#couldn’t fit these in my last post and I forgot to make another

[jthealien]

I have more gifts

[floweringlee]

Come to my Office Max Verstappen X Reader

Pairing: Max Verstappen x Reader

Warnings: Fingering, oral (m&f receiving), biting, shaming, degrading, probably a lot more that I forgot to name.

Word Count: 4.4k 

Notes: This is my first time writing smut like this and it took me a bit of courage to even post this so enjoy

Max Verstappen always had his eye on you. How could he not? You were one of the most precious jewels he had ever laid eyes on. He wouldn’t admit that out loud, of course. Not to anyone else besides himself anyway. Granted, he never had to admit it because everyone already knew. To him, you were his precious little wallflower that no one else could touch, blissfully unaware that he’d been watching you. Stalking you like prey. The last person who even thought about looking in your direction hadn’t shown up to work the next day. They claimed Red Bull wasn’t the right fit for them anymore.

You hummed softly as you wrote down the next meeting details in your notebook, its cover adorned with stickers, a chaotic mix of stars, planets, and little motivational quotes. Your boss was going on about Max’s next performances in the upcoming races, but you barely heard the words. Your mind was elsewhere. Specifically, it was drawn to the man sitting across the room, just a few desks away.

Max’s voice, smooth and controlled as ever, had a way of drawing you in. He was speaking to someone, probably another colleague but you couldn’t help the way your gaze drifted toward him. He was wearing his usual aloof expression, the one that seemed like it could slice through steel, but you knew better. Beneath it all, he had a quiet intensity, one that he only ever showed to those who had earned his trust. And somehow, over the past year, you had earned it.

You had always been diligent when it came to watching him. It was hard not to think Max had an aura about him, a magnetic pull that drew attention without even trying. But what kept you captivated wasn’t just his undeniable charm or his talents on the track. It was the way he treated you. So kind, so considerate. The little things like when he brought you lunch, or those unexpected gifts. He would never say much, but the actions spoke volumes.

Today was no different. As you glanced up from your papers, your eyes met his, and for a brief moment, you saw a flicker of something deeper in his gaze. It was gone almost as quickly as it came, replaced by the confident exterior he wore like a second skin. But that brief second… it lingered with you.

A soft chuckle from across the room broke your reverie. You blinked, startled, and turned back to your notes. Had he just laughed? Or had you imagined it? You quickly jotted down the next point your boss had mentioned, but you couldn’t shake the feeling that Max’s attention was still on you. A warmth spread through your chest, making your heart race just a little faster.

Your boss rambled on, but you were barely listening anymore. Instead, you were aware of the small shifts in the room, the subtle way Max moved, the way his eyes sometimes darted in your direction when he thought no one was looking. It was all so deliberate, so calculated. And yet, it felt so effortless. How could you not notice him?

He knew exactly how to make his presence felt without saying a word. The way he stood with an air of confidence, but never too imposing. The way he’d lean in when speaking to you, always making sure he was just a little closer than necessary. You weren’t blind; you had noticed the way his gaze lingered when you’d speak, the soft smile that would tug at the corner of his lips when you made a joke or said something witty. He’d always play it off as nothing, but you saw the truth in it. Max Verstappen was interested in you.

After the meeting ended, you found yourself packing up your things with more urgency than necessary. You didn’t want to leave, not really. But you had a feeling something might happen if you stuck around too long. You gathered your notes and slipped them into your bag, all the while trying to ignore the heat radiating from your face. There was no reason to be so flustered. It was just Max, after all.

Except… it wasn’t just Max. It was Max, and his unspoken attention, and the way he made you feel like the only person in the room, even when you weren’t the one he was talking to. It was the soft pressure of his gaze, the way his hands seemed to brush against yours just a little too often when handing you something, the way his smile seemed to hold a thousand unspoken words.

“Heading out?” The sound of his voice made you jump, your heart stuttering for a moment. You looked up to find him standing right next to your desk, his expression unreadable, but the flicker of something in his eyes made your stomach flip.

“Uh, yeah,” you stammered, feeling your palms start to sweat. “Just… finishing up some notes.”

Max raised an eyebrow, a small smirk playing at the edges of his mouth. “You know,” he said, leaning casually against the edge of your desk, “you’ve been working really hard lately. Maybe you could use a little break.”

You blinked, surprised by the sudden shift in his tone. He wasn’t making a suggestion; he was making an offer. Something unspoken passed between the two of you, a kind of tension that seemed to thicken the air.

“What do you mean?” you asked, trying to keep your voice steady.

Max’s smirk deepened, and before you could react, he pulled a small bag from his pocket and placed it on your desk. “A little treat,” he said, his voice low and almost teasing. “Thought you could use it after a long day.”

You stared at the bag in disbelief for a moment before opening it carefully. Inside, you found a small selection of your favorite chocolates, the ones you’d mentioned in passing months ago during a lunch break.

“I… Max, you didn’t have to,” you whispered, touched by the gesture.

He shrugged, his eyes holding yours with an intensity that made your pulse quicken. “I wanted to. And besides,” he added, his voice dropping for just the two of you two hear, “You can always make it up to me after this meeting.” His breath fanned across your ear, and the look he gave you told you more than enough about what he meant. 

A thousand thoughts rushed through your mind in that instant, but none of them made it past the lump in your throat. You wanted to say something, anything, but all you could manage was a small nod, fearing that if you moved your legs would give out underneath you. Max gave you a knowing smile, his eyes flickering with something that made your chest tighten. He slipped a small paper into your purse before giving you one last look. 

As he turned to leave, you couldn’t shake the feeling that this was just the beginning. Something had shifted between the two of you, something subtle but undeniable. And as you watched him walk away, your thoughts began to swirl, the questions you had about Max Verstappen suddenly seeming a lot more complicated than they had before.

But for now, you could only watch him go, knowing that whatever happened next, you were no longer the only one who had been keeping a secret.

Slowly reaching into your bag, took the cool white paper into your fingers. Your hands shook with just a bit of anticipation as you unfolded it, staring at the letters that stuck on your mind for the next hour. 

“Come to my office after the last meeting of the day.”

When everyone had cleared out of the office and your nerves had begun to get the best of you. There was a churning feeling in your stomach that had been bubbling up as you anxiously made your way to Maxs office. When you’d actually reached the door your feet seemed to stop in place, stopping you in time. 

“Are you going to just keep standing outside of my door keeping me waiting?” 

You jolted from your spot, shakily reaching for the doorhandle, pulling it open. Max was there, in a casual button up, his tie loosely hanging around his neck.  A rush of warmth flooded your cheeks as you fumbled to close the door behind you. The moment he locked eyes with you, a wave of something hot and unsettling washed over you. His gaze lingered, unhurried, as if he was cataloging every detail of your reaction. There was a silence between you, thick and heavy, filled with so many unspoken words.

"You took your time," Max said, his voice low, his lips curling into a half-smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. There was an edge to his tone, something teasing but with a subtle undertone of command.

“I—” you stammered, then cleared your throat, trying to regain some semblance of control. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to—"

Max cut you off before you could finish, his gaze flickering with an emotion you couldn’t quite place. "No need to apologize," he said, his voice almost too smooth. “You’ve been busy today, haven’t you?”

You nodded, following his broad body as he walked toward you then, his movements deliberate, almost predatory. Every step he took seemed to draw you in, until he was standing mere inches away. The space between you felt impossibly small, and you could feel the heat radiating off of him. You swallowed hard, trying to steady your nerves, but his presence was overwhelming in the best way.

Max tilted his head slightly, the hint of a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth as his eyes never left yours except when it was to flickering to look at your face.

"Do you know why I asked you to come here?" His voice was softer now, a whisper of curiosity underlined with something else, something dangerous that made your heart race.

You shook your head, unable to trust your voice. It was as if the words were trapped inside your chest, stuck behind a wall of uncertainty. Was he teasing you? Or was there something more to his request?

Max’s smile widened slightly, sensing your unease. "You’ve been avoiding me, haven’t you?"

You blinked, caught off guard by the bluntness of his words. "What do you mean?"

He took another step closer, and you could feel the air around you growing heavier, charged with something electric. “I’ve noticed,” he said, his voice low, almost like a confession. “You’re always polite, always professional. But there’s a distance between us. Like you’re… keeping something from me.”

Your throat went dry. Was he referring to the way you always made sure to keep things strictly professional with him? To the way you tried to mask the strange feelings he stirred in you? To the fact that you had spent months trying to ignore the undeniable chemistry between you, pretending it didn’t exist?

You opened your mouth to respond, but the words failed you. Max watched you closely, his eyes gleaming with a mix of curiosity and something more primal.

He stepped closer again, his proximity now impossible to ignore. You could feel the heat from his body seeping into your skin. His hand reached out, almost casually, brushing against yours. The simple touch sent a shock through your system, your pulse quickening in response.

“Don’t be nervous,” he murmured, his voice now hushed, intimate. "I’m not going to bite."

But the way he said it the glint in his eyes, the subtle weight behind his words told you that maybe he would, in a way that you couldn't quite predict. A delicious chill ran down your spine, and for a moment, all you could do was stare at him, mesmerized. His next words seemed to buzz right to your cunt. 

“Unless….you want me to?”

A small whimper sounded in your throat that didn't go unnoticed by the older man. His hands trailed up your sides that made you squirm in your spot, not daring to look away fearing that if you did he’d disappear in the moment. 

“Sit down, Schat”

You blinked, heart racing as your body obeyed his command before your mind could catch up. Every nerve in your body screamed for you to turn and walk away, but something inside you, the same part that had always been drawn to him, even from the first moment you'd met compelled you to stay, setting a fiery feeling throughout your body. 

He smirked when he saw the look on your face, it was one of innocence and surprise. You weren't a virgin by any means, but no other man had ever taken the time to care about you. Not like this.

You could feel your heart hammering in your chest as you watched him, waiting for him to tell you what to do. He had moved and was sitting with his legs spread leaning against his office chair, his hand running along his clothed thigh. Your eyes followed his hands movements and he chuckled darkly at how obvious your interest was.

"You're going to take off your clothes for me" He hummed, a smile forming on his face.

At first, it shocked you l, but you knew were this was going the moment you’d read that note. Part of you wanted to maintain your professionalism while the other fought desperately to crawl out of the cage you locked her in. And right now— she was winning. Your hands were shaking as you tried to pull your shirt over your head. You fumbled with the fabric for a few seconds before you were able to slip it off, tossing it onto the floor.

Max's eyes were burning into yours as you removed the rest of your clothing, leaving you standing in front of him in nothing but your underwear. You could feel his gaze lingering on every inch of exposed skin and goosebumps rose along your body.

His eyes were dark as they raked over you, drinking in the sight before him. He was completely still, other than the twitch of his fingers, the only thing giving away his impatience.

"Come here." His voice was commanding, deep, sending a shiver up your spine.

For a second we were unable to move, frozen in place, but you quickly scampered towards him, the cold making your nipples perk up against the now burning feeling that was spreading throughout your body. 

"Take off your underwear."

Your breath hitched as you obeyed. It wasn't until the fabric slid down your legs and onto the floor that you realized he was staring directly between your legs, his tongue darting out to wet his bottom lip. You felt a harsh blush spread across your cheeks. If he wanted to stare at you so bad he should have just said so to begin with. Still the entire situation had left you drenched, feeling a bit of your slick rub against your inner thighs. 

"Turn around."

Again, your body moved without thought, spinning so you were facing away from him.

"Bend over."

Your pulse spiked. You bent forward, feeling his hands caress the backs of your thighs, moving up to squeeze the globes of your ass. You moaned quietly as he spread you apart, exposing your most intimate area.

"Look at you, already so wet for me. Are you aching, bloem? Is it throbbing?" He asked, his voice low and husky, almost a growl. There was something primal with the way he was speaking to you. His breath fanning across your back makes you shiver in the process. 

"Y-yes." You breathed quietly, just enough for him to be able to hear. 

"Good girl."

He leaned in, pressing his lips to your core, dragging his tongue up the length of you.

"Mmm," He moaned, "You taste even better than I imagined…."

He pushed two fingers into you, curling them just right to hit your g-spot, drawing out a cry from your lips. You could feel his smirk against your flesh as he pumped his fingers in and out of you.

"So tight." He murmured.

Your legs began to tremble as he increased the speed of his ministrations, your eyes rolling back in pleasure. The sound that filled the room was far from innocent as your moans ripped through the thick sex filled air. 

"That's it," He whispered, "You sound so pretty for me."

The stubble of his mustache scraped against your cunt electing a whine from you. Max's fingers twisted and turned in your gummy walls paired with his skilled tongue was doing wonders for you as you helplessly grinded against his face to be best if your ability from your compromising position. You could feel him chuckle against your clit before you felt a sharp pinch in the bundle of nerves. You squeaked in surprise from both pain and pleasure before your walls clenched around him and you let out a scream, your arms finally giving out on the table,  breathing hard. You were still recovering from the aftershocks of your orgasm that Max had been slurping up easing with small kitten licked when you felt a hand on the back of your neck, pulling you up.

"Get on your knees" his eyes were hazed as he spoke. Your eyes widened as you were guided off the table, slowly kneeling in front of him. 

"Open." His voice was final and you opened your mouth and he pushed his fingers into you, making sure that you got a good taste of yourself. Slowly you swirl your tongue around each of his digits making sure to clean them off, maintaining eye contact with the Dutchman the entire time making him groan as he watched you.  

His length strained against his slacks taking up more than enough space in their confined environment. You looked up at him with innocent, pleading eyes, and he raised an eyebrow at you expectantly. Just as eagerly you reached up to undo his belt tugging both his pants and boxers down in one go. Your breath caught in your throat at the sight of him. His cock was long and thick, and already hard. Precum was beading at the tip, begging for your attention. You but your lip, wondering if maybe you’d bit off more than you could chew. 

His movements were swift with how he grabbed your face, giving you no time to think since his fingers pressed in the back of your jaw, making it slack open. 

“Now be a good girl and suck.”

You took him into your hand, wrapping your fingers around him and stroked his shaft slowly, twisting your wrist slightly as you did. He let out a low moan, closing his eyes and leaning back, giving you full access to him.

You leaned in, swirling your tongue around the head, tasting the salty liquid, before taking him into your mouth. His hands immediately tangled themselves in your hair, tugging on the strands as you bobbed your head, sucking him eagerly.

"That's it, fuck yeah….such a pretty little mouth for me.."

You hollowed out your cheeks, increasing the suction around his shaft, drawing more moans from his lips. You quite enjoyed the look on his face as his eyebrows scrunches together as he tried to keep his cool. You flicked your tongue on the underside of his length, occasionally pressing him to the back of your throat teasingly. You could tell he was getting close, his hips starting to thrust upwards, fucking into your mouth. 

You let out a surprised muffle when the makeshift ponytail he had made with your hair was pressed down rather harshly, making you gag in his length. 

"Fucking hell." He hissed, tightening his grip on your hair.

You relaxed your jaw and took him deeper, swallowing him completely, earning a growl from his throat. You could feel him swell in your mouth and his hips stuttered as his orgasm hit.

“Fucking swallow it all, baby. Swallow my cum." He panted.

You swallowed every drop, savoring the taste of him. Making sure to lick up anything you might have missed for good measure. His cock still twitched eagerly and as Max was still catching his breath when he spoke again.

"On the couch, lie on your back"

You quickly climbed onto the sofa, lying down. He leaned over you, brushing his lips against yours, making your breath hitch. His eyes were hooded as he looked down at you as your lips locked in a sloppy kiss that was more teeth than kiss but it didn’t matter. 

“Should mark you.” He was muttering under his breath. “Make sure they know what’s mine.”

As if on queue you felt a sharp pain on the side of your neck that quickly melted to pleasure causing you to moan. 

"Would you like that, Schat?"

On a normal basis if you had been thinking you would have said no, but the look he was giving you and you said otherwise. The thought of everyone staring at you with marks littered by Max makes your pussy gape around nothing, waiting to be filled. 

“Please Max?” You whimpered, bucking your hips up lightly in response which made him chuckle. “You’re so naughty for someone so innocent.” With that, he’d made his journey to leave bites and hickeys across your body, leaving no part untouched. 

His mouth had started on your neck, biting and licking afterwards as if to sooth it before moving onto his next spot to ruin. Max teeth dug into your skin in a way that seemed like they were supposed to fit. His hands cupped your breast giving them a tough squeeze, a moan leaving your mouth. 

“Fuck you’re gorgeous..” he breathed, staring down at you before taking a nipple in his mouth sucking harsh l his tongue twirling circles around the bud before releasing it with a pop that made you shudder.  If you’d started to notice anything it was how Max certainly wasn’t going easy on you. Almost a second later your point was proven when you felt a pinch to your tit, making you squeal. His eyes looked up at you as if to say ‘sorry’ but it certainly didn’t stop him from repeating the treatment to you other mound of flesh. 

Your thighs rubbed together in impatience, your own slick spreading more and more. When the kisses had reached your stomach you felt him lift himself up, making your previously closed eyes snap open.

"I'm gonna fuck you, and you're going to take it.” Max's voice was calm but the wild look in his eyes betrayed everything that he was saying. 

"Yes…Max.”

“Good.” The words seemed final. You gasped when you felt his tip pressed against your swollen cunt, slowly slipping in. Your hands wrapped and his back, placing them firmly but not enough to scratch him, that was until you felt him push the rest of himself in you with one thrust. Your previous slick made it easy for him to intrude your gummy walls feeling full in an instant. Your nails dug into his back as you let out a moan that mixed with Max’s grunt. 

