#can barely do it with ice besides Internal Lingering because there's so few opportunities with other muses / or ppl don't know

[darkestrellar]

Svern didn't have non-pokemon verses until the start of this year!! I have discovered The Joy of making other verses for him because of intense brainrot + getting a better grasp of his character

I don't know if I could ever try to make him look not-pokemon ranger focused though. If I finally get around to making him a promo I'd specify there that he's not strictly a pokemon oc (anymore) but I Need to stamp my pokemon ranger blogs with the Big Pokemon Ranger Stamp

[artsoupsoupart]

911 Smut Week: Turn Blue

Day 2: Day Two: Handcuffs, sex toys, anything you want to incorporate into a pwp and/or have a plot too.

A/N: I’d like to apologize bc these prompts are gonna be SO late lol. But I’m committed to finishing these and Madney Week lol 

Read on Ao3 

Maddie Buckley is a goddamn tease. It’s a fact that Chimney has developed a love for over the past few months as they’ve grown closer as a couple. Sure, she’s boosted his ego many times by letting him know he’s better at it than she is. And he is. But still, Maddie is learning and exploring, and she has her talents. She’s sneaky and calculative, striking as though she’s a lioness and he’s her unsuspecting prey. Maddie doesn’t have to necessarily do or say anything to get the man riled up. She’s a woman of few words but the look in her eyes and the sway of her hips always tells him exactly what he needs to know about the game she’s formulated in her mind.

Maddie has been tempting him for the past seventy-two hours. Her kisses before either of them leaves for work are slow, deep, filled with a heated passion that makes him want to call out sick and focus on only her and her body and her pleasure. Her touch lingers against his hips and waist and biceps. She has pressed against his chest more than once, sometimes braless so her pebbled nipples can be felt through their clothes. At the karaoke bar the night before, Maddie had let her hand, which had been not so innocently on his thigh the entire night, trail up towards his crotch, a perfectly painted nail tracing over the zipper as he hardens under her touch with their friends and coworkers singing and drinking away, little words being whispered into his neck that send a shudder through him and his ears blaze red. It took everything in him to not drag her to the restroom and show her exactly what she does to him. And still, she did not give him the release he so desperately needed last night.  Maddie Buckley is a goddamn tease, and she sports this devilish smile with confidence because she knows the affect she has on him.

When they’re finally free from the constraints of work and siblings and friends and have the opportunity to simply indulge in one another, her torture (because that’s exactly what this is no matter how much he enjoys it) begins with Chimney stripped bare and put on display for her on the couch like a five-star meal or perhaps precious jewels. She truly has Chimney practically drooling at the sight in front of him: tanned skin beneath simple but lacey black underwear, her curled hair long and flowing along her shoulders. The heels. That’s what really has Chimney’s breath stuttering. The heels she has on are tall and a deep blood red. He has half a mind to blurt out that she could do absolutely anything to him as long as the heels stay on. But this isn’t his game, it’s hers and she’ll refrain from giving him what he needs if he oversteps.

She takes a few steps forward and leans down close to him, a millimeter away and he can feel the heat radiating from her entire body. Or perhaps it’s his. Maybe both. Both is good. His eyes drop to her cleavage and his eyes glaze over in lust as her lips press to his in a bruising kiss. Chimney reaches up to place his hands on her waist, her hips, her breasts, anywhere he can reach but they’re instantly slapped away. She clicks her tongue as if scolding him, her lips trailing along his jaw to his ear which she takes between her teeth before she whispers in his ear, “No. Touching.”

The order is more for her own good than his because as soon as his hands get to explore familiar paths, she loses her resolve and lets him have his way with her. She doesn’t want that though he’s sure she would have no problem prolonging his torture for another day.

When his hands move back to the couch, he wants to curse because there’s nothing to hold on to as Maddie says, “good boy”, and her lips begin their descent down the column of his neck. She stops at his Adam’s apple for a moment, nipping and chuckling as it bobs up and down when he thickly swallows. He’s cute like this, needy like she normally is and as ready as ever. It’s been a fun few days of seduction, of mentally edging him until she could do so physically. Her tongue swirls around his surprisingly sensitive nipples, enjoying the way he squirms beneath her lips before she trails down washboard abs. Maddie sits on a fluffy pillow on the floor between his legs, eye level with his erection. He’s sure he sees absolute lust on her face and something else that is commanding and dominant and, God, he wants her to get it over with so he can bury himself within her. Long nails scratch at thighs that tense under their pressure. His hands clench into fists and for a moment Chimney wonders if he can keep his arousal at bay.

“I want you to last as long as you can, Chim. Can you do that for me?”  

She says it so innocently yet so… sensually and his mind briefly fogs as his imagination runs. He doesn’t want to, doesn’t want to stave off his orgasm because he needs her more than he thinks he’s ever needed anyone before. But he will. He will because it’ll be worth it in the end. Chimney nods, swallowing again, his mouth dry with want.

“Use your words,” she scolds as her head tilts, and she raises a brow.

He has to tell himself to play her game, to be compliant, maybe a bit subservient because it’ll be worth it. What’s to come (and his revenge) will be absolutely glorious. “I can do anything for you.”

That’s exactly what she likes to hear. She leans her head against his thigh, her nose just shy of pressing against his erection. The amount of blood rushing to his dick truly has him a bit lightheaded. Maddie isn’t sure if he’s been this aroused by her before, but she makes a mental note to tease him more often if this is the response she’ll receive. Pearly teeth dip into her lip as the pad of her finger runs over a thick, throbbing vein. This beautiful cock that is hers to please and use twitches beneath her touch. Maddie internally swells with power. She breathes him in, the scent heady, musky, and masculine, so uniquely Chimney that it makes her mouth water.

For what seems like forever, she simply touches him. Her fingers are featherlight. The point of her nose joins her fingers every now and then and that’s something he never knew would make the fire in his gut blaze so bright. She avoids the tip, the most sensitive part of him besides his heart, though it’s been dripping precum for almost as long as she’s been touching him. The thick drops trail down his shaft aiding in the sensations of lithe digits that have barely touched him. He can do this, it’s not that bad. That’s the lie he tells himself. It’s hell because he wants her to fully use her hands or her mouth or anything and relieve him of the pressure that is teasingly building.

When her tongue pokes out for the first time to run against the vein, from base to just before his bulbous mushroom head, all the air is knocked out of Chimney’s lungs. He has half a mind to beg, but he knows it won’t work. Maddie is stubborn, if him begging would have worked, he would have been deep within her days ago. Still avoiding his tip, she flattens her tongue against his shaft. It’s not much for sensations, but the visual of her licking him like the best ice cream cone is enough for his heart to beat a little faster in anticipation.

After a few more minutes, Maddie catches his gaze, grinning at the stress of his brow and the way his tongue pokes out to wet his lips. “Too much?” she asks.

Chimney stares back at her, shakes his head before audibly saying no. His girlfriend pats his leg before leaning away to shuffle through the bin under the coffee table, the bin that’s mostly used for random magazines that arrive in the mail and the remote. His darkened eyes land on the bottle of lubricant, one of many in their collection that she must have placed there earlier. Chimney lets out a strained groan which gets a laugh out of his girlfriend. Their collection of flavored lube is growing, and it seems Maddie has chosen chocolate cherry, one of her favorites. The liquid, though cold, drips onto his throbbing tip and Chimney lets out the most delicious groan. Maddie almost takes pity on him. Almost.

