#doube tap

[stevebuscemieyes]

STING

April 12 2024

Dir. Kiah Roache-Turner

[witchpassing]

catching strays [4/final]

[prev] [first]

content notes: undernegotiated BDSM, use of transphobic slurs.

My side of it - that’s, I mean to say, the handler side - it’s mostly just operant conditioning. All the really complex stuff happens on the neurochemical level; I was never trained in the processes there, didn’t have the right PhD to get my head around it. Didn’t need to know what was happening in the black box to, uh. Pull the levers. Look, it’s all in the documents, alright? I even got you the formula for the cocktail.

You know what operant conditioning is, right? Haven’t shot all your behaviorologists yet? Ha, ha. Just… just a little joke. 

Thud of meat on meat echoes off the cigarette-stained ceiling. Rook lists to her right, cherry-red drool spilling from a fucked lip; “Position six,” Katya spits, hammering the keyphrase back in, and the pilot’s stance corrects itself with a visceral hindbrain twitch. Down on her knees, fingers interlaced at the base of her skull. Through the mess, she manages to get out: 

“Front of your hand.”

“I don’t think I asked you a question, pilot,” Katya says, military-issue ice. Rook works her sore jaw, keeps talking; head down, eyes low, like she’s not fucking baiting her.

“Palm’s softer than, than the back,” she says. “Less bone. Need to give me time to, clench my jaw, too. ‘r it might get dislocated.” Grins up at Katya out of the corner of her eye. “Then what’m I gonna tell the vet?”

Again. Of course. Harder this time, hard enough to put Rook into a facedown sprawl. Katya watches her try to get up, watches the tendons work beneath her skin, fingers dug into ratty carpet, dark tangle of hair sweat-stuck to cheekbone. Heave of her scapulae, sweat beading on the blades like dew. 

She visualises the point of contact, the way the bruise, when it forms in a couple of hours, will print the shape of her knuckles upon Rook’s face. Casually, as if it means nothing at all, Katya leans down and -

“Position six, fuckup.” 

- spits on her. 

I told you already, there wasn’t - there wasn’t time, you understand? The writing was on the wall - your writing, on your wall - I had to take what I could and get out. They were burning shit, shredding it, whatever they thought would keep the vultures off their backs. 

I had a file. Everyone had a file. It wasn’t special, because I wasn’t special. There’s nothing in there you need to hear. If it ever surfaces, I promise - it’ll bore you to tears. 

Rook’s nails scrabbling at her arm, keratin and polycarbonate, marking tallies in the skin. She hisses, adjusts her footing in the mattress, winds the chokehold tighter. Rook is taller, heavier, younger, fitter, and none of it is really helping because she’s not fighting back the way a person would; she can’t, Katya is Handler and you don’t fucking fight Handler. This, pulsing livid from the brainstem, is the blindfire of an animal brain that thinks it’s being killed and doesn’t know what to do about it. 

“Look at you,” Katya murmurs into her ear; Rook whines back, base and guttural, shudder and twitch. “Pissing away the People’s money for a cheap little adrenaline high.” Framing it like that feels good in her gut. The momentary satisfaction of breaking something flimsy and pathetic, stretched over several hours like taffy. Spit on Rook’s bare shoulder. Spit in the great red eye of Revolution. Another hitch tighter. “How much therapy is it gonna take to paint this over? How many weeks are we tacking onto your recovery timeline here - don’t struggle, you deserve this, take it or tap out you weak little shit--” 

Rook - eyes rolled half-back in her head, so hard that it’s a wonder the blood choke hasn’t put her under yet - whimpers out something that might be sorry sorry sorry Ma’am sorry, stops kicking, doesn’t tap. 

No, I never… nothing like that. Jesus, what the hell do you take me for? I came in, didn’t I? I risked my goddamn neck for you, I got you everything I could, that doesn’t get me some kind of - benefit of the doubt? Yeah, I was in the program, and yes, that meant doing some pretty sick shit to keep my head above water, but there is a critical distiction here that I think you’re not getting your head around: some of us were doing it for fun, because we liked it, and I was never one of those. 

“--And you already know what you’re going to tell the vet, because it’ll be the same - ghn - thing you always tell them, Rook; you went to a bar, you found the worst person there, and you convinced them to beat you until you felt a little better about your sad fucking life. You don’t even have to lie, Rook, because that’s exactly what you’re doing, exactly what you’ve done before a dozen fucking times, I know you have, you’re hooked on this shit-”

“Handler-” 

“Shut the fuck up, position five, I’m talking.” 

“S-sorry, sorry, sorry-” 

“You don’t get into fights because you’re a Junta vet, or a tranny who can’t pass, or any other kind of broken wing shit - don’t you know, Rook? This is their clean bright world, and they’re making it better every day! Bad things just don’t happen any more, not even to people like you. No, you get beaten ‘cause you want it, because you’re a bad dog and you need to be kicked.” 

“Hgk--” 

“What, you got something to say? You got something to say for yourself, you pathetic fucking--” 

-

Doe. Her name was Doe. I had her three years, and I never laid a hand on her. 

-

Spatter of sleet on dirty window; dim light bathing the ceiling, slanting sodium-yellow into a corner, sloping away. Katya locks her jaw against something unformed and pathetic, smears her cramping fingers against her thigh. Glistening slug-trail of her own cooling slick. It’s not working, it’s not enough. 

Not even close. 

Rook is curled at the foot of her bed, hazed out on recauterised conditioning and oxygen deprivation and what might be the first fresh bloom of a concussion. Katya can’t see her, but she can hear her breathing, ragged and slow through a bruise-blued throat. Now and then, a hypnic jerk, a yip. Chasing cars in her shallow sleep.

Katya knows that if she calls Rook to her, if she uses her for this, she’ll run out of stories to tell herself. For once, she understands where she stands in the moment, instead of in hindsight: just shy of the line, just this side of the event horizon. There will be no more plausible deniability, no matter what she tries to say. 

But the room is dark- 

and the door is locked- 

and nobody will ever know. 

Katya clicks her tongue, tchk-chk. Lets her head roll back, her eyes flutter shut. At the foot of her bed, Rook wakes.

“Here, girl.” 

She feels the mattress shift as Rook levers herself up. Hot breath between her parting thighs, a squirm of electricity in the base of her spine. An ache like permafrost cracking, and fuck she’s needed this, needed it for years, not just the desperate conciliatory tell-me-I’m-good-again head but every pathological detail, every thud of her hand against sorry, begging meat, every death-hissed trigger, the way ma’am sounds on a broken girl’s tongue. Nothing else has ever come close to being enough.

Even now, it should be disgusting how much blood there is in Rook’s spit, but she doesn’t care. If the pilot is carrying something, Katya has been sick with it for years. 

So she fists her grip in her hair, shoves her down, and twists her ankles tight around her head, as if anything left in that burned-out skull would let her stop before her Handler comes. 

-

No, I don’t know what her real name was. 

I get… terms, right? I get to negotiate? I gave you a lot, I should…

I don’t want to talk about this any more. 

-

Crouching half-clothed in her tiny bathroom, rinsing a spiral of runoff off Rook’s nakedness. Not aftercare, exactly; she’s never given it before, and she’s not starting now. Just… didn’t really sound like a good idea to kick Rook out while she still looked like a fresh traffic accident. Medical kit under the kitchen counter. Work to be done, to keep the vultures off her back. 

“All that about giving you what you deserve,” she says, over the hush of the shower. “It was bullshit.” 

Rook lifts her head, good eye pushing open against the bruise. “Ma’am?” 

“Telling myself I was punishing you. Teaching you a lesson.” Her fingers itch for a cigarette. “You had something you wanted from me, and you figured out the right sequence of words to take it.” 

The pilot murmurs, almost too quiet for her to hear: 

“You alright down there, girl? Looks like you got a real working over.”

“Oh, fuck you, asshole. Maybe you do deserve me.”

Rook laughs.

[hp-rarepair-requests]

Oops! I realised that I had to be more specific

- Augurlight (Delphi x Albus)

- Muggle au

- Abusive relationship

-Albus realizing that Delphi was grooming him (Flashbacks would be nice if possible)

All good! I can absolutely do that!

Augurlight Oneshot

TW/CW: Grooming, Child Predation and CSA

Albus sat in his bedroom, curtains closed, headphones blasting, homework unfinished, and food left to go cold. He wasn’t really sure what day it was, or what time it was, but he really didn’t care. He couldn’t explain the depression he had fallen into. Or maybe he could and he just didn’t want to admit it.

~

“Come on, Dad! Please!” Albus begged.

“For the hundredth time Albus, no,” his father refused him yet again. “You need to finish school.”

“Come on! The kids are mean!” Albus whined. “I passed all the necessary exams for finishing school, I have a job, I can start working more hours and even pay board!”

“I don’t care Albus, you need to complete your education,” his father tried to keep a hushed voice as they browsed the shop, looking for a specific CD for Lily’s upcoming birthday. “I’m not letting you drop out just to chase some fantasy.”

“This isn’t about music—“

“Then what is it about?”

“It’s about not having to go back to that shithole of a school!”

“Watch your language!” His father scolded. “I can’t find it. Stay here while I talk to that worker over there.”

Albus groaned and slumped against the shelf of CD’s. He was sick of that high school. Hogwarts was shit, and any wayward misfit with half a brain knew to stay far away from the preppy shitheads that wore the maroon and blue uniform. He was so sick of his classmates constantly bullying him, and he wasn’t even learning anything he could use in the career he wanted. They’d bloody cut the Music Program, the whole reason he’d even been trying to stay well enough behaved to avoid expulsion.

“Hey,” Albus turned to see a worker, with silver and blue hair and thick eyeliner. “Delphi. I couldn’t help but overhear your conversation with your Dad?”

“Oh, that,” Albus shuffled. “Sorry about that.”

“It’s fine, happens a lot,” Delphi smiled. “Hogwarts uniform?”

“Don’t worry, I won’t sue you for breathing,” Albus answered. “Not unless you breathe too loudly.”

“I’ll try not to. We get a lot of your classmates in here. Usually they’re upset that their Dad’s aren’t buying something super expensive for them.”

“Nah, I’ve got a different kind of dysfunctional family.”

“I can tell,” Delphi plucked something from Albus’ face and he felt it heat up. “Eyelash. Sorry about your Dad. Sucks when your parents don’t believe in you.”