"Jesus Christ, you're so tight. Such a good girl." he grunted, his grip tightened on your hips as he guided you down onto him. You moaned embarrassingly louder than you’d like to admit when the head of his cock brushed against your cervix. Your pussy spasmed involuntarily the deeper he got. 

"Look at you, so eager for me, Schat. Do you like it when I fuck you?"

"Yes, Max!" You cried, your walls clenching around him as he rutted into you. Your shameless cries filled the empty area, and you quickly covered your mouth to hide the sounds. 

“No, Y/N I want to hear you,” Max's hand curled around your wrist, prying your hand away from your mouth to let your moans fall. You raised your hips and bucked them, quickly grinding against him. His hands gripped your hips, surely leaving bruises later.  You started to move faster, rocking against him, taking him deeper with each thrust. Tears pricked the corner of your eyes, as he pistoned into you, sending jolts down your spine. 

“Who knew that my pretty little wallflower could sound like such a dirty little slut.” he teased, slowly dragging his fingers across your body.  You moaned as his fingers found your clit, rubbing it roughly.

"You're so beautiful, Schat." He murmured before flipping you over, your bodies still connected so he could see your face. “All that mascara running down your face. You look absolutely ruined for me.” 

Max seemed mesmerized at the way your perky tits bounced with each thrust he made, shaking the couch with his movements— not that he cared much about that anyway. The coil in your stomach was getting tighter and tighter, your muscles clenching around him, causing him to groan.

“That's it baby, cum all over my cock.” his encouragement only seemed to spur the burning feeling in your stomach, and with the addition of how his fingers were skillfully working on your clit, feeling the stimulation from his fingers, his pace, and now the sharp bites on your shoulder was enough to edge you into coming undone, the pressure exploding making you shake with a loud cry. Your pussy clenched down on his length engaging him in our walls doing exactly as you were told. His thrusts became more frantic and you knew he was close, "Oh god, yes, Max!" You cried, feeling the rush of your orgasm hit you. He followed suit, growling out a string of dutch words as he came, filling you completely.

“You’re going to keep every last drop.” Max whispered into your ear, steadily continuing to thrust into you, making sure his cum was stuffed well in your cunt. You whimpred a bit from the overstimulation but made no move to stop him from his goal.  

He was still panting heavily as he pulled out of you, watching the white liquid drip from your entrance, coating his length. Quickly he’d moved to reach for your discarded panties, returning to your spent body tsking under his breath as the white liquid spilled out of your body. His thick fingers gathered up the secretion, stuffing it right back inside your puffy cunt making your body jolt, a broken moan falling from your lips. Max only chuckled at your response, slipping your panties back on before placing a light kiss at your sensitive entrance. 

“You did so well for me, Schat. Same time tomorrow?” 

You were already nodding yes. 

[lovelyyandereaddictionpoint]

I love your blog so much!! You're without a doubt my favorite writer on this app, you write yanderes so so well and you just manage to capture so amazingly the personality of EVERY character you write, especially Byakuya, i love him so much, and you just write him so well, i've been reading and rereading your works nonstop!

Could i please request yandere Byakuya with a Reader who's very kind and gentle and they like to follow him around (not in an annoying way, but in an attempt to try to befriend him and make sure he is okay during the killing game, since he is kinda excluded for being an ass). Better yet, how would he react to Reader actually leaving him alone after he went too far, or was too mean to them

Love everything you post so much, feel free to deny, remember to eat and drink water!

Thank you so so much! I'm happy i could make you happy! 🖤🖤🖤🖤

Sweet ‘n Sour | Yandere Byakuya Togami

It’s honestly an honor

That you’re transmigrated into an anime/game

Too bad it’s the killing game of Danganronpa

And of course, with you thrown in the middle things are really unpredictable

So you’ll comfort yourself in being as kind to these characters as you possibly can

Especially Byakuya

A fan favorite and an intriguing ally throughout the game

Of course, you just gravitate toward him

Even though he sneers and insults you

Sometimes threatens

But you don’t mind…

…

Even though….

Those comments are beginning to hurt 

It’s one thing to love a meaner character through the screen but in person, it’s pretty hard

despite your inclination to maintain your usual smile and gentle actions

After a while, you just stop trying 

Too bad some may consider that your biggest mistake:

“Honestly I was hoping you’d turn up as one of the corpses during this farce; it probably would have made it even more interesting.”

That was it.

That was the last straw for you. Toko could have all his time and attention for all you care. The sheer fact you’ve put up with this for so long disgusts you. To hear your own life be spat on by the guy you’d been trying to extend a helping hand to–it was despicable. (Of him or of you, you couldn’t decide.)

“Ah, I see. Have a good night then.”

That was the last time you went out of your way to speak to him; immediately changing your schedule to accompany someone else. Since you’d been away with Byakuya you almost forgot how kind the rest of the group was. 

“(Y/n) I’m so happy you’re willing to hang out now! Let’s make donuts together!”

“After that I hope you’ll indulge me and Naegi in a puzzle of sorts.”

“I-if it’s alright with you..”

It was refreshing. 

To be told you were actually wanted around was somehow so fulfilling.

What terrible company you’ve been keeping.

“I’d love to!” Within a matter of days you are feeling the warmth of friendly interactions; whereas the man you’re avoiding is having a….less than stellar reaction.

Crash! 

Toko was excited that her Byakuya-sama had finally chased you. A rival weak enough to be effected by words wasn’t much of a rival at all! But upon your absence in only a few hours into his daily routine Byakuya had made an intense realization. 

That he desperately desired your attention on him.

He didn’t have to actually see you skirting your routine with him to know he hated the thought of you spending any amount of time with his classmates rivals. It literally made his skin itch and his throat close up with every minute away from you. Naturally he doesn’t care that even Toko is unnerved by the tantrum he throws. Books are strewn about, the shelves dangerously leaning against one another. All of it just an emphasis of the palpable malice emanating off of Byakuya. In the middle of the ruins he just stands still. 

Alarmingly still.

Like a predator looking out. 

Are they hunting? Scoping? Contemplating the ways to torture their enemies?

No one really knows.

Even when he pulls at his hair and belts out in an uncouth laughing fit. In an instant he stops demanding Monokuma show himself this instant. He needed to find you. Now. He’ll make it a point to inform the headmaster of his own teaching. 

Because apparently you–being the kind and gentle soul you are should be able to withstand all kinds of people. Especially him. Always him. So he’ll offer his own guidance by keeping you within arms reach at all times. 

He expects you to persist against anything he can throw at you.

How else are you going to rule the world as a Togami?

[messrmoonyy]

Road trip

Tess Servopoulos x Reader

Request- hear me out messr please. Reader along for the ride with Tess Joel and Ellie looking for fireflies. One night they’re holed up in some random house somewhere and Tess and reader need so relief. And they get busyyyyyyy but have to be quiet because Joel and Ellie might hear them. Tess with her hand on your mouth and fucking you and trapping her moans in your mouth🤤🤤 PLEASE

A/n- ngl. I’ve rewritten it twice. And I still don’t particularly like it allll that much. But I promised you guys these smutober posts and now it’s November so I’m v v sorry. But here’s the last smutober post. Enjoy. Smuts on the shorter side but it felt fitting for the scene!

Word count: 3.7k

Warnings: 18+ | smut- fingering ( r receiving)

Navigation | AO3 | Tess masterlist

“ I’m starving “ Ellie complained for what felt like the millionth time, dragging out her words and dramatically slumping over as she walked with a groan. It made a smile tug at your lips as you watched her in amusement, a glance over at Tess showing she had the same look on her face.

That only made you smile more. Tess had grown an incredibly soft spot for the kid over the months. In fact she’d had a soft spot for her from the very beginning. If it hadn’t have been for her none of you would even be stood where you were now.

Wherever there was.

“ where even are we? “ Ellie asked, hanging back from Joel a little to then look up at you and Tess. As if reading your mind.

“ oh somewhere in Iowa I think. Joel? “

“ Iowa “ he confirmed from the front of the group “ keep up “ Jackson felt forever away, you were all putting in long long days of walking. Taking longer routes to avoid big cities, traipsing through back roads and woodland. You had suggested trying to find a car. Joel hadn’t even given you an answer to that, just one of his looks that said ‘ are you fucking with me right now? ‘

You knew it’d be damn near impossible to find one that still worked but you’d suggest anything to get a break from all that damn walking.

“ you ever been to Iowa? “ Ellie asked, kicking a rock along the ground as she walked beside you. The poor kid looked exhausted. Sometimes you forgot how young she was.

“ no. I never really did any travelling until the world ended. And if I had I don’t think Iowa would’ve been at the top of my list “ you said with a laugh and she nodded, but yawned before she could say anything else. You sighed and placed a gentle hand to her shoulder “ you wanna stop kid? “ she glanced over at where Joel had stopped walking and tried to straighten her self out a little more.

“ I’m not even tired “ you sighed again and rolled your eyes. She seemed hell bent on impressing Joel. Like she had some need to prove to him that she was much stronger than she looked, that she could handle herself. She seemed to forget she was just a kid. And an entire day of walking, plus the fact that she was hungry? It was time to stop.

“ Joel lemme see that map “ Tess piped up, beckoning for it with her fingers before just taking the map from him before he could even agree to it.

“ we still got at least another hour of light we should keep- “

“ I’m tired too “ you interrupted. In truth you thought maybe you could hack another hour or so before you dropped. You were exhausted but you could keep going if you had to. But Ellie couldn’t and two voices were better than one. Ellie needed to sleep. Even if she refused to admit it to Joel herself. Tess glanced over at you, a slight warm look in her eyes as she realised why you had said it.

You were seeing that warmth a little more the longer she was around Ellie. A warmth she’d buried for so long, that only you got to really see, finally being pulled up to the surface.

Some deep rooted motherly instinct to protect this scrappy little kid that was now in your care. Ellie was making her soft. And maybe you too.

“ there’s a small town about a mile that way “ she said and nodded in the direction of the town “ I doubt there’d be any infected we’re in the middle of fuckin nowhere. And it’s so small it’s barely even a town… head into one of the neighbourhoods on the outskirts. Bunk down in one of the houses for the night. Set off early again tomorrow morning “ Joel gave a small sigh before glancing at Ellie and nodding.

“ alright. Let’s go “ you pretended not to catch the look of relief that flashed across Ellie’s face as you ushered her to walk in front of you. Joel led the way and Tess fell into position next to you at the back. She looked tired too. Everyone was fucking tired, you’d like to bet Joel was too. He was just stubborn as fuck about… well everything. But then again, so was Tess. Trying to get either of them to rest for the entire journey had been a mission in itself.

“ this means we can eat soon right? “ you chuckled and nodded

“ we have some of those tins of ravioli you like. Oh and I have some rabbit left over, you can have mine if you want “ she looked quite pleased with that knowledge and seemed to walk a little faster.

“ did you eat today? “ Tess said quietly by your side as Ellie caught up with Joel, ready to hit him with a million and one questions now “ I didn’t see you have anything this mornin and you’re giving Ellie the meat… “ you shrugged and rubbed at your temples lightly, a headache settling itself in. You were tired and tense and hungry. And now the thought of stopping for the day was fully in your mind, you were realising just how tense every single muscle in your body was. Maybe you couldn’t have made it another hour or two.

“ I’ll eat when we stop “ you said and gave her a soft smile as if that would make her believe you more.

In truth your hunger wasn’t the worst thing. It was the fact that you were getting a little homesick.

That shitty Boston apartment and your equally as shitty bed. It was barely big enough to fit the two of you in, was propped up on one side with bricks, but you kinda liked that because it meant you had to sleep wrapped up in Tess’ arms each night. The QZ wasn’t exactly stress free but it was a lot less taxing than traipsing across the country with a kid.

You’d deal with FEDRA fucks and wannabe smugglers over hunters and slavers any day. You missed walking around the QZ with some air of power with Tess, then going back home and spending the evening de stressing from the day with her. The comfortable silence as you counted cards, getting her to lift the two floorboards in the back corner behind the couch to stash your pills. Letting her ease your aching body after particularly stressful days, easing away the ache of bruises with her lips and her fingers.

It had been weeks since you’d had any form of… de stressing with Tess. Of any kind. But particularly the latter.

And the last time hadn’t exactly been anything to shout about either. Needing to have it over and done with as fast as possible before Joel wondered why you’d both been out hunting so long. You’d only just about lost the bruises on your back from where she’d pushed you up against the closest tree the second she deemed you both far enough away from Joel and Ellie’s earshot.

It wasn’t exactly special or even particularly comfortable. It had felt dirty and obscene, to have her fucking you out in the open like that. But you’d gladly take the opportunity again. The things you would do to be back there again, her hand down the front of your jeans and her lips on your neck. Or better yet back in Boston and your shitty apartment, to feel her hands on you. Or her mouth. Or both.

Yeah. Both.

That would definitely ease your achy muscles.

“ sweetheart? “ you glanced over at her and she chuckled at the clearly evident look of confusion on your face

“ huh? “

“ you okay? We’re almost there you need to focus, yeah? “

“ yeah. Yeah. I’m good. I’m focussed. Sorry “ you pushed away the thoughts of your girlfriends skilful hands and mouth, and grabbed your gun from where it was strapped to your thigh.

You could see the small neighbourhood you were heading into at the bottom of the hill, it looked empty. But you could never be too sure In the current climate.

You felt the air shift between your group, everyone preparing for the worst in case there were people lurking in the town. Sticking close to the tree line and keeping your eyes on the windows. The high spots. Looking for any sign of a face or a gun.

“ stay close Ellie “ Tess said in a low voice, the girl instantly moving behind you. You, Joel and Tess were a well oiled machine by that point. It was only natural after so many years as a team. You could anticipate each others moves and thoughts, silently communicate with simple looks. It worked well.

The town seemed abandoned. Most of the buildings collapsing in on themselves, windows smashed and the roof tiles missing. There were one or two in the close vicinity that seemed a little more structurally stable. Joel headed for the one closest pointing for you and Tess to take the back whilst he went for the front.

Ellie stuck close to Tess as you made your way towards the back door, trying the handle to find it unlocked. That was a good sign. You opened it and stepped inside, no noise traps. No actual traps. All good signs.

You cleared the downstairs pretty quickly, finding no one there. In fact it seemed as though no one had been there for years. Thick layers of dust only now disturbed by your boots, the feeling of just… emptiness.

Joel returned from clearing the upstairs and gave a small nod.

“ clear “

You all made your way into the garage, silently agreeing that it was the safest spot to sleep. One door into the house and the garage door that nobody could possibly open silently enough not to alarm anyone.

Joel and Tess found one mattress upstairs that wasn’t completely rotten, placing it in the middle for Ellie. You, Tess and Joel opted for the floor. Using the thin blankets you’d taken from Henry and Sams packs back in Pittsburgh. You were almost used to laying on the hard ground now. So you didn’t really even mind. And Tess’ body warmth was enough to chase the chill away.

Ellie devoured the rabbit and her tin of ravioli, scraping out every last drop of sauce she could and still not looking entirely satisfied. You attempted to offer her the rest of yours but Tess stopped you before you could even say the first word in your sentence, placing her hand on yours to keep you in place. And then offering the kid her own.

“ Ellie. Here “

“ it’s okay I’m- “

“ take it. It’s fine “ she took it sheepishly and whispered a thank you before devouring that too. You placed yours into her hands then “ you need- “

“ we can share “ Tess was stubborn but so were you. And Tess sighed with a nod, taking the fork from you and having a bite. Passing the fork back and forth until the tin was empty. You still weren’t particularly full. But you were used to that too.

Ellie passed out ridiculously fast, making you smile at how at ease she looked even in the current circumstances. Joel disappeared briefly back into the house, sounds of broken glass scattering on the floor before returning. He barricaded the door leading back into the house before turning his back to you all, laying down facing the door with a grumbled goodnight.

You chose a spot in the opposite corner of the room to sleep, always feeling safer when no one could sneak up behind you. You felt safer than you had for the majority of the journey, the singular door out blocked. The windows on the garage door too small to fit anyone through. You could all hopefully get some decent sleep.

You settled under the blanket as Tess unlaced her boots slightly. She never took them off now, in case you needed to make a quick escape. Just loosened the laces. You looked over at Ellie fast asleep on the mattress and silently wished there had been another one to use, the concrete of the floor not exactly comfortable. But still, you were all safe as could be. That was all that mattered really.

Tess scooted down behind you, pulling you back against her chest and sliding her arms around you. So she could keep you close and warm, a deep sigh leaving her and tickling the back of your neck. She’d bundled up her jacket to use as some kind of pillow for you, but she also nudged her arm under your head to keep you off the concrete as much as possible.

“ you doing okay? “ she asked quietly, pressing her face to the back of your neck

“ I’m okay “

“ really? you’re so tense “ Tess said quietly, her fingers tracing up and down your side lightly “ you have been all day “

“ my muscles hurt “ you confessed in a whisper as not to wake up Joel or Ellie “ my whole body hurts “

“ oh sweetheart “ she sighed, kissing the back of your neck softly “ you need to relax “ she murmured against your ear, her lips brushing against your skin and her warm breath making goosebumps rise “ I can help you relax “

Her fingers pressed harder, pushing at your aching muscles through your clothes in a way that actually did offer a small amount of relief.

