#dc characters piss me off I swear

[ifuckinghatecrocs]

Whatever this mf does to ivy she deserves it tbh. Why would she do what he did to her and expect him not to get powers😕

[autisticrosewilson]

If you brag about avoiding the comics/only watching the animated stuff and movies...just block me because I don't want you interacting with my page atp. If you haven't even read the most BASIC comics to understand a character then I just don't think you do and I don't trust anything you have to say.

"but in the animated universe-" don't care didn't ask. "Well I try to avoid the comics-" you don't even know what you're talking about. Genuinely you don't even have a leg in the race. This is a COMICS blog the discussion doesn't include you.

[windybluebelles]

I’m so pissed.

Billy Batson is so Good Omens coded and literally no one else fits with him!

He doesn’t even really fit as any of the characters! He just fits the vibe of the show! It’s pissing me off!

When he does fit as a character (kinda, I’ve forced him into these boxes and I’ll make it work) there’s no one to pair him with!

If he’s Adam, who are Crowley and Aziraphale? Clark and Bruce maybe? But then it would fit better with their actual kids.

If he’s Aziraphale, whos Crowley? Freddie? That doesn’t really fit for me. And who would the kids be? Just feels too forced

He could be Muriel? But she’s not really an important character (guys I swear I love her but she doesn’t have a big role) so he’s only be able to be a side character.

Honestly none of the DC characters really fit. If they fit the characters they don’t fit the situation or vice versa.

The closest I can think of would be SuperBat but that just leaves so many questions.

Ugh, don’t have patience for this

[opossum-writes]

Mystery Man: Pt. 8

A/N: I made up a DC character to feature a friend of mine. Anyways, sorry for the lack of Enid. I’m a bit biased towards Wednesday so that’s on me, but I’ll try my best to remember to give Enid some more screen time (is it really screen time if it’s a fanfic? Idk, I couldn’t think of a better word 😓)

WC: 1908

~~

“Nevermore was created as a safe haven for out children. To learn, and to grow, no matter who or what they are. I realize most of you have heard about the unfortunate incident involving one of our students, but i’m happy to report that Eugene is on the mend and is expected to make a full recovery. So let’s focus on the positive, and make this parents’ weekend our very best yet.” Weems ends her speech, and everyone starts clapping. I’m standing next to Enid and Wednesday, and I think Kat is still on her dorm. Not only is she pissed at mother, she’s pissed at me since I also kept my discovery a secret. It’s understandable. This weekend is a total train wreck. “On the mend? Try in a coma.” Wednesday says. “Anything to keep Nevermore’s reputation clean, I guess. She does love this school, to a fault at times.” I reply. “Have you been to see him?” Enid asks Wednesday. Wednesday turns her head to face her. “Yeah. If I was in a coma, i’d want you to see me.” I add, smiling at Wednesday. “I’m the reason he’s in the hospital.” Wednesday replies.

“That is not your fault, okay?” Enid reassures her. “Yeah. It’s that damn monster’s fault. I swear to god, if I see that bitch, i’m turning into a tiger and scratching it to high hell.” I say. “Y/N, that monster is way too strong for you to take on. The only thing you’re good for as a tiger is intimidation and shedding everywhere. I’m still finding your hair on my clothes from when you took us to the morgue.” Wednesday replies.

“Wait, you got to see him transform? Lucky.” Enid says. Something catches Wednesday’s eye. “I knew I should’ve worn my plague mask.” Wednesday says, and I turn to see what she’s looking at. It’s her family. No way it isn’t. They’re all dressed in the same color scheme as Wednesday. Somebody’s walking towards them. Wait, is that my mother?

“Would you look at my family? Talk about toxic pack mentality. I give my mom 30 seconds before her judge-y claws come out.” Enid says, looking at her brothers rough-housing. “Enid, if I ever have to meet your family, remind me to wear my wolf fur coat.” I reply.

Enid says goodbye and walks over toward her family. “Well, since my mother seems to be getting along with your parents, why don’t we walk together?” I jokingly offer Wednesday my arm, and she slaps it away. I chuckle, and we both make our way over to her parents.

“Oh, how we missed those accusing eyes and youthful sneer.” Wednesday’s father says while pulling her into a hug. “Oh, and who might you be? Has someone finally fallen for my little rain cloud?” Wednesday’s mother asks. “Oh, i’m not her boyfriend. We’re just friends.” I say. “Ah, Gomez, Morticia, this is my son, Y/N.” Mother says, walking over to me and resting a hand on my shoulder. I brush her hand away.

“Oh, he looks just like Caelin! Red hair and all.” Gomez smiles. “Y/N, this is Gomez and Morticia Addams. Your father and I were quite close with these two when we were your age.” Mother explains. I put on a fake smile and shake their hands. “I’m gonna bring Kat some blood. I’ll see you later, Wends.” I smile at Wednesday and her family and walk off to grab some blood bags from a cooler on my way out.

~~

“Kat? It’s Y/N. I know you don’t wanna see me, but could open the door?” I ask while gently knocking on Kat’s door. “Go away, Y/N.” Kat says from behind the door. “I brought our favorite. Pig’s blood.” I add, and the door swings open, and Kat immediately grabs one of the blood bags and bites into it, ignoring the straw stuck to the side of the bag.

“That hungry, huh?” I tease. Kat just glares at me. She walks over to her bed and sits down, still drinking the blood. I step inside her dorm and shut the door behind me. The room is messy, with empty bags of snacks strewn about the floor and tissues piling up around her bed.

“Look, Kat, i’m sorry I kept everything a secret. I knew you’d probably want to join in on the investigation, and with that monster on the loose I didn’t want to put you in danger.” I apologize. “I can handle myself. I can outrun almost everyone in this school.” Kat grumbles. “Look, you know I care about you. I just worry. Is there any way I can make it up to you?” I ask. “…I can think of something.” Kat grins.

~~

“Sorry i’m late, Wednesday. I had to wake up Kat, and she is… quite stubborn.” I explain as I approach Wednesday, who is holding a lantern while sitting in the boat. “Get in. We can’t waste more time. Do you have the map?” Wednesday asks, and I pull the map of raven island out from my pocket and hand it to her.

I help Kat into the boat and I follow after her and cut the rope that was keeping the boat by the dock using my claws. “So… who’s rowing?” I ask. “You, dingus!” Kat answers, and I roll my eyes and grab the oar and start rowing towards raven island.

“Wednesday, you and Kat should check inside Crackstone’s crypt first, and i’ll climb on top of the crypt to get a higher vantage point. I’ll need your telescope.” I explain, and Kat gives me a thumbs up, and Wednesday nods. “Hey, dingus, why don’t you be a gentleman and serenade us?” Kat laughs.

“Hell no.” I groan. “You want me to forgive you, right?” Kat replies, and I sigh.

����”We be three poor mariners

Newly come from the seas

We spend our lives in jeopardy

While others live at ease

Shall we go dance the round around around

Shall we go dance the round around around

And he that is a bully boy

Come pledge me on this ground

Aground aground

We care not for those martial men

That do our states disdain

But we care for those merchantmen

That do our states maintain

To them we go dance the round around around

To them go dance the round around around

And he that is a bully boy

Come pledge me on this ground.”🎶

By the time the song is over, we’ve arrived at raven island. “What the fuck was that, dingus?” Kat asks as she gets out of the boat. “A sea shanty. I heard it on a game once and I liked it so… I memorized it.” I say. “Hah! Nerd.” Kat teases. “Shut up. You had a giant crush on that one girl from… DC? She wasn’t even a superhero. Just a normal civilian. What was her name? Ace?” I tease Kat back. “Y/N! I thought I told you to never speak about that dumb crush I had on Ace.” Kat practically scolds me, and I laugh. “Alright, crackstone’s crypt isn’t too far from here. Lets get going.” I say, and we all start making our way there.

~~

We make it to the crypt, and Kat and Wednesday walk inside after Wednesday gives me her telescope, and I start looking at the crypt to figure out how I can climb it. Honestly, I overestimated how much I could see from it. The trees are way too tall. Maybe I could just climb one of the trees? Yeah. I’m gonna climb a tree. I text Kat the change of plan, and I back away from a tree so I can get a running start. Once i’m far enough away, I run to the tree at full speed with my claws out and jump as high as I can and sink my claws into the wood.

Being half vampire has many perks. One of them being enhanced agility. I’m at least ten feet off the ground now. I keep climbing the tree until I reach the top. I hold onto the tree with one hand and pull out Wednesday’s telescope with my free hand and look through it.

I don’t see much at first, but eventually I notice a smoke trail. It looks like it’s coming from a campfire. I put the telescope away and pull out my phone and take a picture. I look down at the crypt and I see Kat and Wednesday waiting for me. I carefully make my way back down.

After a few minutes, i’m back on the ground. “I saw a trail of smoke. It looks like it might be coming from a campfire. It’s on the northwest corner of the island.” I explain, and show the two of them the picture I took.

“We didn’t find anything in the crypt. Lead the way.” Wednesday says, and I start walking in the direction I saw the smoke.

~~

After a while of walking, we come across what looks to be a campfire. Nearby is a tent. It sounds like someone is in there. I take a step forward, and I accidentally step on a branch, alerting the person inside the tent. “Who are you and what is your business here?” A deep, tired sounding voice says. “We’re not here to hurt you. My name is Y/N , i’m here with my sister and my friend. Have you spoken to anyone by the name of Caelin? We’re looking for him.” I explain. “Oh my god…” the voice says, and the person steps out of the tent. It’s my father. “Father!” Kat yells, and runs to him and tackles him into a hug. My father laughs and hugs her back.

He looks so different. His hair is a little longer, and much more messy, and he has some patchy stubble growing in. I walk over to father and Kat and hug them both. “You smell terrible!” I laugh. “Well, i’ve been camping out in a forest for months, what do you expect?” Father says with a huge smile on his face. It’s amazing to hear his voice again. I almost forgot what it sounds like. Deep, a little gravelly, but still kind.

Father pulls away from the hug to look at us. “I’ve missed you cubs like crazy.” He says. “Have you met Rowan? How is that kid? I asked him to keep you two safe while I was gone.” Father asks. “He’s dead. A monster gutted him when he was trying to kill me.” Wednesday speaks up. “Oh, dear… that’s uh.. surprising. And who are you?” Father asks.

“No one you need to be concerned about.” Wednesday replies. “That’s Wednesday. She’s my, uh… friend.” I hesitate on the word friend. “Pleasure to meet you, Wednesday. You can call me Caelin.” Father smiles. “Alright, you kids should go to bed. It’s so late. Tell your mother that I need to speak with her.” Father says. “Wait, are you not gonna come with?” Kat asks. “I can’t. It’s a long story that I can’t tell you. At least not yet. As soon as I can, I’ll let you two know. For now I need you two to worry about getting back to your dorms, okay?” Father explains.

Kat and I agree, albeit hesitantly, and Wednesday, Kat, and I, all make our way back to the boat…

To Be Continued…

[johnandrasjaqobis]

Sooo I did say I needed to write up a summary of Joseph's ending (including screenshots for funsies and to break up the inevitable wall of text)

but of course to do that I need to set some Context (only the relevant parts, I swear) SO my idiot son, fresh off the Nautaloid, negative memories, +1 tadpole, and also somehow eldritch blast ??

(he was a fighter of some sort before, I think, I had been considering paladin for this run but it didn't make a whole lot of sense to have divine magic when you start out with Nothing, so I figured the desperation of that situation is the. perfect opportunity for some outside force to Help.)

and, of course, this will be long so UNDER A CUT IT GOES

He had zero idea what exactly was giving him the powers, but there was so much going on it wasn't really a priority to look into for the first good chunk of plot. Joseph just barreled his way through looking for literally anyone who would give him any fucking answers, and was legitimately kinda being dragged into being a halfway decent person with the party's influence (if there is one constant about this man, he is far easier to manipulate than he'd ever admit). Still used every tadpole they came across because there was the constant feeling of being so much weaker than he should be, and the tadpoles gave a not insignificant edge in combat. Thanks to the weird accidental connection to the zaith'isk, he was very good at it - and for a guy who feels like he's not very good at much of anything anymore, it was a lot.

(he also tried to pass the tadpole stuff off as warlock abilities, with marginal success, it did involve casting shatter centered on himself once and knocking himself out, that's not important)

all that to say when the Emperor offered the astral tadpole, there was some temptation; the main thing that made Joseph keep pushing back was the fact that Lae'zel hated the idea of it. but (and here is where I wave fondly to fully canon events as they pass by) good ol' Empy chose this time to try and press in on the fact that Joseph had already benefited so much from illithid powers. Moreso than he was fully aware, in fact. since the Emperor was technically his patron.

(sometimes you see this absolute feral little asshole of a man who, unfortunately, is a rather important part of your plan, and realize that he can't do shit anymore. so sometimes you gotta sigh heavily and give him a hand. or tentacle, perhaps.)

anyway when it came down to it the DC was 21, Lae'zel was pissed, and lo and behold

fast forward a bit. the Emperor is a bitch, they do not get along, but mostly mutual goals so whatever

and then we get to Baldur's Gate. Joseph has one (1) meeting with his ex, who is incidentally the first person who has actually given any actual answers, and every chance of some kind of redemption arc is immediately thrown out the window

because. yeah, remember that mention of being easy to manipulate? pre-tadpole Joseph wasn't much different in that regard. His loyalty is a character flaw at points, and his loyalty to Gortash was second only to Bhaal himself (and even that divide was being pushed at, which terrified him, obedient son that he was, forgive me father indeed)

he learned why every high ranking person in this dammed cult seemed to know him. Why the Absolute itself seemed to revere him. Why Stillmaker felt so familiar. And he fell right back into the old patterns and the old plan.

proceeded to lose multiple friends for it, too, there's only so long the whole "I'm just staying on his good side to get information" excuse is obviously, how you say, bullshit. Karlach and Wyll both left after they got Gale back from Orin. Shadowheart stuck around a little longer, but eventually having to help kill the little group of Gur after watching a ceremony that killed thousands just tipped things too far.

Joseph went into the finale with like. three friends: Astarion (freshly ascended), Minthara (delighted by the opportunity for power grabs), and Lae'zel (increasingly skeptical and disappointed by her idiot amnesiac boyfriend).

(and god the situation with Lae'zel hurt. Karlach definitely tried to warn her of how badly this was all going to go to shit before leaving. there was a moment with Shadowheart with the very weary "I do think he loves you. I just don't think that it's going to be enough." getting to watch as Joseph just fully clicked with this man he so obviously had history with. like give this girl a break.)

but again, that loyalty, which meant he definitely did get the Orphic hammer because he wasn't about to just turn his back on Lae'zel's whole mission, and also fuck the Emperor actually

however, speaking of the Emperor, that does require a bit of a backtrack because Joseph did have to kill his sister and then also said fuck you dad, it's your dream not mine, etc and was exsanguinated for his troubles. only to be pulled back again by the weird skeleton guy who refused to stop following them around.

See friends, I think there's something...a little extra, in being killed by a god, especially when it was the god who created you to begin with. Bhaal might have aimed a little poorly, only fully destroying the Urge side of things, but the god of murder murdering you holds weight. As does being pulled right back out of death by the now unemployed god of death.

That whole situation might have. Severed some connections. Formed some new ones.

Fast forward again.

Holy shit the brain is big.

but they had the plan, perhaps a little trickier now, but they'd get the brain back under control and split the stones again, Minthara can wield the third, Astarion can help run things with his own newfound powers, Lae'zel can use whatever resources from this plane she needs to go kill Vlaakith, there's a plan

and I mean. we all know how this part goes. Larian I just want to talk.

In a very fitting "dice telling a story" moment, after Gortash fell I rolled three consecutive 2's. (Minthara tried revivify immediately, of course she did, but maybe it was the splitting migraine they were all fighting through or maybe something the brain did, or maybe Bane himself wouldn't allow it, but nothing would take.) Joseph doesn't remember screaming, but by the time Empy yanked them into the prism, his throat was definitely damaged.

Joseph nearly passes out and does end up just staring at the body (because at least Empy was polite enough not to just leave Gortash there, god can you imagine) for. some amount of time.

of course he'd lose this, of course it's the one person who really knew him before, who was still perfectly willing to work with who he was now, who gave him a purpose that was more than just killing literally everyone, who appreciated the skills that came with said killing but appreciated the skills that had nothing to do with it, who Joseph trusted despite literally every bit of common sense

Fuck that, actually.

The Emperor snaps at him that they don't have this kind of time, Joseph snaps right back that they're in the fucking Astral Sea, time passes differently, they've got a moment.

He asks the others for a moment, just go regroup a bit, he'll catch up, and this has happened enough over their travels that they don't hesitate too much before leaving him alone

and then he starts calling for Withers. First just mentally, then out loud, then enough to make him taste a little blood again, because Jergal you fuck I know you can hear me

takes a moment, but. he does show up. just so casually stepping out from behind a rock, good ol' Peepaw, Withers, literally Jergal himself

and also Joseph's fairly recently self-appointed new patron

(he'd had suspicions for a bit, the fact that he and the Emperor had been at such odds recently, especially the fact that he could complete the whole "heist" from the House of Hope with absolutely no consequences, there was a pretty solid feeling. this just confirmed it.)

"Bring him back." "No."

but if warlocks are known for one thing, it's making deals. how invested are you in seeing this Absolute stopped, huh Jergal? In sticking it to the Dead Three? You've already yanked one of their Chosen back, what's one more?

"I could try -- do my godsdammed best -- to stop this thing for good. Just like you want. Or I could use these stones and burn down the fucking world."

and it's a good thing they're in the Astral Sea because the silence is long. but eventually there is. a very reluctant agreement.

after, of course. after the Absolute is destroyed (if you die in the process and it enacts the Grand Design, not much else will matter anyway, if you succumb to the temptation and take control, there's no bargain to be fulfilled).

So. Somehow, in fate's favorite sort of irony, the guy who pulled Joseph off of any sort of path toward redemption ended up being the reason that kind of forced his hand there anyway.

They destroy the brain. Astarion and Minthara are expectedly disappointed, but can kind of appreciate the impossible task that it would have been to control that thing indefinitely. The tadpoles are evaporated (Joseph is left with scarring because you can't tell me that level of change being stripped away so quickly leaves you without a mark). The city is saved.

And Enver Gortash gets to wake up, inexplicably, on the docks and go through seven stages of grief as he realizes what happened to his plan. (The plan got you fucking killed, you absolute dumbass.)

implications beyond that are mmmmmm many and complicated. but. hey, there's always the next plan.

