#derisive and condescending

[yeyinde]

there's something about being called "darlin'" or "sweetheart" by a big, gruff man that makes me instantly melt.

[curiousscallop]

being alloromantic sounds so exhausting. how do you all survive. monogamy also. i cannot fucking imagine having a lover i wouldn’t maintain a relationship with if we decided not to kiss or be Together anymore. this is stupid but ??? sometimes i think about it and get really confused!!!

[wanders-in-wonderland]

Ex-Boyfriend

I broke up with him last week. We’d only been dating a few months but the red flags were there. He always wanted to make decisions for me and I’d always felt like he didn’t see me as his equal. He was always treating me like a helpless little girl, being patronizing and condescending at times. The last straw came when he insisted that I quit my job and move in with him so that he could “take care of me properly.”

He took the breakup surprisingly well. No angry outbursts or attempts to convince me to stay. I’d assumed that we would never see each other again and we’d each move on with our lives. I was very wrong.

It was Tuesday night and I’d ordered takeout after a longer-than-usual workday. So when my doorbell rang, I didn’t bother to check the peephole before I excitedly flung it open, expecting to see my dinner. Instead, it was him.

Before I could even register what was going on, he shoved me back and slipped into my apartment, slamming the door behind him and locking it. “What the fuck? What are you doing here?” I’m immediately angry and annoyed, I thought we were going to be mature adults and move on with our lives.

“Shut the fuck up bitch,” he snarls out, his voice deeper and angrier than I’d ever heard it before. It stuns me and a small tendril of fear begins to take root inside of me. He’d never hurt me before, and I’d never been scared of him. Sure, he was overbearing and demanding, but never in a violent way.

But now, the look on his face and his tone suggested otherwise. “Why are you here?” I whisper softly, fear and apprehension taking over my previous anger. He laughs with derision, “I’m here to take back what I own.” His words are delivered with so much finality that I’m thrown. What does that even mean? Before I can fully think about it, he strikes.

His hand comes up and wraps around my throat, tightening and pushing me against the wall. His body presses against me and I cry out from the force of my body hitting the wall. “Stop! Please!” I can hear the terror in my own voice now and the severity of my situation hits me fully. He’s so much bigger than me, stronger, faster, and I know, without a shadow of a doubt, that he could seriously hurt me if he wanted to.

“I said, shut the fuck up, you stupid bitch,” he growls before his lips meet mine in a bruising, punishing kiss. I whimper into his mouth, tasting iron on my own lips as he pushes against me harshly. The hand around my throat tightens even further, restricting my airway and making me lightheaded. His other hand goes between my legs and he rips at my shorts and underwear.

He’d never treated me like this before. Back when we were dating, he was always gentle, sweet, and attentive during sex. But right now, he was anything but soft. His fingers pushed against my core, harshly rubbing my clit, making me whine into his mouth. He pulls his fingers away briefly and breaks away from the kiss to shove his fingers into my mouth.

I gag around them, feeling tears start to gather in my eyes. “You little bitch thought you could just walk away from me? I’m going to make you regret that,” he growls into my ear and pulls his fingers from my mouth.

“Please, no, stop! I don’t want this, please just leave me alone. We broke up, you never have to see my again,” I’m sobbing now, realizing how trapped I am as his intentions become more clear. He scoffs, “Oh no, you are never going to leave me again.”

I cry harder at his words. His fingers, wet with my saliva, come back to my pussy and without any preparation, he thrusts two into my cunt. I wail as I feel him violate me. He starts to pump his fingers, curling them just right to hit that spot inside of me that makes me see stars. He knows my body better than myself and he knows exactly how to touch me to make me fall apart. I can feel my pussy gushing around him, drenching his hand despite my mind knowing that I don’t want this.

“Please, please, please!” I’m begging him, pleas falling from my lips like a mantra, hoping that he would stop and just leave. But he doesn’t. His thumb presses down on my clit with just the right amount of pressure and I can feel myself getting closer and closer to an orgasm.

“Look at you, falling apart like this on my fingers. Your body knows who you belong to, little whore,” he says, his voice rough in my ear. I’m delirious, overwhelmed with pleasure and torn between my body and mind as he works me to my climax. I arch into him and scream as I shatter into an orgasm that leaves me reeling. My pussy clenches around his fingers, squirting my release all over his hand and wrist. It’s humiliating how fast I came apart for him.

His fingers keep playing with my pussy, working me through my orgasm as I pant and moan softly. I collapse against him, feeling broken and defeated. Suddenly, I feel a pinch on my arm and I turn my head to see a syringe sticking out of me. He smiles darkly at me as he pulls it away, and I feel the effects immediately as my eyes start to drift shut and my body falls into unconsciousness.

—

I wake up and immediately recognize my surroundings. I’m in his bedroom, my arms and legs tied to his bedposts as I lay on my back, completely naked. Fear and worry floods my mind when I realize that I’m trapped here with no way out.

“Welcome home, honey,” he says from a corner of the room. My vision darts to him and I see him sitting in his armchair, drinking a glass of his favorite bourbon. “Why am I here? What do you want?” I demand, hoping to infuse anger into my voice but it sounds weak, scared, and helpless even to my own ears.

He smiles. “I think you know what I want. I want you back. And I’m going to have you no matter what it takes.”

“You’re delusional,” I whisper, staring at him. “You raped me. I’m never going to get back together with you.” His smile falls from his face and his eyes harden.

“I wouldn’t call it rape, sweetheart. Not when you squirted all over my fingers. I think you came harder than you ever have, and your body certainly knows who it belongs to,” he says, his vulgar words making me blush. My cheeks burn even more because I know he’s right. He made me fall apart on his fingers despite how much I hated it, and he’s the only person who’s ever been able to control my body so perfectly.

He sets his drink down and pushes up from his chair, stalking towards me. I whimper and cringe away from him as much as I can but he tied me too tightly for me to have any wiggle room. He runs his fingers up my leg, toying with me.

“You see, I think you’ve forgotten that I own you. And I think it’s up to me to remind you. And if you behave like a good girl, I’ll even overlook the fact that you tried to leave me,” he murmurs softly as his fingers brush gently across my pussy. I whimper when he flicks my clit softly, my body jerking against the ropes in response.

“I was so patient with you all throughout our relationship. I gave you time to adjust, even let you keep your little job for a few months. But you just had to go and ruin it all. Now, we have to do things the hard way,” he says as his fingers keep rubbing at my clit.

I can feel my pussy starting to drip again, and I want nothing more than for him to just stop and leave me alone. I hate that my body responds so well to him, and I hate that he knows that. I bite my lip, trying to hold back moans as he works my body closer and closer to another orgasm. My eyes flutter shut as I feel the sensation building, and I want to sob knowing that he can bend my body to his will.

I’m so close now, his fingers finding just the right places to stroke and flick. Small whimpers and whines are escaping my throat as I chase my orgasm. I can feel myself about to erupt when suddenly, he pulls his fingers away. I let out a short wail when my orgasm comes to an abrupt stop, my body clenching and throbbing at the loss of stimulation. My eyes fly open and meet his and I’m sickened to see the satisfaction on his face.

His voice is laced with faux sympathy, “Aw honey, did you want to cum?” I shake my head stubbornly as I pant, trying to get myself back under control. He smiles as he sits down on the bed next to me.

“You see, I spent a long time thinking about how I wanted to break you. I thought about just tying you to a fucking machine and vibrator and letting it completely wreck you. But that’s less fun. I’d much rather take you apart by myself. Maybe next time, I’ll leave you on the machine for a few hours and see how it ruins you. This time though, I want you to know that I can break you myself, with no extra help. So you know that I own you, completely.” He smile is dark and full of promises. Fear is overwhelming me, not just a fear of him, but also fear in knowing that he is absolutely correct.

I stare at him with tears in my eyes, “Please, please don’t do this. I’m sorry I broke up with you but I don’t want this. Please just let me go.” Part of me knows that begging is useless but I can’t help it. I have to try. He tsks at me and I watch as he undresses, showing off his gorgeous body that always made me drool a little.

He comes onto the bed and slots himself in between my legs, looking up at me from my pussy. “By the end of tonight, you’ll be begging me to take you back,” he murmurs, redirecting his gaze to my dripping pussy.

Without another word, he dives into my cunt. He’d always been so good at eating me out and that hasn’t changed at all. His tongue paints long strokes over my pussy as he laps up my wetness. He pays special attention to my clit, expertly playing with it and drawing out gasps, whimpers, and moans from my mouth, despite my best efforts to muffle them. Before long, I can feel my orgasm building. The stimulation is so good against my clit and pussy and I want to beg him to make me cum but I’m too stubborn to let those words come out of my mouth. I’m so close and I can feel myself about to fall off the edge when suddenly, he pulls away. My hips arch upwards embarrassingly, trying to chase the pleasure he’s ripping away from me and I can’t help but let out a sob.

“Poor honey, were you about to cum again?” His voice is tinged with condescension and I want to be angry but all I feel is desperation. “If you beg, I’ll let you cum,” he says, smirking.

I want to scream and beg but I’m too stubborn to give in so all I do is glare at him. He laughs as he presses soft kisses along my thighs and stomach, waiting for my orgasm to fade before beginning again. He brings me to the brink using just his mouth another five more times, each edge chipping away at my resistance. My pussy drools onto the bed under me as I’m subjected to his whims.

I’m sobbing and writhing after another edge and I finally can’t take anymore. “Please,” I whisper, my voice cracking from need and desperation. “Please, let me cum.”

He looks up at me and smiles. “Breaking so soon, honey?” I want to cry and I wish I could be stronger but I’m so fucking desperate. “Please, I’m sorry I broke up with you, it was a mistake,” I murmur, not able to meet his eyes.

The satisfaction on his face makes me feel sick. I hate that he’s able to turn my body against me and I hate that I’m too weak to resist. But his next words make me feel even worse.

“I don’t think you’re actually sorry yet. I think you’re just saying that so I’ll make you cum, honey. And that’s not good enough.” His last words punctuated with his fingers driving into my pussy and I arch my back and wail. It feels so good and I’m so close that I know I’d cum if he just kept going. But he doesn’t. He pulls his fingers out and slides them into his mouth, licking up my wetness from them.