“Well, I don’t know if he doesn’t believe in me,” Albus cleared his throat. “He just … he’s an adult, he probably knows better.”

“I don’t know,” Delphi knocked Albus’ shoulder. “You didn’t start singing the lyrics to Emo Girl when you saw me. Makes you much more mature than some of the other kids your age. It’s also not that hard to enter the music scene. I would know, my band The Augurey are doing pretty well.”

Delphi walked away as Albus saw his father approaching, Lily’s gift in hand.

~

Albus rubbed his eyes and took his earphones out. There had been a light tapping at his door, and when he pulled it open he saw his younger sister. Lily was in her soccer uniform, with dirt on her shins. She’d just got back from practice, it was afternoon.

“Just figured I’d let you know we won,” Lily grumbled. “Not that you even cared to show up.”

“Won what?” Albus asked.

“The game. The Liverpool Griffins are moving onto the semifinals.”

“You had an actual game today?”

“Yes, and you promised you’d come to this one!” Lily crossed her arms. “You’ve become a real jerk these holidays.”

“Oh my God. Lily I am so sorry. I completely forgot.”

“Yeah, I know! Couldn’t even get out of bed to say goodbye this morning.”

Lily turned and began to storm off.

“Lily wait!” Albus followed her. “I don’t even know what day it was.”

“Save it, Albus,” Lily shook her head. “I would invite you to the next one but I doubt you’d show up. Dad’s making soup for dinner, maybe you can show up for that?”

Lily slammed her bedroom door shut and Albus felt lost. How could he forget something as important as Lily’s game? It was the first one where he wouldn’t be too busy working at The Three Broomsticks to go! He’d promised to go! He hadn’t been able to go to any of her other games that year and she missed his support in the stands. And he missed cheering her on from the crowds. How could he forget something as important as that?

~

“Well, well, well, we meet again,” Albus looked up in shock to see none other than Delphi. “Studying for a test?”

“Algebra,” Albus informed her.

“God, what year?”

“Year ten.”

“Yikes,” Delphi hissed in sympathy. “So your doing all that expand and simplify bullshit with the brackets.”

“Yep,” Albus sighed. “Although, it looks more like hieroglyphics to me.”

Delphi giggled. “You’re funny. What was your name?”

“Albus,” he answered, blushing at the compliment. “I work at The Three Broomsticks just down there.”

“Oh sick, my band is performing a gig there this Friday night.���

“I’m working this Friday night.”

“Oh, so you’re getting paid to see The Augurey live. Now that’s an honour.”

Albus laughed. “What instrument do you play?”

“I’m all vocals,” Delphi clarified. “What about you?”

“Oh um, I used to do the music program at my school before they cut it,” Albus fiddled with his pencil, feeling suddenly shy under Delphi’s piercing brown eyes. “Guitar, bass, drums, piano, little bit of vocals.”

“Oh, so you are literally just a one man band?”

Albus laughed to the point of smiling very brightly. “I guess you could call me that. If you can call a fourteen year old with no released songs a one man band.”

“You’ll be a one man band eventually,” Delphi ruffled his hair. “I have faith in you.”

~

Albus closed his bedroom door and pulled out his phone. A notification popped up and he bit his lip. The Augurey’s social media. They’d posted something new.

Albus opened the app and saw the pictures. Delphi smiling with the rest of her bandmates. Pictures from whatever event they were at now. Pictures he couldn’t help but stare at. Especially the last one. The picture was technically of Rascal and Vermyn, the bassist and guitarist, but Albus was focused on the background. Delphi with some guys tongue shoved down her throat.

Albus hadn’t learnt this guys name. He appeared in many pictures. Sometimes he was even in the foreground. But Albus hadn’t learnt his name. Didn’t want to. He just wanted to know why Delphi would lead him on the way she did.

~

Albus was left to close up close up the restaurant while his manager, Rosmerta, went over the employee schedules for the next week. He found he quite enjoyed The Augurey’s live performance that night. He’d hoped to speak to Delphi at some point, but he was stuck as the dishwasher for most of the night, but the few times he had been out cleaning tables he could of sworn she’d been looking at him. He was pretty certain she’d even winked at him at some point.

“Hey Albus!” He jumped when Delphi came up behind him. “Did you enjoy the show?”

“Yeah, you guys are really good. You have a very good voice.”

“Thank you,” Delphi smiled brightly and touched Albus’ cheek. “You lose a lot of eyelashes. So, are your parents here to pick you up?”

“No, I was going to catch the bus home.”

“You’re kidding?” Delphi’s jaw dropped even further when Albus shook his head. “You can’t catch the bus home at this time of night! There are creeps and weirdos out there.”

“Aside from the creepy weirdo I’m talking to now?” Albus asked, wiping the last corner of the bench down. “It’s fine, I do it all the time.”

“It’s not fine!” Delphi sighed. “How about I drive you home?”

“What?”

“Come on! I won’t be able to sleep tonight if I don’t mKe sure you get home safe.”

Albus felt his face heat up at that. He supposed a car ride with Delphi wouldn’t be the worst thing to ever happen. “Alright, I can give you the directions.”

“Great! Let’s go.”

Albus let out a nervous breath as he followed her to her car, locking the shop door behind himself. She drove a second hand car, small and inexpensive, but the inside was decorated with plenty of gothic delights. He got into the passenger seat and told her where to go.

“So, you hate Hogwarts I take it?”

“Uh, yeah,” Albus shook his head. “Bit of an understatement really. I get bullied. Really badly. And the teachers don’t do shit about it.”

“I feel that,” Delphi sighed. “Wish there was something I could do to help.”

“It’s alright,” Albus chewed on his lip. “My house is that one.”

Delphi pulled into the driveway. “Damn, you’re families loaded.”

“Yeah, we are.”

Albus went to get out of the car but Delphi grabbed his wrist and stopped him.

“What are you—“

“My phone number,” she wrote the digits onto his palm. “Message me next time you have work late. I don’t like the thought of you catching the bus this late at night.”

“Oh,” Albus swallowed. He had her number, that was fun. And really nice of her to be so worried for his well-being.

Delphi caressed his cheek and rested her hand on his face. “Eyelash. I’ll see you later.”

“See you later.”

~

Albus threw his phone to the floor and curled up in his blanket. He really shouldn’t have been surprised. She was pretty, she was semi-famous, she was older. And they weren’t exactly on good terms at the moment either. Of course something like this would have happened.

He wanted to curl into such a small little ball it was like he didn’t exist. No one could hurt him or lead him on that way. People wouldn’t even be able to look at him, let alone talk to him.

“Albus,” he groaned when he heard his fathers voice just outside his door. “Dinners ready.”

“I’m not hungry.”

“Come on, you haven’t had dinner with us in a week,” his father answered. “I’m starting to get a little worried.”

“I’m fine.”

“Well, if you’re fine you come down to dinner. Come on, get up.”

Albus groaned, and crawled out of bed again. Why him? Why that day?

~

Albus walked out of admin with his letter, supposedly his aunt Hermione was there to pick him up for an appointment he hadn’t even known about. God, his time management skills could really use some work.

As Albus left the school gates he noticed a familiar beat up car. It didn’t belong to his aunt, her car was certainly not beat up, but it did belong to someone else he knew. Someone he was much more excited to see.

“Oh my God, you did not just get me out of school.”

“Hey,” Delphi shrugged. “I told you I wanted to do something to help. Come on, we’re going to the beach.”

“The beach? Are there even any good beaches nearby?”

“Of course there are! You just need to know where to look!”

Albus smiled brightly and got into the car with her. He hadn’t properly skipped school like this in a long time, it was exhilarating.

“Alright Eyelashes, let’s go.”

Albus came down the stairs to see the rest of his family had already started eating their soup. He approached the counter and filled up his bowl. Pumpkin soup. He plonked down at the table, feeling much like the rain that poured outside the window.

“Hoods off at the table, Albus.”

Albus groaned at his mothers words, and yanked the hood from his head before continuing to eat.

“So as I was saying, it’s a very delicate and difficult case,” his father complained about work. “Grooming is a very difficult crime to prove. Our evidence is circumstantial at best.”

Albus ripped a piece of bread and dipped it into his loaf.

“I mean, how am I even supposed to prove he did this? It’s not like he ever actually hurt her, just made it so he could.”

“What?” That confused Albus.

“What’s confusing you?”

“How could he have groomed her if he never hurt her?”

“Grooming is the process of creating an environment which enables abuse,” his father clarified. “A very common misconception people have is that you have to actually h physically hurt someone.”

“Oh.”

~

Albus flopped down onto his towel, and let the rare sunshine beat down on him, giving him a much needed tan. Delphi soon after joined him, and he tried not to look at her too much. He really should have realised that the beach entailed a certain amount of vulnerability.

“That was fun, but I think I might have to take you back to school soon.”

Albus groaned very loudly. “Please don’t.”

“What do you want me to do?” Delphi sat up. “Hold you captive here forever?”

Albus jumped when Delphi pounced on him and they began to wrestle in the sand. His leg was only slightly tangled in his towel by the time she managed to get on top of him. Oh goodness, this was a very compromising position. He only hoped she didn’t do anything to uh … provoke him, we’ll say.

“You’ve got another eyelash,” Delphi’s fingers danced across Albus face as she wiped the stray hair away.

“I swear I didn’t used to lose eyelashes this regularly,” Albus sighed, hoping to get her off from on top of him. This was not something he felt ready to deal with.

“Sure,” Delphi’s face seemed to move impossibly closer, and her breath grazed over Albus’ lips. All he’d have to do is move slightly and they’d practically be snogging.

“We should go,” Delphi got up and put her shirt back on over the top of her bikini. “Your parents will surely be mad if you aren’t home in time.”

~

Albus finished his soup and climbed the stairs before anyone could stop him. He needed some space. Desperately.

Albus opened his laptop and stared at the search engine for a moment. He began to chew on his nails, feeling his stomach roil with the unasked question still lingering in his head. What was he even supposed to do in this type of situation? What was he even supposed to look up?

He swallowed and quickly typed up his question before staring at it. The fact that he even felt the need to ask felt a bit like a confirmation, but he couldn’t be certain. He pressed enter.

How do you know if you’ve been groomed?

~

“What’s this?” Albus asked.

“It’s a birthday present,” Delphi answered.

“My birthday is in October.”

“Just open it.”