[disventure-rewrite-takes]

I swear to any person living in the DSVC universe that Drew, Rosa, AND Kai should've gotten on Alll Stars (I don't know if they have limits on how many characters they can have but they do, DC could've gotten rid of James, Miriam and Conner to make room)

To me, they have the most potential of out of most characters (not because I want more edits, fanart, and fanfics about them, it's not the ONLY reason) The dynamics with the others, more scenes with them lasting longer than before, THE BEST SHIP BECOMING REAL (Rosa x Riya canon, it's doomed yuri) Also Rosa would definitely redeem not only Riya but Grett AND Fiore too!

ALMOST EVERYONE IN SEASON 3 PISSES ME OFF AND THE ONLY OTHER SHOW THAT CAN DO THAT IS MIRACULOUS!! RAHH! That should be impossible, but here we are!!

-🌙 anon

P.S. Anyone that has any Drew fanfics I could read, write it in the reblogs pls :)

i needed at least one of them back in DCAS so badly connor literally was so uninteresting im sorry

i need to rewrite this show so bad im gnawing at the bars of my enclosure it has potential i swear it does urgrhrhrhrh

[seeminglyseph]

I know in recent years Marvel has delved into legacy identities way more, and I admit that I mostly know about it because I know about the MCU more than the comics universe and have had legacy heroes sold as either jumping on points, or as the MCU versions of certain characters/ways comics have adapted comic versions to be more similar to movie versions.

But part of me feels like, as someone who originally got interested and passionate about the superhero genre through DC Comics, where legacy heroes were a lot more common and a bigger deal (at least for the era I was reading, I do also remember the nu52 and the period immediately proceeding it involved a lot of like… reactionary un-legacying of a lot of characters which like… honestly resulted in me reading significantly fewer comics) the way for heroes taking up someone’s mantle was paved with like…

Flash, Green Lantern and Robin. And two of those I think we can point to Geoff Johns as to why they’ve stagnated a little. And I might get a lot of shit for that because he’s also created some really fascinating lore for the Green Lanterns, but he *needs* to let go of Hal. I know I personally dislike Hal with the power many would find hypocritical considering I adore Guy, but a character who knows he’s an asshole and everyone agrees is an asshole and a character who is an asshole and everyone is too busy tossing that salad to notice is entirely different and that’s the difference between Hal Jordan and Guy Gardner both being assholes. One is the author’s most favourite character ever and the other clearly sucks at emotional maturity and expression but does at the core have a good heart and intentions.

Barry Allen ruined the world. His sacrifice was great, the world moved on, a whole new generation of fans were attached to Wally and his story, then Geoff Johns continued undoing legacies and broke the whole world and brought back Barry Allen. There could have been potential with him as a man out of time in the timeline he didn’t fit in anymore and had been dead for years, but after Flashpoint he’s genuinely one of my least liked characters because of how much like… “no, it should be like when I was a kid” vibes he brought with him. While Hal’s revival just shook up the status quo of the Green Lantern corp and sucks a little for people who liked Kyle but since the Corp was big enough Kyle and Guy and John still got to have their stories… but Barry came back and not only did Wally get shelved, he stopped existing for a while. Same with Wally’s family like Linda Park-West and his kids Iris and Jai, Bart Allen didn’t exist for a while, a massive swathe of the Flash Family and legacy was completely wiped out. And I think they’ve brought some of them back lately? But I know I spent years with most of my favourite characters just not existing and it just made the idea of The Flash fully not interesting, despite the lore and legacy of the Flash being a favourite.

And Robin… well everyone’s afraid Robin’s too silly to touch let alone actually allow to live out into a legacy. The fact that it’s one of the most poignant that DC has is a shame, but they seem pretty terrified of it. And they keep erasing one or more of them from the lineup and they all served a purpose. You can’t just replace Tim with Damian. They serve entirely different purposes. Why there are canons that skip Tim baffle me. I swear it’s not just because he’s my favourite. I dislike but understand skipping Steph’s time as Robin due to the fumbling of the execution, but honestly I think the Batgirl legacy undo is more egregious for all I think her run as Batgirl was painfully toothless and removed a lot of her characterization. Babsgirl still pisses me off because Oracle was amazing and glorious and they backslid all of that and spit in people’s face while they did it. At least Steph and Cass exist now, they also spent an extended time in purgatory.

It’s hard to love legacy heroes. You never know when they end up on a shelf. Or they suddenly become the side character in someone else’s story after you gain an attachment. They get killed or stuffed into “not a character anymore” purgatory and yelled at at conventions if you ask about them.

And after all that they might end up reimagined in the worst light possible and that becomes the new cannon, because they had a spare character to offer up for a redo. And now you have to explain you liked them before they were made into the popular adaptation that most people think you’re talking about.

[eileentothestars]

[Caption:

Panda: I made the mistake of scrolling through Twitter again, specifically Comic Book Twitter. And, uh... just -- just watch.

(He shows a tweet claiming that comics are not supposed to be political and cites as evidence a clip from Justice League: Unlimited, which he now plays)

Superman: You became a symbol, a symbol that represents all of us.

Captain Marvel: Yes sir.

Superman: We don't play favorites. We don't sell deodorant on television. And we don't get involved in politics.

Panda: So because of that, we're gonna have the "comics are inherently political" talk again. I know. Everybody's tired of hearing it, but apparently some people still need to! What the fuck does this even mean?!

First and foremost, um, has this person seen this episode? This episode ends with Captain Marvel leaving the goddamn Justice League because, and I quote, "they don't act like heroes anymore!"

Also, let's just take a roll call of the people at this table, shall we? We have the Amazonian warrior who is explicitly dressed in the American flag to better international relations, the fucking Thanagarian soldier in the corner, the fucking veteran of the war on Mars, DC's second Black superhero ever, and I have already gone into the fucking people's hero that is Superman.

Also, little bit of a suggestion in media literacy to the person who's posting that. You hear that music? You hear how it feels kind of ominous? That's because it's in a minor key. It's supposed to make you feel off, like what's being said is wrong.

"Comics aren't supposed to be polit" -- Do I need to point at the Captain America #1 cover again? I will pull it out of the goddamn box, I swear!

Comic books and superheroes are absolutely and always have been inherently political. They state political messaging. They say things, like any good art does. The people who continuously say that comics shouldn't be political are just pissed off when their art doesn't reflect their own politics. And if that's the fucking case, don't buy the goddamn book! If I fucking hate the messaging, and I hate the messaging behind it, why the hell would I go out and buy something like Frank Miller's Holy Terror if it's just going to piss me off?!

(He shows a calendar image of Captain American punching Red Skull)

Oh, this? Nothing inherently political about this. It's just somebody draped in the American flag beating the shit out of a Nazi.

(He points at a comic book cover of Iron Man fighting Submariner)

Oh, what's this? Oh, that's nothing, that's just a character inherently stooped in the fact that capitalism is destroying the planet and how the planet is going to rebel against that, fighting an uber-capitalist who thinks he did nothing wrong up until the moment that he's proven wrong when his weapons are used against him. Nothing inherently political about that!

(He points at his Red Hood masks)

Oh, what are these? Oh, these are just the helmets of a formerly disenfranchised youth that was adopted by a vigilante that wages a one-man, extralegal war on crime because his city is too corrupt by the greedy politicians underfunding all of the social programs. Nothing fucking political about that!

Superheroes are political. Comic books are political. Art is political. And the wonderful thing about comics is, even if a character that you like is spouting political messaging that you don't agree with, there is a 900% chance that you can find a version that agrees with you! You want your shitty, badmouthing, America First Captain America that nobody fucking asked for? Go read the Ultimates! It's full of that shit!

But stop acting like creators are mischaracterizing the characters when they make them political. Because newsflash: They didn't make them political. They've always been political. You just weren't fucking listening.

End caption]

Comics have always been political

[svnriseblvdd]

Speed | Pietro Maximoff

Author: @svnriseblvdd

Word count: 800

Warnings: one swear word (I think it's one, could be a couple though)

Summary: In which bets are placed among the team regarding Pietro's speed versus Barry Allen's, and your bet comes with the most beneficial stakes to either victor

"Speedy, if you don't stop it with the twinkle-toes right this second, I will cut off the legs you're so proud of without hesitation," you threatened, swatting Pietro's feet with a book as they twitched and shook in your lap.

"I'm sorry. I'm just so bored."

"We're all bored, Pietro, doesn't mean you get to piss us all off," Wanda told her brother as she sat on the floor in front of Vision, using her telekinesis to make things float around.

The Flash was on TV, trying to reverse time or something. No one was really paying attention, it was just on for some sort of entertainment.

Pietro had his eyes narrowed as he stared at the screen. He'd noticed your stare of admiration as you watched the TV, annoyed that a fictional speedster had earned your affections while he still remained the target of your frustration.

"I can run as fast as him," he muttered, more to himself, unaware that everyone heard him.

Sam simply scoffed, looking at the Sokovian with raised eyebrows. "You could not. You don't even come close."

"I could," Pietro stated matter-of-factly.

"Please, you wouldn't match that even on your best day," you told him with a roll of your eyes.

"Oh, you wanna bet?"

"What are you, twelve?" You retorted.

"What are you, scared?" He challenged.

Your eyes narrowed, you shook your head. "I'm not scared of you, Maximoff. Wanda, sometimes, but definitely not you. In fact, I'll take that bet. What are the stakes?"

"If you win, then you get to make fun of me for a week -"

"I do that anyway, but sure."

"If I win, I take you out on a date."

Everyone, previously only half paying attention, was now interested, an "Ooohh" sounding across the room as everyone looked up.