He waits for me to calm down before he dives back in, driving me insane with his mouth and bringing me to the edge over and over again. I lose track of how many orgasms he’s withheld from me but before long, I’m begging with every breath. I’m almost incoherent with need, babbling out pleas to him, trying to say anything and everything that would convince him to let me cum. I’m apologizing over and over again for leaving him, pleading with him to take me back as I writhe and shake under his mouth.

Some amount of time later, he pushes himself up from between my legs and leans over me. His face is inches from mine as his eyes take in my face, pink from desire and need, my eyes watery with tears. His lips meet mine in a soft, gentle kiss and I can taste myself as I melt into it. His hands come up to cup my face gently and I moan softly into his mouth, feeling his warm body cover mine, pressing me into the bed. He’d always made me feel safe, and now is no different. My brain is fuzzy but I’m trying to press myself even closer to him, straining against the ropes toward him.

“Please, please, baby, take me back. I want to be yours again, please, I love you, I’m so sorry,” I’m babbling as soon as his lips leave mine, desperate to convince him to take me back. He smiles tenderly at me, “Of course, honey. I know you were just a little misguided earlier.” The patronizing tone gives me pause for a second, registering in my brain as something that used to annoy me, but the notion fades as quickly as it came.

I arch up toward him, pressing myself into him, trying to rock my pussy against him. “Please, please, please,” I’m whimpering but I’m not sure what I’m begging for, whether it’s to cum or for him to take me back. His fingers trail down to my pussy and he slides two of them inside of me. I gasp and moan deeply, feeling him scissor his fingers and then curl them into my g-spot as his thumb finds my clit. Fuck, it feels so good and I love it so much. I love him so much.

I feel myself barreling toward an orgasm again, and I’m begging again, begging for him to keep going, to let me cum, promising him that I’ll be good, I’ll be the perfect girlfriend, I’ll do whatever he wants if he would just let me cum.

He pulls his fingers away and I let out a gut-wrenching sob. “Aw honey, don’t cry, I have something even better than my fingers for you,” he says, smirking at me. I feel the head of his cock nudge my pussy and I moan and start to beg again.

“Please, please, please give me your cock. Please, I want your cock so much, please!” I’m rocking my hips, trying to entice him to just thrust into me. He rubs the head of his cock along my clit gently and I’m so sensitive that I feel like I could cum from that alone. Then, without warning, he slams his cock home into me.

A scream tears out of my throat as I cum immediately around him. All of the orgasms he’d withheld from me seemed to slam into me all at once and I feel my pussy clench down around him and squirt my release out. He groans in my ear, and I feel a part of me preen in satisfaction knowing that my pussy is making him feel good too. He starts to thrust hard and fast inside of me and I scream as my orgasm seems to continue with no end.

I’m delirious, cockdrunk, moaning and whimpering from the pleasure as he fucks me into the mattress. I wish my arms and legs were untied so that I could wrap around him and hold on, never letting go. He’s relentless as he sets a brutal pace, fucking me so hard that I see stars. The stimulation is overwhelming and I’m sobbing as he takes what he wants from me. I feel his thrusts start to falter and I know he’s close. I whine against him, wanting him to cum inside of me.

“Please, ah, please cum inside of me! Please make me yours!” I want his cum to paint my insides, I want him to claim me inside and out. He moans deep in my ear at my words and with one final, deep thrust, he buries himself inside of me and cums. I feel his cum spray my insides and I cum again, my pussy milking him.

He collapses on top of me, and I love the feeling of his body on top of mine, pressing me deep into the bed. I look up at him through bleary eyes as he leans in to kiss me softly.

“Are you going to be mine forever now?” He whispers against my lips, his eyes gleaming of victory. I smile up at him, content and satisfied, “Forever and always.” I don’t know why I’d ever thought to break up with him in the first place.

[jadeylovesmarvelxo]

You and Eddie are trapped in the drama club after school in the middle of a thunderstorm. Feelings ensue.

I was going to post this tomorrow but I'm feeling kinda crappy so am posting it now ♥️ this is enemies to oh my god I'm falling for you fic.

💞

Hawkins was in the middle of the worst storm it had seen in years. The rain hadn't stopped since this morning and you could hear thunder rumbling in the distance.

All in all you wished you were tucked up at home right now instead of making your way to the drama room.

You weren't sure what possessed you to even bother going to find Eddie. Surely you had seen enough of him today that avoiding him would be a no brainer.

Eddie had been your enemy from the day the two of you first met. You met him at a talent show in middle school and were performing with your fellow cheerleaders, Eddie was performing with his band Corroded Coffin and the two of you met backstage and well sparks flew and not in a good way.

He looked different then. A buzz cut and a little less dramatic but still the same smug smile and condescending tone. That meeting kick-started the war between the two of you.

Except his stupid little barb aimed at you had been playing on your mind all day. He loved irritating you and spent a good portion doing it earlier.

Even worse he had left his metal lunchbox at your shared table in Mrs O'Donnell's class and you weren't carrying that monstrosity around all weekend.

So you decided to show up at Hellfire, straight after cheer practice to return the item. You don't want to spend any more time with Eddie than necessary so you'll make this quick.

You can hear him setting up for Hellfire and muttering to himself. Taking a deep breath you head inside the drama room and he peers up at you, irritation on his face.

"Princess to what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?" He says with a hint of derision in his tone and you hurry over to place the lunchbox on the table. Now you could get far far away from the asshat as possible.

"You left this at our table Munson" his face softens into relief as he picks up the metal lunch then he scowls.

"You can go now" he motions to the door and you feel a flicker of annoyance. Couldn't he thank you for returning it at least?

"Could you at least have some manners" you huff and he smirks as he sets up one of the figures in his campaign.

"Thank you for returning it princess, now go away" he returns back to positioning the figures and you growl under your breath. He's still smiling and you're distracted for a split second at the tattoos on his arm, the bats. You've never seen them this close before and a part of you wants to reach out and touch one of them.

Wait...what the fuck? You really needed to get away from Munson, you could never think straight around him. He made you muddled at times.

"You know you really should see someone about your anger issues around me sweetheart" he suggests with a smirk and you gawk at him.

"What! You're the one who is constantly pissing me off. I swear you get some sick joy out of it" there's a faint crackling of a radio and Eddie picks up a walkie talkie completely ignoring what you said.

"Eddie, we can't get out. I'm with Mike and Lucas and Mrs Wheeler has put her foot down. She says the storm is too bad for driving" Eddie grumbles and swears under his breath.

"Henderson it's not even that bad" at that point there's a huge clap of thunder that makes you jump. It's not like you hate storms, you like them well enough but you'd prefer to be at home and cosy.

Preferably not with Munson either. You raise your eyebrow at him and he meets your gaze giving you one half of his devil sign.

Okay, you've had enough now and storm away from him, the wind whips at your hair but you don't care. You'll walk home, it won't take that long.

"Bye bye princess" Eddie waves at you from the drama door and you resist the urge to flip him the bird. Rise about it... Rise about it. Don't tell him to kiss your ass...

You're so wrapped up in your thoughts that you almost miss the tree you're sheltering under jerk violently in the wind and one of its roots rips off. It's massive.

There's a split second of silence, you freeze and fear pounds in your chest and you're sure that the tree root will crush you but just at the last minute you're knocked out of the way.

You and Eddie crash to the ground in a tangle of limbs. He's breathing hard and his arms are wrapped around you tightly. "Shit, you okay?"

There's a ringing in your ears and you're shaking but manage to calm down enough that Eddie helps you up. "Yeah, I'm okay" you shiver as the rain water has drenched your clothes and there's a stinging sensation on your arm.

"I need to patch that cut up princess, there should be a first aid kit somewhere in the drama room" he leads you inside and the both of you don't notice the door shut tightly. Usually it's propped open with something but in your haste to get back inside the item is disregarded.

Eddie is too focused on you to notice, worry etches his features. He leaves briefly and comes back with a first aid kit.

He's quiet as he patches up the cut on your arm and you access him for injuries, "Are you okay Eddie?" It's maybe the first time you've called him Eddie and not Munson or dumbass.

"I'm okay, he speaks in a soothing tone and that relaxes you as he looks over your body for any injuries. There's a faint cut on your knee and Eddie kneels down to patch that up as well.

He hesitates for a second then gently cleans the cut, his fingers on your skin do funny things to your stomach. A shiver (a good one) runs down your spine.

Eddie's pretty brown eyes don't help the fluttering in your stomach. Fuck.

♥️

Eddie tries to pry the door open once he notices it's shut fully. The two of you are going to try and at least get to his van, he had offered to drive you home. Which was nice of him. He had been nicer than you ever thought he could be today.

"Ahh shit, Eddie curses and he manages to get the door open but it shuts again right away with the force of the wind.

"We should wait until that calms down" you suggest and he nods in trepidation. It's getting quite late and the sky is darkening even more. The storm hasn't abated yet... The wind is still fierce and the rain is coming down albeit a little less than before but it's still bad.

You're still shivery and curse the thin fabric of your cheer uniform. Eddie nudges your shoulder and you notice that he's slipped his leather jacket over to you.

"Thanks" you murmur and he nods tightly, his legs jittery as he waits for the storm to pass.

"Um so is the band good?" You nod to his discarded denim vest and the band Dio on the back of it. Eddie smiles and nods. "Mmm yeah, don't think it would be your type of thing princess"

"I went to see Black Sabbath with my cousin Jamie. He's like a massive fan of Ozzy Osbourne, it wasn't too bad" Eddie's jaw drops and his eyes are wide as he gazes at you.

"I know I'm just full of surprises aren't I Munson?" you tease and he's still speechless.

"You saw the god that is Ozzy Osbourne?" you shrug and feel flustered under his awed gaze. It's making you feel all tingly. Something that has happened more and more around Eddie.

"I never thought I'd see the day that you were speechless Eddie Munson" you smirk then wince as a particular loud boom of thunder startles you.

You wrap Eddie's jacket around you and nuzzle into it. It smells faintly of weed and cigarettes but also whatever cologne Eddie wears, it's nice and it comforts you.