Her hand, covered in a bit of lube as well, wraps around the base of his erection and she begins stroking in long passes. Her eyes barely leave her handiwork, watching as he glistens. Maddie adjusts, moving to kneel on the pillow instead of sit, watching as he still drips for her. Ever the tease, she presses a kiss to a gooey droplet on the very tip, the taste of him and the lubricant deliciously mingling. Chimney’s entire body shudders and he lets out a groan when she licks at his head. With this reaction, Maddie herself can’t do much more teasing. She wraps her lips around his head, sucking and sucking in time with the stroke of her hand. She keeps this up before opening her mouth to him, drawing him in as deep as she can. Brown eyes that she loves so much roll back as he tenses and tries to relax in her mouth and Maddie attempts to stifle a laugh. The vibrations shoot through him, and his hands squeeze at the couch cushions. It would be so easy to chase the sensations that the warmth of her mouth brings. It would be so easy to let himself tense and tense and tense until he explodes in the back of her throat. There wouldn’t be anything she could do about it if he does, though he’s sure she’d disapprove and who knows what punishment that would bring him. Instead, Chimney attempts to think about anything other than the way her tongue swirls around the head of his dick. Anything other than the feeling of him being drawn down her warm throat as far as she can take it.

It takes everything in Chimney to stop her when he feels his orgasm truly begin to build. He can’t take more, he thinks. He wants to be inside of her when he releases for her. He’s been flirting with the brink of release for at least two hours when she twirls the silicone ring around her finger just in his line of view. Chimney groans and that devilish smile of hers returns. Chimney has no problem with getting hard, staying hard, or stamina. But the couple of rings they bought really add to their pleasure, allowing Chimney to draw out more of Maddie’s beautiful orgasms. Their eyes meet as her underwear falls to the floor. It takes just a second and she slips the ring around the base of his cock, her desire growing just as his erection does right before her eyes.

“Feel alright?” she asks, not wanting him to be uncomfortable in the slightest.

He nods, clears his throat before choking out a yes as the ring squeezes against his base. It feels good, but it feels even better when Maddie straddles his lap and sinks down on him, grateful they read the ingredients to the lube before purchasing and delighted at the way his face contorts and his breath catches in his throat. She takes him, inch by inch. Chimney isn’t necessarily long, probably somewhere slightly above average in length but girthier than most. The ring emphasizes his width, has her pressing her mouth to his to stifle the guttural moan the leaves her throat as she adjusts. There’s nothing for him to grab and Maddie hasn’t told him he can touch yet, so he chooses to stuff his hands between the cushions to counteract the way her walls clench around him.

Maddie focuses on herself for the most part, rocking her hips in a way that feels good, but it doesn’t stop Chimney’s own pleasure from building on its own accord. Chimney’s head falls back to the couch, and he simply watches her, watches her erotic scene of him disappearing and reappearing between them. He wants to touch her. He needs to touch her or do something with his hands beside clutch onto plush cushions. She’s sexy, exceedingly sexy with her eyes closed and her head tilted to the side. Her tongue pokes out to lick her lips.  When her eyes open, his girlfriend, his beautiful, talented, wonderfully evil girlfriend adjusts once more, one foot propping up for leverage. The change in angle is just what she needs if the rapid sounds of her moans are any sign, and it allows for him to press in just the perfect spot to draw out every single ounce of pleasure he can.

It’s when his hands move to the back of the couch to ground himself in reality that she takes them and moves one to her still covered breast and the other to her ass, giving him permission. It’s as though Chimney comes alive at being able to touch her. His own talented fingers draw the cup of her bra down, teeth nipping at the skin of her breast before he pulls her nipple into his mouth until it’s erect. She clenches around him with every suck of his mouth. His other hand kneads and palms at her ass and it’s as though he hasn’t touched her in years. They find their rhythm easily, slow at first because Maddie isn’t quite done teasing yet. She can’t last long. She’s been dripping wet for as long as he has and the way he reacts to her, the way he wants so desperately to please her has that metaphorical rubber band close to its snapping point. Maddie watches as he goes doe-eyed for her, and she knows he’s close.

“Is that all you can take, baby?” her hips don’t stop their movement as she asks him, and he nods. She tuts again, her hips rocking in time with her own command. “Use. Your. Words.”

“Yes, Maddie. Fuck, Maddie it’s all… I can’t…” His hands dig into her waist, hard enough to bruise as their pace increases, but she welcomes the minute pain as she climbs the ladder of her own desire once more.

Ever the pleaser, Chimney grunts through his own arousal. He removes one hand from her waist to find her clit, stimulating her both inside and out until she’s panting and letting expletives of her own fall from plumped lips. His thrusting hips match his circling fingers and she’s so close, her toes curl in excitement.

“Howie,” she draws out his name as she begins to pulse around him in her own release.

Maddie leans forward, wraps her arms around his neck and presses her lips to his ear and tells him to make her come, to come inside of her while he does it, as deep as he can, as much as he can. Her words are a catalyst to his orgasm, sending him over the edge he’s been on for hours. Hearing him cum for her is the most satisfying sound. Feeling him thrust into her until he’s done is just as spectacular. Maddie could get drunk off the way her name sounds as it’s stretched through moan after moan of his pleasure.

When their hips slow and they catch their breath, Maddie presses her lips to his. He’s a vision as his eyes droop. He’s exhausted in the cutest way. She slips from him, slips the ring from around his dick. They’ll need to clean themselves and the toy up before getting into bed. With one hand, Maddie pulls a still dazed Chimney from the couch and all but drags him to the bathroom for a nice, soothing bath, both of their legs jelly and their lust for one another satisfied. For now.

[moonstruckbucky]

Royal Holiday (2/6)

Summary: Bucky Barnes is bored - trust him, he knows how that sounds. But being royalty, in his humble opinion, isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Time to mix it up a bit.

Pairing: Prince!Bucky Barnes x fem!Reader, modern AU

Warnings: None - just dumb fluff.

Notes: Like everything else, I’m sorry for the wait on this. Enjoy x

If you like my work buy me a Ko-Fi.

Series Masterlist / Main Masterlist

Bucky’s unashamed to admit that the woman in front of the flower shop has been a permanent resident inside his mind. That expression of hope ringed in sadness on her face, paired with the subtle beauty she possessed has been stuck in his mind’s eye, even a week later. He’s already addicted and he doesn’t even know her name.

He doesn’t know the name of the flower shop, either. He’d been so enchanted by her, so preoccupied with who is she that he’d completely forgotten to get the name of the flower shop. He feels like an idiot, curses himself both internally and verbally, amusing the absolute shit out of Sam.

He’s never seen Bucky so torn up over a woman for more than a night, much less one he hasn’t even talked to yet. He actually feels bad every time Bucky requests to return to the city and Sam has to say no - ��a meeting with your father”, “a suit fitting for the gala”, a number of other things that chip away at Bucky’s patience - and by association, Sam’s.

So he relents the next time Bucky has an opportunity to escape. He’d managed to fool his mother - something about a custom suit from a top designer in the city - and takes a car the first chance he sees. Or rather, Sam does, and he listens grudgingly as Bucky talks to himself.

“Was it...here? Or...or down 5th?” he mutters in the passenger seat, nose pressed to the glass like he’s out of some kids’ cartoon.

Sam rolls his eyes, taps his fingers against the steering wheel at a red light. Bucky, meanwhile, analyzes every building face they pass, eyebrows drawn downwards in concentration as he tries, gives himself a headache, to remember. He remembers the colors of the building - white brick and faded, green-grey paint befitting of a florist shop. One of the letters is crooked, tilted downwards like a nail’s come loose.

And then… he sees it, yelps out loud and points out the window. Unfortunately it’s just after Sam’s pressed the gas to move into the intersection. Bucky’s head bounces off the window as Sam slams on the brakes, spurring a chorus of angry car horns around them, harmonized with cursing and yelling.

Before Sam can yell at him for nearly getting them killed, Bucky’s stumbling out of the car, tripping over the seatbelt in his haste to make it to the curb. Growling under his breath, Sam eases down on the gas, waves apologetically to the cars around him and loops around to find a place to park.

Bucky pushes through people, offers half-assed apologies as his vision seems to tunnel, the flower shop the focus. Everything else blurs, becomes a white noise haze as he steps up to the door. Knob ice-cold in his bare palm,

and it’s locked.

Stomach plummeting, Bucky feels the hope leave his chest in a painful flurry. So tangible he actually winces. Tries the knob again and he feels that same aching pang - is that his heart?

