.

You grinned smugly. “You bet we are, baby. Bring the handcuffs home.”

“Guys, c’mon, I’m standing right here,” Beau complained and threw his arms up, making both of you laugh and blush.

“Alright, be careful,” Randy reminded you with a peck on your lips.

You nodded and then turned to Beau. “You’re gonna protect my boy here while I’m gone, Arlen? Have his back?”

“Yes, ma’am. With my life. Promise,” Beau said and smiled at you reassuringly, putting you at ease before you walked out of the station.

Randy let out a worried sigh as he watched you leave. He looked up when Beau patted his shoulder in comfort.

“She’ll be fine. She’s a tough one,” Beau said in an attempt to calm his partner’s nerves.

“Yeah, she is,” Randy agreed quietly before his teasing nature returned. He grinned up at him and quipped, “You couldn’t handle her.”

“Sure, I could! Have you met Carla?” Beau retorted as both of them fell back into a brotherly banter. “Trust me, once your sickening honeymoon phase wears off, you’re gonna be right where I am.”

“What, happily unhappy?” Randy sassed and cocked an eyebrow.

“Exactly,” Beau replied wryly, clicking his tongue.

“Nah, man, that’s not me and Y/N,” Randy stated with a surefire grin.

“Alright, lover boy, let’s put our courier in the hot seat. C’mon,” Beau grunted with a roll of his eyes and brushed off his feelings on the subject, although he began to doubt his own statement. He was admittedly a bit jealous of his partner’s relationship.

Maybe some couples were just happier than him and Carla.

Beau tossed the old football into the air and caught it again. With a thoughtful sigh, he placed it on his desk and sunk back into his chair, his palm still resting on the ball.

“You were right, man. Who would’ve thought…” The sheriff clicked his tongue. A knock on the door ripped him from his trance, his green eyes darting to the visitor.

Jenny carefully peeked her head inside and checked on him, “You okay there?”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” he assured her. He didn’t bother to form a smile, though.

She pursed her lips, clearly not believing him, but nodded her acceptance. “You wanna join us at the bar? Might give you a chance to talk?”

“Uh, yeah, but you girls go ahead. Still have a few things to finish up here,” Beau said.

“Alright.” Jenny gave him a small smile, but she didn’t leave yet, her hand resting on the doorknob. “You know, when I first saw you with Carla, I thought I had it right. But this-… this is an entirely new look.”

Beau grimaced. “Shut up.”

Jenny laughed lightly. “If you love her, you should tell her.” Beau only shot her a deadpan glare, to which the blonde raised her hands in capitulation. “Alright, just sayin’…” With that, she closed the door behind her again.

Beau’s eyes then landed back on the football on his desk, smacking his lips in thought. Sometimes the guilt was eating him alive, burning him from the inside out like acid.

“You’d be okay with this, right? I know you’d want her to be happy,” he verbalized his thoughts out loud, hoping it would give him some clarity. He wasn’t sure, however, if he was just saying it to alleviate his own guilty conscience and justify his actions.

“I think I could really make her happy, you know? At least, I’d try,” Beau said. Two fingers rubbed his mouth as he spun on his chair and glanced out the window to the dark sky and the stars above. “C’mon, man, I just need one small sign…”

Chapter 3: Pour The Whiskey

More glimpses into the past and maybe some much needed talking coming next week! Let me know all your thoughts in the comments, loves 🤍

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Everything Beau Arlen: @snowayumi

[bronx-bomber87]

Hi!! I just spent the last hour scrolling through your page and I adore everything you have to say about tim and lucy…

So I was curious (because I’m a month into the fandom and I don’t really know anyone yet) what your thoughts, predictions, expectations for season 7 would be?

Sorry if you’ve posted something similar before, please point me in the right direction if you have :)

- Loren

Hi! @moderatelydelusional Nice to meet you, Loren. Thank you for the lovely ask :) Making me all red with your nice comment. So glad you liked everything I've had to say about our lovely ship. Appreciate it so much. Before I answer I want to say welcome to the fandom! We are glad to have you here. 😊 There are so many good blogs on tumblr for them. Glad you chose me as one of them. I am honored. ❤️ I haven't really tackled s7 at all so this is a good ask. Excited to answer it. I'm a detailed woman. So imma break your question down into sections if that's alright. I legit don't know how to be brief about this show or them haha Also will do it with gifs cause that's my thing. Here is my detailed answer below. Hope you enjoy it.

Thoughts on S7- Well we've had ZERO and I mean ZERO spoilers or indicators about this upcoming season. Which I do love them keeping it close to the vest. Honestly I do. Just means they have something incredibly good lined up. They just want to make sure we are surprised. Can't fault them for that. But I'm dying for anything. The end of s6 left us wanting so much more with the scene above. We are all chomping at the bit for any content. I know Eric had a interview couple weeks back about s7. From what little he was able to divulge I am EXCITED.

Here is the link to it. Talks about Tim needing to EARN Lucy back in more ways than one. How she is the love of his life. (Tell us something we don't know haha) But I love Eric referring to her to as such. The personal development for Tim to come as well. Like I said they haven't given us much of anything yet. It's hard to have thoughts when we don't have much to go on. But it seems like it'll be well rounded season. It's always been a character driven show so I think it'll be more than just our ship. Which is fine with me. It is an ensemble cast after all.

I fell in love with this show as a whole when it first launched back in 2018. Give me more Tim/Angela, Lucy/Nyla and Wopez. I'll take all of that. I have been all in from the Pilot. I remember watching it on my lunch break on my phone when it first premiered. I was hooked. When we finally get a promo and a friggin premiere date I can probably be more in depth with my answer. Since we don't have a lot to go on it's hard to have in depth thoughts ha But from what little they've let out I'm quite excited for the journey we're going to embark on. We just need a start date for said journey. All we know is Jan but I need a hard date LOL

Expectations For S7. -I expect Chenford to get back to the softness above. It won't be easy but I expect we are headed back there. I think it's gonna be quite the journey to get us there. Both Tim and Lucy are going to need to grow before we do. They both still have shit to work out. Lucy with her career path and the rough time she had last year. It wasn't just Tim that crushed her. I mean it was a huge headliner but wasn't the ONLY one. Our girl has some communication problems and is like her soulmate in how she handles emotional distress. Expect that to be addressed on some level.

Tim obviously has a lot to make up for and he knows it. That is the first step. I expect we see Tim working constantly to improve himself as a person. To be worthy of Lucy again. He's not going to half ass his healing. He is going to be very Tim in how he goes after it. This is going to bleed into every part of his life. I expect to see that all over his character development in s7.

I also anticipate that we'll see an even stronger and more refined version of Chenford in Season 7, with their characters continuing to grow and evolve. Strong separately and even more so together. I cannot wait for the slow burn of their reconciliation. Going to make all the hurt worth it. It'll be Chenford 2.0 and we are all going to be grateful for that. While losing our minds together it's happening. I would rather have our ship and characters be real and develop. Better that than to be puddle deep like John/Bailey. I'll take the pain of growth over the stagnation of boredom. i.e. Bailian.

Predictions-Obviously I want to predict something like above. Them starting over. Kisses, hugs, and if we're lucky enough to get a repeat of 5x12 on screen. That one I'm straight just trying to manifest lol Possibly Celina catching them or almost doing so when they get back together at her place. These are more hopeful than actual predictions lmao But I mainly predict a deeper intimacy between them when they do reconcile. Stronger communication. It'll be beautiful. I also think we're about to see a side of Tim Bradford we haven't seen before. As we know Lucy brings out the best in this man. The absolute best. We're going to see that on full display.