"I might be able to get some pillows and shit from the staff room, I don't know how long we will have to wait, we might need to stay here for the night or until the storm fades a bit" Eddie says and gets up.

You notice he has to keep moving and busy. It must be so he doesn't freak out. The storm is worse than either of you thought it was.

"How are you going to do that? It will be locked wouldn't it?" He grins and doesn't seem to be perturbed by this in the slightest.

"The nurses office could have blankets too. We should go there" you tell him and he nods then frowns.

"You should stay here princess. I will probably need to break in and well...everyone expects the freak to get into shit don't they, not Hawkins good girl" you scoff but feel sympathy that people think so badly of him.

It wasn't like you thought he was an asshole all the time, he definitely had his moments of being sweet...

"You need my help to get blankets if the nurse has some and the pillows. Snacks too possibly and I'm the only one with a bag and cash on me" he thinks about this then nods in agreement.

Somehow you and Eddie manage to wrangle a big blanket from the nurses office and cushions from the sofa in the teachers lounge. Also a few snacks to last the night. Eddie gulps his yoo hoo down before the two of you even get back to the drama room.

You try to make a somewhat makeshift bed on the floor with the cushions and blanket. Just in case.

Eddie is still restless but calms down when you get up to look over the campaign. There's a Dungeons and Dragons handbook on the table and a notebook that looks like it's full of Eddie's own notes.

He points out the different figures and you listen interested in the complexity of the game and take a seat on the throne like chair. "That's my spot" Eddie frowns and you settle back grinning.

"I like this spot" you beam and he shakes his head exasperated.

"Alright, looks like you're the dungeon master for the night princess" you smirk at this and turn to Eddie.

"Does that mean I can tell you what to do?" He chuckles, and shakes his head.

"That's not what a Dungeon Master is, I organise the campaign, weave the challenges the rest of the team face, shit like that. I love it" you pout at his explanation and Eddie gazes at your lips for a few seconds. Enough for your heart to skip a beat.

"Um what's a Demogorgon?" You ask feeling nervous all of a sudden and Eddie explains what it is but that funny tension is still in the air.

Even with the wind whistling outside you and Eddie don't notice. Bickering and far too wrapped up in each other to notice.

🖤

At some point near ten you feel your eyes begin to get heavy and stifle a yawn. You try to fight the feeling but one minute Eddie is talking to you and the next your head drops on his shoulder.

When Eddie wakes up you're still fast asleep on his shoulder and it makes his heart race. It feels so...right being with you like this.

It's six am according to the clock on the wall above the door. It surprised him that he slept so well but he thinks it has a little something to do with you.

Gently he tucks a strand of hair away from your face, feels the softness of your skin and a pit of longing forms in his stomach.

Fuck, he really wants you.

The storm has calmed down and he finds that he's disappointed. He's enjoyed speaking to you, more than he ever thought possible. What did that mean?

You wake up while he's pondering this. It's still dark out and now the storm has all but disappeared. Eddie feels cold when you shift from his shoulder, looking away shyly.

"Sorry, I didn't realise" you murmured and his fingers graze over yours.

"You don't have to apologise sweetheart, it was nice princess" a soft silence lingers over the two of you and you sigh.

"The weather seems to have cleared up" there's a wistful tone to your voice. Eddie wonders if you're as disappointed as him that you're free to leave.

"I had a really great time with you" you turn to him and he smiles pleased.

"You're not so bad yourself" he nudges you gently and he leans close to you, instinctively you mimic his movements. The two of you are so close now, sparks flying and the longing growing even more.

His lips are centimetres from yours and there's only a tiny gap, you're eager to close the distance. Just as your lips touch the door bangs open and Dustin, Lucas, Mike and Steve rush in.

You and Eddie wrench apart. "Eddie dude, what the hell happened?" Dustin gawks at you and you hurry over to where Steve is feeling flustered as hell.

Eddie's eyes meet yours while Dustin is talking to him and you realise that maybe Eddie hasn't been your enemy for a long time and something else has been brewing between you two all along.

...

💞

...

[estellan0vella]

Fraying Ties Older Brother Sukuna AU HFBU

The buzz of the tattoo parlour hums in the background as you sketch the final touches on a client's custom design. It's a calming routine that helps you focus, a necessary reprieve from the unpredictable nature of your epilepsy.

As you admire the intricate patterns forming on the paper, the door chime jingles. You look up, expecting a potential client or one of the regulars. Instead, your heart sinks as you see your parents storming in.

Their faces twist in disgust as they take in the sight of the parlour. The scorn in their eyes immediately focuses on you, and you brace yourself for the onslaught.

"Well, look who it is," your mother sneers, her voice dripping with condescension. "Still wasting your life away in this dump?"

You open your mouth to respond, but your father cuts you off with a derisive laugh. "And look at that," he points to the large tattoo on your arm. "Making yourself even more of a freak than you already are."

Heat flushes your cheeks, anger bubbling up inside you. But before you can retort, Gojo saunters over from his piercing station, his casual demeanour a stark contrast to the rising tension. "Hey there, Mr. and Mrs. Y/L/N," he says with a smile that doesn't reach his eyes. "Can I help you with something?"

"Stay out of this, Gojo," your father snaps. "We're here to talk some sense into our daughter."

"Yeah, I don't think that's gonna happen," Gojo replies, his tone light but his eyes hardening. "Maybe you should leave before things get out of hand."

"Out of hand?" Your mother scoffs. "The only thing out of hand is our daughter throwing her life away and associating with people like you."

"People like me?" Gojo's eyebrows shoot up, amusement flickering across his face. "You mean successful, independent, and happy? Yeah, terrible influences."

Your parents' faces darken, but before they can retort, Toji and Geto join the fray. Toji crosses his arms, a menacing glint in his eyes, while Geto stands tall and imposing beside him.

"Is there a problem here?" Toji asks, his voice low and dangerous.

"Yes," your father barks. "Our daughter is the problem. She needs to come home and stop this nonsense."

"Nonsense?" Geto echoes, a smirk playing on his lips. "You mean her job that she's amazing at? The career she's passionate about?"

Your mother's eyes narrow, her gaze flicking to your tattoo again. "And look at her, covered in those hideous tattoos. It's disgraceful."

"Disgraceful?" you finally find your voice, your hands trembling with rage. "The only disgrace here is how you treat me. You've never accepted me for who I am, and you never will."

"Watch your mouth, young lady," your father growls, stepping towards you menacingly.

"I'm done watching my mouth," you snap back. "You're a miserable old bastard, and you," you point at your mother, "are a condescending bitch."

The room goes silent for a moment, the weight of your words hanging in the air. Your father's face turns red with fury, and he raises his hand as if to strike you. But before he can make contact, Toji steps forward, grabbing his wrist in a vice-like grip.

"Touch her," Toji warns, his voice a deadly whisper, "and you'll regret it."

Yuji and Megumi, who had been quietly observing the chaos, rush to your side. Yuji clings to your leg, his eyes blazing with defiance. "I'll kick you again!" he shouts at your father, his small frame trembling with anger.

Megumi nods, his own expression fierce. "Yeah, and I'll help!"

You smile down at them, your heart swelling with gratitude and love. "It's okay, boys," you say softly. "I've got this."

But your father isn't done. "This is exactly why you need to come home," he snarls. "Look at what kind of people you're surrounding yourself with."

You laugh, a bitter sound that echoes in the tense room. "These people," you say, gesturing to Gojo, Toji, Geto, and the kids, "are more family to me than you ever were. So why don't you just fuck off?"

"Fuck off!" Yuji and Megumi echo in unison, their voices filled with innocent ferocity.

Gojo bursts into laughter, clapping a hand on your shoulder. "You heard the lady. Time for you to leave."

Your parents stand there, stunned and humiliated. Finally, with one last glare, they turn and storm out of the parlour, slamming the door behind them.

The tension in the room dissipates, replaced by a collective sigh of relief. You sink into a chair, your hands still shaking, but a weight lifted from your shoulders.

"Those are the only people you can tell to fuck off," Toji says, ruffling Yuji's hair affectionately.

"Yeah," Geto adds, crouching down to Megumi's level. "But you did good, sticking up for Y/N."

Yuji grins up at you. "Did we do good, Y/N/N?"

"So good," You say. 

As you pull Yuji and Megumi into a hug, the door chime jingles again. This time, it's Sukuna, back from his errands. He steps inside, immediately sensing the residual tension in the air. His sharp eyes scan the room, taking in your pale face and the relieved expressions of your friends.

Before he can ask what happened, Yuji rushes over to him, eyes wide with excitement. "Suku! Me and Megumi told Y/N/N's parents to fuck off! And I threatened to kick her dad again!"

Sukuna's eyebrows shoot up in surprise, and then a slow, dangerous smile spreads across his face. "Did you now?" he says, his voice low and amused. He ruffles Yuji's hair, pride glinting in his eyes.

Toji steps forward, crossing his arms over his chest. "Yeah, her parents showed up, causing trouble. We had to step in. Y/N handled it like a champ, though."

Gojo appears beside you, pressing a sugary soda into your hand. "Here, drink this," he says softly as he guides you to a chair. "You need to get your blood sugar up."

You take the soda gratefully, sipping it slowly as the room starts to feel more grounded. Sukuna walks over, his eyes softening as they meet yours. He crouches down beside your chair, one hand gently cupping your face. "You okay, baby?"

You nod, feeling the weight of his concern. "Yeah, I'm okay. Just...a lot to deal with."

Sukuna's thumb strokes your cheekbone as you sip on the drink. "Did they touch you?"

"No," Toji interjects. "But her dad was about to. I made sure he didn't."

Sukuna's jaw clenches, his anger barely contained. "They're lucky they didn't." He looks back at you, his expression softening again. "I'm proud of you. You stood up to them."

You manage a small smile, the support from everyone around you filling you with a sense of belonging. "Thanks. It was time."

Megumi tugs at Sukuna's sleeve, his serious little face looking up at him. "We helped too, Suku. We protected Y/N/N."

Sukuna's expression softens even further as he looks down at Megumi. "You both did great," he says, ruffling the boy's hair. "I'm proud of you, too."