He pitches forward, winces at the frigid glass on his skin. Taps his head once, twice, three times lightly against it because that’s just his luck isn’t it? He doesn’t even realize he’s muttering under his breath until Sam snorts behind him.

“They went to lunch, drama queen,” he teases. Confusion, an eye roll from his friend and a gesture at the window where a sign reads “back in an hour” in messy, feminine scrawl.

Another flutter, only this one is hope - taking off like a dove at a wedding. He elects to wait, declines when Sam offers to get him something from a bistro down the block. He leans against the wall beside the door, scrolling through his emails, barely sparing them a glance - he just wants the notification to go away. He waits, belly all quivering with nervous anticipation. After fifteen minutes, he lowers himself to the ground, knees tucked up so he doesn’t trip anyone.

Will she even show up to this shop? Or was it just a coincidence that she’d passed it in the first place? Is he just wasting his time on a girl he, realistically, might not see again? Doubt clouds his mind but he pushes it down, refuses to be at least a little rational. After all, the expression on her face as she gazed at the shop seemed far too coincidental that she’d just been passing by. There’s a correlation there, and he’s determined to find out what.

“Oh, jeez, I’m so sorry! I hope you weren’t waiting too long!”

A voice, sweet like honey, disrupts his thoughts, and as he looks up, he feels the breath leave his lungs in a whoosh. It’s her, the woman he’d seen before, her face flushed from the chill and a sincerely apologetic look. He thinks he’s in love already.

It takes him a few awkward moments for his tongue to reconnect to his brain, and then he clambers to his feet, nearly bowls her over in the process.

“Uh, um, n-no, I wasn’t waiting all that long!” he assures, feeling the heat creeping up his neck because her eyes are so big and sparkling in the sunshine. Then she smiles, and oh boy, is he in trouble.

“You don’t have to lie,” she teases lightly, sidestepping him with a key in her hand to unlock the door. “Are you looking for something in particular or are you just browsing?”

The shop is warm, filled with the aroma of fresh flowers - roses and hydrangea and gerbera daisies, pine and balsam and winterberry. It’s blossoming Christmas in the shop, fairy lights strung up everywhere and the fluorescent lights dimmed low - not too low that he can’t see the product, but just enough.

He gets so caught up in looking around he forgets she asked him a question. She’s shucked off her coat, looking pretty in an emerald green sweater that’s rolled at her wrists. She’s watching him, head tilted curiously and eyes bright. He shakes himself, gives her a smile that probably looks as shaky as it feels.

“Uh, well, I, uh, just thought I’d pick something up for my mother.” Barnes, you genius. He grins suddenly, rolling with the idea. “Yeah, something festive, you know? She loves flowers.”

She smirks and leans on the counter. “What’s her favorite?”

Bucky’s mind blanks, and he knows she knows he’s fibbing. He glances to his left, sees a large, bright red flower, wide open like a lion’s mane on a tall, green stem. He points.

“These.”

“Ah, amaryllis,” she says, sashaying around the counter. “A favorite around the holidays. I think I have some potted, if your mother would like to grow one of her own - they last longer.”

“Sure,” he agrees readily. He’s pretty sure she could ask him to walk on the Sun and he’d do it. She smiles that pretty smile again and turns away from him to fetch the potted amaryllis.

Even puts some pretty foil on the pot it comes in and drops it into a plastic sleeve to protect it from the cold. She does it all seamlessly, hands familiar with the task, and she rings him up. He pays her with a fifty, tells her to keep the $25.01 in change. Something akin to gratitude flashes in her eyes at that, but it’s gone when he blinks.

Awkward silence stretches - she taps her fingers, tries not to stare at him because why is he still here - and he searches his brain for any possible reason to linger a little longer. But he comes up empty, and all he can do is stare, looking stupid with that amaryllis in his hands and a far-off look in his eye. And then Sam - dear old Sam who he could throttle when they get outside - sidles up beside him and flashes her a charming grin that’s brilliant white against his dark skin.

“Afternoon, miss,” he greets, and Bucky thinks he feels his teeth crack. “What a beautiful shop! Are you the owner?”

To her credit, she seems to catch onto his game and smirks, cocks a hip as she leans against the counter. “Why, yes I am.”

And she introduces herself, just like that. Accepts the gloved hand Sam puts out, and Bucky feels the tips of his ears heat. How is it so easy for Sam when Bucky’s been practically rendered speechless?

This never happens, he thinks, especially not with women. But she’s...different. He isn’t sure how but she is, and she’s taken his tongue and glued it to the roof of his mouth.

Sam nudges him roughly, gives him an expectant look that screams get your shit together.

“This is my friend, Bucky,” he says when Bucky still can’t bring himself to speak. “He’s...shy.”

Another smirk and a slow appraising look up and down. He feels all too exposed under her gaze. “Pleasure to meet you, Bucky.”

“Pleasure’s all mine,” he squeaks. Clears his throat right after as beside him, Sam snorts.

She giggles cutely, and Bucky’s mouth lifts on its own accord - finally, some brain activity. A long moment of silence, of eyes connecting and holding, until Sam coughs and both she and Bucky seem to jump at the sound - like they’d forgotten he was there.

“Well, we’d better get that back to your, uh, mother,” Sam urges with a pointed look.

Right - “appointment” with a tailor.

Sam has to tug him out the door - backwards, because he just can’t stop smiling at her. He’s spoken less than twenty words and he’s pretty sure he’s half in love with her already. She waves, a little wiggle of her fingers, before the door closes.

And Sam loses it.

“Pleasure’s all mine,” he taunts, high-pitched and squeaky before dissolving into raucous laughter. He claps Bucky on the shoulder. “Oh man, I am absolutely never letting you live that down. Ever.”

Bucky thinks he can live with that.

[inevitably-johnlocked]

do you have a list of podfic recs? i listen to a lot of @podfixx but she just has so many it’s hard for me to narrow down what to listen to sometimes. i’d love to give other podfic creators a chance too!

Hi Nonny!!

AHHHH Okay so I am a loser and don’t listen to podfics even though I know I would enjoy it for long road trips, but AHHH I don’t I’m so sorry, so I don’t have any PERSONAL recs, so the BEST I can do is give you a list of fics that I know have Podfics for them, since as I go through my bookmarks and update them, I’ve been adding podfic links to them because I like having my lists be as thorough as possible, so this will ALSO give me a chance for authors who know they have podfics of their stories can add them to my recs and I can add them to my offline list LOL

PODFICS 

BOOKMARKED FICS

To the Nines by suitesamba (M, 2,724 w., 1 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || Magical Realism, Pining, Angst, John Whump, Time Travel, Fortunes, Time Jumps) – John skips forward in time, and Sherlock reads the signs that point to nine. John knows he’ll eventually be with Sherlock, but the waiting is nearly impossible, and his body is a lot more than transport. A foray into magical realism where all the canon events occur, and a hell of a lot more.

Time on my hands by Mildredandbobbin (M, 7,179 w., 1 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || Post S3, One Night Stands, Mutual Pining, Virgin Sherlock, First Time, Sexual Exploration / Discovery) – Virginity’s a construct, a concept—what does losing one’s virginity entail for a gay man anyway? Sherlock wants to fill that particular gap in his knowledge but John won’t, can’t, never will assist and there’s only so much desperately unspoken pining even Sherlock can take.

Software Malfunction by tiger_in_the_flightdeck (E, 16,679 w., 1 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || Android Sherlock, Love Story, Unhappy Ending, Angst, Suicide, Jealousy) – “You think I can’t love you? Just because you’re made with metal, and detailed programming?” The doctor propped himself on his elbow, and looked down at it. “I am nothing but blood and bone, and tissue. Things just managed get mashed together in a manner that made me like this. Just like you were put together to make you how you are. When I kiss you-” he did so, briefly, to prove his point. Then more deeply, and lingering, because he could. “When I touch you, or smile at you, does it make you feel different from when others have done it in the past?”