“ good? “ you hummed an answer, pretty sure you could fall asleep like that. Close your eyes and think hard enough to pretend you were back in Boston, that she was easing the pain after a long day on one of the food depot shifts. Lifting and hauling boxes all day, always going home after that assignment feeling like you’d been hit by a truck.

More often than not it ended with her wandering hands making you come over and over again, because according to her it was the best cure for aching muscles. You didn’t know if you entirely believed her logic, but you weren’t exactly going to complain about it.

Her fingers slipped under your sweater and you shivered at the coldness of her touch, but soon let out a soft sigh as she moved upwards. She unashamedly groped at your chest through the material of your bra, a small involuntary whimper escaping your lips.

“ maybe helping me to relax at the same time “ she mumbled, making a smile tug at your lips. You felt her let out a steady sigh, the warm air tickling your neck. Joel shuffled slightly in his sleep and your froze but Tess didn’t stop “ s’okay he’s still asleep “

You wondered just how desperate she was for you to the fact that she had so little fear at being caught. It made your face flush with heat and your back arch involuntarily against her. Her hand immediately left its position under your sweater and flew to your hip, pulling you back against her and squeezing.

“ I wish you could fuck me “ you whispered in practically one breath, horniness starting to cloud your better judgement

“ yeah? “ her voice was that low, sultry tone that felt like warm caramel. Slow and drawn out, warmth flowing over your despite the cold “ missing mommy’s cock baby? “ a whimper slipped past your lips without your permission again, your eyes darting to Ellie and Joel in fear you’d been too loud. Of course you hadn’t. And both of them remained fast asleep

“ Tess- “ you cut yourself off as her hand danced along the waist band of your jeans, pressing soft kisses to your neck. You felt your skin prickle, immediately knowing what she wanted to do. The cold of the concrete no longer affecting you. And as much as you wanted it, you knew you couldn’t. Not there.

“ we can’t “

“ we can. Just be quiet “ you could hear the smile in her voice, feel it against your skin as she wasted no time and carefully undid the button of your jeans, one handed and skilful in a way you hadn’t quite mastered yet, still pressing those soft wet kisses to your neck.

“ Tess… “

“ stay quiet yeah? “ she whispered as she pressed the palm of her hand against your underwear, making your breath hitch at the pressure. Her finger traced along your slit through the materiel. You felt her smile against your neck as she slipped her way past the cotton restraints, noting that as much as she clearly wanted to do it she also didn’t want to waste any time.

So she was quick with moving her finger between your folds, breath stuttering as you tried to remain quiet and calm. As much as you’d said only a second ago that you couldn’t do it, you found yourself moving your leg to let her have better access. It only made her smile more “ thought you said we can’t do it?” She murmured softly, some mixture of smugness and amusement in her tone.

“ shut up “ honestly though it was you that needed to shut up, gasping a little too loudly when her fingers applied a little more pressure.

Maybe it was a good thing that she clearly needed it over with quickly, because you weren’t confident in your ability to be silent. At all. In fact it was a running joke with her and Joel that you were notoriously bad at being quiet. Joel had complained so many times that he could hear you through the walls. Mostly that just encouraged Tess to make you be ten times louder though.

But thankfully for you- and probably Joel too- you were both in no situation to be loud or draw things out tonight. And she knew your body better than you, so as much as she was able to draw it out for hours. She could also have it over in minutes.

You gasped when her fingers circled your clit, slightly embarrassed by how wet her fingers felt after barely a minute of touching you. You got turned in ridiculously fast “ shh shhh be a good girl nice and quiet. Nice and quiet for me “ she urged, voice still silky and soft.

“ I’ve been thinking about this for so long “ you whispered, eyes falling closed as you focussed on the skilful movement of her fingers. Working at you expertly even within the tricky confides of your unbuttoned jeans.

“ is that where you keep going when you zone out? “ she asked with a small laugh. Maybe you weren’t as subtle as you thought you were. At least no one knew what you were actually thinking. The last thing you needed was someone in your head seeing all the filthy things you daydreamed about Tess doing to you…

“ maybe “ she laughed again, but it soon fell into a slightly frustrated sigh.

“ the second we reach Jackson we are finding a bed “ she mumbled, shifting around behind you and seemingly trying to reposition her hand to be more comfortable “ or. Anywhere that I can actually get your fuckin naked “

“ hmm that’d be nic- Tess “ you gasped her name as finally seemed to get her hand into a position that she could get into the perfect spot. The perfect rhythm.

“ there we go “ she picked up the speed, lips attacking your neck at the same time in a utterly dizzying combination. You pressed the back of your hand to your mouth to try stifle any sound that wanted to escape. You were hyper sensitive to every sound. Like somehow your heavy breaths would wake Joel and Ellie , or rustle of the blanket. As if he wasn’t half deaf and Ellie slept like a log.

But somehow that element of fear was twisting into something different, some burning hot type of adrenaline pricking over your skin. Paired with the way Tess was working at your desperate, throbbing clit? You were a goner, already feeling the pressure building and it had barely been a few minutes.

“ you know what else I can’t wait for in Jackson? Hm? I cant wait to hear your pretty sounds again “ you whimpered at the thought. Remembering every filthy word Tess liked to say to you to make you moan, how she would have the smuggest look on her face with every whimper and whine. Showering you in praise for every little noise that passed your lips “ you always sound so pretty for me don’t you baby? “

Your mind replayed as many memories of those times in your head as it could, memories of her words. Her body. God you wanted to see her body again. Wanted to touch her and feel her skin pressing against your own in as many spots as humanly possible. You wanted to bury your face between her legs and never ever leave, make up for lost time and have her make it right back up to you too.

The thought of that, paired with her fingers and lips nipping at your neck, was enough to topple you over the edge.

You trapped her hand between your legs, focusing on trying to stay quiet, shuddering breaths hidden by the thin blanket pulled up to your mouth. You were never more thankful for Joel’s busted ear.

You turned your head, looping your arm around to pull her lips onto yours, not so confident in your ability to remain quiet as you finished. And even with Joel’s shitty hearing and the blanket.

She had the worlds smuggest smile as you moaned softly into her mouth, keeping her hand between your legs as your orgasm washed over you in a draining wave.

It zapped every single last drop of energy you had left in your body, muscles like jelly as you let her go. And in her defence. You were certainly less tense than you had been before.

“ thank you “ you mumbled, eyelids heavy as you tried to not immediately give in to sleep. Tess chuckled slightly and kissed your cheek, withdrawing her hand from your jeans.

“ thanking me for sex now? You really are tired “ you hummed some attempt at an answer and she laughed again, holding you tightly against her “ go to sleep “

“ I owe you one “ Tess smiled and pressed another kiss to your cheek

“ you sure do “

[exorcqism]

𝐆𝐄𝐓𝐎 𝐒𝐔𝐆𝐔𝐑𝐔

„𝐂𝐇𝐑𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐌𝐀𝐒 𝐃𝐈𝐍𝐍𝐄𝐑?”

CW;; general content. afab!reader, no sex, all fluff and the cute stuff. teen!geto, teen!gojo, no uses of y/n. not proofread so i apologize in advance for any mistakes if they’re made.

: ̗̀➛ art creds by;; currently unknown. dividers are not mine, if you own these, you may claim them in comments.

: ̗̀➛ WORD COUNT;; 1.88K

dark mode recommended

do not copy this plot. i’m perfectly fine with inspirations but give creds. if this plot his stolen in any way, the post will be taken down and you will be blocked.

𝐃𝐀𝐊𝐎𝐓𝐀𝐒 𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐄𝐒 ✉️🖇️;; since christmas is on monday,, why not make a themed story with the non-sorcerer hater?? in his teens ofc. hope ya enjoyyyyy reblog to support meeeee and if you want more :D

another note: trying a new layout 😵‍💫 i’ll see if i like it or not.

“satoru, no..” geto rolled his eyes. it was christmas time. a chilly saturday afternoon and suguru was going to cook a christmas dinner.

a ham (which he told himself that he’d buy on his own), yams, macaroni and cheese, dressing. whatever popped into his head to cook…another thing for him to groan at when he was struggling to follow the directions. and gojo attempting to bring his nonsense into his home wasn’t gonna solve anything.

“why nottt? you’re bringing that girl over, why can’t i come?” gojo asked. geto wasn’t really listening, he was in the middle of feeding his snake, suguru, which he named after himself because he couldn’t think of anything better and eventually, he thought the name fit.

“geto?”

“ah, sorry. like i said, no. you’ll make a mess and you’ll have kay all pissed off because you keep pulling on her tail. then you whine when she scratches you.” geto finally replied. kay was geto’s fluffy white cat with blue eyes. she loved being around geto and anyone else who he willingly brought around…but with gojo it was a love-hate relationship.

“she jumped on me first..” gojo trailed off. geto sighed, still holding the phone up to his ear. he knew that if he kept denying gojo of stopping by, he’d probably just pop up without his permission anyway.

“hurry up and get here.” geto said a bit sternly despite the small smile on his face. “and would you bring me some saké? i ran out last night.”

“on my way!” gojo beamed before hanging up. geto adjusted his sweater and shook his head as he placed his phone down on the counter. the slim male would put his hair up into his usual ponytail and begin to take everything out of the cabinets that he needed to cook.

kay would meow a bit loudly over the clanging of pots and pans, assuming that she’d get some food too.

“right…” geto sighed. “gimme a second.”

quickly, geto walked over to the cat feeder that he ordered off amazon a couple weeks ago and pressed the button to dispense some food and immediately, kay ran past him to eat her food.

the male felt like he was already about to go crazy because of all the things he had been doing at once. turning on the speaker, geto would turn on a song that he remembered that you recommended to him. he loved hearing your recommendations, even though he never listened half the time and he’d play it off like he forgot.

‘no one knows’ by brent faiyaz began playing from his tv and geto was already enjoying himself while he had been waiting on you and his second guest. he’d light a cigarette as he vibed to the song playing from his tv, sliding around the hardwood floor in his socks.

“one stick of butter…three tablespoons of flour…” geto mumbled the ingredients you wrote down to make macaroni, his index finger underlining each word as he read.

as geto began to cook, mixing ingredients together and tossing the partially finished product into the oven, the doorbell rang. he was kinda hoping it was gojo since he was getting thirsty. his choice was incorrect though. upon his snow covered doorstep, he saw you all bundled up in your cute puffy winter coat, grey scarf with a matching hat.

“hi,” you smiled at him as you stepped into the house, gently stomping the snow off your boots on the carpet. geto hugged you and gently kissed your head.

“hey, you been okay?” geto asked as he’d walk back into the kitchen. you take off your coat and everything you’ve been wearing to keep your warm and put it up on one of the clothing hangers in his closet.

“yeah, i’m fine besides nearly sliding off the road from the ice,” you chuckled. kay rubbed her head against your leg, greeting you before walking off. “you?”

“i just woke up not too long ago. i wanted to hurry up and cook before i forgot and i starve to death.” geto answered. you follow geto into the kitchen, and the place already smelled nice. this was normal behavior for geto though. he always kept things clean and smelling good. he’d freak out if someone (gojo) stepped on his carpet with his shoes on.

“you wouldn’t starve to death. you know i’ll come bring you something to eat…my family cooks still.” you say. geto nodded, barely listening to you as he quickly grabbed out some cups, expecting some saké when gojo made it there.

speaking of gojo, the front door swings open and a freezing gust of wind blows through the house. geto’s head snapped over to the front door and his pupils retracted out of pure shock and slight irritation.

“close the door, dammit.” geto shouted. gojo sprung through the door holding a brown paper bag and shut the door behind him.

“i’m here!” gojo said in a sing song tone.

“hey, jack frost.” you chuckled at gojo’s goofy entrance into your boyfriend’s home. it was a bit funnier knowing that geto was already sizzling in irritation.

“about time,” geto grumbled before snatching the bag from the icy haired male and peeking down into the bag. he pulled the glass from the bag and saw that it wasn’t exactly what he asked for. he sighed.

“i said saké not soju. and what the hell is this?” geto pulled out a treat that was wrapped up and a small paper bag.

“same difference…and it’s kikufuku,” gojo smiled, “i bought one but they gave me two extra. pretty interesting coincidence, huh?”

“you’re a pain in my ass already.” geto huffed, taking a bite out of the sweet treat. he raised his eyebrows, clearly enjoying it. the male held up the treat to your lips, which you would take a bite out of also. it was pretty good. you were expecting to hate it.

“go sit on the couch. don’t touch shit, don’t look at shit, just relax. i’m going to the store to go get a ham.” suguru instructed to gojo but he already had a feeling that gojo just wouldn’t listen.

“yes sir.” gojo put his thumb up before he’d pour himself some soju in one of the cups that geto had set out on the kitchen island and walked to the living room.

geto turned to you, taking a small drag from his cigarette. “you wanna go with me or do you wanna stay with …” geto pointed over in gojo’s direction. you smiled and nod.

“hey, i’m still here.” gojo shouted.

“shut up and drink your soju.”

twenty minutes later, you and geto arrive at the supermarket. the place was busy and geto wanted to be home as soon as he got the ham. while geto wanted to be in and out, you were wandering around, your eyes sparkling at the christmas decorations but grimacing when you saw the amount of krampus christmas cards on the shelves.

“ew..” you mumbled at the ugly art before walking off to find something else to entertain you. after a bit of walking, you found yourself in the bakery section. it smelled amazing. a bunch of fresh cookies and cupcakes were set out on the shelves and you couldn’t help but pick up a couple boxes. surely geto wouldn’t care.

“you’re gonna eat all this?” you heard a familiar voice say. you turned around to see geto who had been holding onto the shopping cart that had a bag, which you assumed was the ham.

“well, no. i was thinking that we have a little christmas party. all the food you’re making isn’t gonna be enough for just you and me…and gojo if you even invite him over for dinner.” you suggest. geto hummed.

“no.” he said bluntly. “eat all that stuff and share with gojo…you know how much he likes sweets and all that other junk.”

you sigh, knowing full well that geto would say no. as much as he liked being festive, he wasn’t going for a full on party. not at his place at least.

“you know what…i’ll think about it.” geto said. he didn’t wanna be a grinch but he also didn’t feel like looking at your sad and mopey face for the rest of the day because he said no to a christmas party.

your eyes light up and a big smile stretches across your lips before you hug geto tightly, obviously excited. suguru sighs but he smiles a bit himself. he couldn’t lie, he did enjoy seeing you happy. why not give your idea a chance?

when you both arrived back home, geto fumbled with the keys for a moment, his hands aching from the cold. when the door was finally unlocked, the cold winds rushed through the door, pushing the smoke that was coming from the kitchen out of the way. geto wasn’t worried because he didn’t smell any burning food. it was probably his incense.

geto was shocked. so shocked he almost dropped the food. he was able to hold onto it. the house was a bit of a mess. suguru was gone out of his terrarium, gojo was nowhere in sight at the moment, and kay…well she was fine. she was sitting on the cat tree looking more annoyed than choso on a wednesday morning.

“satoru!” geto yelled as he placed the ham down onto the kitchen island and began walking around the house quickly to find gojo. “i’m gonna kill him.” you heard the black haired male mumble as he checked each room…even the storage room.

gojo emerged from the dining room with suguru hanging around his shoulders. he had been wearing his round sunglasses and that white dress shirt that had the sleeves rolled up. the male lifted his hand and pulled the glasses down from over his eyes.

“oh. hey guys.” gojo smiled before geto took off his shoe and threw it at the other, aiming straight for the head. you couldn’t help but laugh when you heard the sound of the shoe hitting gojo’s head then bluntly hit the floor.

“satoru…” geto began, “what did i tell you when you first got here?” his teeth were clenched together and he had a smile on his face that obviously wasn’t very friendly.

“um…you said,” gojo paused, thinking of what was said. gojo knew better but he just wanted to make geto even more angry. “you said look at shit, touch shit…and don’t relax.”

“that isn’t what i said you mono-brain celled monkey.” geto hissed. he’d walk over to gojo, taking suguru off of his shoulders and returning the snake to his terrarium.

“you’re lucky i’m not gonna make you clean up.” geto grumbled before pouring himself some of the soju that he swore up and down that he didn’t want to drink because he had a taste for saké instead.

“seriously?” gojo raised his eyebrows before being hit in the head with geto’s other shoe.

“get your ass in that living room and clean this hell hole up. and do it right!” geto glared at the icy haired male but his yelling and angry looks only made gojo laugh.

“okay okay, i’ll go clean. don’t drink up all the—”

“move it!”

𝐄𝐍𝐃.

⋆｡࿇ ·࣭࣪̇˖ 𖦹°༅༚

[quibbs126]

Also could you make a kouign-amann x capsaicin fanchild?

