#but what else can you do when talking about the final installment of anything?

[show-your-fangs]

What about a teenage!Jack where his friends are over and keep commenting how his Mom (reader) is attractive and Aaron finds it funny but Jack is mortified?

this is fucking GOLD. enjoy another installment of moments au

Pairing: Aaron Hotchner x f!Reader

Words: 665

CW: nothing, cursing mostly.

Tags/warnings: jack's friends being pervs, cursing, jack defending his mom and dad.

Disclaimer: YOU DO NOT HAVE PERMISSION TO REPOST MY WRITING ANYWHERE ELSE WITHOUT MY CONSENT. REBLOGS ARE ENCOURAGED THOUGH. YOU MAY NOT FEED MY WORK TO ANY AI DATABASES OF ANY KIND OR TO USE MY WORKS TO TRAIN AI. FUCK AI.

Aaron honestly couldn’t blame them. He honestly found it funny, how their cheeks would flush every time you walked past, seconds away from catching them saying the most inappropriate things about you. He knew they didn’t know he could hear them from his office, the angle keeping him hidden as he tried to work while also allowing for their voices to carry down the hall. 

Jack had brought his friends over for a pool day and he’d requested that the two of you leave them alone, that they could fend for themselves. But as much as he’d pleaded, you were still unable to stop yourself.

You’d made them snacks, prepared a homemade ice tea, would check in every so often to make sure they were doing okay. And every time, without fail, his friends would pretend to be utter gentlemen, thanking you profusely until you left them alone once more and they turned from the kids their parents through they were into the horny teenagers they really were. 

It became clear to Aaron immediately why Jack didn’t want you around. It had nothing to do with his independence but rather the fact that his friends clearly didn’t know how to act around his mom. They’d made every inappropriate comment a teenage boy could come up with, and every time Jack would groan or roll his eyes or politely ask them to chill. But every time you showed your face the comments would start up again. 

It was after lunch when shit hit the fan. You’d ordered a big family meal style delivery, had set up the large containers in the kitchen, with the boys’ help which they were eager to give, and had made a plate for yourself and Aaron. They thought you couldn’t hear them in the kitchen, thought they were being so slick, but they should’ve known better than to not wait for you to exit the room. 

“I still don’t know how your dad bagged her,” Eric started, clearly teasing. “She’s just so—”

“So out of his league,” Dylan finished and the two of them snickered together. 

“If I had a step mom like that…” Nick sighed and the other two chuckled, no words needed for the four of them to know what he wanted to say. Jack couldn’t help but cringe, the mere thought of his stupid friends thinking about you this way appalling. 

“You boys need anything else?” you said loudly from the kitchen, a cue for them to stop talking as you pushed the door open with your hip. 

“We’re okay, thanks mom,” Jack’s voice was chipper like it always was with you, always soft and kind. His friends’ immediately perked up at your requests, their eyes sparkling with what you could only imagine were requests that you definitely didn’t want to know about. 

“Thank you, Mrs. Hotchner,” they practically sang in unison, their teasing only getting more pronounced as you walked down the hall, desperately trying not to give them anything else to talk about, but apparently that was completely useless.

“Check out her ass—”

“Shut the fuck up, dude,” you heard Jack groan, his patience finally running thin. His friends stilled in an instant, your instinct to fix it slowly creeping up from your heart to your brain. But Aaron was quick, his hand wrapped around your waist before you could move. “How would you like it if I talked about your mom like that?”

Silence. 

“That’s what I thought,” he stated, confident. “So can you please just stop it?”

His words were followed by a string of mumbles and murmurs in agreement, ashamed apologies and admissions of guilt. 

You couldn’t help but chuckle, Aaron quickly pulling you into his office so the two of you could erupt in a fit of giggles. It was cute, almost too adorable that the boy you’d met so long ago was now defending your honor to his friends, was standing up for his mom, for his dad, for his family. 

okay i'm trying to get through some of the requests. i apologize for not being as active, you know how fanfiction authors' lives go off the rails sometimes.

i'm going to try and post a few of these before my "taking some time off" announcement. i've got a big week coming up but know i am trying.

tag list: @ssamorganhotchner, @canuck-eh, @cr1minalskies, @xladyxdreamer

[memento-rory]

✭ 𝐦𝐲 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐬𝐭. 𝐥𝐮𝐜𝐢𝐚, 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐧𝐞: 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒂𝒓𝒓𝒊𝒗𝒂𝒍.

✭ 𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲: when your best friend amelia asked you to be her maid of honor, you were ecstatic… and then you found out her fiancé’s best man would be schlatt, the one person on this earth that you can’t stand, for reasons you would never tell a soul.

✭ 𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬: schlatt’s a fuckin’ brat. that’s all.

✭ 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: ~1.9k

✭ 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫’𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐞: eee first installment of the best man!schlatt series is finally here. can’t wait for you guys to embark on this journey with me. as always, no beta. we die like men here.

“I’m expecting you to be on your best behavior this week.” Your best friend Amelia says, and it takes everything in you to not roll your eyes at her.

The two of you are sitting at the airport, waiting to board the plane to St. Lucia for Amelia and James’ destination wedding.

“I don’t know what you mean. I’m literally always a delight.” You say, and Amelia actually does roll her eyes, before shooting you a pointed look.

Of course you know exactly what she means, and honestly, it’s an unnecessary warning. You are absolutely capable of being on your best behavior, there’s no question about it, but you know for a fact that Amelia’s fiancé’s best man can’t be trusted to do the same.

Schlatt’s always had a knack for getting under your skin.

“Don’t be like that,” Amelia says, as if reading your mind, “James is giving Schlatt the exact same talk in their Lyft right now.”

“Yeah, well, he’s the one that needs it, not me.” You point out, but Amelia just shakes her head.

“You know I love you,” Amelia starts, and you can’t help the frown that spreads on your face, “But when you get around Schlatt you get so… aggro. It’s weird. So I’m asking you kindly to rein that shit in.”

Damn. If only she knew.

You hadn’t realized it affected Amelia that much.

“I swear I will be an absolute angel.” You tell her sincerely, not wanting to ruin her week of relaxation and celebration.

Amelia stares at you blankly, like she doesn’t believe anything you’re saying.

“…Okay, fine. I will try my best.” You concede, and it’s good enough for Amelia, who just smiles at you in response.

Amelia immediately changes the subject then, satisfied with your answer, to talk about the itinerary for the week. She grills you on what you’ve packed, making sure you haven't forgotten your bathing suit or sunscreen, double checking that you’ve packed clothes for nights out (“because we will be going out every night.”), checking that you have everything you need for a smooth plane ride. You’ve gone over everything several times before James comes running up with his carry-on, all but tackling Amelia in excitement and peppering her face with kisses.

“Who’s ready to fucking party?” James exclaims, beaming, wrapping his arm around Amelia’s waist.

You start to answer him, but stop short as you finally notice Schlatt sauntering up behind him, taking his time. You avert your gaze as quickly as you can, diverting your attention back to the happy couple.

“What?” Schlatt smirks over at you, “No hello for me, toots?”

You resist the urge to grimace as Schlatt acknowledges you. Don’t fucking call me that, you want to say, but instead you go with, “Hello, Schlatt,” keeping your voice level.

Schlatt’s smirk grows as he raises his eyebrows, no doubt surprised you weren’t trying to tear his head off, and he opens his mouth to say something but Amelia quickly interrupts, moving to hug Schlatt hello.

“Hey, Mel,” Schlatt greets her softly, pulling her in with one arm.

When she pulls back, he puts a hand on her shoulder. “You sure you still wanna marry this fuck?” He gestures at James, “Now’s the time to back out. I’m sure it’d save me a couple thou this week.” He jokes, and Amelia just smacks him in the chest.

“Yes, I’m sure, asshole.” Amelia laughs, smiling over at James.

“Where’s everybody else?” Schlatt asks, crossing his arms over his chest.

“They’re all showing up in a couple days. Couldn’t get the full week off.” James answers.

“Chumps.”

“Besides, we wanted some time with our favorite people before getting the whole group together.” Amelia grins, squeezing both you and Schlatt on the arms.

You plaster on a fake smile. You were hoping to at least have someone as a buffer so you wouldn’t have to engage with Schlatt at all, but of course, you can’t be that lucky.

It’s just for a couple days, you remind yourself, taking a deep breath.

“It’ll be fun.” James says, though it sounds like he’s trying to convince himself rather than actually meaning it.

“Of course it will.” Schlatt grins, looking over at you. “We can play nice, can’t we, doll?” He asks you, reaching over to pinch your cheek. You slap his hand away.

“Don’t fucking touch me.” You spit out, and Amelia shoots another look in your direction while James elbows Schlatt in the side.

“Now boarding flight 52B to St. Lucia.” comes over the intercom and you let out a sigh of relief.

At least you’d get nine hours of peace…

…Or so you thought. As you board the plane, you realize Schlatt’s seat is right next to yours.

You notice this after he pushes past you through the door of the plane, marching directly to the row you’re supposed to be seated in. He wastes no time making himself at home in his spot, stretching his legs out and leaning back against the cushioned seat, completely blocking you from getting to your seat on the other side of him.

You take a deep breath to steady yourself before politely saying, “Can you move your legs, please? I need to get to my seat.”

Schlatt shakes his head, a dismissive look on his face. “Nah.”

You huff, turning to look at Amelia for help, but she and James are too busy stowing their carry-ons.

Realizing that no one is coming to your aid, you make a show of shrugging at him. “Fine,” You say, stepping over his legs, swinging your body just so, so that the backpack on your back smacks into his face.

Schlatt grunts, reaching out to push your backpack away from him, the sheer force causing you to spin out and fall into your seat.

“God, I can’t stand you.” You hiss at him as you right yourself.

“Feeling’s mutual, toots.” Schlatt winks.

You just roll your eyes, turning your body as far away from his as possible, staring out the window. As soon as the plane gets ready to take off, your headphones are in your ears, drowning everything else out. You miss a lot of the ‘safety measures' spiel, but Schlatt elbows you toward the end of it.

“What?” You scowl at him, pulling one of your headphones out.

“The lady said to make sure all small things are securely fastened.” Schlatt smirks, and you know exactly what he’s about to say, “Do you feel securely fastened or do I need to help you?”

You don’t dignify him with a response, you just simply roll your eyes, putting your headphone back in.

The first few hours go by pretty fast, and Schlatt manages to keep to himself, thank God. You’ve had your nose in your book the whole time, getting some much needed reading time in.

Around hour five, you hear a little bloop! in your ears, signaling that your headphones are close to dead.

Realistically it’s not that big of a deal — they’ll be back to a full charge after spending about twenty minutes in their case, but that means you won’t be able to drown anything — or anyone — out for twenty minutes.

You dare to peek over at Schlatt at the thought, but you’re relieved to find him sound asleep.

There’s a good idea, you think, for once.

You put your headphones back in their case and get comfortable in your seat, resting your head against the window. Sleep comes to you surprisingly easily, and you drift off as the plane quietly drones on.

You get a good three-ish hours of sleep, and you probably could have slept even longer, had you not been woken up by the tell-tale sound of a phone camera shutter in your face.

Your eyes flutter open to see Amelia sneakily peering over her seat, her phone just barely above her headrest, pointed directly at you.

“What are you doing?” You ask groggily, and Amelia’s eyes dart from her phone screen to your face.

“Nothing.” She says, looking over in Schlatt’s direction, before gazing back at you quickly.

Your shoulder suddenly feels very heavy, and when you turn to look at Schlatt, your face bumps into the top of his head. He’s still dead asleep, his arms crossed over his chest, and his head resting on your shoulder.

“Delete it. Delete it now.” You demand, hurriedly shrugging Schlatt off of your shoulder. He grunts, but doesn’t wake up, moving his head to the other side.

“It’s kind of cute, actually,” Amelia grins, a devious look on her face, and you jump at her, trying to grab her phone.

Amelia lets out a yelp and moves her phone just out of reach, turning back around in her seat.

You scowl at the back of her headrest, simmering in silence despite how badly you want to reach around her seat and pry her phone from her.

It’s late evening when the plane finally lands, and you don’t bother waking Schlatt, crawling over him to get out of the aisle. You’re one of the first off of the plane, eager to get away from Schlatt, if only for a moment.

And it is only a moment, because about twenty minutes later, you’re squished in the back of an Uber with him, but at least James is sitting in between the two of you.

The three of them (James, Amelia, and Schlatt) all discuss what to do first come morning, and you just listen, still stewing about the picture Amelia took. You wish she didn’t find so much joy in keeping it. It’s bad enough that you have to spend time with Schlatt, you don’t want it memorialized forever.

“What do you think, (Y/N/N)?”

You look at Amelia, who eyes you from the front seat. Maybe you weren’t listening, because you have no idea what she’s referring to. “Yeah, Ams, sounds great.” You say, because this is her shindig after all. Whatever Amelia wants, Amelia gets.

Once James and Amelia get everyone checked in and James hands you your room key, you’re off to your room without waiting for anyone else. Maybe you’re being a little immature about this whole thing, but all you needed was an hour or so without having to be near Schlatt to recharge.

The rest of your group takes a minute to familiarize themselves with the resort, which will give you plenty of time to relax. You unlock the door to your room, marveling at the size of it — it’s a whole-ass suite. There’s a little den area, a kitchenette, and then the bedroom. Amelia and James are definitely spoiling you, and you feel a little bad about just ditching them the way you did. Can’t take it back now, you suppose.

You’re unpacking your suitcase when you notice the balcony, overlooking the ocean with a bucket of champagne chilling on a glass table. When you finish unpacking, you’re heading straight for that bottle.

After you’ve gotten everything hung up or nestled nearly in a drawer, you’re doing exactly that. You pad out onto the balcony, the warm wind whipping through your hair, and you let out a peaceful sigh. You take a minute to bask in the night air, holding your arms out, letting the salty scent of the ocean engulf you.

“Hey, toots.” You hear, and you stiffen, turning your head towards the sound.

On the balcony right next to yours stands Schlatt, taking a hearty sip out of his own bottle of champagne. He swallows, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, before grinning at you deviously.

“Oh, you’ve gotta be fucking kidding me.”

✭ 𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 →

[wandamaximoffsbadgirl]

Let's Talk About That

I saw the end when we began (1)

Psychiatrist!Avenger!Fem!Reader × Wanda Maximoff

Summary: You are the young psychiatrist for the Avengers, and you take your job very seriously, but what happens when Wanda joins the team, turning your life upside down?

Word count: 1.7k

Warnings: legal age gap r is 19 w is 25, talks of death and grief, a bit of angst, therapy sessions

A/N: I had this idea for a while and wrote it a while ago, but spruced it up for publishing. I hope you enjoy it!

May 7th-10th 2015

The only sounds to be heard were the scratches of your pen against paper as you wrote down notes the old fashioned way and the hum of the AC unit installed in your office. Tony let you have a nice corner of the tower where there was sunlight and windows. You had gone with a soft gray for the walls, an L-shaped mahogany desk that had both a desktop computer and your laptop. Across from your desk was two couches and a coffee table between them with an assortment of fidget toys, a succulent, a handful of magazines, and a box of tissues. 

Everyone had been away on an important mission and normally you’d go with, but you'd been recovering from a previous injury, you still are when you hear a knock on your door, 

"Open." You let them know and just from their aura you can tell it's Tasha, but she's with someone else, an aura you don't recognize. You look up to find a girl with chestnut colored hair, and a dark aura around her. "Hey Tash. I'm glad you're all home safe. I'm assuming we'll restart our sessions?" You ask the red head. 

"Yes. We can resume them. Tomorrow. Today I need you to have a talk with this one." Tasha helps her into the room and gestures for her to sit down, Tasha walks over and hands you a large file. "She came from HYDRA, they had a lot of info on her, she had joined us in the fight against Ultron." Tasha tells you before lowering her voice, "She lost her twin brother during the battle. So maybe you can get her to talk." You smile at Tasha and then look past the red head. 

"Yeah of course we shouldn't have any issues Tash. Leave it to me." You tell her as I adjust your glasses, quickly looking over her file as Tasha exits, closing the door behind her, "Wanda Maximoff, 25, born in Sokovia." You say out loud as you walk around your desk to the other couch across from where she's sitting criss-cross. You take notice she's taken her shoes off and smile, taking note of the fact that she’s comfortable enough to do something like that. "I'm Dr. Y/N Y/L/N. I'm 19. I'm also an Avenger. I have a power that allows me to see auras and emotions. I can also influence people's emotions and use my voice to influence others around me." You tell her a little about yourself first to help make her comfortable with talking about herself.