Corpus Hominis by mycapeisplaid (E, 47,709 w., 12 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || Case Fic, Fluff, Romance, Frottage, Angst, Anal, Blow Jobs, Rimming, Spas / Massages, Shampoo, Jealousy) - John knows the human body intimately. He’s had plenty of opportunity for study as a doctor, soldier, and lover. There’s one particular body, however, he knows very little about. When Sherlock launches himself head-first into a new obsession and they get sent on a case in an unlikely location, the pair discovers each other’s bodies with confusing yet delightful (and sometimes hilarious) results.

Points by lifeonmars (E, 53,791 w., 42 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || HLV Rewrite / Canon Divergence, Married Life, Pregnancy / Baby Watson, Drinking to Cope, Boxing / Fisticuffs, Clueless John, Angst, Minor Medical Drama, Tattoos, Christmas, First Kiss/Time, Eventual Happy Ending, Love Confessions, Doctor John, Sexuality Crisis, Slow Burn, Case Fic, Drugging, Blow/Hand Job, Emotional Love Making, Parenthood, Passage of Time) – What if His Last Vow never happened? This fic picks up a few months after John and Mary’s wedding, in an alternate universe where Magnussen doesn’t exist, but Mary is still pregnant. Life continues – just in a different direction. And slowly, Sherlock and John find their way to each other.

Albion and the Woodsman by Glenmore (NR [E], 54,437 w., 50 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || Post S3, Parentlock, Pining Sherlock, Angst, Family, Drug Use, Depression, Sherlock POV, Light Humour, Reconnecting, Declarations of Love) – Sherlock and John are devastated after Mary Morstan makes her final moves. Sherlock relapses at the crack house, John walks around the world … and a lot happens in between. Parentlock, in the good way.

The Vapor Variant by 88thParallel (CanadaHolm) (M, 72,684 w., 18 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || Post-THoB, John Whump, Protective Sherlock, Guilty Sherlock, Anxious/Worried Sherlock, Virgin Sherlock, Angst with Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, PTSD John, Slow Burn, Mutual Pining, Suspense, Virus, Sickfic, Big Brother Mycroft) – They stood face to face in the middle of a clearing. The dim light of the moon barely allowed Sherlock to see the glassy terror in John’s eyes and the sweat that glistened off his forehead. His nose was bleeding again, blood dripping in a slow stream from his right nostril. They were both gasping for air, John’s eyes locked on Sherlock’s. There was no recognition there, just wild animal fear. Time stood still for an eternal few seconds, and Sherlock took a shaky breath. “John—”Spell broken, John spun and bolted back into the woods. Still heaving for air, Sherlock took off after him.

The Heart In The Whole by verityburns (E, 101,650 w., 21 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || Post-TGG Canon Divergence, Drama & Angst, H/C, First Time, Blind Sherlock) – Events after ‘The Great Game’ leave Sherlock dependent on his best friend and colleague. But John has a secret of his own…

The Wedding Garments by cwb (E, 105,390 w., 36 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || Alternate Future AU || Alternate First Meeting, Dating / Arranged Marriages, Romance, First Kiss/Time, Heavy Petting, Cuddles, POV Sherlock, Virgin Sherlock, Idiots in Love, Slow Burn / Falling in Love / Dev. Rel., Nervous/Anxious Sherlock, Jealous/Cranky, Hiking, Vacation Homes / Honeymoon, Sherlock’s Family, Horny John/Sherlock, Patient John, Massages, Hand Jobs, Assassination Plots, Hand Jobs / Oral Sex, Case Fic, Emotional Love Making, Bath Time Fun) – This is the story of a young consulting detective who wants nothing to do with marriage and an army doctor who wants to find true love. It’s 2020 post-Brexit England and the British government is encouraging arranged marriages. Candidates meet through state-run agencies and date in hopes of finding love (and tax benefits). Sherlock doesn’t need or want a spouse, at least not until John Watson shows up. Hesitant to give in to his more carnal urges because of the way they derail his mind, how will Sherlock progress toward the more intimate aspects of a relationship? The answer lies in a very special wedding gift.

Shatter the Darkness (Let the Light In) by MojoFlower (E, 109,683 w., 23 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || Genie/Djinn AU || Magical Realism, Kidnapping, Genie Sherlock, First Kiss / Time, Case Fic, H/C, Angst, Clubs, John Whump, Mild DubCon, Hand / Blow Jobs, Torture) – Fairy tales are for those who remember how to dream; not John Watson, broken and hiding from his bleak future in a beige bedsit. But then he discovers a lamp and finds himself in the dangerous riptide of an enigmatic man whose very existence is unbelievable, murder charges against his sister, and the growing pains of feeling alive once more.

The Bang and the Clatter by earlgreytea68 (M, 137,049 w. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || Baseball AU || Slow Burn / Dev. Rel., Possessive/Obsessive Sherlock, Jealous Sherlock, Mutual Pining, Body Appreciation, Depression, Closeted Sexuality, Family, Sherlock’s Mind Palace, Ogling Each Other, Anxious Sherlock, Panic Attack, Drunkenness, Talk of Forever, Big Feelings™) – Sherlock Holmes is a pitcher and John Watson is a catcher. No, no, no, it’s a baseball AU. Part 1 of Baseball

Performance In a Leading Role by Mad_Lori (E, 156,714 w., 21 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || Hollywood / Actor AU, Secret Relationship, Falling in Love, Slow Burn, Romance, Coming Out, Fluff and Angst, Pining) – Sherlock Holmes is an Oscar winner in the midst of a career slump. John Watson is an Everyman actor trapped in the rom-com ghetto. When they are cast as a gay couple in a new independent drama, will they surprise each other? Will their on-screen romance make its way into the real world? Part 1 of Performance in a Leading Role

Gimme Shelter by SinceWhenDoYouCallMe_John (E, 159,368 w., 21 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || 70′s Surfer AU || Period Typical Homophobia, Hawaii, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Professional Surfers, Gay John / Sherlock, Angst with Happy Ending, John was a Sailor, Misunderstandings, Mutual Pining) – All John Watson wants is the feeling of a freshly waxed surfboard under his feet and the hot California sun baking down onto his back. To finally go pro in the newly formed world of professional surfing and leave the dark memories of his past behind him as he rips across the face of a towering blue barrel. To lounge beside the beach bonfire every evening with an ice cold beer tucked into the cool sand beside him and listen to Pink Floyd and the Doors while the saltwater dries in his sun bleached hair. That’s all he wants, that is, until the hot young phenom taking Oahu and the Hawaiian shores by storm steps up next to him in the sand in the second round of the 1976 International Surf Competition. (PUBLISHED AS ‘The Sea Ain’t Mine Alone’)

Proving A Point by elldotsee & J_Baillier (E, 186,270 w., 28 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE ||  Me Before You Fusion || Medical Realism, Insecure John, Depression, Romance, Angst, POV John, Sherlock Whump, Serious Illness, Doctor John, Injury Recovery, Assisted Suicide, Sherlock’s Violin, Awkward Sexual Situations, Alcoholism, Drugs, Idiots in Love, Slow Burn, Body Image, Friends to Lovers, Hurt / Comfort, Pain, Big Brother Mycroft, Intimacy, Anxiety, PTSD, Family Issues, Psychological Trauma, John Whump, Case Fics, Loneliness, Pain) – Invalided home from Afghanistan, running out of funds and convinced that his surgical career is over, John Watson accepts a mysterious job offer to provide care and companionship for a disabled person. Little does he know how much hangs in the balance of his performance as he settles into his new life at Musgrave Court.

“TO READ” FICS

Curlock by 88thParallel (G, 1,285 w. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || Sherlock’s Hair, Fluff, Ficlet) – How Sherlock learned to control and appreciate the incredible gift he was born with, and the man who helped him sort it out.