@amythecat2001 also asked for this before, but I made the other part of that ask previously and posted just that one with the ask, so I’m tagging

Anyways, she’s been done for a few days now, I just forgot to post, this is Spicy Roll Cookie

So she’s an absolute sweetheart, she just tends to be really loud. She’s great at giving motivational pep talks, and she’s someone you’d want as a friend. She’s also an incredibly powerful fighter. I didn’t draw her with a weapon, but she is supposed to have an axe, as shown by me trying to sketch one out somewhat in the top

She’s a Paladin in the Crème Republic, and tends to be more fond of their types of outfits, but she still has some fondness for her Dragon’s Valley heritage

That’s about it for her, I mostly just have vibes

As for her name, she’s basically just a cinnamon roll, but spicy. It was because pastry + spicy. I remember this pairing was giving me a lot of trouble because I didn’t know how to combine the two, and I eventually just kind of made something up. But I still like the name

Cinnamon roll:

I was considering making her color scheme more brown/orange, to fit in with the cinnamon roll thing, but ah well I suppose. That is half the reason her dough’s brown, as well as it just working as a medium between Kouign Amann and Capsaicin. And it’s also the reason she has all those swirls

Oh, another thing I should mention, this wasn’t the original design I made for Spicy Roll. It’s not that much different, but it is somewhat different

I had asked my Discord group if it looked good, since I had been watching Venture Bros while working on her, and I felt like I hadn’t been giving Spicy Roll my full attention as a result. I got some critiques and changed her accordingly. I do think the final design looks better tbh, but I still have some fondness for this version

I also did it on the same layer as the original lineart, so this you see here is the only physical proof of the original design

Anyways, back to her actual design, because I took a detour there

So when I was first rough sketching her back some time ago, I had planned on giving her the down facing horns, but I couldn’t get a hairstyle that looked good with it, so she got shelved temporarily. But I think I have something that works now

Her diamond pupils were supposed to be like a combination of Capsaicin’s slit pupils and Kouign Amann’s heart eyes. With the colors of Capsaicin’s eyes semi reversed because I like it better that way, at least on Spicy Roll

And yeah I think that’s all I have to say on her design right now. I like it overall

Oh wait, one last thing about her, in the notes on my list, the original first thing I put was “Barbenheimer?” Since I think that was going on or had just gone on at the time of the first request

Anyways, that’s it for Spicy Roll, I hope you like her!

[altraviolet]

Hey violet!

What’s something you want to share with your audience that you couldn’t fit into TEG? Like a scene or some world building tidbit, etc :)

I wish you a wonderful day!!!

hey anon!

oooh this is always a fun question, but I can't think of anything in the moment. but! I hope you'll indulge me in this, something else I've been meaning to share for a while but hadn't taken the time to take pics yet

last year I printed all of TEG so I could edit it. I find editing a zillion times easier on paper than on the screen, especially because my free, ancient word processor doesn't play nice with AO3, so ALL OF TEG was hand typed with the html. so like every time you saw italics or bold, I hand wrote <i>the coding</i> in there. ANYWAY

I typeset it and went to interpolate (??? I forgot the word, but you have to order the pages a certain way in the PDF so the printer prints them correctly in folios) it in Adobe Acrobat (I think) but the function was broken Dx I haven't tested it since then, but I was VERY annoyed to find that was the case, cuz it meant instead of cutting TEG's ~1000 pages down by four to print, I could only cut down by two

so I spent about 3 days printing the whole damn thing out. after editing, I put the pages in acid protected plastic sheets and put 'em into binders:

I went through the whole thing with a red pen, making as many corrections as I could find. I did a post about my most common mistakes (please learn from my mistakes!) but here's a quick recap of the major findings:

"if... then" NOT "if... than"

pouring vs poring -> "poring over data pads" is correct

reticules vs reticles -> "reticles" are what we want, "reticules" are little purses

reign vs rein -> "rein in emotion" is the correct one

how em dashes work

capitalizing in quotations

Then after all that was done, I went back through with gold pen and added little "fun facts" and bits of info because I thought maybe someday I could sell this massive tome, or use it for a raffle for charity, or something, and my author notes would add some interest and value :)

So for example in the above picture, the gold tid bits are as follows:

text: "Ultra Magnus said it's a closed loop. He closed it himself when the tubes were installed."

note: but Soundwave opened them recently (this was a note to myself- this line is to throw off the reader re: how Soundwave siphoned away the 0001 energon in the Scavengers' tubes)

text: I'm glad we told the crew it was missing. Otherwise they'd probably tear us apart tonight when Ratchet does his thing with the current mix.

note: transparency laws (here Rodimus is referring to an off-page meeting in which the leadership team told the crew the 0001 energon was missing. they did this because of the transparency laws they put in place)

text:

Megatron: "If I asked you what the definition of Soundwave was, what would you answer?"

Rodimus: "I… I have no idea what you mean. Our Soundwave? 0001 Soundwave? Another Soundwave?"

note: R means TFP SW here :D b/c 0001 SW is mentioned separately (when Rodimus says "Our Soundwave?" he means the TFP Soundwave that has boarded the ship)

text: (Aquafend had) accidentally doubled a few of the layers, making the original map hard to see in some places.

note: tech issues inspired by boomers

text: Aquafend pointed to his own aft. "Soundwave: posterior."

note: bwa (I think this line is SO funny haha)

text: Ambulon shrugged. "Tell First Aid and Ratchet to lay off? Velocity's cool. I'm satisfied with my life here. I want to do my work unimpeded."

note: this is why he trusts her later with the spark jewels (by this I mean, it's very small and in the background, but Ambulon always defaults to Velocity as advisor or company over the other medics)

-

I did write a bunch of notes, but not on every page. I wanted to get going with making a typeset ebook available for folks (there's a link on AO3), and I do have the typeset PDF for anyone who wants to ficbind! I don't post that publicly, but I do give it out via email. Just email if you'd like to ficbind =)

So yeah! Right now these binders are just leaning against my bookshelf (in summer I use them to brace the door through the ever-present air pressure changes of a/c, lol). If I ever were to sell or give these away, I'd definitely go through and put notes on as many pages as possible. They're not on every page, but a good amount.

Thanks for the fun ask! =)

[heqvenlymoons]

The Chronicles of Links & Connections [2]

I'm going to start a tag list for this fic! Comment if you want to be tagged when I post future chapters here onto Tumblr <3

Not a fan of the formatting here on Tumblr, it messed with the article and I'm not going to find a way to fix it 😭 I also can't figure out how to underline so~

Ch 1 | The Chronicles of Links & Connections Masterlist | AO3

Chapter 2: Clara Nightingale

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From: claranightingale@email.com To: mdcdesigns@email.com Date: 28 March 2023, 9:32 A.M. Subject: Thank You

Marinette, 

Thank you so much for the dress! It’s beautiful and fits my album theme super well. As a thank you, I’ve sent over tickets for my concert happening on the 10th of April, they should be arriving in your mailbox in the next few days. There should be enough for your entire class to attend, as well as a few backstage passes for yourself and your trusted friends!

Xoxo, Clara

From: mdcdesigns@gmail.com To: claranightingale@gmail.com Date: 30 March 2023, 10:02 A.M. Subject: RE: Thank You

Clara,

Thank you so much for the tickets and backstages to your concert, I’ve just received them! You didn’t have to, but I appreciate it all the same! I’ll be sure to attend your concert along with the rest of my class.

Love, Marinette

From: claranightingale@gmail.com To: mdcdesigns@gmail.com Date: 30 March 2023, 4:47 P.M. Subject: RE: Thank You

Marinette,

It’s no problem! It’s the least I could do after all your hard work on the dress. You kept insisting on giving me a discount even after I refused. I can only pay you back in another way. You deserve it!

Xoxo,  Clara

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April 10th, 2023— Collège Françoise Dupont, Paris, France. 

Marinette stumbled into the class just as the bell rang, her classmates giving her exasperated looks, used to her tardiness. She gave a tight smile before heading to the back where her seat was beside Felix, who looked up from his book to give her a look. 

“You live across the school. It is a wonder how you still arrive late to class every day,” he said, looking amused at her antics. 

She huffed, crossing her arms as she protested, “I don’t arrive late every day! It was my alarm! I turned my phone off yesterday and forgot to turn it back on before I went to sleep. My mom had to come and wake me up.” 

It wasn’t entirely the truth, Tikki had woke her up. There had been an Akuma in the middle of the night, she had to sneak out to deal with it as Ladybug and didn’t get any sleep until five. When her alarm rang, she had been too sleepy to get up. 

Felix tsked. “Today your alarm did not wake you up. What of yesterday? Or the day before? And the day before that?”

“Alright, alright. I get your point.” She grumbled, yawning as she closed her eyes and laid her head on their shared desk. 

She heard him sigh, and then he turned his attention back to his book, leaving her to catch up on the few minutes of sleep before class started. The familiar voice of Lila Rossi had Marinette muttering curses under her breath. 

“I’m really sorry for not attending our girl’s sleepover yesterday! There was a last-minute change of plans, Clara Night— Clara texted me about wanting to go shopping together and I just couldn’t refuse, it’s been a long time since our last hangout,” Lila said as she entered the class, making her way to Alya but still speaking loudly for the rest of the class to hear. 

Marinette sighed, muttering to Felix, “Here we go again.” 

He shook his head, scoffing. “She does this every day. How your classmates have not got tired of Miss Rossi’s voice is beyond me.”

The class raised to the bait, and in an instant, gathered around Lila in anticipation. 

Kim let out a gasp. “Clara Night? You mean Clara Nightingale? You’re close friends with Clara Nightingale? That’s so cool!” 

“Girl! You didn’t tell us you were besties with Clara Nightingale,” Alya said wide-eyed, bumping her shoulders with Lila’s. “And it’s alright, I get you. She must be busy a lot and it’s good that she still found the time to hang out with you.”

Lila gave a bashful shrug, smiling at them. “You’re my bestie, Alya. Clara and I are close, but not as close as me and the rest of you guys.” 

Rose let out a squeal, hugging her. “That’s so sweet, Lila!”

Marinette and Felix exchanged exasperated glances as Ms. Bustier arrived just as the bell rang, signalling the start of class. 

“Class, I have great news. Someone in the class dropped off tickets to the Clara Nightingale concert happening tonight—” Ms. Bustier had started to say when the class broke into excited chatters. 

“How much do you want to bet that Lila claims to be the one to drop off the tickets?” Marinette muttered, glaring at the girl in question. 

Felix shook his head. “Not taking the bet. Why fight a losing battle?” 

“Who could’ve sent the tickets to our class?” Sabrina asked, looking happy as she looked around the class, trying to figure out the mystery. 

Kim rolled his eyes. “Who cares? We have the tickets and we’re going to the concert— ow!” 

Alix had smacked him on the back of his head. “You gotta learn how to show your gratitude, man!” 

“Yeah dude, not cool,” Nino said, looking at Kim with disapproval as Kim looked chastened.

“Wow, whoever it is, it was nice of them to give the tickets to the class. It’s going to be my second concert after Jagged Stone!” Adrien said, his eyes shining with excitement as they flickered to the back of the class where Marinette was sitting. 

His bright smile dimmed as he saw her and Felix speaking in whispers to each other, envying their closeness. 

Lila, unhappy with the lack of attention she was getting, coughed. When everyone turned to her, she spoke in a shy voice, “I was actually the one who dropped off the tickets to Ms. Bustier.” 

Ms. Bustier blinked. She looked over to Marinette sitting at the back, who only shook her head. 

“Girl, why didn’t you say so then?” Alya asked, smiling as she linked elbows with Lila. 

Sabrina had stars in her eyes as she said, “Thank you, Lila!”

Lila soaked up all the attention as the class thanked her, no one paying attention to the two students at the back. 

Felix eyed the girl sitting beside him with a considerate look. “You were the one who dropped off the tickets.” It wasn’t a question and they both knew it. “They are taking advantage of your kindness. You don’t even get the recognition you deserve for your acts of kindness. Instead, the credit gets claimed by a lying snake.”

Marinette shrugged. “Clara Nightingale gave me the tickets specifically for the class. What else was I supposed to do with the 15 tickets?”

“Have you thought of selling them?” He said in a patronizing tone, making her faux glare at him. 

She shook her head. “It wouldn’t be right to. Besides, I don’t mind giving the tickets to the class.”

“They don’t deserve it,” He murmured, sending glares at their classmates who were surrounding Lila, Ms. Bustier having given up on trying to teach for today. 

Marinette smiled, it warmed her heart how Felix was always quick to defend her. “Anyway, enough about that.”

Felix watched with a curious gaze as she took out a lanyard pass from her purse. 

“A backstage pass, for you. Clara gave me three of them, including one for me. I’m going to give the other one to Chloe when I see her tonight as she’s currently not in class,” she said, placing the lanyard on their shared desk with a light clink and pushing it toward him. 

“Thank you,” He said, his lips quirking up into a slight smile and she took it as a win. 

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April 10th, 2023— Le Grand Paris, Paris, France.

Arriving at Le Grand Paris with Felix in his limo, Marinette sighed in relief when she didn’t see any signs of the paparazzi. After her accidental tweet on her MDC Twitter account from earlier, the paparazzi were sure to be on the lookout for her tonight. 

“Paparazzi are not allowed anywhere near the property of Le Grand Paris, remember?” Felix spoke as the limo came to a stop. 

Marinette still didn’t let her guard down, eyeing the entrance with a cautious look. “That didn’t stop Vincent Aza from stalking Jagged Stone, did it? There’s always a few people who think they can get away with the rule,” 

She fidgeted with the hem of her skirt, lost in thought. What if someone discovers she was MDC because she arrived with Felix? The world knows Felix and MDC are dating— even though they’re not— and everyone knows Felix is not the type of person to get close to just anyone. After her slip-up from earlier on social media, her arrival with Felix is a big giveaway. 

A light touch on her arm broke her out of her daze and she turned to see Felix looking at her with a frown, his eyes holding concern as he reassured her, “No paparazzi would be foolish enough to step foot onto Le Grand Paris after what happened last time with Vincent Aza. He was sued by both Jagged Stone and André Bourgeois.” 

When she still looked convinced, he added, “I am sure Miss Bourgeois took proper precautions and security has been doubled, especially with tonight’s event.”

Marinette gave a slow nod, taking a deep breath. 

Felix nodded at the chauffeur out the window, who promptly opened the door. As the door slid open, Felix stepped out, eyeing the guards at the hotel entrance and the area around it. He then extended his hand, assisting Marinette out of the limo. 

The two showed their backstage passes to the guards standing at the entrance and they were granted entry. 

Chloe greeted them as they crossed the threshold. “There you are, Dupain-Cheng, you’ve made it. You as well, Graham Cracker.” 

Marinette huffed out a laugh at Felix’s annoyed look at the nickname. 

“How many times do I have to tell you to refrain from using that name?” he said, scowling at the Bourgeois heiress. 

Chloe went to link arms with Marinette, then responded, “Your last name is too long. You can’t seriously think I’ll call you Graham de Vanily every time I have to address you?”

Felix sent her a flat look. “Graham de Vanily is too long, but Graham Cracker is not?”

As the trio made their way to the ballroom, Marinette took out a backstage pass by the lanyard from her purse and handed it to Chloe. “Not that you need it since you technically helped host the concert, but it would avoid misunderstandings,” 

Chloe smiled, taking it. “Thank you, Mari.”

The three flashed their passes to the man standing guard and he unlocked the red velvet rope for them to enter. The ballroom was spacious, with a bar at the side serving drinks and a large stage at the far end of the room. Groups of guests were already gathered around, speaking to each other in loud excited voices. 

At their entrance, heads were turned and many were staring at Felix. Being the famous actor he was, he was recognized in an instant. Marinette shifted on her feet, feeling self-conscious as their gazes drifted to her and the chatters grew louder. 

“They’re only antsy because it’s a high-profile celebrity making an entrance. It would soon die down when the concert starts. After all, they’re all here for Clara Nightingale,” Chloe said to her, grabbing her hand in comfort.

Marinette nodded, her gaze flickering to Felix who had a blank look on his face as he appraised the crowd. Without her permission, her eyes had wandered away from his face to appreciate the rest of his outfit. 

She blushed when he caught her eye and a nudge from Chloe had Marinette dragging her gaze away from Felix’s. 

“Let’s go backstage, it’s way too crowded and I feel stuffy,” Chloe muttered and Marinette murmured her agreement. 

Marinette looked to Felix who was already looking at her. “Come along, Graham Cracker.”

Ignoring his look of disbelief and betrayal, she followed Chloe to the front where the stage was. The trio had walked passed their classmates when Lila’s faux sweet voice crooned at them. “Oh, Marinette!” 

Marinette exchanged eye rolls with her two friends before she turned to Lila with a fake smile that could rival the Italian’s. 

Alya went to link arms with Marinette, pushing Chloe out of the way, who glared at the spectacled girl. “Hey, girl! Are you excited for the concert? It’s all thanks to Lila that we all get to enjoy it,” 

“Yes. It’s all because of Lila that we get to attend Clara Nightingale’s concert,” Marinette said, her voice sarcastic but Alya didn’t seem to have noticed. 

Marinette removed her arm from Alya’s and was on her way to go backstage with her real friends when Lila’s voice stopped them again. “Where are you going, Marinette? Shouldn’t we enjoy the concert together as a class? After all, I got the tickets so our class can spend time together!” 

Marinette gritted her teeth. Lila was not going to leave her alone. “I have a backstage pass.”

Lila’s eyes widened as the class exchanged excited glances. 

“Wow, girl! Since when did you and Clara Nightingale become besties? You would have to be quite close if you managed to have a backstage pass,” Alya asked, looking happy for Marinette. 

“So cool,” Juleka mumbled as Rose looked at the ravenette in admiration.

Alix beamed. “That’s awesome! I wished I had a backstage pass,” 

“I was wondering where my backstage pass went. Turns out, you’ve had it all along,” Lila said, her eyes gleaming with greed as she looked at the pass around Marinette’s neck. 