"You're 19? How are you a doctor?" She finally talks and you can hear her thick Sokovian accent which is like music to your ears. 

"I'm very smart. Graduated high school at 12 finished my Doctorate last year for psychiatry and Tony took me in as the Avengers Psychiatrist shortly after that. Everyone here needs a little bit of help and that is what I'm here to provide for you." You smile at her as you open a fresh notebook for her, choosing a red covered one noticing that she was wearing Tasha’s red leather jacket. "So tell me a little about yourself. Anything you want." You ask as you jot down her basic info on the first page. 

"I love American sitcoms." she tells you first. You smile and look at her over your glasses. 

"Why is that?" You ask as you jot down her words. 

"We used to watch them as a family every night so we could learn English." She tells you making a smile appear on your face. 

"When you say we who does that entail?" You question the Sokovian wanting to get to the root of her problems. 

"My Mama, Papa, and Pietro..." She tells you solemnly. 

"Who is Pietro?" You inquire, looking up from your notebook. 

"He is...was...my twin brother." You jot down everything she says during your session and she does open up a little bit with some persuasion on your part, but that isn't unusual for your sessions. 

"Well Wanda thank you for opening up to me. Your aura is looking a little warmer from when you first walked in. How about you come back in three days for another session?" You tilt your head as you grab a little card for her. 

"Why three days?" She asks nervously, tugging at her sleeves attempting to cover her hands, but the jacket doesn't budge. She starts picking at her nails as an alternative, chipping the black nail polish further. 

"I like to have frequent sessions the first month. Then we'll have them weekly just like the others." You let her know and she nods her head as you write the date and time for her to show up on the card for three days from now. Standing up with her, "I offer a high fives, hand shakes, fist bumps, or a hug at the end of sessions. Which would you like?" You ask and she's thrown off a bit by the statement at first but then answers. 

"Hug. I could use a hug right now." You open up your arms and let her come to you. She ends up crying in your arms as you sooth her, letting her know it is okay to cry. 

"I'll always be here for you Wanda. I'm always on your side." You whisper to her and she holds you tighter at the words.

You sat back down at your desk after Wanda left, feeling a mix of emotions swirling within you. Empathy for Wanda's pain, determination to help her heal, and a lingering sense of dread about what HYDRA had done to her. But you pushed those feelings aside, focusing on the task at hand.

As the Avengers' psychiatrist, it was your responsibility to help your teammates navigate the mental and emotional toll of their work. Sometimes that meant delving into painful memories or difficult emotions, but it was a role you took on willingly. After all, you had your own share of struggles, and if you could use your powers to help others, then it was worth it.

You glanced at the clock and realized it was almost time for lunch. You decided to take a break and head to the common area, where you found Tony tinkering with one of his suits.

"Hey, Y/N," he greeted you with a grin. "How's it going?"

"Good," you replied, sinking into a nearby chair. "Just had a session with Wanda. She's been through a lot."

Tony nodded solemnly. "Yeah, losing her brother and all that HYDRA stuff... it's rough."

You sighed, running a hand through your Y/H/C hair. "Yeah, but she's strong. I think she'll come through it."

Tony gave you a reassuring smile before returning to his work, and you took a moment to appreciate the camaraderie of the team. Despite your differences and the challenges you guys faced, you were a family, bound together by our shared experiences and our commitment to protecting the world.

After a quick lunch, you headed back to your office to prepare for your next session. As you reviewed your notes from Wanda's session, you couldn't shake the feeling that there was something more to her story, something hidden beneath the surface. But for now, all you could do was continue to offer her support and hope that she would find the strength to confront her demons and emerge stronger on the other side.

With that thought in mind, you square your shoulders and prepare to face whatever challenges lay ahead. As an Avenger, a psychiatrist, and a friend, you were ready to do whatever it took to help your teammates and protect the world from whatever threats may come our way.

≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈

Three days passed in a blur of meetings, training sessions, and the occasional emergency mission. But today, you were back in your office, eagerly awaiting Wanda's return for your second session. As you sat at your desk, reviewing your notes from your previous meeting, you couldn't help but feel a surge of empathy for her. Losing a loved one in battle was something you could relate to all too well.

Before you could dwell too much on your own past, there was a soft knock on your door, and Wanda stepped into the room. Her aura seemed a bit brighter today, though still tinged with sadness. "Hey, Wanda," you greeted her with a warm smile, motioning for her to take a seat. "How are you feeling today?"

Wanda hesitated for a moment before answering, "Better, I think. Thank you for... everything last time."

You nodded, understandingly. "Of course. It's what I'm here for." You gestured toward the notebook on the table. "Shall we pick up where we left off?"

For the next hour, the two of you delved deeper into Wanda's past, her memories of Sokovia, her time with HYDRA, and her experiences with her brother, Pietro. With each word she spoke, you could feel her emotions swirling around you, and you did your best to guide her through them, offering comfort and support where you could.

As your session came to a close, Wanda seemed visibly lighter, a hint of a smile playing at the corners of her lips. "Thank you, Y/N," she said softly, wiping away a stray tear. "I didn't realize how much I needed this."

You smiled back, feeling a sense of fulfillment wash over you. "Anytime, Wanda. Remember, I'm always here for you."

Before she left, Wanda surprises you by reaching out and giving you a tight hug. "Thank you," she repeated, her voice thick with emotion.

As you watched her leave your office, you couldn't help but feel grateful for the opportunity to help someone in need, to make a difference in their life, even if it was just one session at a time. And as you glanced down at the Power Stone embedded in your chest, you couldn't help but wonder if perhaps this was the true source of your ability to connect with others on such a deep level. But for now, all that mattered was that you were making a difference, one session at a time.

[hard-core-super-star]

underneath my skin [K.Bishop]

pairing: vampire!kate bishop x reader

summary: it takes a few tries but after kate shows up unannounced at wanda's cabin, you finally make things right.

warnings: technically none?; still angsty but with a happier ending than last time; stubborn idiots in love being stubborn and in love; minor injuries + blood mentions; kate being a little immature shit and R being fed up; a surprising lack of hot vampire things AGAIN; too many references to the previous parts

wordcount: 3k

a/n: yes, hi, i know last time i said i was going to make the next vampire kate installment smutty but…my hand slipped and i focused on the plot too much 😅 i love this dynamic too much! BUT MARK MY WORDS, next part WILL be smut! [i’m a little rusty though so bear with me] anyway, i’m slowly but surely finding my rhythm again and i hope you guys enjoy reading this as much as i enjoyed writing it <3

part one | part two | part four

* * * * * * *

You had been expecting a lot of things to happen today. 

Wanda was going to teach you another spell, you were probably going to end up oversharing about something to get her to spill more information about Westview to satiate your curiosity, and then you’d both argue about which one of you two used magic to make sure the overwatered crops in the backyard don’t die (it was definitely you).

It was going to be a fun, normal, day full of the normal things that make up your new routine. And it was surely not going to feature Kate Bishop in any way.

Except Kate decided to ruin all your plans by showing up outside your door.

You wish you could say you’re surprised but the archer’s favorite hobby is messing up your plans and making you question far too many things. 

“y/n.” Her voice is incredibly soft despite the shock that paints it. “...hey.”

You couldn't hold back the laugh that escapes you if you tried. “Hey? That’s your opener?”

There’s a lack of annoyance in your voice that clearly catches her off-guard. Her nervousness is as endearing as always despite the wounds she caused that haven’t closed yet. 

“I don’t really know what else to say…”

You’re about to make fun of her when Wanda appears behind you. You feel her presence before you hear her voice and for a second, it’s like you can hear her warning you not to get too attached to Kate’s annoyingly charming habits. 

Wanda has a point, of course she does, but you trust your heart even less than you trust the archer with it. Kate doesn’t even have to do anything for a part of you to yell at you to throw everything to the wind and go with her.

Go where exactly? That wasn’t as clear. 

Of course, you could go back to New York but what’s the use? Just because it’s been a few months since the scandal broke out doesn’t mean you can go back to your old life. Back to the casual “not a relationship but more than a friendship” thing you and Kate had going on.

The witch’s hand on your shoulder brings you back to reality and you comply with her unspoken request. Whatever Kate needs doesn’t have anything to do with you. Leaving before she can sink her teeth into you again is the smart move.

So, you move away and let Wanda and Kate talk out on the front porch. You do your best not to listen in to their conversation but you do overhear something about The Avengers and Clint asking for the Sokovian’s witchy help.

You do your best to remind yourself the archer didn’t come here for you. She probably didn’t even know you were here. She doesn’t need you and you don’t need her…right?

You wish it was true. Maybe if it was true, you would be able to stay away from her. 

Unfortunately, Kate is just as bad as you when it comes to walking away from self-destructive choices.

Wanda managed to get her to leave without you stopping her but she couldn’t stop the archer from getting into trouble once she was gone. Despite the Sokovian’s insistence that her cabin was incredibly far from other people, you both knew there was a small town not too far away. 

A town that a certain archer ended up stumbling into.

Thankfully, Wanda had locked herself in her room with the Darkhold which meant she didn’t notice when Kate came back hours later to knock on your window. 

The sound scared the crap out of you and yet you approached, a part of you longing to see her despite what a downright horrible idea it was bound to be. 

You opened your window and came face to face with an out-of-breath Kate Bishop, her face littered with small scratches and a prominent bruise on her jaw. “Hey.”

“...hi?” 

Her attempt at playing it cool fails miserably when she flinches at the tone in your voice. You’re not exactly mad but you’re not thrilled and the disappointment in your features breaks her facade quicker than you’ve ever witnessed. 

It’s like you can see her trying to retreat before she fucks things up but you’ll be damned if you let her walk away from you now. “What’d you do this time?”

Your voice seems to relax the tension in her body somewhat. “I um…may need some help.”

“That wasn’t the question, Katherine.”

It’s hard to hold in your laughter at the face she makes but you manage. If you had a nickel for every time she got annoyed by your use of her full name, you’d be a few coins away from catching up to her fortune.

“Can I come in or not?” She asks. It’s obvious she’s trying to hold on to those bits of annoyance despite the growing smirk on her lips.

A beat of silence passes, and a voice in your head tells you you’ll only get hurt again before you notice the way she’s holding her side. You try to not give in to the overwhelming wave of worry that crashes into you at once. 

 “Sure, just try not to make too much noise. Wanda won’t hesitate to kick you out.” Your attempt at humor falls flat, which isn’t at all surprising, but you help her climb through your window anyway.

She stumbles a little and you bite back your teasing comments once you notice the blood on her clothes. You had to stop finding yourself in situations like these with her. 

Vulnerability and Kate Bishop do not mix well…especially when she’s standing in front of you with that stupid puppy dog look she wears so well.

“Don’t look at me like that,” you mutter, half-hoping she won’t hear you.

She does, though, considering the way her nervous smile turns into a smirk.

Some things never change.

“Oh, sorry, didn’t realize my ‘I just got shot’ face turned you on so much.”

It’s easier to hide your genuine concern when she’s so busy being…her usual annoying self. “You’re an asshole.”

Kate rolls her eyes, a frustrated sound escaping her. “You’re one to talk.”

You’re not sure what exactly she’s referencing but it’s not like the list is particularly long. You could be mature and respond but the archer isn’t the face of maturity either so you ignore her words and move on.

“Do you want help or not?”

She shrugs, because of course she’d make things harder than they need to be, but the movement makes her wince. The sudden pain seems to reset her brain, and her attitude, because she nods without putting up any more of a fight. “Yeah, I think the bullet just grazed me but it hurts like a bitch.”

Your hands reach out for her before you can stop them. Your fingers graze the hem of her shirt when you snap out of your trance, your mind filling with unwanted memories about the night that started all your problems.

“You can take it off.” Her soft voice startles you out of your thoughts and you look up to meet her eyes. When the hell did she get so close to you, anyway? “I don’t bite.”

You let out a noise somewhere between a scoff and a laugh. “We both know that’s a lie.”

Despite the tension and uncertainty that still lingers, Kate offers you a smile. A real, amused, one. Not a smirk and not the cocky smile that makes you want to kiss her and slap her at the same time. It’s a warm smile, tinted by a nostalgia only the two of you can really understand.

“Okay, fine…I don’t bite without consent,” she corrects herself. “And I…haven’t done it since that night.”

You assume the comment is her trying to be charming in her borderline awkward way even though all it does is worry you more. Of course, you weren’t an expert on vampires by any means but you knew not feeding for so long couldn’t be a good thing…and suddenly the way she’s been swaying without noticing makes too much sense.

“You’re so stupid,” you mumble under your breath. 

If Kate hears you, she doesn’t say anything about your words which thankfully allows you to help her remove her shirt without any further distractions. It takes all your self-restraint to keep your eyes from trailing down and admiring the skin that’s been revealed. 

You force yourself to focus on her side and the wound she’s been trying to hide since she got here. There’s still some annoyance burning under the surface even as you try to help. “Move your hand. I can’t help you otherwise.”

She grumbles something you don’t quite catch under her breath before finally moving her hand away and revealing her skin. Despite her insistence that she had only been grazed by a bullet, she looked worse for wear.

“Jesus, Kate, what happened to you?” You don’t miss the way she shivers as your fingers trace her side.

She doesn’t answer and you resign yourself to the clear lack of answers you’ll be getting tonight. 

Your eyes silently inspect her irritated skin and you curse under your breath when you notice an infection is already starting to spread. Knowing her, she had probably gotten hurt earlier in the day and completely wrote it off as nothing until the pain became too unbearable.

To make matters worse, she stumbles again and this time, you have no choice but to wrap your arms around her waist and pull her into you. She’s the one who curses this time and your heart aches from how strained and pained her voice sounds.

It’s hard but you manage to bite back your constructive criticism at her ridiculously stupid, albeit not surprising, tendencies. You manage to lead her to your bed and she sits down without any complaints (something that’s quite surprising).

“Kate,” you say, your voice so quiet it startles you. “Your silence is starting to worry me.”

She makes a soft sound that you assume is meant to be a chuckle. “You still worry about me?”

“Only when you show up outside my window like a weirdo.” 

Your eyes meet hers for a second and you swear the usual sparkles in her eyes are laced with panic. Every cell in your being aches to comfort her but you don’t dare move yet. 

You wish you could forgive and forget, that you could move past what happened between you and start again, but you can’t. At least not if she won’t help you. Then again, it’s not like you’re in any position to make demands. Maybe it was Kate who pushed you away but you’re the one who severed your connection with the vampire.

You’re the one who crossed a line you’re not sure you can come back from. For better or for worse.

“Why are you worried anyway?” The disappointment in her tone doesn’t escape you. “Don’t you have a spell to fix this or something?”

There it is.

For some reason, out of all the reasons Kate had to be mad at you, this one was at the bottom of the list in your mind. 

“I don’t do that stuff anymore,” you reply, doing your best to ignore the incredulous look on her face.

“That’s such bullshit.” She scoffs.

You busy yourself with the task at hand, kneeling in front of her and inwardly cringing at the way your heart skips a beat due to the position. You don’t miss the way Kate spreads her legs to allow you to shift closer, though, and that only makes everything worse.

“What are you talking about?” You know damn well what she’s talking about but you play dumb anyway. Your hands clumsily reach for the first aid kit you stashed inside the drawer of the bedside table and you silently thank Wanda for her overprotective suggestion. 

“Oh, come on, y/n!” A shiver that isn’t due to the cold air coming in from the now open window runs down your spine. “I know you used magic to cut our connection and I know damn well Wanda didn’t do it on her own. Do you seriously think I don’t know about that spell? I’m not the only vampire in my family.”

“But you’re definitely the most stubborn one,” you mumble.

You miss the roll of her eyes but not the frustrated sigh that leaves her lips. You can’t remember the last time you had a conversation with Kate that didn’t end with the two of you arguing about something. Sure, it had been part of your dynamic at some point but now it only serves as a reminder of why you two will never work again.

Her eyes follow your movements as you reach for an antiseptic wipe and start disinfecting the area around the wound. You’re expecting her to complain about the stinging sensation but she doesn’t.

For the first time since you met her, Kate Bishop genuinely surprises you.

“I’m not mad, you know?” Her soft words break the tension-filled silence your lack of response left behind. “Well, I was at first but…I understand why you did it…why you had to get away from me.”

The urge to ignore her is incredibly strong and yet a part of you longs to make things right. Or as right as they possibly can be considering your history together.