Albus smiled before tearing into the gift Delphi had gotten for him. He pulled open the box and inside there was nothing more than a business card. Riddle Studios?

“I may have pulled some strings with my manager,” Delphi clarified. “They’re going to let you record one song, and if they like it and it performs well they might take you on.”

“You’re joking.”

“No joke.”

“Oh my God! Delphi!” Albus got up. “Thank you so much! God, I could kiss you!”

“What?”

“What? Um … not actually kiss you. Just — you know it’s an expression.”

“Right,” Delphi nodded. “Well, I’ll pick you up on Saturday and drive you there.”

“Yeah,” Albus nodded excitedly.

“See you,” Delphi left a peck on Albus’ cheek before walking away.

~

Grooming is the action of attempting to form a relationship with a child or young person, which would enable you to sexually assault them or persuade them to commit some type of crime, such as drug dealing or joining a terrorist organisation.

Albus wasn’t sure that exactly applied to him. He’d been a child, he was a child, but … he didn’t — he didn’t know.

A groomed child may think they are: in a special relationship with the person hurting them, experience self-blame over the the abuse they are experiencing, be confused by the nature of the relationship, and have a fear of harmed or abandoned if they speak out or defy their groomer.

~

Albus had initiated it, but he immediately regretted it. It was stupid really. To think someone as amazing as Delphi might return his feelings. As soon as he’d kissed her he felt like he’d made some horrible mistake and that he needed to run as far away as humanly possible. Something about it just felt innately wrong. Like he’d done something he really shouldn’t have.

“I am so sorry,” Albus stepped back. “I should go. That was — sorry!”

“Albus! It’s fine,” Delphi stopped him from running away. “Nothing to be sorry for.”

Delphi pulled Albus in and this time their kiss was much more of a mutual experience. And it was nice. He’d never really kissed anyone before, so he hoped he was doing it right. Delphi was definitely much more experienced in that regard. And it showed. Delphi was very good at kissing, Albus found.

~

Well, that just didn’t apply to Albus. Right? There was no abuse to feel any guilt or self-blame over. There couldn’t be. Could there? He tried to think. Had Delphi at any point actually abused him? Sure, technically she didn’t need to abuse him for it to be grooming, but there wasn’t anything to blame himself for. Was there?

He’d admit, he had felt special, he had been a little confused by their relationship, he had done things just because he was worried she’d leave if he didn’t, but he didn’t blame himself for … okay he did. Just a little bit. But it was fine because it was technically his fault. The self-blame thing surely only applied when he hadn’t actually done anything wrong right? Because he had! He’d let her get close to him, he’d initiated their … situationship? Relationship? Their whatever! He’d been the one to start it and make it confusing. He made the choice to not defy her. It was his fault.

So, therefore, it couldn’t have actually even been grooming right? What even was the definition of sexual abuse?

~

“Why didn’t you tell me you were going on tour?” Albus asked. “I mean, I figure that’s something you tell your … friend?”

“I was going to,” Delphi got up from her seat on the couch. “But it’s not even like it’s a major tour. We’re just going around England. Nowhere too far away.”

“Right, just the other side of the country,” Albus shrugged. “Would have been nice to know.”

“What? You aren’t proud of us? After all I’ve done for you, you can’t accept that I’m also making progress?”

“That’s not it—“

“Then what is it?”

“You’re leaving…,” Albus sighed. “I just — I thought we were close enough that you’d let me know first.”

“We are that close,” Delphi came over to him and rested her hands on his shoulders. “Come with us.”

“What?”

Albus was dumbfounded. There was no way she was actually inviting him to go on tour with her.

“Come with us!” Delphi’s smile widened. “Come on, you hate school, you hate your family, leave it behind and come with us.”

Albus took a step back. “Okay, first of all, I don’t hate my family. I just don’t always get along with them. And second of all, I can’t just go with you. I have a job, other friends, and my parents are worried enough that I keep disappearing from school and the house. I can’t just runaway.”

“Sure you can!” Delphi held his face now. “Please? For me?”

Albus didn’t know what to say. Delphi kissed him to see if maybe that would be convincing. It wasn’t.

“It’ll be fun.”

“No, I’m putting my foot down,” Albus shook his head and started leaving. “I can’t go with you.”

~

Sexual assault refers to the act of intentionally touching someone in a sexual manner without consent, through either force or coercion. It’s a form of sexual violence that includes child sexual abuse, groping, rape and sexual torture.

Albus scrolled down, trying to find further explanation on what child sexual abuse might entail. He didn’t think he was abused; it was just good to make sure. He seriously doubted he encountered anything severe enough to be considered abuse. And he’d been the one to initiate their relationship in the first place. So it was probably fine.

~

Albus got up from the couch and walked over to the door. Lily was at football practice and their Dad had been the one to drive her. Their Mum was stuck at work so Albus and his older brother, James, were the only ones left at home. He had to assume James took advantage of this absence of people and invited over a couple friends.

He pulled the door open and was surprised to see Delphi of all people standing outside.

“Can we talk?”

“Uh, sure,” Albus stepped aside and let her in. “We better go up to my room, so James doesn’t see you.”

Albus brought Delphi to his bedroom, and gently closed the door behind her. He was sort of glad they were getting the opportunity to talk before she had to leave. They could sort out the argument they’d had and calm down.

“I guess we should—“

Albus was startled by Delphi just grabbing his face and beginning to snog him. They’d snogged maybe a couple times, but never like this. Albus raised his hands to her head as his back hit the wall. His head hurt a little bit, and he winced, trying to separate for at least a moment to rub where his head had hit. But he hadn’t been able to. At least, he hadn’t been the one to separate.

Delphi pulled away only momentarily before attacking his neck. Which, wasn’t really something they’d ever done. It felt a little weird, but kind of nice.

“Um, you said you wanted to talk?” Albus was a little confused now. Not upset, but definitely confused.

Delphi sighed and pulled away. Did he do something wrong?

“Just … wanted to see if maybe you’d changed your mind?”

“Well, I haven’t,” Albus slouched. “You know why I said I couldn’t go.”

“Oh, come on!” She complained. “After everything I’ve done for you, you kind of owe me!”

“Travelling around the country isn’t something I can just do, Delphi,” Albus groaned. “I already told you, my parents are worried enough about me as is. If I left with you they’d probably send a whole search party looking for me.”

“Then leave a note,” Delphi stepped closer. “Please? Can’t you just be the least bit supportive?”

Albus swallowed. He could theoretically go with her, and there was probably a scenario in which everything turned out fine. But Albus didn’t think this was that scenario. He was in enough trouble as it was for constantly sneaking out and skipping school to go see her, although his parents didn’t know about Delphi’s involvement. He didn’t want to make things worse. And Lily kept asking him to go to one of her games. He’d promised to go to one as soon as he could, he couldn’t do that if he was on tour with The Augurey.

“I am supportive, and I’m sorry but I can’t just—“

Albus gasped when Delphi’s palm hit his cheek, and stilled as the sting spread across his face. She’d slapped him. She had just slapped him. And it hurt. Really bad.

“Fine, I don’t need you there anyway,” Delphi stormed out while Albus stood frozen in disbelief.

~

Child sexual abuse (CSA) occurs when an adult or older adolescent abuses a child for sexual gratification. This can include pressuring a child into a sexual activity, indecent exposure of genitals to a child, displaying pornography to a child, sexual contact with a child, physical contact to the child’s genitals, viewing of the child’s genitals, and producing pornography of a child.

Albus wiped a tear from his eye. Did kissing count as sexual contact? Did it even matter? A month ago, if Delphi had asked, Albus probably would have done everything on that list for her. If grooming was only the process of enabling abuse, had Delphi groomed him?

“Hey Albus,” he jumped when his mother walked in without knocking, and turned to face her, “what’s—?”

Albus slammed his laptop shut before she could finish asking her questions.

“Why were you looking at the definition of sexual assault?” She asked.

“I wasn’t,” Albus answered, scratching his neck.

“What were you looking at then?”

“Nothing.”

His mother gave him a look before walking towards him. “Did something happen that I should know about?”

“No,” Albus tried to smile. “Mum, I’m fine. What did you want?”

She let out a breath through her nose. “Lily and James have both had their showers. I wanted to check if you had had yours?”

“No, I’ll go do that.”

“Albus—“

“Thanks for letting me know,” Albus grabbed his clothes and hurried towards the bathroom. He didn’t think he was in the mental state to explain everything about Delphi to his mother.

[heerocks]

CURIOUS CAT - stars, ramen, and you.

SYNOPSIS! Curious Cat is an app that peaked three years ago where people use it to flirt with their crush anonymously and then suddenly forgot about it.

or wherein, Y/N was devastated when her crush, Lee Heeseung indirectly rejecting her in highschool. Three years later, both of them have this unknown beef in between of them that even their friends don't know the real reason behind. One day, Y/N suddenly remembered and opened her C.C account, and saw that someone by the name 'Ethan' confessed to her three years ago.

You felt horrible and needed space. The library's bathroom seems to be a good place to calm your nerves. You just hope that once you open the door out of this room, you'll be okay.

Because all you can think of was it's unfair. Every time you see jeongin, you can't help but think it was unfair. How can he act like nothing happened, like you didn't happen? It would be okay if he just hurt you but no, he broke you. Broke you into pieces and didn't even let yourself pick and glue the pieces up.

You peer at your reflection one last time, learning about the breathing exercise became heaven to you. Didn't even forget to take one deep breath before opening the door that leads outside.

"Y/n, are okay?" Wonyoung mouthed, you took your time looking back at each of them. Even on your quiet cousin who's now staring at you but was obvious that his mind lurk somewhere. You nod, flashing a smile. You don't want them to worry that much.

You're fine. Gotta lie and lie until it became truth, anyways

"Where's lee?"

"He went outside, noona" The child, nishimura riki answered concerned looking washed on his orbs.

You just nodded silently before taking a seat, pulling your laptop to continue the work. The silence was tense, you tried hard to keep yourself focused despite the burning glare of someone named Kim Sunoo. You can't stand it, that's why you opened the tab to chat wonyoung asking for help to pull and calm sunoo somewhere far. Fortunately, the girl did what you told her.

Almost immediately after sending her a message, you felt a soft tap on your shoulder. It was Ning, telling you that they would go first. Thankfully, Sunoo came without much protest.

