#but this story will always fucking kill me

[henry7931]

Haunted By A Horny Ghost

Travis:

6 months ago, I purchased my house and I got an amazing deal for it. Granted I’ve heard some of the rumors about it being haunted but I don’t really believe in that stuff. Or I didn’t until now!

I’d hear an occasional creaking of the stairs or some noise in the hallway. I always told myself that I’m just getting worked up from some made up story. And at no point did I actually see any evidence, no shadow figures, objects floating, idk things ghost do.

And I have a lot of personal stuff going on, being single and young can be tough. And I have a lot of bills to pay.

But a few weeks ago, my step dad’s nephew Brad (or my step cousin) came to me after a bad break up and needing somewhere to live— I figured a roommate for a little bit could help me save up some cash.

Brad is your typical straight guy, loves sports, goes to sport bars at night when he’s not at his construction job.

I figured living with him couldn’t be that bad. That said, in practicality he’s a bit of a slob at home and his room is a mess. Dirty laundry laying everywhere, he brings over his buds and girls over for late night hook ups. He can be a bit of a pain at times but I have to remember that I’m getting half of my mortgage paid right now.

But one night, Brad came home late like 2 in the morning. I was still up myself. I was supposed to have a guy come over that night since I knew I had the place to myself but unfortunately he cancelled last minute.

So I was a little drunk and horny. When I heard the Brad’s Uber pull up, I peaked out the window to see if he brought anyone home. Luckily, it was just him clumsy climbing out of the car.

As I watch him approach the door, I see him struggling to get it open.

I roll my eyes, I guess I’ll help him out.

I head to the stairs, when I hear the door finally open up. I start to turn back around when out of nowhere I hear Brad screaming on the top of his lungs.

I rush down the stairs only to see something that I never thought I’d ever see…

Brad is standing by the shut door while astral smoke shaped like a person forces itself down his throat.

Unsure what to do, I stood frozen in one spot. I watched whatever was forcing itself into Brad go all the way into him.

His eyes close… and then reopen. He takes a deep breath of air.

“God it feels so good to breathe again! Wait a minute, am I drunk??”

He starts laughing to myself and I try to back up. I take my back leg and try to step backwards. But the floor are wooden and old. As I step back, he hears it and looks directly at me.

“Oh it’s you! Travis right?”

“Ahhh shit!!!”

I rush up the stairs running in a panic. All I can hear in the background is Brad’s voice saying, “Wait!!! Stop running!!”

I get to my bedroom, I lock the door and try to think of a game plan to get out.

I look around my room, think to myself— I could tie my sheets together and go out the window.

That’s when I hear a knock.

“Travis, it’s me. I don’t know what all you saw but can we talk?”

What can I do? Risk the chance of breaking my neck by going out the window or reason with the ghost now inhabiting Brad not to kill me.

“Travis! I promise I’m not going to hurt you!! Please open up!” he says banging louder.

I look around my room for something I could use as a weapon but unfortunately the only thing I can find is a clothing hanger.

“Hey im going to open up but you better not try anything funny!” I say back to him holding the hanger in hand.

“You have my word, I won’t harm you.”

With the coat hanger in one hand, I carefully unlock the door and open it.

Standing outside of the door is Brad’s body, grinning at me.

“Well hi, what are you going to do with that coat hanger?”

“Protect myself!” I blurt out.

He starts laughing at me and says, “well fyi if you hit me with it you’re just hurting this guy. Plus, he’s a lot taller than you.”

“Fuck, fine.”

I lower the coat hanger and let him come in.

He glides into the room and he seems to be enjoying himself.

I watch him and he eventually says to me, “so ask the question you want to know the answer to.”

“Huh?”

“I know you want answers, so ask.”

“Okay… are you a ghost?”

“Yes”

“And is Brad still alive?”

“Also, yes— he’s in here but in like a dormant state while I drive.”

I feel somewhat realized to know that Brad’s okay.

“So why are you possessing Brad when I’ve been here longer.”

“Well who’s to say I haven’t possessed you?”

“WHAT?!?”

“Kidding, no Brad’s my first time taking over someone. I honestly wasn’t sure if it was due able but I did it! The real question you should be asking is what made me choose tonight to try and take over Brad.”

“Okay, why tonight?”

“Well… Travis, I’ve been watching you since you moved in. I hope that’s not too creepy. Being a ghost and stuck inside a house, leaves me with very little to do. But you and I have a lot in common. Both of us are gay, we share a lot of the same interests. Hell you and I even like the same porn. I guess what I’m saying is that, I have a bit of a crush on you. And after seeing you get stood up tonight, I felt like you deserve someone to uhh— keep you company.”

I was shocked, not only has a gay ghost been watching me for over six months but he’s now flirting with me?

“Sorry if this is a bit much but I find you to be so attractive. And now that I have a body, I was hoping you would be down to have a little fun together.”

“Uhhh I don’t know what to say, it’s a bit strange since that is Brad’s body.”

“Oh really? So you didn’t sneak into his room the other week and take his dirty socks just to jerk off while inhaling them.”

“Oh god you saw me do that?”

“Yeah and it was hot as fuck! Listen, I know Brad’s body may not be your first choice but he’s straight guy cute. And I know you’ve thought about him in ways you’d normally wouldn’t admit. But right now, I’m in control of him and you can do whatever you want with me.”

He starts pulling off all of Brad’s clothes until he’s fully naked. I can’t help but stare at Brad’s massive dick swinging between his legs.

He gets into my bed and reaches for Brad’s cock. He gingerly play with it while watching me.

“Travis, please join me. This cock is so eager right now, you can smell my big stinky feet. I haven’t bathed all day…”

He runs brads fingers between his taint and balls. He lifts up his hand and sniffs it.

“Fuccccckkk, you need to come get a whiff of my balls.”

I’m so hard now. I walk over to him and out for Brad’s left foot. I bring it up to my face and sniff it.

I feel myself slowly lose control of the situation and just accept all of the lust running through me.

“I knew you like these feet Trav. Here come taste this cock.”

He holds it up like a prize, I take it out of his hands and press the head of it to my lips.

It’s so warm… I lick the tip of it and rub my tongue down his shaft. When I get to his balls, I take in a breath. Just consuming the smell of them.

“That’s it, doesn’t that smell so good.”

“Mhmmm…”

I pull off my clothes and I notice his eyes go straight to my dick.

“You wanna touch it?” I say to him.

“You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to touch it.”

I come closer to him and he gently touches my dick. He makes a moaning sound and I notice pre-cum leaks out of Brad’s dick.

“You have the handsomest dick I’ve ever seen,” he says to me.

“Thanks haha.”

“No I mean it. You’re so cute Travis. Between your green eyes, brown curly hair, that freckle right above your happy trail, your sexy hairy legs, and those beautiful feet. Can I see them?”

“Sure.”

I let him take my feet into his hands and watch him press them against his face.

I let him lick my soles for a minute before he stops to say, “ you wanna take this up a notch?”

I nod my head and he pulls me in for a kiss. I can taste the whiskey Brad was drinking earlier.

We start making out and both of us are tangled up, our feet rubbing up and down on one another’s legs. Both of us have each other’s junk in our hand.

I feel around until I grab on to one of his butt cheeks.

He let’s do so much to him. Suck on his toes, sniff his pits, play with his nipples… and in return u let him do the same.

By the end, it’s morning. We’ve spent the entire night just edging each other.

By this point, he has Brad’s toes wrapped around my dick and I try to hold back but my cock has been toyed with for over 4 hours now.

I let out this loud moan and streams of cum squirt onto Brad’s feet.

He keeps stroking it with his toes until every last drop has been drained out of me.

He takes Brad’s cum soaked feet and licks every inch of them off.

He calls for me gesturing for me to finish him off.

I grab his dick and force it down my throat. I do it over and over until he immediately comes down it.

Both of us exhausted, lay back in my bed. I cuddled up to him and say, “hey thanks for tonight. By the way, what’s your actual name?”

“It’s Sebastian but you can call me Seb.”

“Well it’s nice to meet you Seb.”

I curl up to him and soon pass out.

By one the next day, I wake up and thought last night may have been a weird dream. I look over and Seb isn’t in bed with me.

I get up to go pee and walk past Brad’s room. But to my surprise he’s not in bed.

I walk to the bathroom and see Brad naked looking at himself in the mirror.

He turns around to me and says, “Yo! What the hell Trav, have you heard of knocking?”

“Oh sorry Brad!”

“HAHAHA just messing with you! It’s me Seb.”

I feel blood rushing to my dick knowing that last night wasn’t a dream after all.

I walk over to pee and peak over at Seb.

He’s checking Brad’s body out in the mirror and starts flexing.

“I tried to leave his body this morning but I don’t really know how to…”

“Oh,” I say to him.

“Not that I’m in a rush to leave but I guess I really didn’t think this one through.”

“Well I don’t mind having you around.” I say to him.

I finish peeing and turn around to him. My eyes focus on Brad’s bubbly butt.

I grab his cheek and he lets out a yelping noise. I press my morning wood on his ass and he grins.

“Someone’s perky this morning.”

“I guess I’m just excited to have some more fun with my new ghost friend.”

“Well I have nothing better to do in the after life so I’m all yours for the day.”

I kiss him on his back and say, “whenever you’re done with the mirror come to my room.”

Seb follow me and we start an entire day of fooling around and talking.

I spend hours with his feet with my head at the end of the bed while does the same with mine. Both of us rubbing and playing with each toe. I just love how hairy and smelly they are.

Seb tells me about his previous life, how he used to live here and died from a freak accident one day. He seems like he’s been lonely all of these years.

“It was so refreshing seeing you move in, I was so bored for so long Trav. Then walks in this handsome guy.”

“Well my life hasn’t been too exciting either, I guess you can I’ve been lonely too.”

I feel him tickle my sole.

“Hey!”

“Sorry couldn’t resist!”

Days passed and Seb still could not figure out how to get out of Brad. Which I didn’t know if he was lying or not. I honestly didn’t want him to leave.

And by a month, Seb figured out Brad’s job and all of the things he needed to know to pretend to be him.

3 months in and we’re officially together. Seb loves all of the new video games he’s missed over the last 20 years while I just love watching him.

And we get soooo kinky! I’ll suck him off while he plays some game.

He even lets me tie him up. Which is sooo hot to me.

I’d like to think of that night as a fresh start for the both of us. And I couldn’t be happier with my horny ghost boyfriend!

[selfloverrrrrr]

NONCON + threes0me between Megumi Gojo and reader pls🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🎀🎀🎀💗💗💗

Lesson or chance?~

Warnings : smut , heavy smut, unprotected sex, Noncon, Kidnapping, physically and emotional abuse, biting, size difference, Yandere Gojo, Yandere Megumi, threesom, protective, jealous, obsessive, manipulative....

( All characters are aged up/18+)

Masterlist

Minors Do Not Interact

Read the warnings carefully....if you don't like my stories block me not report

I was a first year student in jujutsu high. I had friends there. Nobara, Megumi and Yuji. Megumi and I was in a relationship from three or four months. But noone knew that Except them. Them means Yuji and Nobara.

Gojo Satoru. Our sensei of jujutsu high. He was obsessed with someone. He loved her so much. He can do anything for her. Anything means ANYTHING! but we never knew atleast he never let us know that the girl he was obsessed with was none other than me?

It was a day after a mission. Gojo sensei was taking us for a icecream treat. Me, Yuji and Gojo sensei was already there. We were waiting for Nobara and Megumi to come. I was calling Megumi. "Yuji... call Nobara" I said. "Oh...so you're calling your boyfriend...huh?" Yuji teased.

"shut up" I said and rolled my eyes. Gojo's eyes immediately went to Yuji. "Boyfriend?" Gojo asked. "Yes, sensei.... you don't know she has a boyfriend?" Yuji asked. Gojo glared at me underneath his blind fold. So Yuji couldn't see it. 'just tell me his name I'm gonna fucking kill him' Gojo told himself.

"no?... I didn't know.... who's it?" Gojo asked. "It's Fushiguro" Yuji replied. Gojo's heart stopped for a second. "Megumi?" He asked. "Yes yes" Yuji replied. They were talking but Megumi and Nobara came.

"where were you two?.... I can't wait for ice cream anymore!!!!" I whined. "I'm sorry I forgot my phone in my room " Megumi said wrapping his hand around my shoulder. "And I was talking with Maki senpai" Nobara said. "It's okey... let's go now " I said. Then we went to the icecream shop.

Now it was a month later from that day. Me and Megumi were in Megumi's house, in his room, on his bed. His lips on mine. Kissing each other roughly. Small amount of moans coming between the kiss. Megumi pulled me on his lap. I was sitting directly on his crotch.