I think he will continue therapy. I also think we’re going to see a very determined Tim driven in his quest to make amends to Lucy. Which will bring out that new side we haven't seen. It's one of the facets of s7 that has me most excited. And not just for the Chenford portion. (Which does make me giddy to no end) But for him as well. You follow me long enough you'll know I love Tim development. So this excites me so very much.

We watched Tim take strides in his mental health walk and as a person in s6 after 6x07. I expect we're going to see the fruit of that not just in his amends to Lucy. But professionally as well. Tim took quite the fall professionally after being bounced out of Metro. He has fences to mend to Grey, Lt. Pine, and those around him as well in patrol. I see him making those strides and then some.

I predict Lucy is going to finally going to get grounded professionally and personally. (She does have a new roommate. I can see development here too) Lucy got very lost in s6. I think s7 she will be righting her ship. Finding her purpose. My guess was T.O. for her with her dipping her toe with Celina in 6x08. She's so empathetic and willing to slow down and teach. I think that could be a good path for her. Whatever her trajectory is I think it's going to be be worked out in s7 for our girl. It's time for her to get some damn wins. I hope that answers your ask LOL Or maybe was too much? HA Either way I can't wait for s7. I need a promo and a premiere date. Seriously ABC, you're killing us.

[sunsetcougar]

Eve’s Garden AU:

Angel, Husk, Niffty, and Alastor are all in the lobby when there’s a knock at the door.

Angel: Who do you reckon that is?

Husk: The girls probably forgot their keys and locked themselves out or something.

Angel: I thought we didn’t lock the front door.

Alastor goes to answer, swinging the door open with a grin that immediately becomes strained.

Cain, the moment the door is open: Hello! Ah, Alastor, I heard you decided to come back from your little vacation.

Alastor, unhappy: Greetings, I was not expecting to see you.

Cain, walking past Alastor and looking around the lobby: Mom saw the interview the Princess did and sent me to look around. You know, see if this place is actually legit or a joke.

Alastor: And why would your mother have an interest in a place like this? I imagine she’s already busy enough with her territory.

Cain: If this place is legit there’s quite a few souls she’d be interested in sending over.

Husk: Now why would an overlord as powerful as her want to risk losing any of her souls?

Cain: Losing a few wouldn’t be all that serious of a blow to her, and redeeming souls is right up her alley. So, where’s the Princess?

Alastor: She’s out right now.

Cain: I’ll wait then, get to know the rest of you. Hey Husk, pour me some whiskey, would you?

Husk: *grunts and does so*

Angel: So who are you anyway? I’ve never heard of you.

Cain: My name is Cain, I’m one of the overlords of The Garden. You’re Angel Dust, aren’t you?

Angel: That I am. I havta say, the wolfy look suits you. I might be willing to offer a discount to an overlord~

Cain: No thank you, I’m on a purely business venture. Plus I’m not sure your boss would take kindly to it.

Angel: Eh, worth a shot. So whys an overlord interested in redeeming souls? Seems a bit out of character.

Cain, taking a sip of his whiskey: My mother is unique. She only wants enough power to keep her people safe so she does own their souls, but if someone asks she’ll give theirs back no questions asked. Getting her people into paradise is something she didn’t think possible, but if it is she wants to do it.

Angel: Huh. Sounds too good to be true.

Cain: Yeah, we hear that a lot. Thinking of, Husk, how’s Alastor been treating you? Nothing that would warrant me bringing it to my brother’s attention, right?

Husk: No.

Cain: Lovely. I’m sure our resident stag would hate to lose another antler.

Alastor: *his static grows louder, hissing.*

Cain: *snarls right back.* Don’t forget your place, deer boy. *drinks the rest of his whiskey in one go.*

Niffty: Ooo, you’re a bad boy! Hehehe!

Cain: I suppose you could say that. So, when’s the Princess due to get back?

Husk: She and her girlfriend should be back any minute.

Charlie, right on cue as she struts in the door: We’re back! And we brought doughnuts! *spots Cain and gasps* Oh my goodness hi! I’m Charlie, welcome to the Hazbin Hotel! Are you interested in becoming a guest here?

Cain: *smiles at her enthusiasm.* I’m not, I don’t think redemption is possible for me.

Charlie: I believe anyone can be redeemed if they really want it!

Cain: *his easy grin falters for a moment.* I’m here on business. My mother sent me to look around this place and see if it’s legit. If it is, she has a few sinners to send your way.

Charlie: *practically has stars in her eyes.* Really?! Well then I should give you the grand tour! Come on! *grabs Cain’s hand and pulls him away talking a mile a minute.*

Alastor: *disappears into his shadows.*

Vaggie: *narrows her eye, watching Cain as Charlie shows him around the main room.* Who is he?

Angel: He said his name is Cain. Kind of ballsy to name yourself that, huh?

Husk: From what I know of him he’s earned the right to those balls. He’s old as fuck and touch as steel cause of it.

Vaggie: Is he trustworthy?

Husk: Fuck if I know. Next to no one knows anything about that family. I only know they’re old and powerful enough they can afford to be unknown.

Vaggie: So this is probably a trick.

Husk: Yep.

Niffty: *giggling before she scampers off.*

Angel: Well Niffty may chase him off, then we don’t have to worry.

Vaggie: Hm. *leaves to go follow the sound of Charlie’s enthusiastic tour of the kitchen.*

[createandconstruct]

Any dadmight headcanons?? 👀👉👈

An excuse to gush about dadmight?????? Anon...thank you so much 🥹

I don't even know how to organize these so I'm just gonna start??? (Under read more cause we kinda lost control?)

During those 10 months of training Izuku actually opened up a lot to All Might. Some of this is Toshi probing but it's also because for the first time Izuku actually feels like someone is really, truly listening to him

Toshi knows (but also infers because Izuku isn't one to point blame) the extent of the bullying and Bakugou's involvement in it, but Izuku made him promise not to do or say anything about it

Which yes Toshi kept his word but he also made sure the behavior was absolutely not continuing as Izuku promised it wasn't (cue Toshinori texting Izuku more frequently, eyeing him for injury a little more carefully during training, asking a few more questions about his day, and giving him a ride home even when Izuku insists he doesn't need it)

This, on top of answering Izuku's training questions for days they don't meet, actually opens the floodgates for them to start messaging each other quite frequently

Though Toshinori definitely prefers talking face to face or on a phone call. Case in point: he's horrible at responding. The first couple weeks of their messaging this stresses Izuku the fuck out because he follows hero news so he knows when All Might is out fighting so when the man isn't and isn't answering - well obviously Izuku screwed something up, All Might's annoyed, and Izuku's ruined the one single great thing he's ever gotten

What follows is a training session where Izuku is sullen and not at all as energetic as he usually is which prompts Toshi to so gently ask him what's wrong. It's so caring and sincere that Izuku crumbles stammering out apologies for bothering All Might with his over texting and Toshi is simply ?????? because he was convinced he had responded? And Izuku is just ?????? And they both look at their messages and then All Might is apologizing because he saw those messages and really thought he had texted Izuku back! And oh! It was a misunderstanding! Thank goodness! Training ends early as Izuku can't stop crying with relief. It leaves Toshi flailing a bit at the reaction and it's what really solidifies how easy to tears the kid actually is.

But this is what forces Toshi to realize he needs to get a little better at being a bit more prompt with his replies. He's a little out of practice considering the only person he's talked to in the last few years in Tsukauchi

Once Izuku starts UA they don't message each other as often since they pretty much see each other everyday but Izuku will sometimes send off a little report about how his day or a specific class went if he doesn't have heroics

Toshi is also very much an emote/emoji user and loves the thumbs up. Izuku loves it too because whenever Toshi sends one he can practically envision his hero throwing it up with a smile right there in front of him.