While jake and his friends are still hanging out at the other table, maybe still waiting for their oldest friend. You can sense that they want to ask something but are keeping their mouth shut, you don't know if it's because they're scared of you, scared of heeseung, or scared from the glare that jake's been forcing at them. But you're still thankful that they didn't push it.

It didn't take long before heeseung came back. He stood in front of you silently handing you a warm drink.

"Yah, hyung what happened to your face?" You look up to see what the youngest of them referred to. "It's nothing" Heeseung answered though he was looking straight at you as if he was saying that you don't need to worry.

"Then, we'll go first hyung" Jake bid, standing up to give a friendly pat on heeseung's shoulder. "See you, y/n" He turns to you, flashing a small smile whilst pulling niki outside, their other friends tracing their steps.

Heeseung pulled the chair before sitting down in front of you. The action made you see his face clearly, "What happened?" You absentmindedly ask, looking straight at the bruise turning red at the side of his lips.

"It's nothing, I just slipped outside" Heeseung smiled, pushing the warm drink with his right hand. You look down and saw his knuckles burning with the same color. No way, did he do what you think he did? Maybe. But it looks like he doesn't want to talk about it so you decided not to push it. All of you need a break tonight and you will gladly give it to him.

"That's enough" You hummed, looking up from the laptop screen to ask him what he meant, "That's enough, just send me the file and I'll finish it."

"But—" Heeseung sipped air, "Just do what I ask, besides it's in the later stage. I just need to revise it, double-check it then passed it. Don't worry too much"

"Fine" You replied doing what he asks, picking up your things.

"Oh, and I want to walk you home"

"Okay." Heeseung unknowingly smiled, still observing you. He was expecting you to put up a fight, just like what you always do. This mode might not be the ideal time for him to shoot his shot, but still. Heeseung wants to be there for you, either physically or emotionally.

Both of you walk through the darkness of the street. It was pure bliss, tranquility can feel in the air. People walk, minding their own business as the lampshade post provides the light.

For the umpteenth time, heeseung glances at you observing everything just to help you lift your mood. You two walk silently, or you walk absentmindedly. The engine of cars that occasionally passed by is the only sound that can be heard around you.

You don't know how heeseung was surprised when he grab you to push you inside the sidewalk, shifting you two's position for your safety and you didn't even bat an eye at him.

Maybe you don't want to be alone, but also don't want to talk. He would gladly provide any help he can give to you at this moment. If this continues, heeseung doesn't have a choice but to rely on 'Ethan'. He knows that you love receiving gifts from his 'friend', heeseung saw you all smiley when you receive a letter not too long ago that was addressed from his alter ego. He just hopes that someday, he can give you things that you love as him.

How can I cheer you up? He thought. Just when he was about to give up and choose to just use 'Ethan', heeseung heard the sound of the bell. When he looked up he saw the convenience store not too far from where both of you stood. Heeseung softly tapped your shoulder causing you to break the haze that surrounds you.

"You want to have ramen with me?" Heeseung asked looking down expectantly as you stop walking, shifting to face him. Suddenly, he felt a hard slap on his shoulder causing him to yelp. "Do you want to die?" You asked nonchalantly, voice filled with judgment.

"What?" He asked still massaging the place where you hit him. You didn't reply but instead raised your brow at him. It seems like heeseung understands your point when he drags a series of A's. "Are you crazy? No! That's not what I meant! I meant eating literal ramen, y/n. I'm hungry." He pouted whispering something that became incoherent on your ears.

You released a laugh making heeseung look at you, surprised. For the first time after the library, you smiled and even laughed. That was an achievement just for him.

"I'm just joking. Thankfully, there's a store right across the street" You answered before nodding your head toward the direction of the convenience store not too far away from the both of you.

You were about to walk towards the store when you felt heeseung's hand grabbing your arms, for a minute you faltered. Heeseung's warmth felt good against your skin, and it feels like you will look for it. "Just stay here. I'll buy it for the both of us."

"Why? Aren't we going to eat inside?" Heeseung shook his head, a soft smile written on his lips. "I know a way we can enjoy ramen tonight"

- - -----

You patiently wait at the park in front of the convenience store while heeseung prepared your food. The park was well lighted and was occupied by some parents with their children who were still playing and doesn't want to go home despite it being evening.

It was peaceful, the laugher of children soothes the uneasiness inside you. And once again, you saw yourself on your own world inside your mind. It was empty, kinda felt lonely but as the minutes passed, it starting to felt pleasant. It didn't occur to you once this day that you're tired, you didn't know the reason but you felt it.

Today's event was a tiring one both physically and emotionally. It seems that having a full rest is a privileged these days.

"Ramen's here" Heeseung exclaimed, 2 large cup of ramen in either of his hands with a chopstick sticking out on one while he bites the other to his mouth.

"Are you sure this taste good?"

He scoffed full of pride, "As long as it's ramen, I'm good at making it"

Heeseung handed you the cup including the chopstick, he waited you to take the bite first before serving himself with some. But when the noodles came into his mouth, he can't help but hissed.

The sound made you panic, hands immediately diving through your bag to find wet wipes before mumbling a quiet 'come here' to heeseung which he indulge so.

"You had a small cut on your lips... are you sure you're alright" Your eyes connected with his, whilst your hand still damping the cut with wet wipes in attempt to get rid of the ramen's after-hot taste. Have you ever told yourself that heeseung has a beautiful eyes? And now, despite the darkness looming around, you can still see your figure in those eyes that it felt so intimate.

A different rush of panic was felt again in your skin, "A-ah! I have an ointment..." Turning around to your side to get through your bag before retrieving a familiar ointment, not only to you but also to heeseung, though you're not supposed to know that.

"Where did you get that?" Heeseung asked in a pretend though the smile he's been suppressing still make its way out to his lips.

You smiled softly, opening its cup. "It's a gift from someone. I was clumsy on the first day and got bruises on the first day—" You look back to him, " And I heard someone's laughing so loud that day" Heeseung raised his hands gulping at the sight of your glare. "My right knee hurts so bad that time, but then someone gave this bag to me saying it's from someone. This ointment might not be much but I treasure it, I always carry this with me"

You squeezed the ointment into your hands before softly pulling heeseung closer to you. "Do you want to meet that someone someday?" Heeseung ask, trying to keep himself and his heartbeat sane from the way your fingers gently brush on his lips.

"Of course! I can't wait to meet them actually." You exclaimed, and when heeseung saw how your eyes sparkled he can't help but to smile. Though the action made you panic causing you to accidentally press your fingers a little too hard making him yelp.

Series of sorry's was heard from your lips, "Are you still mad at me? Just tell me, y/n"

"I panicked"

"Why would you panic?"

You can't tell him it's because of him, right? "Just because! I'm sorry, okay? Just come here, the ramen's going to be soggy"

Both of you tried to calm and keep yourself at bay. You helping him to nurse the wound while heeseung can't help but stare at you. No one can blame him though, this might be the last time he can see and feel you up close. Putting an ointment would only take a couple of minutes but this? This felt like an eternity. You're even grateful that it's cold, maybe heeseung wouldn't notice how your cheeks slowly turning red, not that you noticed his turning red.

After you finished the 'ointment business', both of you finally dig on the ramen as heeseung talk about random things, trying to lighten the tension while you intently listening to him, even successfully making you laugh right there and then. It was his jolliness that keep your lips from frowning, you're not surprised when you find yourself enjoying his company together with the ramen that he made like a gourmet.

After eating, both of you silently had an agreement to stay for a couple of minutes. You took it as a chance to look up and admired the stars which you felt he also did.

"Y'know, I was never one to appreciate..." You started making heeseung look at you though you still keep your eyes on the sky. "I asked my cousin once why he always look out of the window, he was also the one who told me to sometimes take my time to watch the stars. Even told me that something will felt different if I did."

"At first, I shook it off as something that I don't care about. I was busy, people are busy. Who would've taken their time to look up and appreciate stars when you can do something more important?"

You chuckled before sighing, "Then tonight, I did it. It's true when they say something will feel different because I felt different. I realized we are so busy with things that we forgot to appreciate things that are always there to cheer us up."

Heeseung smiled at you before looking up.

She's so busy with things that she forgot to look at things that are always there ready to cheer her up.

"They said when you're looking at the stars, you're looking at the past." It's your time to look at him, "Whenever you felt down, just take a look at the stars— maybe, they'll recognize you as one of them and share their happiness to you."

But the time has come for her to realize...

Heeseung look back at you, smiling. And there you felt yourself in a trance. "Or maybe, I'll just share my happiness to you"

Because, he looked at her the way she needed to be looked at.

Chapter 30 - stars, ramen, and you.

< prev | m.list | next >

GENRE! smau + written, on crack, slow burn, mutual pinning or past pinning, university au, kinda enemies to lovers troupe, heeseung is a simp, reader is kinda dumb, friends bullying friends

𖥻 notes !

this is so lame, i'm so sorry lol. and the last line is credits from atticus, just saw it on Pinterest.

𖥻𖥻 taglist !

@ckline35 @meinapricity @gugudone @xoxodinaryheroes @msxflower @lov3niki @ahnneyong @raikea10 @bigtoewinwin @dearhee @tlnyjoong @sungookie @uwudaizy @jeongintwt @paragonofroyalty @captivq @lavisha7 @prdxinvade @lockburn-castle @chaemmie @xtra-cheese @notdrunkbutdazed @binsoomi @mimikittysblog @zhaixiaowen @nobodyshallenter @pb-n-juju @luvkait @myjaeyunn @leeheachansimp @iamminnie @oceanyocean @diestheticu @iloveoceaneyesss @liliansun

[grizzledyoungimpact]

Whumptober Day 11

Prompt #11: Betrayal Pairing: CM Punk/Dia Banks (OC) Mentions Of: Colt Cabana, Bash Ryland (OC), Cassidy Cabana (OC) Verse: Main

The definition of insanity was allowing yourself to do the same thing over and over again, but expecting a different result each time. Dia Banks was very familiar with that saying. Each time 𝒉𝒆 had come back into her life, she had always acted as if he were going to change. Each time, 𝒉𝒆 had shown to her that there was no chance he was a different man.

It was the greatest trick the Devil ever pulled, after all, and each time Phil Brooks showed up in her life, Dia allowed the devil to lie to her just a little bit more.