Alya frowned at the implication before her eyes cleared. “I see what’s going on. Thanks for being such a great friend to Lila! But Lila’s here now, you can return the backstage pass to her,” 

Marinette narrowed her eyes at Lila. “Ms. Bustier personally handed out the tickets to everyone. We all saw she handed you one. If you had a backstage pass, you wouldn’t have needed a ticket.” 

“You’re the one with the backstage pass right now. I was confused when Ms. Bustier handed me a ticket when I knew I was supposed to have a backstage pass. I didn’t want to bother anyone at the time because I thought maybe Clara just forgot that she had promised me she would give me a backstage pass,” Lila said, her eyes widening with tears as she ‘figured’ out what had happened. 

The happy smiles on her classmates' faces melted away as they processed what Lila had said. 

“I have a backstage pass as well. By your logic, does that mean I also stole your backstage pass?” Felix intervened, glaring at Lila. 

Chloe waved her pass in the air in front of her. “And me.”

Lila’s eyes widened even more if possible while the class wavered with uncertainty. 

“Well…” Max had started to say when Lila sniffled. 

“I’m sorry, it’s my lying disease acting up again,” Lila cried as the class gathered around her, offering their comfort and sympathies. 

“Pathetic,” Felix muttered, taking Marinette by the arm as they headed backstage. 

Showing their backstage passes when prompted, the trio was granted entry and they spotted Clara Nightingale being interviewed by Nadja Chamack. 

“Marinette! You made it!” Clara went to hug Marinette, then murmured a greeting to Chloe before turning her attention to Felix. “You are the famous Felix Graham de Vanily! I love your work in The Vengeance, your portrayal of Octavius Valdez captured your essence.” 

Felix nodded in acknowledgment. “Thank you, I am flattered.” 

Nadja Chamack seemed surprised at the interaction, but her surprised gaze was on Marinette. “Marinette, it’s good to see you again! Manon misses you.” 

“It’s good to see you as well, Aunt Nadja. How have you been? Tell Manon I said hi,” Marinette said, accompanied by a warm smile. 

“Of course! I’ve never been better. I was just asking Clara Nightingale here some questions for my news report,” Nadja said, looking at Clara with a smile. “What’s your relationship with Marinette? You two must be close if you gave her a backstage pass.”

Marinette tensed but kept on a bright smile as Nadja looked at her for a reaction. Nadja Chamack might be a family friend, but Marinette couldn’t know for sure if Aunt Nadja would report her identity if she knew. Especially if Nadja sees the news as newsworthy and MDC’s identity is bound to create a buzz in the public. 

Marinette wasn’t willing to risk it. 

Clara swung her arm around Marinette’s shoulder, silently assuring her that MDC’s identity wouldn’t be exposed. “Ever since I thought Marinette would make a great Ladybug for my Ladybug and Cat Noir music video, we’ve been close ever since.”

Marinette nodded in confirmation, subtly squeezing Clara’s hand in thanks for her quick thinking. 

Nadja nodded, moving to jot down the explanation in her notepad when Marinette spoke up, looking nervous as she chewed on her lip. “Do you mind not including that question in the article you’re writing? I would like to stay out of the spotlight. After what happened the last time when the media caught me with Adrien, I don’t want a repeat of what happened,”

The reporter looked up, her face softening at the nervous look Marinette was sporting. “Of course, I understand.”

Marinette nodded, looking relieved. “That’s good.”

Clara smiled, rubbing Marinette’s shoulder in comfort as she suggested, “Why don’t you go hang out with your friends for now? I’ll come talk to you again before the concert starts.”

“Okay,” Marinette agreed, Clara gave her a gentle push towards her friends who had taken a seat on the couches as they lounged. 

“I was scared for you for a second, good thing for Clara’s quick thinking,” Chloe whispered to her friend as Nadja continued to interview Clara, their voices carrying over to the lounging area. 

Felix looked up from his book, adding his own two cents in a quiet voice, “You have to be more careful which accounts you are posting on, Marinette. I only hope Ms. Chamack does not put two and two together and figure out your identity as MDC from your earlier tweet.”

Marinette nodded, taking his advice to heart. She would make sure to double, triple and even quadruple-check to make sure she posts on the right account from now on. It had been a close call. 

The trio settled into quiet conversations and bantering during the intermission of the concert. It was going to be a fun night. 

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Trending

1 • Trending Worldwide #CherryVenom 4.1M Tweets

2 • Trending Worldwide #ClaraNightingale 2.5M Tweets

3 • Trending Worldwide #ThatAccidentalMDCTweet 2.1M Tweets

4 • Trending in Paris #ClaraNightingaleConcert 1.8M Tweets

5 • Trending in Paris #ClaraNightingaleConcertMDC 1.2M Tweets

What’s Happening

news • 58 minutes ago Clara Nightingale Concert At Le Grand Paris

news • 1 hour ago Felix Graham de Vanily Spotted At Le Grand Paris For Clara Nightingale’s Concert

news • 3 hours ago Theories & Conspiracies: MDC’s Identity

news • 5 hours ago MDC Accidentally Tweeted She’s Going To Be At Clara Nightingale’s Concert

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The Clara Nightingale Concert At Le Grand Paris Nadja Chamack

Don’t be bemused, it’s just the news! Tonight, Clara Nightingale shook the world with the concert held at Le Grand Paris in honour of her latest album, Cherry Venom. Parisians and people from all over the world who hadn’t attended the concert had to live vicariously through clips and footage of the concert posted on social media. 

Cherry Venom is Nightingale’s most successful album up to date, garnering over 1 million plays on Spotify since its release and hitting the top of the Billboard charts within a month. 

[Source: Promotional shots and concept photos from Clara Nightingale’s Instagram]

I had the honour of interviewing Nightingale for my news report article tonight before she went on stage to perform. The most outstanding question was: What are you wearing?

It comes as no surprise when Nightingale said “The outfit I’m wearing is designed by MDC”. The renowned MDC, the fashion designer taking the world by storm could rival Gabriel Agreste and the Style Queen, Aubrey Bourgeois herself. 

The beautiful dress Nightingale had worn in her concept and promotional shots were designed by MDC as well. 

In answer to my question, “Is MDC your go-to designer when you require a dress or outfit for your music videos or concerts?” 

Nightingale responded, “I would like to say MDC is my personal designer, but Jagged Stone would fight tooth and nail for that title. I could only say MDC and I are very close friends, I often go to her when I need something designed. Her works have never once disappointed me.” 

Readers may be wondering if MDC and Nightingale are as close as Nightingale says, does that mean Nightingale knows MDC’s identity? Well, Nightingale’s answer will certainly shock some readers:

“Yes, I do know MDC’s identity. I won’t disclose her identity because it’s not my place to. MDC is someone who doesn’t like to be in the spotlight and we all know how vicious the paparazzi and the media can be. It’s also one of the reasons why MDC doesn’t take commission requests from just anyone.” Nightingale said. 

The reason for MDC remaining as an anonymous designer explained by Nightingale is understandable. With that said Nightingale and Stone are the only known ones so far to know of MDC’s identity. 

[Source: Photos taken from the concert, posted on Clara Nightingale’s Instagram]

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Previous Ch 1 | Next Ch 3

[batofburnside]

"Tell Me" Part 2

Gekko x (Fem!)Reader

Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hi everyone! This is the second part of my first Gekko fanfic and my first fanfic posted on tumblr. I am very exciting that I have received good feedback so far, and I'm glad you guys are enjoying the story! I'm nervous and excited to post part 2 and 3! But I hope you enjoy:) Part 3 is up as well! Like last part, I used google translate for most of the Spanish that wasn’t just a few words so I apologize if anything gets lost in translation, I am not fluent. Words: 6.2K

TW: Character Death, Guns, angst, (kinda?) manipulation

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It had been about 3 weeks now since Mateo joined the Valorant Protocol. Before his arrival he had chosen his Codename. He wished he could have brainstormed it with you. You’re so creative and he knew that you would have helped him choose something perfect. After a lot of discarded ideas, he had landed on the Codename “Gekko” which he thought fit him pretty well, although it took him a second to get used to it. So far, he had been getting along with all of the other agents on the Protocol. He had become particularly close with Tala and Jamie, otherwise known as Neon, Reyna’s other protege, and Phoenix, due to them being the closest in age to him. Other than Reyna, Sage, and Brimstone they were the only ones who knew his real name, after he was quick to trust them. Some days after training he’d find time to commune with them in the shared kitchen. Bantering and talking about their home life.

His little crew definitely helped break the ice, Neon and another agent named Jett wasted no time in trying to recruit Wingman into helping them with their pranks against other fellow agents, mostly Yoru and occasionally Omen. On Mateo’s third day he managed to catch Wingman with a small butterfly knife comb in his hand, which belonged to the dimension walker. Obviously this did not make a great impression with the black and blue haired agent. On the other hand, Neon and Jett thought that added to the prank making it better. Though Mateo wasn’t sure if it was worth the risk being on Yoru’s list this early.

So far Mateo had kept his word to you, he worked insanely hard to make it to his scheduled video calls with you, and he had succeeded at almost everyone, only missing 2 or 3 by 15 minutes at most. It didn’t matter how stressed he was from all the information he was trying to learn about Omega Earth, or how tired he was from training, every time he saw your face on the other end of the screen he forgot about everything else in the world. Of course, your video calls didn’t compare to being there physically with you. He wanted nothing more than to be wrapped up in your arms, your warmth against his. His crew had been getting more and more difficult to round up before the phone and video calls with you since the little creatures shared Mateo’s longing to be by your side. He felt bad hiding them from you and vice versa, because if he was feeling this way, he didn’t want to imagine how worse it was for Wingman, Dizzy, Mosh, and Thrash since they were forced to stay a secret and hidden from you.

Mateo always answered your calls with something exciting to talk about, whether he tried this new cafe near him, or some gossip about his new friends. You were able to swallow some of your jealousy, since you love to see him so excited and happy about the new things he was experiencing. So far you know he had met two friends, Tala and Jamie. He had sent you one or two selfies with them and you wanted to find something off about them, but you couldn’t from just a picture. They looked like nice, fun, and normal people, and you hoped to meet them too one day. 

Your school had also started its semester and Mateo always asked how things were going with your classes. You were usually a straight A student, but the first week you found yourself drifting and getting distracted without Mateo there to ground you. It wasn’t something you couldn’t come back from, but it definitely wasn’t like you to forget various assignments. Although it wouldn’t be the same as it was before, Mateo suggested that you guys could have over the phone study sessions, and you were grateful for that. The only thing that was still bothering you is that every time you asked him when he would be coming home to visit, he would change the subject, hesitate, or say he was too overloaded with school. You tried to not be mad about his answers or overthink that he just didn't want to see you. But, you couldn’t grasp why he couldn’t just pick a weekend to come back to you. In your mind it was almost as if the school was holding him hostage.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A group of 5 emerged from the training facility into the lobby. Raze wiped her brow while slinging a vandal over her shoulder, “Man KJ, you must be buffing these bots in between each session! I swear their reaction time is getting faster.” She said. KillJoy chuckled, putting her unused grenades into her locker, “I know! I’m so proud of them.” She said with glee, seeing how her AI has been adapting to learning, hopefully helping the agents continue to get the best training without it getting too repetitive. Raze chuckled while shaking her head. She thought it was cute how her partner was able to geek out about her creation nearly killing them all.

Mateo entered the lobby, giving a tiny fist bump to Wingman before digging into his pocket to retrieve some treats for his tiny critters after their hard work during training. 

“Hey new kid!” Jett said, walking up to Mateo to get his attention, “Qué pasa, Jett?” He replied, handing a small piece of radivore food to Wingman before looking up to the white haired woman. 

“You did great out there!” She exclaimed, giving him a firm pat on the back, nearly causing him to stumble out of surprise. “Oh! Gracias!” He responded, “but I gotta hand most of the credit to Wingman and Dizzy here, they’re the real MVPs of those rounds in there” he smiled. “Well, them and you definitely had us on the winning side in there. It’s good to have you on the team.” Jett looked over to Harbor who had just made his way out of the training arena, “Yo Harbor, you should be proud of your protege.” Jett said, watching as Mateo lifted Wingman up and placed him on his shoulder.

“Jett is correct, Harbor, Gekko” Sage added on as she made her appearance known after watching the team from the viewing area. “Gekko has indeed made a first impression, in no small part to your work with him. Great work, both of you and all of you.” Sage said, commending the training session with Raze, Kill Joy, Gekko, Harbor, and Jett. “You are dismissed or you may stay and watch the next sessions from the viewing area.” She continued.

Harbor thanked Sage for the praise before turning to Mateo who was packing up his locker to be dismissed, “Gekko, I’d like you to stay and watch the next few training sessions. I’ll stay with you and we can discuss certain strategies while watching.” He said.

Mateo had a sense of urgency flash in his eyes.  “Coach, I’m sorry but I really can’t stay” he said. Harbor crossed his arms, “what, do you have something else planned?” He asked. Mateo took a breath, before looking down at the ground, “Sí”, He said. 

“Well, you’ll just have to miss it.”

“Por favor Coach! I really can’t miss this. I made a promise.” Mateo said, slight desperation in his voice. An accompanying gargle emerged from Wingman as he also tried to communicate the urgency in Mateo’s request.

“Gekko, you need to get all the training you can, I know you’re young but we’re running out of time before your first mission, and you need to be fully prepared. I don’t know what can be more important than that.” Harbor responded, with a raise of an eyebrow. The mentor wasn’t mad, instead he was worried about the different responsibilities on the young man’s mind. Being distracted out on the field could mean life or death, and he wasn’t sure if Gekko had grasped that yet. He needed to make sure Gekko was here 100%.

“He wants to call his girlfriend” a voice said from behind.

Gekko and Harbor glanced behind them to find Yoru leaning on a wall near the entrance to the training lobby, using his comb, previously stolen by Wingman, to brush back his hair .

“I agree with Harbor, Gekko. As well as you did today, it couldn’t hurt to watch another team in action.” Sage added in.

Defeated, Mateo nodded. “Yes, Sage. Yes, Coach.” He would have to make up to you for missing your call. He had hoped the training sessions would be over before you went to bed. But, for now he had to think of an excuse.

Harbor and Sage left to the viewing area while the previous team continued putting their gear away as the second training team began to make their way in and get set up. Mateo shut his locker and grabbed his sash, beginning to walk away before Yoru spoke up. 

“I give it another week, maybe a month max.” He said, twirling his knife.

Mateo paused and raised an eyebrow, “Give what a week?”

“Before your girlfriend breaks up with you” he shrugged. 

“What are you talking about?” Mateo responded, a bit of a tension on his words. “If this is about your comb I already told you I-”

“It’s not about the comb.” Yoru said, his eyes fixated on the butterfly knife as it spun around his fingers. “A relationship won’t last here. At least not with an outside, and a non radiant at that. I’ve seen it before, it never works.”

Rolling his eyes, Mateo began to turn away “yeah whatever, thanks for the input, but you don’t know what you’re talking about.” Wingman started to growl slightly, and Mateo reached his hand up to calm the yellow radivore.

“Leave him alone, Yoru! I think it’s cute.” Jett said, walking up to the two and giving Yoru a quick smack to the shoulder. 

Yoru brushed off his shoulder where Jett hit him as If he was brushing away dirt, “I’m simply just letting him know so that he can prepare.” The man said before heading towards his locker to get his gear.

Mateo began to leave again and Jett caught up to him, “Hey! We haven’t really gotten to know each other yet, just your little buddies.” Jett said, reaching up and giving Wingman a little scratch that he nuzzled into.  “How about I watch the next sessions with you and Harbor?” She asked.

He shrugged, “Sure. I guess”. He was distracted by Yoru’s words. The past few weeks everything with him had been lies on his end and it was starting to eat at him. Reyna had been on recon for a week so he had no one to talk to about how he was feeling. Of course, Reyna never agreed that he should lie to you. She knew it wasn’t fair, and he knew it too. But, the only other option was to end the relationship and that was just something that he couldn’t even imagine and he wanted to try everything he could to avoid that outcome. So, even if she was here, he most likely wouldn't get the advice he was looking for. Mateo just couldn’t get over the fact that he was hurting you, when he was supposed to be protecting you and it was weighing on his shoulders like a ton of concrete.

“Don’t let him get to you.” Jett’s words snapped Mateo out of his thoughts.

“I’m not.. I’m just- It’s hard and- I just- I don’t know.” Mateo stumbled over his words, sighing as the two entered the viewing area. “I’ll be fine” 

Jett nodded, not wanting to pry too much into the new recruits personal problems. “Well, if you want to talk about it. There are a lot of people here who will listen.” She said.

Mateo smiled slightly, “Gracias, Jett. I’ll make note of that.”

The two entered the viewing area, Jett whispered to Mateo. Not wanting to interrupt Sage and Harbor who were currently discussing the strategy of the next team which consisted of Phoenix, Yoru, Cypher, Skye, and Omen. “Want to make this interesting?” She asked. 

He raised an eyebrow, “Interesante? How so?” He replied curiously. 

“I bet you that Cypher gets knocked first and that Phoenix makes a fool of himself.” Jett smirked.

“You’re on.” Mateo replied, extending his hand for a binding handshake.