With a smirk, you shook his hand. "Deal."

~~~

You'd given him a week to prepare, just to be fair. The other members of the team were already placing bets among themselves, and sides had been formed.

At the end of the given week, you'd all gathered outside to conclude the bet. The idea was that they'd measure Pietro's speed as he ran across the grass, and compare it to Barry Allen's speed, to see who was the fastest.

Flash's top speed being around the speed of light (299, 792 KM per second), it was hard to beat, so they were all watching intently.

Pietro started at the very beginning of the green stretch, with Vision nearby to record the speed, and Steve ready to tell him to go.

Vision gave the signal, and Steve waved a hand, grabbing everyone's attention. "Okay, so the plan is, I say "ready, set, go" and he'll run. Vision will time him, and then we'll compare the speeds." Pietro stood, very ready, as Steve began, "Ready, set, go!"

Vision measured Pietro's speed as he sprinted, a blue blur across the grass, zipping around the open area. His speed reached a peak as he ran past a particularly large oak tree, and he came to a stop in front of the group.

"6174 KM per hour," Vision announced.

Pietro looked somewhat defeated, and you began to talk. "It's alright though. I mean, don't get me wrong, I love DC, but their heroes are way too overpowered. They have no weakness, so they're not relatable, therefore less likeable as characters. If we were superheroes in comics or movies, then we'd be the ones everyone preferred, because we're relatable and more likeable. We have limits. Besides, Flash got his powers being struck by lightning, you got yours from an experiment with a magical sceptre which they weren't even sure was necessarily going to work."

The whole team nodded in agreement, looking between you and Pietro. "Oh, come on, just give the date anyway," Sam spoke up.

"Yeah, go out with him, Y/N."

"Come on, you can make him feel better."

You considered it, Pietro watching you with hopeful eyes and a little pout as you thought about it. "Well, I don't like to promote the idea that you can get what you want even if you don't win. But you did try so hard. And God, you're ridiculously handsome. Fine, I'll go out with you."

His pout immediately turned into a smile. "Great. Friday, seven o'clock good?"

"Sounds good, yeah."

"Excellent. Wear that green dress you own," he told you.

"You only like that because you can see my cleavage."

He grinned as he began to head inside. "I won't deny that."

"I can and will throw my shoe at you, Maximoff!" You called after him.

"You'd have to catch me first!" And then he turned into a blue blur, and you were left with the team all looking at you with varying degrees of shock.

[jerzwriter]

Delaying the Inevitable - Chapter 27 - Bittersweet Symphony

Book: Open Heart 3 (Post Series)

Pairing: Tobias Carrick x MC, Ethan Ramsey x MC

Rating: Chapter: Teen

Summary: Extended Series WIP – Love Triangle. In this chapter, Casey & Ethan share a successful visit to DC. They meet Tobia’s uncle and Vivian, making her position very clear to her son’s former best friend. The former couple celebrates their victory by watching a beautiful sunset, reminding them of a particular, shared memory.

Category: Extended Series (WIP)

Warnings: Drinking, language

A/N: I promised to get this out by the end of the day on Sunday, but I’m a few minutes late. I hope you are OK with that! 😊Original Chapter 27 had to be broken in two, so part of what you might have been waiting for will occur in the next chapter.

A/N 2: Leaving the standard reminder from before break: This is a love triangle – that means Casey loves more than one person in this story. I’ve said it a million times, but here is a million and one. She won’t make her choice until the final chapter. So no, it’s not a foregone conclusion. And while Team Ethan, and Team Tobias, and Team God I’m Torn exist out there, there is only one that matters to me and that is Team Casey.

CHARACTERS BELONG TO PIXELBERRY STUDIOS

If you wish to be added or removed from tags, please let me know. Comments and reblogs always appreciated. 😊

SERIES MASTERLIST

“So, now that we are just five minutes away from our meeting, it’s the perfect time for me to ask you. On a scale of 1-10, how pissed off am I going to get in there?”

“On average, a 25,” Casey smiled.

“Wonderful. I have to admit, it blows my mind to see how comfortably you move in these circles.”

“Comfortably? Seriously, Ethan? I’m about to throw up right now. I don’t like this. I’m just doing what I feel is necessary.”

“Well, it looks like you have been accomplishing your goals. That’s what matters.”

“Now, when we get in there, our main goal is to ensure that Kenner stays on our side. Without his support, the bill is DOA.”

“How do you use that term so glibly given our profession, Case?”

“Maybe I am more comfortable here than I give myself credit for. But, as I was saying,” she smiled, “Perkins and Rivera are going to be the two that we really have to work on. They are adamant about seeing it get to the floor of Congress, and they have leverage. Kenner has other legislation he will need their support on in the not too distant future.”

“Got it. I’m just glad this is Congressional and not Senatorial at this point. If I ever see Farrugia again, I swear, I’d have no choice but take the man’s teeth out.”

“I thought those days were behind you, Ethan,” she smiled.

“Never in his case.”

Casey slid papers back into her attache as the car pulled up in front of the congressional offices. Ethan attempted to beat the driver to open Casey’s door to no avail.

“Well, it’s showtime!”

“Lead the way.”

____________________

The sheer size of the conference room was daunting in and of itself. But then factor in the dark mahogany walls, the marble floors that turned even a whisper into an echo, not to mention the eyes of dozens of long-dead Representatives peering down at the table… Casey was convinced that everything was explicitly designed to intimidate. Luckily for her, she had seen the inside of an emergency room during triage on more than one occasion. These people had no idea what intimidating was. She turned to her right, saw Ethan, and grinned to herself. There was nothing that was going to scare him either.

Rep. Kenner entered the room and buoyantly headed over to Casey.

“Dr. MacTavish, it’s wonderful to see you again!”

“Likewise! I’d like to introduce you to my colleague, Dr. Ethan Ramsey. He is the Director of Edenbrook’s Diagnostic Team.”

“Dr. Ramsey, it’s a pleasure to meet you, your work precedes you, and I’m delighted to have your voice here today.”

“Thank you for having us.”

“I’ve learned much about your team’s work, and it’s hard to escape the impact it has had on the lives of countless people.”

“Yes, it has. And if it is to continue, we need bureaucrats to stop putting the needs of their donors above the health of its citizens. I hope that’s clear to you.”

Casey shot Ethan a look over Rep. Kenner’s shoulder, and he immediately stopped speaking. Maybe he was right. She did know how to navigate here, at least a lot better than he did.

“Ethan,” she whispered as they returned to their seats, “did you ever hear the phrase you catch more flies with honey than you do with vinegar? Bring the grandstanding and intimidation for the debate, not the introduction! Way to set the tone.”

He exhaled a contrite sigh, “Perhaps I’m not cut out for this.”

“You’ll do fine. Just save the pitbull for with the pitbull is needed. Just follow my lead.”

Reps. Perkins and Rivera entered and sat directly at the table, giving perfunctory nods in Casey and Ethan’s direction.

“Good Morning,” Rep. Rivera started, “Before we begin, I’d like to thank you for making an effort to come here today and for your time. But I should warn that I have a hard stop at 10:15, so we should keep things brief and to the point.”

“Thank you for making the time as well,” Casey acknowledged, “we will certainly stay to the point, but we should remember, we are here to discuss the health and well-being of every citizen in our nation, of every one of your constituents, so it’s a matter we should not take lightly. If at the end of the meeting, we have not made satisfactory progress, I would suggest we set up an additional meeting before wrapping up.”

Rep. Perkins chortled, “Don’t they need you to care for patients in Boston, Dr. MacTavish? It seems you have ample time to travel to DC?”

She fixed her eyes on him, a slightly sardonic grin on her face. “I assure you, the needs of my patients are always at the forefront of my thoughts and actions. I assure you others are willing to pitch in so that I can be here today.”

“I think you’ll find Dr. MacTavish is not one to be deterred,” Rep. Kenner cautioned.

“Hmm,” Perkins continued, “Seated to my right is Dr. Boyston. He is the retired Chief of Medicine at Houston Methodist, and he currently serves as the medical advisor. We felt he’d be an important part of today’s discussion as well.”

“Pleasure to meet you, Dr. Boyston,” Casey nodded.

“I can let him speak to this more, but it is Dr. Boyston’s opinion that our proposed legislation would lead to an increase of availability of medical care to those in need. He has provided substantial data, which has been provided to you for review. How do you counter those claims?”

“We have had a chance to review the data, and even upon reinspection, we don’t see how it adds up,” Ethan challenged. “Taking funds from programs that have been proven successful in providing healthcare resources to the most vulnerable in our society and providing it to medical conglomerates that are already making record profits, how does this help anyone other than shareholders?”

“By giving them the resources, hire the staff needed to tend to their business needs, so they can remain profitable while extending care to those who are in need more efficiently, it’s been done at several hospitals in my area.”

Casey shook her head, “I respectfully disagree. I have looked at the data of the programs you point to, and on average, they serve 40-60% fewer patients than programs like the one we offer in Edenbrook. You would be giving money to for-profit organizations, and, frankly, I don’t think their purposes are ever altruistic. The funding and taxation benefits from providing free and low-cost services allow the medical institutions to have units that solely focus on patient care. You’re suggesting that private businesses willingly give ample resources, cutting their own bottom line, to send healthcare workers into the non-profit sector? Even if they did, they would have autonomy from the hospital itself, so the mission of existing programs could be ignored. It doesn’t add up.”

“It does when the profits of said organizations will not be impacted by providing the services.”

“Except for when funding has been provided in the past, they have elected to begin stock-buybacks and other programs to further enrichen themselves while giving a small portion of the fund earmarked for care to the communities that need service. It’s unacceptable. And, I’ve had our counsel review this numerous times to confirm, there is nothing in this legislation that prevents them from doing that again.”

She turned to Rep. Kenner, “As we discussed in our meeting, Edenbrook along was able to increase patient care by 40% after the passage of current legislation. Other hospitals in Boston report similar numbers. We’re looking at tens of thousands of people served in our community alone. It’s a proven success, and we should be looking to expand, not curtail it.”

Rep. Rivera practically sneered when she replied, “Dr. MacTavish, considering that your program relies heavily on the current funding to serve its patients, don’t you think you are a bit biased.”

Casey crossed her hands and straightened her back, an unwavering passion in her eyes. “Rep. Rivera, Dr. Ramsey is a world-renowned physician. I may not be there yet, but my credentials are impressive enough that either of us could easily find gainful employment elsewhere. We would not be personally impacted, but the people we see and the patients we have saved would be hurt. They may not survive if you push this forward.”

Ethan had already decided that he wasn’t even going to try to wipe the smirk off his face as Casey annihilated every speaker who attempted to shut her down. He knew she was a badass doctor who always put her patients first, but watching the impassioned way she fought now, he had a new level of respect for her.

The meeting progressed, and at 10:15, Rep. Kenner insisted they carry on until 11:30 as planned, noting that his colleague's constituents might not take kindly to limiting their time on an essential issue to them in favor of meeting with wealthy donors. Casey was reasonably convinced that Kenner remained on her side by the time it ended, but already learning how things worked here, she knew backing down was not an option. She and Ethan had a long list of meetings to attend that afternoon in the hopes of swaying others, just in case the legislation made it to the floor.

“You were mind-blowing in there!” Ethan simply glowed over how impressed he was with Casey as they stepped out into the crowded hallway.

“I was just speaking the truth.”

“But you spoke it eloquently, forcefully, you backed it, and you gave a voice to those who do not have a seat at the table. Casey, please, I’ve seen you sell yourself short time and again, and I am not allowing you to do it now.”

She decided to simply accept the compliment, especially since she was rather proud of herself at the moment.

“Thank you, Ethan. You’re still the reason I went into medicine in the first place, so that means a lot coming from you.”

“Well, then I’ve done something right,” he smiled. “I knew from day one what you had the potential to become. No matter what, I’m forever grateful to have played a part in your becoming the doctor you’re meant to be.”

She reached out and gently squeezed his wrist. “Thank you.”

Her head spun to the right when she heard a commotion coming from down the hall. She couldn’t help but chuckle when she saw the cause.

“Well, here comes trouble.”

She had only known Vivian a short time, but she already felt like home to Casey. As she watched her push her way through the crowd, she eagerly awaited her embrace. She knew it would be all that she needed to celebrate and to help her wind down… and she was right.

“Casey! My sweet, sweet girl!” Vivian pulled Casey tightly against her chest. “I knew that you were outstanding in every possible way from the moment I laid eyes on you. I hope you know that. But today, I can’t begin to tell you how proud I am today!“

Casey swayed back and forth in Vivian’s exuberant embrace. With the exception of a hug from her own mother or Tobias, nothing felt better. She was about to speak when she felt Vivian’s arms go slack.

“Ethan,” Vivian declared. “How lovely to see you again.”

Mrs. Carrick had years of practice at playing the game, so feigning pleasantries came easy to her. The casual observer would see nothing amiss. But Casey had become closer to her than most, and she could see the façade that was in place, which is why the following words startled her.

“I am treating Casey to lunch at The Lafayette. It would be wonderful if you could join us! Can you?”

Casey’s eyes widened, but Ethan remained unphased. Internally, he deliberated. A lunch with Vivian and Casey did not sound appealing in the least bit. He was certain Vivian would wax poetic about Casey and Tobias, watch his every move, and report back to her son within ten minutes of their departure. But for some reason, he found himself compelled to say yes.

“You know what, Vivian, I’d love to.”

Casey’s heart almost stopped. Every conversation she ever had with Vivan was punctuated at some point with a discussion about her and Tobias’s impending nuptials, and that was before they were a couple. While Ethan was acutely aware they were together, she tried not to rub it in, and she didn’t know how this would turn out. As she stepped sat down to the well-appointed table, she simply hoped for the best.

“I’m so glad you decided to join us, Ethan,” Vivian smiled. “It is well over a decade since we had the chance to do this.”

“I suppose it is.”

“And under such wonderful circumstances! My sources have informed me that your meeting today was a huge success!”

“Your sources? We just left. How soon did they contact you?”

“While you were still inside the room.”

“Dear God, Vivian. Do you have people everywhere?”

Vivian tapped Casey’s hand and grinned, “Stick with me, child. I’ll teach you everything.”

Ethan beamed in Casey’s direction. “While I’m sure you have plenty you can share, Casey is a very quick study. She was mesmerizing in there today.”

Vivan raised her glass of wine to her lips and studied Ethan carefully, noting the way he gazed at Casey. She turned her Casey and was pleased to find her fixated on her lunch, seemingly unaware.

“Well, I, for one, am not the least bit surprised. I mean it, I know from the moment I met you in Tobias’s apartment that you were one of a kind, Casey. I’m glad to see my son had the good sense to see it himself. If only he had the good sense to join you here today. Sometimes I do not understand that man. He holds the keys to so many doors in his hand; why not use them? “ She shook her in lament, “ I’m just happy to see you take an interest. I’m more than happy to use whatever influence I have to help you get to the table. Maybe you’ll rub off on him.”

“Vivian, I’m sure Tobias has his reasons. He’s a wonderful doctor, but not everyone wants to take this route.”

“But you see the importance.”

“I do. And I speak for many others, including Tobias, while I’m here, but I wouldn’t dream of forcing him to do something he doesn’t wish to.”

“Not to mention that if he did it begrudgingly, it would be bound to show. If he doesn’t want to do it, it’s for the best that he doesn’t,” Ethan added.

“Well, I’m glad something sparked your interest to get involved, Ethan. Your voice will hold a lot of weight. It’s hard to believe how much you have accomplished since the last we met. You must be very proud of yourself.”

“I’m proud of the work I’ve been able to accomplish, with the assistance of my team, of course. I’m lucky to have each of them aboard.”

“Well, I certainly won’t deny that. I was happy to hear that you and my son had buried the hatchet, not only because you were working together, but too many years had gone by. You’ve both grown, matured… it was the right thing to do.”

Ethan offered a cursory smile. “It’s nice to have a stabilized relationship, especially since we work so closely together.”

“Is it difficult? I’m sure the dynamics between the three of you can’t always be easy, now, can it?”

Casey choked on her water.

“Ehhm,” she coughed, “Vivian, we all get along just fine, just fine, there is really no reason to….”

“I’m sorry if this makes you uncomfortable, dear. I’ll stop. It’s just we’re all adults, and there is no need to ignore the obvious.”

“We’re all professionals, Vivian. Our patients will always be our primary focus, and other things cannot get in the way of that.”

“That’s wonderful to know.”

Casey fidgeted nervously with her napkin. “Uhm, if you don’t mind, I’m going to use the restroom. Vivian, would you like to join me?”

“No, I’m good, darling. But you go ahead. Ethan and I will be happy to keep each other company until you return.”

Vivan eyed Casey as she left, waiting until she was a good distance away before turning to Ethan.

“Ethan. I hope I didn’t make you uncomfortable.”

“It takes quite a bit to make me uncomfortable, Vivian. If you remember me at all, you should know that.”

“Of course.” A brief silence fell over the table before she continued. “You know, they are quite happy together. You do know that.”

“Excuse me?”

“Tobias and Casey. They are very happy together.”

“I know they are together, Vivian. Beyond that, it’s really none of my concern.”

“Ethan, you know that I am not a woman who likes to mince words, and I also have exceptional vision despite my advancing age. I know there is history between the two of you, and I can see the way that your eyes light up every time you look in her direction. And while I don’t like the idea of you being hurt, I will remind you very clearly, if necessary, that she is elsewhere now.”

“Vivian,” Ethan quipped, “I’m painfully aware, every day, that Casey has moved on. And since I have the great pleasure of having Tobias on my team as well, I have a front-row seat to their blooming romance. I don’t need you to remind me of my place in all of it. I know where I sit.”

“And where is that?”

He let out a sigh, “It’s in her past, Vivian. Her past.”

Vivian fell softly back into her seat, her demeanor softening slightly.

“I’m glad to see we are on the same page then. Ethan, when you and Tobias were in med school, I came to think of you as my own. Even after you had a falling out, I never wanted anything but the best for you. So, I don’t like intervening. I really don’t want to overstep here, and I know that I am. It’s just Tobias and his happiness, they mean everything to me. It’ just comes with the territory.”

Ethan tilted his head and smirked sadly.

“I know Vivian. You’re just being a mother. I hope Tobias is smart enough to know how lucky he is to have that.”

Vivian leaned in toward him and gently touched his hand. “Ethan, I’m so sorry. I certainly didn’t mean to….”

“It’s all right, Vivian.”

“I just wish that things could have been….”

“Vivian?”

“William? William, is that you?”

A vivacious, well-dressed, older gentleman made his way over to the table. Vivian all but jumped from her seat to embrace him.

“What are you doing here? The last I heard, you were going to be staying on Fisher Island until the end of the winter?”

“Ah, it’s March. Winter is over as far as I’m concerned, though Audrey certainly disagrees, so she stayed behind.”

“You just can’t get away from this place, can you?” Vivian laughed.

“This city is my lifeblood, Vivian, you know that.”

“I sure do!”

He smiled down at the table, taking in Ethan and the empty seat alongside him.

“Well, where are my manners? William, this is Dr. Ethan Ramsey. I don’t know if you have met? He and Tobias were quite close back at Hopkins.”

“Ramsey,” He said, shaking his hand vigorously. “I do recall meeting you once or twice… probably when I swung by the townhouse to end a raucous party when Vivian and my brother were out of town.”

“That sounds about right. I vaguely, very vaguely, recall that myself.”

William let out a boisterous laugh.