"f-fuck" he whined. I could feel he was hard. I started moving back and forth. "Oh fuck fuck fuck...y/n stop... I don't think I would be able to control " Megumi whimpered. "Then don't control" I said licking his neck.

"yeah...no... I mean...uh" Megumi said. I could feel that he was nervous. "What happened?" I asked. "It's... it's just... it's my first time" he confessed. "That's fine.... it's my first time too" I told him. "I know...but what if I can't please you properly" he said. "Megumi don't be so nervous!!!" I said. "Ok... I'm gonna try... don't mind if I couldn't.... properly" he said. "I would never" I replied with a giggle.

While we were talking in Megumi's room. Gojo was outside of the room leaning against the wall. Listening to our talks. He smirked at himself then walked away to his own room.

A Week After

Megumi just woke up and came out of his room. Gojo was standing in the kitchen. Drinking coffee. "Hey Megumi...supp?... You look a little...sad?" Gojo asked. "No no... I'm fine" Megumi replied. "That definitely doesn't sound fine ....what is it?" Gojo asked. Megumi sighed. "It's just.... I don't think it's okey to tell you" Megumi sighed again.

"Megumi?... tell me... look I always thought of you as a son.... now tell me what is it? Any adult thingy?" Gojo asked. "Yeah actually.... It's..... Ok so .... We had sex, yeah me and y/n had sex last week. And it was both of our first time. But.... but I don't think that I'm pleasing her properly" Megumi confessed.

Gojo took a deep breath. "You want me to help?" Gojo asked. "How's that?" Megumi asked. Gojo walked towards Megumi. "I'll show you how to fuck her properly....by fucking her" gojo said. "W-what-" before Megumi could complete his sentence Gojo talked again. "Megumi listen.... I like her... I love her...but when I heard that she has a boyfriend I thought I'm gonna kill him but when I get to know it's you.... you know I can't kill you... you're like my son....but we can share....have her together " Gojo whispered. Megumi looked at him. "Uh..ok....ok ok ok ...... I mean yeah ok fine" Megumi said. Gojo smirked. "Great choice" he said.

The next day

Megumi messaged me to come to his place. I was already there. Standing in front of the door. I pressed the bell. "Yeah.... coming" a voice said. Then the door opened. I expected it to be Megumi. But it was Gojo sensei. That wasn't weird... cause it was his house after all. "Oh ...hey sensei" I greeted him. "Heyy" he greeted back. "Umm... Megumi isn't home?" I asked. "No no...he is.... come inside.... he's in his room" Gojo said and I went inside.

I sit on the couch. Gojo sit beside me. "Where's he?" I asked. "He's coming" Gojo replied. "You're looking cute" he said wrapping his hand around my shoulder and pulling me closer to him. That was a little uncomfortable. "Uh... t-thank you" I said nervously.

In a moment Megumi entered in the room. I smiled at him. "Oh look he's here.... Megumi come... sit here" Gojo said pulling me on his lap and patting on where I was sitting. Megumi smiled and sit there. Now this was way too much uncomfortable.

"uh... sensei can you...let me go.... it's... it's kinda uncomfortable" I said. "Why....are you nervous" he said in a deep tone. Suddenly felt his hand going up under my top. My eyes widened. I looked at Megumi. I pushed his hand away and sit on Megumi's lap. "What are you doing!!!!" I said. And instead of explaining me Gojo just smirked.

"oh come on.... you like it" Gojo said moving towards me. But what shocked me was....why isn't Megumi protesting?! "Megumi stop him" I said. But what Megumi did? Hold me tightly on his lap so that I can't move. Gojo's hand going up under my skirt.

I punched Megumi's hand away and stood up. "The fuck are you two doing!!!" I screamed and started going out of their house. "Y/n stop... don't you love me?" He said. I slapped him. He was shocked and silent. "I did.... but I don't from now" I said and turned around.

Gojo was standing in front of me. I gasped. "Y/n, sit" he said. "Get out of my way.... I'm not a whore that'll let you two do anything" I spit. "Y/n I said go sit" Gojo repeated. But this time I slapped him. He glared at me and grabbed my hair and slapped me. "Tf do you think you are,huh? I'm not Megumi that I'm gonna get silent" he said and slapped me again. "You should've accepted it and it won't be this hard" he said. Tears came in my eyes.

"oh don't cry, pretty girl~" he cooed in my ear and grabbed my hair and dragged me towards his bedroom. "Megumi.... come in my room and lock the door" he said to Megumi. I groaned in pain. He threw me on his bed and Megumi went inside and locked the door. Gojo Took off his shirt and threw it on the floor then started crawling towards me on the bed."please stop" I said and tried to push myself backwards but he grabbed my leg and pulled me towards him. I gasped. He was still smirking."oh now that brave girl is scared?" he whispered and crashed his lips on mine.

I tried to push him away but his grip was too strong. I can't even move myself. He was kissing me too roughly. I couldn't breathe. He grabbed the hem of my top and pulled it over my head. My boobs bounces out. "You should play with her boobs before fucking her... that'll make her more wet" He said to Megumi then looked at me with lust in his eyes and didn't waste any time, crashed his mouth on my breast licking, sucking and teasing the nipple and squeezing the other one with his hand. I moaned in the sensetion. I grabbed his hair and tried to stop him by pulling it but it didn't even effect on him. "S-sensei stopppp" I scremed but he didn't stop.

Then he took off my skirt and then took off my pantie. Then looked at my pussy. He rubbed his finger on my clit and whispered " look .... told you.... she's fucking wet~". Then he licked my pussy. I couldn't help but moan loudly. He smirked at my reaction and undo his pant.

His dick sprang out. It was too big and too thick. Fear grabbed me by my neck. " S-sensei no no no... P-please no... s-stop.... I don't want this" I begged but didn't even listen to me and slammed his whole dick inside me in one slide. I scremed. He didn't even give me time to adjust his size and started thursting in and out roughly. He looked at Megumi "don't worry....girls like it rough" Gojo said. I was throughig my legs with pain and begging him to stop. And he was liking it so much. "Megumi... you must be hard go on....use her mouth" Gojo said.

I looked at Megumi with teary eyes. Why is this happening? Even my boyfriend is letting his father to fuck his girlfriend?! Megumi didn't waste any time, unzipped his pant and slammed his length in my mouth. I squeezed my eyes. Tears flowing down. Because both of them were too much big. My mouth was wide open. Megumi's dick inside my mouth taking the whole length in slowly. It was too big. Megumi's breath hitched. He threw his head back mouth wide open. He grabbed my hair telling me to suck hard. He bobbed my head up and down. His tip was poking the back of my throat. He grabbed my hair and started bobbing my head up and down faster. "Oh god...oh god.... don't...ahhhh... don't stop!!!!" Megumi moaned out loudly. He was bobbing my head up and down faster and faster. He suddenly felt that Megumi was close. In a few minutes he came inside my mouth. He grabbed my chin "Swallow it y/n" Megumi said looking at me. Gojo thrust roughly and said"swallow. His. Cum. Y/n". Which made me swallow.

Gojo's thurst became harder and harder. I clenched around him tightly and he moaned loudly " ughhhhhh.... f-fuck s-so...ahhhh....so f-fucking tight " he started rubbing my clit with his thumb and I bite his shoulder scratched his back to control myself. With a few more thurst I came. He was still thursting roughly. I felt his cock pulsing inside me. I tried to push him away with all of my strength." Ughh...no no no no...ahhhhhh...no please no....ahhhhhh..... n-not ahhhh.....not inside..." I moaned. He grabbed my throat and chocked me down to the bed. "And it would be better if you cum inside her even if she says no" Gojo said with a smirk. I cried out loudly. Within a minute he came inside me I could feel his seed inside me. He pulled out.

"your turn Megumi.... give me her mouth now" Gojo said. "Yeah sure" Megumi replied. "No no....nooooo not again!!!! Please I'm begging you" I screamed. Gojo grabbed my face and tilted my face up. His dick was now infront of me. Still hard... how can he still be hard after just having sex? "Sensei... please don't " I sobbed. Gojo smirked at me. "I also loved you. I still do. But you never came to me" he said and shoved his length in my mouth. On the other hand Megumi slammed his length inside. I closed my eyes and sobbed silently... cause I know there's no turning back now.

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[alltheirdamn]

Killing Me Softly | (Joel x teacher!f!reader)

Epilogue

Summary: Joel had always been the one. Rating: 18+ Explicit Word Count: 6.5k Warnings: None! Enjoy whatever comes! A/N: So, here we are at last. The final goodbye to one of my favorite pairings :') It is so bittersweet to end their story, but I am so thankful you all have supported it and loved it along the way! Tommy & Beth's story will be coming soon, so I hope you guys stick around for it! All my love, xoxo <3

Masterlist | Ko-fi

“Sarah!” You called from downstairs. “We need to leave soon so we aren’t late!”

“Coming!” She shouted back.

You could hear her footsteps shuffling across the loft, no doubt in a rush trying to find her backpack. It was the first day of school, and you were the brand new eighth-grade teacher—totally not because you wanted to keep teaching Sarah before high school. 

The three of you had spent the summer in a whirlwind, between camping trips and helping Joel work on a business plan for his own job. You even took a small trip to Boston to see your family; you needed to get the closure you deserved finally. But you couldn’t think about that trip now; you needed Sarah to hurry up.

“Joel,” you grumbled. “Can you please get her down here?”

Joel was leaning against the kitchen counter, his coffee mug half-full and lifted to his lips. He rolled his eyes at you, his lips curling into a soft smile. 

“I got it, baby. Go get your ass in the car, and I’ll make sure she has everythin’ together.”

You gave him a quick peck on the lips before slinging your bag over your shoulder. A large hand closed over your bicep, and Joel yanked you back into his broad frame. 

“No y’don’t. Give me a real kiss,” he chuckled.

He pressed a hand into your lower back, holding you firm to his chest as he bent down to kiss you. You deepened the kiss, your tongue overlapping his with a soft whimper off your lips. Joel swallowed every noise and pressed you against his lips for as long as he could.

“Grossssss,” Sarah groaned, startling you both.

You jumped back from Joel’s embrace, staring at Sarah with an embarrassed smile. 

“Can you guys not do that? At least wait for the wedding.”

Joel barked a laugh, kissing your cheek with wet lips before pushing you out of the kitchen. 

“I can kiss my future wife all I want, sweetheart,” he protested. 

Future wife. 

You loved it when he said that. You loved it even more when he was pinning you to the bed and whispering it in your ear as he fucked you. Lazy strokes and sweet words… The thought alone had you clenching your thighs beneath your skirt. 

Joel didn’t waste a moment proposing after you moved in. He and Tommy had snuck away one Saturday to a jewelry store to find the perfect ring, and he proposed that night. The tiny diamond sat snug on your finger, the gold band reflecting the sunlight every time you admired it—which you did a lot.

You and Joel were still working through the mess created after your accident, but there was no question that you’d marry him. At least you knew he wouldn’t run from the wedding; the thought of it happening kept you up some nights. 

Both you and Sarah arrived at the school with only ten minutes to spare. She’d be in your final class for the day, so you parted ways and made your way to your new classroom. Joel had helped you set up your room over the last week, hanging the posters you couldn’t reach and remaining adamant about keeping you from any possible chance of falling. God forbid you hit your head again; it wasn’t something you liked to think of often. 

Walking into the classroom, you quickly set up your lesson plans and placed worksheets on each desk. The first week of school would be the easiest for you and the students. A slight tap on the door jolted you from rushing around, and you looked up to see Maria sheepishly standing in the doorway.

“Welcome back,” she said. 

Neither of you had spoken since the end of the year, and you still weren’t sure what to say. Joel had explained to you that Maria wasn’t entirely at fault for anything; she only meant to care for you and keep you company throughout the years between. At the start of last year, he mentioned that he considered going after you, which was why Maria was always so pushy about talking to Joel. And she had, in fact, been the mastermind behind ‘Happy Hour’ when Joel showed up. 

You couldn’t stay mad forever, even if sometimes you desperately wanted to. Anger was all you had known for months, and you worked hard to replace it and battle through it as the summer went on. But right now, you could put that aside and at least be cordial with Maria. 

“Thank you, Maria.” You gave her a tentative smile. 

“Can I come in? I wasn’t sure if I’d catch you before the day started, and I was hoping we could chat.”

You nodded, motioning to one of the desks. Maria entered the room and leaned against the edge of the desk, waiting for you to settle into your chair. You tried ignoring the emails that continued to chime on your computer, attempting to give her your full attention, which she deserved. 