Gojo chuckles, the tension fully melting away now. "Well, looks like we've got the best team here. No one messes with our family."

Your heart swells at his words. Family. That's what this was. Not the toxic relationship with your parents, but this—a group of people who truly cared for you.

You take another sip of the soda, feeling the lightheadedness start to fade. "Thank you, all of you. I don't know what I'd do without you."

Sukuna stands up, pulling you to your feet and wrapping an arm around your waist. "You'll never have to find out," he promises, his voice a low growl. "We're here for you, always."

Yuji and Megumi cheer, their youthful exuberance a balm to your weary soul. You laugh, the sound light and genuine. Surrounded by your chosen family, you know that no matter what comes your way, you'll be able to face it together.

taglist - @sad-darksoul @thejujvtsupost @kyo-kyo1 @kalulakunundrum @ryomku

[nathanielzalexandria]

I love all the headcanons of "Steve is not dumb he's..." Hard of hearing, has poor eyesight, learning disability or his primary language is not English. I particularly enjoyed @dwobbitfromtheshire 's recent headcanon that he's hiding it because his father hates feeling inferior and only Eddie realizes that he is not dumb. But I would like to throw my own hat in the ring.

Steve is not dumb. Actually, he's quite smart and did quite well in school (because his parents would not expect anything less). He just wasn't into nerd culture and everyone just placed their stereotypes and rumours of him being a pretty and privileged rich jock who bought his way out of school but couldn't buy his way into college. Nevermind that he was in the top 10 students of his year and for most of his classes if not topping them and if not he wasn't failing the rest other than one or two science/math-based (rumours say the school forged those marks so that Steve could continue sports) and had a 3.6 GPA. It wasn't enough to get into his Dad's alma mater so his dad dismissed any of the other schools he got accepted into.

He does not try to hide his intelligence from Nancy or the Party, but Nancy had bought into the "Steve is simple-minded " narrative and the like before they got together and failed to realize that they are both in the same AP classes that were full of seniors and in any group or partnered project he more-than-well pulled his weight and had his own insights. So she spreads the narrative to Mike who spreads it to the rest of the party so by the time the events that befan with Dustin asks him for help with his "dog" and developed into concussed in the back of a car while a preteen drove his car, the kids have also bought into parts of the narrative. It doesn't help that he really isn't into the stereotypical nerdy stuff

Even his best friend Robin believed the lie until she worked with him and then got tortured with him by Russians. She eventually realises that he's way smarter in a practical sense than people give him credit for (he did raise himself since he was 11 or so) but does not think of it as stretching into the academic side of his life. She has not stopped calling him "dingus" though.

Eddie on the other hand knows better, which is why when a specific exam was coming up he turned to Steve.

He barged into the Harrington home a day when tye entire party was their.

"Stevie, you either have to tutor me or lend me your notes for this class. I am not failing this class and increasing the possibility of another year at fucking Hawkins."

Mike and Dustin burst out laughing at that before Steve can answer.

"I know you're e bad at that subject, but I didn't realise you were desperate enough to use Steve's notes," Dustin says with that condescending tone that means it should be obvious to Eddie.

Mike snorts at that derisively, "If he even has notes."

"Maybe," Lucas said diplomatically, "there are better options than using Steve's notes?"

Nancy steps up next offering some of her notes and flashcards since she took the class last year/is taking the class, "It's not my strongest subject but if we do a study group I'm sure you won't fail the class."

Eddie stares at the group with growing bewilderment as they agree that Nancy is the best choice while implying that Steve was not. Actually, they were acting as though he was dumb for even asking Steve, which made no sense to him.

Eddie turned his eyes to Steve. His posture by the kitchen island was much more different than when Eddie burst in. He had subtly curled into himself as if to make himself smaller, shoulders tense and a resignation on his face as if he's been through this conversation so many times before.

It was almost as if...

"You guys think that Steve is dumb, don't you?"

There was the type of silence that only comes when the quiet part is said outloud.

"No we don't think Steve's dumb," Robin begins and Eddie can hear the 'but' before she even said it, "But you know he wasn't good at the school part of school."

She continued to ramble on from there but Eddie did not hear any of it. He was too busy reevaluating the group he was with and rechecking old memories and facts to see if there was any inkling of truth to this strange idea that even the older teens should know isn't true.

It took him a moment to find the answer, and when he did he could not stop the derisive laugh that burst out and interrupted Robin's ramble.

"You guys fucking bought into the rumours, didn't you? I expect that from the kids maybe even Johnathan, maybe even Robin because of you became friends after he left school, but not from you, Nancy."

Nancy had that look on her face that she got when she was ready to argue but Eddie steamrolled over it.

"Jesus H Christ! Weren't y'all together for a whole fucking year? How do you not know that he was at the top of his year when you were together? Unless you dismissed that in favour of believing the rumours that his parents paid for his grades and the school wanted to make sure he kept on playing sports?"

He paused for a second waiting for someone to contradict him, but the look on Nancy's face was one of scrambling to defend herself. He sighed at that; she still wasn't getting it and it a sweeping look at the others proved they were lost too.

"Even if they paid off the school he would not have been in the top ten of his year, he would be like Carver and Hagan whose parents paid and their grades were just good enough to get into a decent college without too many questions. And they would not have kept on giving him high grades after he stopped doing any kind of sport in his last 2 years at that dump. Hell if Hargrove wasn't such a fucking beast at sports he would have been told he would have to repeat his senior year with me."

"It's okay Eddie; leave it go." He turned a fake sunny smile with his eyes tightly shut towards Eddie as if to pacify him.

Eddie turned to Steve who had yet to say anything throughout Eddie's diatribe up until that moment. He just continued to robotically make dinner for the party as though nothing was wrong, as though the hurt dripping off him didn't matter.

"I'm not letting this go! They had classes with you, some of which I'm pretty fucking sure were AP classes. If I had the attendance needed I would have graduated last year because of you, Stevie. So excuse me if I'm a bit annoyed that our friends are so blinded by a rumour that they can't fucking see your Salutatorian medal. Hanging. Right. There!"

All eyes except Eddie and Steve's turned in the direction that Eddie pointed at.

And there on the wall, was a framed silver medal with the word "Salutatorian" emblazoned on it. The party immediately burst into chaos amongst each other.

"Now, pretty boy, are you gonna tutor me or what?"

Or it goes something like that, I'm not sure.

[neochan]

in need of psycho!jaemin that talks in suchhhh a condescending tone that just makes you feel dumb because he needs to keep you that way

Jaemin leaned against the doorframe, his smirk widening as he watched you fumble with the necklace he had given you. His eyes glinted with amusement, taking in every clumsy attempt you made to fasten it around your neck.

"Oh, look at you," he drawled, his voice dripping with condescension. "Trying so hard to put on something so simple. It's almost cute, really." He straightened up and sauntered over to you, his presence looming over your shoulder. "Did you need me to help you again, slowly this time? I know it can be challenging for someone like you."

Your cheeks burned with humiliation, but you nodded, unable to meet his gaze. Jaemin chuckled softly, a sound that sent chills down your spine. He reached around you, his breath warm against your ear as he took the necklace from your trembling hands.

"You see, it's not your fault you can't manage on your own," he continued, his tone mockingly sympathetic. "Some people just aren't cut out for this kind of thing. But don't worry, I'll always be here to guide you. After all, where would you be without me? Lost, confused... so helpless."

He fastened the necklace with infuriating ease, his fingers brushing against your skin. Your heart sank, feeling even smaller under his gaze.

"So, what is it this time?" Jaemin asked, stepping back but keeping his eyes fixed on you. "Something you can't figure out? Go on, ask. I promise I won't laugh... much."

You took a deep breath, trying to steady your nerves. "I don't understand why you always make me feel this way," you admitted quietly.

Jaemin's smirk widened. "Of course you don't," he said, his voice laced with derision. "It's a bit too complex for someone at your level. But I'll explain it to you. Again."

He took your hands in his, his grip firm but not painful, his eyes locking onto yours with an intensity that made your breath catch. "You need me, don't you see?" he whispered, his tone dangerously soft. "Without me, you're nothing. You'd be lost, adrift, unable to find your way. But with me... with me, you have purpose. You have direction. I complete you."

His words were like a twisted lullaby, soothing yet terrifying. Every sentence felt like a reminder of your dependence on him, a reminder that you were at his mercy. And he enjoyed every second of it.

"See? It's not that hard to understand," he said, finally letting go of your hands. "Even you can grasp it, if you just pay attention. But don't worry, I'll always be here to make sure you don't forget. After all, you belong to me."

[isarocks]

it's raining outside; the electricity has been out for who knows how long, and the fear of being alone has finally begun to sink in.

behind you, there's a sudden crash, and you can't help but gasp.

"oh, god!"

"god? where? it's just little old me, babe." the voice behind you is amused and deliciously deep. but you're alone! you whip around, terrified, only to be met with a white mask.

"who are you!?"

the masked man raises a hand — you, of course, are frozen in shock — and uses his pointer to gently push your glasses back up your nose.

when he speaks again, his voice is condescending, mocking you. "i'm ghostface, baby, haven't you heard of me?"

your breath catches in your throat — you have. and he knows that, has read all the little expressions on your face.

"so you do." his finger traces lightly down your cheek before he tilts your face up. "oh, you're so cute."

you attempt to take a step back; he stops you. "ah, ah, ah, sweetheart, no running away."

you're so scared. you're so terrified you can't breathe. there are tears pooling in your eyes, and then they begin to fall. he brushes them away, surprisingly gentle, before huffing out a small derisive laugh.

"hey, don't cry. how 'bout this? i won't kill you, just because i like you. see, special treatment."

he acts like this is something you should be happy about, being liked by a serial killer.

and then his gloved hand falls around loosely your neck, and the mood shifts, becomes more tense. "only if you're good, though."