The two younger agents watched the training session as Harbor narrated to Mateo, mostly focusing on how Skye was  utilizing her abilities as her and Mateo played the same role. He watched how the red headed Australian gained intel using her hawks to blind similar to Dizzy, and her tiger to scout for enemies and stun like Wingman..

After 10 minutes into the session, Mateo felt his phone start to buzz in his pocket, Wingman jumped down off Mateo’s shoulder and pulled the device out of Mateo’s pocket. His heart sank seeing your contact name and photo illuminating the screen. He sighed, staring at the call that was idling on his phone.

“Is that your girlfriend?” Jett whispered, as she looked over.

“Sí” Mateo responded, grabbing his phone from Wingman and putting it back in his pocket.

“She’s very pretty.” 

“extremadamente” he smiled.

A few minutes later his phone buzzed again, and he repeated his motion of checking his phone to see your name and contact photo there once again. He frowned, it wasn’t like him to miss a call.

“Gekko, are you paying attention?” Harbor asked.

“What? Oh- Si Coach!” He said, glancing up and then down at his phone one last time.

“Oh there it is! Gekko look! You’ll miss it.” Jett said, excitement in her voice.

Mateo turned his phone off before looking up again, just in time to see Phoenix flash both Yoru and Cypher on accident while trying to enter onto the makeshift site for a retake. The dimension walker quickly teleported back to safety, groaning in frustration, leaving Phoenix and Cyper on the site. Omen quickly tried to place a smoke down, but Cypher was tagged 3 times by the robots guns, indicating that he was out for this round.

“Yes!!” Jett exclaimed. “Well done Phoenix, just how I figured it would play out!”

Sage and Harbor looked towards the girl, disappointment showing on Sage’s face. 

“What I mean is… that was a bad move by Phoenix.” 

Mateo rolled his eyes, chuckling as Jett tried to cover for herself.

Before Sage was able to reprimand Jett for praising her teammate’s failures for her own gain, Brimstone entered the viewing area, requesting an urgent audience with Sage in his office. Jett and Mateo shared a quick glance as Sage nodded, standing up before following Brimstone out, leaving the 3 agents to continue watching the training sessions.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Laying on your stomach in bed, you squint your eyes at your phone. It was nearly an hour after he said he would call and your third attempt to reach Mateo didn’t go through at all. You weren’t stupid. Your first and second call went through perfectly fine, so you knew he turned his phone off. Grumbling, you toss the device to the other side of your bed, and rested your head on your arms. ‘Maybe his class ran late.’ You thought to yourself. You had been doing a lot recently to give Mateo the benefit of the doubt. With him being in a new place, you were very patient with him adjusting to a new schedule. But you would be lying if you said you weren’t a bit frustrated with him missing your calls here and there. Maybe it was a bit selfish of you? He was living his own life. But, you knew this was just your way of trying to deal with the hurt of him not being here.

After spending some time clearing your head, you grabbed your phone and got up, making your way into the kitchen of your house to fix up a snack. Opening the fridge you stared at the contents for a few seconds before giving up and moving on to the pantry only to be met by a similar disappointment. “Dad! We don’t have anything to eat!!” You called out, waiting for a few seconds before a voice answered you yelling from upstairs, “What!? Yes we do! Make a sandwich or something, I’ll go shopping tomorrow.” You groaned, grabbing some bread from the pantry and various ingredients. 

Your dad hurried into the kitchen, quickly grabbing a banana and pouring some coffee into a cup. “I’m running late, but remember I’m switching to the night shifts this week, your sister is out with some friends so you’ll be here at the house by yourself for a bit.” He said as he gathered his work supplies.

“I’m not a kid anymore dad. I’m 22, I think I can handle it.” You smirked.

Your dad chuckled, “well, since you’re not a kid. Maybe you can go to the store this week instead.”

You rolled your eyes while smiling. “Fineee” you dragged out your voice faking exhaustion. “I guess I can do that.”

You dad gave you a comforting squeeze on your shoulder as he began to leave the kitchen, “I appreciate you taking the time out of your ever-so-busy day to do that for me” He grinned. He headed towards the front door of your house. “Love you, text me if you need anything.” He called out behind him, leaving you alone in the now quiet house. 

You finished constructing your sandwich and started to put everything away as well as wash your utensils before you sat down to eat. You looked up at the window above your sink, while you rinsed off a butter knife the darkness of the night causing your reflection to stare back at you. You froze when you thought you saw a figure dart past your kitchen entryway. Taking a deep breath you stared at the reflection, waiting to see if something else appeared. 

When nothing else showed in the reflection, you set your dishes down quietly in the sink while trying to take calm and deep breaths. Turning around you slowly grabbed a kitchen knife out of the block sitting on the counter. Taking gentle steps you made your way down the hall towards your and your sisters bedrooms where you thought you saw the figure go, the knife clenched tightly in your grasp near your side. You passed your sister's room first, her door was wide open and you quickly turned on the lights. Your knuckles turning white as your grip tightens. Scanning the room, and looking under the bed, you didn't find anything. The room was empty, with only posters on the wall of your sisters favorite bands staring back at you.

Making your way to your room you took a deep breath before placing your hand on the door handle. Quickly, you swung open the door, stepping into your room and looking for any intruders. Seeing no one in your room you relaxed slightly, making your way over to your shared bathroom, you ripped the shower curtain open, revealing nothing more than the sparkling clean bathtub.

You placed the knife down, leaning on the counter of the bathroom as you stared into the mirror. “I’m losing my damn mind.” You said out loud, running your fingers through your hair. Your brain was playing tricks on you, that was the only reasonable explanation. Unless there was someone who could disappear into the shadows, there’s nowhere that anyone could have gone to hide if you truly saw someone. Still, the hair on the back of your neck was standing as you felt like you were being watched. 

Your phone started ringing in your pocket, causing you to jump slightly. You pulled it out to see Mateo’s contact name and photo, bringing your anxiety down slightly. You answered the call and was met with his glimmering hazel eyes and bright smile, “Mi amor!! I’m lo siento mucho that I couldn’t take your calls and I missed our scheduled time. I had to stay late after class and my professor wanted to talk to me. I’m lo siento mucho. I will make it up to you I swear. Cruza mi corazón. We can-“

“It’s okay Mateo, I love you and I’m glad to see you” you said, cutting off his rambling. Your heart had finally slowed back to normal and your breaths had become less raggedy. 

“(Y/n), are you alright?” Mateo asked, sensing that something was off.

You laughed, heading towards the kitchen to put your sandwich away as your appetite for the night had disappeared when your adrenaline rose. “Si, Teo. I’m just home alone and my eyes are playing tricks on me. I thought I saw something, but there’s nothing here”

Mateo raised an eyebrow, “well if you need anything. Call me, I can send someone to check up on you.” He said, a bit of worry in his words since he wasn’t there to protect you.

“I’m fine, Teo. I promise, but I’ll tell you right away if I hear or see anything unusual.” You said. “Gracias for worrying about me”

“Siempre. Always.” Mateo responded. “You’re one of the most important people in my life. Your safety will always be important to me, mi amor. Even if it's nothing, I still don’t want you to be scared. I would be on my way to you right now if I could”

You smiled, he always knew the right words to say. “Thank you, Mateo. And me to you, mi amor. But, I’m fine now”  You said, as talking to him had seemed to calm your nerves.

You carried your phone back into your room and sat down at your desk. You propped Mateo up so that you could see him while you began to work on your homework, while Mateo talked about his day. As you opened up your laptop and began to navigate through your apps, your computer seemed to freeze up, a red screen flashing every few seconds with words appearing and disappearing too fast for you to read them. The screen flashed once more before everything returned to normal. “That’s strange…” you mumbled, wiggling your cursor.

“What’s strange?” Mateo asked.

You shook your head, “sorry I was talking to myself. My computer was freezing. But… it seems to be working fine now?” 

“That is Strange.” Mateo responded. “But as long as it’s working, that’s good then? Right?”

You nodded, making sure everything opened properly, “yeah. Everything’s working. My essay is still here so nothing crashed.”

“Glad your work is still there.” Mateo smiled. His smile faltered when he looked over towards his window. “Hey, mi amor. I have to go.” He said.

You frowned, “so soon? Why? It’s only been a few minutes.”

He sighed, he didn’t want to leave. He was already concerned with what you had mentioned about possibly seeing something in the house. But, a message had popped up on his window ‘All agents to the strategy room immediately.’ “I know. Trust me I don’t want to go. But I have too, I’m needed.” He said.

“But why? Who needs you?” You protested. You wanted to talk to him for a bit longer, even if just for a few minutes.

“The people in my dorm... It’s a community meeting and I need to be there.”

“Bullshit, Mateo. Mierda! Why would you have a community meeting this late? It’s almost 10 pm. And I need you here…”

He looked down at the screen trying to think of what to say, “i know (y/n). I’ll be-”

You cut him off, “I've been really patient Mateo Armendáriz De la Fuente but, something about you school isn’t adding up, and it’s not fair. I think you’re lying to me and I hate thinking that way. Just tell me what’s going on! Please!”

Mateo’s eyes widened in hurt after hearing the harshness of you calling him his first name. He sighed, trying to find a way to explain himself “(y/n), por favor. I promise you, everything is true. I know it’s weird and I’m trying to adjust to it too. Te amo, but I have to go. If its not too late, I’ll be back as soon as I can.” He said, as he hung up.

You set your phone on your desk and pulled your knees up to your chest. Tears were welling up in your eyes as you tried to hold them in. You regretted what you said, you should have just let him go, but now the call you were looking forward to all day ended in a small fight. You had rarely fought with Mateo, and each one had been about something stupid, but this didn’t feel like the others. You hated this feeling. “Screw this damn school” you whispered, hugging your knees even tighter to your chest, you let the tears fall. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mateo sat on the edge his bed, trying to catch his breath before he left his room. So far all of these meetings and alerts have had terrible timing. He wiped his eyes with his arm. He couldn’t cry, not right now. Not before heading to this meeting where everyone would see the new recruit with bloodshot eyes. Leaning his elbows against his knees he rested his head in his hands. Seeing how much you were hurting struck Mateo in the heart like a knife. And worse, he doubled down on his lies. 

Sensing his distress, Wingman appeared from his resting spot in the shash, walking up to Mateo and snuggling against his arm. He wiped his eye once more before patting Wingman on the head, “thanks buddy. I just hope that this all works out in the end. I’m worried that Yoru is right. But I don’t know how to fix this without putting anyone in danger” he said.

Before Wingman could answer, a few loud knocks rang out on Mateo’s door. “Gekko!! What are you doing!? We’re waiting for you, get your ass out here, dude.” Neons voice rang out. Mateo stood up, grabbing his sash and placing Wingman on his shoulder. He opened the door to greet Neon, “I was on my way.” He responded.

Neon smirked looking at Gekko’s expression, “whatever, lover boy. They said this was important. And everyone’s waiting for you, even Reyna is back.” She said, turning on her heel has to lead Mateo to the strategy room. 

Mateo blinked in surprise, as Neon began to walk away. Reyna was called back from recon for a meeting? Not knowing what to expect he jogged slightly to catch up to the blue haired girl, “Yo Neon! Wait up!”

Neon and Mateo entered the strategy room together, closing the door behind them. Brimstone and Sage were standing at the front of the room, before a holographic wall with many screens. Everyone else was seated throughout the room. Mateo noticed two empty chairs next to Reyna and made his way over to her with Neon. He looked around and noticed the only person missing was Chamber, who he had only met briefly as the French gunman seems to have the most leeway in being able to leave frequently.

“Good. Everyone’s here.” Brimstone said. “Let’s begin.”

“First off we want to prepare everyone. Sometime ago Omega Earth has recruited a new agent who’s abilities we are not aware of.” Sage said. Shock rang out through various members in the crowd, and a quiet murmuring began. Even though Mateo was new, he was aware that a new agent so soon after his recruitment was very out of the ordinary.

“A new agent?” Harbor responded, “how can this be? We just recruited Gekko less than a month ago.”

“Discrepancies between our worlds seem to be increasing the more that Omega interferes.” Brimstone responded. “This just happens to be one of them.” 

“The information we retrieved has no date on it as well.” Sage added, “We have no idea when this agent was recruited. We only know it was in the last few months.”

Brimstone nodded, “That is correct. On future missions, we need to keep our guard up more than ever with the possibility of facing this new agent head on.”

“Do we have no intel on this new agent or the abilities they could possess?” Viper added.

Sage shook her head, “we do not. Cypher was able to retrieve one file from the Omega database, but it has further encryptions than previous files we have managed to retrieve in the past. Until Cypher is able to unencrypt the file, we know nothing other than that their placeholder name is Lux.”

The murmuring continued as everyone theorized what the new agent was capable of and when we would see their counterpart on our team.

Brimstone coughed to get everyone’s attention, “moving on to the next order of business…” he said, flipping through some files. “During the same data retrieval, we discovered intel that Omega is planning a raid on Thimphu, Bhutan; Codename: Haven. The team for defending against this raid will be Reyna, Jett, kill Joy, Omen, and Gekko.”

Mateo perked up at his name. This would be his first mission, the moments he had been training for had been leading up to this. “Alright! first mission!” Neon whispered, nudging Mateo with her elbow.

“Harbor will prepare you on the makeup and general knowledge of the area beforehand. The raid was scheduled for a week from now, but we will be on the lookout for more information. Use this time to prepare. With that you are dismissed” Brimstone finished, closing his file.

Everyone started to stand up and Mateo turned to Reyna wanting to catch up and possibly get her advice on the problem he was currently facing., “mi Reyna-“ he started, but was interrupted by Sage “Reyna, can Brimstone and I speak with you to discuss recent findings?” She asked.

Reyna looked at Mateo, “my apologies, Cariño. We will speak soon.” She said with a smile, excusing herself as she walked up to Sage and Brimstone who were looking at a holographic map on the table before them.

“Come on, let’s go get something to eat. I’m starving” Neon said to Mateo in a voice that seemed like she wouldn’t take no for an answer. Mateo nodded, following the blue haired girl to the kitchen.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“How many have you recorded?” Reyna asked Brimstone and Sage as she looked at the map after they were the last three alone in the strategy room..

“Just two.” Sage responded, “one was a few weeks before Gekko was recruited. And the other was just today. But both alerts of Omega agent teleportation have pinged right outside Los Angeles city limits.” 

“I see. Do you think they are looking for him? Or do they know he is with us now?” Reyna asked.

“Unknown on if it's about Gekko of the general area. But if they have plans for Los Angeles, we need to find out as soon as possible. Between now and the Haven mission, you are in charge of organizing a small recon force to see if you can find anything.” Brimstone responded. 

Reyna nodded, taking her orders.

“Also, Reyna, Do not tell Gekko. I do not think it would be in his best interest to be a part of this recon.” Sage added, “with this being so close to his home, we do not want to add on to any stress he might be facing as he adjusts to his life here and prepares for the mission at hand”

“I agree, Sage. That is for the best. One less thing to draw his mind back home.” Reyna said.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It all happened so fast. 

Mateo was left to hold C on Haven with Reyna and KillJoy on A, Omen holding Garage, and Jett on top of Boxes on B. He remembered being nervous on and before the helicopter ride to Bhutan. Harbor had given him a pep talk before they packed up to leave, but it only helped him calm his nerves slightly. Jett had given him some words of encouragement too, telling him how she felt like she almost screwed up her entire first mission. He knew she was trying to help but it only made him feel worse. 

“There’s 3 pushing A site. Hold your positions until told otherwise.” Reyna spoke over the earpieces.

Mateo stood backside, aiming a vandal down C long as he took partial cover behind boxes, Wingman and Dizzy at his ready.

“Omega Skye is downed!” Killjoy reported, gunshots heard in the distance signified that the fight was not over.

Jett came in over the coms, “I saw Omega Phoenix peak mid window, and I heard footsteps in mid!” 

“Gekko, Omen, rotate to B with Jett” Reyna instructed.

“I’m on my way” Mateo spoke into his earpiece, gathering up Wingman and Dizzy as he made his way towards the site, while Omen made his way through garage doors to mid, smoking mid window.

“My turret’s down and I’m hit!” Killjoy grunted through her mic.

“KillJoy stay in cover.” Reyna demanded, a few gunshots could be heard over the coms, “Omega Sova is buried. Seems like I’m the hunter now” She sneered. With Sova now down this left one alive on A, Phoenix near Mid, and another unknown agent last heard near mid.

As the Omega Phoenix made it to site he sent out his flash, successfully blinding Mateo and Jett. Mateo ducked behind boxes for cover, and Jett jumped down, avoiding the gunshots. Omen was able to sneak up behind the Omega Phoenix and fire two shots at him, sending the counterpart to spin around and return fire. Omen grunted as he was grazed, before teleporting to a new line of sight. While Phoenix was still turned this allowed both Mateo and Jett to peak mid, Jett taking the final shot at Phoenix, sending him to the ground. 

“Fireboy is down.” Jett said while staring at the body. Mateo had to look away. He knew it wasn’t ‘their Jamie’, and that they always came back, but he just couldn’t stop imagining the Jamie he knew lying there motionless on the grass.

Omen spoke up “That leaves 2 more, if they brought 5.”

“The noise at A has stopped, I believe it was a Harbor.” Reyna replied

“Nothing Mid” Jett said as she peaked through the area coming back to B.