“I’m sorry,” she blurted. “I had no intention of lying to you, but I only wanted to see you happy. After the accident, it was so hard for me to lose you in the way I did. Giving you a place to live after your breakup with Bennett and seeing you meet Joel… Then nothing. I cared for you like a daughter and wanted to continue being there for you.”

“I know you did,” you sighed. “It’s been hard having to adjust after regaining my memory, and it’s taking a lot out of me to try to work through it all. I hope you know I appreciate all the care you’ve shown me. Before the accident and after. I just needed time to process it all.”

“If you ever need anything, sweetie, you know I’m here.”

“Thank you.”

You reached your arms to hug her, and Maria took the opportunity without question. Her warm embrace was enough to bring you to tears; you did miss her—a lot. Pulling away, you lifted your hand a little to show off the sparkle on your ring finger. 

“Oh my gosh!” she squealed, grabbing your hand.

You laughed at her excitement and allowed her to admire the ring on your finger.

“The wedding is next month,” you told her. “Joel and I would love for you to come if you would like.”

“Are you kidding? Of course, I want to come!”

She pulled you in for another tight hug, muttering a litany of ‘thank you’s.’ Eventually, the school bell rang, she ran out of the room, and you settled back at your desk for the beginning of the day. 

Not even two minutes after the final bell rang, Sarah was barreling into your classroom with a big smile. You had just seen her in the third hour during her own class, but her excitement never failed to make your heart swell with happiness. 

“Ready to go home, kiddo?” You chuckled.

“So ready! I think Dad is cooking us dinner, and I’m starving.”

You ruffled her curls softly before tucking her under your arm and leaving the classroom. The person you were last year—before remembering everything—would have never allowed this to happen. Dating your student’s father was out of line and, quite frankly, not your forte, but this was an exception. A very necessary exception. 

As you pulled out of the parking lot, you heard your phone ringing in your purse. Sarah was quick to retrieve it, staring confused at the caller ID. 

“Who is it?” You asked, glancing away from the road.

“Aunt Beth.”

Shit.

Things hadn’t been great between you two since the trip back to Boston over the summer, but it was better. If you sat in silence long enough, the bitterness and anger returned in full force. Joel was your voice of reason, calming you down from the resurgence of emotions and always quickly reminding you of Beth's work to fix the relationship. You only hoped they weren’t empty promises and she would prove herself to be who she was before the accident.

“Here, let me see it,” you said, extending your hand.

Pressing answer, you held the phone to your ear and hoped Sarah didn’t see the trembling in your fingertips.

“Hello?” 

“Hey, sis,” Beth said. It was easy to hear the frustration in her greeting.

“Everything okay?” You asked. 

You came to a slow roll at the red light in front of you, relaxing your white-knuckled grip on the steering wheel. Sarah rubbed an assuring hand over your arm, and you turned to give her a sad smile. She was like her father, so receptive and aware of your emotions.

“Yeah, I think so. I don’t know, I just… Do you want me there? Are you sure?”

“At my wedding?” You questioned. “I already told you I wanted you there. I extended the invite to the entire family, including you.”

“I know, but being your bridesmaid feels wrong.”

A car horn blared behind you, and your eyes snapped up to see the green light staring down at you. You inhaled sharply and pressed the gas. 

“Joel and I already talked about it, and we both agree not having you there would be something I might regret one day. I want you and Stell both up there with me.”

“You’re sure?” She asked, her voice cracking.

“Yes, Beth. I’m sure. Now, are you flying out on the day of the reception or the day before? I just need to make sure your hotel room is booked and set up before you get here.”

“I’ll fly in the day before with Stell. I think Mom and Dad are coming the day after.”

“Okay, good. I’ll make sure everything is taken care of. Just please promise me you’ll be there.”

“I promise, sis,” she sighed.

You rounded the corner into the neighborhood and pulled up to the house. Joel’s truck was already parked in the driveway, his truck bed overflowing with work tools and wooden planks. You nodded at Sarah to head in while you finished the phone call—you needed a moment alone before going inside. 

“I just got home, Beth, so I’ve got to run. I’ll send you the information for the hotel and everything, okay?”

“Wait, before you go,” Beth hesitated. 

“Yeah?”

“I’m still really sorry,” she admitted. “About everything.”

You scrubbed a hand down your face, holding back a wave of tears that threatened to break your composure. Beth wasn’t one to show her emotions or speak them this freely. Her vulnerability was something you were still adjusting to, among everything else. 

“I know you are, sis,” you exhaled. 

“I’ll, um, I’ll let you go. I’ll talk to you soon.”

You didn’t get the chance to say goodbye before the phone line went dead.  Resting your head against the steering wheel, you let the tears run down your face. It was hard to control your emotions these days, and today was no different. Between seeing Maria and talking to Beth, you were exhausted. The wedding planning hadn’t been stressful until now, but knowing Beth was having second thoughts about even coming? The stress was starting to creep in.

A light tap on the window jolted you from your tearful silence. You turned your head to see Joel standing outside the door, his eyebrows furrowed with concern. Seeing him was the final nail in the coffin, and you lost it completely. He was quick to yank the door open and wrap his arms around your limp body. 

“Sarah told me Beth called,” he confessed. “I’m sorry, baby. I know this isn’t easy.”

You clung to his shirt, nestling your head into his neck. The work day still lingered on his skin, the smell of fresh wood and sweat flooding your senses. He smelled like home. 

“Am I making the wrong decision?” You choked out. 

Joel’s grip tightened around you, his sturdy frame grounding your emotions to cascade into. You fell victim to your cries, your tears dampening the cotton tee he wore. 

“You’re makin’ the mature decision, baby,” he stated. “It took a lot for you even to see them this summer, but the wedding will fly by, and this can all be put behind us.”

“I just don’t want to be let down again,” you cried. 

“No one's gonna let you down. I’ll make sure of it, ‘kay?”

You peeled yourself away from him, wiping away the tears that trailed down your cheeks. Joel’s brown eyes softened as he took in your fragile state, his lips turning down. Cradling your head in his hands, Joel brought your forehead to his lips for a comforting kiss.

“Hey, I love you,” he said.

“I love you, too,” you whispered. “I’m sorry.”

“Y’know how I feel ‘bout you sayin’ that, baby,” Joel grinned.

The slight shift in the color of his eyes was warning enough to make your emotions skyrocket in a different way. You gave him a shy smile before pecking him on the lips and jumping out of the car. Joel quickly wound an arm around your front and hauled you back to him.

“You’re lucky we got dinner on the table,” he whispered in your ear. “Punishment’s gonna have to wait ‘til later.”

“Punishment?” You echoed.

“Mhmm,” he hummed, dragging his mouth over the shell of your ear.

You shivered at the touch, your body molding against his. Leave it to Joel to always turn your mood around; it’s what you loved about him. The worst days could be changed in minutes, and you weren’t afraid to be vulnerable with him. You also weren’t afraid to rile him up, too.

Shifting your body slightly, you brushed your ass against the crotch of his jeans, rewarding yourself with the hardening bulge of his cock. Joel groaned at the brief touch, his teeth nipping at your earlobe.

“Oops, I’m sorry,” you giggled.

 You repeated the motion, Joel’s body tensing behind you.

“Oh gosh,” you feigned distressed. “I’m so sorry.”

“You’re gonna regret that, baby,” Joel growled. 

With a sharp smack on your ass, Joel urged you toward the front door—not before readjusting himself several times before entering the kitchen. 

Sarah had long gone to bed by the time you and Joel retired to your room. You took time showering and readying for bed while Joel sprawled against the sheets. Peeking around the corner, you caught a glimpse of his body, nearly naked, except for a pair of black boxers. It still didn’t feel real that you had found your way back to him, and it especially didn’t feel real that you’d be marrying him in less than a month. 

“I know you’re starin’ at me over there,” Joel chuckled.

You emerged from behind the door, a grin on your face. Joel propped himself against the headboard, his hands locked behind his head and his biceps flexing slightly. 

“Obviously,” you rolled your eyes. “I’m allowed to admire my handsome future husband.”

“Get your ass up here, baby.”

You happily obliged and jumped onto the bed, straddling his waist as you bent down to kiss him. Joel’s nose brushed against yours as he deepened the kiss, his hand carding through your hair to anchor you closer. 

“If I’m not mistaken,” he muttered between kisses. “Y’said somethin’ earlier that you shouldn’t have.”

You trailed your lips down his neck, humming softly with each press of your lips.

“I did?” You teased.

“Three times,” Joel groaned. 

His fingers laced tightly between the tendrils of your hair, pulling your head up until there was nowhere to look but into his dark eyes. The swell of his pupils had replaced the soft amber colors of his irises, a mischievous look flashing across his face. 

“This is what’s gonna happen, baby. You’re gonna slide that beautiful body up here and ride my tongue ‘til you cum three times.”

“Three?” You repeated, your eyes growing wide.

Joel huffed a laugh and hooked his arms under your thighs. You fell forward, your hands bracing onto the headboard. Joel lucked out with you already being bare under your t-shirt; it was easy work for him, especially when you were already drenched with arousal. A small swipe of his nose over your throbbing clit was enough to elicit a soft moan from your mouth. 

“Bite your lip and stay quiet for me, baby,” Joel mumbled. “Can’t wake up Sarah with all your noise.”

“Okay,” you exhaled.

Joel flattened his tongue against your entrance and licked a long, slow stripe through your wet folds. Sinking your teeth into your bottom lip as he had instructed, you bit back a desperate whine that threatened to escape. You rolled your hips slightly, the pointed tip of his tongue dragging over your aching bud softly. The fire crept through your veins, catapulting you closer to the edge as Joel’s jaw worked relentlessly at your leaking entrance. 

“Joel,” you whispered, a faint whimper leaving your lips.

“Shh,” he hummed.

The low vibration of his hush radiated through your pulsating clit, forcing you to jerk away from his mouth. His calloused fingers dug further into the skin of your thighs, anchoring you down onto his face. His tongue worked faster at your clit, stroking it with tantalizing flicks of his tongue. Flames burst through your stomach with each move of his mouth, your thighs quaking in his grip. So close… you were so close. Joel felt it, too, and latched his mouth around the sensitive bud.

“Joel!” You cried, the orgasm barreling through your body. 

He didn’t let up, his tongue dipping into your entrance and lapping at the juices leaking from you. Your hand shot to the curls at the crown of his head, tugging him off of your sex, your body still twitching from the aftershocks of your climax. 

“That was only one, baby,” Joel muttered into the flesh of your inner thigh. 

He pressed wet kisses against your skin, working his way back to your center with small kitten licks over every inch of you. Your thighs clenched around his face, framing him perfectly between your legs. You glanced at him only to find his dark eyes staring at you. The air knocked out of your lungs, seeing him under you in such blissed-out beauty. Joel shifted his face up, revealing his arousal-coated mustache and wet plush lips. 

“Y’gonna give me two more?” He asked, his mouth curving into a grin. 

You nodded vigorously, guiding him back to your swollen bud. Joel rested his tongue over your center, nudging you silently with a slight tilt of his head. Dragging your hips forward, you lowered yourself onto his open mouth. Back and forth, you moved against his tongue, tremors wracking through your limbs with each pass. 

“Joel! I’m gonna—.” You choked on your words. 

With one hand grasped on the headboard and the other tangled in his sweat-soaked curls, you bore down and let your second orgasm surge through your body. Biting your lip did little to help the cry of pleasure that escaped your mouth. You lifted yourself from his face, attempting to unlatch yourself from his tight grip. 

“Nuh uh, baby,” Joel protested, his voice husky. “One more.”

“I can’t,” you whined.

You stumbled over his body, collapsing into the bed beside him. Joel rolled over you, his eyes sparkling with mischief and desire. The lower half of his face was coated in your arousal, his chin and beard glistening in the dim lights of the bedroom. You wound your arms around his neck, pulling him to your lips. The sweet smell of your arousal hit your nose as his mouth collided with yours. Joel groaned against your lips, coaxing your mouth open wider. You tilted your head to give him better access, your tongues dancing in unison in a heated kiss. 

You felt Joel’s hand slide between your bodies, his body shifting slightly as he pushed down the boxers from his waist. The weight of his heavy cock rested on your thigh, and you hooked your leg higher to give him access to your dripping sex. 

“Got one more in you, baby?” Joel asked, his mouth roaming down your neck. 

“I think so,” you said, your voice shaky. 

Joel suctioned his lips to the hollow of your neck, the head of his cock pressing against your entrance. You gasped at the intrusion, your body adjusting to the girth of his cock as he split you open. Joel carded a hand through your hair and glued his eyes to yours as he thrusted into you slowly. Your bodies moved in a simple rhythm; when he drove into you, you careened back. Soft cries and heavy grunts, each of you flowing in perfect harmony. 