“That’s not why I did it.” You frown once your eyes catch sight of the multitude of scars and unhealed cuts that litter the rest of Kate’s torso. “I was just…tired of pretending.”

“Am I that bad of a kisser?” The humor in her voice helps remove some of the tension in your shoulders. It’s obvious she’s merely trying to deflect but you chuckle in response anyway.

You allow a calm silence to fill the room while you focus on disinfecting and wrapping up the wound. Focusing proves to be difficult, however, when one of her hands lands on your shoulder and she grips you hard enough to leave nail indents in your skin.

The sensation does help you swallow back your anxieties so you don’t complain…at least for the moment. 

You make a mental note to ask Wanda for the recipe of the herbal remedy she always uses to fight off infections as you finish bandaging the archer up.

You’re almost out of the woods when your fingers accidentally find a certain scar on Kate’s other side. It’s subtle but the change in texture gives away what it is without you having to look.

Kate interrupts your train of thought before your eyes can join your fingers in examining the memory forever carved into her skin. “You didn’t answer my question.”

Your eyes drift up to her face and your breath catches in your throat once you become aware of the position you’re in. She notices your reaction but you respond before that stupid smirk can finish spreading along her lips.

“It’s only fair, you didn’t answer a single one of mine,” you point out.

“Your questions were stupid.” She shrugs and you hate that you can tell she’s doing it again. She’s hiding behind the persona she wears so well. The one that doesn’t care about what anyone else thinks despite the fact that Kate Bishop is the embodiment of empathy.

Of love.

The aching in your chest grows stronger. 

“And you asking if you’re a bad kisser isn’t stupid?” You raise an eyebrow at her but she seems unbothered by your stare.

“Of course not, it’s important information.”

Her smirk is back again and unfortunately, so is your urge to kiss her so hard she’ll shut up for once. The desperation that lingers in that thought startles you even though it doesn’t take a genius to figure out how you still feel for her.

You’re not a gambler but you would bet everything you have that Kate feels the same way you do. It’s almost like you can see the struggle in her eyes. It’s like you can see the need to retreat behind her walls fighting with her desire to feel you close after so long.

You don’t need a “special connection” to figure that much out. Especially with the way she keeps clenching and unclenching her hands.

“You’re not a bad kisser, Kate,” you say, your heart pounding in your chest as you force yourself to say the one thing that’s been on your mind since the night you walked away from her. “But you are horrible at talking about your feelings.”

That gets a laugh out of her. 

“Tell me something I don’t know.”

You hesitate for a moment before your hand lands on top of her fidgeting one. 

“That despite your many, many, many flaws…” You lean forward until your faces are merely inches apart. “I can’t find a way to not love you.”

“y/n-” Her breath catches in her throat as her eyes trail down your face. 

You wait for her to finish her sentence but words never come. Instead of words, she leans forward, her hands moving up to grasp your face and pull you up toward her.

The movement startles you but it doesn’t necessarily surprise you. What does surprise you, though, is the sheer amount of desperation that swims in the few inches remaining between your lips. 

It’s like you both wait a second more than necessary, almost like you can’t believe the other will allow the contact to happen. 

But then it does.

Kate practically lunges forward and connects her mouth with yours in an instant. Any ounce of restraint you still had goes out the window at that moment and you melt against her. 

There are so many unsaid things, so many things you both still need to apologize for, so many joint mistakes, and yet…it all fades away.

Suddenly, everything else is meaningless. 

Suddenly, and for the third time in the past few months, you realize how much you love Kate Bishop. How much you need her in your life despite the unrestrained chaos she brings.

How she’s the only person who’s able to turn your life upside down from a single kiss.

[dystopianam]

[DOWNLOAD] COLORED CEILING LIGHTS (16 COLORS - 5 DIFFERENT INTENSITIES + INVISIBLE RECOLORS) - UPDATED 07/02/2024

Finally here are the colored lights! I've always loved NL neons, but I've always hated that they were huge and impossible to put in residential lots unless you want to make your home look like a fantasy, alien or futuristic house.

I specify that those who use lighting mod see the intensities from 4 to 5 very bright (like me in the video), but those who do not use lighting mod see the intensities from 4 to 5 as in the video the intensities from 1 to 3 are shown! Intensities 4 to 5 are for those who don't have lighting mods!

EXPLANATIONS AND CREDITS

(Skip it if you want, but it's full of credit for other persons)

For years I looked for invisible recolors of NL neons, or someone who had changed the mesh of these, but I never found anything.

I remember that, perhaps, I had once found an invisible recolor of the round neon lights that you can place on the wall, but honestly that recolor never worked for me ;_:

So I gave up, I lost hope of having some comfortable neon lights that I could put in my house and I went on with my life, until...one day I don't remember what I was doing in game, I took a cc lamp I had and saw that it had a beautiful colored light. I told @jacky93sims "this light is beautiful, but the mesh is huge and impossible to use".

At first, since I just wanted to do something personal, I wanted to change the mesh of that cc, but I had difficulty because I didn't know how to do one thing yet (which I now know how to do). So Jacky said to me "but instead of changing the mesh why don't you take a lamp from the game you like and change the light using the light from this cc?" and she proceeds to send me a tutorial on how to do it. She then added "it's a Nightlife light, it's called [name of light]".

And that's where it all started.

I looked for that lamp in the game, I found it, and it was this one that I asked you about a few days ago.

However, there was a little mystery surrounding it: this neon does not emit light, but both Jacky and I saw blue light. Just me and her. Nobody else.

It was strange. Right now my suspicion is that we probably have a different light from everyone else because we use two lighting mods which, although different, use the same settings for that particular light.

But...Jacky doesn't have NL, yet she saw the RGB color of that NL light, how was that possible? Snooping around a bit in the file, we then discovered that the RGB value was set to emit that particular color. Jacky then understood how to make the RGB codes work on simPe, she explained it to me and out of curiosity I started trying other colors: BINGO! The light could become any color I wanted! And what's even more beautiful? Even Jacky, without having NL could do it! It therefore meant that we could create neons without needing NL and above all... without editing game files.

I was so happy. So to test that light would work for everyone, I sent the light to @simstraffikcone @ash1c , but... it was a fail. It didn't work for them. Right now I thought it was because Traffikcone not have a lighting mod, while Ash has the Maxis Match Lighting mod, which I remember not having that specific NL light with the blue light as Jacky and I see it.

I was confused. I could edit a lot of non-RGB lights and make the colors work on many of them, but no one but me saw those colors when I sent the files. Then Jacky suggested to try using the source of these RGB spotlights... and finally, with this the others were able to see all the colors too!

I hope that the creator of these spotlights doesn't mind that I used the same source, their post is from 18 years ago, the last time they was online was 2021 and they doesn't have a TOU. From the name of the light it seems like a custom light, but not having a custom installation I can't say. This creator is a pro when it comes to editing game lights, I saw them talk about it on some posts on MTS!

In the end, It doesn't matter what kind of light it was, I just needed the RGB values to work.

PROS AND CONS

But at this point you're thinking, looking at they profile on MTS "but sorry, this creator also made RGB ceiling lights, so what are yours for?" and here... comes the part where I explain why my lights exist (don't fall asleep, I'm almost done, I swear)

Its ceiling lights have two requirements that I tried to bypass: you need NL to make them work and to do extra steps, editing game files. Some people are uncomfortable doing these things, others don't have all the expansions!

My lights don't need NL to work and you don't have to do any extra steps, you don't have to edit any of the game files, you just put them in the download folder and play with them.

And why this? Because I don't use the source of their ceiling lights, but that of their spotlights!

But here too you may be wondering...why not use spotlights then? Well...it is a question that includes many factors:

- The spotlights are very nice to use in the garden, but what if you want to use those colored lights indoors? Wouldn't it be strange to have garden lights around the house INSIDE the rooms? I think sims can bypass them, but it's not very aesthetic! With my ceiling lamp not only you not take up space in the house and you can't see it, if you don't want to see it at all you also have the option of making it invisible!

- True, you can mess around with colors to get colors other than red, blue and green, but my lights come with 16 ready colors! So you don't have to bombard an area full of spotlights to form a color! (Mine can mix too btw)

- The spotlights can illuminate a maximum of one or two objects that they point to, this means that to illuminate multiple objects you should use lots of spotlights. My lights on the other hand illuminate practically every object in the room!

- The ONLY con my lights have is that following the light settings of the RGB spotlights, my lights illuminate all objects and sims, but not the walls and floors. This means that you won't always get nice effects, you have to experiment a little. Sometimes rooms that are too empty will have bad effects, it is better to use them on rooms full of objects that reflect light. I tried to solve this problem, but unfortunately I haven't succeeded yet. And this is the same reason why I'm only doing the ceiling version.

I want to point out, however, that I am not discrediting their lights. Indeed, without their work today I couldn't even create these lights! So BIG THANKS to their works! I invite you to also download their (absolutely compatible with mine) They are NOT necessary to make mine work, but if you want to use their too, you can!

Another of the advantages that these lights have is that they work both for those who do not have lighting mods and for those who have them. (Obviously those who have lighting mods have better light and shadow effects, but I can't do nothing about this).

The solution was to create different intensities. People who have lighting mods see lights that basically have low intensity with high intensities. People without a lighting mod see lights with low intensity...well, with very low intensity.

For this reason I made sure that each set of lights has unique guids and that they can all work together. You can put all 5 sets in your download folder, figure out which lights you see best, and delete the ones you don't see well.

I can already tell you that people who don't use lighting mods can use intensities 3 to 5, while those who use lighting mods can use intensities 1 to 3!

So to summarize, the pro of this light are:

Base Game compatible. (You don't need NL!)

Work with and without lighting mods.

5 different intensity which you can choose.

16 ready colors to use.

Invisible recolors for all the 5 sets of intensity.

Ready collection files for all the 5 sets (residential and community lots)

You don't need to edit game files. Installation is simple. Put everything in the download folder and it works. (Everything except the collections you have to put them in the collection(s) folder)

By enabling moveobjects you can put them ANYWHERE, they work both inside and outside the house, and you can use invisible recolors to hide them.

Because they use the light from the RGB spotlights, you can mix colors and sometimes you can create some really cool gradient effects!

They work better with the light off, but even with the light on it has a nice effect because the colors that reflect on the furniture can still be seen.

And the downside...precisely, is only that the walls and the floor don't light up, but I'll see if I can resolve this in the future.

Stop! I'm done torturing you with my chatter! In the download you will find a .rar with all 5 sets + a folder with two collections for every set! (One for community lots and one for residential lots)

Thanks to jgwhiteus for the source of the light, Jacky for explaining how to use the RGB codes on simPE and Ash and Traffikcone for testing the lights for me!

DOWNLOAD (SFS)

(Recommended but not necessary, this rug fix. Game rugs are buggy and don't reflect well the light and the shadows.)

UPDATED (07/02/2024)

They were already clean, I just compressed everything (I had forgotten) and added some merged files (a merged file for each intensity + an all in one with all the intensities divided into 3 merged packages)

[penelopepine]

‘Mini Me’ was the CUTEST thing ever!!! I’m also here to beg for more Graves x Reader content 🙏. Could you write about Graves saving Reader from a home invasion?

THANK YOU! I'm so glad you liked it, and I hope you like this. I had a blast writing it so thank you for the ask!!

Intruder Alert!

Phillip Graves x Fem Reader

Content: Home invasion, light angst, fluff, guns Word Count: 1930

It’s become something of a habit for you both to call each other whenever possible at this time. You’re already laying down in bed, your favorite show is on and a book lays in your lap, when Phillip calls you right on the dot as usual. 

You turn off the TV and answer before the first ring is even finished as you happily exclaim into the phone, “Phillip!” 

“Evening sweetheart, you doing ok?” He asked; his voice low but comforting. “You better be in bed at this hour.” 

With a slight huff you reply, “I am, I am don’t worry. Just reading the book you got me. You didn’t have to do that you know.” It had been a total surprise for you when you came home one day to a package on your doorstep knowing full well that you hadn’t ordered anything recently. Even more of a surprise when it had been the final book of a series you had been raving about to Phillip just a few days ago. You had also mentioned how the last book had just come out as well.

“Nonsense, I gotta spoil my girl even when I’m not there.” 

“You’re too good to me, baby. Thank you. I love it so much; I’ll have to show you some appreciation whenever you come home.” 

You hear through the phone Phillip take a sharp breath when he hears your words before chuckling to himself as he growls out, “is that so? What sort of … appreciation do you have in mind?”

“Oh, I wouldn’t want to give anything anyway.” 

“Sweetheart, it’s not nice to-.” 

Crash!

That was the sounds of glass shattering downstairs, but that's not all though - you can hear someone cursing and the sound of footsteps under glass. You're suddenly regretting having those big bag windows installed.

It takes you a few seconds to realize that Phillip is calling your name; there's actually a lot of noise coming from his side of the phone now.

"Philip, I think someone's in the house." 

"Sweetheart," his voice firm, but filled with concern, "You need to do exactly as I say; do you understand?"

"I- I understand." 

"Good good, everything is going to be alright. I'm on my way to you now." You can hear the sound of a car door slamming as he says that. It's a half an hour drive from the base to here; you've seen him make it in twenty though. "Get up - slowly, and lock the bedroom door." 

Shakily you do as he says; trying to calm your thundering heart as if whoever is here can hear it and will come barging into the room. The tiny click of the door lock sounds out like a church bell on Sunday.

"It's locked." You're honestly not even sure you spoke with how softly you whispered those words, but you must have because Phillip is giving you his next command as soon as you're finished speaking them. 

“Now in my night stand - bottom drawer, is a case grab it. Go to the bathroom and lock that door as well before doing anything else with it.” 

“Isn’t that your-?” 

“Yes. Grab it.” 

It was Phillip’s gun case. He’s shown you how to use the gun inside of it about every month. For emergencies he had always said; you’ve never thought about having to actually use it on another person though. 

Pushing that thought down though you quickly get yourself settled in the now locked bathroom. “I have it; the door is locked.” 

“You know what I’m going to ask next, sweetheart. Just … just keep it close and ready. I’m almost there.” You could tell that Phillip was trying to calm for your sake right now. This was something you two had talked about though being a possibility. It’s so different being in the real situation though. 

Sitting down on the cold floor you open the case, and pull out the gun. It feels so much heavier than it ever has in your hands. 

It was in that moment that you heard the unmistakable creak of third from the top step on the stairs - it was the only one that ever made any noise. Whoever was here was now on the second floor, and only a few steps away from you. 

Quickly you pull the phone away from your ear to check how long it’s been. Everything feels as if it’s been going a mile a minute surely Phillip is almost here - six minutes. It’s only been six minutes. It could easily take another twenty for your husband to get here. 

The intruder must be at your door now because the next thing you hear is the rattle of the locked bedroom door. It wouldn’t be something you would normally hear, but in the dead quiet it's the only thing you can hear. That and the sound of Phillip’s car speeding his way towards you over the phone. 

All you can do now is wait and hope that this is just some thief who is there to steal whatever they find valuable, and not for anything related to Phillip because if they are, you know a locked door is not going to stop them from getting to you. 

It’s silent for a few minutes after that, and you really think that the locked door has deterred whoever it is that entering is not worth the hassle. That is of course not true because the next thing you know is that the bedroom door is being kicked open with a loud bang as the door and wall collide with one another. 

You can’t help but gasp as you hear it, as you do Phillip is worryingly calling your name. When you don’t immediately reply he continues, “I’m almost there; hang in for a few more minutes for me. I’m-” 

Phillip’s voice suddenly cuts off from whatever he was going to say. Pulling your phone away from your ear again you see that your phone has died. Oh.

Meanwhile in the bedroom you can hear the person shuffling around; drawers being opened and closed with no consideration for noise. You pull the gun up and steady your aim to the door. It’s only a matter of time before they try and knock this door down as well after all. 

You know you're only going to have one real shot though. Whoever is on the other side is definitely more prepared for a confrontation than you are - probably a lot stronger than you are too. 

Looking to your side you debate going out the window. You’re on the second floor, but as long as you do a somewhat decent landing you’re not in any danger of dying from the fall. It’s the fear of breaking something though that stops you from just making a run for it. Breaking a wrist or arm would hurt like a bitch, but it’d be doable. A leg though would probably put you in a worse situation then the one you’re currently in. 

With minutes that feel like hours you wait for the inevitable to happen. Only that’s not what happens because all of a sudden you hear a loud pained grunt and what sounds like two people fighting. 