“As well it should be! What is youth for if not youthful indiscretions! But, being in the field, of course, I’ve been aware of your work since that time, and I must tell you, I have berated my nephew on more than a few occasions for losing contact with you. I’m happy to hear through the grapevine that you have buried that hatchet.”

“Yes, to a degree. We enjoy a very beneficial working relationship.”

Casey smiled brightly as she returned to the table. “Well, apparently, you miss a minute, and you miss a lot in this town.”

“Oh, William!” Vivian beamed, “Please allow me to introduce you! This simply brilliant and gorgeous young woman is Dr. Casey MacTavish.”

“MacTavish?” He asked, raising an eyebrow, “The MacTavish I have been hearing so much about?”

“Well, that all depends,” she smirked, “are you hearing good things?”

William chuckled as he beckoned a waiter over to bring an extra chair. “Oh, I like you!” He grinned.

“She is the one you have been hearing about. Not only is she a gifted doctor, but she is also making quite the name for herself around here. She got Kenner to change his mind on the healthcare funding legislation. She is, in a word, perfection.”

“Vivian,” Casey moaned with her cheeks turning pink, “I am about as far from perfect as you can get, but thank you for the ringing endorsement all the same. And, I’m sorry, you are?”

“I am William. William Carrick. I am lucky enough to call this beautiful woman my sister-in-law.”

Casey’s eyes bulged as she placed her water back on the table. “Oh, so that would make you….”

“Tobias’s uncle….” Ethan interjected.

“Well, gosh, then, it’s very nice to meet you… I mean, not that it wasn’t before… it’s just….”

“Casey is Tobias’s girlfriend,” Vivian smiled.

“Frankly, I’m shocked she hasn’t told you all about me,” Casey winked at Vivian, “are you negligent in your duties.”

Everyone chuckled, with the exception of Ethan, though he did his best to feign a smile.

“Of course not, my dear! The one who is negligent in her duties as his wife, Audrey. She is the one I have been gushing to. I don’t get to talk to William nearly as often as I would like.”

“Well, in Audrey’s defense, she has told me that Vivian is all but planning a wedding, but I didn’t pay much attention. Now, I’m seeing that I should have. What on earth did my nephew do to snag someone like you? I dare say you’re out of his league.”

“William Carrick!” Vivian chided as she slapped his arm.

“I’m joking! Just joking, of course. But now I can report back to Audrey that Vivian was absolutely not exaggerating.”

“Well, thank you.”

“I’ve been hearing all about your work on the Hill. Impressive! I wish more doctors would take that initiative,” he and Vivian locked eyes. “It’s so important. I’m sure you know the medical field has always been our family’s business, so to speak. I’m semi-retired from practice, but I sit on the Board at GW. You may be new on the scene, but you’ve made quite a name for yourself already. Half the town loves that name, and the other half despise it. That means you’re doing something right.”

Vivian all but beamed with pride. “Casey is a force to be reckoned with. I knew it from the moment I met her.”

Casey rolled her eyes, “Not this again.”

“Oh, I know Vivian, dear, and I know she can be prone to….”

“Careful….”

“She can put quite a positive spin on things….”

“Better…”

“But from what I’ve heard, she may have actually undersold you.”

Ethan cleared his throat and brought himself back into the conversation. “Well, having had the pleasure of working with Dr. MacTavish for the past four years, I can honestly say she is one of the best physicians of her generation. I know her future will be whatever she wishes to make of it.”

Casey smiled gratefully as she and Ethan locked eyes. Vivian took note.

“Well, as lovely as all these accolades are, I’d be much more comfortable if we could change the conversation to something else.”

“Nonsense! In this town, you wear your accomplishments, Dr. MacTavish. You wear them like a peacock, and you make sure everyone knows.”

“Please, call me Casey….”

“She is family, William….”

“Well, not exactly,” Ethan interjected as all eyes turned to him.

“If my nephew has any good sense, she will be. You’d make quite an addition to the Carrick legacy, young lady.”

“Well, um, I’m just trying to do what I think is right, what I believe in….”

“And that is all you should be worrying about, Casey,” Ethan smiled. “Now, as lovely as this is, we are due back for meetings in thirty minutes.”

“Oh, God! Yes, I want to get there early. The halls of Congress are a bit confusing.”

“They are now,” William laughed, “you’re going to know them like the palm of your hand in no time, Casey. I’m willing to bet on it!”

“Well, we’ll see what the future holds,” she smiled.

“Oh, come here before you go!” Vivian pulled Casey into a tight embrace, “Oh, my girl, it is so good seeing you. I wish you would have stayed at the townhome with me tonight!”

“I appreciated the offer, but we have such an early flight, I wouldn’t want to be a bother. But I’m sure I will see you soon.”

“I hope so. And bring that no-good son of mine with you!”

“I’ll do my damndest.”

Ethan and Casey said their goodbyes and headed outside to their waiting cab.

Vivian fell back into her seat, grinning from ear to ear as she ordered another glass of wine.

“I haven’t seen you this happy in a good long time,” William joked.

“Oh? I am always happy! You know that, dear. But seeing you is such a lovely surprise, and I’m delighted that you got to meet Casey!”

“I’ll admit it, I’m impressed. I’m not exaggerating. Everyone has been talking about her. I had no idea she was dating Tobias. Are they serious?”

“She’s living with him. If you had been here for my holiday party, you could have seen them in action yourself.”

“All in due time,” he chuckled, “You know, if they were to come down here… we’d snag her up at GW in an instant, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see her get better offers. As for Tobias, you know he can name his title anytime he wants. Do you see him even considering it?”

“In the past, I’d say no chance, but love can make a man do unexpected things. Let’s see how it plays out.”

“If it’s all right with you, I think I’ll reach out to her. Not just as my future niece-in-law,” he winked, “but in a professional capacity. I think there is a conversation to be had there.”

Vivian smiled, “By all means, William. By all means.”

____________________

It was freezing cold as the sun began to set, which was precisely why Casey was there, sitting on a plush blanket spread over the frozen grass. DC had always been one of her favorite cities, and there was nothing like the sunset on the National Mall. She and Tobias weren’t able to take it in when they had visited for Vivian’s party a couple months back, and there was no way she was letting two trips to pass without seeing it. If it meant wrapping a fleece blanket around her hooded parka to watch it, well, then that was what she was going to do. She saw Ethan’s figure emerging from the shadows, a bottle of champagne and two glasses in his hands.

“What is that?”

“You know what it is, Casey. Normally I’d say it’s for a celebration, which is certainly in order; but, given the circumstances, I’m hoping it can serve double duty. Perhaps providing us with a little warmth so we don’t freeze to death out here.”

“You exaggerate! But hey, are you going to pour that or what.”

“Ah, so you are a little cold after all?”

“If I was cold, I would reach for my coffee thermos. But right now, I want to celebrate!”

Ethan smiled as he handed Casey a flute of champagne, lifting his up to offer a toast.

“To Casey MacTavish, a doctor who truly understands the meaning of… whatever it takes. I’m so proud of you.”

He clinked his glass against hers and went to take a sip, but she placed her hand on his arm, preventing the glass from reaching his lips.

“Hey, I wasn’t in there alone. You’re a part of this win too. So, let's edit that toast. To two doctors who will do whatever it takes.”

Ethan smiled as their glasses touched again.

“Well, I was merely here to amplify what you already stated. You took the initiative and set the stage. You convinced Kenner, which is the only reason we were even here today. So, if you’re kind enough to throw a crumb my way, I’ll graciously accept. But the legislation is now officially dead, and we have one person to thank for that, and it’s you.”

“Ethan, stop, I’m by far….”

Ethan’s phone chimed loudly. “Oh, it’s Dr. Reynolds. I have to take this, do you mind?”

“No, of course not.”

Ethan stepped away to take his call, and Casey stuffed her gloved hands into three different coat pockets before she found the one that held her phone. It had been a long day, and it was the first she thought to check it. She hadn’t spoken to Tobias at all, and she was anxious to fill him in, even if it meant exposing her bare hands to the cold to do so. She smiled as she dialed his number and hit send.

“No!”

Everyone always chided her about letting her battery get too low, but did she listen? Of course not. She sighed but figured she’d be back in the warmth and comfort of her room soon enough, she’d call him then. Ethan returned and noticed the change in her demeanor.

“Is everything OK?” He asked as he sat back down on the blanket.

“Yeah, I was just going to call Tobias, but my phone is dead.”

“Oh, so you mean using it when it’s on 10% and neglecting to charge it when I remind you is a bad idea after all?”

Her eyes darted at him from under her fur-trimmed hood.

“Shut up.”

She rolled her eyes as a mirthful grin appeared on his face.

“It’s a big day for you, so I’ll cut you a break.” He took his phone from his pocket and offered it to her, “Would you like to use my phone to call him?”

She looked at her watch. “It’s almost seven and he’s still at work, it can wait until I am back at the hotel, but thank you for offering.”

Ethan turned his head toward the sky to take in the pink and purple hues that were quickly melding to form a dark sky around the Washington Monument. It was such a beautiful sight, he began to understand why Casey found it acceptable the cold night to watch it. They sat in silence, until a strong wind gust turned things even icier.

“Oooohhhh, that’s cold!” Casey squealed, “I know you’re a real sport staying here and watching this with me, but if you want, we could head back. I really don’t want to torture you.”

“Are you whimping out, MacTavish?”

“No! I’m merely thinking of you!”

“Well, I committed to watching the sunset on the Mall, and since the sun hasn’t completely set, I’m not going anywhere.”

“You’re a brave man, Ramsey.”

“One person’s bravery is another’s insanity.”

“Well, I already know you’re insane,” she laughed.

“I can see why you wanted to do this. It’s so beautiful. For all the times I came to DC during med school, I never stopped to do this, and now, I wonder why I didn’t.”

Casey tilted her head, “You’ve never really been a stop to enjoy the sunset kind of guy, Ethan, but you probably should be. I know it sounds corny, but these little moments can end up being some of the best of your life.”

A melancholy look came to his face. “You don’t have to tell me twice.”

He gazed up to the forming stars and took a deep breath. He began to speak, hesitated, and then surrendered.

“The last time I watched a spectacular sunset like this was with you too,” he muttered sadly.

Casey felt her body stiffen at his words; and, even though she was piled in many layers for warmth, it was clear that she was holding her breath. When her voice emerged, it was so soft that the slightest breeze would have rendered it inaudible.

“Hawaii?”

“Yes, Hawaii,” he frowned. “It’s hard to believe that was almost a year ago now.”

“Exactly one year next Sunday.”

His brows knit as he turned in her direction.

“You remember the date? Well, of course, it was right after Inez’s wedding, so….”

“That’s not why I remember it, Ethan.”

“Oh.”

Casey closed her eyes as they sat in silence, both recalling the same memory. The two of them, strolling hand in hand on an idyllic Hawaiian beach, the stars sprinkled above as soft surf lapped at their feet. Without warning, Ethan spun her toward him and confessed what he had fought for so long… he loved her, she was his soul mate, and he wanted them to build a future. She knew he had felt that way for a long time, they both did, but he was finally able to admit it to himself and share it with her and the world. Elated, she fell into his arms, and from that moment forth, they were one… or so she thought.

“So much has changed in the span of a year, sometimes it’s hard for me to process. It’s almost like… I feel like I’m an actress who has played so many different roles, and they’re all me, they’re all connected, but at the same time, none of them are the alike.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m rambling. I’m sure I’m not making any sense, I…” she began to stand up, ready to leave the conversation behind, but Ethan was unwilling to let it go.

“No. Clearly, it meant something to you, and, if you’re willing to share it with me, I want to know… to understand.”

“It’s just that… a year ago, I hadn’t even passed the boards yet. I had no idea where I’d be after my residency ended, and in a million years, I would not have predicted that it would be here. I mean, DC, meetings with members of Congress, trying to impact policy, that certainly didn’t sound like me, did it?”

“Actually, it sounds more like you than you probably know. You were always stood up for what you believed in, stood up for the underdog. You’re using your knowledge to help your patients and the broader patient. I’m not at all surprised, I’m not even surprised at how well you’re doing it. I just consider it an honor to bear witness.”

A tender smile came to her lips. “Thank you, Ethan.”

“I heard Kenner’s aid speaking to you.”

Her eyes startled. “You did?”

“Yes, I did. It’s OK,” he smiled, “you don’t have to be nervous.”

“Well, it’s wasn’t an offer. It is an opening for a discussion, no more than that.”

“Would you consider it?”

“What?”

“Would you consider taking a position here? Moving to DC?”

“Oh, I don’t know. I mean, that’s not what I do. I’m a doctor.”

“You’d still be a doctor, Casey; just like all the others working in these agencies and impacting policy are. You just have to decide where you’d be happiest, where you feel you could have the greatest impact. That’s all that matters.”

“Yeah, well… my life is in Boston. Don’t get me wrong, I’m flattered that they think so highly of me, but... my life is in Boston.”

“Your life is in Boston right now. You’re not even thirty; your destiny is hardly sealed.”

They sat quietly and reflected when it dawned on him... if Casey were to follow this path, she wouldn’t just be leaving his team; she would be leaving his life.

Their situation was awkward, for sure, and in many ways, it would be better for both if they didn’t interact daily, but, selfishly, he didn’t want that to change. He had come to accept that there was no hope for a future between them, and he was beginning to let go of their shared past, but the thought of his world without her in it was too much to bear. Things weren’t ideal, but at least he still had her eyes, her smile, her beautiful laugh in his life. His heart sank at the thought of them being gone for good.

“I’d hate to see you go,” he muttered.

“What?”

“I would hate to see you go… but I want you to be happy. If you decide this would bring you happiness and fulfillment, then Casey, I hope you’ll do it.”

“You do?”

“Yes. I want what’s best for you,” he smiled. “Besides, I’m sure Vivian has already put a deposit on a home for you. It would likely be a very easy transition for you… and Tobias.”

A quiet settled between them as Casey reflected on how soft her foundation was after all. Once again, Ethan wondered if he had overstepped.

“I don’t think he’d want to. Tobias. You saw how he reacted to me coming here again. He didn’t even want to join me for the day… I get the feeling he wants to stay as far from DC as he can.”

“Have you talked about it?”

“No, we haven’t; it’s just a feeling.”

“Well, it would probably be a good idea to address it. But in the end, it’s your choice and yours alone. You know that, right?”

“Yeah,” she said bitterly, “my career. That’s all that matters, right?”

“Excuse me?”

“Oh, nothing… it doesn’t matter. It’s not like I have been given a job offer. We’re putting a lot of carriages before a lot of horses here.”

“Well, a year ago, the thought of you being here would have sounded like nonsense, too. Who knows what a year could bring?”

“Yeah, the past one has sure been a doozy, hasn’t it?”

“It sure has,” he whispered.

She turned and sat facing him, their eyes met and he saw a vulnerability he hadn’t witnessed in a long time in her gaze.

“We would have been coming up on our first anniversary, you know.”

“No, we wouldn’t,” he sighed.

“Oh, well,” she chuckled wryly, “I guess you never expected to make it from the start then. A little warning there might have been helpful for me, Ramsey….”

“Casey,” he said, shaking his head. “That’s not what I meant. It’s just that... what you and I shared, it didn’t begin a year ago, it would have cheapened us to pretend it had. If I hadn't screwed things up, if we were still together, we'd have settled on a number, but we would have been celebrating much more than our first anniversary next week. That’s for sure.”

Ethan was surprised to find Casey’s eyes filled not with anger or hatred at his words, instead, he saw genuine sadness in them.

“Thank you,” she said, wiping a lone tear away, “thank you for saying that.”

“Casey, I’m sorry….”

“No, no, it’s fine. You know, since we have been… over… I have avoided you, I’ve been angry at you, indifferent to you, but I’ve never been honest with you. I hate what happened. I hate what you did. I hate what happened to you, and what it did to us. And I need you to understand that I do love Tobias, and I am happy today. I am not going to lie about that, not to appease you or anyone else, but…that doesn’t take away from what you and I shared.”

She reached forward and gently placed her gloved hand against the stubble on his cheek, and, even with the soft fabric separating their skin, his body trembled at her touch.

“I need you to know that despite how things ended, I would never trade a moment of what we shared. It is too precious to me, too much a part of who I am, and I just wanted you to know. I will always treasure… us.”

He placed his hand atop hers brought it to his lips. Holding it tenderly, he brushed a kiss along her knuckles before placing it gently back in her lap.

“Thank you, Casey.”

A million “what ifs…” floated in the air between them, more numerous than stars now scattered across the sky.

“There will never be a day that I don’t regret what I did to you, what I did to us. I am sorry, will never be enough.”

“I know,” she whispered.

“Do you think…” he halted, “no, never mind.”

“No, tell me. Do I think what?”

“Do you think if I had done what I should have... if I would have gone to therapy after Louise… like you, my Dad, Naveen,” he chuckled, “Tobias… everyone who cared about me begged me to do. Do you think we’d still be together?”

“Ethan, I…”

“I’m not asking you to say if you wish we were still together. I understand you’ve moved on, and that would be unfair to ask. But if I hadn’t screwed up… do you think…. do you think we’d be together today.”

Casey clenched her eyes shut and nodded.

“Without a doubt, without a doubt.”

Dropping her forehead into her gloved hands, she began to sob softly.

“I’m sorry, Ethan, I’m so sorry. I don’t want to hurt you.”

“Casey, no.” He instinctively pulled her into a hug, and she did not resist. “You’re not hurting me. You never did. I hurt myself, and worse, I nearly destroyed you.”

His voice cracked and they held each other closer, both of them with tears spilling freely.

“But I don’t want to cause you any pain,” she cried. “I didn’t fall in love with Tobias to hurt you, or to spite you, but I know it has to be so hard. It would probably be better for you if you never had to see me, never had to see him again….”

“No. No Casey. As difficult as it is… if I never saw you again…,” he swallowed as his voice trailed off, and then, with a slight chuckle, he continued. “Even Tobias. I’ll kill you if you ever tell him, but I wouldn’t want him gone from my life forever either. I made a huge mess, and the fact that all of us are existing in it as well as we are... it says a lot.”

Casey nodded sadly and lowered her head once again. Ethan reached out and touched her chin, nudging her to look up at him.

“Casey?”

“Yes.”

“Promise me, promise me that you will never apologize to me for being happy. OK? I have to learn to live with the reality of what things are. And I have to accept that it’s no one's fault but my own. If Tobias makes you happy, if you make each other happy, then that’s what I want for both of you. I mean that.”

“OK,” she cried, “But I want you to be happy too.”

“I will be, Casey,” he sighed, “I will be.”

Leaning on his shoulder, and they remained together in comfortable silence until they both felt a calm settle between them. For the first time since their split, they were at peace with one another.

“Thank you, Case, for everything.”

She clutched him close, placing a chaste kiss on his cheek.

“Well, sunset is definitely over, and it’s cold. Shall we head back?”

“We shall,” she smiled. “I guess you should call the Uber since, you know, dead phone?”

“Yeah, I’ll handle it.”

“And when you’re done… maybe I should call T… it is late and….”

“As soon as I’m done,” he smiled.

____________________

He rolled his eyes as he watched her make a beeline in his direction. He looked to his sides but, nope, there was no way to make an escape.

“Go away, Floria,” he groaned before she was within a foot of him.

“Oh, trust me, Carrick, I’m as enthused about seeing you as you are about seeing me.”

“But I avoid you like the plague, yet here you are.”

“Have you heard from her today?”

“Who?”

“Your fairy fucking godmother, Tobias. Who else?”

“No. I haven’t. I’m sure she’s busy.”

“It’s 8:30 at night. What could she be busy doing now?”

“Plenty of things. Are we done?”

Floria rolled her eyes. “For someone so smart, it amazes me how stupid you can be. Why on earth wouldn’t she call you all day. You would think she’d want to at least share how….”

Tobias’s phone rang and Floria was at his shoulder.

“Ethan?” she asked, perplexed.

Tobias shooed her away and answered his phone. “Ethan, what’s up? Everything OK?”

“Hey, baby, it’s me.”

“Oh, Case, why are you on Ethan’s phone? You OK?”

“Yeah, yeah, fine, I just didn’t….”

“You didn’t charge your battery when you should have,” he smiled.