“So fuckin’ perfect,” Joel whispered.

“Feels so good, Joel,” you panted.

Your eyes fluttered shut, the swell of release at your fingertips as Joel speared into you deeper with each cadence of his hips. You were overstimulated and covered in a thin sheen of sweat, but you wanted to come undone with him. You wanted to fall over the edge together; you wanted this moment to be something you shared. Lifting your mouth to his ear, you whined softly, garnering a low growl from his chest. 

“I love you.”

Three simple words. It was enough to send Joel over the edge, his body tensing above you as he drove into you one last time. Your sex clenched around his cock, milking him through his release. His cock dragged against the aching walls of your sex as he pulled out, his body resting heavily on top of yours. With his head pressed to your heaving chest, you ran your fingers through the dark curls resting at the base of his neck. 

“You tired?” You laughed softly, bending down to press a kiss to his forehead. 

“Don’t know what you’re talkin’ ‘bout,” Joel argued.

“Get some sleep, handsome. I love you.”

“I love you so much, baby.”

He nuzzled further into your embrace, a soft yawn exhaling from his mouth. You smiled to yourself, reveling in the fact that this was your life. Here, at this moment, everything you had endured was worth it. It was worth it knowing someone inexplicably loved you. Someone who wasn’t going to leave, no matter how hard things may be. Joel fought tooth and nail to have you back, and you learned to forgive his faults. His patience and unwavering love were enough to battle any doubts that lingered in your mind.

He was yours, just as much as you were his. 

**

Outside your bridal suite, storm clouds swirled in the sky. You had watched the news channel praying for a sunny wedding day all week, but the Texas weather laughed at your pleas. The thunderstorm looming in the distance was only the tip of the iceberg in your ever-growing levels of anxiety.

“Sis, it’s gonna be okay,” Beth urged. 

Beth and Stella were the only ones in the room with you, and they both sat at the edge of the bed, watching you helplessly pace the floor. You itched to undo the tight bun your hair had been wrangled into, the pain of each bobby pin shooting another jolt of pain into the onset headache forming in your head. 

“What if he doesn’t show? What if Joel doesn’t want this? What if—?”

“Oh my God, stop!” 

It wasn’t Beth that cut off your rambling, but Stella. She wasn’t one to raise her voice often, but it was enough to halt your frantic thoughts. You threw yourself onto the chair in the corner of the room, letting out an exasperated sigh. Stella rose from the bed, carefully sidestepping the hem of her silk bridesmaid dress as she waltzed to where you sat. She lowered herself to her knees and stared up at you with pleading eyes. 

“Joel loves you, sis,” she stressed. “He’s not going to leave you. All of these pre-ceremony jitters will go away the second you walk down that aisle.”

“But—.”

She held up her hand in protest, shaking her head sternly. 

“No more of that. You are going to put on your dress and get ready.”

You glanced at your wedding dress hanging on the back of the door. The white fabric was a haunting reminder of the rain-soaked dress you had worn only years ago, dirtied by the mud and broken hopes left in Bennett’s wake. You chewed at your lip to stifle back a cry, your brain ready to disintegrate with all the pressure building inside your head. 

“I don’t know if I can do this,” you whispered, the admission frightening you. 

Beth groaned, leaving the bed to join Stella on the ground. You had spoken little since she came into town, sharing only a few shallow words in passing when necessary. But the seriousness in her eye ignited a new wave of fear; her words could slice you clean through if you let it. Saying your name softly, Beth clasped a hand around yours and inhaled a sharp breath. 

“You can do this, and you will. I know you’re scared, but Joel is waiting for you. He’s been waiting for you for years, and he’s not going anywhere. Trust me when I tell you no one in this world loves you more than he does, okay?”

A tear slipped down your cheek at Beth’s words. The way she spoke of Joel was night and day from how she spoke of Bennett. Her words regarding Bennett had been laced with venom strong enough to poison even your happiest memories—whatever those had been. They were fighting words, and each punch was perfectly placed. With Joel, she only spoke with sincerity. Both she and Stella had been there to see Joel at his worst after the accident, watching the life he had made with you crumble away within the hospital. They had been there to experience his grief firsthand, and that was something you could never argue. Joel held a special place in both of their hearts, a bond you couldn’t remember but couldn’t deny. 

“I’m sorry,” you muttered, burying your head in your hands. You threw caution to the wind when it came to ruining your makeup. It was a lost cause at this point. 

“Hey, come here,” Beth whispered. 

She hauled you into her arms, wrapping herself around you. Stella followed her lead, both huddling around you as you cried quietly. Time had stolen so much from you, time you couldn’t get back with your sisters. Putting everything aside, you sat in the moment with them and let their strength hold you up. 

“Okay, okay,” you sighed, peeling yourself away. “Can you both help me get into my dress?”

Stella squealed excitedly, hauling herself up and hurtling toward the door where it hung. Beth gave you one final squeeze and a quiet “I love you” before joining Stella. 

You discarded your robe on the bed and stood awkwardly before them in your bridal lingerie. Both of them whistled at you provocatively, their eyes growing wide. You blushed at their giddiness, motioning for them to bring the dress to you. The three of you worked silently as you slipped into the tulle fabric. Beth worked at zipping up the back while Stella secured the gossamer sleeves over your shoulders. The fabric was cool against your skin, a welcome reprieve from the warm anxiety that simmered below the surface. You were ready after a few final touches on your makeup and the clasping of your heels. 

“Breathe, peanut,” your dad whispered in your ear. 

The bouquet in your hand was shaking from the trembling in your fingers. You stared through the glass door into the open courtyard where everyone sat, the sky darkening by the minute. In the distance, you could spot Joel's outline as he stood under the floral arch above the altar. He was right there…waiting. 

“Whenever you’re ready,” the wedding planner said, grasping the door handle before you. 

You turned your head to look at your dad, his features soft and emotional. If he cried, you’d soon follow, and you couldn’t ruin your makeup again. You squeezed his arm and nodded to the wedding planner. 

“I’m ready,” you whispered. 

With a gentle push of the door, you stepped over the threshold and into the humid air of the early evening. The soft crescendo of the Wedding March began to drift through the open space, and your friends and family all turned to stand. Your eyes shifted side to side, looking down each row at the warm smiles in your direction. Maybe if you didn’t look down the aisle, the fear of Joel running away wouldn’t come true. Look anywhere else. Your steps faltered, and you felt a wave of anxiety assault your nerves. 

“He’s waiting for you,” your dad mumbled. “Look up.”

You lifted your head and found Joel watching you with the brightest smile. His hair was tamed and slicked down with gel, and his beard was trimmed short—but still patchy in small areas along his jaw. His broad frame stretched out the black suit that was tailored perfectly to his body, and something about the refined look on him made your heart leap. If you weren’t already breathless, seeing his eyes stole any air left in your lungs.  Joel’s brown eyes sparkled with fresh tears under the gray skies. Not even the darkest storm clouds could darken the amber flecks glimmering in his irises. 

As you neared the altar, you also realized his hands were trembling. His fingers fidgeted with the cuffs of his shirt, and his body shifted from side to side as he waited for you. The music drifted to a close as you finally approached the altar, just inches from Joel. He didn’t run. He was standing right there. 

You turned to your dad, giving him a tearful hug and a quiet thank you. Joel stepped forward to give your dad a firm handshake, a warm smile gracing his face. As they said their final words to one another, you handed off your bouquet to Beth, who stood behind you, along with Stella and Sarah. Sarah’s cheeks were damp with tears as she grinned at you brightly, her skin radiant in her green dress. You blew her a kiss and turned back to Joel. 

“Y’look so fuckin’ beautiful,” he exhaled, wiping a tear from his face. 

“And you look extra handsome,” you grinned.

Joel chuckled, clasping his hands around yours. Your fingers squeezed around his knuckles, and your thumb rubbed soothing circles over the rough skin of his hand. The officiant beside you cleared his throat, and you and Joel turned your attention to him. 

“Family and friends,” he began. “Thank you all for joining us today for this wonderful union of love.”

The officiant's words faded into the background as you stared up at Joel, capturing this moment in your memory. Years of loss, pain, and grief all led you to this moment—right here. With Joel’s hands wrapped around yours and his loving smile shining down on you, it was all worth it. 

“I understand that you both have written your own vows,” the officiant said, interrupting the flood of emotions inside you.

Beth tapped you on your shoulder, handing you the small paper you had scribbled your vows onto that morning. 

“Okay,” you sighed. You smoothed out the paper in your hand, your eyes hardly focusing on the words before you. 

You opened your mouth to speak but paused as the first drop of rain splattered across the ink. A laugh bubbled out of you as you tilted your head up toward the sky. Rain misted your face, the slow sprinkle of rain dampening the ground around you. 

“Would y’look at that,” Joel laughed. “It’s rainin’ on us, baby. I think that means it’s good luck, right?”

You beamed at him, watching the raindrops catch onto his thick eyelashes. Crumpling the paper in your hand, you let it fall to the ground and composed yourself. Joel lifted his eyebrow, the corner of his mouth twitching.

“Joel Miller,” you started. “I can say, without a doubt, I was always meant to be with you. From the moment I ran into you, literally—.” You laughed at yourself. “I knew it would always be you. Even when time and differences separated us, a part of me knew I was missing something. You and Sarah were the missing pieces that made me whole. And I’m so thankful that the universe conspired to bring us back together and lead me home. I vow to you, Joel, that every day will be filled with memories we remember.

 I vow always to make you smile. I vow to always annoy you with my late-night conversations about books and poetry nonsense you most definitely have no interest in. I promise to stand beside you on the soccer fields, cheering on our girl through every win and loss. I vow to you, Joel Miller, to never leave and to always work through the hardest obstacles. Together.” 

“I love you so much,” Joel whispered, tears streaming down his cheeks. 

You lifted a finger to wipe them away, your hand resting against his cheek. Joel sniffled back more cries, shaking out the rain clinging to his hair. 

“Alright, guess I gotta try and beat that now,” Joel joked. 

He crumpled his vows, the paper floating onto the wet ground where they melted into the rainfall. Joel barely managed to choke out your name before succumbing to tears all over again. 

“Man, this is hard,” he huffed. “I ain’t sure how y’did all that without losin’ it, baby.”

“You’ll be just fine, Joel. I’m right here,” you assured. 

He spoke your name again, this time only faltering at the end. You gave him an encouraging smile, your hand still caressing his face. 

“I can’t tell you enough how lucky I am that you’re in my life,” Joel began. “I ain’t ever felt a love like this, and I ain’t ever wanna lose it. I’m not a many of many words, at least not where it counts, but havin’ you by my side makes every single day brighter. There ain’t no better happiness than seein’ your smile every day or seein’ you be the mother to Sarah that she always deserved. 

Y’make me the proudest man alive, and I vow always to love you and care for you in every single way. I promise to read all the books y’read. I vow to remind you which cereal we buy at the grocery. I vow to stay truthful and always love you no matter how hard things may get. It’s you and me, baby. I ain’t goin’ nowhere. You got me ‘til I stop breathin’.”

You were the one crying the hardest now—a vow of all vows, spoken upon the altar that had always haunted you. One thing remained true in the weariness and uncertainty of the last several years: Joel was your steadfast. He was the constant that worked against the odds and continued to fight for a love you had since forgotten. Through the heartbreak, grief, and endless nights alone, you now had the one man the universe had created just for you. 

I love you, you mouthed. You couldn’t trust yourself not to entirely wither into a heap of sobs as his vows sunk further into your heart. 

“Now, if we may have the rings,” the officiant urged.

Tommy handed the ring to Joel while Sarah stepped forward to give you the wedding band you both had picked for her dad. 

“Thank you, kiddo,” you whispered, bending down to hug her. 

You and Joel repeated each word the officiant said, slipping the wedding bands onto each other's ring fingers. The rain was coming down harder now, pelting your face in wet splashes and rolling down your bare neck. Joel’s suit was soaked through, yet he didn’t care. Neither of you could stop smiling. 

“With the power invested in me and the state of Texas, I now pronounce you Mr. and Mrs. Miller! You may now kiss your bride.”

“About damn time,” Joel snorted. 

His hands swept under your shoulder blades, dipping you low as he bent to kiss you. The moment his wet lips touched yours, everything became a reality. Joel was your husband. You molded your body into his embrace, your arms winding around his neck. He kissed you recklessly as if no one else around you existed. And truthfully, the world could have collapsed around you, and you would never have known it. You wanted to remain in his arms for eternity. 

This was your home. He was your everything. 