(Spoilers for the end of manga) I imagine that when Izuku graduates and starts attending university for teaching things slightly shift though and he is absolutely FLOODED by messages. Toshi steps back from teaching and actually takes time to enjoy his retirement. He travels quite a bit (in part because of the Iron Deku armor) but it barely even feels like he's gone for Izuku because legit Every. Free. Moment Toshinori is sending Izuku pictures and little updates from his trips

And the messages are a spectrum. Izuku either gets random photos with 0 context and no caption while he's in the middle of lecture OR Toshinori sends a picture with some silly caption or pun followed by an entire PARAGRAPH of what he's up to

And while the novelty of All Might texting him never truly wears off sometimes Izuku's so busy that he can't respond right away

There's a one time where Toshi, all the way across the Pacific, doesn't get a response (because Izuku has just stayed up all night writing a term paper like the good little college student he is) and (admittedly, a little selfishly, cause Toshi's allowed to be) he just sends Izuku a : (

Izuku wakes up, sees it, and is h o r r i f i e d

He sends a frantic apologetic message and Toshi calls him back laughing and telling him not worry. He tells Izuku to make it up to him by taking a break from studying to go out to eat with him once he's back in Japan

On the topic of traveling, Toshi also ALWAYS brings Izuku souvenirs back. The first few trips he gets little touristy items per the location and while Izuku is always happy and appreciative Toshi ends up going back to gifting rare, exclusive hero merch he sometimes finds (searches/pulls some strings for) because that's still the thing that makes Izuku beam and that's all Toshinori wants to do in his later years

And whenever Toshi is back home they spend quite a lot of time together. They'll see movies together, go out for food, and sometimes Izuku will drop by Toshi's place and just to do homework since it's quiet and they both appreciate the company. Izuku has even fall asleep a few times there and it always makes Toshinori all the more thankful he'd gotten a place with a guest room. One that is specifically tailored to Izuku's preferences mind you.

[superkooku]

Hi, there! I find the story about Perseus and Dionysus quite interesting. I'd like to know, though, if Perseus actually "kills" Dionysus and how. Also, it would be nice to know where this anecdote was written.

Thank you 😊

Hello, Anon ! This is a very good question that I'd love to elaborate on.

Short answer, I hesitate.

It's because I struggle to find sources confirming this (probably like you) and I'm not a scholar so I don't have academic knowledge either.

What we know

The war itself was attested by multiple sources like Pseudo-Apollodorus or Pausanias.

Perseus and Dionysus fought in a war in the city of Argos

Perseus killed the leader of the maenads, Chorea (Pausanias describes her tomb)

Perseus petrified Ariadne and she died

He, or rather the city, is blessed by Hera (through her temple. Latin sources like Seneca attest Hera's direct presence).

Hermes encourages them to stop the battle and Perseus calls a truce before burying the dead women.

They both settled on a compromise (Perseus keeps his land but accepts the cult of Dionysus). Most of the time Ariadne's resurrected (except in the Dionysiaca for example)

Perseus is cast on an advantageous light since he doesn't really have many losses and stops his opponent, whereas maenads die and Ariadne gets petrified, so he clearly won the war.

Since the gods beat humans easily without help, it's easy to assume Hera had a direct role in this.

Did Dionysus die against Perseus ?

As a headcannon, it'd make sense.

Firstly with Dionysus' tendency to die and come back like in Orphism or one version of Lycurgus' story (god of death and rebirth) and kick-start his journey in the underworld to resurrect Ariadne and even Semele.

Plus, Hera's involvement makes it more likely. That would also be another detail that parallels Orphism since she's the direct cause of his demise there.

And I already talked about it more than once with @sarafangirlart for example, so at least I'm not inventing stuff myself 😂.

However I can't find any legit sources about it on Google, Theoi or Wikipedia.

One book I read named "The gods of the Greeks" is the one that points out towards it :

"Perhaps the oldest of these tales was that {871} in which Perseus killed him [Dionysus] and threw him into the deep spring of Lerna"

And 871 points out to "s.Il. 14.319"

I don't know what that abbreviation refers to, but I guess it's sort of an answer.

The river Lerna is also mentioned with Dionysus in the Prosymnus myth (though it's a very late source). And without him in earlier ones.

Anyways, I'd like to get help on this one please 🙏

@margaretkart @sarafangirlart @aliciavance4228 @katerinaaqu

@nysus-temple (you asked me what the book was called, the answer is here)

[carline-k]

The One and Only Vampire I Would (not) Faint On

Chrome x F! Commandant.

Synopsis: How are you going to explain to Chrome– who seems to really like his vampire coating– while you are excited for him, that you fear vampires? Can you make an exception for this one vampire to not allow yourself to lose your mind (and consciousness)? Oh, how you wish it would be that easy.

a.n.: Being someone that was wounded by a certain vampire anime “romance” (you know what you are), I must say vampires alert my fight-or-flight LOL. Mainly because of that Nosferatu became my least favorite coating of his, but I still love its design, really (the splash arts on his memories certainly… *nom*. Just thinking about it flutters my heart, again). Legit, it’s now on rerun and I am contemplating whether I should just buy it for his handsome portrait dkadlskadald ;;; Also, this could be just a piece of my oc/chrome stuff but i just want to make it as skk in general.

Art below was commissioned from this artist! @/maltmochie (go check them out!)

Lastly, Happy Halloween and hopefully you have fun reading this!

“Say… do you guys really have no other option for the coating options other than vampire?”

The rustling noise of the paper suddenly stops, replaced by the sound of a cup being lifted, a chugging noise, then a small ‘tack!’ sound produced by the collusion of the cup’s bottom and a certain researcher’s table. A tired gaze stares into the person that just threw the question. ‘A-kind-of silly question’, according to him.

“I beg your pardon?” Asimov says while his hands continue the previous halted move, arranging the stacks of paper that are almost never absent decorate his table. A drawing of a vampire-themed coating, or its proper name “Nosferatu”,  is settled between them, but soon gets picked up by you, who is currently sitting right beside him. Your eyes scan the drawing for the ninth time, flying your attention from the drawing board after checking it briefly back to a certain blonde construct who is busy on the other side of the lab, with Ayla checking every inch of his new coating to see if there’s a dent or any places that are still lacking or needing further adjustment. Once again, your eyes land on the drawing board, re-reading the name and the description of the coating.

Nosferatu.  Theme: Paradise Lost. Status: Completed, Accepted by the User: Chrome. Description: Drink a glass of redness in the dark night in admiration of all beings. No longer accepted by the light, he will still protect you quietly in the dark.

As much as those description lines send your stomach on somersault due to how romantic it sounds, it is still a weaker feeling compared to what you feel right now. You then look back at Asimov, almost forgetting to answer his previous question if not for the small cough he just let out to grab your attention back to him.

“Hmm, well… Halloween has waaay more varieties of monsters, no? Uhh, for example…” You wave your index finger, thinking hard, trying to come up with a “better” idea, per se. “Demon lord, witches, mages, puppets, grim-reapers, and so on.”

“And a vampire can still be categorized as a creature that is fitting for a spooky event, no?”, he argues back. You internally curse, despite expecting this kind of answer from him. ‘His point is absolutely valid, of course, but…’

“Well, it is. But isn’t it too… cliche and predictable?” a pause, “Corny?”, another pause, “Yeah. It’s totally repetitive and boring!”, you finally exclaimed as you nervously tap the drawing board. For the next whole 15 seconds, both of you suddenly enter what seemingly to be a staring contest, one is waiting for the other party’s response, while the latter is staring in disbelief at how dumb you sound right now. He then breaks the silent first. 