[lewdangelsou]

cats don't speak

sypnosis || scaramouche ordered some gifts for his lover to try out.

warnings: lower case intentional, mean scaramouche, afab gn! reader (using she/her), filming, fingers down your throat, saliva/spit/drool, choking, dacryphilia, mention of butt plug, heavy degrading, sprinkle of praise. getting called kitty. humiliation.

minors dni

·˚ ༘ not proofread hehe

the pads of his fingers caress the texture of the leather that wrap around her neck, the bell dangling with soft dings. scaramouche smirks, gazing down at herㅡ on her knees on the floor, looking up at him through those pretty long lashes with a hint of shame within her eyes.

"see? it's perfect." his smile was condescending, a type of malice that made her heart pound against her ribcage. scaramouche traces the artificial ears that clipped to her soft hair, he's starting to treat her just like a small pet; delicate and needy.

his lover puckers her lips into a slight pout, the plug nestled deep into that tight cavern of her rear, an uncomfortable yet sensational feeling, the fluffy tail resting in between her thighs. "it feels weird..." she confesses, resting her cheek upon the rough denim of his lap.

the entire ordeal of getting dragged to his bedroom with a nicely wrapped package on his sheets piqued her curiosity greatly, only to reveal that they're merely toys for his entertainment. for his model, his muse, his loverㅡ she's the perfect candidate for his sore eyes. scaramouche doesn't listen to her complaints in the beginning, her sentences falling to deaf ears as each article of clothing strips off of her body just for this act of power.

he tips her head back, "i don't understand you, kitty" a derisive grin spread across his handsome face, causing her very core to tighten from the voltage of adrenaline.

"come on, meow for the camera."

a thick clump of saliva dries her throat as she swallows, a whole weight of shame lay heavy within her head as her pupils gloss towards the camera. she hesitates, ".. me.. mew..?"

despite her best attempt, scaramouche isn't pleased. he pulls at her bottom lip to part them, eyeing the pink interior of her mouth as strings of saliva thread loosely. "i know you look so pathetic but at least try."

".. scaramouche, come onㅡ"

her eyes gape immediately at the flavorless taste of his fingers pushing past her teeth, pressing down on her tongue to silence her protests. as if on an instant, she clicked right back to her place, kneeling before the man who has spoiled her with his morbid affection.

"if you can't meow, why not lick, hm?"

he drags his fingers across the surface of her pink tongue, gently moving in and out of her mouth, suggesting that she puts in the effort for him. through her muddled vision she submits, suckling on his fingers until a rhythm builds that satisfies them both. with each bob of her her head, the bell attached to her collar jingles, only adding to the throb that aches scaramouche's cock.

his indigo eyes watching every detail of the way her pretty lips wrap around his middle and ring finger, glazing them with spit each time she parts from it for a single second before drawing in once more. he groans, voice mixing with the followed slurping noise of her continuous sucking.

"hah.. finally, something you're good for."

her heart quelled, urging herself to go faster, deeper. thus, scaramouche muses at the way she gags at the tips of his digits hitting the back of her throat, feeling his dull nails hit the flesh. tears form to sear her vision and pearl down her flushed cheeks, the thickened tension between them making it difficult to breathe. and through all of this, she doesn't take her eyes away from the lenses of scaramouche's phone as he fails to keep it steady.

she even puts on a show, opening her mouth enough to swirl her tongue around his fingers like an obedient pet, before shoving them deep down her throat once more. drool dribbles down her chin and dripping down to the surface of her cleavage, adding to the pornographic-like feel that is presented to him.

"fuck that's it."

[aubvrns]

would you be up to write for alex based on your fav songs maybee

Gold Rush — T.S

| SVU & Stories

Sypnosis — The struggle of loving Alexandra Cabot from afar, who everyone wonders what must it be like to love her.

Note — Fluff, Light Angst, Admiring from Afar, Alex being a tease but oblivious, and avoidant Reader.

(Female lawyer centered, pronouns used!)

———————————————————————

!!

Gleaming, twinkling Eyes like sinking ships on waters So inviting, I almost jump in

“Y/N? Come down here, captain’s requesting your presence for the debriefing.”

“Okay, I’ll be there in 10.” You said, tying your hair up in a ponytail before dropping the call.

You grabbed your briefcase and complied all the documents needed for the case you were working on, organizing them by size.

John usually called you whenever you were needed in the precinct right after your arraignment, but you managed to arrange your time just in case. It took you exactly ten minutes to get there by taxi, thankful for the considerate couple who let you ride before them.

Upon your entrance, you paused mid-step, a frown forming as you spotted Alex seated across from Olivia and Elliot. Your eyes swept the room, taking in the scene. "Who died?"

"Y/N, sit, no one died." Olivia chuckled, gesturing towards the empty chair beside Alex.

You sat beside the blonde and slightly moving the chair at a distance, putting your briefcase beside the chair. You can feel Alex’s gaze on you and you could only clear your throat.

"Atleast not yet." Elliot placed a file on the table and you both leaned forward to read it, although you didn’t get much far. You felt as if your heart was beating out of your chest when you saw what it was about, looking at Olivia and all she could do was shrug.

"You want us to work together?" Alex questioned, her tone derisively condescending.

Elliot crossed his arms, "For this case, yes. We’ve got serial killing syndicates across Manhattan to Harlem, and we’ve processed none."

"Okay, but why me? You’ve got Casey." You asked before turning to Alex. "Not that I have anything against you, it’s just that—"

Oh my god, her blue eyes are so pretty.

Alex pursed her lips as she stared at you, "So you basically hate me? Okay, that’s alright."

You rolled your eyes, instinctively looking away before she could see your rose tinted cheeks.

"Casey’s on a well-deserved vacation. She isn’t coming back in a week, give the poor woman a break."

The brunette uttered, "Besides, you guys are best suited for this case. Together."

You sigh, fixating on your watch before Elliot touched your shoulder to get your attention. "Y/N, c’mon."

"When do we start anyway? So far, your evidence is still circumstantial." Alex asked, crossing her arms.

"Fin and Munch called from Bellevue. Estelle Bauldelaire was overdosed with Hallucinogens. Guess who was indicted for running an underground drug cartel?"

You furrowed your eyebrows, reading the file once again when he added,

"Her con girlfriend."

—

I don’t like a gold rush, gold rush I don’t like anticipating my face in a red flush I don’t like how anyone would die to feel your touch

Alex groaned at the columns that was messily distributed on the carpet. Her hands folding the papers, clearly frustrated. "This is sickening."

You sat on the floor with her, leaning back to the edge of the couch before helping her categorize the files.

"Don’t be so dramatic, Cabot. We haven’t even started yet."

She dragged an exasperated exhale and composing herself together. This wasn’t the first time you both worked on a case. The last case you’ve worked on together was successful at most, winning effortlessly.

Unfortunately, the only disadvantage was that you have had a something for her in forever.

A feeling in your chest that you couldn’t shake off everytime she was ever near you. How your cheeks heated up when she gives you the minimum of attention.

It was ridiculous. The way you couldn’t make eye contact when she was talking to you. You honestly felt like a teenager obsessing for sweaty basketball players during Field Day, that was exactly how it was with Alex.

"How can we work on our arguments when we don’t even have an indictment yet?" The blonde reasoned as she sipped from her coffee mug.

You played with the brim of the paper, "Well, Estelle is bound to go to trial. All we can do is sit here and wait."

A moment passed and the silence was deafening. You two were skimming throughout the textbooks following the Bauldelaire case, writing on colored sticky notes.

Then, a knock came onto the door, disrupting the adequate peace.

"Lex?" An unfamiliar man seeps in the door. Alex smiled and stood up, walking over to him.

With her hand on the side of the door, they talked together remotely which leaves you with your lonely, forlorn self. You wondered what on earth could be so funny that you heard Alex laugh, the soft sound warming your heart.

Alex welcomed him to her office, introducing him to you. "Y/N, this is Dr. Huang. If you don’t mind, he’ll stay here for awhile."

The doctor waved his hand to you, offering a warm smile before reaching to shake your hand.

You accepted, shaking your head in response, "No worries, I was about to leave anyway." Your nails dig against your palm, fixated on the documents you reviewed before uncluttering the mess.

Really, when you said we haven’t even started? Alex thought and watching you clean after yourself. She didn’t want you to go so soon, but assumed it was because of the unfamiliarity.

You wish you hadn’t made such a disorganized space. It was awkward to crawl on the floor as the two chat in front of you. You saw how he fixed her hair, tucking it behind her ears, making you want to crawl out of your skin.

Fortunately, you finished putting all the documents and notes inside your briefcase. With a simple glance, you take in Alex once again. Looking at her smile as she talked to the doctor made you wish it was you she was talking to.

Bidding goodbye, you exit the office with a heavy exhale, alongside a heavy heart.

—

Everybody wants you Everybody wonders what it would be like to love you Walk past, quick brush I don’t like slow motion, double vision in a rose blush

A few days later, you had finished practicing, done reviewing, and gone to the precinct.

You stopped at a local bistro to order coffee, from a very pleading request by the captain. They forgot to restock their needs, and luckily, you were patient enough to buy some.

You got out of your car, firmly holding the cups as you press the buttons on the elevator.

When you arrived to the floor, you were swarmed by alot of civilians. They kept yelling, being strided away by the detectives.

Because of the cramped area, you were pushed by the people backwards causing you to spill a cup of coffee to a woman’s shirt.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?!" The lady barked, causing you to flinch slightly at the volume of her voice.

"I am so sorry, I didn’t mean to—"

The next thing you know, a hot, searing pain came running down your shirt. You wince in affliction, dropping the rest of the cups on a table before escorting yourself out of the room. You were truly sorry, but you couldn’t handle the embarassment of it all.

Thankfully, the bathroom was empty.

You locked the door, taking your blazer off. Luckily, you have always brought an extra shirt in your briefcase.

But your smile quickly falters when you realize you left it in your car.

Closing your eyes, you accepted defeat. You should have been more careful, and if you were, you wouldn’t have been drenched in coffee.

A knock came to the door caught your attention. You hands frantically put on your blazer, "Wait a second!" You exclaimed, unable to hook the buttons properly.

"It’s Alex. You okay in there?"

You slowly opened the door, revealing the concerned woman. You bite your lip in unease and let her inside the comfort room.