It was why she was so angry that she allowed herself to show up to this dinner, after being sent a text from an unknown number, simply giving her the name of the pizza place in Chicago. After seeing the name of the restaurant, she didn't need to know anything else. The last time she had been there was during her training as a member of the Second City Saints. Everything in Dia told her to tell her Colt where she was going, to tell her Bash where she was going.

There was a betrayal in the fact that she hadn't told them where she was headed.

Dia 𝒌𝒏𝒆𝒘 she shouldn't be here right now. She knew even as she moved towards the little table in the back, the same table she had once met Phil at early on in her early career without the rest of the Saint's knowledge, that she shouldn't be here. There he sat, hat pulled down low and playing on his phone. How dare he look so peaceful, especially in this light. How 𝒅𝒂𝒓𝒆 he text her to come to this place that had once meant so much to the two of them. Had Brawl Out meant nothing? Had the way he humiliated both her and her son not been enough to sour her on the man?

And then he looked up at her with that boyish smirk, playing with the lip ring between his teeth, "Hey Di."

Dia slid into the seat across from Phil, "What do you want? What could you possibly want?"

Phil reached across the table, placing a hand on hers with a charming smile, "C'mon, Di. Don't be like this."

She drew in a sharp and slow breath, "Be like what? Be worried that this is all a trick from you?"

HIs eyes scanned to the bag next to him and the smirk on his lips was a little more sinister, "A trick? Diamond, you know me better than that."

"I know you well enough to know that's the kinda man you are," Dia blanched at the use of her real name, quickly pulling her hand away from him. Gods he was so 𝒇𝒓𝒖𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈. A waiter brought two drinks to the table, along with a full size pizza. A small smile took her lips, before she banished it, "How did-"

"Mt. Dew and an Italian special," Phil smirked as he stole a piece for himself, "it's the same thing we ordered the first time we came here. People don't change, Di. They just get better at hiding their spots."

A flash of recognition hit Dia as she took the first bite of pizza. Phil's eyes had glanced to that red bag again and Dia felt uneasy. What was in there? What was he hiding from her? "Cass changed. Since he started hanging around Adam, he-"

"He hasn't changed. He still hasn't told you the truth," Phil shrugged one shoulder, "I guess we've had enough chit-chat, huh? I came to warn you."

"Warn me?" Dia raised an eyebrow before sipping her drink, "About what?"

"In this bag," Phil began, scooting back to tap the rep bag next to him, "is something that will ruin your sons reign. I'm gonna tell the world at Collision. I at least wanted to give you a fighting chance. You keep pushing yourself down to make him happy, to make the bozos you've married be happy. Fuck that, Diamond. Fight with-"

Dia gestured for a waiter and asked for a to-go box before she dared look back at Phil. There it was, a betrayal like only Phil was capable of. He could build her up so high, make her feel so good about their friendship, then take her down just as quickly. "My family is my pride and joy. I gave you the benefit of the doubt, Phil. And yet here we go again. My answer is fuck you."

[snooblydoot]

🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺 FRANK OOOOAAAAAAAGHHHAHHAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA *banging pots and pans together"

Doub tap if the svrinvly is scringl

[religionswatch]

Oprah Endorsing Obama

Celebrities can have a significant impact on political elections by leveraging their influence and reach to support preferential candidates. As remarked by Craig Martin, “Legitimations offer some sort of justification for conformity to a practice, and they often involve appeals to what the gods or sacred texts say” (103). Oprah Winfrey used her massive platform to play a notable role in helping Barack Obama win the 2008 presidential election. She endorsed him early on in his campaign and used her talk show and personal influence to help raise awareness about his candidacy. Oprah even hosted rallies and events on the campaign trail with Obama. Her endorsement and campaigning are recognized as significant factors in Obama's victory because her influence legitimized Obama’s candidacy through her massive and diverse audience base. Through her very public support, she rallied her fans to vote for her preferred candidate. Oprah also donated money to the Obama campaign and helped organize fundraising events. Many analysts agree that Oprah's support and influence were instrumental in helping Obama win the presidency. Overall, this blog post will show how Oprah Winfrey used cultural tools to legitimate, authorize, and authenticate her endorsement for Barack Obama.  

Oprah Winfrey is a mogul media powerhouse in pop culture. She is a billionaire talk show host, co-founder of the Oxygen Network, and participates in several films, movies, and even Broadway plays. Oprah graces the cover of every issue of her self-titled magazine, O, and likely every pop culture magazine in the country on more than one occasion. These are just a few of her accomplishments. However, Oprah’s true strength lies in the remarkable connection she has with her television viewers, which is never more evident than when she officially endorsed Barack Obama for President. 

In the course of Oprah Winfrey's advocating for Barack Obama victory, she makes reference to several authoritative historical figures lending credibility and legitimacy to her endorsement. At a rally in Des Moines on December 8, 2007, Oprah Winfrey gives a speech introducing Barack Obama where she acknowledged the election as a “critical moment” in history, urging her community to take action. She invokes the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his vision for a more just and equitable society, suggesting that Obama is the candidate best equipped to carry on MLK’s work. By referencing these figures, Oprah can tap into the deep-seated values and ideals that Americans hold dear and connect Obama's candidacy to a larger historical narrative of progress and social justice. At the Democratic convention in 2008, Oprah compared Obama to Abraham Lincoln and describes him as a "rare individual" who has the potential to bring about "real change" in the country. All these direct references to martyred historical figures help to frame Obama's candidacy as not just a political campaign but a moral and ethical imperative to inspire her audience to support him. As Martin mentions in chapter nine of his book A Critical Introduction to the Study of Religion, using authenticity rhetoric sets up the binary of “us” and “them” or denotes a “good” group from a “bad” group. Oprah says that “When you strip away” everything, “race, gender, sex,” we are “America at our core.” She eliminates the boundaries between Americans, encouraging all to vote for Obama.  

Oprah's endorsement of Obama is authentic because it was based on her personal beliefs and values. By highlighting Obama's integrity, intelligence, and charisma, which are all characteristics of her own personality, and by sharing personal stories about her interactions with him, Oprah can convey her genuine enthusiasm and support for his candidacy. This authenticity helps build trust and credibility with her audience, which increases her endorsement's effectiveness. Oprah encourages her audience to “dream America anew again,” which is no doubt a delineation of Martin Luther King’s “I have a Dream” speech. Another phrase she uses that is even more authoritative because it is recognized and resonates with all Americans is when she invokes “We the people…” 

Oprah Winfrey is appraised as an authoritative figure because of her immense popularity, influence, and success in various fields, such as media, entertainment, and philanthropy. Her long-running talk show, "The Oprah Winfrey Show," was one of the highest-rated programs in television history spanning 25 years. Since resigning from this platform, she has since gone on to create her own media and entertainment empire. Additionally, Oprah is known for her philanthropic work, such as founding the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls in South Africa. All of Oprah’s career accomplishments have earned her a great deal of respect and credibility among a wide range of people, making her a mega-influential figure in pop culture. 

youtube.com/watch?v=OrOpKOrQDsk&t=1005s

[f0xd13-blog]

My representation

[jawsplitter]

ZOMBIELAND 2 WAS SOOOOO FUCKING GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD

[why-what-no]

Mine Or Hers

Pairing: Morpheus x Wife!Reader

Warnings: Jealousy (I tried to make this as respectful as possible to Calliope)

Summary: Morpheus’s wife worries when his ex wife returns to his life, but Morpheus reassures her that there’s nothing to worry about

Requested by: @rachelcarroll1819 & @lina-lovebug

There is a great deal of self-deprecation that comes with jealous. After all, the fear is that the person you think your lover will leave you for is better than you. After all, in your mind they will only stop loving you if you're inferior in some way.

But in (Y/N)’s case, that wasn’t the only source of the self-disgust. The other came from the fact that the person they were jealous of didn’t deserve their negative feelings.

The Dream’s spouse had known about Morpheus’s past with Calliope. Known that she was his former wife, his lover before (Y/N). The mother of his lost child. But they hadn’t cared, thinking that the muse wasn’t in his life anymore.

Apparently the two of them had agreed never to speak again.

Then he rescued her from some corrupt writer who had imprisoned her for his own gain. It sounded horrible, and (Y/N) felt terrible for her.

However, when Morpheus told them that he and Calliope had resolved many of their problems, (Y/N) couldn’t stop a sinking feeling in their stomach. Would feelings regrow between their husband and his former wife now that they were on speaking terms once again?

Those worries were compounded with self disgust at those thought. Calliope didn’t deserve to be thought of like that. From what (Y/N) had heard, she was a kind woman just trying to survive.

***

“You’re overthinking this.” Lucienne told them one time in the library. “Morpheus adores you.”

(Y/N) lay their head down on the library table. “I know, I know.” They sighed. “The poor woman escapes from abuse and the first thing I do about it is get jealous. And here I was thinking I’m better than that.”

The librarian just chuckled, pulling a small book of the shelf and laying it down in front of (Y/N). “This might help. If you truly want to stop worrying about Lord Morpheus’s commitment to your marriage.”

“What’s this?” They asked, pulling it open.

“A poet known as Shakespeare once asked Morpheus about love. Instead, he told them about you.” Lucienne tapped the little book. “This is what the poet transcribed. With some embellishments, of course.”

(Y/N) couldn’t help but smile as they read over the book. They could tell exactly what was said by Morpheus and what was exaggerated by the poet. But once they read it, there was no doubt in their mind that any jealousy had been useless.

“Thank you, Lucienne. This helped.” The gratitude that they felt for the librarian was unending. She was so pertinent to the Dreaming and (Y/N) did their best to show her that every day.

“I’m glad.” Lucienne smiled at them, but suddenly looked up. “My Lord Morpheus, welcome.”

She spoke to (Y/N)’s husband, who just entered the room.

(Y/N) froze up slightly as they saw him. “Thank you, Lucienne. I wish to speak with my spouse, if I could have the room for the moment?” He asked, looking down as (Y/N) with a soft smile.

She nodded, leaving the room and taking Merv with her. Morpheus sat down next to (Y/N), resting his hand over their’s.

“I heard what you said to Lucienne.” He told them. He didn’t sound judgemental, which made (Y/N) feel a little better.

“I’m sorry, I…”

He shushed her. “Don’t apologize. I’m sorry if I gave you the impression that you had to be worried about our marriage.”

“You didn’t.” (Y/N) hated that he thought that. “Of course you didn’t. I was just… she just seems so perfect. And I know you still love her, you don’t need to deny it.”