"You seem to be bothered by that. Don't tell me…” He leans closer, bringing his face right in front of you as he mutters those words in whispering and low tone, keeping his sharp gaze to you. You instinctively gulp, having a slight suspicion that he already has everything figured out.

“... you are scared of it?"

Like a deer caught in the headlight, you just freeze there, eyes widened, before trying to deny the man’s conclusion as fast as possible to refute his (very true) claim.

"No! No way! What makes you think of that? I – I mean… well, I AM kind of scared, isn't that the whole purpose of a spooky creature? To spook people? Does it not  count as a success as it invests fear in me– I mean people?!"

"...sure."

"..."

"..."

"So you are scared."

"...yeah."

"But it's Chrome who will be wearing that coating." That sentence alone is enough to spread red color on your cheeks. He knows about your feelings of the blonde construct (a bit too much as you keep babbling about Chrome on him). So much for being one of the close friends of yours since the day you worked with him, or just because he is a great vessel for pouring your heart’s content due to his tight-sealed lips when it comes to personal matters. 

"Does that make any difference?" You exhale, slightly pinching the bridge of your nose. Those vampire series “romance” that you watched during your teenage days slowly emerge back in your mind, sending shudders and unpleasant memories. It's unbearable to even watch 30 seconds of the clip of it nowadays. Whoever made that abusive-romance vampire series where they keep sucking the poor girl’s blood and declare that as love, is a totally lunatic– or a masochistic author, to be more precise. Or rather, it's just the fact that it’s just not your cup of tea, but it does become your personal hell nowadays. Everytime you try to overcome it, you feel like you want to sink to the nearest pond to cleanse your soul. You tried many times, only to end up with nightmares later. Does this man really think your crush could make you suddenly forget the fear? Deep down, you really hope so. 

"No, it unfortunately does not make any difference to me. It just reminds me of some stories I read because my friend suggested that it ended up giving me nightmares for like... weeks..." You summarize your reasoning to Asimov, who now has leaned back to his chair with crossed legs.

Asimov just hums, seems unbothered by your distraught. After all, the coating has already reached its complete stage, there's no way an opinion from one person could change the initial plan anyway. The user himself had no objection, since he and his teammates seemed to have arranged plans for their own team’s theme for this year’s halloween.

You glance once again at the drawing board that displays the 3D model of "Nosferatu" coating, rotating it around to give it more look. "Though, it does look great, artistically. I just feel.. too disturbed by it. Look at those red eyes… and pointy… uh, wings? And nice cravats, too… still…”, feeling more and more uncomfortable, you lightly shake your head, then slightly move closer so what you are about to say only reaches Asimov’s ears.

“But, Anyway, please don't tell this to Chrome! He already worked hard with WGAA to come up with this coating, he doesn’t have to worry about my feelings, since I know he is pretty self-aware about this kind of stuff, even with his normal frame. I will state this: this is my dumb secret that I will take into my grav–"

"Commandant?"

A familiar voice from behind almost made your heart jump outside your body as you yelped in surprise and nearly spilled Asimov's coffee had it not been held down by a firm mug-cast (thank heavens, you don't want to spend more money on fixing his computers stuff). You turn back, trying to gather your scattered mind after your freak out to regain your composure before embarrassing yourself further in front of Chrome. Well, you tried.

"CH–CHro–Chrome?! Wah– uh, Hello! Uh, do you need something?" 

Ah, shit. The voice you just let out really betrays your effort to appear undisturbed right now.

Standing before you is Chrome, which unfortunately for your poor soul, is currently still using the Nosferatu coating you were discussing with Asimov. Red eyes stare into you in surprise due to your previous freak out, a hint of worry is visible on his face. But to your certain fear, that expression is not registered in your head, busy keeping yourself together, to not make the person you adore find out about your silly discomfort. Your hand unconsciously reaching for something on the table, trying to find something to hold your dear life for, something that might become a distraction that offers small comfort to your shaking hand.

“Sorry, did I disturb something?”

“A-Ah! No, not at all! Don’t worry, Asimov just told me a scary story that made me so engrossed that I … didn’t realize you were behind me.” 

“I see.”

Seems like he is buying it. Fearing the situation plummet down into awkward silence, you decide to shoot a question. You let out a small cough to compose your voice before continuing, “Do you need something from me, Chrome?”

“Ah, right. Yes, I do need to ask something from you, Commandant. Ayla says this coating is 100% done, but I was wondering if you have any thoughts on it?”, he answers, his right hand plays with the cravat part of this coating, appearing to be a bit flustered after shooting that question at you. His currently red eyes glance at you, Asimov, Ayla, then back at you. 

“Uh, my thoughts? Um… I don’t think I understand what you mean…”

“Is this coating lacking something? Your advice always offers new insight, and I think it is just right to ask you about it right now before the finalization.”

Looks like the habit of discussing various things with him backfired at you for this case. “Uh… well…” You think hard, gripping something hard on your left-hand, which is the drawing board you just grabbed on. It helps you to tear your gaze from Chrome to look at the drawing, finally for the tenth time. The gears in your head are spinning fast, hoping something can come out as an idea to throw at Chrome so it can send him away from you. But nothing came up. So you resort to the easiest way, just answer something that screams 'OK'.

“I don’t think there’s anything lacking from this design, Chrome. I think it’s perfect!! Right, Ayla?” you exclaim as you pull the girl behind him into the conversation. As an artist, Ayla is the most knowledgeable one to convince someone about art, so you hope Ayla can indirectly cooperate with your compliment.

The girl’s eyes light up, very happy to hear your statement. “I know right, Commandant~! See, Chrome, there is nothing to worry, even the commandant thinks it’s already perfect~! Did my words not convince you enough that you need to confirm it to the Commandant? That’s a client’s dissatisfaction in my dictionary!” Ayla teases, but you know she means well. Chrome just nervously laughs as he shakes his head. “Please don’t take it that way, Ms. Ayla. I just have the habit of discussing a lot of stuff with Commandant, so this is normal. I am sorry if it offends you,” he replies. That earns a laugh from Ayla, telling him she is joking and doesn’t mind it.

“Then that’s great! We can now finalize the coating to the WGAA then! Let’s go there, Chrome!” pulling his shoulder eagerly, she tries to push Chrome to the door, urging him to follow her back to the WGAA department, looks like Ayla herself wants to release herself from another commission. The pushed man complies, but before walking through the door, he looks back at you. “Commandant, do you want to come with us?” 

You shake your head. “No need, I still have something to discuss with Asimov right here.” Well, it’s half truth. ‘Sorry Chrome, I would love to, but right now I feel like I am about to pass out due to fear.’ 

As the lab’s door closes, a loud sigh fills the room. Finally, once again there are only the two of you in the lab. You let yourself collapse at the chair, the feeling of breathlessness throughout the previous conversation seems to take the toll out of you. This is really bad. How are you going  to face him on the festival day when right now you are already struggling to keep yourself steady? You have heard this coating is related to the Strike Hawk’s plan for a stage play revolving around the theme called “Paradise Lost”, and Kamui mentioned briefly a few days ago that, “it will make you feel like you are really there to witness the horror of these creatures!” with a confident voice. That’s the last thing you want to feel. Only one idea that appears in your head to avoid such a situation and cause the most minimal damage to your pride and Chrome’s feelings.

“... I think I’ll find a way to make myself sick on that day.”

Scoffing, Asimov looks back at you, “You are crazy.”

“It’s better than hurting his feelings by avoiding to stare or even look at him. And it’ll be twice the nightmare if I see his disappointed face finding out that I am struggling to like his new coating. No way I’ll stain his memory with that. No way! No way!!!”