Phillip. 

It has to be him. You don’t think anyone else would be inside fighting the intruder. 

You don’t open the door though. During your talks about this kind of situation Phillip always told you to wait for him - he’d be the one to give you the signal that it was safe to leave whatever hiding space you managed to find. 

Just as quickly as it started though it’s over. You can’t hear anything anymore. That is until four knocks on the bathroom door sound out - the signal. 

Immediately you're running to unlock the door. When throw open the door Phillip pulls you into his arms, and guides you back into the bathroom. “Thank fuck you’re alright, sweetheart.” 

“I’m alright,” You’re more concerned about him right now though, “What about you though? Are you hurt anywhere?” 

Try as you might to pull away and check him over his grip on you does not loosen. “I’m fine. Just let me hold you right now.” 

You don’t know how long the two of you stand there just embracing one another, and frankly you don’t care to know. It would have been longer if not for Phillip’s phone suddenly ringing out. It’s obvious that he doesn’t want to let go quite yet with how he gives you one more hard squeeze before letting go, and grabbing his phone. 

“Graves speaking … good, come inside and handle the trash. I’m heading back to base.” It’s fairly obvious who he was talking to, but you still have to ask.

“Are the shadows here? How are they here already?” 

“I called Erikson to get his ass here with a few boys after our call was cut out.” Phillip releases a deep breath and rests his forehead on yours, “You had me cursing up a storm when that happened, sweetheart. What have I told you about keeping your phone charged?” 

Of course he knew it was because your phone died. “I don’t think I’m going to be able to let it get below 50% after this.” 

“Probably for the best.” You watch as Phillip now pulls away fully and grabs the gun from where you had left it; hostlering it to his side. “Now let’s get out of here. You’re staying on base until I get a new security system installed.” 

He is then pressing you into his side as his hand comes up to cover your eyes. “Phillip?” 

“Don’t want you seeing anything, sweetheart. Let me guide you out of here for now.” 

You don’t put up anymore of a fuss at that, and you also don’t really want to see whatever lies in the bedroom right now. With that he’s quick to get you out of the bedroom, and out into the hallway. There he does finally let you see again as he continues to pull you down the stairs. 

As you get to the bottom a small group of shadows are entering the house. They give Phillip a nod before hurriedly passing him as they make their way up the stairs now. 

“Wait, I should pack something before we leave.” You say remembering how he had said that you’d be staying at the base. 

“Well come by in the morning, sweetheart. After the boys get things cleaned up.” He reassures you as he practically carries you out of the house to his car. The ride for the most part is silent besides the low singing from the radio. Philip also doesn’t let go of your hand once during the whole ride as if he let go you’d disappear. 

Once back at base the first thing he does is get you settled in his room and bed. He lays down next to you, having you flush against his chest. “I love you so much, sweetheart. I don’t know what I would do without you.” 

“I love you too; I’m here - I’m not going anywhere.” 

“Damn right you’re not.” You feel Phillip relax for the first time tonight as he gives your neck a small kiss. 

You can’t help but think how everything, despite what happened just about an hour ago, right now feels perfect. Being in Phillip’s arms will never not fix everything for you. With that thought you drift off into sleep knowing that everything tomorrow will be alright as long as you have him with you. 

[fluentmoviequoter]

Butterflies Aren't Just for Kids

Part 2 of Crushes Aren't Just for Kids

Pairing: JLU!Bruce Wayne x fem!JL!reader

Summary: Bruce hasn't asked you out yet, despite the League's interest in your new relationship. When he finally has enough and takes you away from their prying eyes and endless questions, you tell him why you hid your feelings for so long.

Warnings: fluff!!! John, Diana, and Wally get warnings for being nosy

Word Count: 1.6k+ words

A/N: Have I mentioned that I love this show? I considered basing this on The Once and Future Thing (s1 finale) but think that would be better as an independent rewrite. Also, I love Wally so much!!

Picture from Pinterest

Masterlist | DC Masterlist | Request Info

Plenty has changed since Morgaine Le Fay turned you, Bruce, Clark, Diana, and John into kids and back into adults to defeat her son. Bruce learned about your crush on him, as did John and Diana, and Bruce hinted that he’d ask you out soon. Being a superhero vigilante is a full-time job, though, and he has yet to find the time to do that.

Every time you set foot in the Watchtower, John and Diana give you questioning looks. You can tell they want to pry and hear about what’s happening with you and Bruce, but you also know they won’t believe you when you say nothing. Luckily, you still have easy access to all the hiding places Bruce installed in the multi-million-dollar space base.

While you sit in the cafeteria and eat, your thoughts drift to Bruce. He’s off somewhere fighting an alien with Clark, yet all you want is another quiet moment at his side.

“Hey,” Wally greets as he sits.

“Hi, Walls,” you reply with a smile.

“What’s up with all the weird looks?”

“What do you mean?”

Wally looks down and quickly counts the food items on his four trays. He speeds back into the cafeteria for another pudding, and you brace yourself for the wind that follows his return.

“Everyone keeps looking at you like there’s something big happening. They used to look at me like that, but you’re hogging my attention,” Wally answers.

“Sorry about that.”

“Seriously, it’s impossible to miss all of the looks. John and Diana look ready to snap every time you walk into the room.”

“I hadn’t noticed,” you lie. “I’m sure whatever they think is happening will pass soon and all eyes will be back on you.”

“As they should be, right?”

“Right, Walls.”

You excuse yourself, but not before you offer your cake to Wally. You ignore the looks Wally mentioned as you walk toward J’onn’s station in the heart of the Watchtower.

“J’onn, can you send me home? I don’t think I’ve got anything else to do up here,” you request.

“Certainly. I’ll let you know if we need you to return.”

“Thanks.”

A light blinds you temporarily, and when you open your eyes, you realize someone must have told J’onn you have a new home.

“I have got to talk to John about boundaries,” you mumble as you begin the short walk to Wayne Manor.

A few days later, you haven’t even seen Bruce. You’ve been pining after him for years, though, so what’s a few more days before that date he said he’d take you on? As long as it isn’t a theme park, you think as you walk through the Watchtower.

“We need to talk,” Diana says as she pulls you into a corner.

“About what?” you ask.

“You and Bruce,” John answers, stepping out of the shadows.

“What is this, an intervention? There’s nothing to talk about!” you whisper harshly.

“What happened after we left?” Diana inquires.

“He took me home. If you must know, he implied that he’d ask me out, but that is it! He may not even like me anymore.”

John shakes his head with a knowing look on his face. He can read you too well to lie to him.

“Look, I’m trying to be patient and wait for him to decide, ask, whatever, but it is getting very hard to do with you two drawing attention to us! Booster Gold asked me where the boyfriend was, and he didn’t even know who he was talking about!”

“Booster never knows what he’s talking about,” John argues.

“That is not the point.”

John smirks before he asks, “So, when you and Bruce have kids, do you think they’ll look like you two did in Mordred’s kingdom?”

The door behind Diana opens, and you realize you’ve been having this conversation outside Bruce’s workshop. While he was in it.

“Stop,” Bruce demands.

Diana nudges you, and you push her away. You’ll do something, but not because she encouraged you to, because you want to.

“What?” you ask with an exaggerated pout. “You don’t want to have kids with me, Brucie?”

Bruce rolls his eyes at your reply, but John and Diana stay beside you despite his bat glare.

“Are you going to ask her out?” Diana asks. “Because we’re all waiting for you to do something.”

“Clearly,” Bruce replies. “We’re leaving. Lantern. Diana.”

Before John or Diana can speak again, J’onn transports you and Bruce away. They’re left facing each other with a few answers and more questions.

“Where do you think they went?” Diana inquires.

“I’m- I’m not sure I want to think about that,” John answers slowly. “She is my friend, you know.”

“So is he.”

“Yeah,” John says, his voice laced with sarcasm and disbelief. “Sure, he is. Best friend, really.”

When you arrive in the manor, pressed to Bruce’s side just as you were in the amusement park, you don’t hesitate to turn and hug him. Bruce’s arms wrap around you loosely, and you step back when Alfred enters the living room.

“I’ll assume you’re the reason I’ve been getting so many dirty looks and questions from the League?” Bruce asks.

His lips are up at the edges, and you think he will smile at any moment. You can’t tell by looking at him, but Bruce feels like a kid again when he’s with you. He didn't experience childhood like he should have, so he lets himself be genuine with you. He’s done wasting time, he decides.

“You know, I’ve been fighting by your side for a long time,” you say. “But your hugs are way better than your grappling hooks.”

Bruce shakes his head and leads you toward the couch before Alfred returns with popcorn, a tray of snacks, and your favorite drink that you did not ask for nor mention. You thank him, and he winks at you quickly. He’s glad to see Bruce happy and to have visitors in the manor again.

“I should’ve hugged you sooner,” you muse as you reach for the food. “Could have been spending time here for years by now.”

“Why didn’t you say anything before?” Bruce asks softly.

“Why didn’t you?” you counter. You lick your lips before answering, “You’re important to me, Bruce. I didn’t want to jeopardize our relationship or the team, or, worse, put you in danger by saying the wrong thing at the wrong time. There were too many unknowns.”

“So, you planned to, what? Wait until I said something?”

“Caged butterflies,” you whisper. “Cages don’t hold them very well. I would’ve said something eventually, but Morgaine put me in a position where I didn’t have to.”

“Then, technically, John told me.”

“You’re a jerk, you know that?”

Bruce smiles, and the butterflies you felt as a kid revive to create a hurricane in your heart. He leans in and brushes his lips over your cheek before saying, “I’ve been told… I’ve also been told crushes aren’t just for kids.”

“Jerk,” you mumble again as you turn your face toward Bruce.

“Oh! Oh!” John yells when you step out of J’onn’s transporter and onto the Watchtower. “Someone’s glowing. How them butterflies feeling?”

“Like kids again,” you answer honestly. “I guess I should thank you for forcing me to do something.”

“Lanterns have been making dreams come true for millennia.”

“There’s no way that’s true.”

“You don’t know that. You’re not a Lantern, or a mind reader.”

“It’s not true,” J’onn calls without looking away from his console.

“Man, we need better friends,” John tells you.

“You are my better friend.”

“Save that lovey stuff for the boyfriend.”

“I thought he was Diana’s boyfriend,” you argue, tilting your head as you hide your smile.

“The ploy of a mastermind to learn the truth,” John answers with a shrug.

“You really are spending too much time with Wally.”

John stands and beckons you to follow him. You do so wordlessly, but you run into someone as you round a corner beside him. Bruce grasps your arms gently to keep you upright before dropping his head to look at you.

“Here comes the bride,” Wally sings under his breath.

You and Bruce look up quickly, surprised to see Wally has joined John, and they are watching your interaction with far too much interest.

“And that’s why we’re glad Wally wasn’t included in Mordred’s spell,” you grumble against Bruce’s chest.

“What spell?” Wally asks. He doesn’t give anyone time to answer before he rambles, “Hey, have you told her about your childhood, Bats? I mean, you’re definitely a loner now, but good luck learning anything about him; he’s one tough walnut to crack.”

“I know,” you and John say together.

Bruce tightens his grip on you before requesting J’onn send him home. The Watchtower is no longer a haven from Gotham, not with the League’s new favorite topic of conversation: you and Batman.

“We should buy a vacation house,” Bruce says as you open your eyes in Gotham.

“Yeah. In Coast City, where Ollie can find us and bring the rest of the fan club,” you joke.

Bruce stays quiet for a moment, and you begin to ask him what’s wrong, but he cuts you off.

“Get ready. We’re going on that date I promised,” he says.

“You never actually asked,” you point out.

“Will you go on a date with me?” Bruce asks.

“I’d love to.”

“Then go get ready. I’m taking you somewhere we can be ourselves.”

“Where could you possibly take me that Bruce Wayne won’t be recognized? And if you say an amusement park I will walk out right now.”

“I was thinking Metropolis. The roof of the Daily Planet. I called in a few favors.”

“I take it back. You weren’t a cute kid… you’re still cute.”

“And you still have trouble with maintaining eye contact.” Bruce leads you to the stairs and spreads his hand over your lower back before he whispers, “We’ll work on it.”

[impact-theater]

𝐈 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐅𝐈𝐑𝐒𝐓

Pairing: yandere!Xianyun, yandere!Ga ming

TW: yandere, obession, self-aware

You've collected 60 wishes for this banner. Ever since you saw Ga Ming, and then Xianyun, you knew you needed them in your team! Especially when you saw their leaks!

89%... this game is really taking forever to uploud. You might as well go grab yourself a cup of coffee.

Inside the game, there was fight going on you didn't knew about!

─ "They'll be here soon!" - Ga ming panicked, going all around wishing screen

─ "I wouldn't count on that. They just went to get cup of coffee and still have 3 more procent." - While Xianyun kept her calm, not bothered by how fast the bar went

─ "It can pass in a second! I just bet my cutie will first wish for me and I will appear in their first 10 wishes!" - boy fixed his hair and brushed off the non existing dust from his shoulders

─ "As you wish. I'm taking their first wish." - woman said with her eyes closed and her face unbothered

You came back to your pc to find game already installed! You could only click "launch" and let the white screen blind you as you took a sip of your coffee.

Xianyun stood up, fixing her glasses and began walking to her banner space, stopping in front of brown-red haired boy first though...

─ "I wouldn't mess with Cloud Retainer on your place." - she kept her head high, so only her eyes looked down at the boy. her voice somehow menacing

─ "I'm willing to risk ANYTHING for them to see my fice as first thing after loading." - Ga ming on the other hand seemed to not get scared at all and instead kept his face courageful

While you finally entered the game. You claimed all the rewards possible before finally clicking on the wishing icon. Immidietly seeing Xianyun and Ga ming you smiled, getting any of your ritual objects ready.

Ga ming already had a big grin, so luckily he didn't had to hold back from that. What he needed to hold back from was blush that was risking being more and more visible. While Xianyun, having rather cold face, needed to keep herself back from cracking smallest smile or else you'd notice.

Seeing you had not 60 but 61 wishes, you decided to challange the fate and do one single wish first! Promising yourself oh so dearly outloud that you'll main and triple crown whoever comes first.

In that 2 seconds of making a wish, happened more than you could imagine. Ga ming runned like he never did, motivated to make his cuties day. Though Cloud Retainer seemed to not stand back and watch as she made sure to pass the boy. Surprisingly they arrived at your screen almost at the same time!

Well... almost...

On your screen appeared woman with long black-green hair and name "Xianyun" above 5 stars on left.

You let out small squeak and Xianyun couldn't help but crack a grin which she quickly turned into well known cold face to not raise suspicion.

You clicked the x button hoping to check out skills but you were surprisingly stopped... you saw image of boy with brown-red hair, name "Ga ming" above 4 stars on the left...

─ "Weird... I only made one wish..." - you thought to yourself, thinking it as of a simple bug. well at least you gained 2 wanted characters just like that!

After clicking x again, you returned to simple wish screen you knew. Leaving Xianyun and Ga ming enough time to talk again before you check any of their profiles.

─ "Do you realize what you just did?" - woman asked furrowing her eyebrows

─ "Oh don't tell me you wanted to see cutie's sad face when they wouldn't get me!" - boy asked furrowing his eyes in response, his tone slightly annoyed

─ "No, I'm saying that if they or anyone who discovers about this reports it to Hoyoverse, they'll fix this 'bug' in a second. You might loose your self-awarness and so may I."

─ "Oh it won't happen! They're gonna triple crown me after all~"

─ "They saw me first I'm afraid."

─ "Maybe. But they said they're gonna triple crown whoever end in their first pull! And that was me as well!"

Xianyun rolled her eyes, annoyed by boy's confidence. She looked at your happy face from the other side of the screen and smiled on her own.

─ "How cute you are, my dear~" - she thought seeing you clicking on "characters" button

─ "I can't wait untill you start to main ME~" - he thought seeing you hesitating who to check out first

Author note: I wanted to write something based on actual genshin bug or so but since these 2 are coming out, I decided to just do classic self-aware fic. Still thinking of what next to do sooo I'll figure it out later!

[otomehonyaku]

DIABOLIK LOVERS More,Blood Genteiban DVD Translation ☽ Mini Drama III (Ruki, Azusa, Kanato, Ayato)

Original title: DIABOLIK LOVERS MORE,BLOOD 限定版 SPECIAL DISK IV Mini Drama III Voiced by Sakurai Takahiro (Ruki), Kishio Daisuke (Azusa), Kaji Yūki (Kanato), Midorikawa Hikaru (Ayato) English translation by @otomehonyaku Click here for the audio (thank you @uzi-boozii for providing the audio!)