Letters, the Writing of by earlgreytea68 (G, 2,416 w., 1 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || Post-TRF/Hiatus) – While he’s dead, Sherlock writes John letters. Part 1 of the Letters series

Let’s Say I Let You In by kedgeree (E, 9,972 w., 1 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || Halloween, Costume Kink, Est. Rel., Humour, Smut, Vampire Sherlock, Bloodplay, Biting, Romance) – It’s Halloween and Sherlock’s vampire costume is turning John on, but Sherlock doesn’t quite get the idea of a sexy vampire. At least…not at first. Part 4 of the Holidays series

Almost Home by Berty (E, 13,871 w., 1 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || Alternate First Meeting, Captain John, Pining John, University Student Sherlock, Gay Bar, First Time, Anal, Mutual Masturbation, Protective Big Brother Mycroft, POV John, Time Skips, Memories, Angst With Happy Ending) – He pulls out the ID card – the one that Sherlock had somehow seen when he was buying drinks at that awful club. He’s had other ID cards since then but he’s hung on to this one for some reason. He looks at the image of his face, young and pale and idealistic, and he knows that just a month later that man would have found and lost the love of his life within a week, and even knowing that, John wouldn’t change a single thing.

Heart on a String by AngelSpirit (E, 23,257 w. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || Alternate First Meeting, First Kiss / Time, Infidelity, Angst, Fluff, Kidlock/Teenlock, Mentions of Recreational Drug Use) – John and Sherlock got married with Cracker Jack rings when they were 7 yrs old. It wasn’t official, but for their whole lives they took it very seriously.

Common Tongues: Unassuming Brilliance by jinglebell (E, 41,174 w., 11 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || Anal, Rimming, Snowballing, Language Kink, Blow Jobs, BAMF John, Size Difference, Height Difference, Sapiosexual Sherlock, Barebacking, Size Queen) – John may be predictably average in most things, but there are a handful of areas in which he knows he is uncommonly skilled. He can make a great cup of tea, for one. He’s also good at patching folks up, putting bullets precisely where he wants them, and listening.The one skill that John is perhaps most exceptional in, though, is language. John is a polyglot.

Against the Rest of the World by SilentAuror (E, 43,936 w. || PODFIC AVAILABLE ||  POV First Person Sherlock, Present Tense, First Time, Post-TRF) – Sherlock has been away from London for nine hundred and twelve days and counting, and has no idea what sort of reception to expect when he finally returns. Post-Reichenbach.

Command Structure by 221b_hound (E, 49,034 w., 16 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || Post TRF / Not S3 Compliant, Dom/Sub Play, Dom John/Sub Sherlock, Oral/Anal, Anal Fingering, Frottage, Past Child Abuse, Anxiety Attacks, Captain Watson, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Protective John, Slow Build, PTSD Sherlock, Consensual, Past Dub Con, Rimming) – Sherlock Holmes returns from his hunt to destroy Moriarty’s network. He comes home to John, and at long last they start this thing between them that couldn’t begin while Moriarty threatened them. But Sherlock has returned fractured and suffering anxiety attacks. He thinks he needs discipline - the whip - to help him focus and be strong. But his problems are deeper and run back to a childhood of neglect. John Watson is prepared to be Sherlock’s Captain, but he’s a doctor too. His command style isn’t about pain and subjugation. It’s about care and responsibility: and those concepts go in both directions in Captain Watson’s command structure.

Saccharomyces cerevisiae (Baker’s Yeast) by yaycoffee (E, 60,879 w., 13 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || Unplanned Pregnancy / One Night Stand, Drunken Sex, First Kiss/Time, Bit of Case Fic, Sally/Sherlock Drunk Sex First Ch.) – Sometimes, one makes an imprudent decision born of a devastating combination of drink and sentiment. Sometimes, the consequences of that decision take on a life of their own. And sometimes, the facing of those consequences shapes every aspect of one’s life–from the hugely meaningful down to the seemingly insignificant. Part 1 of the Knows His Own series

Perpetual Motion by Fay (orphan_account) (E, 75,789 w., 31 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || Romance, Unconventional Relationship, Renegotiation of Boundaries, Virgin Sherlock, Changing Sexuality, Masturbation, Orgasm Delay/Denial, Exhibitionism/Voyeurism, Sex Toys, Hurt/Comfort, Angst and Humour, Grieving, Light Bondage, First Kiss / Time, Hand Jobs, Quarrels, Shower Sex, Pillow Humping/Frottage, Oral Sex, Slight Self-Harm, Chastity Device) – Everyone thinks that they’re a couple, but Sherlock’s self-sexual and John’s straight, so they’re never going to fall in love, are they? Even if neither of them can imagine life without the other.

The Blog of Eugenia Watson by Mad_Lori (G, 95,026 w. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || OC POV, Parentlock, Teenagers, Diary / Blogging / Journal, Family, Humour) – I like to think of this not so much as a blog but as the first draft of my inevitably best-selling memoirs. My Life In an Unconventional Family. How unconventional? Well, I live with my divorced parents and my dad’s husband. How’s that for starters? Trust me, it gets weirder.My name is Eugenia Watson, but you can call me Genie. I’m sixteen. This is my life. Note: Work is marked complete for now and is on hiatus, having reached a convenient stopping point. Additional chapters may be added in the future.

Northwest Passage by Kryptaria (E, 95,157 w., 27 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || Canadian AU ||  BAMF!John, Canadian John, PTSD, Anal / Oral Sex, Rimming, Emotional Hurt / Comfort) – Seven years ago, Captain John Watson of the Canadian Forces Medical Service withdrew from society, seeking a simple, isolated life in the distant northern wilderness of Canada. Though he survives from one day to the next, he doesn’t truly live until someone from his dark past calls in a favor and turns his world upside-down with the introduction of Sherlock Holmes.” Part 1 of Tales from the Northwest

Drift Compatible by J_Baillier (E, 130.380 w., 26 Ch. || Pacific Rim Fusion || PODFIC AVAILABLE || Alternate First Meeting, Angst, Family Drama, Accidental Telepathic Voyeurism, Martial Arts, Sci-Fi, Internalised Homophobia, Rubbish Siblings, Army Doctor John, Medical H/C, Bullying, Neurodiversity, PTSD, Drug Use, Depression, Mourning, Adventure, Hurt/Comfort, UST/URT) – A washed out war hero struggling with his past. A prodigy who wants nothing to do with his family legacy. Both are looking for something—and someone—worth fighting for in a world where human civilisation is constantly under threat.

Nature and Nurture by earlgreytea68 (M, 203,273 w., 57 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || Parentlock, Cloning, Kidlock, Dev. Rel.) – The British Government accidentally clones Sherlock Holmes. Which brings a baby to 221B Baker Street. Part 1 of Nature & Nurture

Radioactive Trees In A Red Forest by Maribor_Petrichor (E, 280,251 w., 73 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || Post-S4, Suicidal Ideations, Alcohol / Rx Drug Abuse, Coming Out / Bisexual John, Seizures, Past/Referenced/Implied Child Abuse, Hallucinations, Rehab, Celibacy, Sobriety / Relapse, Slow Burn, Friends to Lovers, Grief/Mourning, Psychological Trauma, Nice /Not Anti-Mary, John’s POV, Parentlock, First Time, Angst, Switchlock, Angst with Happy Ending) – John Watson is what happens when a man can no longer see a reason to go on. John Watson is what happens when a man starts to let go. “It is what it is.” John Watson is what happens when what “it is” becomes too much to bear. This is a story of the life, death, and resurrection of John Hamish Watson.

[someonefromthere]

Hey! I saw that you were taking requests and I was wondering if you could do a gavin x rk900 carnival “date”? Like it was originally an investigation but they get sidetracked. Bonus points for a ferris wheel kiss 😘

Hey, buddy, I’m sorry it took so long, but everything fell on me this month and there’s so little time before the school starts that I honestly don’t know how I’m gonna make it all work. Anyway, writing this fic was a great, great fun and I just couldn’t stop occasionally adding a little pieces here and there, it was even rewritten once! But I can proudly post it now and hope I delivered - I changed it from an investigation to a stakeout, because it matched better. Hope you enjoy!