“Stop mocking me! I can feel it even over the phone.”

“Well,” he grinned, “you can’t make me do that, baby. Are you still out?”

“Yeah, we’re heading back to the hotel now.”

“So, how did things go?”

“Oh, hon! Thing went wonderfully! It’s over. It doesn’t even have enough sponsorship to get to the floor. So we won!”

“No, baby, you won. I’m so proud of you.”

“Yep! I’m proud of myself, too. But now, I’m going to get them to increase funding if it kills me,” she giggled.

Tobias stiffened just a bit, “Yeah. Yeah… well, I’m sure you can get them to do that if you try.”

“Well, baby, the Uber is here, so I’m going to go. I’ll call you. I’m in my room and charge my phone, OK?”

“OK, Princess. I love you. I miss you.”

“Love and miss you too,” she said quietly. “I’ll talk to you soon.”

Tobias turned around, forgetting that Floria was standing watching him like a hawk. He rolled his eyes.

“For Christ’s sake, Floria, what do you want?”

“So?”

“So what? I’m not sharing a private conversation between my girlfriend and me with you. Take a hike.”

“Look, Tobias, it’s late. I’m tired. We both have people we care about that we have to pick up early at the airport tomorrow. I’m not going to get into it with you….”

“Good!” He said abruptly, “Bye then.”

“Tobias, I’m just saying, be careful. You’re being far too easy-going about those two spending so much time together. If she goes to DC again… GO with her.”

“I’ve heard enough of that from my mother,” he muttered under his breath.

“Excuse me?”

“Nothing…” he noticed her phone ringing and stretched his neck over to see who was calling. “Oh, look at that. Ethan is calling you. Now I’m off the hook. Night Floria!”

He walked away quickly, mockingly waving his hands behind him. But when he took the corner, he leaned back against the wall and let out a sigh. He looked at his watch. He’d be picking Casey up at Logan in just 9 hours. It couldn’t get here quick enough.

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[angelfoxx]

✧˖*°࿐ THE JUNE BUG

FEATURING: june moone/enchantress (yes, that one)

WARNINGS: afab reader. dubcon-ish, implied mind control & abuse of emotion

NOTE/S: down horrendous. so sorry

i can explain. i swear i can this is completely explainable and normal. what do you mean suicide squad came out in 2016? what do you mean it’s been six years? sexy characters don’t have an expiration date baby i know the law!!

um. anyways. this is a wip so this is kinda a placeholder bc i wanted to make one lawlsies anyways. anyways the plot (or lack thereof) of the film pisses me off and so does the lack of canon or fanon content for objectively the sexiest bitch they introduced so anyways im literally building this fucko from the five minutes of half-assed screentime she got. doing my best just hang in there, I’ll update this soon.

warnings bc there are kinda a lot methinks

gay! gay as fuck! you think a man wrote this? hell no! im a bitch! bitch alert!

jealousy/cheating/toxic themes because fuck u flag

a lotta degrading. lotsa bitch & whore calling

possession. like, june being possessed yk. fuck you dc for not giving me a clear indicator on how enchantress works when she’s dormant but for this one we assume her & june are like itadori & sukuna

noncon/dubcon when it comes to the witch!! again fuck you dc for not giving me ANY goddamn characterization on this bitch but also you left her abilities vastly undefined so. pov enchantress, an empath, sensing you think she’s sexy as fuck

“Do you think I’m overreacting?” A head of thick, dark hair falls into my lap, and crystalline doe eyes blink up at me from behind lashes blackened with mascara. “Do you think he’s being distant?”

Clothed in a hoodie three sizes too big to be hers and a pair of sweatpants that, now that I’m thinking about it, share an uncanny resemblance to my pair that went missing last week, June shifts so her legs dangle over the opposite arm of my couch. The steaming cup of hot chocolate I’d made her is probably beginning to go cold by now; as if in response, she reaches over and gingerly plunges her finger into the mug.

“Do you?” she repeats, raising a brow before sticking that same finger into her mouth.

“N…no, of course I don’t think you’re overreacting,” I stammer out, voice uneven. “You guys are dating. He should listen to you.”

From where she’s sprawled restlessly across my legs, June lets out a loud, defeated sigh that rises into an annoyed groan.

“That’s what I’ve been telling him,” she moans, running her hands over her face. “He’s just too bull-headed to listen to me.”

Then maybe you guys should break up. It’s what I want to say. Break it off with him. There are people who’d treat you better.

What I actually do is just nod, humming in agreement as my gaze slips to the window across the room. My suburban street is quiet; in the grey winter gloom, nobody seems to want to come outside, and that somehow makes June’s visit feel more private.

“When’s the last time you guys were together?” I ask, trying to brush off my stammer. Eyes closed, June smiles bitterly, slowly taking hold of her mug and bringing it to her lips.

“Normally or sexually?” she replies, dry laugh breaking from her throat as she cranes her head forward to take a sip of the hot chocolate. “A week and a half since both. He always wants to drink when he visits and it always ends up with us in the bedroom.”

“Well, that’s a douche move,” I reply, tone quiet; June scoffs at that, shaking her head as she puts her mug back down.

“That’s what I think, too,” she says, blinking up at me with a sad smile, “but nobody else seems to see it. They all just say he’s busy being the best colonel we have.”

“That doesn’t mean he gets to be a shitty prick at home.”

“It doesn’t.” Groaning again, June turns over to plant her forehead firmly against my thigh, face flat against my couch, and lets out a long, defeated breath, arms weaving around my leg.

And oh, I really, really hope she doesn’t feel me shiver.

June considers us friends. I mean, we are; we’d met a little under a year ago for a project DC was hosting after June had discovered (in her own words) a “rather funky set of bones” in some remote South American jungle that caught government attention. I was working as Amanda Waller’s secretary at the time, and though the job was — and still is — far from glamorous, it did, in fact, pay the bills. When I was tasked with coming along (“just in case we need your expertise,” Amanda had said, with a tone that still makes my nose wrinkle) I had mentioned that I’d be sidelined the entire time, to which Amanda vehemently disagreed. Fast forward two days or so and I was there…sidelining, surprise surprise. In any case, June had sought me out by the bar as the “only normal person for (her) to talk to.” One year later, and I was still the “only normal person” for her to talk to, except now she thought I was “pretty cool.”

She told everything to me and I told everything to her.

Well, except for the crush.

It’s how it’s always been with her. In the beginning, it was just a little crush I’d harbored for the pretty archaeologist with the light eyes and keen tongue, and I’d been sure it would fizzle out like every other crush I’ve had.

Spoiler alert; it did not fizzle out like every other crush I’ve had. Actually, it did the complete opposite and got worse. Unbearably worse.

The damn thing became incredibly concerning when she suddenly started showing up at my office daily; er, rather, she showed up at my office with Flag in tow half the time. Then she started showing up at my car. Then she started asking to hang out after work. She never told me why — the first time she did, she met me at a shitty Denny’s at ten p.m with a half-assed “surprise!” and a bottle of hard liquor — and that was that. Sometimes she’d talk about work, sometimes she’d talk about random things that interested her — usually foreign archaeological digs — and, as of recently, she’d talk about her issues with Flag.

And now we’re here, with her laying on my couch in the middle of a grossly cold and overcast November asking me if I think her boyfriend is a bitch while I have a closeted meltdown.

“Weird question,” she starts suddenly, rubbing her face against my leg.

“Huh?”

Turning over, she shoots me what I think is supposed to be a mockingly sexy smirk, but what ends up making me gasp about as quietly as I can. Eyes hooded and shoulders gently rocking back and forth, she glances over at my hands — both very firmly wrapped around my mug — before she looks back up at my face.

“Would you play with my hair?”

“H-huh?” I sit up a little straighter, much to June’s dismay. “Like…just mess with it? Now?”

She blinks at me dubiously. “You don’t have to. It just feels good.”

“N…no, I didn’t say I wouldn’t…I can do it. I’ve just…you’ve never asked me that before. I got caught off-guard.”

“Why?” she quips back, hoisting her upper body off of me so that I can readjust my position. “Never given a head massage before?”

“No?” I settle back down, legs crossed; June comfortably returns to her place in my lap, gazing up at me with an amused little grin on her face.

“All you have to do is mess with my hair,” she says, raising a brow. “It’s easy, I promise.”

“Oh, I’m sure it is,” I mumble, ignoring her laughing eyes. “Let me know if I’m, like…ripping your hair out, or something.”

She laughs at that, nose wrinkling and eyes folding into little upturned crescent shapes, and my heart does that damn fluttering thing again. My hands threaten to shake; biting back my unwinding panic, I sink them into June’s hair in hopes of calming down.

It doesn’t work. She sighs, eyes fluttering shut; and fuck, fuck, she’s so pretty, she’s so pretty, and fuck Flag, fuck him to hell and back, because ooh, that damn toy soldier asshole got her before I even had a chance, and—

“You can move, you know.” June is suddenly gazing up at me with dubious amusement in her eyes, grinning when I visibly jump and begin massaging the heels of my palms into her scalp.

“Just like that. Yeah, yeah, like that.” Her eyes close again, and she stretches her shoulders back, long breath hissing out of her nose. “Thank you. Feels…really nice.”

There’s a note of grievance in her voice; and the question forms before I can think, comes out before I can stop it.

“Did he do this?”

June squeezes her eyes shut, a dry laugh scraping itself out of her throat. Her words are full of cynical humor; there’s an empty dislike in her voice.

“Once. When we first started dating.” She leans back into my hands. “I was…stressed. It helped me to relax.”

“Oh.” I lapse into an awkward silence. “I mean, I’m…if you need anything to help you destress, I’ll help any way I can.”

“Any way?” June asks, tone taking on a coy, scandalous edge; I don’t clock the little laugh in her voice before I answer.

“Anything you want. I know Flag’s a…bitch, and I’m not gonna let you feel like shit because of him.”

“God, someone doesn’t like him,” she laughs, head tilting so she can look up at me. “What, did he metaphorically shit all over you too?”

“No. I just…don’t like him.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know. I just never liked him.” I shift uncomfortably, fingers rubbing absently through June’s hair before I add; “He looks like a toy soldier.”

At that, June snorts, cheeks puffing out as if she’s trying to stop herself. Her eyes squeeze shut; one hand comes up to cover her mouth.

“I shouldn’t laugh,” she whispers. “I shouldn’t laugh.”

Her eyes flick back up to mine; and then her composure fails her, a wheezing bark of laughter exploding out of her before she can stop it.

“That’s so mean, babe. That’s so mean.” June’s eyes crinkle shut. “But it’s true! It’s true!”

I laugh. I manage to, anyway; but truthfully, I’m stuck on her words. Babe. Babe. Babe. Ooh, it’s such a friendly nickname but oh, I love it, I love it, and I want her to say it again.

“I don’t like how he talks,” I continue, biting my tongue. I don’t like how he talks to you.

“How he talks?”

“He yells. A little too much.” I wince. “He doesn’t shut up. He just makes me anxious.”

“Anxious? Like you’re afraid he’ll hurt you?” June looks back at me curiously, eyes tracking my fingers as I section off a piece of her hair and begin to braid it absently.

“N…no, not necessarily that.” Over, through, under, around. “I just get frustrated around him.”

“Frustrated how?” At first, June’s question doesn’t make sense; but then she waggles her eyebrows at me suggestively, and I lurch into an aggressive stammering denial about how no, no, not like that, he doesn’t frustrate me like that, he frustrates me in the way that I want to slap him across the face every time he breathes a little too loud. June is cackling throughout the whole thing; she makes a breathless, wheezing remark about how big my eyes got when she asked the question, and I continue to stumble through my words because now not only am I flustered, but she’s so pretty when she laughs, and fuck, I’m falling head over heels for my taken coworker.

“But really, though. Enough about me and my relationship problems.” She tilts her head, gazing up at me with narrowed blue eyes. “I want to hear about yours. You’re single, right?”

“I…how’d you know?”

“Amanda.” June shrugs. “Don’t ask me why she knows or why she told me.”

“That’s a little weird.”

“I agree. But, anyways,” and she grins at me, “who’s it for you?”

“Who’s it for…what?”

“I mean, it’s not Flag, obviously.” June lifts one finger, counting names off on one hand. “Jerry…no, he doesn’t seem like your type. Neither do John or Zach.”

“How do you know my type?”

“Educated guess. It could be Josef, but I don’t know if you’re a fan of the stubble.” She looks up at me for approval.

“I’m—I’m not, but we don’t need to talk about—“

“Not a stubble person. Good girl.” June means it as a joke. It’s a joke. It’s a joke. Push off of it. Don’t think about how “good girl” sounds coming off her tongue. Don’t do it.

“One of the inmates? You have a thing for bad guys?”

“N-no, I—“

“Or bad girls. I don’t judge.” June tilts her head, winking at me coyly. “I get it.”

I take a sharp breath. I knew she was…you know, I knew, but hearing her just admit it out loud is…different.

“Is it the girls for you? One of your coworkers?” She leans forward curiously, raising a brow.

“No! No, I mean, we don’t have to talk about this, I—“

“It is!” June sits up, twisting violently to look back at me. “Ooh, it is! Tell me, tell me. Who? I don’t know a lot of your coworkers. I know Olivia. I know Jade. I know…I mean, if you’re into the Joker’s girl, good luck, but…”

“No!” I shake my head furiously, heart beginning to thud in my chest. “It’s none of them; I’m not suicidal enough to even look at the Joker’s girlfriend, I’d get my ass kicked, and…”

I trail off. June is studying me with a scarily acute look in her eyes; if I didn’t know better, I’d say she was calculating something. There’s a tiny little smirk on her features; I gulp nervously, suddenly feeling very, very exposed.

“It’s not one of them?” she asks; and suddenly her voice has gotten very quiet and velvety, like she’s purring. “Are you lying to me?”

“Lying? No, no, I’m not…lying.” I lean back as June lifts herself onto her knees, arms stretching over her head; and for the briefest second, her hoodie clears the top of her sweatpants.

She has a little mole just above her waistband. I shouldn’t notice it. I do; because fucking hell, I’m whipped.

“It’s not one of them.” June tilts her head, slowly lowering herself back down onto her heels. The cogs in her head are turning; I can see that much, and blood begins to roar in my ears. There’s a feeling like lead in my stomach; her eyes are beginning to gleam, and then she tilts her chin down to glower at me from behind black lashes.

“Who is it?” Her words are thick as honey. “Because I have some ideas, and I think I might be right.”

“Y-you do?” I laugh nervously, the sound almost hysterical as June lowers herself onto her hands, taking one crawling step toward me. “I mean, I don’t have a work crush, I don’t even see y-her—them— at work, and…”

“You sound a little flustered, babe.” She cocks a brow, taking another step, and at the pet name my breathing audibly stutters. “Why is that?”

“I’m not…I’m…” Her fingers wrap around my ankle, and a shiver courses through my body, one that makes my legs tremble.

“She doesn’t work in the office with you, does she?” June’s voice is soft, coaxing the truth out of me. “She just stops in sometimes.”

I bite my cheek, throat dry and tongue swollen. My voice is barely anything more than a hoarse, dry hiss.

“Maybe.”

“Maybe?” She draws a fraction of an inch closer, her other hand landing on my opposite knee. “Does she work under Amanda?”

“Maybe.”

“Hm, hm.” Her fingers unwrap from my ankle, trailing slowly up my frozen leg until they land on the inside of my thigh. “You know, babe, I’m thinking of someone; but she has a boyfriend, doesn’t she?”

I shiver again. She’s close enough that I can see every shade of blue in her eyes, close enough that I can feel warmth on my chest every time she breathes.

“Maybe.” I close my eyes when she leans forward, heart having gone from hammering to still; and then I feel her breath sweep around from my neck to my ear, the hand on my knee slipping up to land just beside my hip.

“Crushing on me even when I’m dating Flag?” Her voice is directly beside my ear, and I swear I feel her nose brush my cheek. Is she straddling my leg? She might be straddling my leg. “Oh, babe, that won’t work.”

“I’m sorry,” I reply — and I don’t really know what I’m apologizing for, but something feels so wrong when she says it like that — but then she’s sighing, both hands coming to rest on my upper thigh.

“You should be,” she murmurs, pressing down on my leg. “Lusting for a taken woman. Were you going to tell me?”

“N-no.” I manage to crack open my eyes when her breath shifts, only to be greeted by June’s face hovering directly in front of mine. “I didn’t w…I don’t want to be a homewrecker, or…”

“Homewrecker?” She almost laughs before leaning forward, until her chest is touching mine. “There’s no home to wreck, babe.”

“Th-there’s n…no, no, wait,” and suddenly everything is moving too fast, and June’s too close, and there’s a little voice in the back of my head begging me to stop because what if Flag finds out, what if he finds out, but the other part of my head is screaming at me to take the chance June’s giving me.

“You okay, babe?” The sweet words drift past my ear, and the little voice punches me in the gut. She’s so close; she’s all but straddling my waist, one hand on each thigh now and leaning over far enough that the loose open head of her hoodie is hanging a little too low, and she’s gazing at me with hooded, glinting eyes and a coy little smirk, and, and…

“June,” I whisper, eyes wide with alarm and chest heaving with adrenaline, “we shouldn’t be doing this, you shouldn’t be…you’re with him, and…”

“Forget about him,” June replies evenly, gazing back at me with wild, unbridled passion burning like cold fire in her eyes as she advances forward, till our noses are almost touching and she’s hovering a mere inch away from my face. “Right now. Forget about him, right now, and kiss me.”

When June leans forward, I’m frozen in shock. When her lips touch mine, I’m still frozen in shock. Only when she takes a long sigh, tongue running up over my bottom lip, do I become mobile again. The breathy moan that comes out of my throat is embarrassing at best; blood rushes to my face when June snorts in amusement, but I have to push that thought to the back of my mind almost immediately because then her tongue is slipping in over mine and her teeth are grazing my lips.

For a moment, I forget about everything else. I forget about the weather, I forget about work, and I forget about Flag.

The only thing I can think about is June. June, right in front of me, arms looped over my shoulders with one hand arriving to cradle the back of my head. June, right in front of me, who’s leaning further forward and pushing me back towards the arm of the couch with every inch. June, June, June.

My back bumps the arm of the couch, and my progress backwards halts for a moment. June’s progress doesn’t, though; and when I don’t keep moving, she quite literally takes matters into her own hands.

“Down, down,” she’s mumbling, words squished against my mouth. “Lay down, lay down.”

One hand lands on my chest, fingers splaying across me and pushing, urging me down and further back. I don’t fight her; I just obey, sinking into the cushion of the couch and sliding down the arm of the thing until I’m crunched up right against it and June is quite literally on top of me.

“All the way. Good. Good.” She pauses; a little smirk splits her features, and her lips ghost past my ear. “Good girl.”

I moan in response, sound contained somewhere deep in my throat, and she hums in curious satisfaction, one hand coming to massage around the base of my neck.

“I didn’t peg you as the praise type, babe,” she murmurs, “but your face is getting pretty red.”

“No shit,” I reply, voice quivering. “You’re…on top of me, and, and…”

“And what?” she presses, cocking her head. “On top of you and what?”

My eyes flutter further closed, until June’s silhouette is blurry and dark, hanging over me like a ghost. When I don’t answer, my breathing coming in long gasps, she laughs quietly to herself before pressing her chest against mine and slithering up beside my ear.

“Am I pretty?” she murmurs, fingers trailing up and down my throat. “Do you think I’m pretty, babe?”

“You’re so,” I gasp, breathing now a challenge, “so fucking pretty. You’ve always been so fucking pretty.”

June’s breath fans across my face, her eyes smiling as mine start slipping across her face, her body, her face, the open window across the room, her face, her…her, her, her.

“Did you think I didn’t know?” she whispers, head tilting and gaze set intently on mine. “That you thought I was pretty?”

My pulse skips a beat, and my eyes widen; a breathy little laugh washes against my face as her fingers slip beneath my jaw, landing right where I know she can feel my heart racing beside my throat.

“You aren’t good at hiding it, babe. You never were.” Her head tilts to the other side, body slipping past mine. “I knew when I met you.”

“Y-you did?”

“I did.” Teeth nip at my ear, teasing the skin beneath my hairline. “I know you wanted to kill Flag the first time you saw him with me. I’ve never seen anyone glare like that, babe.”

“He g…got you first.” My voice is uneven, warbling on desperate. “I didn’t get the…the ch-chance t….”

“I know you didn’t then,” June whispers, a light little laugh coming into her voice as she tugs at my earlobe, “but what about now?”