The reception had drawn into the late hours of the night, and the buzz of a few drinks had your body relaxed and at ease. Whatever stress you had before the ceremony it had long since vanished, swept away with the rain as it continued to pour from the sky. The train of your dress was stained brown from the mud, yet you didn’t care. It was a memory of the day, and you wanted to keep it with you forever. 

“One last dance?” Joel asked, extending a hand to you.

You rose from your seat, placing your hand in his. Somewhere during the night, Joel had discarded his suit jacket and rolled up his sleeves. Seeing him this dressed up was far more dangerous than you expected; you craved to undo every button traveling down his torso and strip his tailored pants right from his muscular legs. But those tempting thoughts would have to wait till later. 

Half the attendees had left for the night, leaving only your family members and a few friends still scattered around the ballroom. As Joel swayed your bodies to the music, you caught wind of an argument drifting through the music. Turning your head over your shoulder, you watched Beth and Tommy go toe to toe in a standoff. 

“Do you think we should go calm them down?” You asked. 

Joel glanced towards his brother and shrugged.

“M’sure they’ll sort their shit out, baby. Ain’t nothin’ gonna stop me from enjoyin’ this night with you.”

“You’ve seen Beth when she’s angry,” you reminded him. 

“And y’know how grumpy Tommy can get,” Joel countered. “They can handle themselves.”

You both moved to the music in silence; your eyes settled on one another as you spun in slow circles. Joel hooked a hand under your knee and dipped you, only to pull you up just as quickly to crush his lips to yours. 

“When can I take y’home?” He muttered between kisses. “I’ve been dyin’ to take that dress off of you all night.”

“As soon as this song ends, I’m all yours,” you smiled. 

Joel’s brown eyes darkened under the twinkling lights, and dimples appeared on his cheeks as he grinned at you. 

“Baby, you’ve been mine from the start.”

[olderthannetfic]

I'll be honest i have a lot of……..activism burnout? ok, that's not a good word to use in this context, but I have 'whatever the less serious version of that is', in regards to AI.

Like, I'm not saying AI is good or that I enjoy seeing it or that I'd use it for fandom stuff. But this whole paranoia about it is just….i dont care. And I know that I should. And I DO I care, I guess, in some ways, but this whole "OMG AI IS EVERYWHERE" "AI IS KILLING FANART" "THIS FIC SOUNDS LIKE AI" (which can be used as both an accusation and also as criticism).

like, sorry, i genuinely do not care that there's AI art on pinterest or that there's an AI fic in a ship tag or that Kids These Days use character.ai as opposed to talking to real people. (with a caveat of "if AI is banned on pinterest/ao3, yeah, you have the right to bring up that specific factor." i ALSO don't like it when AI users give themselves more credit than they deserve, by saying like "omg look at this art i made with AI" no bestie you did not in fact make that art.) but this whole thing where people are weirdly obsessed with loving to hate AI is just exhausting and it really makes me not care.

it really isn’t that deep and it's not a topic i give a fuck about it (i say after having just written several sentences on the matter). like i dont like ai art and i really really dont like fucking AI chatbots on technical support websites or whatever, but also i dont think the world is gonna end because someone had chatgpt write them a story or a recipe or a cover letter or something like that.

i get that AI is annoying and that 99.99% of the time anything made by AI is gonna be dogshit compared to something a human made and that it can be very disappointing to see AI after AI in a tag or something but also the asshole part of me is like. 'oh, you hate ai? you think it's killing fandom culture? awesome, great, should we throw a party? should we invite nikola tesla?'

i think part of why ai wank pisses me off so much is cuz its everywhere, as its the hot new topic, and i'm aware that there is a lot of hilarity in me contributing to this argument especially considering my opinion is very much the unpopular one that people will not like, but even with blocking words like "ai" or "gpt" or whatever it's impossible to fully avoid cuz opinions will still slip through the cracks somewhere, or show up on a website where you can't filter, or some rando is always gonna be talking about it in offline settings or whatever, and it's all in the news, and i'm just tired of hearing about it constantly.

--

[666writingcafe]

Checking In

Lucifer

Once my brothers are settled in for the evening, I quietly leave the House and begin walking back to the castle. I need to apologize to Diavolo for what happened a few hours ago, but more importantly, I need to see Zephyr. I haven't quite decided whether to yell at them or comfort them.

The exhausted look in their eyes as they answer the door to one of the spare bedrooms tells me that they're not in the mood for a lecture.

Normally, that doesn't stop me from giving one, but for some reason, I can't find it in me to berate Zephyr for their actions. Not even a little bit.

They walk over to the desk they have set up and start looking through various papers. I make my way over to the bed and sit on the side facing them.

"Shouldn't you be resting?" I ask.

"Can't," Zephyr answers, more focused on their work than on me.

"Can't, or won't?" They glare at me briefly. "Simply a question, Zephyr. Nothing more."

"I have to distract myself. If I don't keep myself busy, I'm going to kill Solomon."

"For calling you 'MC'?" That got their attention. They look like they're moments away from biting my head off.

"Listen, I understand why you're upset."

"Do you?" they bark angrily.

"You trusted him to keep your old identity a secret, yes?" Zephyr blinks awkwardly before closing their eyes and taking a deep breath.

"I'm sorry, Lucifer. I didn't mean to snap at you like that. It's just..." Another deep breath as their eyes begin watering.

"It's okay. Take your time."

"I'll be fine." Sighing, they leave their desk and sit beside me on the bed.

"Do you want to know why I answered Diavolo's ad in the paper?" they ask me. I shrug.

"I assumed it was for the money." Zephyr shakes their head.

"I had to make the transition alone. I didn't want you guys to have the same experience I did, because it was rough."

"You weren't always a demon?" Another sigh.

"I was born human, Lucifer."

Oh. That explains a few things.

"I come from a long line of powerful and notorious sorcerers," they continue. "Everyone in my family wants to cause as much chaos as possible simply because they find it hilarious to watch people suffer. I didn't participate in any of their illegal and shady activities, obviously, but I still had a target on my back. No matter where I went in the human world, people were on the hunt for me. I was more or less a fugitive, and all because I was related to a whole bunch of criminals.

"Then one day, I met a group of demons. They were part of an organization that granted humans asylum in the Devildom. I told them my story, and they not only encouraged me to seek it out, but they also made sure that my application was approved as quickly as possible. However, that meant shedding all my ties to the human world and becoming a full-fledged demon. Shortly after I arrived here, the organization was forced to dissolve, and any evidence of its existence disappeared without a trace."

I'm not surprised something like that happened. If Diavolo is telling me the truth about his father, then I have no doubt that he had a heavy hand in annihilating that organization.

"So where does Solomon come in all this?"

"He's worked with my family over the course of my childhood. I was told he was a friend, but I learned at a very young age to not trust anyone that they liked."

"And yet you have his mark on you."

"That's because when we reconnected several years later, I learned that he was trying to become a more reputable sorcerer. Of course, I didn't believe him at first, but then I started hearing good things about him from people I did trust. Eventually, I wanted to help him with his goal, and so I agreed to enter a pact with him."

"I see."

Well, no wonder Zephyr's able to remain calm around us. We probably seem like a fucking cake walk compared to what they've been through. And having to do it all by themselves on top of it?

I feel a strange mix of emotions: sadness, anger, and...

Pride.

Which makes very little sense. How can I be proud of someone that I barely know? They're just our attendant, after all.

Or are they?

Tears threaten to spill out of Zephyr's eyes again.

I shouldn't stay here. Maybe I can flag down one of Diavolo's servants and have them get tissues or something for them.

But I have to remain professional. Who knows what would happen if I give in?

My heart beats my brain. Soon, I'm holding Zephyr in my arms as they quietly cry into my chest.

Memories of me comforting my siblings like this begin playing in my head. Is Zephyr family? They've certainly integrated quite well into ours, but that's only so that they can better assist us, right?

And yet the way they're grabbing onto me...

Eventually, they pull back, and as I let go of them, our eyes meet. For one brief yet scary moment, they look exactly like Lilith.

I lean in and kiss their forehead, for old time's sake.

But then my brain takes over again, and I'm suddenly questioning everything I just did.

"Sorry," I mumble, scrambling to get out of that room before I do something stupid again. I shouldn't be feeling this way about them. Even if they weren't born a demon, that doesn't change the fact that they've been one for much longer than me and my brothers have. I still have to lead by example, and I can't do that if I'm too busy fawning over them.

Who cares what they think? You deserve to be happy.