Morpheus sighed. “I do care about Calliope, I admit. But there is nobody I would chose to be with other than you. To me, you’re what’s perfect.”

Gripping his hand, (Y/N) brought it to their lips and pressed a gentle kiss to it. “I love you.” They told him, the relief making them feel lighter than ever.

No doubt in their mind any longer.

Tagging: @stygianoir

[seecarrun]

“Slouching” by Car

a reddie drabble

"Richie, for the love of god, stop slouching."

Richie glared down at Bev, throwing his hands up into the air as she scowled at him around the pins she held carefully in her mouth. "I literally can't help it, dude! That's my natural posture!"

"Bullshit," she snapped, purposely poking him a little harder than Richie felt was necessary in the bicep with one of the other pins she was using to tailor his blazer. He 'ow'ed, lamely. "Shoulders back, chest out, chin up," she instructed, tapping each body part in time so he would adjust accordingly. "Marsh originals deserve respect, you neanderthal."

Richie groaned, looking to Ben for any sort of help or backup, only to be met with gentle eyes and an easy shrug. Traitor. He wiggled uncomfortably, trying to adjust his awkward body to fit Bev's impossible standards. "This sucks."

"Deal with it.”

"This is physically painful."

"I promise you'll live."

Ben chuckled from his spot on the chair, offering Richie a kind attempt at a sympathetic smile. "You look really good, Rich," he offered in that meltingly sweet and earnest way only he and Mike had somehow learned to master over the years. "I get it, honestly, but you have no reason to fold up in yourself and hide away like that. You have a great body."

Richie snorted at that, but Bev pricked him roughly again in the arm, and he cut himself off to hiss at the poke. "Richie," she scolded, "if even half of my models had your height and shoulders and jawline, my job would be unfathomably easier." She stepped back to glare at his chest. "Seriously. I barely have to do anything. This jacket just works for you. It's disgusting. I love it. You're modeling my fall B&T formal line. End of discussion."

"Uh, no," he chided. "You don't get to say end of discussion when there never was a discussion. I'm not modeling shit, Marsh. What the fuck."

"There didn't need to be a discussion, because you don't actually get a say in it," she said with a smirk. She spun him around to check the back of the blazer, bopping him once more on the head to get him to stand up straight. Apparently he had begun slouching again. "Eddie, Bill, and Stan are modeling my standard men's line, and you, Ben, and Mike are modeling my big and tall line. I've already got it all worked out with your agent."

"Steve is in on this?" he balked. "When the fuck did you talk to Steve about this?"

"You don't know my life." She smirked. "It's good publicity. Stop slouching."

"I'm not slouching!"

"That's fucking doubful," came a new voice. Bev, Ben, and Richie all turned to the door as Eddie walked in, fiddling with his own slick black suit coat, his brow furrowed heavily over his glaring eyes as he messed around with it in his hands.

"You okay, Eddie?" Ben asked.

Eddie made a little huff in frustration, still focused on his coat. "Yeah, yeah, I just, ugh. I snagged this fucking button on something and now it's all loose," he grumbled. "Bev, I know it's short notice and you're busy, but before we leave for the thing, would you be able to—Oh." He cut himself off suddenly, finally looking up.

Richie felt himself involuntarily adjust his posture as his eyes met Eddie's own.

"Do you need me to fix that for you, hun?" Bev asked, breaking the awkward hush that had fallen over the room.

Eddie's ears pinked inexplicably, but he nodded his head and shuffled over to Bev to hand her the coat, clearing his throat. "Yeah. Um, yes, actually. Do you mind?"

"Not at all," she said with a smile, taking it from him and jerking her head in Richie's direction. "I'll be done with Richie soon. He doesn't need much altering, the sexy bastard."

"Jesus christ," Eddie breathed, clearly not intending for anyone else to hear, which was, well, something, and quickly plastered a pained smile across his lips as he gave Bev a thumbs up and began backing out of the room. "Great, awesome, thank you," he mumbled quickly.

Biting back a grin, Bev tossed to coat over to the amused looking Ben to hold. "No problem, sweetie. I'll let you know when it's done, okay?"

Eddie nodded again, spinning on his heel when he got to the door, only to pause for a moment before leaving, glancing cautiously glancing over his shoulder, and calling out, "You do look great Rich. Don't slouch," before ducking out again and booking it down the hall.

Richie blinked once, and then once more before looking back to Ben and Bev, his eyes wide and his face glowing, coughing self-consciously as Bev broke out into giddy laughter and Ben chuckled to himself.

It was only after Bev had wrapped up her alterations that she eyed Richie in amusement, elbowing him playfully in the side. "So, I noticed you stopped slouching," she teased.

"Yeah, yeah," Richie snorted, elbowing her back with a grin. "Shut up."

[babyybitchhhwrites]

Kyoujuro x Reader 18+

Title: Time After Time: A Collection

Rating: Explicit/R-18+

Words: 2992

Warnings: Vaginal fingering, cunnilingus, nipple play

Link:https://archiveofourown.org/works/24362824/chapters/58766932

♥♥♥♥

With a deafening whack, your bamboo shinai collided with Kyoujuro’s and halted the seasoned swordsman in his tracks. Or that’s what you tried to tell yourself, anyway. 

But the truth of the matter was that it actually took every ounce of strength and willpower you possessed just to keep him from surging forward and following through on his attack. You were drenched in a sticky sheen of sweat, the muscles in your arms trembling so badly that you couldn’t keep your practice sword steady, whereas he looked as if he was barely putting forth any effort at all. It was frustrating and annoying, not to mention just a tad belittling even though you knew he didn’t mean it like that. The difference in your abilities was simply far too great. If he’d put his all into this match, you would’ve been down for the count in record time. 

That didn’t mean you had to be happy about it though and, issuing a desperate battle cry to bolster your tired limbs, you pushed back at him with everything you had. Your bare feet slipped across the polished floor of the Rengoku estates scarcely used dojo, struggling for traction until you managed to find your footing. Your legs screamed in protest as you plowed forward, trying to force your way through his defenses. Kyoujuro’s dark, unkempt brows twitched upward as though you’d managed to take him by surprise but the fiery gold irises staring back at you reflected only excitement. 

So suddenly that it made you lurch forward, he backed off. You stumbled and barely managed to catch yourself before you fell flat on your face. Shinai whipping through the air, you spun around just in time to deflect his next attack. Kyoujuro looked like he was having a blast as he sidestepped and danced around you again, playfully jabbing at you as he went. It was difficult just to parry his blows, let alone launch your own assault, and you grit your teeth in annoyance. He was toying with you now.

It’s not as if that hadn’t been obvious right from the start and you quickly realized that you were just going to have to go for it. It was stupid and reckless to charge someone of his caliber but you were running out of options. Your exhausted body would only hold out another minute or two, regardless, so you might as well go down fighting. 

Holding your breath, you ducked under the next swing of his sword and waited until Kyoujuro’s arm was at the widest part of its resulting arch before lunging. You had the hilt of your shinai gripped so tight that your hands were shaking but, still, you brandished the weapon with implacable bravery. Bringing it out and up, you slashed at him in a desperate uppercut that you hoped he wouldn’t be able to block. 

For a split second, you actually thought you’d managed to catch him off guard. If the two of you had been sparring with real swords you were positive you would have disemboweled him with that move. But at the very last second, Kyoujuro leaped back and the only thing you cut through was air. Before you could even fully comprehend the crushing disappointment of your failure, he lunged and you suddenly found yourself hitting the floor with a teeth-rattling thump.

You wheezed, raggedly gasping even as you tried to blink the starbursts from your eyes. A  solid weight promptly settled across your stomach and you dazedly peered up only to find Kyoujuro grinning at you with his own shinai held aloft, the tip of it pointed at your face. You went limp underneath him, accepting your defeat. Damn. You’d been so close too. 

“I win.” He announced, gently tapping the end of his practice sword against your forehead. “Again.”

“Shocking.” You rasped. 

Chuckling softly, Kyoujuro lowered his arm and shifted back to perch more fully on your abdomen. He didn’t look like he weighed all that much but when he was sitting on top of you like this, you were painfully aware of every single pound packed into his lithe body. Squirming, you tried to lessen the pressure he was exerting on your stomach but he simply wouldn’t budge. You probably should have expected as much, being the loser and all, but that didn’t mean you had to like being crushed under him.  

“You’re hurting me.” 

“Poor baby,” He cooed. “Should I kiss it and make it better?”

You pulled your lower lip in a pout and fixed him with an imploringly pitiful look. It worked and, just like that, he rose up on his knees so that you could finally draw a full breath of air again. Gratefully, you started to heave a tired sigh of relief but it cut off with a strangled gasp when Kyoujuro grabbed under your arms and hauled you up into a sitting position, oblivious to the way your muscles spasmed and screamed in agony. 

Swaying unsteadily, you offered Kyoujuro a grumpy frown and he laughed faintly in response. He leaned forward then, bracing his hand on the floor and putting his mouth dangerously close to yours in the process. His wide eyes were locked on yours though, studying you up close. Your heartbeat started to pick up again as you stared right back at him from just a scant few inches away, as unwilling to pull back as you were unable. 

“Such a sore loser.” He murmured and each quietly spoken word seemed to steal a little more oxygen from your lungs. “Maybe I shouldn’t agree to spar with you if it’s only going to make you mad at me.” 

“I never said I was mad at you.”

“You’re certainly looking at me as if you are.”

Dark lashes lowering to infuriatingly attractive half-mast, Kyoujuro closed the space between you two. His lips were a little dry but, as if realizing this, he pulled back just enough to swipe his tongue across them. When he kissed you again, it was a much more pleasant sensation and you readily leaned into the gesture. 

It was a fleeting exchange though and he quickly shifted his focus, pecking at the corner of your mouth and then your cheek. You still felt hot and flushed after that taxing bout and he certainly wasn’t helping matters. Squeezing your thighs together, you turned your head in a futile attempt to disengage from what Kyoujuro was doing but he was much too insistent to truly ignore. 

“I’m all sweaty.” You squeaked when his mouth descended over the pulse point in your neck and he hummed his agreement. 

“So am I.”

That hot puff of air against your damp skin had you trembling and curling your hands into tight fists against the floorboards. You wanted him. There was no denying it but self-conscious worry about how you must smell prompted you to try again. 