“N…now?” I feel a shiver run down my spine; June pulls back, eyes gleaming in the gloomy gray light as she sits back on her heels.

“Right now.” Her fingers run over my throat, looping in my collar before she drags me up and forward.

Suddenly, we’re both sitting cross-legged, halfway in each-other’s laps with my collar now hanging way lower than it should be and my hair tickling the sides of my face. June, on the other hand, looks perfect; her hair’s a little messy, but none of her clothes are askew, and that’s a problem.

The smirk June shoots me could kill; she tilts forward, one hand landing beside my knee. She gives me one, two tugs at my collar; and I fold forward, eyes closing as her head tilts.

We kiss, again; only this time, instead of slowly devouring me while she shoves me into a couch, June pounces on me like a wild animal. She yanks me forward, biting my tongue and forcing hers down my throat; I grab onto the back of her neck and drag her closer, she drags me closer, and suddenly we’re crawling onto each other with zero regard to anyone’s fucking boyfriend. My hands find their way to the hem of her hoodie; and ugh, it’s his, it’s definitely his, and I want it gone.

“Don’t like it?” she breathes; and in response, I can only gasp, wrapping my hands around the bottom of it and tugging.

“I hate it,” I manage, gripping the thick black fabric so hard I hear a tear; and then June grabs my throat, coy little laugh right in my ear.

“If you hate it so much,” she purrs, voice simmering with a challenge, “then rip it off of me.”

I don’t let myself think twice. Her tone is daring and defiant and a dominant invitation; so I push all of my soft, fluttery feelings to the side, and I shove her over.

June audibly gasps when her back hits the couch, her hold on my throat loosening for a second; and it’s then that I try to rip the stupid fucking thing over her head.

The hand around my throat slips as she tries to grab the hoodie and hold it down; but ooh, it’s way too late by now, and I want that fucking thing gone and burned because the thing smells like him and it’s making my stomach turn.

June lifts her arms, like she’s surrendering her fight; and then she lets out a pitched moan, back arching as the fabric finally comes off and I can hurl it across the room. Quite frankly, I want to throw it in the fireplace; but there’s no time for that, not now, because I look back down and find June smirking up at me with both arms resting loosely over her head.

“You didn’t have to throw it, you know.” Her eyes narrow. “I’m not planning on wearing it home.”

Good, I want to say. It’s ugly.

But oh, I can’t, not when June is just sprawled, shirtless, across my couch, with thinned challenging eyes and that stupidly smug grin on her face.

“Cold feet, babe?” Her hips wiggle under me. “Better start moving; or do you want me to lead?”

Fuck. Fuck. I can’t stop staring at her, and she knows it. Fuck, fuck, she’s so fucking pretty; god fucking dammit, god fucking damn the minx for being so stupidly fucking pretty, god fucking…

She’s smiling up at me with lazy cockiness all but glowing in her eyes, and her fingers are beginning to trail up my thigh. She’s ready to pounce; panicking, I grab her wrist, awkwardly holding it for a second before I pin it to the couch. June doesn’t fight it; her eyes stay firmly on mine.

“Oh?” She raises a brow, back arching. “Now what?”

I gulp, a little nervous bug seeding in my gut. My eyes fall to her sweatpants; they’re hanging low on her hips, now, dangerously low.

“Take them off.” June’s seductive purr breaks the tense silence, voice low. “You want to, don’t you? Do it. Take them off.”

I can do it. I can, I can; but I can’t when she’s looking at me like that. I need her eyes to close; she gazes up at me with lazy eyes as I rock forward, kneading the heels of my palms into her lower stomach and nose up beneath her jaw.

Her eyes flutter shut, and she makes a low sort of groaning sound at my touch, head tilting back; and I slide her pants down her thighs.

“Smooth,” she sighs, turning her face toward mine, messily sucking on my earlobe. “What are you going to do now? Going to touch me?”

Her skin is hot beneath my hands, searing when I trace my lips down the line of her stomach. She arches into my touch; I shiver when her fingers weave into my hair, winding a thick lock around her hand.

When I finally reach the black elastic sitting low on her hips, I pause, and I look up. I don’t say anything; but June smirks, eyes dark with anticipation.

“Go ahead,” she purrs, crystal gaze burning. “Touch me.”

“You gonna let Flag fuck you now?” The envy-fueled words are so vulgar coming out of my mouth, especially when they’re smashed up against June’s sobbing cunt, but she shivers at them, hard, moaning out my name.

“Fuck no, n-never again…not when you’re…not wh…not when you…shit, shit, shit—!” June clamps a hand over her mouth, head snapping back and her body rocking up against my mouth; my grip on her waist tightens in some last attempt to hold her still, but that does nothing. Her image now is so far from the one she had been sporting a mere five? ten? minutes ago. Gone is her suave purring and her dominant invitations; maybe she’s desperate, or maybe it’s been too long since she had sex with someone who wasn’t an uptight asshole, but either way, June’s fully lost herself in pleasure. One of her hands lands on my head, grabbing a fistful of hair; and from there, she starts to pull me in time with her rocking, moaning every time she tilts forward.

“Fuck me, fuck me, fuck me,” she’s gasping, voice tightening with every second. “Fuck me fuck me fuck me f…uck me!”

“Am I better than him?” I ask, voice a whine. “I’m better than him, right?”

June wants to answer — her mouth opens and closes over and over but no words come out, just strained gasps and pants. Finally, she just nods, squeezing her eyes shut as a hard, quick breath makes her body jerk.

Her pace grows more erratic, more turbulent; and then she’s smashing my face into her lower stomach, long wail drawing itself out of her throat as she starts to fall over the edge. She rips on the chunk of my hair she’s got in an iron grip; I groan into her and her body jerks at the vibration, tugging frantically at my hair.

“Donstopdonstopdoooohhhh, fu-ck, oh, fuck,” she’s crying, voice broken and growing more in pitch, “sogoodsogoodfeelssofuckinggood—!”

Every time I move, she wails louder. When I lick her clit, she twitches; when I bite the inside of her thigh, she jerks; and when I nose into her cunt, shoving my tongue down her hole, she sobs.

“Right there! Right th…righ…don’t stop, please, oh, fuck,” she’s mumbling, and I can’t really tell if she’s crying, “r’there, righ’there, gonna c…cum soon, gonna cum, I’m g…”

Do it. Do it. I glance up at her with big doe eyes, moaning at her expression. Please, please, do it, do it.

June’s head lolls. Two glossy blue eyes gaze down at me, downturned and hooded with pleasure; her mouth opens to say something, but no words come out. She grips my hair a little harder — a tiny squeak comes out of her mouth — and then her body is all but convulsing against my mouth as the orgasm she’s been trying so hard to hold off hits her like a freight train. Her hips jerk into my face; a broken wail comes out of her mouth as her back arches, hard, and she gathers up a handful of hair up against my scalp. Something sprays against my tongue, thick and fast and June, fuck, it’s all June, and she’s screaming as she humps against my face, watching herself come undone in my mouth with tear-stained cheeks and glazed blue eyes. My body is twitching in response, digging my heels into the couch and moaning when my eyes meet June’s. Between the two of us, I don’t know who’s more shamelessly desperate, and I don’t care. I’m lost in the moment; hot tears land on my face, though I don’t know if they’re mine or hers, or if they’re even tears at all.

When a final peal of overstimulated pleasure explodes out of June’s mouth, fading into shaky, labored pants, I tilt my head back, gasping when my mouth slides out from between June’s soaked thighs and fresh air hits my face. For a minute, the room is filled only with the sounds of both of us coming down from June’s high; shakily, she slides off of my face, slumping against the head of the couch as her sleepy gaze lands on me. She can’t speak, and neither can I; her knuckles brush my face, eyes falling onto my lips.

She doesn’t have to say anything for me to understand. Weakly, I shift to hold myself up on trembling elbows; as June slowly leans forward, I open my mouth, shivering when I feel June’s arousal stringing between my lips. June’s brow pinches; her eyes grow lidded, and a little “oh, fuck” whispers out of her mouth as she leans forward.

Her tongue traces my lower lip, poking into the corners of my mouth; she breathes against my face before, softly, tamely, she slides her tongue into my mouth.

It isn’t fast and aggressive anymore. It’s slow and sleepy and soft; she’s melting into my body as hers slows down, chest coming to rest weakly against mine while her arms loop behind my neck. Even when she sucks on my tongue, she isn’t doing it hard; she’s doing it gently, quietly, submissively. When I wrap my arms under hers, holding on around her waist, she sighs into my mouth. Every breath she takes is accented with a tired moan, growing slower with each passing second. When she pulls back for a moment longer, breath warming my face, I open my eyes; chin brushing my collarbone, June is fighting to stay awake. Her eyes threaten to flutter closed; I swear she’s starting to slip away on top of me, eyes staying closed longer and longer.

“June,” I murmur, massaging my thumbs into her back. “I have a spare bedroom, if you want me to…”

“No.” Her response is raspy and breathless, eyes opening and gaze liquid crystal. “No, no, not…done, I’m not done. I want to touch you too.”

There’s a simmering desire in her words; one of her palms lands on my stomach as she pushes herself up, clumsily crawling down my body to my waist.

“Wait, wait,” I start, weakly reaching for her retreating head. “June, wait, you don’t have to, we can wait, we c…”

June shakes her head, and a quivering hand falls on my hip. “I have to, I have to,” she murmurs, managing a sleepy grin. “You want this, right? You’ve wanted this for so long.”

She waits for my response; she sits between my legs with her fingers wrapping under my waistband. Despite her lidded eyes and slow, deep breaths, the smirk on her face is pure, foxy seduction; I broke her, and now she wants to break me.

“I…yeah, yeah, but you’re tired, we can wait, you can sleep if you…”

“You want this, right?” June repeats, voice lowering. The grip on my waistband tightens; her eyes widen with tantalizing interest. “Right?”

“Y…yeah, I do, I do, I just…”

“You want this.” June’s tone is guiding, now; she raises a brow, smirking when I, shakily, nod.

“Good girl.” The praise rolls off her tongue like a curse; and then she drags my pants down my legs.

I gasp when cold air hits my bare cunt, hands flying to my face as June’s eyes land on my heat and she groans, grip on my thigh tightening. I don’t want to look; my face burns hot under my arms as I fold them over my eyes, shivering when I hear June shift.

And then she does…nothing.

She doesn’t move, she doesn’t touch me. She just sits there, still and silent, and I keep my arms locked over my eyes.

“Stop staring,” I manage, face burning beneath my skin. “June, stop staring at me like that.”

She doesn’t reply; she doesn’t even move. After a very, very long second, I hear a breath.

But it’s wrong.

It’s not light and tipsy like it’d been at first, and it’s not husky and foxy like it’d been a second ago. It’s low and hoarse and eerie, and it comes out of nowhere.

I suddenly don’t want to pull my hand away. Every bone in my body is yelling at me to keep my hand right where it is. Why? I don’t know. I can’t move. My fingers are plastered to my face, and my eyes squeeze further shut.

“June?” My voice quivers. “Stop fucking with me. If you wanna stop, we can stop. Just stop…staring at me, and say something.”

Another rattling breath. She sounds dead, and I have no idea why. She sounds like she’s been six feet under for the past thousand years.

Something cold slides over my hand, then. I flinch at the touch — because what the hell would June have brought with her that happens to be kind of soft and weirdly gritty and freezing cold — but then it’s wrapping around my wrist, and I feel nails.

Oh. She’s holding my hand.

She holds my wrist for a little. Her grip keeps shifting, until her palm comes to rest over my vein, like she’s feeling the dull pulse of my heartbeat under my skin.

“Your hands are cold,” I stammer, nervous laugh finding its way to my tongue when her grip tightens.

Her nail pokes my skin, and I flinch; because suddenly, her nails somehow seem sharper. They run up over my skin, and they leave a cold burning sensation in their wake as they travel up my arm, over my shoulder, up my neck, and then they’re sitting under my jaw, wrapping lightly around my throat.

Something is different. June feels different, she smells different — something has changed.

Hot breath fans over my stomach, another cold hand landing on my hip. Her nails dance over my skin, and hair tickles my sides; an unnatural shiver runs down my spine, and a pulsing, alien thought enters my head, one that comes out of nowhere and seems impossible but it makes my heart stop all the same.

Whatever is in the room with me isn’t June.

It’s insane to think. I don’t know why I’m thinking it, or what it means, but I’m certain.

It’s not June in the room with me anymore.

“June?” My voice is tiny, afraid. I stare into the blackness of my arm pressed against my eyes. “June? Hello?”

The nails move. A little laugh, dark in nature; and then the hand around my throat gives it a tiny squeeze, hot breath warming my chest.

Look at me.

My body moves on its own. My arm just falls away from my face, and my eyes open, and they land on the figure hovering over me; dark hair tickles my face, pooling around my head.

And then my body freezes; my eyes go wide, and my jaw drops.

The eyes staring back at me aren’t sleepy, aren’t crystal blue, and they aren’t June.

They’re predatory, they’re dangerous, and they’re burning gold.

June isn’t here right now. Not-June’s lips curl into a wicked grin, and her blazing gaze rakes over me before they return to my eyes.

Right now, you’re mine.

I can’t speak. I can’t do anything, actually; every muscle in my body is frozen in a mix of shock and surprise and terror and a desire that explodes to life in my gut when the thing’s eyes meet mine. Face hovering like a ghost, the creature only stares, starving golden gaze flicking across my body.

It takes a minute; but then my body restarts, and one deafening thought rings through my head.

Run.

Something laughs when my legs bunch up beneath me and I throw myself out of the bed. Maybe something laughs. Maybe I think something laughs. I don’t know. I don’t care. My head is spinning, my throat is closing; I just want to get to the door, away from the thing that is no longer June.

Stop. The word blasts through my head like it’s being purred through a loudspeaker; all at once my knees buckle, and I collapse onto the floor a mere ten feet from the door.

But I can’t move.

I can’t move.

Look at me, the voice in my head whispers, warm and waiting.

And I do.

I turn, and I look at it.

The thing is sitting on my couch, cross-legged, with its hands palms-down between its folded legs. Its head tilts; that piercing golden gaze razes over me with a predatory curiosity. A weird, unnatural black fog is drifting around its bare shoulders; and are those embers floating around my room?

I’ve been waiting, the creature says, or…or thinks, or I think. June hasn’t told you about me. About us.

Wide-eyed, heart pounding a staccato on my ribs, I breathlessly shake my head. The creature smiles, then; it does look oddly like June, down to the smile. June, if she suddenly stripped off her normal clothes and changed them out for ragged lingerie, then proceeded to roll in dirt and give herself mud-matted black hair. Plus the eyes, and the embers, and whatever else is accompanying the thing on my couch.

Elegantly, the thing stretches forward like a cat, eyes fluttering shut; and then it’s elegantly crawling off the bed, gliding towards me on long, blackened legs.

I still can’t move. My body is still frozen; I can only watch in terror as the thing draws closer, hitching at the waist to look me in the eyes. Its pace is smooth and elegant but its movements are not; its head twitches curiously from side to side, studying me.

I understand why June likes you. The voice is a murmur this time, one that makes me shiver. I wonder why you like her so much?

The creature’s questions are rhetorical. I think. Maybe. I feel like I’m losing my mind.

My jaw quivers as I open my mouth, and I tremble when the thing’s eyes meet mine.

“What,” I start, words horribly slow, “are you?”

The creature smiles darkly, lowering itself to its hand and knees to get at my level.

What do you think I am? it asks. Its voice is all in my head. Its eyes sear into mine; I swear I’m seeing heaven and hell, and I’m feeling it too, and in response the thing laughs, low and wicked.

Heaven and hell, both at once. Smart girl, you know there is no difference.

“I didn’t say anything,” comes my response, rushed and confused; and then I suddenly know that the thing can hear me. It’s in my head, in my thoughts.

Smart girl, smart girl. The thing stops a mere few inches from my face, eyes smoldering gold, dark hair hanging nearly to the floor. It smells like dirt, but it also smells sweet, unnaturally so, and it makes me feel dizzy. I waver as I stare back into its gleaming eyes; it reminds me of a cat, of a cunning predator toying with the mouse stupid enough to get caught in its trap.

It takes me a moment to realize the thing is reaching for me, ash-covered fingers stretched towards my face.

And I can’t move away.

“Don’ touch me,” I whisper, voice tight and trembling. “Don’t, please, please.”

Are you scared? the creature — witch? — asks, voice coy. What do you think I’m going to do to you?

It’s still reaching for me, but slower now, like it’s mocking me. The shaking breath I take makes the corner of its lips quirk up in wicked amusement; it cocks its head, clearly waiting for my answer.

“Hurt me,” I reply, gaze shifting wildly from the creature to its moving hand. “You’re gonna hurt me, or take me, like you took June, or…”

Took June? The creature laughs, lowering itself further to my level and all but slithering its face nearer. I didn’t take June. I’m only borrowing her body.

“To hurt me,” I finish, breathing growing quicker as its fingers reach for my cheek. “You’re gonna hurt me, or kill me, or, or—!”

Soft, blackened fingers brush against my face; and all at once, my body is on fire. A violent shiver runs down my spine; my jaw drops in some mix of shock and desire, because suddenly, suddenly, fear isn’t on my mind anymore. No, no; all I feel is overpowering desire, swamping my senses and rendering them useless.

The witch has been watching my face; and when the panic disappears from my eyes, it smiles, hot breath washing sweetly over my face as its hand slides beneath my jaw, cradling the side of my head. I lean into the touch in a daze; because suddenly, I’m at the creature’s mercy, warm and tingling in its fingers.

I’m not here to hurt you, the creature murmurs, eyes glowing. You have something I want, and I’m here to get it.

“Get…get wha’?” My voice is drunken as I slump forward, weakly rubbing my cheek against the fingers caressing my face. “I’ve…I’ve…got some stuff in the other room, but…”

No, no. Nothing like that. The witch’s other hand lands on my waist; slowly, she — she? — begins to rise onto her knees, and her chest is pressed against mine, lips brushing the side of my face and eyes trained on me. I’m not here for any material possessions.

“Then what,” I start, mumbling against hot skin when I turn my face towards her shoulder, “do you…want?”

I breathe in against her neck, shivering when the sweet smell from earlier swallows me whole and the tiny embers alight on my skin. I feel so woozy; the soft drill of rain on the windows has bled into white noise that falls behind the labored sound of my breathing.

Slowly, the witch tilts my head up; her eyes are glowing with bridled anticipation and a lust she hasn’t yet let bleed.

I can show you.

What happens next is confusing.

One second I’m on the floor, leaning into the witch’s shoulder; and the next, my back is slamming against the couch, and the witch is on top of me. A second later, my stomach catches up; and that jolt sobers me up just enough for me to scramble onto my elbows, nearly bumping my forehead against the witch as she leans down toward me.

“What the fuck was — hey, hey,” and now I’m seeing that the witch is kneeling between my open and notably naked legs, hands landing on my thighs, “hey, hold on, hold…”

What I want, the witch purrs, suddenly ducking her face into my neck, is right here, and her grip tightens on my thighs.

Oh.

Oh.

“Y-you want t…but,” and I gasp sharply when a hot breath hisses out against my neck, “but June, I only…”

June is watching, the witch replies, voice low, and she’ll be watching while I ruin you.

Oh.

“That’s not what I…that isn’t what I — oh, oh,” and then my back is arching as lips meet against my neck, sucking hard on the pulse point beneath my jaw.

Once I get what I want, I’ll bring June back. The witch laughs against my skin. Cry out for her while I use you. I’m sure she’ll love it.

Use me? I want to ask, eyes opening, because that sounds a little more forceful than I’d expected, but then fingers are brushing over my cunt and holy shit, holy shit, the crack of pleasure that sounds off through my gut makes me wail.

Against my neck, the witch smirks, and I feel her tongue run up the side of my throat. It’s about now that I realize the roles here have switched; I’m completely at the creature’s mercy, a mere, melting puddle in her fingers, her fingers, her fingers…

Use your voice. A sharp tooth pricks my neck, and I jolt, grabbing onto the couch in surprise as the witch digs her nails into my thigh. Tell me what you’re thinking.

And just like that, my mouth opens, and words start falling out; and oh, oh, no, they’re worse than before, they’re so much worse and I can’t fucking stop.

“Want you t’ fuck m…fuck me, please, need you, your fingers are s-so long and your body is so fucking hot and fuck, fuck,” and holy shit, I can’t stop shaking, I can’t stop shaking when she’s brushing her fingers over where I need her most and she’s sucking on my pulse point with lazy interest.