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Please do not reuse or post my translations elsewhere or translate my work into other languages without my permission.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Here's the final instalment of the More,Blood special disks! ✧ദ്ദി( ˶^ᗜ^˶ ) This is my least favourite of all of them (even though Ruki is obviously my favourite Diaboy) because I think Ruki kind of got the short end of the stick in terms of content in my opinion... I had hoped we'd get to see more of his inner struggle seeing as the rest of the CDs have these fun little bits talking about what they'd like to do with Yui and stuff, but this one had a little less of that ( ; ─ ; ) Still, the part where Ruki talks about Yui having agency? A king indeed...

Anyway, there's more good stuff coming soon! As always, have fun listening and reading along! (♡ˊ͈ ꒳ ˋ͈)

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

[This scene takes place right after the last episode of More,Blood, when Ruki and Ayato each take Yui’s blood and the two agree on working together against the Founders. Note: AY stands for Ayato and AZ stands for Azusa.]

00:00 Ruki: Leave her to sleep. If the Founders are coming for her soon, we need to be prepared. Isn’t that right, Sakamaki Ayato?

Ayato: I ain’t taking orders from you, asshole. Yours Truly can do as he pleases.

Ruki: These are no circumstances for liberal ideas, unfortunately. Quarrelling will not help us if we have to face off against the Founders.

AY: You don’t have to tell me that. I ain’t handing her over to those Founders. Or you, or anyone else, for that matter.

R: Didn’t you just say that you can do as you please? 

AY: So what if I did?

R: She also has the right to decide for herself. You’re free to think of her however you like. However, only Eve herself can make the choice. 

AY: That ‘Eve’ shit is none of my business. Pancake didn’t have any rights to begin with. She’s my prey. I shouldn’t have to listen to every single little thing that my prey wants.

R: Eve has a stronger will than you think she has. I urge you not to take that lightly. Especially not by considering her mere prey.

AY: Tch. Self-important bastard.

R: Besides, it’s only a matter of time until the Human World is no longer safe for her.

AY: What do you mean?

R: As the lunar eclipse progresses, your power will weaken. The Founders are undeniably waiting for the perfect moment to strike. You know this, and yet you’re still picking a fight with me?

AY: Fuck…

02:03 R: The Founders are immensely powerful. We vampires are no match against them with the lunar eclipse chipping away at our strength. Are you fine with the Founders taking Eve away? Because that is exactly where we’re headed right now.

AY: Of course not! I told you, she’s—

R: Yeah. You sensed the same danger I did and that’s exactly why you came here, right? So, if you would…

AY: Alright, I get it. So? What should we do? You gotta have a plan ready if you’re gonna boast like that.

R: I have something in mind, though it poses great risk. Especially for Eve.

AY: Anything’s better than letting the Founders get their filthy hands on her. What is it?

R: We bring her to the Demon World.

AY: The Demon World?!

R: This lunar eclipse is not just any lunar eclipse.

AY: Yeah, Reiji also said it’s taking place at the same time in both the Human World and the Demon World.

R: Exactly. Which means that you pureblood vampires are particularly susceptible to its influence.

AY: I know. Isn’t that why we resorted to joining forces with you lot?

R: However, our working together still does not guarantee victory against the Founders. We barely know anything about them.

AY: So that’s why you wanna take her to the Demon World?

R: This might be a gamble, but there is a possibility that the effect the lunar eclipse has on us is reduced there. Of course, I have no experience with this either.

AY: So it’s all or nothing?

R: Exactly. We have little hopes of winning against the Founders to begin with if we stay here. Don’t you think we would have better chances of succeeding if we go to the Demon World?

04:04 AY: If we take her along, Pancake might be more likely to die, though. More people’ll go after her just because she’s human.

R: You can’t even protect her from regular folk in the Demon World? Are you really that weak?

AY: The fuck?

R: You’re a Sakamaki. You should be able to deal with such nobodies with ease.

AY: Are you fuckin’ with me? Of course I can!

R: Our enemies are the Founders. The so-called First Bloods, who are said to be the origin of all of us. This is no time to be thinking about the lower classes of the Demon World.

AY: In any case, I’m not gonna let Pancake die. Besides, I definitely won’t let her fall into their hands.

R: Save your yapping for after we save Eve. If you’ve made up your mind about crossing the barrier, let’s get out of here quickly. We need to get to the Demon World before the lunar eclipse reaches its climax.

AY: You like givin’ orders, don’t you? Asshole.

[There’s a knock on the door.]

Azusa: Ruki… The lunar eclipse is pretty far along… Oh… Ayato? Why is he here…?

R: Don’t mind him. What’s important is that Eve is in great danger.

AZ: Eve?

AY: Those Founder assholes are after Pancake.

R: And the wolves that attacked us here seem to be their familiars.

AZ: Founders…? But why are they after Eve…?

Kanato: Mukami Azusa. I will never forgive you.

AZ: Oh, Kanato.

AY: Kanato? What’re you doing here?

K: I will avenge Teddy!

AY: Avenge Teddy? 

K: I can still hear him screaming amidst the flames. He’s hurting… He’s burning…

AY: Ah, so Teddy’s a pile of ash because of you.

06:14 AZ: Yeah… I’m sorry…

K: Apologising won’t give me Teddy back! I will never forgive you, Azusa! You burned him! I can’t forgive this. I won’t forgive this! I’m going to kill you!

[Kanato attacks Azusa, causing the two of them to topple over onto the ground.]

AZ: Oh…

K: I’ll fucking kill you! I won’t forgive you! I’ll never forgive you!

AY: Hey, Kanato! Cut it out!

[Ayato stops Kanato.]

K: Ayato! Why are you getting in my way? Do you want to get killed too? My Teddy is… Teddy is…

R: Are you alright, Azusa?

[Ruki pulls Azusa back onto his feet.]

AZ: Yeah… I’m alright…

R: What did you do to him?

AZ: When I went to get Eve… I ran into Kanato, and he stopped me…

K: Of course I did! She’s mine!

AZ: But we need Eve too, so… I threw his precious bear… into the fireplace…

K: He’s not a bear! He’s Teddy! Teddy! Teddy…

AY: Hey, Kanato. Doesn’t matter what he did. Stop crying.

K: Teddy… It hurts, doesn’t it? It burns, doesn’t it? I feel so bad for him… I will take the girl home right now.

AY: Huh? What’s this all of a sudden?

08:22 K: She will repair Teddy for me. I will take her home right now. Where is she?

AY: This isn’t the time to be asking that. You heard it too, right? The Founders are after Pancake.

K: That has nothing to do with me. She will repair Teddy.

R: You saw the pack of wolves too, didn’t you? You know full well how powerful the Founders are. Don’t get careless.

AZ: That’s true, Kanato… Eve might be in danger…

K: Shut up, shut up, shut up! Stop scolding me!

AY: But you wouldn’t want Pancake to die either, right?

K: What? I don’t care. If she dies, I’ll turn her into a beautiful wax doll. I don’t see anything bad about that.

AZ: Then… What about Teddy?

R: Yes. If you let her die, you will never hold Teddy in your arms again. Are you fine with that?

K: I don’t understand. She’s mine. I can do with her however I please, and she will repair Teddy for me!

[Kanato starts walking away.]

AY: Hey, Kanato! Where are you going?

K: I’m going to look for her. Where have you hidden her?!

[Kanato leaves the room.]

10:04 AY: Tch. He’ll kill her himself in this state. Damn it, I got no time for this shit— Hey, Kanato, wait!

[Ayato follows Kanato.]

AZ: Ruki… I’m sorry. It’s my fault…

R: No, it’s fine. We need Eve the most, after all. 

AZ: Yeah, that’s true…

R: We’d better hurry. We have to get to the Demon World before the lunar eclipse reaches its climax.

AZ: To the Demon World…?

R: Yes. I think our odds of protecting Eve are better there. Can you go tell Kou and Yuma?

AZ: Yeah, got it… We will protect Eve… right?

R: That’s exactly why we’re leaving for the Demon World.

AZ: Ruki… If one of us becomes Adam… I wonder if… all of us will one day… see the same bright blue sky… that we saw back then.

R: Yeah. We might.

AZ: This time… Eve would be there with us… right?

[Azusa leaves the room.]

R: There is barely any time left… But we will be the ones to protect you, Eve. No matter what it takes.

[Wolves howl in the distance…]

[bellaxgiornata]

All These Years [Part 2: "Of Drinking and Dishonesty"]

Pairing: Matt Murdock x Fem!Reader

Summary: You met Matthew Murdock unexpectedly at Columbia University and you couldn't deny that there was an instant attraction–for you. But for Matt, you became as close of a friend to him as Foggy did. As the years pass by, your feelings only grow for your best friend, but all you can do is watch as he dates and sleeps with every other woman on campus and eventually in New York City but you.

Warnings/tags: 18+ for this series; contains emotional hurt with no comfort until the final installments, angst, pining, friends to lovers, slowburn, and eventually smut

Word Count: 3.9k

a/n: Enjoy the next little angsty installment for this series! I've been having fun writing a bit more about the college period than expected and our next installment gets angstier. Because who does Matt date in college? Yup. She's here. You can find the entire list of installments for this series here. Feedback is always appreciated if you're enjoying the series as well!

Tag list: @theetherealbloom @rotscinema

“Okay, okay, so I took Punjabi and didn’t learn anything. Big deal!” Foggy said, waving a dismissive hand. “At least I got to talk to that really hot chick in class.”

“But that’s all you did,” Matt pointed out. “You never even managed to get her number.”

Foggy let out a sigh, a faraway look on his face as he gazed just past Matt’s shoulder. You giggled at the sight; you’d heard the story about the girl Fog had taken Punjabi just to talk to many times before, but it never failed to amuse you how little he’d actually learned because he’d been distracted by her instead.

“So what about you?” Matt asked. 

He turned in your direction, leaning his elbows along the table and drawing himself closer to you. Your fingers were fiddling nervously with the beer bottle on the table in front of you, absently peeling the label from it. The way Matt was focused on you with that little grin on his mouth in the dimly lit bar had sent your heart racing, the weight of his sightless gaze on you behind his dark glasses making you nervous. For a moment your eyes lingered on his lips, wondering just how great of a kisser he might be. How it might feel if he just leaned a bit closer towards you and connected his mouth to yours. Or what it would be like to curl up with him in your bed after this, feel his tongue in your mouth and his hands roaming your body instead of someone else’s…

You cleared your throat, shoving those thoughts quickly away. You flushed when you realized you’d been staring silently at Matt, his brows having started to rise curiously onto his forehead at you.

“What about me?” you asked awkwardly.

“I never hear you talk about going on dates or taking classes just to meet a guy,” Matt said, that grin still on his mouth. “I think it’s your turn to spill some embarrassing stories.”

You met Foggy’s eyes on your other side, his smile faltering at Matt’s question. Swallowing hard, your gaze quickly dropped down as you focused on your beer bottle in front of you again. You shrugged in response.

“Guess no one’s caught my eye,” you lied.

Out of the corner of your eye you saw Matt shaking his head. Looking back up at him, you noticed his grin had widened on his perfect mouth. Immediately you frowned at the sight.

“Come on, be honest here,” Matt pressed, leaning even closer to you as one of his dark brows rose up onto his forehead. “You’ve never taken a class just to talk to someone? Or anything like that?”

You exhaled slowly, eyes falling away from Matt. It’s not like you could be entirely truthful here. Maybe you hadn’t taken a class to get to know someone you’d had a crush on like Foggy, or asked for assistance to intentionally get some one-on-one time with someone like Matt had often done. But you had become best friends with the guy you had a thing for. Rearranged your entire schedule to fit his so you could see him almost every day despite how utterly pathetic it often made you feel. 

But you certainly couldn’t admit that .

“Don’t tell me there’s no one you have a thing for,” Matt urged after a moment. “I won’t believe you.”

His arm slid across the table to nudge yours in a friendly, playful gesture. Your eyes instantly dropped down to where he’d touched you, your arm feeling like that single, brief touch had sent a burning fire through your entire body. But when your eyes darted back up to Matt’s face, your attention was drawn to just over his shoulder. There was a young woman in a group of a few others back at the bar, and it was obvious how her attention kept shifting back to Matt, checking him out.

Shoulders slumping, your head dropped low as you focused back on your beer bottle. That jealous, dejected feeling washed over you. It was one you’d become familiar with lately, feeling it whenever Matt was flirting, or being checked out, or out on a date, or clearly out having sex with someone. 

“Not anyone who’d ever notice me,” you muttered.

“Oh well now I’m sure that’s not true,” Matt said good-naturedly. “How could someone not notice you? You’re amazing. Right, Fog?”

Your head flew up, eyes going wide at Matt’s compliment. He’d called you amazing. Matt had never said anything like that before about you. Your mind suddenly was spiraling in a different direction for once, thoughts quickly running through your mind one after another.

Could Foggy have been right? Was it possible Matt maybe did have an interest in you? Maybe all this time all you’d needed to do was just tell him how you felt. Maybe he’d never asked you on a date before because you weren’t forward with your feelings like all of the other women who’d very openly flirted with him. 

Maybe it was just as simple as that.

“I tell her that all the time,” Foggy agreed easily. “And I’m sure whoever this guy is sees it, too.”

He shot you a pointed look before his eyes darted meaningfully across the table to Matt. Slowly your gaze followed where Foggy’s had, attention returning back to Matt. He had focused back on you as well, that beautiful charming smile of his on his mouth. Biting your lip, you contemplated thinking up some way to just tell Matt how you felt here and now and put everything out there in the open. Especially before the girl making eyes at him could come over and steal him away for the night. But before you could open your mouth, Matt was continuing on.

“You should really give yourself more credit,” he told you. “Any guy would be lucky to take you on a date.”

Hope was quickly rising in your chest, your body suddenly feeling weightless. “You–you think so?” you asked him cautiously.

“Absolutely,” he answered, one hand coming up to readjust his dark glasses on his nose. “You’re a sweet, intelligent girl. And you’re funny as hell. Honestly, I was not expecting you to be as hilarious as you are.”

“Yeah?” you asked.

Beside you, you noticed the way Foggy’s wide eyes were darting back and forth between you and Matt like he was just waiting for the moment one of you admitted feelings or something. It felt like your stomach was filling with hundreds of anxious butterflies all flapping about inside of you as that hope only bloomed further in you. 

“Oh, definitely,” Matt said with a nod. “You’re like a female Foggy. Which is high praise, because Foggy is the absolute best friend anyone could ask for.”

Instantly you deflated as if Matt had just punched you in the gut. 

You’re like a female Foggy.  

…the absolute best friend anyone could ask for.

Mouth dropping open, you sat there dumbfounded and hurt. Every ounce of hope that maybe you’d misread the situation–maybe he didn’t see you as just a friend–immediately dropped into your half finished bottle of beer and drowned. Your chest felt hollow as Matt’s smile briefly faltered before you. 

Attention returning back towards Foggy on your left, you saw him shooting you that all-too-familiar sad smile again. You wanted to crawl under the table and cry at the sight of it.

“You’re both suddenly really quiet,” Matt pointed out, his tone a bit nervous. “Did I–I say something wrong?”

You couldn’t look at him, your gaze dropping yet again to the table before you. Tears pricked at your eyes as you tried to fight them back, clearing your throat as you blinked hard a few times. 

“No,” you answered softly. “Thanks, Matt.”

“You–you sound upset,” he pointed out. “What’d I say wrong?”

“Dude,” Foggy began immediately, “you just told her she was best friend material when you were supposed to be giving her encouragement that she is more than that.”

“What? No,” Matt said quickly.

Your eyes caught sight of how fast his head turned in your direction out of your peripheral. That hollow feeling felt like it was only growing in your chest the longer you sat here. Maybe you should just call it a night and head back to your dorm before it swallowed you whole.

“That’s not what I meant,” Matt said earnestly. 

He said your name, his hand reaching out and feeling along the table before it eventually landed on your wrist. Your eyes snapped shut, your jaw clenching at the contact of his skin on yours when his fingers encircled your wrist. It wasn’t helping.

“Hey, I’m sorry, I wasn’t trying to say you were just friend material,” he continued. “That’s not what I meant. It came out wrong.”