“Don’t you think we should do this in the bath then?” 

Quietly laughing, Kyoujuro sat back on his haunches to look at you. All of you. The perpetually unguarded look on his face made you feel vulnerable and fragile, and you whimpered softly when he reached out to slip his fingers into the neck of your kimono.

“I really don’t mind, love. Promise.” He pulled, tugging one side of your top down over your shoulder in halting slow motion. “You’re always beautiful to me.”

A violent shudder tore down your spine as your breast slipped out into the open and you keened. Smiling, Kyoujuro watched your face twist up in pleasure as he brought the worn pad of his thumb close and lightly brushed it against your soft nipple. It started to pucker almost instantly, growing stiff under his ministrations, and he let out a slow exhale when you began to squirm in front of him. 

“Even after sparring as if you were really trying to kill me, I still want you.”

You sucked in a frazzled gasp, tilting your face down so you could watch what he was doing. His hand worked over your breast at an unhurried pace, just slowly teasing the nipple to straining attention before lightly pinching it between thumb and forefinger. Your pussy clenched and fluttered, spewing sticky arousal against the inside of your hakama. Drawing a full breath was starting to become difficult again and you whined as Kyoujuro started relentlessly plucking at the pebbled peak until you were trying to angle your chest away from his attention.

“I - I’m less worried about that - ngh!” You shuddered when he followed you, only pulling on your aching nipple more tenaciously now. “What if I smell bad?” 

“You don’t. Trust me.”

That was a little hard to believe given the sweat you’d worked up but he clearly wasn’t going to listen to reason. Biting down on your lower lip, you drew your shoulders up towards your ears and pinned him with a needy look. Kyoujuro cocked his head to one side, brilliantly bright eyes glinting with carnal mischief, but he acquiesced at last and reached to tug at the other half of your kimono. With a quiet rustle of fabric, both breasts were exposed and you eagerly arched your chest up to greet him when he moved to tease the neglected one. 

But he managed to take you by surprise when he actually lifted both hands and pinched your nipples in perfect unison. You jolted, crying out even as you threw your head back to stare blindly up at the ceiling. Your back curved, jutting your tits up into the delicious torture he was inflicting, and Kyoujuro groaned quietly in response. The abrasively rough pads of his fingers offered the perfect amount of friction to leave you feeling wild and desperate, rubbing your thighs together in a fruitless bid to relieve the pressure building there. It felt like you were soaking right through your pants and when he cradled the globular weight of your breast in one hand, leaning close, you issued a frazzled whine into the otherwise quiet dojo.

Unperturbed, Kyoujuro closed his mouth over the throbbing tip of your chest and suckled. His mouth was unbearably hot and wet, made all the more excruciatingly delightful when his tongue came forward to lap at the sensitive nub. You screwed your eyes shut, unable to endure much more even as you moaned for him without restraint. 

“K - Kyou - ... juro! Aahn! That’s enough!” 

A doubtful sound rumbled deep inside his chest as he leaned back and swiveled his attention up to regard you with a noted hint of surprise. “Surely you don’t mean that, darling.”

“I do!” You said, whining. “I can’t take it any longer ... I want you to touch me!”

Kyoujuro’s mouth curled up into a wide smile, those eyes that reminded you so much of dancing flames trailing a burning path down the center of your chest. “I’m touching you right now, aren’t I?” 

As if to emphasize his point, he swiped the tip of his finger down the same path his gaze had traveled only seconds before. You twitched at the contact, half choking on a gasp. 

“That’s not what I meant!” 

He reached for your pants then, laughing all the while. “Let’s find out how wet you are then, hm?” Practically purring, Kyoujuro pulled at the tie keeping your hakama secured around your hips. It came loose with a quiet slither and when he started tugging the fabric down over the meat of your thighs, you eagerly twisted your body to help get them off that much quicker. 

Tossing them aside as soon as they were free of your legs, Kyoujuro palmed either knee and spread them wide apart from one another. You shook so hard at being bare and exposed that you started to feel dizzy, your chest rapidly rising as you sucked in one haggard breath after another. He had you so tightly wound that when he issued a stuttering groan and reached for your defenseless pussy, you practically sobbed.

“Please ...”

Gently tracing the length of your slit with the backs of his knuckles and smearing your arousal in the process, he issued a quiet noise of approval. “You’re soaked, love. Is this really all for me?” 

You jerked your head in an erratic nod, feeling much too high-strung to respond verbally. Kyoujuro didn’t seem to mind it though and, dipping two fingers into the meat of your labia, he slowly spread you open. The sensation of cool air lapping at your flushed core made you tremble from the top of your head straight down to the tips of your toes and you wantingly jutted your pelvis up towards him. He twisted his hand then, brushing a feather-light touch over your cit with his thumb. For as brief as the contact was, it made your pussy clamp down on nothing with a warning tremor so powerful that it nearly bowled you over right on the spot. 

“O - Oooh! God!” You groaned, your voice rising a frantic octave. “That feels guh - good, Kyoujuro! Don’t stop ...”

“Does it, now? And what about this?”

Slipping his index and pointer fingers lower, Kyoujuro started carefully working them into the tight heat of your body. The accompanying seer of penetration made you jolt and gasp, your mouth hanging open in stricken ecstasy while you focused all your efforts on simply breathing. A sticky wet squelch rose up from between your thighs as he sunk into you down to the first joint and then deeper still until his knuckles were snuggly fitted against your labia. He gave them an experimental wiggle and you heaved, blinking rapidly at a random spot on the far wall. 

“Good! It feels good!” You breathlessly squawked. 

“I’m glad to hear that, love.” Kyoujuro cooed, resuming his earlier ministrations against your clit with his thumb. At the same time, he curled those thick digits up towards your belly button, slowly working them back and forth against your spongey inner wall in a come hither motion that had you practically clawing at the floor. 

Your thighs began to shake embarrassingly fast as he worked you over with slow, even passes, undulating your hips in time with the motion of his fingers. It was impossible to even think straight anymore and you happily let the slow cresting waves of absolution swallow you up until you were moving in perfect sync with one another. Kyoujuro’s steady, confident manipulation of your body teased you right to the edge where you lingered for a small eternity, growing increasingly more desperate with each passing second until you were begging for release. Overwhelmed tears stung the backs of your eyes but, still, he wouldn’t give you that final push to knock you over.

“Kuh - Kyouuu!” 

“Are you close, sweetheart?”

“Yessss!” You wailed, the quickly rising volume of your voice not even registering in your own ears. 

Kyoujuro’s breathy chuckle, thick and heavy, drifted over your body like a warm spring mist. You rolled your hips into the pressure of his hand more fervently then, straining to find release on his fingers, but it seemed like some far off, unattainable goal. Feeling well and truly delirious now, you threw your head back and sobbed up at the ceiling. Your desperate bleating only rose another pitch when the presence of his thumb suddenly disappeared, leaving you hanging precariously in the balance. 

You’d just drawn a breath to scream with when you felt him shift and lean close. Before you could glance down to see what he was doing, the wet heat of Kyoujuro’s mouth descended upon your throbbing clit and he sucked. Hard. 

You immediately went ramrod stiff against him, your pounding blood running ice cold while he enthusiastically suckled on the sensitive little nub. You practically came right up off the floor with the sudden burst of mind-numbing pleasure that tore through you and it almost felt as if your soul was slipping right out of your body. You arched so hard that something in your lower back popped and, without any further warning, the coil snapped. 

Writhing uncontrollably, you shrieked in ecstatic bliss as you jutted your spasming cunt up against Kyoujuro’s face. His fingers remained wedged deep inside your body, brushing against that tight cluster of nerves just on the other side of your upper wall each time your muscles squeezed down around him. The sheer magnitude of your orgasm punched the air right out of your lungs and you let loose one haggard moan after another while you rode out the wild tremors on his slurping mouth.

It took you a prolonged moment to start coming down from the high, your head spinning with the fast pumping rush of adrenaline even as your cunt continued to weakly contract around his digits. You issued a frazzled whimper when Kyoujuro refused to stop lapping at your core even when you were clearly approaching overstimulation. Seething, you brought one of your hands down to weakly push at his head.

“Kyou ... no more ...”

He finally pulled up off you and lifted his face, the area around his lips glistening obscenely in the low light of the dojo. “We’ve only just started though.” He said, sounding much too disheartened for your liking. 

You offered him a faint smile as you carefully threaded your fingers through his haphazard mess of hair, working out a few tangles. “I know. I’m sorry. Wouldn’t you like a turn though?” 

Kyoujuro perked up immediately and you were glad to see that disappointed puppy dog expression gone. You just sincerely hoped no one had heard you wailing in pleasure no matter how much you’d enjoyed it in the heat of the moment. 

Something told you his father wouldn’t find much in humor in the knowledge that Kyoujuro was slowly having his way with you on every available surface in the Rengoku estate and that was a conversation you decidedly did not want to be a part of. 

♥♥♥♥

[whirlybirdwhat]

Prompt: fusion (like two characters fusing with each other) please?

This one was fun! It’ll be up on ao3 tonight! No romance in this one, just pure platonic love. And Also Pacific Rim elements more than Steven Universe because like why not have to bare your entire soul to someone to fuse with them then ultimately forget that moment of vulnerability as the fusion falls apart as a semblance for how close you became in that untouchable moments. Also, pac rim names are cooler than ship names as fusion so heck yeah anyway!!!

*formatting will be weird after immediate posting, so apologies to those who are met with this block of text before i fix it. No warnings do apply, in case the tags don’t work!

Characters include straw hat pirates, asl brothers, and shanks as major parts/fusions

soul shines like gold (lets make it shine like the sun) (ao3)

(I can’t become pirate king without my crew! Luffy says, and after three years of sailing (after a day in the presence of their captain), the rest of the crew echoes it in turn. People fuse to become strong, but why can’t they fuse to become free?)

——

Usopp was minding his own business when he came up on the deck of the Merry, giving a hesitant hello to the sleeping figure on deck.

“Hey Zoro.”

“Mmph.”

Wait.

That wasn’t Zoro.

Usopp whipped his head around to stare at the sleeping figure on the deck – one he hadn’t seen before, but had a startling familiarity to them.

Four arms, two sharp-toothed mouths, dark sun spotted skin, a familiar straw hat on the head and swords by the side, gladiator sandals and dark trousers, with an open vest and a green belt.