“Okay, I get it. Suit yourself.” He sounds like he just wants to escape your endless worry right now, and you can’t blame him.

Resolute with your decision, you feel a bit better, and suddenly aware that it seems you already bother Asimov enough. Getting ready to leave to go back to your dorm, you stand a while on the door, pressing the buttons, before looking back once more.

“You don’t happen to have a poison to make up a sick condition only for a day?”

“Get the hell out of my office.”

Well… isn’t it just great?

Turns out, you can’t get sick at all, or rather, you can’t find the window of opportunity to do so. Not without getting an angry-slash-disappointment gaze from Liv instantly making you feeling extremely guilty about it as you put back the ice cream you sneaked earlier back to the freezer (her wrath when it comes to your health is something you wish to avoid, just like your current predicament with Chrome’s coating). Because of that, you can’t consume too much ice cream or iced drinks to at least land you into a “getting sore-throat” situation. 

Another attempt was you begged Lucia to cook for you once, to present you with a delicacy that you know very well can send you to the ER of Star of Life, but her frame needs a lot of monitoring lately, which makes no time for her to do such things. Lee even helped you a lot with paperworks, making no rooms for you to stay up late. Hiding a huge stash of documents from him in your room was a futile attempt, in which you were getting scolded instead as he mistaken that action as your bad habit of being a procrastinator at day to work alone as a night-owl.

So here you are now, sitting in the theater room that you once used for the Romeo and Juliet stage play a few years ago. The place is crowded with some of the other squads, anticipating the upcoming play that is presented by Strike Hawk themselves. You sit among the audiences, your team, Cerberus, Dark Aries, and other task forces, even the Engineering and Purifying Force are invited, and to be honest, it’s such a rare sight to see all of them in this kind of mood, the always present grim and tired look evaporated from everyone’s face, putting aside the the endless war with Punishing Virus on Earth that never stops to keep everyone on guard.

“I heard Kamui planned this play, Commandant.” Lucia that sits on your left speaks as she reads the pamphlet she’s currently holding that contains the overview about the stage play.

“‘Planned’ is a generous word for him, Lucia. I am certain he was spewing ideas like bullets and Chrome is the one that has to gather it one by one to arrange it into a more decent plot.” Lee replies, which earns a chuckle from the three other members of Gray Raven. Remembering their constantly-bickering dynamics, it is not a surprise for Lee to have that kind of idea.

You take a look at the pamphlet that you have been holding since entering the theater, reading its synopsis for one more time.

‘Paradise Lost’, where it accepts creatures that are banished from light, engulfed in the eternal darkness not to suffer, but to celebrate a rebirth in an endless banquet.

Below the description is the list of the cast's name, which consists of all members of Strike Hawk. Except for Chrome, you are still in the dark about the roles of his other teammates. Continuing downward, there’s like a bunch of star-shaped designs that usually can be found on advertisements (this design choice is very Kamui, you think). 

‘Interactive! Immersive Play! Comedy! Scary! Romance!’

Looks like you missed that part of the pamphlet before until just now. “Interactive and Immersive?” Liv comments as she pays attention to the same part of the pamphlet with you, “Does that mean they will ask audiences to play along with them?” 

“Like those magic shows when they invite the audience to join them on stage, probably?” You reply, as she then nods and lets out a small hum. “I guess that’s the possibility, Commandant. Looks like it’ll be fun!”

Fun, huh? For some reason, you have a bad feeling about it. The possibility of something pops in your head but quickly dismissed as the lights of the room turn off, alerting you and all of the audiences that the play is about to start. 

‘I’ll just cast aside and try to enjoy the show, I guess…’ 

Silence fills the room for a moment, before dimmed light starts to brighten up, followed by an ominous toll of bells and melodies of music– consisting of organ and violin from what your ears can pick up– fills the air. Briefly, you feel like you have stepped into a world engulfed by darkness, standing in front of a mansion– a building that could be a magnum opus of an architect but left abandoned and claimed by underworld creatures that stumbled across it, turning it into their abode.

The scene continues to play out, painting the atmosphere and places to create what you call worldbuilding, getting to each scene with a tidy pacing, and it’s now starting to introduce the mansion “residents”. Wanshi, the first one to get the spotlight, is currently laying on a coffin, and seems to take the role of the classic undead creature from Chinese tales with the yellow charms attached on his forehead. For a heavy sleeper like him, this role sort of fits him perfectly (or he suggested it for an easier role that doesn’t involve him moving a lot). 

The next spotlight lights up at the center of the stage, drawing all of the audience's attention to Camu that is sitting on a prop that looks like a throne made of swords and skulls, wearing an outfit in which you can describe as the role of someone with high ranking, possibly a ruler of a realm. He sits with crossed legs, showing his authoritativeness. Kamui props himself right next to him, grinning like his usual self, wearing an outfit that is sculpted to look like a skeleton, with a mask sitting on his head– you are still unsure what to call his role.

And finally of course, the person you currently want to see the most and least at the same time, standing at the highest point of the stage, a massive ring-shaped stained glass window emits a bright light, making his figure very imposing. You can’t miss the sharp red eyes of him, for a moment it feels like those very eyes land on you, giving you goosebumps all over your skin. Your breath hitched for a moment.

“Commandant, are you feeling okay?” A whisper from Lucia distracts you, as she squeezes your lower arm with her hand lightly, a soothing gesture from her. Crap, did you display signs of stress just now by being fidgety or something else? Not wanting to distract any audience with your voice to reply to Lucia's question, you just nod to assure her you are fine, well, for now. Lucia seems to buy your answer as she nods back and returns her focus back to the stage, as you do the same.

The whole play continues, and the plot is actually pretty simple. It displays scenes on how each resident of the mansion interacts with each other, from the sleepy-as-ever the undead Wanshi, that no matter how many times Kamui nags him, still able to find the opportunity and places to rest. One scene also gives Camu the time to shine, he exclaims the words of darkness and victory as he stands proud at the rooftop of the mansion, screams of praise from the underworld creatures celebrating his triumph. Chrome is pretty isolated. When it’s his time to receive the spotlight, he stands near a window, holding a glass that’s filled with dark-red liquid. Blood or a wine, you can leave that to your imagination. The glass then being brought to his lips, slowly sips on it as he takes his sweet time to taste the beverage. 

There’s a slight smirk on his now red-stained lips.

The same color can be spotted on your face if the lights in the room are not dimmed enough to conceal it. Calm down, Calm down.

As time goes, you begin to grasp the story as well. After the many scenes of them claiming their possession and ruling many creatures, all of them want to hold a banquet in order to celebrate their victory on the night where total lunar eclipse happens, the so-called “Blood moon” night, where their whole plan to flood the land with darkness and reaches their final stage of ruling the entire land. A curse spell will be casted, pulling every living being that’s left to join them on the banquet, bewitching them to enter a new world, leaving the earthly concerns that have been shackling them. 

The stage changes, now being set up to show a grand banquet hall, red roses adorning every corner of the stage, with chandeliers hanging and reflecting the “moon” light, which when combined with the light of purple flames from the lanterns on the wall, setting the banquet in gloomy red-and-purple atmosphere, yet still grandiose. How can something so scary appear so aesthetically appealing? At the center, Kamui finally exclaims as he extends his hands to the direction of the audience.

“Shall we start to welcome our esteemed guest as our dance partner?”

…Dance Partner? 

You look around the stage, scanning your eyes expecting to see some side characters emerge from the curtains or between audiences, where they might pretend to be one before their time to perform arrives. 

Nothing. 