Mateo held his position at B, looking towards the C connector. Just as he heard a Vandal click accompanied by a voice he knew all too well, “los siento, mi cariño”. Omega Reyna peaked from behind gong, where she must have snuck to when they were focused on Phoenix. Mateo turned around to aim but in one swift click from Reyna’s gun, the world began to move in slow motion. He heard Jett scream out for him, but he could have sworn she sounded like you. Within a blink of an eye his world was engulfed in darkness.

Through the darkness he heard crying, muffled crying in the distance. It was yours. The darkness began to lighten ever so suddenly, like a slow sunrise. He began walking towards the noise, the crying getting louder, and clearer the closer he got. He began to run, trees were materializing before him, grass was beginning to appear under his feet. The fog was clearing up, he ran faster. He finally made it to a clearing and he found you, but instead of being relieved he was met by sudden fear. You stood, back turned to him in a black dress. Falling to your knees you cried into your hands. Mateo called out to you, but you didn’t answer. He walked towards you and placed a hand on your shoulder, only to see it go right through. His heart started racing and his head felt heavy when he saw the writing of the tombstone you were kneeling in front of, “Mateo Armendáriz De la Fuente, beloved son” his heart felt like it was going to explode out of his chest, though he reached up and couldn’t feel a heartbeat.

“Why did you lie to me, you made me believe you were safe. Why didn’t you trust me, why did you hide this from me?!” You yelled at the tombstone. Mateo took a few steps back, grabbing onto his head. Wingman, dizzy, and thrash were nowhere to be found, and he couldn’t sense them. This couldn’t be happening.

You stood up and turned to face Mateo, looking right at him, “why did you put me through all this pain, Mateo?”

Mateo shot up in his bed with a yell, cold sweat running down his forehead. He reached his hand up to his chest and felt his heart beating extremely fast, but at least he could feel it. He jumped as something touched him in the dark only to be relieved after sensing it was Wingman. “I’m alright, I’m alright” he breathed. He checked the clock on his phone. It was 4:30 AM, Tuesday. “Okay. It’s only Tuesday… the mission doesn’t even happen until tomorrow” he said to Wingman, still catching his breath. “It was just a Dream…a pesadilla”

Turning on his light, he scanned his room, making sure it truly had been a dream and nothing was out of place. He looked at Wingman, who was now accompanied by Dizzy and Thrash as they had also sensed his distress.

“I have to tell her. I have to tell her everything”, he said.

[basedkikuenjoyer]

Spiderwebs Pt.5: Nice Day for a Wisteria Wedding

I must say it’s nice to use things popping up in current chapters as a guide. We did Leo last time, this time something about 1085 made me want to look at the one, the only Don Sai a little deeper. It’s a simple idea. We start ringing the wedding bells as a really sudden turn in Dressrosa that catches you off guard. It all makes sense when it comes together, but I remember this arc week-to-week and no one saw this outcome coming. Looking back though, it’s short and sweet but hits a lot of the notes I’ve been interested in lately. Forgot all about this bit of Baby 5 getting there through misinterpreting a series of earlier lines. Come to think of it too...Baby 5 could arguably fit into the Tamataebako thread by virtue of this happening next to Lao G who does rely on some similar concepts. 

We already have talked about the Grand Fleet captains being a piece of the whole. Showing something that could fill a gap but having something that makes them a better subordinate captain. Don Sai is the tricky one. He fills that role of character-wise being okay. But fate and prior obligations are why he couldn’t quite be a proper crewmate. Worth mentioning there’s the whole Kano Kingdom element too. Not just the name similarity, but they seem to be the one that’s like, picking up an allied country through this. Orlumbus resigned, but the Happo Navy seems a little more official.

You want the shortest version of the undertone I see with Kiku? She’s like Baby 5, but waaaaay better at hiding it. Too proud to be that desperate, lets it go unspoken. She’s so prodigious partially out of the drive to keep up and not be a burden. Remember Baby 5 and Monet already have very similar motivations behind following Doflamingo. Doflamingo himself was kind of groomed into this role by Trebol but that’s a story for another day. It’s a running theme of how far people will lose themselves out of desperation. Not having anywhere else to go, rejection, persecution, abandonment.

Even now, this feels like such a jarring inclusion in Dressrosa...though to be fair that would kind of play into my main criticism of the arc. It needed to flow more like Wano and Whole Cake did; never really mention it much but structurally the Seducing Woods serve the same purpose as Bakura Town. Seeing Egghead now though, I can see where the idea to scatter plots and make them come together started from. We talk more about arcs that were likely always in the original five-year plan, but Dressrosa really feels like it didn’t need to be. Still, Sai & Baby 5 were such a unique moment that caught us off guard. I would love tying it off with something building off that in the present and all the tools are in place for it to.

There’s no real way to make this a natural segue because their only connection is both appearing in 1085. I wanted to include Fujitora because there’s not much to say. It’s just straightforward. This gambling intro is still my favorite. He’s another unique element that’s cast a long shadow. We see now he and Ryokugyu are very much opposites as well along this line of heirarchy vs. compassion. One that is a really obvious jidaigeki reference. The blind swordsman Zatoichi.

Since we’ll assuredly have the time soon, probably going to give that allusion it’s own post. But seeing him take advantage of the chaos to free slaves, the way he acts in Dressrosa...let’s put it this way. This was an example of Luffy winning someone over with charm by accident. It worked in his favor big time, but he stumbled into being the hero of Dressrosa. My whole thing is that Wano is refining this lesson; learning how to use words and gestures to accomplish big things without fighting. 

[winksasleeplesseye]

Angel of Darkness - Chapter Preview

I haven’t forgotten AoD! I do have the next chapter almost ready to post but for now I’ll provide a chapter preview with just a bit of the beginning! I’ll keep it short but the rest will be up tomorrow!

Reunio

1999

The wallpaper was a bit dated, gaudy for sure. All of it in its 70s glory. The floral green upholstered couches and almost painful salmon pink of the accents and decor made Amara’s eyes hurt.

Paired with the two suits currently occupying the couches. They looked just about excited as postmen at Christmas. Only here out of obligation to the young girl temporarily staying here. It’d been a tough first year, reestablishing normalcy to a girl who’d had less than a normal life proved to be far more difficult than expected. Another reason they’d called her here, beyond their allotted visits.

The older woman, Mrs. Hoffman, was sweet but one could tell she ran her home with a tad bit of an iron fist. If it wasn’t already clear, this woman was strict to Sherry.

Treating her as though what laid inside her could be fixed.

Stupid. Fucked up, really.

They’d become two of a kind. Amara knew what it was like to be uprooted quite often, never quite having stability to really put much stock into making friends, sure, she’d try but never quite knowing when they’d be off to the next place made it hard to keep in touch.

Sherry had been in limbo, both Amara and Claire argued that this much moving around didn’t do much for her.

Amara leaned against the doorframe, Sherry not yet made aware of her being there as she rummaged through a storage container of cassette tapes. Even from her sitting position on the floor, Amara could tell she’d hit a bit of a growth spurt in her absence.

The soft melody of an older song played in the cassette player as Sherry clicked it on. The Jackson Five.

Hmm, she was impressed that Sherry even knew them.

The song was Got to Be There. Huh, how fitting.

“Aren’t you a little young to be listening to such old songs?” Amara makes her presence known, the smile Sherry wore is enough to make her have one in return.

Pushing herself off the ground, she practically jumped into her arms. “Amara!”

“Sherbear! Careful now, my ribs are still bruised from the last hug you gave me,” she jested, ruffling her hair. “How’s Hoffman treating you?”

“Like a fucking dictator.” There’s a particular heavy emphasis on the curse word. It was definitely new to her.

“Hey, watch that language.”

“Sorry. It’s just—“

“Yeah, I know.”

They wanted her here to quell Sherry’s frustrations with going from place to place. One could say she was essentially in the system. Considering how this country operated, no one wanted to be there but Sherry had a strange predicament to start. The cards didn’t really line up in any of their favors.

Unfortunately, soon enough, she’d be under the care of Derek C. Simmons.

It was the last option the government had. Amara had fought tooth and nail with the decision but there wasn’t much leverage on her part. Couldn’t exactly go against her own deal, really.

That man in question had something about him that made her stomach turn. He was like Irons 2.0, a general creepy vibe radiated from him that she didn’t like. He seemed the last person qualified to truly care for Sherry.

“When am I gonna get to stay with you?” She has a puppy dog look in her eyes. “I’ve never been more bored in my life.”

“Sorry kiddo, but I still have no idea,” Amara answered honestly, shoving a hand into her pocket. She didn’t want to crush the girl’s hopes. Wait. She almost forgot. “Sheesh, Sherry, your keychain!”

“Where from this time?”

Sherry had developed a strange knack for collecting keychains much like a mother collecting mugs from her kids in their many travel adventures. Amara thought it sweet and just about the funnest thing to pick up on her missions, the others assigned with her would make fun that she’d take the time to stop into the most touristy places just for a “silly” keychain but to see Sherry’s eyes light up as she looked over the fun designs made it worth it.

“Italy, can’t you tell by the moped?” Amara pointed out the cartoon, an over-exaggerated man speeding away on his blue Vespa and the damn near kismet colors of brown cobblestone streets against a teal-blue skyline on it made it one of the more artistic keychains she’d picked out for the girl.

Sherry, a little too perceptive for her own good, seemed to notice Amara’s overall demeanor underneath the smile she wore.

“I’m not staying here much longer, am I?”

“You know, in another life, I’d like to think you’d be a detective the way you pick up on so much,” Amara sighed with a sad smile, going down to eye level with the girl.

“When?”

Her head hanged low, she can’t say it…not directly anyway, not while seeing the sadness that would spring to the girl’s eyes.

“Next week. With Simmons.”

Amara inevitably looked on the bright side. Having someone as “important” as Simmons as her guardian guaranteed that no perceived threats could get close to the girl. The only threat that she could think of was Wesker (only second to the very government themselves). After the mansion incident and RC, Wesker’s body had never been recovered so that formed the only logical conclusion to come to that he still walked among the living.

“He gives me the creeps,” Sherry fiddled with a loose hem on her t-shirt, “a lot of creeps.”

“I won’t fight you on that, kiddo. But, he’s just about the safest option for you now and you know Claire and me fought hard on that choice.” Amara explained. “There’s a quote I heard once that went a bit like this…in any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing.”

“This feels like the wrong thing.” Her voice is small.

“It’s better than nothing, right?” Amara noted. “Besides, it’s not like I’m going to just up and leave and never see you again. You’ll always have me, we are two of a kind after all.”

[sisterkosho]

When did you start obsessed over Illuso?

Believe it or not, my Illuso obsession actually started 3 years ago back in February 2020. I had just started watching Vento Aureo as the dub was airing, and during this time, I ended up stumbling across a picture of Illuso (most likely on Pinterest) and immediately thought “Good lord, WHO IS THAT?” JoJo characters are known for being pretty, but he caught my attention the second I laid eyes on him, mainly because his character design fits perfectly with what I tend to like. For whatever reason, I’ve always had a thing for characters with long/dark hair, and having it tied up in a ponytail or bun has always been a plus for me as well. So naturally, the pigtails stood out to me because, let’s be real, they’re adorable. And while I don’t remember exactly which picture it was that I saw, it was most likely one where he has that smug little smirk, and that was enough to make me weak in the knees. At that point, I had yet to actually meet La Squadra in the show, but seeing Illuso definitely had me anticipating their first appearance. And when that time finally came… I was not disappointed.

Turns out, his personality fit my type just as much as his design. While I personally don’t like referring to La Squadra as “villains”, they are at the very least antagonistic, which is another thing that’s always been a big plus for me. Give me a pretty man with questionable morals and it’s over for me. Illuso just had the perfect vibe of being smug and arrogant in a sexy way, while not really doing anything bad enough to where I’d have to feel guilty for liking him so much. I could simp for him freely, and simply excuse his actions by saying that he’s just a silly little guy and no one could really argue with me on that. Which brings me to the next thing that made me love him immediately… his dub lines. When I first watched Vento Aureo, it was dubbed since I was watching it with my family, and it’s just generally easier for me that way. And dub Illuso certainly is something. I personally think he sounds hot, but they gave this man the goofiest lines possible… and I absolutely loved it. He had me giggling and kicking my feet every time he was on screen, and that really contributed to why I ended up loving him so much. I obviously ended up liking the rest of the team as well, but Illuso just had everything I loved in a character, so I couldn’t help but be a little biased.

After finally having seen him in the show, the brainrot began to set in, and it was BAD— Pretty much all my time after that was spent looking for and creating La Squadra content on the internet, and even though Illuso wasn’t the most popular or well liked character back then, I took whatever crumbs I could get. Fun fact: This is actually what led me to start posting on this blog in the first place. Anyway, the obsession lasted for around a year before I moved on to another fandom and sorta lost interest in JoJo… until last October. My mom wanted to binge watch the series again for the first time in years so that we could finally watch Stone Ocean, and well… y’all know how that went.

So here I am, with my Illuso obsession back in full force, and probably 10x worse than it was before. And honestly? I missed this. I forgot how much joy La Squadra sparked in me until now. TLDR: I’ve been with this man for 3 years and he means the world to me.

[musicfeedsmysoul12]

Title: Breathe

Summary: Andy Laidir, Rook and leader of the Veilguard, has a bad day with their lungs.

Notes: I am not an expert and this may not be totally realistic. Also this is unedited and will be posted to AO3 after editing.

When Andy opened their eyes, they knew it was going to be a shitty day. Their lungs felt tight, and each breath ached as they lay on the bed they’d convinced the fade to replace the couch with. It was soft, with plush pillows and comfy blankets.

Just like the one at home.

Sitting up, they felt the cough building up and let it out, the hacking burning their throat as they sat on their bed. After a few moments they pushed themself out of bed to stumble to where they kept their potions.

That was when they ran into the problem.

With everything going on, after Treviso, Minrathous, going to Rivain and Nevarra, they’d kinda forgotten something pretty important.

Their potions.

They found the throat soother but the one they took for the scarring in their lungs, the result of their mother paying off healers to leave in their lungs so they wouldn’t get any coy ideas about fighting and being a bard, wasn’t there.

“Shit,” Andy breathed before another coughing fit slipped through their mouth. They checked their hand out of habit to make sure no blood was there before sighing.

Usually the pain was ignorable. But today felt bad. Their lungs squeezed with each breath and their face felt hot.

“Maybe Harding has the stuff to make a paste,” Andy muttered as they took a throat soother and a pain potion from their potions. The paste they used on days they’d run out of potion or the times they’d been out of the money needed to buy the potion wasn’t hard. It would be a stopover so they could go to buy some.

They pulled out their pants, wrapping their sash carefully around their waist, and debated about what to wear for a top. Their usual clothes did well suppressing their breasts but today… no, they couldn’t. A crop top it was, the neck swooping down.

They left their room, heading to the kitchen area where the others would have gathered for breakfast. Harding would be there.

And indeed she was when they opened the door to said area, having had to take a stop up the stairs to breathe for a minute.

“Hey! Rook!” Bellara beamed seeing them. They gave a smile back, before launching into another coughing fit. “Oh! Are you okay?”

“Rook?” The others were saying but they waved them off, pulling their hand away from their mouth only to sigh.

“Yay,” they muttered seeing the blood. “Harding, do you have any elfroot, embrium and bitter sap? I ran out of my potions because I forgot to get more with everything going on.”

“Oh! For your lungs? I do yes!” Harding nodded. “Is it a potion or-“

“A paste,” Andy said in reply with a sigh. “Anyone have a cloth?”

“I do, but Rook, please. I insist you sit,” Emmrich said. Andy obeyed, sitting down at the table with a huff as they took the mage’s handkerchief. “May I?” He lifted a hand with magical energy and Andy nodded.

Every mage they’d met and who they developed a friendship with always wanted to check.

Emmrich placed his hand above their chest, the energy glowing as he closed his eyes. Andy waited, wiping their hand off.

“My word. That is… a fair amount of scarring on your lungs.” He said worriedly.

“You can thank my Mother. Her favourite punishment was to lock me in a room with a chimney in it to force me to breath it in. She paid off the healers so they left the scarring,” Andy shrugged.

“That’s horrendous,” Emmrich said. The others didn’t look happy either. “But Rook, you must know that…”

“That if I keep up the level of activity I’m doing now I’ll die sooner then later?” Andy interrupted him. “I know. My last mission for the Lords before I would retire to book keeping was supposed to be helping that noble. Instead here I am,” they spreaded their arms wide, grinning. “I take my potions, make a point to take a break often and I keep away from inflammation as much as I can. I have an enchantment on my necklace to keep smoke out of my face when we’re working so I don’t risk it either.”

“Yet you forgot to buy more,” Neve said, voice frosty. Andy winced.

“Things got busy… lame excuse but I can grab more when we head out today-“

“Nope!” Bellara shook her head fast. “We need to move yes but we take a day. Right?!” She looked at the others who nodded.

“Ashan and I need to do some training Rook,” Davin said as he leaned forward on the table. “You take a day to make sure your alright.”

“Manfred and I are still organizing,” Emmrich agreed.

“Yeah and I gotta… sharpen my stuff,” Taash said a little weakly but Andy snorted anyway.

“Alright, alright. I usually buy my potions through the Lords. That was the plan today, right? Head to Rivain to do some more snooping about the Antaam?” Andy clarified as Harding came back in. she had the plants in her hands that she placed onto the table.

“How are these prepared?” Lucanis asked, stopping Andy from grabbing them. He gave them a look when they tried to protest.