I'm going to need some time alone to think.

~~~

A Few Days Later

A Text Conversation

Lucifer: Are you doing okay?

Zephyr (MC): That's funny. I was about to text you the very same question.

Lucifer: Of course you were.

Zephyr: To answer your question, I'm doing better. Might even head back to the cottage soon.

Lucifer: That's good.

Lucifer: Listen, I want to properly apologize to you for what happened.

Zephyr: Which part?

Lucifer: Me running away.

Zephyr: *wide-eyed emoji*

Lucifer: What did you expect me to say, that I regretted comforting you when you needed it?

Zephyr: Kind of, yeah.

Lucifer: I know it seemed that way at the time, but I can assure you, that wasn't it at all.

Lucifer: It's taken me a bit for me to admit this, but I was scared.

Zephyr: Of?

Lucifer: My feelings.

Lucifer: The positive ones, I mean.

Zephyr: *confused sticker*

Lucifer: If it's alright with you, I'd like to get to know you more.

Zephyr: In a friendly way?

Lucifer: Something like that.

Zephyr: Lucifer...

Lucifer: Yes?

Zephyr: Why the indirect answer?

Lucifer: I'm still getting used to the idea of seeing you as more than simply an attendant. Please be patient with me.

Zephyr: Of course.

Zephyr: Are you wanting to do something low key, or do I need to find a fancy outfit?

Lucifer: *confused sticker*

Zephyr: Just trying to gauge where you're at, whether you're simply wanting to become friends or wishing for something more than that.

Lucifer: *several wide-eyed emojis*

Zephyr: Alright then. Low key it is. How about a nice stroll through one of the parks? Wear whatever makes you feel comfortable. No pressure to do anything beyond walking and talking, and you can leave whenever for whatever reason, even if it's because you're simply sick of hearing the sound of my voice droning on and on.

Lucifer: *a few laughing emojis*

Lucifer: Sounds good. Just let me know when and where.

Taglist: @lost-in-time-wanderer, @fuzztacular, @dianedancer18, @sweetbrier2908, @flare-love, @completelyshatteredbrokenmschf, @thunderlightning351, @l3v1chan, @anxious-chick, @5mary5, @expressionless-fr, @tenkobitch

[befuddledcinnamonroll]

The rare episode 13! Let's see how we go.

Ok, yes, this is cute, but all I can think of is how at my age, if I slept like this, my back would be so fucked.

I do love how much they love being together. This is what matters, not if/when they choose to put a label on things.

This man is never going to be sending mixed messages, and I love him for it.

It's so funny to me how I did not connect with Winny & Satang in MSP, but now I am so in love with them both.

Not that they were at all bad in MSP, I just really feel these characters so much more. And I do think the time they've spent together since then shows in the chemistry.

Ok, this is such a little detail, but part of why I love this show.

Because Toey knew Q & Peem through mentoring & the art program, and he knew Phum & Fang from childhood, but he met Pun via all the rest, and yet they are clearly friends who are comfortable teasing one another. Just like Beer showing up here to practice with Chain & Q - he's friends with them regardless of Phum. Friendship, and found family, and the fact that you can just keep growing these relationships into this beautiful tree of connection when you find your people... it's so lovely.

This honestly makes me curious about New's friendships, because I feel like he must have some absolutely wonderful people in his life, and that makes me happy.

Y'know Chain, you wouldn't need to be so obsessed with other people's relationships if you just smooshed the man right in front of you.

All the friend teasing is so adorable. Also Phuwin is the king of perfect facial expressions.

CHAIN!!! Stop being cute and just hit on him directly already!!

Poor baby Pun is so confused, he does not have the braincells to understand this level of flirting.

Omg, can we talk about how beautifully Tan & Fang match while keeping their own aesthetics?!

Goddamn I love this show!!

The love rival is a fully formed human who is not just there for drama (and Title is nailing the balance of slightly bothersome but also rather sweet), he respects Peem's autonomy and asks for consent, and we're reinforcing that self love should come above adoration for another! Yes, yes, yes, yes.

Hmmm, normally I don't like "misunderstandings" as a contrivance to keep couples apart, but I feel like it fits here. There's still a disconnect in the emotional intimacy between these two, and they can't be boyfriends until they figure out how to navigate it. Peem wants to be someone Phum can rely on unconditionally, and be completely vulnerable with, but Phum still struggles with seeing people's love for him as conditional, and thinks that doing the wrong thing can "ruin" a relationship.

Always, always there. The true love story of this show.

You two are killing me.

Please don't make us wait until the last episode. I can't take it!

Oh dear, Phum is so emotionally fragile... not sure playing games with him is a good idea, Q.

How is Toey is the emotionally mature one here?

Holy shit, y'all, this scene. This show just told the misunderstanding trope to go fuck itself!

The openness, the vulnerability, the honesty, the communication. The showing of what genuine love and caring looks like. I'm crying.

Toey, you are such a goof, but I love you anyway.

Lol, realizing Peem isn't just a dom but also a little bit of a sadist explains a lot.

Cuuuuute.

Ooh, I like this framing.

Ha, I really thought they were going to cliffhanger Peem's response. This show has been such a tease so many times.

[suzukiblu]

For your ask game, what’s your favorite thing you’ve ever written?

. . . god I don't even know, man, that's a LOT of things, hahaha. And like, that answer definitely changes depending on the day/year/phase of the moon. So you're getting a couple answers here! Also I'm gonna keep this mostly to DC and only include finished fics, because me picking between WIPs would take a thousand years and also probably kill us all, lol (ignore the fact that a couple of these fics have sequels in-progress right now, STILL COUNTS OKAY??).

everything happens for a reason. sometimes that reason is that you are stupid and make bad decisions. is one of the funniest fucking things I've ever written, full stop. Lex is SO fun to write, seriously, I could write him all fucking DAY.

I'm really proud of blondes really do have more fun, both because of how much it seems to have affected/touched people who read it and because I think it was my first experience with writing gender euphoria as a major thing and writing, like, an actual explicit trans narrative? Like, I definitely wrote genderfuckery and implications and metaphors before that and probably even some trans characters, arguably, but that's the first story I really remember deliberately just making about being TRANS. And also holy shit, man, did I ever love writing gender euphoria for the first time, especially because I'd mostly only seen gender DYSphoria as a focal point in other stories and it just didn't/doesn't resonate with me the same way. I'm not trans because everything else makes me miserable, I'm trans because that's what makes me HAPPY. I don't remember if I was intentionally thinking that at the time, but that's the story I wanted to write for that one.

one day this will all be yours and you found me when no one else was looking are both concepts I love and found really cathartic to write and was very pleased to finish. I love that they're sort of "families of choice" fics about, like, actual BIOLOGICAL families (like, in the context of the fics, anyway), which probably sounds weird but is a concept I'm sort of painfully fascinated by--like, about the fact that you CAN choose your family, obviously, but sometimes you're lucky enough to find out that you had someone worth choosing already and just didn't necessarily know it, or to both grow into people who CAN choose each other even if you had problems or lashed out due to outside traumas or didn't always understand each other. That's, like, very personally relevant and meaningful to me, the idea that maybe the thing that got all fucked-up and the choices you made when you didn't fully understand the consequences of them can still be worked through and repaired and made into something new and better.

Also, special mention because this one is back a few fandoms but zero humble on it: best friends means you get what you deserve is just really, really good, and I did GOOD on it, hah. I took a three-word prompt/concept and turned it into 17k of "hey, doesn't this make more sense for why this character is the way he is, and isn't this what the main character actually wanted??" in genre-savvy explanation of why the sidekick character might stick around for the antisocial asshole hero and seem perfectly happy to base their life largely around them no matter how said hero treats them, and then I made the Consequences(tm) happen to Jaskier and Geralt, both bad AND good. I am just SO dang proud of that one, UGH I love it. ❤️❤️❤️❤️ FRIENDSHIP, AND THE CONSEQUENCES THEREOF.

[alexanderwales]

Pitchposting: The Reused Maiden

(Pitchposting is a way to write up an idea that won't get the honor of becoming a story. Free to a good home.)

Like a lot of good ideas, this one was based on me misreading something. The actual thing was rescued maiden, but my brain doesn't read so well without context, so I read reused maiden, and it fired up some neurons.

Our protagonist is a fifth daughter, in a time when that means she would be a burden on her family. In other times, on other worlds, she might be sent off to become a nun or work as a governess in a socially ambiguous position, or maybe even be sent to an asylum if she was "difficult". In this world, there's always some demand for maidens, even if they're a low birth. When a dragon spews fire above a village in his third flyby that month, the village elders take stock of who might be able to allay the dragon's desire for "unspoilt" flesh.

Everyone agrees that it's best that a maiden goes willingly. There are always stories about what happens when a maiden gets taken by a dragon, and before a sacrifice, those stories become unaccountably upbeat. They pretend that no one really knows what a dragon does with a maiden, that perhaps it's not horrible, and sometimes, yes, the maidens do go to their fate willingly.

Our protagonist goes kicking, screaming, and biting. She vows revenge on her father, her mother, her sisters, and everyone in the village. She says, in a rage, that she will kill the fucking dragon herself if she has to. She has no means to get free of her chains, let alone to kill a dragon, but her anger is hot enough to sustain her even as the night grows cold. She howls as though trying to awaken something inside of her.

She doesn't end up saving herself. A knight in shining armor comes and slays the dragon in glorious battle, which our protagonist only learns about later. The knight is not even aware of her existence, only of the tradition, and anyway is mostly after the hoard.

When the death of the dragon is reported and confirmed, some very sheepish village elders come to where our protagonist is still chained to a rock. It would be possible, perhaps, for everyone to forget this whole awful thing had ever happened, but the protagonist's threats are echoing in everyone's ears, and her horrible howling could be heard through the night. There is some question about how much she meant it when she said that she would "fucking kill you bastards with my bare hands if I ever get free".

After some discussion, it is decided that the protagonist can have no place within the village, if only for the safety of the townsfolk. But there are other villages, and while there's no question about releasing her, those other villages have their own problems: sometimes dragons, sometimes spirits, sometimes ancient curses. Our protagonist has been spared a messy death at the talons of a dragon, but now she's in the position of being a commodity.

She's first sold to an intermediary, a mercenary group or a passing wizard or someone else that gets her onto the next place. If you wanted to write this story, here is where you could pivot into being a different sort of thing: maybe her captor only meant to free her, and this is the start of a romance, because every romance loves an inauspicious and problematic start. But if I were writing this story, she would be treated as the commodity that she is, only well enough that she can be sold as good stock to the next party.

And there would be a next party, someone who wants a sacrificial maiden for a different purpose: appeasing a volcano or calling on the power of the ancestors or something like that.

And again, fate conspires for the sacrifice to not go through, and our protagonist is shuttled off to another place where she's to be put to death for some reason or another.

Astute readers will have noticed that our protagonist has a distinct lack of agency here, and is essentially being manhandled from place to place. This is the wonderful thing about pitchposting: I'm not actually writing this story, so don't have to actually solve these problems. I think it's fine for a story to be about a character with no agency, who is constantly struggling and fighting and trying every trick and still winds up at the mercy of a knight in shining armor coming to rescue her for unrelated reasons. Maybe that says something, or maybe stories don't have to say something.

(And maybe she gets saved by the same knight in shining armor, who has been crossing paths with her while entirely ignorant that it's simply been the same maiden across different kingdoms and continents. This is one of those little nuggets that I think is almost worth writing a full book for, a scene where it's revealed that they have, impossibly, been entwined with each other this entire time. A mistreated, reused maiden and a knight so shiningly pure that he's been the lone driving force behind putting down thirteen different evils as he came across them? I think there's something there.)

But there's a different version where perhaps the maiden gets out of the jams on her own, using only her wits. Maybe she meets with the dragon and dupes him into going to the trap the knight in shining armor has set for him. Maybe she gets offered as a cultic sacrifice to a demon, but she'd dragged a toe across their waxen sigils and ruined the summoning to her benefit. She uses her wits, and her bag of tricks, and a few things she picks up along the way. The reused maiden, scraping by every time, narrowly dodging death but always with death on the horizon like an arctic sunset.

I guess my version of this story is about the rage, but it doesn't have to be that. Maybe it can be about sadder things, like being sad about the uses that a society has deemed you fit for, or the inhumanity of humans, or something like that. I don't know how many times you can reuse the same maiden for this story before it gets to be boring or unbelievable or you've just mined out the available space. My guess would be that five is stretching it, so long as they're varied enough, and one of them looks like one of those suspicious happily-ever-afters that seems to be coming two-thirds of the way through a book.

But as an ending, I like the idea that the maiden eventually gets thrust at the feet of an old crone, bound and gagged, but with blood around her mouth where she bit one of the guards (and she has, after all this time, become very good at biting guards). The witch waits until the guards have retreated, then cuts our protagonist free of her bindings, and our wily spitfire of a protagonist probably does attack immediately after that. But once the hostilities are over, the witch asks for the maiden's stories, how many times she escaped death and at whose hands, and they drink tea as they talk.

I mean, obviously the witch was once a maiden too, and she had her own trials and tribulations before making a successful transition to old crone. Maybe we reveal that the witch has been a guiding hand this whole time, except that seems needlessly cruel (but perhaps this works as just one more injustice inflicted on the maiden, another battle to fight). I tend to think endings are important and need to be considered, but they're also very hard. Maybe we can have some cosmic reveal about why this world seems to have endless uses for maidens, but that leans just a little too meta for my current tastes.