“It’s fine, Matt, I get it,” you whispered, your voice breaking slightly.

“No, hey, I’m sorry. I’m an idiot,” he said in a rush, his hand holding tighter to your wrist. “Please don’t get upset. I just meant you’re a really great person, one of the best I’ve ever met. I’m sorry, I didn't mean it like that.”

“Yeah, alright,” you said with a nod, desperate for him to just stop.

“How about this,” Matt said, his tone picking up to something brighter, “you bring me with to meet this guy, and I’ll be the best wingman ever." 

You slipped your wrist out from Matt’s hold, no longer interested in sitting here and finishing your beer. Walking home in the cool evening and crying sounded vastly more appealing. Abruptly shoving your chair out, the legs of it making an irritating screech along the floor that was audible over the pop music playing, you slipped out of your seat.

“You heading back already?” Foggy asked, that knowing look on his face.

“Yeah, early class tomorrow,” you answered.

“Wait, hang on,” Matt said, pushing his own chair back as he turned in his seat towards you. “If you’re leaving because I upset you, I’m sorry.”

You sighed, pushing your chair back into the table so he wouldn’t end up tripping over it when he inevitably got up. “I’m leaving because I have an early class in the morning, Matt,” you deadpanned.

Your eyes caught the brief twitch of his eyebrows on his forehead as if he somehow knew you were lying. He opened his mouth to speak but you cut him off before he could try to apologize yet again. That, too, wasn’t helping. 

“I’ll see you guys later,” you said quickly, shooting Foggy a wave as you took a step back.

“Dining hall for lunch tomorrow?” Fog asked hopefully.

“Sure,” you answered, shooting him a tight smile. Turning, you muttered under your breath, “If I even have an appetite by then.”

Weaving your way through the fairly busy bar, you eventually made it to the exit. You pushed the door open, stepping out into the chilly late spring evening. You felt a bit of the tension easing from your body already, the street noise of the city vastly preferable to you than being in Matt’s proximity right now. You couldn’t sit there any longer listening to him apologize to you for viewing you as only a best friend. 

You were an idiot to have thought there was hope for something more between you both. Of course he was only saying nice things that a friend would say to another friend to make them feel better and build them up. It was the same thing he’d probably say to Foggy if he was interested in a girl. How stupid you were to think of it as anything else. 

Any guy would be lucky to take you on a date.

You laughed bitterly at his comment, your arms hugging tight to your chest as you made the short trek back to campus and towards your dorm. Any guy except for Matt would be lucky to take you on a date, that’s basically what you gathered this evening. Matt was probably going to be hit on by that girl at the bar in a matter of minutes. You were positive he’d end up in either her dorm or his shortly afterwards. But you were not someone Matt would take on a date.

A frown twisted your mouth downwards, tears stinging at your eyes. You didn’t want to think about yet another conquest for Matt. It felt shitty that Matt would sleep with almost any girl on campus except for you. Not that that’s all you wanted from him–because you wanted vastly more than to just fuck him–but it made you feel like there was something wrong with you. 

Why weren’t you good enough? What was so different about you that Matt didn’t want you like he did with those other girls?

A tear slipped down your cheek and you reached a hand up, wiping it away. Seconds later you heard your phone ringing in your pocket and your frown deepened. You reached down, pulling it out and looking at the caller ID. Matt’s name was on the screen. Your eyes closed as you came to a stop on the sidewalk. You didn’t want to talk to him, why the hell was he calling you?

For a minute you considered letting his call go to your voicemail and ignoring it. You could always just tell him later that you’d had it on silent and didn’t realize he’d called until the next morning. How would he know you were lying? 

But you felt guilty at the thought of ignoring him just because he’d unintentionally hurt you. It’s not like Matt could control who he was or wasn’t attracted to. That wasn’t his fault. With a sigh you flipped the phone open, bringing it to your ear.

“Hey, Matt,” you answered, trying to keep the waver out of your voice.

He greeted you with your name, his voice sounding a little out of breath. You frowned.

“What’s going on? Something happen at the bar?” you asked, brows furrowing.

“No, not exactly,” he answered quickly. “Fog saw this girl he likes there. I think her name is Marci? Figured I’d leave him to it and check on you, actually. Which is why I called. How far from the bar did you get? I was trying to catch up.”

Biting your lip, you turned on the spot, stepping out of the way of a small group of college kids walking past you. A little ways back you could make out Matt’s form heading down the sidewalk towards you, his cane tapping away in one hand, his other hand holding his phone to his ear. Shoulders dropping, you realized you were going to have to walk back with him. Which was the last thing you’d been wanting to do right now.

“You didn’t need to leave on my account, Matt,” you told him.

“You seemed upset, I didn’t want you to walk back alone like that,” he replied. “So how far away did you get?”

Sighing, you began walking back the way you’d come. “I can see you, I’ll just turn back around and meet you in a minute,” you said.

Both of you exchanged goodbyes before you hung up, slipping your phone into your pant’s pocket before you once again uncomfortably wrapped your arms around your chest. It took you about a minute to reach Matt and you greeted him once you did, watching as his head darted in your direction. That damn charming smile slipped onto his face instantly and you hated the way it made you feel.

“Was hoping I’d manage to find you,” he greeted you back.

“Congrats,” you muttered. “I can walk you back to your dorm, if you want.”

“Well now that defeats the purpose of me walking you back to your dorm,” Matt countered cheekily.

You rolled your eyes, unable to fight the small smile snaking its way onto your lips. Reaching out, you placed Matt’s outstretched hand in the crook of your arm. His warm fingers curled around you, that hollow pit in your chest suddenly growing larger as you began to guide him back towards campus. 

For a little bit neither of you spoke, your body tense as Matt held onto you while the pair of you walked back towards your dorms. His cane tapping along the pavement mixed with the noises of the city, the sound lingering heavily over the pair of you.

“Are you okay?” Matt asked, eventually breaking the silence.

His question caught you off guard, your lips pressing together as Columbia came into view. Once again, it’s not like you could be truthful with Matt. You couldn't tell him you had feelings for him–had them for months–and that him calling you a female Foggy had deeply hurt you. You’d only embarrass yourself and ruin your friendship with him.

“Yeah,” you answered.

Out of the corner of your eye, you saw his head turn swiftly in your direction. Your teeth ground together under the weight of his attention. 

“Can you be honest with me this evening?” he asked.

“Who says I’m not?” you countered.

“Because I know you,” he answered immediately. “You sounded close to tears earlier before you left the bar. You’re not telling your usual jokes or laughing. You’ve been pretty quiet most of this evening, especially during this walk. You’re just giving brief responses when I know you love to talk.”

Your eyes remained fixed on the sidewalk before you as you led the pair of you down a different path, one that would bring you towards the residence halls. Internally you cursed Matt and his astute observations. 

“Was it what I said at the bar?” he pried. “Because I didn’t mean it like that, I swear.”

“Can we please stop talking about that already?” you snapped.

Heat flooded your cheeks immediately after your outburst. You hadn’t meant to snap at him, but you were tired of hearing his apology. And you certainly didn’t need to hear him offer to be your wingman again.

“So it was what I said,” he replied. 

His head turned, his attention once again on you as you both continued to walk. Your gaze remained fixed ahead of you, though.

“Why did that bother you so much?” he asked gently.

“Because I–” you stopped instantly, unsure of how to navigate this conversation without giving everything away. You sighed, shaking your head. “Because I’m always the friend,” you admitted weakly, tears stinging at your eyes again. “And I don’t understand what’s wrong with me.”

“There’s nothing wrong with you,” Matt said earnestly. “Why would you even think that?”

You shook your head, glad when you saw your building coming into view. You were desperate for an excuse to get out of this conversation. Especially because you felt the threat of tears growing stronger.

"It doesn't matter, forget I said that," you replied.

Matt pulled you to a stop on the sidewalk instantly. Surprised, you turned towards him, beginning to blink back the tears threatening to spill forth.

"It does matter if it's got you this upset," he pushed. "I meant what I said earlier. Any guy would be lucky to take you on a date. And if whoever this guy is has got you feeling this down on yourself, he's probably an asshole."

You couldn't help the humorless laugh that fell out of you. Little did he know he'd just called himself an asshole and you couldn't help but see the humor in it. The sound of your laugh only caused Matt’s brows to furrow though, his fingers tightening their hold on your arm. 

"What?" he asked. "Why is that funny?"

Because it's you, you idiot.

"It's not funny," you answered instead. "I just feel stupid."

He said your name softly, shaking his head. "Hey, you're not stupid" he assured you.

You couldn't stop the tears that fell, that ache in your chest only deepening with every nice word from his mouth that didn't mean what you desperately wanted it to. Matt's head tilted to the side at your silence, but the moment you couldn't fight back a choked sob, he was quickly pulling you in towards him.

One of his arms wrapped around your back, the other gently drawing your head towards his solid chest, cradling you carefully against him as his fingers lightly stroked their way through your hair. Your own hands easily wrapped around him, holding tight to him as you cried into his shirt. His hand along your back began rubbing a soothing pattern, managing it somehow even with the cane still held in his hand. His comforting presence only had you fisting his shirt tighter in your hands as you became overwhelmed with your emotions, crying harder when you felt him rest his chin along the top of your head. Somehow his hands held you even closer to himself. 

You'd often imagined what it would feel like to be in Matt's embrace so many times before; what it would feel like to be in his arms, breathing in that warm, familiar scent of him. But you’d never pictured it like this. Never because you were crying over not being able to be with him while he unknowingly comforted you for it.

"Maybe he's not the right guy," Matt whispered. "If he can't see how great you are, maybe he's not the one worth feeling like this about."

"He's not an asshole though," you choked out, voice muffled against his chest. "That's the thing."

"You'll find someone," he assured you. "Someone who will see every wonderful thing about you. Someone who won't make you feel like this about yourself."

"He usually doesn't," you muttered. 

"Usually doesn't what?" he asked softly.

"Make me feel like this," you said, turning to rest your cheek against his chest. "Usually he makes me feel good. Happy." Your fingers tightened their hold around his shirt as you sniffled. "Special. But–but he doesn't know how I feel and I am positive he doesn't feel that way in return. And that's what hurts."

"How do you know if you don't tell him?" Matt asked.

Matt’s words at the bar ran through your mind again and your eyes snapped shut. 

You’re like a female Foggy.  

…the absolute best friend anyone could ask for.

"Believe me, I know," you answered stiffly. 

Forcing yourself to release your hold on Matt, you stepped back as he untangled his hold on you in return. You wrapped your arms uncomfortably around yourself yet again, your attention on your feet. 

"Sorry, this was stupid," you mumbled. "I can finish walking to my dorm myself, Matt. But thanks for uh, trying to help."

He took a step towards you, concern clearly written on his face. "I can walk you the rest of the way. It's not–"

"I want to be alone," you told him firmly. 

He stared at you in silence for a moment before he finally nodded. "Okay," he replied. "I'll see you tomorrow though, right?"

You sighed heavily, eventually nodding. Because you knew you were too weak to give Matt up. You knew that despite how much it hurt to see him with other women all the time, the thought of him permanently missing from your life hurt worse.

"Yeah, I'll see you tomorrow, Matty," you whispered. 

Turning, you made your way down the path towards your hall, tears still silently streaming down your cheeks. You ignored the stares of passing students, wiping away the dampness on your cheeks with the back of your hand as you walked. 

These feelings would eventually fade. They had to.

[greenqueenhightower]

I know u won't get my point, but Alicent should have paid more attention to Rhaenyra and respected her and her father's wishes and not have installed her fucking son on the throne. Things started going south when she married Viserys and when she wanted to strip Rhaenyra off her birthright

How about, no?

*Long Rant Incoming:*

1) Viserys didn't talk about "birthright." In the eyes of the smallfolk, Aegon has the "birthright" to rule simply because he is a male Targaryen heir. Alicent's position was vulnerable because Viserys never actually promised Alicent that Aegon would be king but neither did he specify exactly what his role would be and that was the point… all his children wanted his attention and love, and a place to belong. Viserys didn’t know what he wanted. Before naming Rhaenyra his heir, he wanted a son so desperately that he killed his wife for it. His conscience pained him badly afterward, and he decided to name Rhaenyra his heir. Nevertheless, he wanted a young woman to sleep with; he didn’t want a wife, he didn’t want more kids, and he had already named his heir. But he married Alicent and had those kids anyway. He really was so irresponsible and on top of that, he tells Alicent in episode 3 that he thinks he probably was wrong in making Rhaenyra his heir because of his dream/prophecy, so ofc Alicent was worried. Honestly, he could have made his mind up about Rhaenyra and shut up about it. Or he could have actually thought of his other kids and given them some work to do and trained them for some position if he truly cared for them. From the moment they existed, they were his responsibility. And for sure it makes sense why his kids by Alicent, not having known any special love from their father, would want to finally claim a position for themselves.

So, Viserys set the Dance in motion by his choices. If he had supported his Targtower kids and ensured they wouldn’t be threatened by their mad uncle (Daemon; who hated them just because they were Otto's and Alicent's blood) in the succession, then Alicent would have fewer reasons to establish Aegon on the throne.

2) Alicent spent time with Viserys because she had always considered her own self in reference to the Targaryens. What was she if not Rhaenyra’s childhood companion? When Otto compels her to visit Viserys she doesn’t want to. She brings along the book of histories she used to read to Rhaenyra. What else can she offer to the Targaryens? This is what they like: to talk about their legacies and their histories. So she might as well read to him, right? There’s no harm done. And she went. She does the bare minimum whenever they are together: the bare minimum of eye contact and conversation. Viserys was SO PERVERSE that even with the minimum attention from a teenager he wanted to fuck her. Not even make her his wife because he didn’t want another wife. And you see how surprised Alicent is when he declares so matter-of-factly that he will wed Alicent, no questions asked. Because she was the easiest bride-but-no-wife choice of them all. She already had her father in court who was a megalomaniac, and Viserys thought that by marrying Alicent he was giving Otto what he always wanted: greater opportunities for social climbing. So he’d stay out of his way, right? That’s what he wanted all along, right? So I can have your daughter any way I like, right? (Because had he married Laena, can you imagine being so chill with Corlys as a father-in-law? Ofc he wouldn’t desire anything potentially restrictive for him.) And I’m saying that he didn’t want a wife because of what he’d done before to Aemma. He had already made up his mind that (to console his own conscience and to honor Aemma’s memory) he would make Rhaenyra his heir. SO HE DIDN'T NEED ANY MORE HEIRS. Then why does he get married and have some more?? BECAUSE HE IS AN IDIOT and because he just wanted a young bride. He is the reason the war began, and his reckless choices, not Alicent wanting some compensation for her years of mistreatment and suffering. Because even after he got married and had those kids he still had time to make things right but he didn’t.

So Alicent didn’t marry Viserys, it was the other way around. He lusted after her and wed and bed her. Teenage Alicent couldn’t and wouldn't go against the will of the King.

3) Regarding the friendship between Alicent and Rhaenyra it was actually the opposite: Alicent many times tried to defend her and had her back even when Viserys and Otto believed the rumors of her losing her maidenhood (which as an unmarried heir was an insult to the crown). Alicent didn’t want to believe it and she supported her! However, even earlier than that, Rhaenyra cast Alicent off without understanding or offering consolation for the predicament she found herself in. She never tried to understand Alicent and never really paid enough attention to what her friend was going through even before she married Viserys. Alicent was alone and without a friend and Rhaenyra should have paid more attention to her.

4) Things really started to go south when Rhaenyra betrayed Alicent's trust by lying to her and continuing to flout her freedom, special treatment, and life without consequences to Alicent's face. The reason Rhaenyra had bastards and married Laenor was her own fault in the first place. Alicent tried to encourage Viserys to look for any potential suitors for her, and Rhaenyra had every opportunity to make the right choice but no, she messed it up by seeking out Daemon and then sleeping with Criston, so she brought it to herself. After what she did, there was no suitor available apart from Laenor, and her father forced her to marry him because no one else would. And then she had three Strong kids, making every mistake after the other (although I understand her completely: she had to have those kids because she wanted heirs and because that’s her body her choice, you know? She can sleep with whomever she wants) but at the same time, the game they all play is political and during the time and age we’re discussing, it was a big deal if you had bastard kids, especially since there already were THREE legitimate male Targaryen heirs whose fate was unsure and further endangered by Rhaenyra's actions. But it wasn’t Alicent’s fault that Rhaenyra had those kids, it was her own choice and she had to live up to the consequences of her actions. (She did this once by taking her children away from KL because she, too, recognized that they were being pointed at too much and it was getting too obvious).