“Alright, alright. It’s about seven roots of elfroot, three petals of embrium and a tablespoon of crushed bitter sap. I do sometimes just eat elfroot if it’s bad. Today doesn’t feel like it,” Andy rubbed their chest. “Or well it’s a bad day but on the pain scale.. 7? Yeah 7.”

“I understand that,” Neve still sounded angry but she seemed to be less frosty. The detective tapped her leg. “Always about a three here.”

“Heh, similar. Sometimes a four if I’m being taken to places like the Storm Coast. Now that was an awful treasure hunt,” Andy groaned before coughing, the fit enough to have them double over as they pressed Emmrich’s handkerchief to their mouth.

“I will make the paste. Do you take it with something?” Lucanis asked.

“Coffee,” Andy said, taking the cloth from their face with a groan.

“You should stick to tea for today,” Emmrich told them.

“Lucanis makes the best coffee and I will be damned before I don’t get to drink it.” Andy said firmly. “I’ll stick to tea after. I think I have my ginger and elfroot one somewhere…”

The rest of the team all began to refocus on their own things. Lucanis got Andy their coffee and handed them their paste which was as disgusting as ever. The faces they made had Bellara giggling as Emmrich began wondering about the potions Andy took.

They leaned back in their chair and

[alexxxx-ithymia]

So NYC is 2/2 for me spending my first night there getting my back blown out LMAO

I can’t believe I forgot to post about this on my birthday a month ago

So like, I finally hooked up with a guy I’ve been friends with for years when I was up in NYC for my birthday. One could argue I’m using the term “friend” loosely here because we’ve had an on and off again flirting situation for YEARS.

We were supposed to get dinner together when I was up there back in October, but it was a mutual friend’s birthday so we couldn’t find the time. Since it was my birthday this time, however, we were able to make the time.

First off, I busted my ass because I missed the last step going down to the Airbnb 😭 Surprisingly, I didn’t feel an ounce of embarrassment and luckily I didn’t hurt myself so I just laughed it off. He was slightly concerned though and didn’t laugh

We got dinner the day before my birthday and talked for a couple hours. Then at the end he asked if I wanted to go to a bar or go back to his place. At first I said I’d be down to go to a bar but then he pointed out how I literally just said I don’t have more than 2-3 drinks and I had 2 at dinner so he offered his place again. (If we hadn’t been friends for years, I would’ve stuck to the bar and just not drank but we’ve built up enough trust for me to feel safe) So we get an Uber back to his and this is where the stars aligned for him to be the smoothest mf in the planet.

The driver’s seat was too far back for my legs to fit comfortably so he goes “oh, why don’t you scoot over here for more room?” So I scoot over and he puts his arm around me and rests his hand on my hip. Then we circle back to talking about the Topicals Slick Salve (we were talking about it earlier in the night with another friend when he came and picked me up) He asks to try it and I was like “yeah, I have it right here” and he asks if I have any on at the moment and that’s when it clicked so I put some more on and offered to have him try it. Then we made out in the backseat of the Uber the entire rest way to his place (that poor driver) That’s when things went from 0 to 100 because it was immediate open mouth French kissing when I was expecting a cute lil make out moment for us kissing for the first time. This energy continued when we got to his building where we were holding hands going to up to his apartment, which was a very cute and wholesome moment

When we got inside his apartment, we sat on his couch and started making out again. He asked what I was comfortable with and I told him I was down for wherever we end up going. I was straddling his lap while wearing a skirt so he offered me a pair of his shorts that I declined because the offer is cute and all but I’m a big bitch. His shorts weren’t going over these hips. But I did take the skirt off and was standing there in my bodysuit and watched him admire my body after he had switched into a pair of grey sweat shorts (because of course he chose the grey ones) After trying unsuccessfully to lay down and make out on his couch, he asked if I was comfortable enough to move to his bed. I said I was so he grabbed me by the hips and guided me to his room

We get to his bed and you can assume what happened after that.

I will say he was a lot rougher than I expected. Not that I’m opposed to it, but again, I wasn’t expecting it on the first link. Especially because I would never have assumed that energy from our conversations. In hindsight, I think he was a little excited and overzealous so he had to pull out all the moves because he did say he was gonna make the most of it. I should’ve taken a moment to be like “relax. I’m not going anywhere,” but alas. There were some tender moments where I’d stroke his cheek, kiss his nose, and lay on his chest. He also wished me happy birthday when it turned midnight so he was the first person to say it. Even beating out my bestie who I was staying with when she called and asked if she was the first and he mouthed “tell her yes!” When I was putting my boots on to leave, I noticed one of my heels broke from when I had fallen down the stairs earlier. He asked to see and then attempted to put my boot on my foot and I made a joke about me being Cinderella and he rolled his eyes. He also had to use his inhaler before we left 🤭 We were joking as he was walking me to my Uber and he kissed me goodbye

Overall, it felt like it was a long time coming and such a slow burn leading up to this moment. I also noticed that this was the first time I’ve had sex and not overthought every single thing. I just went with the flow, trusted myself, and let myself actually enjoy it. Idk if it’s due to it being with a longtime friend or because I’m just having more experience with sex in general, but yeah. It was nice being in the moment instead of my head for once. Even though I didn’t enjoy it as much as with the other guy in October, I’d sleep with him again if the opportunity arises. The sex wasn’t bad at all and I actually enjoyed experiencing this new level of roughness. But the reason I didn’t enjoy it as much is because it felt like a lot for a first link. There was a lack of softness, tenderness, and consideration that I really appreciated from my experience with the other guy. This time was very fast paced as opposed to the other guy where we sat in the moment and took things slower and asked questions and had check ins

But yeah, if there’s a next time, I’ll be sure to slow the pace down for sure

[stardusthuntress]

I was really hoping time would prove me wrong. And while I didn’t quite get all the details right. This is actually worse than I thought it would be.

Now little Omega is going to have to tell Crosshair. Crosshair is going to have to figure out how to bear watching her get tortured because if he lets so much as a hint that she means something to him, they will also use her against him. The whole reason she is there is to torture Nala Se, and we know Dave likes pain, so of course it also means she will be used against a Crosshair too.

However, we never see Tech’s body. Only his goggles, in parallel to Echo’s helmet when he “died” at the Citadel tower, perhaps? And the only person who can confirm it is Hemlock. And if he wants to hide it and keep Tech’s body out of sight we know he will. And it will only mean more pain for the rest of them all, AND US.

However. Back to my original point. I don’t think Dave understands how much Tech means to us. He might have seemed like a clone that fewer people were as attached to as, say Fives, because Fives and his fan base were a little more outgoing. But he forgot that most of the Star Wars fanbase is nerdy. And many many nerds are autistic. More of us find out we are every day. So to have someone like us in the Star Wars universe that could exist successfully in the galaxy without being made fun of for being different meant so much more to us than they realized. Especially for those of us who are autistic and searching for a partner.

Attaching him to Phee just made us angry at her. The first thing Phee did on screen was to insult every single one of them (including Tech, technically, note his response was one of anger), INCLUDING the kid. It is NEVER ok for an adult to insult a child. But alas, that’s a debate for another time. I wonder if adding Phee in was meant to start to detach us from Tech a bit, to make the end easier to bear. Does Dave realize yet that it did the opposite? It made the pain worse.

Taking Tech from us was, as ScreenRant put it, a huge mistake. And they’re right. Like I meant in the first post here, Tech was one of the most important Star Wars characters to grace our screens. Because of Tech, many of us finally felt seen. Many of us finally felt heard. Many of us finally had hope. Hope that the world could maybe learn to accept us despite our differences. Hope that we wouldn’t be permanently stuck as a stereotyped movie trope. Hope that we could find a place to fit in. Hope that we could also be a badass hero, not a stereotypically awkward sidekick. Even hope that there are partners like us worth the time it may take to find them out there.

Hope. Ya know, the thing that makes Star Wars what it is. That one little word that’s been a part of our hearts from the very first time we all watched Star Wars. Hope. That’s what Tech meant to us. That’s what Tech will always mean to us. They should never have taken any of the Bad Batch like that. I know, they’re clones in a galaxy that has it out for clones. But, like I said last time, couldn’t ONE little happy family have been allowed to be just that? Can you imagine how much happier Rex would be knowing that his efforts protected even just one little clone family? Especially considering that that family includes Echo, his Echo, his last Domino, a happy Echo raising a wonderful little girl. But now, instead, Rex is gonna have to patch up Echo with another brother and best-friend-shaped hole in his heart.

And they finally admitted Hunter is a father now. All the boys are! That’s why we named them the Dad Batch! It wasn’t just because it was funny, it was because we meant it. WHY did you have to rip apart their little family, Dave? WHY? They were so close to being happy, so close to getting Crosshair back. It can be a story worth telling if it's happy and NOT a tragedy too! I think right now the world needs more happy stories, more "it can all turn out okay even if it seemed like it was all lost forever". Can you please promise us that they will get there someday, Dave? But you can't really, because Tech is gone now...

And to not have Crosshair there for it. He’s gonna have PTSD wishing it was him instead of Tech. He’s gonna have to cry into Hunter and Wrecker and Echo's shoulders and tell all of them (probably one by one so it hurts more) that it should have been him and not Tech. And Hunter’s gonna have to answer. NONE OF US ARE OKAY, DID YOU HAVE TO MAKE IT WORSE DAVE????

And has anyone pointed out yet that Dave is in fact on the team, and perhaps the person whose job it is to think like Darth Sidious? Because this is totally a Darth Filoni move right there. To just rip him from us just to say the Empire is evil. Was that really necessary?

I've dealt with nasty broken hearts before, and this was certainly one of the worst I've felt. It's going to take me a while to grieve this one. I felt like I needed to scream like a banshee, cry loud and ugly like I'd died beside Mayday on that isolated ice world, but I couldn't make a sound.......

TBB SPOILERS!!!!

I'M TERRIFIED that they've just setup something very sad!!! The following is not for the faint of heart. You must be brave-hearted to read beneath the cut!!! THIS IS YOUR WARNING!!!

TEEEEECCCCHHHHHHH!!!

IS ANYONE ELSE TERRIFIED THAT EPISODE WAS A SETUP FOR TECH'S DEMISE AT THE END OF THE SEASON???!!! IF THEY END HIM I'M GONNA SCREAM, and cry, A LOT!!!! I don’t think Dave understands…. how DARE they threaten to end Tech after just two seasons!!! I NEED him!!! WE need him!!! NONE OF THE CLONES ARE DISPOSABLE TO US!!! ESPECIALLY not the ones that represent us better than most characters ever have!!! ESPECIALLY not the ones that give us hope!!! ESPECIALLY not the ones who ARE the embodiment of the people we search for in the real world EVERY DAY!!!

The Clone War is over… I know, it was just the beginning, I know. But can’t we see ONE SQUADRON, one FAMILY survive the war and give us hope for the real world? And don’t try to quote “this squadron existed before [insert clone name here] and it will exist after” because it’s NOT THE SAME!!! It’s not even the same without Crosshair!!! We’re still waiting for him to come home. The death of any of them should NEVER be used as the thing that brings the last one home. Star Wars doesn't HAVE to be 100% tragedy, or even 90% tragedy. Why can't ONE family make it to life's dusk intact and happy??? WHY???

I feel like in the season finale Tech is going to scoop Omega out of the way at the last second. And then get himself caught in her place. And somehow, this Zillow Beast experience is going to have taught him the thing that could save the cloning projects in exactly the way the Empire wants. But he’s going to refuse, and they will prove they dont care who gets in their way when Rampart 2.0, Mr. Mad Scientist, is gonna pull a Rampart-Wilco on Tech, and Crosshair is gonna be forced to watch it and have to bring Tech’s helmet and datapad back to Hunter, who’s gonna be SO MAD at him until Omega points out he kept the data on Tech’s datapad from the Empire and brought it home instead. And that's gonna be the final straw that makes the rest of the Bad Batch into rebels. And then we’re all gonna cry FOREVER……

PLEASE PROVE ME WRONG!!! YOU REALLY WANNA HEAR ME SHRIEK LIKE A HEARTBROKEN BANSHEE THAT CAN NEVER BE HUMAN AGAIN??? BECAUSE THIS IS HOW YOU ACHIEVE THAT, DAVE!!!

[sourcherryandsprinkles]

12 with ajax plz

Something light and sweet to make up for the lack of posts (more requests are coming this week!)

‘’Is that my hoodie/shirt?’’

Request: Enid is so the type of girl who does tiktok dances. Maybe she and reader can do one together (platonic)

—

Another scream of frustration left Enid’s mouth after you missed another move. You and her had been cooped up in her dorm all afternoon working on a tiktok dance. They look so easy when you watch them from your bed, but when you’re the one learning and doing the choreography…it’s another story.

‘’It's a wrist whirl twist…an helicopter, not a butterfly.’’

‘’I know, I'm sorry,’’ you apologized, feeling bad for — once again — making a mistake in the dance.

She deleted the video and put the shutter at ten seconds before running back to you. ‘’Let’s do it again.’’

Slide to the left, then slide to the right, you mentally said to yourself as you did the moves. Baby cradle — one, two, three. Now, helicopter hands quickly...and dice roll. Left hand pushing someone away, come here motions and smi—

You almost had it, but the dorm door opened, breaking your concentration and making you miss the next more. Both your head Enid’s heads turned, seeing Wednesday returning from her session with Dr. Kinbott.

Her usual deadpan look was replaced by a mix of confusion and horror. ‘’I would ask what the two of you are doing, but the atrocious choreography I just witnessed was enough to give me nightmares for the next five days — not the good bone chilling ones.’’

Enid seethed — and whistled like a kettle. ‘’Wednesday! You just ruined our tiktok,’’ she told her roommate in exasperation.

‘’Your what?’’ the raven haired girl asked, completely oblivious to what tiktok was.

Later in the afternoon, you met with Ajax in the quad. He was sitting by himself in a corner, playing on his phone while waiting for you.

‘’What took you so long?’’ he asked after you greeted him with a kiss.

‘’Enid had me hostage in her dorm. She wouldn’t let me go until we got this dance,’’ you explained, taking a seat beside Ajax. He was wearing the beanie you got him last week — a warm purple color with a looser and more breathable fit so his snakes would be more comfortable underneath.

His eyebrows pulled into a confused frown. ‘’Dance? What dance?’’

You took his phone and opened tiktok, going to Enid’s account to show him. When your face appeared on the screen, Ajax smiled and you suddenly grew shy as he watched you dance to Becky G's song. You didn’t see the final cut, what if you looked ridiculous?

‘’I didn't know you danced,’’ Ajax said, liking the post and then closing his phone.

‘’I don't. I'm terrible at it. It took us over twenty takes to get it right.’’

The gorgon chuckled at the anecdote and kissed your cheek. ‘’I think it looks good.’’

You thanked him and started talking about the coming harvest festival and all the rides you want to try. Ajax usually never went to Jericho’s harvest festival, not a fan of crowded places, but you gave him your best puss in boots eyes and he couldn’t say no to those.

A brisk of wind blew and messed up your hair and Ajax tucked your hair behind your ear. He was so sweet. ‘’Is that my hoodie?’’

You looked down and realized that you forgot to take it off before coming to the quad. You had stolen it from his dorm a few weeks ago and when he asked if you had seen it, you played fool.

‘’Maybe…’’

—

Wednesday taglist: @sofiaadler @partyfly @hoodforcalum @thelilacmourning @ellessecretobsession @su-alteza-emia @achoo---uu @not-leaprvt @xaviersgf @peterparkerdilf @roadworkaheadisurehopeitdoes @dragon-chica @coldtacozinepanda @wrldofsage @eddiemunsonsluvrrr @capriaura @officialsaturn @babyfiva @maevaomizzolo @kelloggs-world @whosljt @ajpanda181 @belovedrey @emerycrt @elizabitchsshit @heaven-hiding @lilithlikestoread @est-liber @moonisu @dessxoxsworld @parker-nite @bellblake121890 @vesperazhier @kaldurahms-lover @beeebo234 @nephilimsss @mayuphoenix @sweetheartlizzie07 @watermelon-18 @snixx2088 @555stargirl555 @robinscardigan @chumchum19 @lilttblog @aphex2winn @heizenka @mystargirl-interlude @hwrtsiren @babygirljay20 @wildflowerlyss @strangersomeone @openfandoms @charlottelaffin @iheartmaddyperez @starless-starkov @ali-r3n  @poppet05  @ell0ra-br3kk3r  @rhaenyraswife  @teaganthemorningstar   @aphex2winn @moompie   @ifevilwhyhot @oliviah-25 @spenglerslime @wetwilliam02 @yellowcupcakes @haileyismoo @theyslayallday @wrldofsage @manofworm @rhydianissuperior @supersanelyromantic @nicangel13 @toylewestinnyc @meme-queen-1999 @rottenstyx @mxxny-lupin @idli-dosa @silenzju @ar40s @sweeterheartxamerica @renaissancewhxre @jordierama @lilppsblog @harrystylesfp  @katsuki420 @ravenssh1t @izzy-laufeyson @iluvwomenblog @kenzi-woycehoski @arunaposeidondottie @liidiaaag   @lilaconner @katsukis1wife @momoewn   @amithesimpoffandoms @chaotic-fangirl-blog @hawkegfs   @lyxrix @mommyruuetrue   @acornacreacure @lucassinclairsgf @youdontneedtoknowthisinformation