Look, I'm not going to write this story, even if this was a longer post than pitchposting is supposed to be. There's a lot to be said about the role of the virgin sacrifice, and there's a lot that's been said, with much of it clumsy. There are needles that I would be worried about threading, particularly with regards to sex and sexual violence, implied or otherwise. The obvious thing to do, if you're a virgin about to be sacrificed for the third time, is to just lose your virginity, which ... certainly is a plot beat, I guess. I'm not sure I'd want to go there, or how I would go there. It's hard not to think of the whole thing as social commentary, which makes it hard not to write it like that.

But I think it would be better being its own thing. I guess if you disagree, you could just write it some other way.

[bloody-bee-tea]

June of (minimal) Doom 2024 Day 24 - Let's get you cleaned up

Not gonna lie, the minimal in that title feels like a lie by now, even though there's always a happy end. Content warning for this is murder. And unhealthy coping mechanism. Which include murder. And co-dependency.

Suguru is getting desperate. He couldn’t remember how many doors he’s pushed open so far, but every time he is met with nothing behind it, his heart shatters a bit more in his chest.

Shoko had assured him that they hadn’t found Satoru, so logically that must mean he is still running around somewhere, but then again they hadn’t found Riko’s body either and Suguru knows for a fact she is dead.

And there had been so much blood at the top of the stairs where he left Satoru behind.

Suguru tries to not think about it too hard but he’s running out of places to check out and he doesn’t know what he’s going to do if he can’t find Satoru. If he never comes back.

The thought makes him falter briefly, but he needs to push on. He needs to find Satoru and he needs to bring him back home. Suguru can’t stop now. Satoru isn’t home yet and so Suguru can’t stop.

He walks down a few steps, briefly hesitating in front of the door before him before he pushes that open as well.

Instantly he’s met with the sound of people clapping and his stomach churns when he realises that he finally has found the right one.

Suguru steps inside the room, dimly noticing all the people in white scattered around and then they part, making way for Satoru.

Satoru, who is bloodied head to toe and who is carrying Riko’s body.

Suguru feels like crying.

“You’re late, Suguru. Actually, I guess you got here fast. After all there are several Star Religious Groups in the city.”

It’s Satoru speaking, Suguru knows that because he sees his mouth move but—

“Satoru, is that you? What happened?” Suguru breathes out, even though the blood on Satoru’s clothes, the blood he found at the top of the stairs and the look in Satoru’s eyes tell a pretty clear story.

“I see you already saw Shoko,” Satoru says, not even reacting to the fact that Suguru has asked him something and Suguru is still too perplexed by the sight in front of him to do anything but nod.

If only the clapping would stop so he could fucking think for a moment.

“Yeah, she was able to heal me, I’m feeling fine again. But that doesn’t change anything here, does it?” he whispers, his eyes now fixed on Riko’s hand that just slipped out from under the sheet.

Suguru fights the urge to step close, to tuck it back in as if that would make things better and he feels sick to his stomach when he remembers the happy look on her face moments before she died.

Moments before she was killed.

“I screwed up pretty bad, you’re not the one at fault,” Satoru says and Suguru doesn’t know what to say to that at all.

“Let’s head back,” he says after a moment and a distant part of him wonders just how Satoru can even hear him over all this clapping in the room.

Suguru fights the urge to yell at everyone to shut the fuck up but the fact that Satoru hasn’t moved yet keeps his attention pretty captured. Suguru is about to ask what’s going on when Satoru speaks again and his voice makes a shudder run down Suguru’s back.

He doesn’t sound like the boy Suguru knows at all.

“Suguru should we—kill these guys? The way I am right now, I doubt I’d feel anything,” Satoru asks him and Suguru freezes.

His first instinct is to say yes. He feels ashamed for it, even as he struggles to push the answer down and instead concentrates on what he has to say. What he’s supposed to say.

“No, there’s no point. It looks like there are only common believers here. The masterminds who know about our world have probably fled already. And unlike with the bounty they won’t be able to talk their way out of this. The organisation had problems to begin with. It’ll be dissolved soon enough.”

Satoru is walking past him while Suguru tries to justify the continued existence of everyone in this room and they just. Won’t. Stop. Clapping.

“No point, huh. Does there really need to be any point to it?” Satoru asks him and Suguru opens his mouth to give him the right answer, to tell him that there absolutely must be a point to it, that it’s important that there is but the clapping won’t stop and he still sees Riko falling to the ground, the pool of blood where Satoru was supposed to be and the clapping—

It almost feels as if something snaps in Suguru and when he opens his mouth what comes out is “No. There doesn’t need to be a point to it.”

Suguru doesn’t know how it happens so fast; the words have barely left his mouth when the entire room lights up in an eerie purple and then there’s only silence left.

Everyone in that room is dead. Just like that.

Suguru takes in the sight in front of him for a moment longer before he turns around to Satoru.

“That is new,” he says, because what else is there to say. Nothing makes sense anymore, except the grin that Satoru suddenly gives him.

“I figured out how to do Red.”

“That wasn’t red,” Suguru says as he steps closer to Satoru and reaches out to tuck Riko’s arm back under the sheet like he wanted to do all this time.

“And then I figured out how to smash Red and Blue together,” Satoru excitedly goes on, almost bouncing on the balls of his feet as if he didn’t just murder a room full of people at a single word from Suguru.

“Thus making purple,” Suguru nods as if he understands what’s going on with Satoru’s powers at all.

“Hollow Purple,” Satoru corrects him, his eyes still bright and manic and Suguru probably should feel bad but he’s so relieved that there’s silence around him, that Satoru is alive and well and right in front of him, and he really couldn’t care less about all these people.

They were celebrating the pointless death of a girl who only wanted to live. Who never did anything wrong, whose only mistake it was to be born.

He doesn’t feel a tinge of remorse at all.

“Let’s get you cleaned up,” Suguru says as he reaches up to cup Satoru’s cheek in his hand. “You’re all bloodied up.”

“But I figured it out, Suguru. Reverse cursed technique! I did it! I was dead but then I did it!”

Suguru flinches at the reminder of how close he got to losing Satoru and that only makes him double down on the fact that everyone in this room deserved to die. Maybe there had been a point to it.

Maybe revenge was a good enough point sometimes.

“That’s great,” Suguru says, not taking his hand back yet. “Can we still go back to the school? You clearly didn’t figure out how to reverse curse the blood away,” he gently jokes, suddenly tired beyond belief and Satoru nods.

“Yes. Let’s go home, Suguru,” he agrees and leads the way out of the room, Riko’s body still cradled in his arms.

~*~*~

“You’re both Special Grades now,” Yaga sighs out, pinching the bridge of his nose. “We need you to go on separate missions, so we can handle more curses.”

“No.”

Suguru’s voice doesn’t leave room for an argument but it looks as if Yaga is going to try anyway. Satoru is standing close to Suguru, their shoulders pressed together, but Satoru exhausted himself with yelling in the last fifteen minutes and so now he’s simply quietly fuming at Suguru’s side.

“Geto,” Yaga warningly says and Suguru gets it, he does.

Powerful curses are cropping up everywhere these days, way more than they are used to and it would go faster if Satoru and he were sent on separate missions but that’s just not acceptable.

Not after everything that happened.

“It’s not happening,” Suguru says again, because he will not allow them to separate him from Satoru and if Yaga thinks he’s going to falter on that then he’s fucking wrong.

This might be a long night.

“The last time we were separated, the Star Plasma Vessel died, the school was infiltrated, I died and Suguru got seriously injured. It’s not happening.”

Satoru’s tone is clipped and cold and Suguru leans more firmly into him.

Yaga doesn’t need to know this, but ever since that entire mess, they haven’t spent more than an hour apart. They take their showers together in the communal showers, they eat together, they sleep together, and they spent all their other time together as well.

The one time they had to be separated for longer was when Satoru had been summoned to talk to the Elders and twenty minutes in Suguru had been ready to level the school to get to Satoru. Satoru clearly hadn’t fared any better because when he did finally come back out his hand compulsively kept making the finger sign for red and Suguru wondered if anyone in the area even knew how close to dying they were that day.

So no. Another separation is not happening.

“You either send us together or not at all,” Suguru adds, his voice just as cold as Satoru’s and Yaga seems to know when he lost because he deflates, a pained look on his face.

“Get the hell out of my face,” he grumbles and Suguru knows it’s a win.

Suguru doesn’t know who reaches out first, but neither of them speak when they tangle their fingers together as they walk back to their room.

They will not be separated again.

~*~*~

Suguru feels cold rage lick up his throat and he distantly wonders if this is how Satoru had felt with Riko’s body in his arms, moments before he annihilated every last person in that room.

“Satoru,” Suguru says, barely able to hear his own voice over the screaming of the people behind them.

He should probably turn around and try to calm them down, get them out of the house, but his eyes are fixed on the little girls in the cage and he can’t bring himself to look away from them.

Suguru isn’t even sure what he wants Satoru to do, why he’s turning to him for this but when Satoru’s hand tangles with it, he instantly feels more grounded.

“There doesn’t need to be a point to it,” Satoru says, his voice calm and collected and Suguru takes a deep breath.

The first one since he entered this house.

“But this would definitely be one anyway,” Satoru goes on and Suguru recognises the rage in his voice.

It’s different than it was with the Star Religion Group; they were both too numb to really care, too shocked by how their lives had just been overthrown, but this. This is fuelled by pure rage.

Two innocent little girls are locked in a cage, for the crime of being different, and by what Suguru can make out in the dim light they’ve been beaten pretty badly.

Two innocent little girls. Even younger than Riko.

“It’s my turn now,” Suguru decides and Satoru huffs out a laugh.

“I hope no one’s keeping score,” he mutters even as he nods. “I’ll get them out.”

Suguru wants to agree but he hesitates, just long enough for Satoru to notice.

“What?” Satoru asks and he steps close, concern clear on his face and Suguru breathes out as he rests their foreheads together.

“It’s not just them,” Suguru softly says, the yelling of the adults loud and annoying in his ears. “I’m not going to kill just them.”

He doesn’t know why he says it, isn’t sure if he’s looking for permission or a reprimand but when Satoru smiles widely at him a weight falls off him.

Permission it was, then.

“I should hope not,” Satoru cheerfully says and that manic look is back on his face.

It should be disturbing—Suguru heard Shoko say as much before and even Yaga sometimes looks strangely at Satoru when he looks like this—but to Suguru it’s simply beautiful.

Beautiful enough that he leans forward, just slightly, just enough to be able to brush his lips over Satoru’s.

“Go get the girls,” he says as he pulls back and Satoru’s smile softens, just the slightest bit, as he squeezes Suguru’s hand before he lets go, turning towards the cage and crouching low, so the girls don’t feel frightened by him towering over them.

Suguru watches them for a moment longer before he turns around, curse already at the ready, and he is no Satoru Gojo.

It takes him a bit longer to wipe out the village, but only marginally so.

“Yaga is going to bust a vein,” Satoru says as he steps up to him, surveying the carnage around him, a girl in every arm.

“He can yell all he wants,” Suguru gives back and reaches out to take one of the quietly sniffling girls from him. “You’re safe now,” he whispers to her, knowing that it won’t do much for now, but the girl clings to him anyway.

“Let’s go home,” Satoru says with one last look over the still burning village and Suguru shifts the girl around until he’s able to reach for Satoru’s hand.

“Let’s go home,” he agrees and when Satoru smiles at him, it almost feels as if he already is.

[lazyollie]

\\My opinion about tfp ships\\

Tfp fandom is much bigger than tfa fandom. I can understand it, because It's old, bad animated and has boring story-line. I've already made 'My opinion about tfa ships' so I think It's time to make tfp version of this.

Before I would start let me make it clear. It's my opinion. If you think different, please don't attack me with hate comments. However, I think people who use tumblr are much calmer than most of the people on Tiktok but nevermind..

Optimus Prime x Megatron

Uhh ohh. This is the basic one, which almost everyone ships from the fandom. In my opinion, they could have been something like lovers to enemies.

[Headcanon]: Optimus might've been in love with Megatron when they were just Orion and Megatronus. But the power and fame parted them away and Megatronus started hating him for taking it from him. Maybe that's why Optimus was always compassionate with him because he was still in love with him. He tried to get Megatronus to became lovers/friends again. Until of course when Megatronus started to hurt his loved ones he stopped trying.

I mean I can belive that that's what happening behind the story line.

I absolutely adore them. I mean I can understand why people ship them. They have somekind of dinamic what I can't just ignore. There's something in the background we don't know about that's what I tell you guys.

Optimus Prime x Ratchet

Staying by Optimus there is another ship. The Optimus x Ratchet ship. Well, I'm not really keen on for this ship. I just can't see more into their friendship.

In my opinion, they are perfectly matching with each other's energy. They know each other for so long. Helping to the other is also a plus point.

People have every reason why this might be more than just a friendship. Maybe I just can't see through the show. Please let me know if there are facts I'm missing out. Nevermind. Next.

Arcee x Airachnid

Now to have some females in this blog let's write about this one. I'm really scared of this one.

Airachnid only shows interest for woman in this series (I think). The way she talks with Arcee and touches her few times is absolutely suspicious. She's the closest one to be lesbian.

On the other hand, Airachnid kidnapped her, tortured her, killed her closest friends and caused trauma in Arcee's life. When Airachnid appeared into the series Arcee had a hard time to fight her fears from her.

Arcee hates her with full of her heart, taking away her loved once. I don't think that Arcee after all would love Airachnid. She's confident and not forgiving.

Might Airachnid show love interest towards Arcee. In this situation is sick love or obsession. Also It's not hidden that Airachnid sadistic and only wants to get to her goals.

Totally not supported.

Wheeljack x Ratchet

Oh gosh. My favorite ones. I haven't seen as much ship content of them what I would expect about this ship.

Like the way that Wheeljack's flirty&playful behavier mets with Ratchet grumpy, serious attitude is killig. I mean you know about the grumpy x sunshine type of romantic books.

IT'S LITTERALY THIS.

It has to be a canon ship or else I will explode. I can't imagine Ratchet the old grumpy man with a WOMAN.

Okay, maybe I'm too dramatic but I love them so much. They should have had more screen time together, maybe another mission.

Let's go for the next.

Megatron x Starscream

What the fuck?! Absolutely not for me. Not under my watch. Nuh uh.

To get clear in this point. Megatron is toxic and abusive towards Starscream. Starscream is untrustable and backstabber towards Megatron.

I might miss something out about this. Maybe because language paralel I couldn't understand something. I need facts that would make this ship ship.

I'm more than glad if you would share me secret therories about all the ships or what do you think about some.

Soundwave x Shockwave