Does this mean…? No wonder you feel like something is missing as it finally clicks. You totally forgot the so-called "immersion play" the pamphlet mentioned. So the “immersive” means they want the audience to participate in a dance for their banquet scene? Your eyes wander around, seeing how Wanshi, Kamui, and Camu already picked their partners from different spots, some cheers and squeals can be heard from the crowds that surround them. 

And how is Chrome walking in your direction, his steps as perfect as his usual self, but his face is showing a confident smirk, which for a moment makes you think it’s very unfitting to him? If someone puts a mic close to your chest, it will surely pick up the loud thumping it’s making right now.

Like the Romeo and Juliet play both of you enacted back then, he reaches his hand to your right hand, bringing it close to his fanged-lips (for a moment you really thought you’ll lose your hand right then and there), kissing it so lightly. The difference is, this time the hand kiss leaves a chilling sensation at the back of your hand. Is it the Nosferatu frame’s design that’s grasping the characteristics of a vampire, whose body lacks warmth, or is it your skin that is currently getting cold from the nervousness and fear?

You feel another tug on your right hand that he has been holding, pulling you as it is prompting you to stand on your feet, and your currently numb body does exactly that, robotically following his lead. He guides you to walk carefully on the stairs to the center of the stage, approaching one of the spotlights with a chandelier decorating the ceiling.

The scenery around you, for a moment, reminds you of how you have been practicing and participating in many dances with Chrome all this time. At the start, it was just because it was required in order to attend some ceremonies, banquets, or whatever higher-ups social parties in which both of you were invited. It started solely for that reason, but deep down, at least for you, this is merely an excuse to be closer and spend any free time you have to fill your days with him. All those missions and practices tighten bonds between you, just like this position where he carefully wraps his other hand to your waist to lock you in place, waiting for his next move.

Chrome clearly plans this with how he adjusts everything– the pose, the beat of the music, the movement– to make sure you feel familiar despite the sudden situation he’s putting you through right now. The counts of the dance-steps you both have grown familiar with, the sways he leads your hand and body, the warmth that grows as you come chest-to-chest with him. For some minutes, you let your mind wander off to just think of this as one of those banquet dances.

Illuminated by the spotlight, both of you just sways around, light steps decorating the floor, the world blur into colors like butterflies surrounding two lovers in a sacred ritual.  

It goes for a while until the music fades out, slowing down everything you just experience and finally it comes to a halt. Now you both just stand there, still under the spotlight, though now you are completely unsure what to do. A sudden sensation of cold lands on your neck, making you flinch a bit. You cast your gaze to your side, seeing how Chrome’s hand is now touching the side part of your neck, then look up to find Chrome slightly bringing his head down, catching his eye that’s still glinting briefly, before closing the gap between you and leaning himself close to your ear. At first, you hear a rushed whisper of ‘Sorry, give me a moment’, before registering what’s happening.

The strands of his hair tickle your face as he buries himself into your shoulder. His warm breath fans your neck, but the same cold sensation from his fingers remains unmoved. A small smooch noise could be heard clearly due to his mic, and it finally hits you. He kisses your “neck” through his own hand, where his lips come in contact with his own fingers that’s shielding your neck, and from the audience's perspective, it looks like he actually kisses your neck. Like a vampire trying to get the taste of its prey. That action instantly makes you feel like you are thrown into an icy pool and a sensation of cold water a.k.a cold sweat starts to seep into your palm.

The theater erupts into a sea of squeals from the audiences. Some girls are having a good time watching this tale unfolding right now.

It remains for some time before he pulls back, now filling your view with only his face that appears imposing with the lights of the stage framing his features. The cold fingers that touched your neck are now moving to touch your chin, twisting your head  to face the owner. 

“A fine lady stranded– or rather, walked willingly with me into my abode, danced with me without questioning anything until now? Amusing.” He recites, displaying a face of amusement followed by a low chuckle.

His hand traces your chin, exploring your jawline before landing back to the neck, brushing it tenderly, “Skin so delicate, and it makes me want to claim you as mine once I mark you. Though, from the time we spent until now, you don’t mind that, do you?” He says, now smirking as he is entertained with the idea of it. “Tell me with your sweet voice, fine lady, do you want to spend an eternity with me in this endless-banquet? I promise an eternity full of euphoria, more than the seventh heaven could offer you.”

…

…Wow.

Since when can Chrome make such a face and say such playful words?!

His lines render you silent for a full five seconds, then your lips let out  high-pitched sputters with incomprehensible words. The whole event brings bewilderment looks and excited cheers from most of the audience, Gray Raven included (you swear from the corner of your eyes your team would react as if you are about to get kidnapped). People inside the theater won’t expect the usually composed commandant to be stupefied, remaining frozen on spot over a cheesy-flirting. It’s unsure whether you are freezing from the fear or from the lovestruck– no kidding, it’s both.

As you are about to reply (to be honest, you just can’t think of anything else other than using “huh?” to at least make the scene continue to flow), Chrome cuts you up, aware of your bewilderment, with something he had planned as impromptu in case the “dance partner” is not responding. He gets closer even more, breath fanning your left cheek.

“Should I give you a foretaste of it, to let you know how intoxicating it is?”

He opens his mouth, showing a full view of fangs with a sadistic look. Red eyes shine brighter as it stares at you like a feast. A sight that will swoon most people who are familiar with this concept of story, but unfortunately, you are not among them. It sways your stomach, dropping it to the ground like being dragged down by a roller coaster instead.

Your feet turn cold as the world suddenly twists around you, dark spots fill every corner of your eyes. The last strength of your feet that’s been supporting you vanishes as you proceed to smooch the cold stage floor with your body.

The last thing you heard was a bunch of screams of your name and the feeling of a pair of cold hands cradling your figure before completely drowning in darkness.

The warm feeling of a blanket and fluffy pillow envelopes you, giving you a sense of comfort. You struggle to open your eyes, your head feels so light whilst you try to collect your consciousness. The white ceiling and familiar decorated walls surrounding you are the signs that indicate you are currently back in your room. Did you feel so exhausted that you straightly fell asleep after the stage play? But you didn’t remember how it ends or you or when you and the others leave the theater–

Oh.

You fainted. On stage.

Consciousness fully returns to you, as you come to a realization that you really did mess up there. The sense of panic quickly fills your heart and urges your body to leave the bed and rush back to the theater. So you just do so, sitting up and mentally preparing yourself to apologize to everyone, especially him. Only for a hand to hold you firmly on your wrist preventing you from moving any further. You look to your left to the individual that apparently has been in the room, sitting quietly beside your bed this whole time.

“Chrome?”

Sitting there is the blonde-construct, back at his usual frame. His hair is strangely down, not the usual slicked-up hair you are so used to seeing these days. The realization dawns on you shortly though, as he once self-consciously asked if leaving his hair like that will make him appears weary (he was afraid you misunderstood it as he is too reluctant to see you that night, which you waved off and lightly joked how you would like to see it more often if it’s possible).

This time you can conclude that he is really in a very down mood.

For a moment, both of you just stare at each other, too lost in the thought of how to begin the conversation. In the end, Chrome is the one that takes initiative.

“You fainted, Commandant.” He jumps straight to the point.

“That I did…” is all you can say. 

“I have been informed about your situation from Asimov.” Oh, the beans have been spilled. Guess you don’t have to explain it anymore? Still, you feel guilty– extremely guilty– about this. Avoiding his eyes, you cast your attention to the blanket, fiddling with your right hand as the left one being held by the man beside you. Noticing your silence and your unwillingness to look at him, he grows anxious as well. 

“Commandant, please look at me…”

“...”

“Is this coating… really that bad? Do you really dislike it that much?” 

“NO!” Your voice finds a sudden strength to deny his absurd claim. Your hand tries to grip his wrist, keeping him to stay before drifting himself into negative thoughts any further.