5) Alicent knew that Rhaenyra wasn’t going to hurt her kids but the system they were born in would. In case she became heir, for Rhaenyra to secure her succession and have no challengers, Alicent’s kids had to die. Those displeased by Rhaenyra could easily dethrone her if there was an active male heir free to roam around Westeros. Alicent's sons would always be a challenge to Rhaenyra. And maybe Rhaenyra hadn’t thought about it per se and I trust that she never had vile intentions towards the kids (despite the deleted scenes where she gives death stares to Aegon) and despite never calling them by their names or developing a relationship with her siblings. Her own council and her uncle-husband would advise her to kill them. Their position wasn’t safe. Viserys could have secured it by giving them land and titles instead of the throne and by having them bend the knee to Rhaenyra but he didn’t. So their position was very much vulnerable because again, he didn’t care at all what happened to them, but Alicent, claiming the throne for her son, and saving his life the only way she knew how, DID.

[dw-writes]

Angelic Rip Off - Hazbin Hotel

AN: Okay, so, this is just like....a testing concept I guess? something that came to mind after talking over theories and such with @lpwrites about what's going on, and i thought this would be a fun reader to explore! i dunno if it's gonna be a series, but at least its something fun to maybe add to. this part here i guess serves as the...set up?? if you're curious about anything that happens in it, lemme know and I'll expand - i just threw this together at midnight so...yeah :D lemme know what you think Contains my own headcanons Warnings: Swearing, Violence, Spoilers

A million thoughts went through your head when you spotted Lilith being escorted into Heaven.

The first was of Lucifer. Most of them were of Lucifer, if you were being honest with yourself. How he wasn’t with her, which meant he was alone, which meant something went really fucking wrong if she was in Heaven on her own. Though not alone, which as your next though as you trailed after her and the angels that escorted her – fucking Adam was there, chattering away about something you couldn’t hear from the distance.

That made it double bad.

You were so caught up in your thoughts about what Lilith being in Heaven meant that you didn’t realize you were being too loud. Lute whipped around, glaring as she barred your way from continuing forward.

You stopped short. “Move,” you demanded.

“No.”

“I think you forget your place, which isn’t in front of me, so fucking move.”

“How about you eat shit and stop fucking following us.”

“Excuse me?”

Adam appeared behind her like a cursed shadow, the grin of his mask far more disturbing than it should’ve been. “Is there a problem here?” he asked, gripping Lute’s shoulders to move her. He shifted as he did, giving you a glimpse of Lilith entering an elevator far down the road, with Sera at her shoulder.

The angel’s eyes widened as her gaze locked with yours before the doors slid shut.

Lute stepped to one side of you. Adam, the other.

The silence that pressed in from the street finally told you how you saw something you shouldn’t have been able to see. You exhaled slowly, closing your eyes.

The days following were a blur – it didn’t matter that you’d spun the cosmos into existence, that you’d had an impeccable record for thousands of years, or that you didn’t actually fucking do anything – you were dragged in front of the angelic council with claims of rebellion. Adam and Lute provided testimony that you’d been conspiring to overthrow the seraphim and install yourself in their place, that your age and knowledge of the universe gave you more right to head it than anyone else.

Sera looked you dead in the eye as she found you guilty and dropped you from Heaven.

You landed in the immaculate front yard of one of the Goetia. It took months for him to help you heal correctly – your wings were a disaster for longer than that, all six of them shattered from the fall – but Stolas was happy to assist you, especially when your hand in creating something he loved about the world came to light.

He was less than thrilled when you told him that you needed an audience with Lucifer once you were fully healed almost a year after you crashed.

“Um, no,” he said, turning away from you, releasing the wing he’d been helping you to stretch.

You fluttered the appendage as it settled against your back with the other five, frowning at his statement. “Why not?” you asked. You stood. “You’re a prince of Hell. You’re more than qualified to ask for an audience – it’s practically standard right? You have meetings all the time.”

“Well, yes, of course we do, it’s required to ensure Hell runs smoothly,” he said as he turned back to you. You arched an eyebrow. “As smoothly as it can,” he corrected.

“So, what’s the problem?” you demanded, “I need to speak to him, and I have no foothold here, I have no power. You can sponsor me!”

“I can,” he agreed. He rubbed his claws together, glancing over his shoulder as he quickly waved them at you – keep your voice down.

You crossed your arms, folding into yourself as you perched on the edge of the bed. You were a secret to his wife – one he shared with his very curious daughter. He’d been terrified the day Octavia had stumbled upon you stashed away in one of the many rooms of the mansion, but you’d charmed her with your stories of the stars and galaxies that existed beyond Hell, and his worry had faded. “Why won’t you?” you whispered.

“When’s the last time an angel fell from Heaven, hm?” he asked as he gently sat next to you.

You pressed your wings tighter to your back. “That’s the whole point – that’s why I need to speak with him,” you murmured. You look up at your friend, whose wide red eyes stare at you with obvious concern. “Please, Stolas. I wouldn’t be asking for such a large favor if it wasn’t important.”

He rubbed his claws together again. “If you leave, you won’t be able to come back here,” he sighed. He leaned against his knees with a guilty slump to his shoulders. “It’s far too dangerous to sneak you in a second time,” he explained.

“I know,” you replied, “I wouldn’t want you to trouble yourself again for me. You’ve done far too much as it is.”

He smiled. “You’re my friend, my dear. I’d move stars for you, if I could.”

“I’d move them for you again,” you replied with a smile.

“You’ll visit, though?” he asked after a long moment of silence, “If all goes well.”

“Well, I can’t really leave Hell, Stolas,” you said, “And you’re my friend. Of course I’ll visit you.”

His feathers fluffed, and he smiled.

He didn’t hesitate in making the meeting after that. He made sure that it sounded urgent, said, “It cannot wait, sir, the sooner that we can meet, the better.”

You vaguely heard the reply of, “I have time this afternoon.”

Stolas escorted you, making sure that you would be alright once you were done, ensured that you knew multiple places that you could stay if Lucifer didn’t open his doors to you.

He hugged you before you entered the gates of Lucifer’s palace. You returned it fiercely, and promised to call him before the day was done. He passed you off to an imp waiting nearby, insisting that you were attending the meeting in his place, and disappeared.

You were led inside without a word.

The imp scurried off once you were led into the parlor, leaving you to look around the room unsupervised. There were large portraits with a very familiar Lucifer and equally familiar Lilith, and a young woman you didn’t recognize. There were plenty of apple motifs around the room, balancing out the wallpaper covered in patterns of long trees. It was a lovely parlor, and you wondered how much of it was Lucifer’s decorating or Lilith’s.

Though, if she had left him in Hell, you weren’t sure you cared too much about her decorating choices.

“Prince Stolas,” came a bored but familiar drawl, “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

You turned to the door that the imp had disappeared through. He hadn’t changed. He looked a bit taller than when you’d last seen him, though he had been dragged through the very empty streets of heaven at that time. He was dressed sharper, but didn’t wear a smile until he finally looked up from the floor to meet your gaze.

Then he froze.

Lucifer didn’t know what to say when he saw you in his palace. There was supposed to be a gangly owl Goetia standing in his parlor, not an angel, and especially not one he’d been ashamed to say he missed over the last ten thousand years. He hadn’t seen you since the day before his fall. You’d both watched the stars you had worked so hard to make move across the sky as you talked about what you both hoped the world would be, and he told you about Lilith, and Eve, and the Garden, and joked about Adam.

“I know,” he remembered you saying, “You told me when it happened, Luci.”

“Well, you can’t blame a guy for being excited!” he’d replied. He’d sighed, leaned into your shoulder, and wistfully told you how beautiful she was. And you had told him how happy you were for him.

No, he thought as he sluggishly moved forward, eyes scanning over your face. No, the last time he’d see you was when you’d been running after him while the angels had dragged him before the council.

He whispered your name as he got closer, glancing at the door behind you, then laughed nervously. “Is this a joke?” He moved around you, staying close to the wall of the parlor as he inched towards the door. “Lil?” he laughed again, “You playin’ a prank? You come home and bring me an old friend?”

“Luci,” you whispered.

“No, no, no,” he said, shaking the apple atop his cane at you. “You’re not supposed to be here!” he trills, turning back to you, “You’re supposed to be in Heaven! You’re supposed to be there—”

“Where Lilith is?” you cut in.

He audibly swallowed.

You moved towards him, stopping short when he backed up against the wall. “They kicked me out, Luci,” you said with a sigh, “About a year ago, I saw Lilith up there, and I questioned it, and they put me in front of the council and kicked me out.”

Lucifer all but lunged towards you, dropping his cane as he gripped your arms. “You saw her? Is she alright? Did they hurt her?”

You squeezed his arms with a frown. “No, she was fine. Sera was escorting her somewhere, what?” your frown deepened, “Why was she there in the first place, Luci? What happened?”

His grip on your arms tightened for a moment. Turning, he guided you towards a couch set near the fireplace in the parlor. He moved for you to sit, then fell into the spot next to you.

“Heaven asked for a meeting,” he sighed, pulling his hat from his head, “Said that they were worried that, with our growing number of Sinners, we would start a rebellion.”

“What?” you asked. You shook your head. “That’s never come up. Who…”

“Sera,” he said, slumping, “And Adam, of course, can’t keep his nose out of people’s business.” He fiddled with the snake on the edge of his hat. It slithered, it’s head resting on his hand. “They wanted to come down and do a mass extermination. Wipe out,” he paused, his breath hitching in his throat, “Wipe out everyone. From the imps to the sins.”

“That would change the face of Earth,” you said, shaking your head, stuttering over your worlds, “That would change everything.”

“We know,” he whispered. He scrubbed his hand over the back of his neck. “We made a deal. All of the hellborn would be safe from the extermination,” he said. He smiled, weakly, looking up at you, “We have a child, you know. A girl. Her name’s Charlie, and she’s amazing.”

You blinked slowly. Your heart twisted in your throat at the news, realizing why the girl in the portraits looked so familiar, but you smiled and whispered, “You’ll tell me all about her, I’m sure,” followed by, “She went in exchange.”

“Lilith did, yeah,” he replied, “Said that we couldn’t just include Charlie in the deal, we had to include everyone. She’s attached to them all, like they’re her own children, too.”

You sat back, sliding your hands over your face as you sighed, “Because she’s the mother of all demons.”

“Exactly,” he groaned. He flopped back next to you, allowing the snake to crawl over his fingers. “So, she’s there. Collateral or…a hostage, I dunno. She offered herself up. Not that there was a choice, there was no fucking way they were letting me back in under any circumstances.” He slumped. “I’m glad you’re here, though,” he said with a small smile, “I’ve missed you, starlight.”

You leaned against his shoulder. “I’ve missed you, too, sunshine,” you whispered. You held your hand out for the golden snake to investigate. “I’m here now, you know. I’ll help you however I can.”

“Thank you,” he replied. You both watch the snake wrap around your wrists in lazy circles. “I’ve made, like, a shit ton of rubber ducks ever since Lilith left. You wanna see them?” he suddenly said, breaking the comfortable silence.

“Is this because you can’t see the ducks on Earth?” you asked with a slow smile.

“Obviously. I worked so hard on them, I’m fucking furious that I can’t see them," he scoffed, shifting, a large pout on his face, "And there’s no ducks here, I can’t get them to thrive, it’s annoying.”

You snorted. Gently pulling your hand free from the snake, you patted Lucifer’s knee and stood. “Show me your ducks,” you stated, “And tell me all about Charlie.”

[prince-liest]

I know you’ve gotten asks already talking about how happy they are that you’re going more in depth on the subject of Vox being trans in your next installment, but I can’t help myself… I’m so excited that you’re writing about that. It can be difficult to find trans rep in fandom spaces sometimes and your stories are so well written that this is like a gift from god. SO ANYWAY I’m super happy and your works are amazing and I just hope you know how many people value your works for all that they give.

Secondly, I was wondering whether or not Vox would have been trans on earth or just in hell? I mean I’m sure it would be difficult considering the time period but I also couldn’t think of a reason why he would be cis on earth but trans in hell. UNLESS he realized he was trans in hell/was finally able to do something about it?? Anyway, all of this is just speculation, I am only curious!!

Regardless, great work. It genuinely means a lot to me, if no one else :)

Oh, man, I'm ngl, one of my little, "Wait! I can do anything I want!!!!" moments of going mad with power once I got more and more experience at writing was realizing that I could just trans anyone's gender at-will and I didn't need anyone's permission for that. I still remember the first time I quietly decided an OC of mine was trans (love you, Laledy, you obnoxious asshole). I'm always a little apprehensive to start writing trans characters in new fandoms, mostly because I've been in a number of fandoms that have corners that get very tetchy about their weird gender role stuff, but it's consistently been met with such a positive reaction that it really brings me joy. So thank you so very, very much!!

My personal take on Vox in 666 specifically (a lot of which isn't going to come up because he does not want to get into it) is that he wasn't personally really in a position or environment conducive to considering trans-ness as, like, a thing that happens when he was alive, and he put his all into putting on The Correct Gender Performance with the vim and aplomb that we see from him in canon, plus all the underlying bullshit that goes into maintaining that facade. So, y'know. The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, minus the Jewish. Which did not do amazing things for his mental health, not that he let himself pay attention to that at the time!

And then he wakes up, in hell, with this weird-ass demon body with a television for a head, and - well, it just makes sense to present as a man at that point, doesn't it? Hell is dog-eat-dog, and he's not going to pick the submissive gender to put himself on the back foot from the start!

He figures out what the fuck being trans even is eventually, just. Not for a while, and not until after someone like Valentino, having known and assumed that Vox is trans as a given for fucking months, mentions it offhandedly to Vox, who had been mentally describing himself as "just lying about his sex like those girls in stories that get shit done by dressing up as men". Then he gets to have his own little spiral about it, and also why it's upsetting him, and why he felt so vulnerable about Valentino knowing, and why Valentino specifically, Mr. Fishnets, Heels, and Microminis, is the one that ended up in a position not only to know this about Vox but for Vox to feel comfortable having any kind of sex with. It wasn't something Vox had to analyze back when it was just "her" freaky boyfriend being into pegging!

Okay, fuck, I have even more feelings about trans Vox than I thought I did, hahahaha.

Might fuck around and write a staticmoth-centric prequel interlude at some point if I have the brain cells for it. Vox is a lot more confident and comfortable with his gender now, to the point where he can absolutely see fucking around in a dress for kinky reasons as crossdressing and not being forced back into a box that doesn't fit, but it'd be neat to explore the earlier days. Val isn't here for gender, he's here to be sexy, but Vox... this IS the origin of the daddy kink, just saying.

[jpitha]

Between the Black and Grey 53

First / Previous / Next

Northern Lights coasted through the deep interstellar, moving at 80% the speed of light. Zhe had never been relativistic before and the view outside looked decidedly odd. The stars ahead were sharp, harsh blue pinpricks and the ones behind were the deep red embers of a dying fire. They had been accelerating for the last month, and Northern had finally turned off the stardrive. Zhe was able to leave the acceleration couch. After a shower, she sat in her cabin, brushing her fur.

"Thanks for taking me along, Northern."

"Oh, it's fine Zhe, it's not like I'm short on space." Northern's voice came seemingly from everywhere when Zhe talked to her. It took some getting used to, but by now Zhe was able to just start talking to herself and hear Northern answer. "Actually, can you go down to the hold and check on our cargo?"

Zhe's ears flicked in amusement. She was pretty sure this was just to give her something to do. "Sure Northern, but can't you check on it yourself?"

"I can, yes, but my cameras will never be as good as someone walking up to them, checking on them, making sure they're ready." Northern said.

Shrugging, Zhe finished brushing, and went down to the hold. She snapped on the lights, and there in two straight lines were eight, 3 meter long lozenges of tungsten. Even in the dark hold they looked unsettling. Attached to all of them was a girdle of maneuvering jets and a miniaturized reactor. On the rear was a lump of metal that looked almost biological. It was blended and formed to look like a growth from the tungsten. A wormhole generator. Zhe stared at her reflection in the mirror finish of the weapons. "Northern? Are we doing the right thing?"

"What do you mean, Zhe?"

"I mean, these are relativistic impactors. It's a serious escalation. Piracy is one thing, I'm from a family of pirates. But, this is like, war crime stuff. We're planning on destroying-"

"We're destroying a shipyard and some Imperial military installations. No civilians, Zhe. I promise."