"Can you give these to the woman and tell her I feel sorry? It should be enough to dry her shirt."

You handed her a packet of wipes. But instead of accepting it, she took a wipe and rubbed it on your what-was-once pristine shirt.

"You shouldn’t feel sorry, Y/L/N. What she said and did was so out of line. It was just an accident."

You slightly panic, feeling her wipe your skin. Out of the awkwardness, you gently take the wipe from her, "Thank you. I really think I should get home, though,"

She gave you this sorry look, taking your hand in hers before opening her mouth to speak. "I’ll tell the others you had an emergency. But why did you buy coffee?"

"Captain called me asking if I had time to stop by. Why?"

"I already bought the squad coffee with Huang. Olivia asked us before we left my office."

Oh.

You’ve been waiting for twenty minutes for their order, swarmed by half the population, and drenched in caffeine. In conlusion, you went through the depths of hell.

You let out a breathy exhale, exhausted and uncomfortable. Your eyes stared to prickle, and you knew you had to leave.

"I have to go."

As you walked out of the bathroom, the feeling of your hands leave hers. Alex called out, "Y/N, wait—"

Alex followed after you, only to be called out by Dr. Huang. She stops, her eyes drop apologetically and watching you walk away.

She saw your eyes glance back at her, with George beside her. Your tired eyes, closing with the doors of the elevator.

She didn’t want you to go.

If only you knew.

—

But I don’t like a gold rush What must it be like to grow up that beautiful? With your hair falling into place like dominoes My mind turns your life into folklore

The evening passed fairly quickly, a storm brewing in the sky. You had took a long shower, yet the sting left a bruise. You applied ointment on your chest, squirming at the desolation. You were unsure if it was just the sting that hurt you, or the fact that you were jealous.

You had no right to, anyway. It’s just that you and Alex once picked up coffee for the squad, and hearing her do the same with someone else hurt your feelings. But you weren’t special. You were just a colleague.

Her warmth remained like the sun. So tender, yet so far. You could only watch as she shines her light for others, dreaming you were her favorite flower.

When you came out of the shower with a towel wrapped around you, the doorbell rang.

It was late in the evening, who could be outside your apartment this behind?

You walked down the stairs, the towel secured around your body. You look out the window, and you saw a familiar blonde.

You open the door, close to ajar. "What are you doing here? It’s raining, Alex." You opened the door, a gesture for her to come in.

She was damp, assuming she ran from her car to your doorstep. You rushed to give her fresh towel, placing it over her shoulders.

"We aren’t dating."

"What?"

"We aren’t dating."

You narrow your eyes in confusion, "What do you mean, Alex?" You close the door before the rain seeps into your apartment.

"Me and Huang, We aren’t—"

She was crying.

You stood there, unsure what to do. You have never saw Alex cry, let alone infront of you. You quiver in silence, letting her proceed.

"We aren’t dating, okay? So stop running away from me like you hate me!" She blurted, her composed mask slipped away.

You furrowed your eyebrows, "What do you mean I hate you? I don’t hate you, Alex!"

Even if I tried to.

She wiped her eyes, breathing uneven, "Then why do you keep avoiding me? Why do you keep bolting away when I’m trying to be there for you?"

"It’s because I like you, okay!"

Alex stared at you in shock, her attention was drawn to your nails digging your palm. A habit you did when you were tense. She noticed. She always had.

"I liked you from the moment I met you, and the feeling never went away. I tried to convince myself that I didn’t, but I couldn’t. How could I possibly do when simply seeing you makes my heart beat out of my chest? It’s—," You breathe, your heartbeat quickened as she looked at you.

"It’s ridiculous, and I avoid you because of it. I know you don’t feel the same way, Alex. But I told you because I don’t hate you. I really don’t—"

Alex cut you off with a soft kiss and Oh, Her lips are so soft- She brought her hand to cup your cheek as your hands went up over her neck.

You traced her jawline with your thumb as you kissed while her other hand was at your waist delicately digging your fingers into your towel, holding your body close.

You pulled away, breathing heavily.

She stared at you, her hands remained on your waist. In her eyes, with ever so adoration, looked into yours.

"How do you know I don’t feel the same way? Are you psychic? Because I do, from the moment I met you."

Quoting your words, you were lost for any. You expected her to let you go, but her arms stayed where as they were.

"I won’t let you run away again, ever." Her head found its way to the crook of your neck, feeling her inhale your scent.

"But what about Dr. Huang? Doesn't he like you?" You softly said. Remaining still as you savor the moment between you and the blonde, she pressed a kiss to your shoulder blades.

"God, I forgot your gaydar was so bad."

!!

[rationalisms]

i'm saying this as like. a published poet lol... but the way people talk about poetry on here is so fucking mean. if i had seen the way people talk derisively about other people's amateur work on here when i was starting out (like the recent wave of making fun of "deer skull and cannibalism imagery" or whatever in an extremely condescending and snotty manner) i never would have written again. you don't have to like it, or think it's skilled, and maybe you're "objectively right" about the latter, but that's still a human being trying to express themselves in a vulnerable manner. it costs nothing to be kind. nobody starts off having a strong, unique voice or knowing how to properly apply the "rules". wouldn't you have wanted people to be kind to you when you were still figuring that stuff out? mocking people doesn't usually make them better poets. if it does anything, it's make them no longer want to be poets at all.

[tainbocuailnge]

it's easy to dunk on people with poor reading comprehension or to look down on them (consciously or not) even if you're not actively shaming them for "not getting it" or "being stupid" but it's not actually helpful. it's a worrying development that many people (particularly many young people) are becoming resistant to the idea that complex and/or challenging books have value but it's also an understandable development, because in many cases it's a reaction to being shamed for their struggles with literacy and not given the help they would've needed to develop an adequate level of literacy.

that's not even going into what should even be considered an "adequate" level of literacy to begin with, because the truth is that a lot of people will simply never be able to read better than absolutely necessary to navigate their daily life, and this shouldn't be treated as some kind of failure on their part. the goal of literacy education should be to give people the tools for self-sufficiency.

what's worrying is not that there are a lot of people who don't engage with complex texts, but that there are a lot of people who refuse to believe that there is something to be gained from engaging with complex texts. someone doesn't have to read or understand shakespeare or kafka or what-have-you in order to live a fulfilling life, but when they become resistant to the idea that a text can have something going on beyond what's immediately apparent on the surface, they become easy targets for deception. this hinders the self-sufficiency that literacy is supposed to provide them with.

the goal of you high school language class is not just to get you to analyze texts, but to introduce you to the idea that texts can be analyzed in the first place, even if you don't go on to be particularly good at actually analyzing them yourself. you don't need to be able to read between the lines to understand that it is possible to read between the lines, and that therefore a text that seems nonsensical to you at first may simply be written for an audience of a different skill level - this is only a problem if there is a mismatch between the complexity of the text and the literacy of its target audience. an inability to read for subtext is not a personal failure, nor does the ability to read for subtext make you a better person than someone who can't. literacy is a skill, and like any skill there are people to whom it comes more easily than others.

calling people who are drawn to anti-intellectual rhetoric due to their struggles with literacy stupid is not going to encourage them to change their mind. developing media literacy and reading comprehension is something that is very difficult to do on your own, and doubly so if any attempt at trying to learn is met with derision for not already being able to do it. the problem is not people who only engage with easy texts, the problem is people growing hostile towards the idea that there is worth in engaging with more complex texts

if reading comprehension has always come naturally to you, it can be difficult to grasp how someone can fail to understand a text that you thought was easy enough to follow. I myself am guilty of snapping at people for misinterpreting me so wildly it seemed like they were doing it on purpose. you need to learn to suppress this kneejerk reaction, and instead see this frustration as common ground: you are both facing a situation where your communication skills are insufficient. what can you do to bridge this gap? how can you present this information in different ways that better suit how the other party processes information? keep in mind that this does not necessarily mean to simplify the information, because nobody likes being condescended to, and being condescended to is in many cases exactly what made these people hostile towards more complex ideas to begin with.

I don't have an easy solution, because this is a complex problem, and what helps some people will inevitably be useless to many others. but I believe fostering a culture where you won't be met with derision or ridicule for not understanding something or needing more explanation will go a long way. next time someone comments on your post with an absolutely baffling take that makes you wonder if they even read what you said, consider that maybe they are trying to engage with a text that is above their reading level, and they genuinely lack the ability to parse and retain the information you presented in the way you presented it. if you're going to respond, try to do so in good faith.

[abnomi]

can u truly call yourself a turbo fan if you dont have your own Turbo Dictionary ...

if u cant read it well, here's what it says if youre curious!

TURBO IS:

intense, severe, blustering, in-your-face, overwhelming, brazen, obsessive, absorbed, addictive, consuming, brash, thrill-seeking, tireless, zippy, boundless, unwavering, unswerving, audacious, temerarious,  reckless, tense, on-edge ;

playful, mischievous, impish, exuberant, bouncy, careless, flippant, facetious, smug ; 

violent, rancorous, hostile, vengeful, destructive, foul-tempered, waspish, caustic, relentless, persistent, forceful ; 

mean-spirited, cold, snarky, sarcastic, contemptuous, scornful, scathing, disdainful, sneering, insulting, derisive, abrasive, acerbic, acrid, bitter, vitriolic, acrimonious, judgmental ;

possessive, territorial, competitive, indignant, resentful, jaundiced, envious, insatiable, unquenchable, neurotic, greedy, hypervigilant, suspicious, cynical ; 

arrogant, grandiose, boastful, self-important, greedy, acquisitive, avaricious, shameless, insincere, superficial, condescending, patronizing, pretentious, ;

 attention-seeking, unstable, insecure, desperate, needy, yearning, clingy, starved, dependent, reliant ; 

controlling, manipulative, dishonest, deceptive, conniving, shrewd, guileful, calculating, observant, perceptive, watchful, opportunistic, unscrupulous, Machiavellian, slithery ; 

petty, childish, immature, spiteful, defiant, emotionally-stunted, insistent, demanding, rigid, inflexible, obstinate, adamant, stubborn, impatient, impulsive, compulsive, rude, impertinent, insolent, blunt ;

[missmartian101]

𝐍𝐨𝐭 𝐈𝐟 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲'𝐫𝐞 𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐝 ━━━ ❥

ᴡᴀʀɴɪɴɢ : ɢᴏʀᴇ, ɪᴍᴘʟɪᴇᴅ ᴍᴜʀᴅᴇʀ, ᴅᴀʀᴋ ᴛʜᴇᴍᴇs, ʏᴀɴᴅᴇʀᴇ ᴛʜᴇᴍᴇs, sᴛᴏᴄᴋʜᴏʟᴍ sʏɴᴅʀᴏᴍᴇ, ᴘsʏᴄʜᴏᴛɪᴄ ʙᴇʜᴀᴠɪᴏʀ, sᴇᴅᴀᴛɪɴɢ, ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ ʜᴀᴠɪɴɢ ᴀ ɴɪɢʜᴛᴍᴀʀᴇ.