Godness, that’s a very harsh assumption. Did Asimov just tell him you are disliking his frame, leaving no further explanation? Oh. 

He likely wants you to explain it to Chrome by yourself, giving you the opportunity to talk about it, which in some ways you are glad to have, though right now it’s too straight to the point to your liking after the whole chaos you just made. You are unsure whether to ‘accidentally’ spill his favorite coffee at the nearest sink for the badly provided information or give him a bag of expensive coffee as a thank-you gift for forcefully pulling you and Chrome in this conversation. 

“No, please trust me Chrome, it’s gorgeous, magnificent, perfect!! It’s just…It’s just on me…”

Pulling your legs to your chest, you try to hide yourself, at least your face, obscuring your eyes as you feel you are about to embarrass yourself any further in front of him. His hands clasp your left hand, a small gesture that turns into a silent reassuring for you to keep going.

“I can’t help but to feel my body shaking to the core and feeling myself shutting off due to my fear of… you know…” Finally, a confession escapes your lips. Who would have thought the first confession you tell him would be this? But you really just want to tell him the truth, your reason, and your feelings, as it is what you must do for him. “But I am fighting it. I don’t want my selfish fear to affect you.” 

‘You have given me a lot all these years, I should not ask too much.’

Your feet are surely shaking so much, an icy feeling spreads despite the warm blanket still wraps around them. You don’t want him to feel guilty and feel the necessity to act based on your opinion. It’s stupid, really. You are aware of his personality, one of them being the amazing leader that always comes with the most optimal answer, and it’s something you have always respected and learned a lot from him as there are times where you feel you are not good enough to be one for Gray Raven.

You thought it was just a one-sided feeling of admiration to him, but apparently, you became aware of his opinion towards you as well. The ear-studs that he once felt insecure about and asked if it looked out of place, are now being kept on his final Glory frame adjustment. That’s the point where you start to feel a bit self-conscious when it comes to discussing stuff with him. Including this whole problem.

Feeling suffocated enough after hiding your face, you slightly turn your face to your left, eyes peeking at his face but quickly turn to the bed sheet or floor, whatever you can land your gaze on right now. “When you performed that role so well on the stage, just like the pamphlet said, it is so entrancing that… for a moment I felt like I was actually about to be taken away by an actual vampire…”

Only your voice fills your room right now as Chrome listens to your explanation, his hands that’s still holding yours, softly tracing the back of your hand with his thumbs, successfully soothing your racing heart. One could say it’s also a way for Chrome to calm himself as well, given hearing your entire rambling just now increased his worries about you, yet at the same time, relieving as it’s not because his Nosferatu coating looks hideous that you hate it.

But truthfully, Chrome could craft any scenarios from A to N when he reviewed the scripts for the past few weeks, from anticipating random impromptu from Kamui to guiding dialogues when the other party confused on what to say, but none of them prepared in case you out of nowhere passed out on stage.

A small cough grabs your attention, pulling your unfocused eyes now at Chrome. “I am glad to hear your explanation, Commandant. I assure you don’t have to feel guilty about it as well. But please…” His grip on your hand tightens a bit, before continuing.

“Don’t hide such things from me in the future. I understand you think it as a burden, but I assure you it’s not. We have been solving harder obstacles, this is not something impossible.”

He is right. War rages over, yet both of you still pave the same path, reaching for the glorious day that one day must come.

Sheepishly, you chuckle and finally let out the breath you’ve been holding. “Thank you Chrome, and I know you said I don’t have to feel guilty, but I still want to say I’m sorry.”

“Ah… Apology accepted. You can relax now, Commandant.”

Finally, it feels like a huge weight left your heart, now the sense of relief washes over you. You straighten your feet, now turning yourself to face him as you sit on the edge of your bed. Now the tension is over, you just want to dwell on idle chit-chat with him. So, you bring up today’s performance, before the whole fainting stuff, of course. 

“Like I said earlier, your performance, Wanshi, Kamui, and Camu were so impressive. With big missions and little free time you guys had, there were barely any mistakes during the play. It was as if Strike Hawk was an actual theater kids group. And costumes too, especially yours, Chrome.”

“Really? Doesn’t my ‘nice costume’ points be reduced from your perspective?” He teases. 

“I mean, kind of. But, objectively, it surely is well-crafted. Every gaze seems like they are all over the heels for you!” You beam, the smile on your face as you cheerful state is back mirrored on Chrome’s face for a moment before it turns into a slight sad smile. Did you say something wrong? Before your mind once again flies everywhere, his voice, slightly whispering, reaches your ears.

“But it’s meaningless if it’s not from you.”

His rebuttal catches you out of your guard, like getting splashed with cold water. 

“I want you to see me in that light as well. I will feel content even if it is just from you.”

“Ah… I… I see.” You stammer as blush starts to decorate your face. Deep down, you feel like you know what he implies with those words, and because of that, you come with a new objective, it’s a way to make it up after all.  “Then, let’s work it out together, Chrome. Help me go through this?” It’s your turn now to wrap your palm on his, though you need not to plead, as you are certain the person in front of you will give a certain answer.

“That we will.”

Reassuring smiles decorates both of your faces.

“But, also… Chrome?”

Now it’s his turn to wonder what you are about to say.

“About those lines you said to me, I haven’t responded, have I?”

“Hmm?”

Suddenly, you wrap your hand on his neck, hugging him as you sink your head on his shoulder.

“Wherever you take me, that's where I'll follow you. If it's an eternal banquet where you and I will have a happy ending, I will succumb to darkness just to be with you.”

The hands that wrap around your waist is all you need to know that he understands. Shortly, a small peck from his lips lands on your neck, a small gesture mimicking a vampire marking its prey– or rather, his lover.

“Then so be it.”

“I was wondering, are there any reasons for you to pick me out of all the audience?”

After exiting your room, then settling at the kitchen bar to enjoy a cup of iced-water, Chrome explains the concept of his role.

“Kamui said you sometimes fangirl over villains in the video game doing ‘evil stuff’, so… I thought by doing something that related to that, one of them I read from a Golden Age novel about how evil vampires catch their prey, you would react the same. He said you will surely love it.” 

That just makes you rack your mind a bit, trying to remember the time which this information took place. Now it makes a lot of sense.

“I guess he mistook me fangirling over an evil-prefect that wants to rule the world in one of those visual novels we played and generalized it as I like everything that screams ‘villain’. Can’t blame him, though.” Shaking your head, you think you have to tone down your fangirling in the future, especially in front of Kamui, so he won’t take things too far in the future. 

You still have one more question though. The heaviest question.

“Did I destroy the entire play after I fainted?”

Chrome knows beforehand you will ask about this, quickly answer you to cast away your worry. “It was in fact almost becoming disastrous, but I ended up just doing anything that came to my mind.”

“And that is?”

“... Remember the time where I carried you escaping Hetero-Hive Mother?”

“Yeah? By– Ohhh…” 

You can picture it somehow, very clearly. You just hope next time you are conscious to fully tuck that memory inside your head.

[joelmillergirl]

Ghost of My Past- Joel Miller

The one where Joel dies.

Word count: 1,136

Warnings: old man Joel, he's getting older and a little weaker, major character death, grief, sadness, angst, legit a snippet of fuff, just missing Joel Miller hours

Author's Note: Sad gurl hours

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

Jackson used to be bright. A place where you could go out and just be you; never having to worry about what other people were thinking. When you had first arrived, all you could think about was what they were thinking. You were weak, years of fighting infected and humans had taken a toll on you, dirt under your nails and eyebags that didn't seem to fade.

The only person you trusted was Joel Miller.