Once more time, a huge thank you for @pointeful for helping me with the facts about travelling carnivals - I live in Europe and have never been to that kind of park, and she was there for me when I asked for her help - go check her out!

The fic on ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15787071

It turned out Nines actually liked things. It occurred to him some time after the red wall had fallen and his mind had cleared. The thought didn’t hit him all of a sudden, in any poetic way, no. The revelation slowly creeped its way to him, encircling the lines of his code until his awareness hugged it back, and he understood. Deviants were capable of liking. He was too.

Crucial as it was, it was also simple. He liked the way a new loose tee shirt wrapped itself around his broad shoulders and hung freely from them, giving him a feeling of comfort. He liked windy days when a breeze would tousle his hair, and a soft sunrise light falling through the windows. He liked yellow and sunflowers, liked a floral shirt he once saw a little boy wearing, liked the sound of dogs breathing and droplets reaching metal window sills calmly. There were moments when he had to decide – did he like a body warmer more than a coat? Which brand of cologne should he purchase? Did he really felt like going on a walk or did he prefer staying inside? – but some of these preferences came up easily.He liked the smell of Gavin’s usual black coffee and the texture of a paper cup in his hand. He liked the scar on the bridge of his partner’s nose, the stormy grey of his eyes and the small smile the man would give him when he did or said something funny. It soothed him to find the familiar silhouette amongst the others, unknown, when they were on an investigation and the warm presence beside him when they sat in a car on a stakeout. He didn’t understand what it meant to be so strongly affected by these tiny things, but he liked it anyway. It made him feel more human.(Oh, if only CyberLife could see him now, the better Connor, the chance to save humanity, with his code full of feelings he couldn’t comprehend.)One of the things his memory held and shielded from the destructive world was the light on Gavin’s face as they entered a funfair that was supposed to be an area of the stakeout – the appointed place of a red ice dealer and his client. The carnival was full of children and their parents, and teenagers probably having their dates, and elders that came here to retrace their youth memories, and androids that recently discovered the idea of fun. Nines’ internal clock projected a few minutes after eight p.m., and the sky was deep dark by now, yet the crowds occupying the amusement park were still thick, not that the android minded.(He liked people. He liked to be among them.)Nines slipped his hands into the pockets of his lemon body warmer and glanced around, letting his lucid eyes linger on the swift attractions and colorful stalls. He tried not to scan everything around – Gavin didn’t really like it – and just concentrate on simply watching, but a couple notes and conclusions made their way to his vision. Most of these attractions weren’t safe. They were wobbly and set up in a rush, their structure weak. His calculations showed a relatively high probability of an accident, and as he had analyzed each one that happened to be in his area of sight, he decided not to let Gavin on any of them. (He didn’t like the thought of his partner getting hurt. The aspect of not liking was yet mostly unfamiliar, a brand new thing.)“We could have some fun before he arrives,” the android heard Gavin say and when his gaze floated to the man, he saw him looking around with a smile. A faint and not quite full, but it was there, drawing graceful wrinkles around Gavin’s lips and nose. Making Nines want to compliment on them. “I don’t think it’s a good idea,” he replied instead, brow furrowed. Obviously it wasn’t what he thought – it would be nice to spend more easy time with his partner, learn about his likes, but he also knew it wouldn’t be good for the stakeout. He’d get distracted, which was an effortless thing around Gavin. The man looked at him with an unimpressed expression on his face. “Do you have any updates on the suspect?”And although Nines knew what it gave rise to, he answered honestly. “No. Connor remains silent.” Truth it was, the connection with his predecessor stayed quiet and calm, no comments from RK800 sailing through it. Gavin nodded. “We don’t know when he’ll be here. It could be in ten minutes, or an hour. Come on. Maybe androids don’t get bored, but I surely do,” he mumbled and once again his eyes searched the rows of rides and mini-games booths. RK900 sighed and rolled his eyes – a manner he got after Lieutenant Anderson thanks to all those hours spent in his and Connor’s company – and waited patiently to see if Gavin was a fan of these sketchy roller-coasters and their cousins. Thankfully, he was not.He chose the closest mini-game – half-hidden under a striped, material roof, but illuminated by a set of star-shaped lights that gave the stall somewhat warm and magic look. A man that apparently owned it was somewhere in his forties and wore a joyful smile on his wrinkled face as he instructed a teenage boy with a blonde girl standing beside him how to play. Gavin rummaged through his back pockets in search of his wallet and Nines seized the opportunity to take a closer look at the game itself, his gaze immediately flying to the booth’s wall.Against it, three separate constructions made of milk jars stood, probably set to be targets of whatever game the man offered. They were situated quite neatly as for a human, so the short glass towers looked rather stable and placed within two meters from where the counter was, they seemed to be fair goals. It shouldn’t be difficult to throw off all nine jars that made up for one structure at once.As he finished his analysis, the teenager threw his first ball, the four others laying on the spot in front of him. He hit only one jar, smashing the adjacent two down with it, but the rest remained untouched. The situation repeated until almost the entire tower fell – one piece still standing proudly, seemingly laughing at the kid’s face, but he walked away satisfied nonetheless; the girl received a plush giraffe and gave him a peck in return. “Three, please,” Gavin said to the man and handed him a banknote. Nines eyed his partner, then the target. He should make it, if the calculations were correct.He did. Used all three balls to reach the goal, but the tower came down with a noise and the fair-haired man passed Gavin an elastic keychain with a sound sensor that activated a flashlight upon a whistle as a prize. Gavin snorted, lifting it and pretending to stick it to Nines’ arm. “I’m gonna glue it to you, so I won’t lose you,” he joked and the man behind the counter laughed loudly, looking at the android before bending down to pick the glass from the floor.“I’m gonna buy a chip and use GPS, so you won’t be able to run away,” Nines bit back, earning a noisy burst of laugh from the booth owner who accidentally hit the wall with his head and a shocked look from Gavin. Shocked and betrayed, he could describe it.Gavin shook his head, but said nothing, amusement playing around the corners of his lips. He pointed at Nines when the man appeared in their sight again. “Wonders of technology, huh?”The owner looked surprised, his gaze winging towards Nines’ temple as if to try and spot his LED; he didn’t though. It was long gone, making the android appear much more human than before which helped him in job-related activities.“Didn’t know it was one of them. You know, I think they’re better than most of humans, buddy. It applies to this one, too. You’re lucky.” The wink that followed the sentence made Gavin’s cheeks turn slightly pink for unknown reason.(Nines decided that he liked this color, too, in particular painted on his partner’s body.)“You want to play, pal?”He felt taken-aback by the question, but the man was still looking at him expectantly, waiting for an answer, so the android huffed a quiet yes. It seemed like it was normal for this stranger man to consider an android a living being, so similar to a human, and it made RK900’s artificial heart warm up. He wasn’t there when the revolution started and he barely remembered the end of it, but when he’d grasped his deviancy, he felt proud for his brothers and sisters to have fought their freedom and rights, and acceptance among mankind. “One, three or five?” The man asked. Nines looked at Gavin and saw a challenge in his eyes. Oh, he wouldn’t be himself if he hadn’t take it. “One,” he said, sliding a banknote down the counter, Gavin’s smirk and raised brow in his peripheral. The owner took it, handing him a single plastic ball that quickly ended up wrapped tightly by Nines’ fingers and aimed at a jar placed at the bottom, the one that seemed to hold the entire structure in place. The core. He directed the ball precisely at the opening and–“How did you even do it?” Gavin stared blankly at the spot where a moment ago the tower hovered. Now, the man owning the booth was cleaning up the mess Nines caused, and the android himself glanced proudly at his partner.“Can’t accept the fact that I’m better than you?” He teased, but slouched a bit to find himself on a comfortable level of Gavin’s eyes. The icy-eyed knew the man liked it when his partner wasn’t towering over him like “a fucking Empire State Building’s copy”, as Gavin once told him; besides, it was nice to watch him from close up. The imperfections on his skin were mose visible, the marks and small scars, beauty spots and everything that made him more Gavin, a unique individual Nines was happy to be friends with. (Nines presumably just liked Gavin. It was hard to admit, even for him, but he felt attached to him. The android was curious what would the man’s reaction be if the confession slipped out of his mouth.)Gavin snorted. “I’m all but surprised you reached the target. Should’ve clapped.” But he didn’t. He looked up instead and something in his grey eyes shifted, making Nines’ artificial heart warm up. “You’re great at this,” the fair-haired man commented when all three glass towers came back to life. “Here’s my offer: if you get rid of two more like this, you’ll win the main prize, huh? What do you say?”Nines’ gaze flickered to a shelf he didn’t have time to analyze before – a shelf and a row of hangers that supported a whole collection of toys. They varied in types, colors and sizes, some of them small and colorful such as dolls or pillows, the other bigger and pastel: teddy bears, basketball balls, even tee shirts with text overprints. The android’s attention was immediately struck by the largest teddy in a light hue of lilac that hung low, indicating it was nothing less than heavy. He liked it, the color ever so pretty and the toy itself looking plushy. “I’ll try.”The android wasn’t surprised that he made it with easiness, gathering a not-so-thin crowd around the stall – just a couple of teenagers that tried and failed not to look impressed by Nines’ precision when the next two balls landed perfectly where he sent them. The owner couldn’t be angry anyway, given the fact that Nines made him a great advertisement which caused the teens to play, too. He didn’t seem even a bit unhappy about a disappearance of the best prize his booth offered.Whereas Gavin shot the android the most furious glare he could afford from above the head of the lilac teddy bear he was holding.“What am I supposed to do with this thing?” He didn’t sound resentful – more like playful, though his face was mostly hidden behind the toy and Nines couldn’t make out any of the emotions that probably played on it. He simply smiled in return.