ᴍɪɴᴏʀs ᴅᴏ ɴᴏᴛ ɪɴᴛᴇʀᴀᴄᴛ

ᴘʟᴏᴛ : ᴀғᴛᴇʀ ᴀ ᴅɪsᴛʀᴇssɪɴɢ ɴɪɢʜᴛᴍᴀʀᴇ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴋᴇᴘᴛ ʏᴏᴜ ᴜᴘ ᴀʟʟ ɴɪɢʜᴛ, ᴀɴ ɪʀᴋᴇᴅ ᴅᴀʙɪ ᴅᴇᴄɪᴅᴇs ᴛʜᴀᴛ ʜᴇ ʜᴀs sᴏᴍᴇ ʙᴜsɪɴᴇss ᴛᴏ ᴛᴀᴋᴇ ᴄᴀʀᴇ ᴏғ.

ᴀ/ɴ : ᴏᴋᴀʏ ɪ ᴡᴇɴᴛ ᴏɴ ᴀ ʀᴀᴛʜᴇʀ ʟᴏɴɢ ʟᴇᴀᴠᴇ ʙᴇᴄᴀᴜsᴇ ɪ ᴄᴀᴍᴇ ᴅᴏᴡɴ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴀ ʙᴀᴅ ғᴇᴠᴇʀ.. ᴀʟsᴏ, ɪ ᴅᴇʟᴇᴛᴇᴅ ᴍʏ ᴅᴇᴘʀᴇssᴇᴅ ᴅᴏʟʟ sɪɴᴄᴇ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴡᴀs ɴᴏᴛ ᴍʏ ʙᴇsᴛ ᴡᴏʀᴋ. ᴀɴᴅ ɪ ᴊᴜsᴛ ʀᴇᴀʟɪᴢᴇᴅ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴀғᴛᴇʀ ʀᴇ-ʀᴇᴀᴅɪɴɢ ɪᴛ. ᴍʏ ᴀᴘᴏʟᴏɢɪᴇs ғᴏʀ ɪᴛ, ᴍʏ ʙʀᴀɪɴ ᴅᴏᴇsɴ'ᴛ ʙʀᴀɪɴ ᴍᴜᴄʜ ᴡʜᴇɴ ɪ'ᴍ ғᴇᴇʟɪɴɢ ᴜɴᴡᴇʟʟ. ʙᴜᴛ ɪ ʜᴏᴘᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ᴇɴᴊᴏʏ ᴛʜɪs sᴛᴏʀʏ ᴏғ ʀᴇᴅᴇᴍᴘᴛɪᴏɴ ғᴏʀ ᴍʏ ᴘʀᴇᴠɪᴏᴜs ᴅᴜʟʟ ᴡᴏʀᴋ.

ᴡᴏʀᴅ ᴄᴏᴜɴᴛ : 1.7ᴋ

It seemed real.

The azure flames were nowhere in sight. Nor was his figure or voice that always haunted after you. Where had he gone? He told you to run. And you did. But did he abandon you back into this cruel world? The world he always kept you away from?

Maybe it was a bad idea to have begged him to take you out. But you'd been such a good girl for him. Obedient and compliant. And he did say you could choose what you wanted as a reward. Although now, you were starting to regret your decision.

You kept wandering around the woods, hoping to find your captor. Well, not captor anymore. More like, your love. He told you run after being surrounded by rival villains. And, being the compliant doll you were broken into now, you obliged.

Like his good little girl.

But now you had lost him. And fear was paralyzing every thought that fluttered alive in your head. You never thought you'd worry for someone who kidnapped you. But now, all you could think of was Could he have been killed? Would they come for you next?

Oh, what would Dabi do if he was in your place? Probably not be a coward, that's for sure. But your fright had overpowered your bravery a long time ago. All you had for company was a bunch of wooden towers, ending with nests of leaves and branches at the very top.

The trees were merciless, blocking off every ray of moonlight they could so you only had to depend on instinct to guide you. Occasional footsteps would reach your ears, but you brushed it off as the tramping of a wild animal.

That was, until you felt a palm grasp your waist. You gasped, praying it was Dabi as you whipped around to see who it was. Your hopeful wish, however, was shattered when you saw another man standing there, a psychotic grin on his face.

His rival in villainy.

You scream never left your lips when he shoved a gag into your mouth, tripping you down onto the earth beneath you. The grass, ruthless as it was, broke your fall with a loud thud, piercing it's hardness into your skull as it started to drip with blood.

The man stood over your injured figure, grinning widely at you. Fear immobilized your body as you felt your throat gulp your spit down. Big mistake. It was an action of fright. Enough to make him pounce on you.

You tried to scream through the gag as he pinned you down against the soil, silently pleading for Dabi to come and save you. But he was nowhere in sight, which gave the man more of a reason to mock you. He grabbed your chin, spitting at your face wickedly.

"Did you actually think the burned pig on steroids would take me down? How cute."

He let out a derisive laugh, smashing your head back against the ground again. Blood dripped out of every exit it could, creating a makeshift pillow of liquid underneath you. Tears swam in your eyes from the pain. What had he done to Dabi?

It was almost as if he could read your mind, for he replied to your question in a condescending tone.

"Oh don't worry. I took care of him. He's in a better place now. At least, that's what your parents paid me handsomely to do so anyways."

Your heart dropped at his words, and you swore you felt your life go off for a second. If it were you before the Stockholm syndrome, you would've been crying from joy. But now, all you could sob for was Dabi's life. Your parents did this to him. How did they find out?!

Again, he seemed to have read your mind. His voice dropped a few decibels, speaking in a low, eerie voice.

"A little birdie told them, in case you were wondering. He had guts, and he lived to keep them too. Your little "captor" on the other hand, just wasn't strong enough. And now I've got you all to myself."

Your eyes widened to the size of saucers at his words. You tried to lift your legs to kick him, but he held you down from each side, leaving you completely helpless. You lifted your head to head bump him, but he crashed it against the ground, causing more blood to drip out.

You let out a muffled cry, several more tears trickling down your eyes as you started to sob. He, on the other hand, looked gleeful at your crippled state. His eyes traced down your teary eyes, flushed cheeks, runny nose, bleeding hair. It was all too good for him.

"Let's go home, shall we doll?"

"–Doll?"

"–I'm gonna have so much fun with you–"

"–Doll wake up–"

"–You're all MINE now!"

"Y/N!"

You awoke with a sobbing scream, jolting your body up as you did so. Your eyes were already filling with tears. Your breath was coming out in short gasps and you felt your head go dizzy. Your eyes adjusted to the dark room in front of you, and the worried Dabi beside.

You let out a choked whimper before breaking into sobs, feeling yourself go onto autopilot as you crawled into his lap, crying. His eyebrow perked up in confusion, but he instinctively wrapped his arms around you, pulling you closer. Was the nightmare that bad?

A mixture of emotions were running through him. Satisfaction, giddiness, confusion, and most of all, boiling anger and jealousy. True, you had just started to crawl to him after you accepted his love for you. But it still felt nice to see you come willingly again and again.

But his giddiness was overpowered with rage at the filthy nightmare you were having. How dare it make you cry? If it weren't for it's inability to exist physically, he'd have burned it to ashes by now. His lips reached down to your ear to coo in his sickeningly sweet voice.

"Oh poor babydoll, did the nightmare scare you that bad?"

He couldn't help but keep a hint of mockery in his tone, but by now, you were used to it. You sniveled pathetically, nodding your head at his sweetly jeered question. He couldn't help but wanna snicker at your pitiable state. But he couldn't deny he felt a bit perturbed too.

"What did you dream about dollface? What made you so scared you came crawling to me?"

You told him your dream, occasionally broken by whimpers or tiny sobs. And by each word, his gaze darkened. All his excitement and giddiness had crumbled into a raging fire of anger, vexation and jealousy. By the end of it, he was reeking of hostility.

"You dreamt of that scumbag killing me and taking you away?"

You could hear the low, dark tone in his voice, which immediately made you shiver in his arms. You were stuck. If you denied, he'd punish you. But if you agreed, he'd punish you too. You didn't have a choice either way, but denying seemed worse. So you played victim.

"I–I'm sorry Dabi. I–I know no one could e–ever take me away from y–"

"And you dreamt of your family paying him for that?!"

"Dabi, I am so, so sorry, I didn't–"

"Shut up."

He voice was spitting venom as he ordered you to shut your trap. Your whimpering apologies quietened down, looking at him fearfully. Yet he didn't show signs of hurting you. No. He was gonna hurt someone, just not you.

Without another word, he laid you back down on the bed and tucked you in gently, almost too gently. His fingers went to stroke your hair as his other hand gathered up all your plushies, pushing them up to surround you.

"Go back to sleep baby, I've got some business to take care of, hmm?"

You blinked confused, but he just leaned in, letting his lips tickle your forehead. He placed a few more sweet kisses on your face before getting in, spooning you in his arms and waiting for you to fall asleep. He needed you asleep before he took care of this situation.

But you didn't.

You kept tossing and turning, forcing yourself back asleep, which irritated him. He tried to whisper sweet nothings to lull you to sleep, caress your body, stroke your hair. But nothing was working. He felt his rage reach it's peak.