[Headcanon]: I think Soundwave is Aroace, Asexual or Aromantic. One of these. Definitely something what starts with an "A".

(It's alright if you think different about the topic.)

We haven't seen anything that would express his personality, interesests or plans. He's hiding his personality so we can't know about how he feels. He doesn't express them in any way. Yeah, we know he's smart and loyal, but what else?

They didn't have any bound during the show. Any action between them. It's like they are strangers or more like workmates for each other.

I don't think that anything is between them.

Knockout x Breakdown

In 2024 I can say this with confidence: they are a canon couple. There's nothing we have to talk about.

If you don't agree, then I can't help it🤷🏻‍♀️

~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•

That's all for this post. Uhh, I don't really know what to say. There's still a lot of ships I haven't mentioned.

[bookmaker-untaken]

you're ugly, you're disgusting - give me 200 horses

Suo Hayato x Reader // Mythology AU

Summary: To marry you, a suitor must beat you in hand-to-hand combat. Or do whatever the fuck Suo did instead.

Warnings: Canon Typical Violence, OOC!Suo, Probably (Look, I Tried), Misogyny

Word Count: 1, 953

i. 

Contrary to popular belief whispered throughout the steppe, you do not hate men.

But, by god, are they a stupid bunch.

There is this story your Father liked to tell after a few drinks, of you, as a toddler, gripping a snake by the throat and happily slamming him into the ground, repeatedly.

So why are men always surprised when they end up in the same spot?

Your most recent challenger groans from the ground, dust settling around him. 

"Three...two...one!"

The fight master holds up your hand once more and you grin. 

Behind you, there is familiar laughter and clapping, your Father waving you back to the cushioned seat near him. 

"That's my daughter! A force to be reckoned with!" 

He claps a hand on your back and shakes you a little and you smirk.

The man with the eyepatch and expensive clothes lowers his cup of honey wine, a tranquil smile adoring his features. "Your fighting technique is quite impressive."

You look over at him, up then down. His robes make it hard to tell what kind of stature he has, hard to tell what kind of fighter he might be. 

"Most men still challenge me afterwards. I hardly receive compliments."

"Fight you?" He laughs, and the small jewel attached to the eyepatch quivers. "I would most certainly lose."

You give him a look out of the side of your face. Somehow, you know he's bluffing. He might put up a good fight at the very least, and that in itself would be a miracle. 

"You are wise, Suo! My daughter is well versed in combat!" 

You watch this Suo for his reaction. He shows you nothing, taking another sip of wine.

"You see, my daughter has one rule for suitors! They must beat her in hand-to-hand combat!"

"Oh?" He says, sounding genuinely interested. This, too, is rare.  "And what happens when they lose, as that man did?"

"They owe me a horse." You say, chin raised, daring him to speak ill of your methods as many often do.

"Huh." He says. "How many horses do you have?" 

"1,000." You say, smirk curving on the corner of your lips.

"Wow," He says, sounding genuinely impressed. "That is quite amazing!" 

"And a hassle! We hardly have room for them all," Your Father laughs.

 

ii.

The arrow sings through the breeze, hitting its perfect mark.

You're almost boring to watch with your accuracy and skill. 

The Merchant speaks to your Father under a richly colored tarp.

"You must forgive my daughter," You hear when you go to pick up more arrows. "She worries for me." 

"It's cute," Suo replies. 

Your face wrinkles in confusion and he laughs. 

"Don't let my daughter hear you say that," Your Father leans over, whispering conspiratorially. "She might bite your head off." 

"Right," You say loudly, another arrow piercing the bullseye. "Like that would be the optimal way of killing someone."

The smile on Suo's face remains, despite your dark joke.

iii.

The other girl scoffs and storms away, leaving your handmaiden and best friend Líu.

"What happened?"

Liú gives you a one armed shrug, putting another cloth into the basket at her hip. "Well, I told her I had my first time with my husband the other day,"

Your eyes widen. “How … how was it?”

“Somewhat underwhelming,”  Líu admits. “I think she was expecting more of a story?"                                                                                                              

You had the heard stories girls gossiped in the night. Sometimes horrifying, sometimes filthy, seldom in between.You supposed you had been wondering, even if you never asked.

"Don't get me wrong, I love my husband but ... it was just fine."

"'Just fine', huh.” You laugh, eyes crinkling. “So I suppose there really is no reason to stop throwing them into the dirt, then?”

Liú laughs. "I suppose not. But getting married wouldn't be the end of the world, either. Whichever you choose, I know it'll be true to you.”

"You have a lot of faith in me.” You say, puffing your chest.

“Of course!” 

iv.

Another day, another victory. 

The man hits the dust and you're already turning around to walk away, not seeing him scramble to grab a saucer from a plate and fling it at you.

But you do see the hand cast out before you, blocking your vision.

"Come now," Says Suo, smile taking an odd sort of edge. "There's no need to be a sore loser!" 

"You have good reflexes, Merchant," You say.

"Thank you!" Suo drops the saucer into your outstretched hand. 

"Though, you absolutely stole my thunder." 

"Sorry," He says, scratching his cheek. "My hand moved on my own."

"You're going to have to make it up to me," You say, still smirking. "Tomorrow. Archery grounds." 

v.

Suo is just as much of a challenge as you had predicted. 

You often tie. 

You await his return to visit your Father and give him a new challenge each time.

He's fantastic with a polearm, but often lets go of the arrow too early.

Your horses adore him, even the most stubborn old girls allowing him to feed them carrots. 

He tells you stories of his travels, and in exchange you regale him with your exploits.

vi.

"Your next challenger..." Your Mother says. "He's a good man."

"They often are?" You say with a quirk of the brow. You feel the trap closing in on you, even if you do not know what it is for. 

She sighs, seeing that such a method would not work on you. "I want you to throw the match."

"What?!"

You look to your Father, who says nothing. 

Your Mother continues. "He comes from a good family and - "

"What of our honor!" 

"This is honorable!"

You look again to your Father, who simply shrugs. "It is your decision in the end. I trust our judgment." 

You stand in front of the man considering the conversation from earlier.

“100 Horses.” He is saying. “I bet I could beat you.”

“The men before you said the same.”

He spits. “The men before me were nothing.”

You do not throw the match. 

vii.

On a later visit, you and Suo are returning from a hunt, when you tell that story.

You wait for his reply.

"Hm. Good."

You're surprised. 

"Hmm?”

"I just thought you would have taken more of a ... business minded approach?" 

"I think it was merciful," He said. "Any fighter worth their salt would have been able to tell if you threw a fight."

"Have you ever thrown a fight?" You ask. "Is that how you lost your eye?"

"Nothing nearly as interesting as that," He says smoothly. 

"Aww," You smirk.

"Is there an interesting reason you started fighting your suitors?"

"Because I have to," You say automatically, then seal your lips. It dawns on you that nobody has asked you that question before. "Well..."

You look up into the sky as you think. He doesn't need an answer, you know. And he doesn't deserve an explanation. But you've already started thinking. On one hand, it's instinctual - you cannot help but not go down easily. 

"My grandmother ... was taken from her home by a foreign prince, my grandfather. And on her deathbed, she longed for it."

Suo is silent, waiting. He watches you intently. 

"She made me promise as a little girl for that never to be my fate. To never let any man possess me. "

Suo looks at you for a long time. "I cannot claim to completely understand, but I do empathize." 

You make a sound in response.

“Though. It is a lot of weight to put on a child.” 

viii.

"So," Liú says. "Is there something going on with you and that Merchant?" 

You stop cleaning your sword for a second to look up at her, "You mean something other than friendly competition?"

"There are rumors,"

"You know how I feel about rumors." 

"I do!” She say, plopping down next to you. “Which is why I came to you instead,"

"Suo is great competition. More than the likes I've ever seen before."

"And that's it?" 

You pause. "Should there be more?"

"No," Liu says with a loose shrug. "There doesn't have to be." 

ix.

It's a sharp second, like a pinprick - attacks you suddenly like a bird of prey..

The sunlight hits Suo's hair just right and it's like it glows. 

A terror grips you by the back of the neck. 

You shove the feeling away and decide to deal with it another time. 

x.

And then the rumors start. 

The rumors that the reason your so object to marriage is that you are in a secret relationship with your Father.

You balk. It's ridiculous! Why would anybody believe such a thing! 

Your surprised when your Father calls you to his tent, full of onlookers.

"You must get married." 

You laugh. "You're going to let some silly rumor decide for you!? You might as well let it run your court as well!"

"No," He says. "I've let this charade go on for far too long. It's not fit for a young woman to remain unmarried like this."

"You're joking."

His face is unmoving. You realize he is not relenting. 

"Father. Father! You can't just offer my hand to some stranger! ... Please!"

He closes his eyes. "One year. You have one year to choose."

xi.

When Suo returns, he cannot find you. 

"She rides every day," Your Father tells him. "From dawn till dusk." 

When you return, you give him a smirk that doesn't meet your eyes. 

"What happened?"

You start to tell him, the emotions swimming in your eyes, but instead say, "Ride with me."

The moon illuminates your shadows.

You approach a shimmering lake, looking at its surface. "My father wishes for me to get married."

"Ah." 

"I -" You are crying. The tears that squeeze out of your eyes are of desperation. "I know of none who would wish to marry me of their own accord, so I am to be promised to a stranger."

Suo is silent.

"I have fought my whole life for my freedom and now I will be remembered for my failure!"

"You didn't fail." 

You look at him, crystalline tears still falling.

"You never lost." 

"But I did!" You say. "Because I fell for somebody!"

"Falling in love is not losing," He says. "And knowing you, knowing the decisions you make - the person you fell for would probably never have you give up on yourself. If they do, it isn't love."

"You don't understand!” You snap, fists forming at your side.”I do not know if I'll ever be able to love them like anyone else! I respect them! But what if it is not love? What if it is all I am capable of? You do not wish a life with me!"

"That is not for you to decide," Suo says, then after a moment, “Fight me.”

“What?”

“A King once told me that fighting is a conversation of one’s souls. You have something to tell me, don’t you? Fight me.”

You begin to walk from behind your horse. “You have to be serious.”

He nods. “I will.”

“Even if you think you can’t win.”

He begins to stand in a fighting position. “I’ll try.” 

You shift into your fighting position. "Then come!" 

The two of you lunge at each other. He’s faster than you are, and reflects most of your attacks, but when you finally manage to grapple him he hits the ground hard. The two of you dance along the moonlit shore to a rhythm nobody else will ever hear.

The two of you fall to the ground at the same time, panting and sweating. 

You laugh.

[bloodgulchblog]

John doesn't give a shit about himself, that's one of the most important core character traits of this dude. But he does give a shit about his impact on other people.

The UNSC, at a devastatingly young age, gave him convenient boxes to sort the world into and taught him "this is ENEMY you shoot ENEMY" and that has had predictably fucked up violent consequences for people who were very much, in fact, people. But they were in the ENEMY box so he didn't process it that way.

If you break open John's faith in the UNSC and its justifications, if you finally get through to him, if you get him to have to admit to himself fully that it was bad and the core of the machine eats people whole and it's not just a few shady officers, if you get him to admit that the UNSC's first purpose was never saving humanity from the Covenant and that it only managed that due to a fucking miracle, it's pulling the whole house of cards down and forcing him to confront his entire life story. The longer you look at it, the more there is to see. There is a lot of what John has done that was defense of the entire human species against an alien empire bent on wiping them out, yes, but John was also originally trained for and has been used as a weapon of Earth's imperial power within its sphere. John has killed other human beings for the sake of Earth's control over its colonies. Halo mostly likes to cherrypick the innie moments it gives us to make them unambiguous cartoon villains when it wants to show you the Spartans as heroic, but we know they're not always bombing space ports. You have way too many ordinary characters who are reasonable people with deeply understandable experience-driven motives for not trusting Earth and the UNSC.

Even John himself has questioned whether it would be easy for him to kill like that again if called upon after the Covenant war, we know he has this in him.

Forcing John to confront that one of his most core beliefs, "by following my orders and accepting what was done to me, I am protecting innocent people from deadly harm," is not actually true would break him down on the same level as what happened to Thel 'Vadam learning that the Covenant and everything he'd fought for was a lie.

But John has a whole lot less to hold onto and recenter himself on than Thel did. Thel, when you strip him of the Covenant, still had his home and his clan and his people, and his belief in honor.

John has three other Spartan-IIs, a vague haze of acquaintances that worry about him but don't understand him, and the fear of what it means if he's not actually safe for other people now that all the sharp edges of all the things he believed are breaking free.

[oswinsdolma]

something about how merlin and arthur both died the moment they became a story. how in becoming a legend, they sacrificed the versions of themselves that were real for the infinite potentiality of the versions that could have been. "the story that we have been a part of will live long in the minds of men" but at the cost of the lovers who wrote it, fragmented across space and time by a thousand new imaginations that keep them alive in all that they never were. when we read their story, they are broken and reborn anew, so does that make us murderers or gods? or maybe the whole point is that there never really was much of a difference between the two.

[scintillyyy]

also i think there's a tendency to cherrypick tim's moments of morally grey thought musings as a gotcha for the idea that tim is totally cool with murder and just one bad day away from shanking someone only kept in line by the "rules", when in reality. tim's thoughts of moral greyness, the ruminations on what they're doing and why they're doing it the way they do and why they can't cross the line they set. he's not. alone in that. like. at ALL. dick has reckoned with wanting to kill someone (sigh. the joker). dick lowkey didn't want to give someone a chance at redemption simply because he hurt bruce (bane). bruce has thought about killing (and almost killed) both the joker & black mask. bruce is very frequently ruminating on his role and why he can't kill even if he wants to. barbara has very seriously considered killing and has wanted to kill. cassandra has killed and used that as the basis of her staunch belief that nobody dies tonight, but she's also still in frequent conversation with what that means ethically and morally. tim having doubts or trying to remind himself why they do what they do or debating their rules to himself is not some grand outlying abnormality here, it's par for the fucking course.

[beescake]

@heydevi bro...... fellow understander...... still not over ur gmod solkat theyre so hrhgrbhggfngh 🥺🤲

[jasontoddenthusiastt]

Imo Jason is “irredeemable” by default because I don’t see what he needs redemption from.