He had approached you one day during an embarrassing anxiety attack; the sorrowful memories from your past seemingly catching you by surprise. You were hunched over, struggling to breathe when a warm hand suddenly rested on your shoulder, catching you by surprise.

"Try and take some deep breaths." He'd simply said, awkwardly looking down at the ground before meeting your eyes. Admittedly, the warmth from his hands, and the way he'd so softy spoken to you had soothed you instantly. "Are you... Okay?' He asked after a few moments, feeling your shoulders untensing from underneath his palm.

"Sorry." You whisper, shaking your head. "Don't know why that happened." It was insecurity laced between your words. Here you were in a sealed-off community with food, houses, clothes, and good people surrounding you, and you were still anxious about being raided in your sleep.

Joel stiffly took his hand back to his side, mumbling something under his breath, "S'okay. Happens to me too. 'M Joel." He greeted.

You offer up your name, thanking him before going your separate ways. The day after that, you'd knocked on his door, presenting a freshly baked pie to him; 'For helping me.' You clarified when he looked at you with a mix of amusement and confusion.

He was surprisingly very easy to love. He drove you up the walls with his teasing and his small remarks, but he was kind and he treated you better than anyone else had. It didn't take long for you two to start dating, a night together after a few drinks had changed everything, and when he saw you interacting with Ellie, teaching her and loving her- he was gone.

Your favourite time of the day was your nights with him. After a few games of Monopoly with Ellie with buttons and rocks replacing the missing pieces, you'd crawl into bed together, your head resting on his chest. You loved it when he talked, feeling the vibration through his chest when he did. He talked about anything; patrols, his worries about Ellie, Sarah. You listened to every word, asked him questions- some he didn't always answer- and in return, you'd offer your own stories, your own memories.

Joel was always there, everywhere you looked. When you step outside on the newly built porch he'd worked on because of the one time you'd complained about a loose plank, the house down the street he'd built a swing for because of the little boy who'd cried when the old one broke, the words people would speak after his name was brought up in a conversation.

"Hi, baby." He'd whisper in your ear, his chest to your back as you prepared breakfast. He'd stand behind you for a while, admittedly getting in your way but warming you up with his body heat. You held him through the nights he broke down, frustration over Ellie refusing to talk to him, anger over his own abilities slowly weakening with his old age, and sadness when memories of his daughter hit him out of the blue.

'Love you s'much. Don't know what I did to ever deserve this. Don't deserve it."

You had your moments together where he'd spend his nights on the couch whilst you slept in your bed, despite your insisting that you take the couch instead, knowing his back was getting bad. He never said anything cruel to you during these moments of frustration- never raised his voice. He talked it through with you, kissed you after and apologised.

You didn't deserve Joel Miller.

The morning of his death had started rough. After he crawled into bed next to you, breaking down in your arms after talking to you about a conversation he'd just had with Ellie, he turned his back to you and silently went to sleep, your shirt slightly damp from his tears. When you woke up and started breakfast, he was in a rush. He mumbled a goodbye as he walked past the kitchen, on his way to the front gate for his patrol.

"No kiss today, Miller?" You called after him, feeling slightly frustrated with his distant demeanour. It wasn't rare for him to dissociate after breaking down; you sensed it was embarrassment, he thought he was weak. He stopped walking instantly, coming back to the kitchen and leaning down to kiss you. At the last second, you'd moved your head slightly, his lips connecting to your cheek instead. "See you later."

You turned away from him then, listening to the sound of nothing as he stood still for a few seconds before he finally moved, the front door closing gently behind him. You sighed in frustration, knocking back the mug of coffee you'd made for him in his owl cup Ellie made for his birthday a few years back.

You kissed his cold lips later that day, saying goodbye to him one last time before turning away from him, everything aching. When you stepped up onto the porch, you broke down instantly. A plank had started to squeak, who would fix it now? You made it inside after a few minutes, averting your eyes away from the stupid owl mug, his stupid chair he always sat in.

The bed was cold when you got into it. Flashes of Joel's face. Cold. Stuffing your face into the pillow, you breathe in deeply, taking in his scent that still lingered. To think that only a few hours earlier you were in this very bed, warm and close to him. Breathing.

Gone was the presence of Joel Miller. His ghost lingered through everything you looked at, everything you smelt. As you stand amidst the echoes of memories, each corner of Jackson a haunting melody of what once was, tears blur the lines between the past and present. In the stillness and darkness of your grief, you found some solace in the fragments of his love displayed throughout your home.

And as you sit on the porch stairs with Ellie, after hours of begging her not to leave, not to go after whoever had brought such immense pain amongst Jackson's residencies, you could feel yourself embracing the ache of his absence, finding strength in the beauty of a powerful journey. Accepting that you may never be the same, but still allowing yourself to carry his memory with you.

No one deserved Joel Miller.

[1eos]

mx kendra, do you have any advice for job hunting? I'm about to start looking(again), but its always so intimidating - have a lovely day!

how it feels to start job hunting in the 2020s:

but yes i have advice for you anon! last time i went job hunting i got serious enough where i was reading 'askamanager' blogs and shit like that to really make sure i wasn't wasting my effort

so kendra's advice to job hunting in the most effort effective way:

first and most importantly is to understand that job hunting rn is simply a numbers game. it's not you it's just that the society we're living in is full of shit. for every 10 job postings, 4 are fake, 1 has an internal candidate in mind already, 3 are just posting jobs to look good and the rest are legit but slow af

bc job hunting is a numbers game its easy to be discouraged if you're not receiving responses consistently as proof that you're not just throwing shit into the void so its superrr imperative to try your best to apply to legit jobs. ive found my best success using indeed as a method of jobs being brought to me and then going on the company website myself and applying. this also doubles as a way to make sure a job posting/company is real

keep a spreadsheet of applied jobs. i just googled 'job application spreadsheet template' and picked one of the first ones i saw, made a copy, and then modified it to suit my needs. keeping a spreadsheet was one of the best things i did bc it can help keep track of jobs you've found and haven't applied to/ones you have applied to/and if you're like me and had a goal of getting a state job i could pre-empt when the interview requests were gonna come in lol 😭

resumes/cover letters. whew. probably the most important part of job hunting. ai scanning or not its a good rule of thumb to have skills mentioned in the job description to match the job posting. what i did was dedicate a folder in my google drive to job stuff and made a folder for each kind of jobs i was interested in. from there i would find a job i wanted to apply to and tailor an old resume to have a bunch of the shit mentioned in the posting on the new resume. i'd save it in the appropriate folder with the date i edited it. if you haven't been in the habit of tailoring your resume you may be doing this a lot but eventually you'll have so many variations you won't have to do much editing if at all. and i do the same with cover letters. i have a general template for my cover letter and then tweak them for each kinds of jobs im looking for. this + ditching linkedin helped me A LOT

create an interview cheatsheet. you probably already know the job hunting sphere has a language and culture all its own. personally as someone with a touch of the 'tism it do not make sense to me so i have unknowingly not navigated interviews as well as i could have. what's helped? ask a manager. seriously. miss allison has helped me blend in as a normie soooo much 😭😭😭😭 if you have any specific questions/have any specific weaknesses just search the site but what really helped me was the list of good interview questions. oh and for the longest i could never come up with a good question to ask my interviewer but one day google recced me this article and now every time i ask 'so what would separate a good candidate from an excellent candidate in this role' and when i tell you my interviewers gag every time lollllll. i also went through 'boost your interview iq' [pdf download link here <3] and jotted down notes on how i can answer common interview questions to quickly be able to go over the night before

study the job posting before the interview btw and try to drum up at least one correlating anecdote for some of the major points of the job bc they WILL ask you that lollllllll