"Yeah, but-" Zhe's sounded unsure. Her reflection in the tungsten looked back, her features distorted by the curves. "It's a line, and we're not only crossing it, but we're sprinting over it."

"Zhe, we've been trying to get Fen's attention for what, a year now?"

"More or less, yes." Zhe said, still staring at the weapons.

"Has anything worked?"

Zhe had to admit that it hadn't. They had started with some piracy, attacking colonial shipping and they made a pile of money; sending it back to the Heap, and even became slightly notorious in a few systems, but never got Imperial attention. "No, not really."

"So, we attack where she makes and trains ships, and she'll have to go after us. If nothing else, we reduce her ability to make war."

"People are going to hate us." Zhe sighed. That was what probably annoyed her the most. Zhe prided herself on being friendly and outgoing, and here she was, about to do something that could make her vilified to every human.

"Not all of them! There are plenty of humans that hate the Empire. All the AIs too."

"Northern, I've read human history, I know what happened to New Wellington."

One of the original colony worlds, New Wellington sat with Parvati and Mèihuá as the three jewels in Earth's colonial crown. However, shortly after the wormhole generators were developed a war broke out between Parvati and New Wellington. After years of fighting, Parvati won by sending relativistic impactors to New Wellington, destroying the colony completely. The shock of the attack was so great, relativistic weapons were banned, and Parvati was ostracized for decades. To this day, relations between Parvati and Mèihuá are chilly.

"We're not destroying a colony, Zhe. We're hitting shipyards and a few military bases on Luna. We're almost at the drop point. Do the final checks and come on back up to the Command Deck." Northern said, and cut the connection.

Zhe stared at the weapons a moment longer. She touched the one closest to her, the metal cold and impersonal. She shook her head once, like she was clearing something off her fur, and her ears flicked. "Ancestors, what are we doing?" she whispered, but then turned her back and made her way back up to the Command Deck.

Upstairs, Zhe settled into the commander's seat. It was really only a formality, Northern was the one in charge, but she liked being the biological being in command, and Northern let her at least give some of the orders. Zhe was sure that in a real emergency, Northern would take over, but maybe she would let Zhe make some of the decisions. "Northern, did you tell Gord what we were doing?"

"No, I didn't want to bother him. He has enough going on right now." Northern's voice sounded jovial but distracted. She was devoting very little energy to speaking to her friend.

"Did you even tell him? He's going to worry when some relativistic impactors link into Sol and destroy some bases and the shipyards."

"Worry about what, Zhe? Gord hates the empire as much as we do. He'll be happy someone it taking the initiative."

"Hmm." Zhe said, unconvinced. "Are we launching soon, Northern?"

"Yup. Just a few more minutes. We'll release, and then you have to go back to the acceleration couch for the decel."

Another month strapped in the acceleration couch while Northern thrusted at a few gee to slow down. If they linked back now, they'd still be moving at 80% light and would pass out of every star system they linked to in a few hours. Zhe would have to play her games and read her novels again. She had gone through all her entertainment on the acceleration, she didn't have anything else to do. Zhe wondered how much time will have passed. She knew about the time dilation issues traveling relativistically, but being gone for 3 to 4 months probably wouldn't change the calendar that much.

"We're ready to launch, Zhe. Would you like to do the honors?" As Northern said that, a panel rotated next to her, showing a control screen Zhe hadn't seen before. Peering at it, she saw the coordinates for the wormhole generators on the weapons. It looked like two were going to the Heinlein Shipyard, two to the Besmara Shipyard, and the remaining four to Imperial bases on Luna, Venus and Saturn. They would link into space a million and a half kilometers away, giving everyone less than five seconds notice before the strike. There was nearly no defense against the attack.

Zhe held her hand over the button. She couldn't shake the visuals that she saw of New Wellington. She had learned a lot about relativistic impactors while she was in the couch. "N-No, Northern. I can't do it."

"You can't? Why not Zhe?"

"I... just can't. I can't be the one that launches them."

"You sure were all for it when we left, Zhe. You could have said no at anytime." Northern sounded irritated. "This is important Zhe. It's necessary."

"Who says it's necessary? You?"

"Yes, me, Zhe. I'm the ship, I made the weapons, it was my idea. If we want Fen to find us, if we want to find Fen, we have to be noticed. Not only will we get noticed, but we will strike a blow against their warmaking abilities. You've seen the dreadnoughts they're building as much as I have, Zhe. Fen isn't building them for fun. She means to expand. She will attack the Gren, the Sefigans, the K'laxi. She'll attack anyone that stands in her and the Nanites way, and you know it."

"I just... wish there was a different way."

"There isn't Zhe. I launched them already and they linked away while you dithered. It's done. Now, get into the acceleration couch, I'm going to start decelerating."

Zhe blinked in astonishment, and her ears flicked rapidly. So it was true. She was just along for the ride. She got up, and without another word climbed into the acceleration couch.

[thelampisaflashlight]

A Lack of Engagement Pt. 7: Favor

[Previous Entry: Here. A shorter installment, mostly because the next one will be the final entry in the ALOE series, and I wanted to drag things out a little more lol] Below the cut.

Despite the haste of their departure, once Rain's bedroom door is shut tightly behind them, they both take a moment to breathe and take in the room.

Rain's room is much the same as it was in the other universe, safe for the distinct lack of Dew's things, a subtler reassurance that they had safely returned to their reality, but a relief nonetheless.

Plopping down on the bed, neither of them can think of what to say, until...

"I want to do this slowly." Dew says, placing his hand over Rain's, a gesture that has the water ghoul looking over and shyly meeting his eyes, "...Is that okay with you?"

"I'll survive." Rain laughs, but after a pause, he says, "I have no problem with that... but I do have to ask, why?"

Dew links their hands together and worries his thumb over Rain's, "'Cause I like you, Rain. I really, really like you... and it's not... It's different with you somehow... and I want to know for certain that that's how I really feel, ya know?"

"You're worried that you might not actually like me?" Rain questions, and Dew quickly shakes his head.

"No, I just... You're my friend, and that means you're special to me, and I'm worried that if feelings get involved, or..." Dew takes a deep breath, "I want to enjoy... building something with you. I don't want this to be a fling or some heat of the moment hookup that ends in heartbreak... I've never really gotten to do any of the stupid, silly couple shit that other people have, but I want... I want to do those things with you. Before it becomes anything more than that."

Rain squeezes Dew's hand, "Tell me what you want. Talk to me about it."

Dew smiles and pulls Rain down onto the bed with him so they can lay together, fingers still intertwined.

"I... I want to go on dates together. Like when we went to the aquarium for my birthday." he says, "I want to hold hands and go for walks together, no pressure, just... Rainy, I want to do a lot of wholesome shit with you."

"Aww-"

"And then I want you to take me home, take me back to this room, and do the most disrespectful things to my body."

"Ohh~?"

Dew snorts and turns his head towards Rain.

"What do you want from this? From us?" Dew asks, "Do you want this?"

Rain closes his eyes.

"I want to get to know you in ways that no one else is allowed to." he says, "I want to look at you and know you're mine, and not just physically... I think. Emotions are hard and I know what you mean about... not wanting to fuck up what we have by rushing into something we're both a little shaky on."

"But I think going on dates, spending time together... I'd like that."

"Even if we don't have sex any time soon?" Dew inquires.

"If you're not ready for that, you're not ready for it. End of story." Rain assures him, "...I do have to admit that you showing me your dick in the bathroom did send a bit of a mixed message at the time-"

"Ugh, I can't believe I did that..." Dew groans, covering his face with his free hand.

"And the size..."

"Hey! I'm a grower, not a shower." the ghoul hisses, "...Speaking of dicks though... How're we going to find that thing without driving ourselves nuts looking all over the place for it?"

Rain thinks for a moment before opening his eyes.

"We could ask the groundskeeper for help."

"The groundskeeper...? What for?"

Rain sits up again, slowly.

"We know that the dick disappeared from the other world by falling into the lake at some point or another, but it somehow wound up inside the abbey, hence the rumor."

Dew nods.

"Maybe after we touched it, it tried to blip back, or maybe it did -in which case we're screwed and we're gonna have to pool our funds to buy the toll man a custom dildo- so maybe it ended up in the lake again...?"

"I mean, it's possible." Dew agrees, still laying down, "You think they'd be willing to help us? The groundskeeper that is?"

Rain hums, leaning back on his palms.

"I don't see why not. She lives by the lake anyway, she'd probably want to know if something weird or interesting was in it."

"She does?" Dew asks, "Is that who lives in the cabin over on the other side of the lake then?"

"Yeah, her name is Beatrix." Rain says, "I've talked to her a couple times, she's... very American."

Dew stares at him.

"Psycho or yee-haw eagle screech?"

Rain scrunches his nose and thinks.

"...I was gonna go with the yee-haw one, but I think Beatrix has the capacity to kill a man, and, honestly, that'd explain how she wound up here." Rain comments, "Sometimes I see her eyeing Copia while she's out driving the utility truck around, and you can almost hear her thinking about it."

"...How have I not met this woman yet?"

The water ghoul gives a concerned chirp, "...I think I'm going to regret introducing you two, aren't I?"

.

.

.

"...So let me get this straight." The groundskeeper says, hands pressed together in a prayer like gesture, "You want me to dredge the lake for a giant metal dick? One that was previously in the abbey's erotic art collection -which I was completely unaware of, the fuck kind of place is this- but, in another universe, fell into and/or was deliberately pushed into the lake during some kind of party?"

Rain and Dew nod, watching the woman's face shift from utter disbelief into a tired stare followed by a shrug and a, "Meh, why not? There are worse ways to spend an afternoon..."

"You're a lifesaver, Beatrix!" Rain sighs in relief, looking to Dew who smiles, "How can we ever repay-"

"It's just Bea." She says flatly, "Blueberry bushes."

Rain blinks.

"What?"

The groundskeeper gestures towards a cluster of blueberry starters sitting in a trailer attached to the abbey's utility vehicle.

"Mountain was supposed to help me plant those, but we got into an argument about something unrelated, so neither one of us has touched them all day, and they need to go into the ground asap, so..." Bea hands Dew a shovel, "There's only fifteen of them, so it shouldn't take you that long. That being said, heed the instructions on the booklet, don't fuck it up, and we'll be right as your namesake when all is said and done."

Dew watches the groundskeeper walk away and then turns to Rain.

"Why do I feel like this is going to be more work than looking for the dick ourselves?"

"It'll kill time at least..." Rain concedes, looking at the blueberry starters in the trailer, "...What do you think those two fought about?"

"Beats me." Dew replies, swapping the shovel back and forth between his hands, "You're the one who'd know her better, between the two of us."

"And Mountain knows her best." Rain says, "...Her and I, we talk, but her and Mount are buddies."

"Fuckbuddies or...?"

"Sure, we bang on the regs." Bea deadpans, appearing beside them once more, moving eerily silent for a human being, "Small hiccup in the plan, boys; Lake's fucking huge and I need to know some more specifics before this turns into a day long affair."

"But the blueberry bushes-" Rain starts.

"-Can wait five seconds while you point out the spot along the shoreline I should be searching." she says, "I realized about ten steps into my walk that I have literally no fucking idea which part of the lake to look at, and I'd rather work smarter not harder, especially if I gotta be in before the sun goes down."

"Before the sun goes down... What??" Rain splutters in confusion, "What are you, a reverse vampire??"

Bea glances over at the opposite shoreline.

"No, but if I don't get inside my cabin by sundown, Mountain said he's going to hunt me for sport, and then I'd be an undead, dead something or other, I guess." she says, "Think he might be serious this time."

"He's going to hunt you for sport??" Rain cries, "W-What did you do??"

"I called him 'submissive and breedable' as a joke, ya know, like the meme, and he may have taken that as a challenge."

"...And you're just gonna..." Rain tries to find the right words, "...I'm realizing now you don't sound in the slightest bit afraid. This is a sex thing, isn't it?"

"Don't kink shame me, or I'm not going to help."

"Okay, okay-"

"So you are fuckbuddies..." Dew says, nodding his head, "That's nice. Good for you."

"Thank you." Bea gestures towards the lake, "Now then, before I get furious, feral forest monster dick, let's go find yours."

Rain snorts.

"What?"

"No, I just... I guess it just hit me that we're looking for a giant dick." Rain laughs, "...It's been a long week."

Dew pats his shoulder, "Yeahh..."

Bea checks her phone.

"It's Monday, but same, bud, same..."

[wildemaven]

forever | agent whiskey

-> pairing: agent whiskey x f!reader

-> wc: 821

-> content warning: alluding to sex, accidental marriage, talks of annulment/divorce, fluff, happy ending, mention of drunken mistake

-> a/n: this is a third installment to my accidentally got married to Jack in Vegas. Had this random thought this morning and thought I’d give them a happy ending.

part one | part two | masterlist

The doors of the courthouse stare you down as you sit frozen in your parked car. The reality of why you are here is your own doing— you had set the appointment up, demanded that he actually show up and be here on time. Yet, you can’t seem to bring yourself to walk through those doors that will bring an end to the one thing that’s been weighing heavy on your heart the last 24 hours.  

He’s your partner. Your friend. And now your husband, in a marriage you never wanted, never dreamed about. You were independent and career driven, you didn’t have time to fall in love and play family. You were an agent before anything else, a damn good one at that. 

And as much as he is a thorn in your side, on even a good day, there’s this small part of you that has started to feel complete with him. 

Life carried on like normal after your last big assignment produced this drunken martial mess. Neither of you spoke of it at work, and no one mentioned the shiny gold hardware that adorned both of your left hands. 

Behind closed doors was a different story. The same song and dance routine of falling into bed with him after insisting things needed to end before someone got hurt. Your judgment seemingly clouded by lust driven promises and hours of passion at the hands of a man whose heart was more invested in this charade than you were. By morning, guilt and regret crept in and you were grabbing your clothes and stumbling out the door yelling to the naked cowboy in bed, This is the last time Jack! 

Only it wasn’t, no matter how hard you tried. You couldn’t figure out why you were so drawn to him, despite the fact that you were literally begging him for this marriage to come to an end. 

Jack was your best friend when you needed him most. An incredible partner who always had your back through any situation. And even with the amount of snoring that came from his side of the bed, he had become a loving husband. 

You release a deep steady sigh. Grabbing your purse along with the stack of legal papers from the passenger seat, you dolefully make your way to the courthouse entrance. And like many times prior, you’ll sit alone in front of the judge in the empty courtroom, wait until he’s scolding you for wasting his time yet again because your husband— Jack didn’t show up. 

The large wooden doors creak open as you land on the top steps and you’re met with a familiar face you hadn’t expected to see. 

 “Jack?” You barely managed to whisper his name, shock still flooding your system, the papers in your hold crinkle as you grip them tightly. 

“Yer late Darlin’. Judge wasn’t too happy either. Dismissed the appointment. Said he’s not makin’ another one until we can both be here together and on time.” There’s a tinge of sorrow in his voice, he looks out into the parking lot, trying to avoid your gaze. 

He looks handsome in his blue jeans and leather jacket, your favorite look of his. He’d even worn it that night in Vegas, making the memory of that night a little more special. 

“You showed up.” You say, saddened at the thought that he finally decided he was done too. 

“Isn’t that what you wanted? Get divorced so you could go live yer life, without me botherin’ you.” You can hear the hurt in his voice as he stands in front of you, hands firmly on his waist. 

“I do— did.” Your heart starts to speak for you. “I thought I wanted this Jack, I did want it. But— I…”

“What are ya tryin’ to say?” He takes a step closer, removing his glasses, revealing his handsome mustached face fully to you. 

“I’m not sure— I thought this was what I wanted.” Pointing to the ornate building you’re both standing in front of. “But now that you’re here, I don’t think I can go through with it.”

This kiss feels different. It’s unhurried and soft. It’s all butterflies and feelings of happiness. It’s an all encompassing experience, the first of many more to come and you want to feel like this forever. 

“Well, that settles that then. Question is, yer place or mine, Darlin’?” He asks. His left hand cupping the side of your face, you lean into it. The coolness of his ring, mirroring the one you still wear as well, against your cheek is a welcomed sensation. 

“Seeing how we both have the afternoon off, how ‘bout we go find our place?” You suggest, eager to show him the listings you had already been looking at this morning. 

“Our place, huh? Sure you won’t get tired of this cowboy?” 

“I survived this long, I’m sure I can handle forever.”