Good. The witch laughs; and then, in a husky, teasing purr; good girl.

And the flood of comments from me only increases tenfold. I’m stammering through my words but I can’t stop talking, I can’t stop confessing how desperately I want to get ruined, how desperately I need to get ruined.

Please. The thought is mine, but I swear it’s as loud as hers. The witch lifts her face just enough to look straight into my eyes; and oh, her starving gaze is glowing like molten gold, and there’s a low rumbling in my ears.

You’re pathetic.

And then my knees are hitting my ears, knees slamming down beside my head and my stomach crunching up, because the witch is suddenly breathing against my cunt with her fingers wrapping tightly over my thighs.

Spread further, the witch growls, voice dark. Let your pretty June see you.

“J…June?” My head feels foggy. “June’s…she can see, she can watch, I can’t…she can…”

Embarrassment floods hot over my face at the thought — June, watching helplessly as the witch in her body ruins me from the inside out — but the hands on my thighs hold firm. The witch grins; she’s enjoying this, I think, watching me struggle to hide myself.

You’re helpless, the witch purrs, leaning down and letting a hot breath drift across my cunt. You’re weak.

“No,” I start, face hot, “I’m not, I’m n-not,” but then something rough and warm licks a long, wet stripe down my slit and my legs jerk and my back arches and I scream.

Smoldering golden eyes meet mine, hooded and gleaming with sinister desire as the witch’s tongue, serpentine in nature, snakes between my folds. Keep telling yourself that, she replies, voice mocking as she flicks her tongue back up. June knows you’re lying.

“I’m n…I kn…fuck, f-uh-huck, you’re so good, fuck,” and ooh, ooh, I shouldn’t be letting her do this, I can’t let her do this but holy shit, holy shit, it’s never felt this good. June’s name is stuck in my throat but the witch’s eyes are stuck in my head, burning and evil and calculating. She crouches between my legs, studying my face and noting my reactions every time her tongue flicks back and forth, skimming across my cunt.

My gut is heaving as I try to keep myself grounded. My body feels so heavy, and the witch is drawing all that weight to seed in my stomach, tight and tense. Every time she touches me I jolt like I’ve been electrocuted; and when she presses my thighs down, body suddenly slithering up mine, I moan openly into her face.

Careful, she hisses, a cruel smile drawn across her face as a slow shiver rolls down her spine. You’re getting June excited.

“I-I’m what?” I try to grind against something, anything, but it’s near impossible when I’m folded in half, my knees hitting my ears and my thighs beginning to burn from the stretch. Above me, the witch only smiles; and then she sweeps back down my body to my open legs, going straight back to edging me with her tongue. I’m growing desperate; head tilting back, I let my trembling moans echo down the short hallway beyond the couch, legs twitching.

Between my thighs, the witch sighs; and then I feel her nose press against my cunt a mere second before her lips close over my clit.

The broken moan that explodes out of my mouth is volatile; my head snaps back up, and I grapple furiously for a rapid hold on anything in my near vicinity because oh, fuck, my hips are rocking on their own and I can only ride out the waves of pleasure bubbling in my system.

My right hand finds the edge of the couch; my left hand finds a handful of slick hair, and before I can stop myself I’m pulling furiously on both, anchoring myself down as my legs jerk.

And for the first time, the witch gets caught off-guard. Abruptly, she stops; her grip on my thighs tightens, and she looks up at me with predatory humor in her eyes and a wicked smirk crossing her face.

For a moment, I think she’s about to kill me.

But then she arches her back, leaning slightly off-center, and gives me a perfect view as she reaches down between her own legs, sighing smokily against my skin when her fingers crook beneath clinking metal scales.

So mean, she laughs, the sound dark, getting June all worked up when she can’t do anything about it.

And then her fingers are sliding between my lips, pushing down my throat; and oh, it’s June, the taste is all June but sweeter and oh, fuck, fuck, the witch is breathing into me again, but this time she’s flicking her tongue, fast, and fuck, fuck —

“In,” I hiccup, voice garbled by the fingers pressing down on my tongue, “In, in.”

I grip onto her hair a little tighter, winding it around my fingers as I buck my hips up toward her face; and in response, the witch leans forward, pressing my legs further back.

Don’t be rude. Lazily, the witch closes her lips around my clit once again, sucking absently on the swollen nerves and grinning when I take a loud, shuddering breath. Ask properly.

“Please,” I stammer, words rushed, “please, in, please tongue-fuck me, please, please, I need it, I need, I need…”

The witch closes her eyes, cheeks hollowing; and again, I moan, nails scraping against the edge of the couch as I try to hold back from double-fisting her hair.

Say her name, the witch purrs; and then I understand.

“Please…pleas-e, June, fuck, I need it bad, I need it now — please, June, please, I’ll do anything, anything, please, please,” and now I sound pathetic, whimpering out for June while the thing possessing her body listens but oh, who cares anymore, “please, June, I’ll fuck you when I’m done, I’ll fuck you again, I don’t care, please, p-please…”

The witch pauses. There’s a soft graze of teeth over my cunt, and I flinch; but then the witch is laughing wickedly, gazing up at me with lust-charged adrenaline in her eyes.

Wicked, she breathes, nails digging into my skin, wicked, wicked girl.

And then her mouth is hot against my cunt, teeth pinching me for a second before something hot and long and rough is sliding down my entrance and I swear I see stars. My body draws tight, thighs flexing beneath firm fingers; and oh, oh, I can’t breathe anymore, I can only quiver and yelp as the witch begins to slowly rake her nails down my legs while her tongue draws out the most sinful of sounds from my aching core.

“R…right there, ri…right there, right th…right th…” I can’t finish my sentence; my chest heaves every time the witch moves, my voice jumping and breath dying in my throat, because holy shit, holy shit, her tongue is so long, and it’s in me, it’s in me, it’s slithering and flicking through my insides and I swear it’s her life source because she’s sucking me dry like it’s the water she needs to live. Spit dampens the insides of my thighs; her nails dig into my skin, eyes narrowing in thin focus before her tongue curls and pokes the spongy spot right beneath my entrance.

I moan, loud.

Her eyes narrow further — an ember rushes past my face, more frantic than before — and then her tongue is rubbing acutely against my sweet spot, and overstimulation is sending me into overdrive. The hand on my couch flies to the witch’s hair; I’m near ripping handfuls of it out at this point, jaw dropped and flooding pleasure and sensitivity making me scream.

“Right there, right there; please be nice, please be nice, p-please be nice,” I beg, mantra spilling uselessly from my lips as I try to rock into her face. Crouched between my thighs with her eyes glowing like beacons in her face and her lips curling into an otherwise unnatural smirk, the witch only looks up at me with mock sympathy, the triumph of watching me break in her fingers all-too-evident in her gaze.

No.

And then oh, she’s sucking, the rough caress on my sweet spot sinfully heaven, and fuck, fuck, I can barely contain myself anymore. An incoherent, pitched wail explodes out of my mouth, and before I really realize what I’m doing, I grab the massive crescent moon crownpiece on her forehead and pull.

For some reason, she doesn’t fight back. I anchor myself to the thing as hard as I can, squeezing it till my knuckles go white; my eyes open for a split second, just long enough for me to see her glaring up at me with a burning golden gaze and glazed skin.

“Y-you’re insane,” I pant, hips bucking up into the witch’s face, earning another long wail from me as her tongue reaches all the right places and then a few more, “this is insane, a—haa, I…I…”

I can’t think anymore. I can’t think. I feel my back crack as it arches higher off the couch; cold hands slide under my back, lifting me further up and pulling me closer to the succubus between my thighs. Her tongue writhes in my gut, stroking the rough patch on my walls mercilessly.

“R-righ’, y-yeah, like th…like…h’oh, oh, fuck,” and I grab onto the corner of the crescent with shaking hands, “g’onna…gon…fuck, f-fuck, wai’…”

I can make you lose your mind. The words hiss through my head, seductive and raspy and dangerously predatory. I will make you lose your mind.

I don’t doubt her words. My head feels like it’s splintering into a thousand pieces; my chest aches every time I try to breathe, and my stomach is a whole other story. I’m clenching down on her tongue so hard that I’m shaking, legs twitching uncontrollably every time she moves. There’s a tight knot weaving itself larger and larger in my gut, and flecks of light have begun to seed behind my eyes, flashing every single time the witch’s grip tightens, every single time her tongue thrusts down into me, every single time she growls against my cunt, every time —

Out of nowhere, the witch pulls away, tongue drawing out of me and grip on my legs vanishing. All at once, the pleasure evaporates from my body, and the disappointed, desperate moan that escapes my mouth is humiliatingly loud, embarrassment flushing red across my face as the witch only smirks, corners of her lips curling up mockingly as she leans forward.

I can do something else, too. Slowly, she hoists herself over me, and the room lapses into a tense silence, save for the clink of the metal jewelry adorning her body that hangs low onto me and the soft rustle of long hair brushing over my skin, tickling against my sides. For what seems like a long time, she just watches my face, head tilting when my hands slide from her crownpiece to the thick loop on her neck.

I crook my fingers into the center of it before I tug, breathing light as I try to coax the witch closer.

Nothing.

“C-come back, come b…please, was s’close, pl…June, please, please.” I tug a little harder on the thing, blinking back the frustrated gloss threatening to gather in my eyes.

The witch cocks her head the other direction, smirk growing wider. Are you crying?

“N-no, I jus…please, please,” I beg, hands slipping to the chains hanging off of her sides. “I don’t wanna wait, I can’t w-wait, please, f’uck me, break me, need t’cum, please.”

The witch glances down at my hands, watching for a moment as I fiddle with the loops of chain hanging off of her sides. Then she looks back up, cruelty in her eyes; and she sweeps forward, face bumping mine as she all but coils up around my head.

Are you ready to beg for me to stop?

And then she kisses me; and oh, fuck, fuck, I can taste myself on her lips. She hums smokily into my mouth and I moan wantonly into hers. She sucks my tongue, she bites my lip, she all but chokes me; and then she laughs into my open mouth, the sound dark and sinister and promising nothing holy and everything sinful.

Cum.

One moment, my body is frozen, pleasure long gone like a withdrawn tide; and the next, it’s back, only this time it’s multiplied by ten and the knot in my gut is reaching every inch of my body as it shreds and rips into a thousand pieces that set my body on fire.

I don’t just moan, I scream; but the witch swallows my cries, drinks them from my mouth as my long-awaited orgasm blazes to life, setting wildfire to my core and hooking its claws into my lungs. It rocks my body in its grasp; the seeds of light behind my eyes explode into fireworks, until all I can see is white and all I can feel are the cold chains biting into my hands. My chest bumps something — the witch, maybe — and as I drag her down against my body, my orgasmic screams ringing dully in my ears, I start to get dizzy.

Cum.

The witch’s voice echoes in my ears; and immediately, despite my dizzying overstimulation and uncontrollable screams, my body obeys. A fresh wave of hot pleasure snaps in my gut, sending sparks rocketing through my veins and crackling in my ears.

My screaming rises into breathless silence, broken by shattered cries that stick in my throat like briars and the witch’s low, wicked laughter.

I can’t breathe. I can’t breathe. My body is alive with a new, burning pleasure; and there are teeth in my neck and a hand on my throat. Her teeth are in my neck and her hand is on my throat. She’s marking me, and maybe I’m bleeding but my body is boiling hot with pleasure and I can’t stop shaking and I can’t see, I can’t see anything besides exploding white. I cling to the witch’s chains, near swinging from the things with how hard I’m pulling on them; my body jolts as the witch wrecks my neck, the sharp pain only magnifies the pleasure, threatening to hurl me headfirst into a third violent orgasm.

Does it hurt yet? the witch asks, voice taking on a darkly amused edge. Cum again.

My vision clears for a brief moment, just long enough for me to see the thick haze of black fog and simmering embers zipping haphazardly past my face before my gut writhes and my feared next climax crashes into me at full force.

Something hot rolls down my face, and — oh, am I crying? — and then tears are flooding from my eyes, vision going blurry before it goes white once more. The witch keeps biting me — and fuck, fuck, every time her mouth touches me I seize up, and my body convulses, and my hands are shaking so hard when I frantically drag myself up to the witch, burying my face in what I think is the crook of her neck as I try to ride out my painstaking high.

She laughs in my ear when my tears start soaking her skin, the sound low and hoarse. My head is spinning, but I can still feel the faintest shift as the witch moves me, and then I feel something firm beneath my head.

Look at me.

I can’t, I want to say. I can’t see.

But then I can. I can squint — and through hot, salty tears, I can see her.

You’re weak, the witch murmurs, voice taking on a rough edge before her tongue traces a long line up my cheek, swallowing the tears dampening my face. Her eyes swims in my starry vision, hot breath warming my cheek. You couldn’t control yourself if you tried.

“I c…I ca…d’oh, no, please.” I’m trying to say that I can’t get away and I need to, I need to, but the words won’t come out. The witch bites my ear before she drops back down to my stomach; gazing up at me with hooded, smokey golden eyes, her tongue runs in a long hot streak up the center of my chest, and one more cum echoes in my ears.

My back nearly snaps from how hard I arch forward and how fast my vision explodes to white once more. My legs shake like I’ve been electrocuted; my hips jerk up, hitting something slender and lean that’s slowly drawing over my body. I can’t breathe, I can’t see, I can’t think, I can’t; my body is splintering into pieces, my breath is being stretched thin, and my cunt just keeps pumping out pleasure, even when my senses are long overstimulated and pumped with too much, too much.

One more time, the witch purrs, voice cutting through my silenced climax — and for a second, I’m panicking, terrified of how my body will react to another turbulent orgasm.

And then, legs are sliding around my head, and my face is buried between the witch’s thighs and I’m drowning in sweet, thick arousal.

The witch doesn’t need to speak for me to understand; and when a light touch lands on my shivering stomach, slowly reaching down between my legs, I dive headfirst into my task.

You’ve tortured June for so long. The fingers crawl closer to my soaking cunt, nails pricking my skin. You finish when she finishes.

Fuck. I’m desperate; I gasp against the witch’s cunt, trying to remember what I’d done with June to finish her off. Heaving for breath, I start pushing my tongue into her; but then the witch’s finger taps my clit and I explode.

I scream into her cunt, teeth pricking the wet, sensitive skin; my hips jerk up, heels digging into my couch as a climax, or maybe an effect of one, sends blistering pleasure through my body. The inhale I take is pressed against the witch’s cunt; and she shivers, she tangibly shivers, grinding down into my mouth.

June is close. The witch sighs as she rolls her hips into my face, fingers threatening to get too close to my arousal. Make her cum, fast, and maybe the pleasure won’t kill you.

I know. I know. Desperate tears stream from my eyes; I can’t breathe, my body is shattering and fracturing and falling to a hundred tiny pieces and the witch could crush those shards into even smaller ones.

Please, June. The plea is mental as I wrap my lips weakly around her bud, abusing the swollen bundle of nerves with panic driving my motions faster and faster. Please, June, please.

I don’t know how the witch and June work together — the witch has her body, but June is in there somewhere, and she responds. The witch’s hips twitch, rolling brokenly against my face.

Please! My desperate sob is accompanied by a breathless, choked scream. Please! Please!

The witch freezes. There’s an audible gasp; and then, a final cum is blasting through my head as two fingers thrust up into my cunt and the witch’s body convulses.

I can’t scream anymore. I can’t breathe anymore. My chest is as tight as it can be; arousal paints my face, spraying into my eyes and across my chin and neck. My orgasm — my fifth — is rendering me lifeless. The fire has devoured me from the inside out, and I can’t feel anymore as the final tide of pleasure, a thousand feet high and a hundred feet deep, swallows me whole and thrusts me into thick, black silence.

It’s the drum of rain that brings me back.

The drum of rain; and the shallow, weak panting coming from beside me.

When I open my eyes, it takes a minute for my vision to return. The world is blurry; I wipe at my eyes, only for my hands to come back damp and fingers strung with —

Oh.

Oh.

Sobriety smacks me in the face, and with a sharp gasp I scramble to my elbows, gaze flying round to find the witch.

I don’t find the witch.

Instead, I find a weak, shivering June, half-fallen off the couch with her nails digging into the upholstery and her face screwed in exhaustion. Sweat gleams on her skin, hair sticking to her damp face and body quivering with overexertion. Her bare chest is heaving, her stomach twitches with every breath — and whenI look down, I find thick, pale arousal painting her lower stomach and running down the curve of her thighs.

As if she can feel me watching her, she shifts; her eyes open, and her blue hues focus blearily on mine.

“She’s never…done that,” June breathes, voice hoarse. “She…I’m so sorry.”

My body jolts at she, and with a weak, shaking hand I wave her off. “S…’s fine. ‘M…okay.”

Exhaustion may be weighing her down, but June manages a dubious raise of her brow nonetheless. “She f-uhhh-cked you up,” she replies, voice shaking. “You…sure you’re okay?”

Weakly, I nod, trying to roll toward her; it’s then that I find my body has shut down, legs locked and too heavy to lift. June notices my predicament; a moment later, a hand lands on my shoulder, followed shortly by a smell that’s sweet, cozy, and June.

“Don’ move,” she murmurs, eyes glazed over with fatigue as she collapses unceremoniously against my chest. “S’ a succubus. You’re g…gonna be tired for a little.”

Tired? No shit. Quivering with the exertion, I manage to weakly loll my head against hers, breathing into her hair as she tucks into me.

“She’s tired,” June continues, voice trembling. “She won’t…she won’t come back for awhile.”

“Good,” I reply, word slurred and sleepy as exhaustion threatens to drag me under. “Need…need a l’il time t’ sleep.”

Weakly, June manages to tilt her face up; her eyes land on mine as she sleepily pulls my face down, open mouth ghosting against mine and lashes brushing delicately against my cheek.

“Mind if I spend the night?” she laughs, sound breathy and hoarse. In response, I shake my head, nose bumping hers.

“Don’t think I’ve a choice.”

“Not unless you want me t’ Uber home like this,” June replies, voice sleepy. “I’ll make you somethin’ when I wake up.”

“Pancakes,” I mumble belatedly, breathing slowing down as darkness creeps in on my vision and June’s eyes start to drift shut and the sound of rain outside seeps into my head. “Pancakes would be perfect.”

[lazydoodlesandfanfic]

Betrayed (Dick Grayson X Reader)

Characters: Dick Grayson X Reader

Universe: DC, Batman

Warnings: Homelessness, crime, violence, swearing, mention of death of parent, mention of hospitals

Request: Can I get a dick grayson x reader where when they were younger they were best friends and she didnt have anywhere to go so she was staying in the manor til Bruce realised she was the daughter of some villain and kicked her out, and Dick turned his back and let it happen. Then years later hes found her again and hes like "I'm sorry you were right" and shes highkey still pissed at him for what he did like sorry wont fix it, but eventually comes around and still pissed but will help

It had been literal years since you had seen Dick Grayson. You had been 12 when you had met the man and 15 when he turned his back on you because of something you couldn’t control and had nothing to do with, and threw you out on the streets. It had been 10 years since then, but still you knew his face when you saw it, so when he showed up at your door, you were in shock. Only for a moment though. 

“Y/N-” The second he said your name you snapped out of it and slammed the door in his face as hard as you could. You were pretty sure the door actually hit him since you head thump and him groan from the other side, not that you cared. You locked the door and put on the latch. “Y/N please, I want to talk.” 

“Well I don’t want to! Not after what you did!” You yelled over at him before you walked away from the door, going to the tv and turning it up as loud as you had to to block him out, and you sat on the couch to brood until he went away. Eventually he did. But then he showed up the very next day as you were walking home. This time you couldn’t just lock the door and block him out. 