“Take it home. Consider it a gift.”“A gift that I’ll have to fucking drag all around the park, great.”“I think I don’t have to remind you that it was you who wanted to come here and play at first place.”“Robotic bastard.”Nines smirked, glancing around. They stayed in one place, near the previously visited booth, because of the weight and size of the prize – it wasn’t easy to carry him around, really. The teddy was nearly five feet tall which made him almost as tall as Gavin and the human was the one to hold it, so it looked ridiculously, at least to say. “You want to go somewhere else?” Nines asked and brought his gaze back to Gavin with a soft expression on his face. He risked a longer glance, putting down the details about him once again, just like he did those thousands times that never bored him. The crooked curve of the scar and the mole under his right eye, the meadow of freckles on his cheeks, the sharp line of his jaw. Everything that seemed important and unimportant to know; everything. “There was a game when I was younger, I‘m curious if it’s still a thing.”“Want me to search the map?”The android asked the question only out of politeness, already knowing Gavin’s response.“No. Let’s just look for it.”And so they did. Nines liked it better this way, too; it was much more nicer to walk around the carnival in silence than mechanically seek the information in the web like a computer. It made him feel and appear more human if he acted like one which he knew that made Gavin feel better. (He liked the looks his partner would give him after catching him doing some tics, even the nervous ones.)Nines almost felt guilty for letting Gavin carry the teddy bear for the entire walk – it surely didn’t tire him out, but very likely made him uncomfortable to have to peek out over the toy like a five-year-old. Almost. He could recall all the times when his partner was a little shit to him, so the current situation was a kind of revenge, even if he was more civil and wouldn’t sneer at the human the way he did at the beginning of their partnership. (Besides, the android liked that this way he had more possibilities to touch his partner: whether they were passing someone and Gavin didn’t notice them – that’s when Nines’ hand landed on the small of his back – or when he had to guide Gavin on the corners – the fingers around the man’s arm firm but gentle. Nothing able to bruise. Nearly caring.)The game Gavin talked about was still a thing, yes, and it made his face soften, causing the domino effect on Nines who smiled fondly, seeing the enchanting change in his human. The booth supporting the game held a large text consisting of luminous LED letters, each of them shining with a different color, which simply said Dart Game. It was hard for Nines to hold himself from looking it up in the web, but somehow he managed. He brushed his gaze over the stall – its wall was covered in small balloons that formed a colorful mosaic, three or more rows of metal tubes used as hangers for rather not big prizes hovering above it.“It’s simple, you see,” Gavin said, placing the lilac teddy bear on his shoes, careful not to drop it to the dirty ground. The android leaned in closer to him, using the need to hear him better as an excuse. He didn’t though. Gavin continued, “you get a prize of the same color as the balloon you hit. Got it?”“Sure.”Nines folded his arms on his chest, watching an adult man trying to aim at a green balloon placed at an uncomfortable angle. It was a difficult task, much more harder than aiming at a tower of jars if you wanted to actually hit a certain color. He could try it. “You playing?”The android shuffled a bit awkwardly, turning to look at Gavin. “Huh?”“I asked if you want to play.”“You don’t?”“It’s been a long time since I touched a dart, only would’ve made a fool of myself. By the way this,” he patted the teddy’s plushy head, “is enough for one night. But I don’t see why you shouldn’t play.”Nines watched as the man left, a little red-haired girl by his side holding a Minion toy. She looked at Gavin and his teddy curiously and smiled, and then surprisingly Gavin smiled back. Shyly but smiled, lips turned upwards and teeth barely bared. Beautifully. Nines could imagine the Software Instability warning that would’ve appear in his vision now if he was still a machine.“I’ll play.”The owner of the booth was clearly an android – it was hard to tell beside the fact that she had an LED blinking a steady blue on her temple. Nines knew some androids chose to keep theirs as a proud sign of who they were, just like Connor did; he was the one to explain the concept to his younger brother who only seemed confused about it. He didn’t like his own, didn’t like that it reflected his feelings and thoughts, so he got rid of it as soon as he gained consciousness. “Any color in particular you want to hit?” She asked when he lifted a dart, leaning over the counter with her elbow and half-observing Nines from under her long eyelashes. He shrugged. “Yellow. Or red, I guess.”