Finally, he threw the covers off him and got up, storming out of the room. You felt yourself gulp, throwing the covers over your head. The worst possibilities started coursing through your head. Was he going to punish you for not falling asleep?

Nope. He just came back with a box of sedatives. He was gonna sedate you to sleep. You sighed, a mixture of helplessness but great relief coursing through your veins. If you denied this, you'd definitely get punished. Plus, you could use some sleep.

"Open your mouth baby."

You obliged obediently, opening it wide open. He smirked at your compliance, making a mental note to reward you for it later as he put the pill in your mouth. You swallowed without argument, reaching over for the water bottle on the nightstand and taking a swig.

A few minutes later and you were drowsy, yawning and droopy eyed. Dabi's smirk widened even more as he bent down, pushing your hair out of your face and giving you a soft yet possessive kiss. You could feel his psychotic grin through the kiss, but you didn't argue.

Good doll.

He pulled away, just in time for you to shut your eyes and fall asleep. His fingers tangled in your hair, stroking and combing your locks before leaning in close to your ear, giving the outer shell a teasing flick with his tongue.

"Sleep well doll. Dabi's got some business to take care of."

He stood up, giving you one final glance of obsession before turning and walking out of the room. He was going to make sure you were safe from that despicable bastard and your filthy family. After all, they won't be able to hurt you when he's around.

Not If They're Dead.

ᴘᴀʀᴛ ᴛᴡᴏ ᴄᴏᴍɪɴɢ ᴏᴜᴛ sᴏᴏɴ

[just-a-living-meat-thing]

hey pspsp have gemderbent Light and L

close ups and detail under the cut

Light hcs:

- wears her hair like Kiyomi’s because it’s “sophisticated”

- she actually haaaaates skirts so much. The only time she ever willingly wears them is for school and even then she’s always very careful about how much skin it shows

- would be a misandrist

- holds so much derision for L at first (because she thinks he’s a man) but after she meets her, she’s like “ah, of course. Only a woman would have thought up a scheme tricky enough for me to fall for. Alright, well, I guess this round goes to her.”

- so so so arrogant and egotistical and filled with secret hidden rage

- I need her to be evil. So bad. Reblog with your hcs on femme Light

L:

- unabashedly evil and aroallo lesbian

- there really isn’t much difference to see in her character except that the Task Force is a bit more difficult regarding her orders and their respect for her

- I get the feeling she’d have a special bath robe that she wears all the time though. It’s green and lightweight and soft and she thinks it makes her look cool (it does not)

- is also an arrogant and egotistical misandrist, but in a subtler way than Light is. And also in a more condescending way

- that’s about all for L I think, tell me your hcs in the reblogs :]

[echo-goes-mmm]

Ambrose and Elliot #29

Masterpost

Previous

Next

Warnings: implied past non-con

Elliot tucked another shirt into his bag. Master Ambrose had told him to pack enough for two days, but Elliot added an extra set of clothes just in case.

He hefted the luggage bag off his bed; and truthfully it wasn’t that heavy. Months ago he would have struggled with it, but not now.

He glanced out his window, down at Ambrose hitching the horse to the cart.

It wasn’t Ambrose’s horse; instead borrowed from Mr. Michael Tallow (who owned a wheat farm).

Ambrose looked to be nearly finished, which meant it was time to go. 

Elliot picked up his coin-pouch. Ambrose had said he should make a bank account to keep his money safe, and Elliot wasn’t going to argue. 

It was cold out, but the snow on the ground was gone. Instead, icy mud made the ground soft and wet. His boots made the mud squelch with every step.

Mr. Tallow’s horse looked at him with big brown eyes as he approached, and Elliot avoided the animal to put his bag in the cart.

Elliot didn’t know much about horses; just that they were big and kind of scary.

“Elliot, this is Billy,” said Ambrose, petting the horse’s face. “She’ll be taking us to Sunside, and then to Lakeview.”

Billy snorted suddenly, and Elliot flinched. 

“Technically her name is Willamina, but I like Billy for short. What do you think?”

“It’s nice.”

Ambrose must have sensed his discomfort. “She’s really gentle, if you want to pet her,” he said, voice soft and calm.

Elliot liked it when Master’s voice went all gentle and steady, like Elliot was a cat and Ambrose was coaxing him.

He might find it condescending, if he were a person. Like in the Before Time.

But it was Ambrose, and he loved Elliot. Even though he wasn’t really a person anymore. There was only kindness in his voice, not derision.

“Okay,” he said. Elliot stepped around the cart to Billy, and she flicked her ears.

He hesitated. 

Ambrose gently took his hand and guided him to Billy’s neck.

Her brown coat was rough, and dirty, and very warm.

“See? Nothing to worry about.” 

___________________

The weather was chilly, but Elliot’s winter clothes kept him safe. He worried about Billy for a while, until Ambrose told him she would be warm from pulling the cart, and her breed was hardy.

Still, he was glad to see the looming white mountains brimming with snow pass further and further behind them. 

They ate a packed lunch on the way; sandwiches and a mix of dried fruit and nuts.

The sun came out behind the clouds after a few hours, and Elliot enjoyed the fresh air and sunshine on his face.

Ambrose showed him how to steer, and handed the reins to him. He only managed it for a few minutes before he got too jittery, but Ambrose seemed pleased that he tried.

___________________

It was evening when they got to the inn. It wasn’t one he recognized, but he still shook when they pulled up to the attached stable.

Ambrose and the stablehand talked as Elliot grabbed the luggage.

“Oh, thanks,” said Ambrose as Elliot handed him his bag. 

Elliot didn’t say anything, trailing behind Master on the way inside. 

The inn was busy, which helped soothe his anxiety. A busy innkeeper wouldn't have the time to be cruel.

“Name?” asked the woman at the stand.

“Ambrose, one night, please.”

She nodded, jotting it down. “Double bed, or two singles?”

“Two singles.”

She turned around and took two keys off a hook labeled, ‘six’.

“Here you go,” she said, “room six is on the second floor, and the bar and dining room is that way.”

“Thanks.”

Ambrose handed Elliot one of the keys.

They headed upstairs, and Elliot picked the bed furthest from the door.

“I’m going downstairs to get a drink and some dinner,” said Ambrose. “Do you want to come?”

Elliot shook his head.

“Alright. I could have someone send a plate up for you; is that okay?”

“Oh, um, sure. Thank you.”

Ambrose smiled, and ruffled his hair on his way out. “Of course, sweetheart.”

___________________

Ambrose settled down at the bar. It had been a while since he’d gone out, and he was looking forward to a drink.

“Daiquiri, please.”

The bartender made it quickly, and Ambrose tipped him well as a thank you.

He took his time with his meal, and made sure one was sent up to Ellie.

Ambrose hoped Elliot was alright. He always hoped he was alright.

A woman slid into the seat next him, tall with dark hair.

“Hi,” she said, “far from home?”

“In a way,” he replied, nearing a smile. “How about you?”

“Definitely. Hey, can I buy you a drink?” she asked, tapping the bar next to his almost-empty glass. “I’m Amy, by the way.”

“Ambrose. I’m really flattered, but I’m married.”

“I don’t see a ring,” she smiled. “Are you sure?” 

“I left it at home,” he said truthfully, side-stepping the fact he hadn’t worn his ring in decades. “Can’t be too careful on the road.”

“Mm,” she said, batting her eyelashes. “I see.”

“I don’t think my husband would appreciate infidelity, and considering my assistant and I are sharing a room for a business trip, I’ll really have to pass.”

“Ah, well,” she sighed, “maybe the lady in the corner booth is single.”

Ambrose glanced over at the booth. A redheaded woman sat alone, sipping on a pint.

“I wish you luck, Amy,” he toasted her, with the remains of his daiquiri. He finished his glass, and ordered another as Amy left the bar.

___________________

He swayed upstairs into the room. Ambrose unlocked it in a smooth motion, which told him he wasn’t as tipsy as he felt.

Curse being a lightweight.

He could see the outline of Elliot on his bed, bathed in the moonlight of the window.

“Are you drunk?” asked Ellie, quiet as a mouse.

“No, love. Just tipsy.” His brain was running a little slow, but it caught up to Elliot’s quickly enough.

“I’m not gonna touch you,” he said, sitting on his own assigned bed. He began to toe off his shoes.

“Okay,” said Elliot, and something was wrong.

Something was always wrong, but Ambrose didn’t mind.

Well, he hated that Elliot was suffering, but Elliot was his closest friend, and Ambrose would do anything for him.

“Have you been scared up in the room this whole time, sweetheart?”

“...no,” he said, “Just when you came in.”

“Oh. I’m sorry.”

Elliot huddled smaller on the bed, but didn’t say anything.

Ambrose couldn’t see his face in the dark, but he knew what Elliot looked like when he was scared.

“Could… could I ask why you’re scared of me here, instead of at home?” He didn’t understand why Elliot was so frightened. They shared a bed at home, sometimes, what made sharing a room for a night scarier?

Elliot turned, and Ambrose could see part of his face in the moonbeams.

“I’ve done a lot of things in inns,” he said, shame in his voice. “For food. And sleep. It wasn’t… nice things.”

“People hurt you, and you let them because otherwise you would starve,” Ambrose guessed, and Elliot flinched, burrowing his face into his knees.

“Yeah,” he said, choked up.

“That’s not your fault.”

“Isn’t it?”

“No. It’s their fault for hurting you. They didn’t need to do that. They could have just helped.”

“I dunno.”

Ambrose swallowed thickly. He wasn’t sober enough for this conversation, but he’d do his best.

“Well. I know it isn’t your fault. Can that be enough, for now?”

“Mm,” sniffed Elliot. “I- I think s-so.”

Ambrose hesitated. “Do you want me to come over?”

“No, no, I- could you stay over there? Please? I don’t… I don’t think I want to- to be touched.”

“Okay. That’s fine. I’ll be here, if you need me.”

“...maybe just a hug?”

Ambrose slowly walked over, as not to spook him, and Elliot wrapped his arms around him.

Ambrose gave him a tight squeeze, and Elliot let out a shuddering breath.

“Thank you,” said Ellie, pressing into him. “For not… for not hurting me.”

“Of course, love,” he said, “Of course.”

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