You saw him coming to cross the road as he had spotted you, and you ducked your head and kept walking hoping he’d lose you, but he didn’t. He grabbed your arm to stop you, and no matter how hard you tried, he wouldn’t let go. “Y/N, please. Five minutes.” He asked. You huffed, walking with him in silence until you reached your apartment, and you reluctantly let him come in, and you closed the door behind you. “Nice place.” 

“No thanks to you.” You commented, crossing your arms and leaning up against the door. “Stop being nice and tell me what you want so I can tell you to fuck off.” 

“Y/N, look, I’m sorry, but that was 10 years ago.” Dick tried to justify, and you started to laugh rather bitterly. 

“Just 10 years right? 10 year since you threw me out of the only safe place I had.” 

“Y/N, your father is a criminal-”

“A criminal that I’ve never met!” You retaliated, your voice angry, but you couldn’t stop your laugh. “It’s funny really, I’ve never met the man, in fact, I’ve found out he doesn’t even know I exist, yet he’s ruined every chance I’ve had for something nice. When my mom died before I met you, no family would take me in because of my dad, and they were scared I would be like him. No orphanage would take me in because of who he was.” 

“...I didn’t know that.” 

“Yeah…” You stood up, stalking towards him, as his head hung. “You wouldn’t. Because you didn’t let me speak. Neither you or your dad. He came charging in, yelling at me for something that I can’t control, and kicked me out. I tried to explain myself, but what did you say? ‘Just go. You’re not wanted here’... You.” You poked him in the chest as hard as you could. “Are just as bad as the rest of them. You’re a cruel, judgemental, piece of shit, and I’m sad that I ever considered you someone I could trust.” 

“I’m sorry…” 

“You kicked me out onto the streets, and by doing that you made me into the one thing you feared I’d be. I was 15, I couldn’t get a job, I had to steal. I had to listen to big scary men as they told me to do things for a few bucks to get by, or for the opportunity to crash on their couch at night. I spent many nights hooked up to an IV in the hospital because of hyperthermia and because I was dehydrated or starving. Do you want to know how long it took me to get off the street, managing to get a job and have enough money to rent this place? 8 years. 8 fucking years I was homeless, afraid, and being manipulated and used because you refused to listen to me and turned your back on me. I’m still in debt because of the hospital bills, and I’m terrified that some punks are gonna show up at my door and say I owe them or blackmail me.” You told him coldly. You could tell Dick was uncomfortable now, and feeling remorse, hell, you could feel his guilt radiating off of him. 

“I’m… so sorry, please, let me make this up. I’ll pay off your medical bills, I’ll get in contact with Batman to make sure those thugs don’t bother you…” He listed.

“You can’t win my trust by sweeping up the broken pieces that you broke.”

“I know… but it’s a start, right? I promise, I won’t let you down again.” 

After that he had left your apartment, and he actually kept up to his promise. He cleared your hospital bills, and just a few days later you got a letter from the courts saying that they were investigation the crimes of the criminals who had used you as a tool in their crimes, assuring you that you weren’t in any trouble and that they actually wanted you to be a witness when they’re found. You still weren’t sure if you wanted to go up in court to talk about that. Bruce himself actually came to your apartment to apologise for how he treated you, and took responsibility, and offered to pay your rent for a few years or help you get into a nicer place. You turned him down. 

Things had been a bit quiet since then. Dick did come to check on you at least once a week and he sent you a few texts and he also called most days, but you didn’t really interact with him on your own accord. You still had a lot of resentment about what happened, and you knew you had every right to be angry with him still, and despite all of these nice acts, you still didn’t owe him anything, especially your kindness, especially since he was just fixing what he caused. Luckily it seemed that Dick understood that.

You were thinking about the court hearing and also how you could possibly consider forgiving Dick as you walked home from work. You felt safe doing so since the time you left work meant it was mostly quiet on the streets. That meant you heard the sound of a struggle in a nearby alleyway, and you went to investigate from a distance. Peering around the corner you spotted several figures fighting a single one. You were surprised to see it was Nightwing, and impressed that he wasn’t entirely getting his ass handed to him. However, he was taking a few hits. You started to sneak closer to get a better look, hiding behind some crates, when you managed to hear one of the men yell. “Is that all you’ve got?” He mocked, and you immediately recognised the voice. Looking  at the men closer, you identified them. It was them. Those big scary men. You looked around you, finding a metal pipe from some broken plumbing, picking it up and without thinking, coming out of hiding and raising it, hitting the first man that you got to over the back of the head, knocking him out quickly. Another came at you, but you hit him under the chin with an under swing, before going for the next one. Was it a blind rage? A need for revenge? Or did you just want justice? You weren’t sure, all you knew was that they were here, and you weren’t a kid anymore. Before you knew it, you’d knocked the last man down. You stood over him for a moment, watching as he shielding his head, before you looked around and looked at the other men, other knocked out or withering in pain on the floor.

“Hey.” You turned at the sound of the male voice, seeing Nightwing. He carefully took the pipe from your hands, throwing it away. “I’ll take care of this now, okay? You go home.” He told you softly, rubbing your arm reassuringly. You nodded silently, sort of in a daze, as you startled heading out the alley, when you realized you knew his voice.

“Hey Dick.” You called back at him, and you saw his head shoot around at you. “Ever fuck me over again and that’ll be you.” You told him, pointing to him then the men on the floor. You got a smirk out of him, and you returned it before you started your walk home.

Hope you like it! If you have any questions, please send them in! 

*Not my gif

TAGS:  @theplacewhererobindied @rebellionofthecattle  @courtneychicken​  @graysonmalfoy​ @bellero​ @originalpottervengerlock​ @supernatural-pan​ @esoltis280​ @lena-stan-xavier @lady-of-lies​ @sebstanismylife​ @macbetheliza @mandywholock1980​ @cdwmtjb8​ @caswinchester2000​ @determinedpines​  

[reaperintheroses]

FAQ's

Some frequently asked questions that it's better to answer once than over and over again :)

Q) What's your deal/who are you? Hi! My name is Robin and I'm a Non-binary Mexican writer. I'm a veteran turned paramedic and I have a husband (Will) and two dogs who I love very much and mention frequently. Some fun facts about me are I'm 5'11, I never went to college, I'm part of a leisure roller derby team, and I can hold a plank for ten minutes! Q) What kind of content do you write? I write for so many fucking fandoms it's impossible to keep track. The big ones are: Outer Banks, Marvel, Top Gun, DC, Yellowstone, Starwars, and Supernatural. Odds are if you want to hear my thought, opinions, or want to request something but don't know if I'm in the fandom or not just request it and I'll let you know! I write smut, fluff, angst, hurt/comfort, au's, and so much more! Q) Do you have a masterlist? I pinky promise a full masterlist is coming. Tumblrs just being a little pussy and keeps deleting the entire thing right as I'm about to finish and it's lowkey pissing me off (that's happened like 10 times now) but as of today June 17th 2022 I have everything linked, tagged, and edited. All that's left is the key! Q) How can I sign up for your tag list? Literally just ask. Either drop a comment on a fic or leave me an ask and I'll just add you to it. If you're unsure what to say just copy and paste this templet: Hi, can I be added to your (fandom/general) taglist?

Q) Do you take requests? Only if I say that I am actively taking them, otherwise I write what I want. I'm happy to take a request and put it on the back burner if you ask really nicely but if I say no I mean no. Q) What are some general things to note about your blog? I swear often and that will be in almost all my fics, I'm very much in love with my partner and talk about fucking him often, my blog is not minor friendly so please don't interact, I frequently shit on the US Navy. Q) Is there anything you won't write? Smut involving minors (Different if it's a comic book character that was introduced as a teen and has a current storyline as a teen but has previous storylines as an adult [Ex. Dick Grayson]), rape, necrophilia, self harm/suicide, or sexual fetishes/kinks that involve bodily fluids other than cum and water (tears,sweat, etc.). Q) I want to talk to you but I'm shy is it okay to reach out? yes, please do! I love talking to and meeting new people! My ask box is always a great place to reach me as well as my direct message. I also understand wanting to remain faceless and how helpful the anon toggle can be! That being said if you abuse the anon option and use it as an opportunity to bring down other content creators or myself I will pull a tyler the creator and publicly put you on blast. I grew up in an immigrant household, anything you can say my own mother can say ten times meaner to my face in a better accent while serving up dope ass enchiladas sooooo

-Please realize that if you are using the anon filter to be mean to content creators who are out here doing this for free it means nothing because you're too much of a little bitch to use your actual blog

[the-faultofdaedalus]

new updated list of Most Valid People In Marvel (Excluding DC Because I Simply Do Not Give A Shit) is...

1) rhodey -- honestly this is true even w/o the helmet qualifier

2) t’challa -- his kitty-cat mask may be thin but it is also vibranium, so it’s protective enough to be valid

3) janet -- helmet!!!! sometimes she does not have it but she is the best so i forgive her. also, wears a helmet on the scooter so extra valid (and cute)

the list only gets worse from here im so sorry

4) tony -- his NICKNAME is SHELLHEAD. unfortunately most likely still gets the most concussions out of fucking anyone else. rip.

5) ava starr -- SHE HAS A HELMET and also genuinely a cool-ass uniform all the way down. love her. want her back. still hate that they swapped ultron and ghost between tony and hank but whatever, im not salty at all

6) magneto -- helmet? iconic. maybe he does not wear it for head protection but fuck it, good enough.

7) victor -- is there a hood over top of it? yes. but he SLEEPS in the damn thing, super extra valid

8) juggernaught -- yes. this man is the 8th most valid man in marvel. yes, i hate this too

9) ults reed richards -- UNFORTUNATELY HE DOES HAVE THAT UGLY-ASS SPEED WALKING HELMET AND THAT DOES, UNFORTUNATELY, COUNT

10) ant man -- i despise hank with a burning passion but scott’s cool, i guess, and they both have helmets so. valid.

11) thor -- now THIS one pisses me off. because comics thor does have a helmet. it is winged but it is still a helmet. and yet. and yet. MCU THOR NEVER HAS HIS FUCKING HELMET ON AND THIS IS A BETRAYAL

honourable mentions:

a) ultron and vision -- it’s helmet all the way down baeby

b) loki -- it’s a full helmet in the comics but once again not in the mcu and more than anything i despise the psudo-crown-esque helmets so i shun him

c) steve -- DID have a helmet but forsook it and therefor also made me unable to love him. steve get ur damn 40′s helmet back on.

d) bucky -- did have a helmet but also no longer has a helmet. banished. banished for 10000 years.

e) mostly unrelated but i swear to god someone in marvel was like, badass on a motorbike at some point or am i thinking a different film. it was like. that cool sideways skid and it was dark and raining and street lights were reflecting off shit. i think the protag was chasing them and lost them. was this marvel or am i loosing my mind. if it IS marvel: this character is also valid.

super extra not valid:

a) natasha -- does not even wear a helmet ON A GODDAMN MOTORBIKE, PLEASE,

b) clint -- hot take: mcu clint is the way he is just because he has been hit on the head so goddamn many times

c) sam -- he does not have a helmet and even worse he’s got that psudo-crown-helmet kinda style that i despise. it’s like. they tried for a helmet but ran out of budget for the last 15% of his head. don’t HALF-ASS A HELMET COME ON

d) superior iron man -- see above.

[cosmicraysandstuff]

Wonder Woman 84 Review

The more I think about this movie, (and the more I read re: comments and articles), the more I realize that I honestly don’t like this film - especially in regards to what I liked about the first movie. I was expecting to being possibly disappointed, but I didn’t expect to be so uncomfortable and upset at certain scenes in the sequel. 

The best parts for me included Pedro Pascal and his portrayal of Maxwell Lord. It wasn’t perfect, (per the writing), but Pedro acted his ass off and held my attention the most when I was watching.

Things I Didn't Like:

- The lack of build-up with the friendship between Diana and Barbara. I loved their initial meeting and their conversation over dinner. I was also convinced that Barbara had a crush on Diana and wonder how different/better the movie might’ve been, if they had gone in that romantic direction instead. But, besides these initial moments, it’s frustrating how nothing else is properly developed between the two women. I believe that if it had, then their subsequent fights in the movie, (especially the final one with Barbara as Cheetah), would’ve held more emotional weight. As it is, I didn’t really understand why Barbara/Cheetah was even included as a villain in this film, (as opposed to Maxwell Lord, we also don’t find out much about Barbara’s background either, which is a major issue for me too).

- Why was it necessary to have a Middle Eastern, (I’m not sure what their ethnicity was supposed to be, so please correct me if anyone knows), character wish for nuclear weapons? Why was it necessary for an English woman in the 80s wishing for all Irish people to be rounded up and returned to Ireland, (especially when the Troubles were still going on)? Why was it necessary to have the Mayan civilization be apparently destroyed by the wishing stone? Why was it necessary to have a wall built in the middle of an Egyptian city, cutting off the water supply from most of the population? In addition, this is supposedly based in DC in 1984, a city with a mostly black population, and experiencing various crime waves at the time. Why wasn’t Wonder Woman helping with any of that? Why wasn’t this addressed? Otherwise, they could’ve placed this film in any other place, including a made-up comic book city. 

The racism and Islamophobia in this movie was fucked up in so many ways and the more I think about certain scenes, it sours whatever good elements were included.

- The lack of consent with Steve taking over the random guy’s body, (the fact that we never learn the guy’s name says a lot too). Why was this necessary? The Macguffin in this movie is a fucking wishing stone and thus the screenwriters could’ve written Steve coming back from the dead in his own body. They didn’t need to use another person’s body, thus taking away that guy’s ability to consent. This is especially gross, since Steve and Diana do sleep  together, in addition to Steve participating in various fights. Then, when Steve goes back to wherever he came from, that poor guy is just left in the street, in the middle of a riot. I just..WTF?! I like Chris Pine’s and Gal Gadot’s chemistry and loved their relationship so much in the first movie, so this aspect of the sequel was so frustrating and messed up.

- The ending was super anti-climactic for me. Again, we’re dealing with a fucking wishing stone and they could’ve wrapped this movie up in so many different ways. Instead, they had Diana speaking to the world, via her lasso, and somehow convinces everyone who has made a wish to renounce it. I’m usually a sucker for the hopeful, empowering, “end of the movie”, kind of speech that Diana gives during those final scenes, but it just didn’t resonate with me at all this time. It felt empty to me and, honestly? The reality of everyone renouncing their wishes is unlikely and I don’t know why Diana just didn’t have Max Lord wish to have never made his initial wish in the first place. 

Things I Did Like:

- Pedro Pascal and his performance as Maxwell Lord. I didn’t agree with all of the writing/characterization for ML, but Pedro Pascal acted the hell out of every damn scene and made me believe in his character. I cringed at times, was pissed off at him at times, felt sympathy for him at times, and ultimately, cried during the final scenes with his son. It was all Pedro, I swear though. He was all in and that worked best for this type of comic book type villain. His scenes were among my favorite to watch.

- Though she didn’t have a extensive background/characterization, I did like Barbara and the potential her character had. Kristin Wiig did a great job portraying Barbara, especially as a contrast to Diana. I know we were supposed to side with Diana in a lot of those scenes, but, honestly? From a human/emotional perspective, Barbara was a hell of a lot more relatable.

- Chris Pine can still bring the charisma as Steve Trevor and he did the best he could in his scenes. He and Gal Gadot do still have a lot of chemistry, but the fact that Steve was in another dude’s body made things squicky for me at times. Though, I will admit, I did cry when they said their final goodbye. *sigh*

- The Wonder Woman flying scene and the Themyscira competition at the beginning of the film were lovely to watch and I wish the elements in those scenes had been used more in the rest of the movie.

[woahajimes]

gurl i wanna know your answers to *all* those questions please

bet

What OTPs in your fandom(s) do you just not get?* mmm jayroy and kogane/moniwa i s'pose

Are there any popular fandom OTPs you only BroTP?* jayroy for this one too and maybe batcat? like not brotp but idk i dont ship them // asanoya, kuroken ( i mean i do ship it but im not invested and havent read many fics but i definitely see why its a ship but also they're friendsss)

Have you ever unfollowed someone over a fandom opinion? i once blocked a buncha ppl that i didnt even follow bc they said shitty things about astrid arkham while i thought she was cool

Do you have a NoTP in your fandom? Are they a popular OTP?* as long as they're not incest/pedo ships then i honestly don't mind any ships

Has fandom ever ruined a pairing for you?* uhhh i don't think so? maybe yja birdflash

Has fandom ever made you enjoy a pairing you previously hated?* not really but i have starting shipping pairs bc of fanart and stuff (konbart, kagehina, sunaosa, atsuhina)

Is there anything you used to like but can’t stand now?* like in fandom?? or irl?? bc uhhh ?? ill think about it lmao

Have you received anon hate? What about?*y ooh yes and they're all stupid asf (one about tim, another about steph, a bunch about me, and a few about timkon)

Most disliked character(s)? Why? mmm older jon in certain writings, everything in the 2003 tt run (specially cassie i just can't stand her idk her character was butchered and its not HER and it pisses me off), and uhhh for hq i don't have any in particular. i love them all.

Most disliked arc? Why? hmmm??? i don't knowwwww/ none come to mind lmao but i hate a few i know this (im sure there are a bunch of posts of me professing my hate for arcs n stuff) -- edit: the one in which seijoh my beloved DIDN'T go to nationals like 🙄 the fuck was that one about amirite

Is there an unpopular character you like that the fandom doesn’t? Why? A BUNCH. LORENA AQUAGIRL, GARTH MY BELOVED, miguel <3, that one kid in the 50s batman issue, simon baz, jessica criz, jesse chambers <33 they're not disliked but underrated // for hq its komaki my beloved (like it's all ''pretty setter'' this and ''pretty setter'' that but he's NEVER INCLUDED like smh) ALSO SHIBAYAMA AND INUOKA OMG I LOVE THEM SO MUCH AND KANOKA --again, just underrated (not a SINGLE kanoka playlist. shame.)

Is there an unpopular arc that you like that the fandom doesn’t? Why? mmm?? teen titans from the n52

Unpopular opinion about XXX character? aroace agender jason todd

Unpopular opinion about your fandom? lmfao dc was my first fandom (interacting-with-fandom fandom) and it's all "fuck dc" this and "fuck dc" that so when i enter new fandoms i gotta bite my tongue bc immideately its "i know ur characters better than u, [author]! you suck!" but noo

Unpopular opinion about the manga/show? l5ve it

If you could change anything in the show, what would you change? i'd let seijoh go to nationals... everyone gets to go to nationals fuck you

Instead of XYZ happening, I would have made ABC happen… nah

Does not shipping something ‘popular’ mean you’re in denial and/or biased? i don't get the question bc im tired and have no brains <3 but sometimes i go "i am NOT going to feel this way about XX character because everyone else feels that way about him (read: i will NOT be a jason simp bc everyone's a jason simp anyways -- disclaimer: I AM NOT)

What is the one thing you hate most about your fandom? no <3 --edit: b*tcest shippers

What is the purest ship in the fandom? UHHH harlivy <3 i won't say PURE but yes i love them (ALSO AQUAFLASH) // aofuta, yamatsukki, iwaoi, iwasuga!! (listen. there is lots of angsty fics with them but pls.)

What are your thoughts on crack ships? crack ships as in,,, never interacted in canon ever?? bc if so yes

Popular character you hate? no (joker)

Unpopular character you love? SO MANY OMG. eddie from tt03 (only good character to come put of it i swear) and a LOT more from dc i swear i only love the most unpopular characters and theres NO content so ughh // yes 100/100 all of them. from haikyuu i love all of them

Would you recommend XXX to a friend? Why or why not? yes 1000/1000 if i like it ill recommend it but also sometimes i wanna keep things to myself and for ME but i always end up recommending lmfao

How would you end XXX/Would you change the ending of XXX? hm? no

Most shippable character? uhh dick maybe?? yes def also akaashi and iwa (and oikawa and samu and literslly everyone also daichi and-)

Least shippable character? jason and asahi ... whoops (jason bc i hc his as aroace lol) also like arthur curry like :/