(Gavin’s favourite color was red. Gavin liked it.)“Make your mind, prick,” Nines heard his partner say quietly and impatiently from behind him. He smirked and aimed, and smoothly moved his hand so the dart made its way to a red balloon, a neighbour of three yellow ones. The android – no, the woman snapped her fingers.“You got it perfectly,” she remarked, grabbing a stool. “Which red thing you want?”Nines sent his gaze over the red section on the hangers, over the teddy bears and material dolls, and balls, and pillows.“That one.”And that way, Gavin ended up with a little Elmo teddy stuffed in the pocket of his leather jacket. “You won it. It’s your prize. You should keep it, why–”“Because I want to,” the android interrupted him as the made their way to a cotton candy stand. His partner shot him a glare to which he responded with a small smile. “I want you to keep it, is it so hard to understand? It’s a gift.”“But–”“No buts. Just shut the fuck up and get your goddamn unhealthy snack.”Gavin averted his gaze, pretending to be offended, but a short snicker escaped his mouth without his consent. It was a pleasant sound, cuter than Nines would admit.(The android liked it. Serenity looked good on his partner.)The lilac teddy bear ended up in Nines’ hands while Gavin’s became busy with a cloud of pink candy-floss of the biggest size. Soon, the colored sugar covered both corners of the man’s lips and his munching lured the android to reach with his fingers and tear a bit of the cotton candy, bringing it to his mouth to analyze.“What the fuck, man,” Gavin muttered, but didn’t even spare him a glance. He got used to it a long time ago, the teasing never ended though. No malice hid behind his words anymore, to Nines’ secret content.The sweet turned out as unhealthy as he initially predicted – overloaded with sugar as it was the only used ingredient, made with high temperature, and also very sweet – Nines couldn’t taste it (he wished he could though), yet his sensors caught the flavor quite fast. He knew that Gavin loved sweetness – he could eat donuts all day long if Nines didn’t intervene, which he rarely did. Consuming sweet food made Gavin happy, and the only thing Nines ever wanted was to see his human partner happy. If it didn’t collide with Gavin’s health, obviously.“Where do you want to go now?”The question made Nines halt and sharply spin his head to look down at Gavin. “What?”“Are your ears bugging or am I too quiet? Shall I fucking shout? Where do you want to go?”“I… I don’t know.” “Do you not find anything here worth attention? Not even a single booth or a roller-coaster? Look around.”The android had a remark about the attractions’ safety on the tip of his tongue, ready to spill it out just for his own sake, but something in the distance caught his eyes at the exact same moment. A huge, lit and moving circle. A ferris wheel, the web in his head whispered helpfully. It was beautiful and looked so magical – much more magical than the mini-game stalls that surrounded them. It didn’t stand out with safety, unfortunately, but if there was something he wanted to try, that was it. “The ferris wheel,” he repeated out loud, watching Gavin’s face change into something fond and sincere, and… Nines couldn’t seize it. It seemed too distant and unfamiliar, too messy for his neat programming. “Then let’s go and make your dreams come true,” the man joked with a slight tilt of his head and a ghost of smile. The wheel looked even more beautiful from close up when Gavin was busy buying them a few rounds and Nines could just stand, his head lifted and eyes focused on the warm lights that decorated the whole attraction. The movement was sluggish and soothing, and it made the android’s Thirium pump somewhat beat slower. “You gonna stand here all night or what?” Gavin asked, making his way to an open bench. The only response he got was a low I’m coming before Nines joined him, taking a seat beside him and placing the teddy on their feet.“If it falls, I will beat the shit out of you,” Gavin threatened with no harm and leaned down to make sure the toy was protected enough; apparently it wasn’t, because he lifted his leg and hooked it around the teddy bear tightly. Nines observed with a sympathetic smile and said nothing, lowering a metal plank that seemed to be used as a kind of protection from downfall. It wasn’t anything near solid – it could easily prevent a child from falling, but it wouldn’t be much of help if a grown man was in danger of it – yet it was better than nothing. The wheel resumed its calm course, sending their bodies into a lazy movement that would’ve send Nines’ LED a peaceful pulsating blue, similar to the one triggered by stasis, if he still had it. Maybe it wouldn’t have, after all – his right thigh was pressed to Gavin’s warm one, spreading something through his artificial skin. Something unknown, but not new. Something good. Distracting. (Nines’ objective was not to get distracted, and yet he found himself enjoying the contact like nothing else in his short deviant life.)“Do you sometimes think about the life you want to live?” Gavin asked when they reached the top and the wheel stopped again, a pair from one of the bottom benches leaving, replaced by another. Nines tore his gaze away from the breathtaking view on the city to look fully at his partner whose face was barely visible in the dim light. He could tell Gavin’s eyes were thoughtful though.“What do you mean?”“Everyone wants a different life than they have. Well, almost everyone. You know, the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.”“I… I do not want a different life.” It was true, maybe too true for his taste. The wheel jerked to life again. “This is my place. In this precinct, on this position. I very much like what I do for a living and I’m surrounded by people that I’m mostly fond of. I don’t see why I would want to change it.”Gavin watched him for awhile before answering, a bit unsure. “You’re serious.”“Of course I am, Gavin. This is my place. Here. By your side.”It sent a strange jolt through the man who trembled and twitched his hands nervously. It seemed like he couldn’t take his eyes off of the android’s even if he wanted.“You’re better than this, you know that, right? Fowler assigned you to me, but it’s entirely your choice if you want to stay or move on. Nobody will say anything if you do. You’re not fucking tied to me, Nines. It’s not like… It’s not like I will be mad. Do what you want to do.”A crease appeared between the android’s eyes, the frown deepening with each word that fell out of Gavin’s mouth. “Do you want me gone?”“Of course not, Nines,” the man seemed to almost choke on the words, as if he was surprised that his partner would even think of that. “Of course I don’t want you gone. You’re the first person that didn’t dump me. The first partner that didn’t resign after a few months after being partnered with me. I don’t want anything more than to keep doing this, but I don’t want to force you to do the same just because I’m a selfish motherfu–”“When will you stop thinking like that of yourself? You may be rude and overaggressive, but you’re kind and charming when you want to, and you’re a good man, Gavin. You’re worth so much more than you give yourself credit.”It left Gavin speechless. Well, maybe not exactly, because he managed to mutter a very, very quiet bullshit before Nines had enough of his shit and simply said, “I like you.”It was true and painful. It was what triggered the android’s deviancy and what didn’t allow him to not give Gavin all his attention, not that he wanted to stop giving him anything. Nines liked him the most of all people – even more than Connor, actually. He liked him in a way that he couldn’t understand – in a way that maybe wasn’t just liking.Gavin looked at him with sadness and hope in his grey eyes, shifting a bit, not exactly withdrawing – the pressure of his thigh was still perceptible on the android’s leg, thankfully – but turning and ducking his head slightly. “Tell me you’re not joking and I’m not hallucinating, because I don’t think I can handle it if we take it a little further and you want to take it all back.”“I’m serious, Gavin. I like you. I don’t want to leave you unless you tell me to.”“Oh, hell no.”And then he laughed. Honest to God laughed. With his mouth open and teeth bared, eyes squinted, but focused on the android, his entire body trembling with the happy, even if a little bitter sound.Nines thought he’d never seen anything so beautiful.“I like you, too, tin can. Perhaps too much for my own good.”“What does that mean?” Nines eyes him, confused, observing the change in his features; happiness shifted into calmness, calmness into melancholy once again. It hurt.“You trust me, right?”Nines never trusted anyone as much as he trusted his partner. Maybe, if he tried, he could pretend he didn’t and the connection between them wasn’t real, but he didn’t think his pretending would ever look convincing. “I do.”First, a hand on his cheek, gentle and barely-there. It held him steady in one place, yet its force was so small he could easily break the contact if he wanted. He didn’t.Secondly, a hand on his thigh, not close to his knee, still far from his waist. Warm and heavy, laying there seemingly to assure the android that the human was never going anywhere. Thirdly, a little ragged, but soft lips on his own, a pressure telling Nines to tilt his head and adjust to a better angle. His eyes fell shut, his nose bumping slightly against another, soon coming back to rub against it tenderly. Gavin’s skin was rough under the android’s fingers, worn-out from years of hard work and strict lifestyle, but it felt perfect. Everything felt perfect in that moment, in that place.He let his tongue dart inside the man’s mouth, past his teeth to lick at his palate, earning a surprised yelp and a pleased moan mixed into one sound, and suddenly their proximity wasn’t enough. “I wasn’t made to do this. I’m sorry if I’m not good,” Nines whispered, barely moving away. Their lips brushed together when he spoke. “You’re good enough,” was the only response he got before Gavin rushed in to meet him in a slow kiss that sent non-existent goosebumps all over the android’s artificial skin. His sensors felt overloaded, and yet it wasn’t enough. He wanted more.He desired to feel more.The connection between him and Connor twinkled before a message rolled out from the other end.[The suspect’s in there. I shall inform you about his farther moves. Where are you?]Nines hesitated, pulling away to glance at Gavin. His partner watched him with an irritated question in his wide eyes and the android noted that their pupils were dilated.[We’re on the ferris wheel.][On the ferris wheel? Why?][Gavin wanted to have fun and told me to choose.]He mouthed Connor to Gavin, not wanting to break the precious silence that fell over them while the wheel finished its third round. The man rolled his eyes, but his swollen lips stretched out in a fond smile when he watched him.[Ah. OK. Anyway, the suspect’s with a young boy determined to be his oldest son, he’s heading to a roller-coaster in the center. I’ll let you know when he meets with a possible client. Stay tuned.][Thanks, Connor.]Nines dulled the line into the background, far enough to focus entirely on the man in front of him and near enough to hear it open. His fingers grazed Gavin’s hair on the nape of his neck.“We have some time before the suspect does anything notable,” he said in a flirtatious tone, watching as his partner grinned widely, the hand on his thigh moving just a little higher. It stopped low enough to not dare any biting comments, but the warmth definitely didn’t stop spreading.“What are you waiting for, then?”