Usopp couldn’t see the hair, but he would bet ten belli that it was some dark shade of green, and that there was a sloping scar underneath the eye.

Luffy and Zoro fused?

Fusion was not unheard of, even in the east blue. The weak banding together to fight the strong – now that was a theory the East could agree with. But to do so casually, to simply take a nap and bare your soul to another… that did not happen so leniently.

Fusion - the art of merging with another being so completely that you became one, two (or more) souls creating a body of power and might if done right. The cost being that one will was usually dominant, and thus typically happened only in battle, when the will was to win.

Eh. Just another quirk. Better introduce myself.

He tapped the fusions foot. “Hey, I’m Us-“

The head tilted up, revealing four eyes, two closed and two wide open like his captains, a scar sloping beneath it as Usopp had thought. “We know. King’s Sword,” The fusion said in a rumbling raspy voice.

Usopp hid a flinch.

There was power in that tone.  And the fusion was still looking at him expectantly.

“So, uh, when did you first fuse?”

“First day my parts met. Luffy grabbed onto Zoro and suddenly I was.”

“That’s it?” Usopp squawked. “Just like that?”

“Of course. Luffy is the man who will be pirate king – Zoro’s captain. Why wouldn’t he trust him to create me?” King’s Sword said it like it was fact, and Usopp supposed it must be, to them at least.

Zoro and Luffy were so cool… And the name too.

(Fusion names were odd. Fusions with children and people who were undecided of goals and such tended to have actual names, a simple merging, but as the parts grew, so did their character, creating a defining name for their fusion. The pattern tended to be for every fusion that wished it but… it was rare, to have it before your twenties.

Luffy’s trait must be King.

Usopp wouldn’t expect any less.

(And Zoro was obviously sword – seriously, the guy used sword as his signature!))

“Would you like to try?”

Wha-

“What?” Usopp’s eyes went wide as King’s Sword stood up and offered him a hand.

“Would you like to fuse? See what it’s like?”

They said it in the same tone of voice that Luffy said when he said “Get on. You’re coming with us, aren’t you?” Like it was already fact, despite Usopp having only ever fused with his mother before when practicing fusion dances.

Doubt fell away.

“Sure.”  He grabbed King’s Sword’s hand, and pulled himself into the dance.

Steps forward and back twisting in and out of tandem with the fusion, his hands flying up in down in chopping motions as his hips shifted back in forth. King’s Sword was everywhere he wasn’t, towering and fluid all at once. In one final movement, his hand shifts to be clasped around King’s Sword’s forearm, the fusion doing the same in turn.

The world grew bright, and Usopp became one with Luffy and Zoro.

A fifth eye opened, brilliant brown the color of unwavering oak trees.

King’s Sharpsight, they decided their name to be, had been born.

Hair, long and gently curling fell over shoulders tied by a bandana under a straw hat. A single sword had been replaced by a slingshot, and a backpack lied over their shoulders. Gladiator sandals lied under overalls with a green sash around the middle, and a red vest underneath them. Shoulders were bare and dark, and their face had a longer nose and five eyes. Two mouths still smiled, less sharper than before, with a bigger hint of mischief towards them.

King’s Sharpsight was slightly smaller than King’s Sword, but just as stronger.

“Wow!” They said, looking at their hands and peering at themselves in the reflection of the galley’s window. “I look great! This is going to be awesome!”

All five eyes look out at the world as hands fiddled with their own rubbery texture.  “Amazing… Hey! Maybe Nami wants to join!”

She doesn’t, but she does take the time to talk to them (their first conversation!! Cool!) and show them the canon, which in typical fashion, they aim precisely at the one thing that could cause the most damage.

A big ol’ rock with two bounty hunters underneath it.

As the fusion falls apart, Usopp realizes that he doesn’t feel any less or more. He just feels… happy, as if he had gotten to know his friends more than he did already. As if he had gotten to hold their dreams and hopes in a palm, with the upmost trust.

(Because Luffy did not do anything but trust his nakama. If he asked you to do something, you did it, because anything else would be a betrayal of that trust, even if it would completely okay to him.)

(Because in a fusion, everything becomes one – bodies, souls, hearts and minds.

Which meant, memories became one.

King’s Sharpsight knew of little girls who never grew up to be great swordsman and mothers who died waiting for a man who was never coming home. They knew of brothers dead and living, and grandfathers who didn’t care for impossible dreams and wills. They knew, but didn’t think it was special, because this was just the experiences that shaped them, not anyone else.

And when they fell apart, the individuals did not remember the memories of before only the familiar comfort of I know.)

Usopp hoped they would fuse again one day, perhaps in battle, to see what they could truly do, when three minds became one.

(King’s Sight, Weather Sight, Sharpsights, Cook’s Sight, History Sight, Metal Sight, Healing Sight, Music Sight, Sea Sight, King’s Crew – Usopp fused and became one with his crew, and closer and closer and closer, until fusing was a way to talk without talking and love without speaking.)

Usopp, who had never merged before, learned to dance in pattern and fuse, like he belonged.

(It was a great feeling)

-

The first time Luffy fused was with Shanks. Gramps had always told him he was to young for it, as he showed him what it was like with his closest marine companion.

Shanks had only laughed when Luffy asked him to do it, and swept him up in his arms without question, throwing Luffy into the air and catching him on his shoulders. A warm light overtook them in the midst of Makino’s bar, and then there was Child Captain, standing proud and short and scarred.

(For Luffy did not know he would be king yet, did not have his dream, and Shanks knew who he was and who Luffy was so he took the lead.)

(Later, Child Captain would become Straw Hat, the bonding focus between their two parts.)

Child Captain was rambunctious and unstable, lasting only for a minute, but enough to give Luffy a taste of what it felt like to be not alone for the first time – to have a part of you that would never leave, like everyone else did eventually.

The next he fused, for Makino had banned Luffy from fusing with anyone else because fusing tired children, was with Ace.

Accidentally, and in battle, where Luffy’s clumsy movements went in tandem with Ace’s and the outstretched hand for Luffy to rocket with created Brother’s Sun – who quickly went supernova and fell apart the minute they were created.

Ace didn’t speak to Luffy for the rest of the day. And Luffy didn’t come back to the treehouse that night.

Sabo was the one to fix it, the only one who had had an explanation of fusion besides Luffy.

(Sabo, the nobles had said, fusion is for the fighters, for the rough housers, not for people of our esteem. Take note of that, alright boy?)

“Ace,” Sabo said to his brother. “Fusion just means you – at the very least – care for each other when you do it accidentally like that. And when you do it purposely that means you love each other, right? We’re brothers, aren’t we?”

(Sabo’s a good liar, but it doesn’t mean what he says isn’t true. In the Grand Line, marines and pirates’ fuse to become stronger, to fight without restraints. It’s not always a thing of love and beauty, but of pain and despair.

Sabo’s sure that isn’t the case with his brothers though.

Did you know that when men drink together they become brothers? This way our bond can never be broken!)

“Yeah,” Ace says quietly from where he’s curled at the foot of a true. “Brothers.”

Sabo decides to take a risk, and sticks out his hand. “Come on. Let’s do it, and find Luffy.”

Ace takes ten seconds to respond. Sabo counted – it had felt more like infinity. “Okay,” is the final quiet response, and they join hands.

The dance is quick, rushed, but put together in the quiet moments of their fights. Sharp movements flowing with wide arms, a final double hand clasp that brings them together chest to chest then –

Warmth.

And Elder Brother breathes in the jungle air.

Tall, black stretched blond with glowing freckles and wide eyes, they smile with two mouths and four eyes. Sturdy boots rest upon their feet with shorts and a simple tank top upon their chest, arm holes wide to make room for four arms. A fancy jacket is wrapped around their waist, and twin pipes rest upon their back. Goggles hang around their neck, shining in the dim light, and every step is filled with power despite the softness of childhood to their face.

Elder Brother goes forward, because they aren’t complete, not yet.

-

Luffy is found on the cliffsides of Goa, looking out into the distance like he always does when the ocean is in view. The only time that he can stay still.

“Luffy,” Elder Brother rumbles in a child pitch. Luffy gasps and turns around, not even hesitating to recognize his elder brothers.

“Ace! Sabo!” He calls then starts crying. “I’m sorry I didn’t mean to, I’m sorry-“

“Elder Brother,” the fusion corrects him gently, “I’m not upset. C’mon.” Four arms open wide, and their young brother wastes no time to lunge into their embrace and fuse.

The sun shines upon the fusion laughing happily in the sea breeze.

ASL, they call themselves, like their own dream, their own flag.

Six armed, four-legged, strong as a monstrous child could be, with a straw hat upon their head and three pipes on their back. Gladiator sandals dig into the earth and simple childish shorts and tanks are slung across ASL’s body. The fancy coat, now tattered and torn, rests upon their shoulders like the captain’s coat they all envision themselves to have in the future.

Together, ASL thinks, as brothers, at last.

They charge for the city, ready to use their new height to buy their way into a free meal, a troublemaker as always.

-

The strong did not stand alone – this was a rule the most powerful of the seas knew. Emperors had big crews, some close, others only underlings, and Marine Admirals had countless underlings beneath them.

There was strength in numbers, yes, but most importantly was the close bonds formed with your closest circle.

For only with them, could fusion emerge – the dance of souls between each other, so that one being could form.

A dangerous art, and only for those who could trust (or who had no choice) to be lead along.

In the place of those once separate bodies would be one – ten times more powerful and ten times more useful, especially in battle, when one’s opponent would outlast you.

A common tactic in battles was to divide and conquer, so no fusions could form and something resembling equal footing would be allowed. Marines often used this, in favor of fusing as most pirates did, the marines claiming equality and the pirates truly uncaring of rules.

They were pirates after all.

Any advantage in a fight

-

There are legends, passed down and shifting over time, that the fusion between the King of the Pirates and Dark King Rayleigh was one of the most powerful to walk the earth and only rivaled by that of Garp the Fist and Sengoku The Buddha (and perhaps only because the latter had a devil fruit.) The fusion, called King’s Treasure, had seldom been seen, but was said to tower over giants and kings, to trample islands and swim the ocean as if it were a lake.

A fusion is, of course, the voice of two wills surging into one. The Will of D and that of a Conquerors could never be a small fusion after all.

In modern times, when Whitebeard and Roger have fallen (who were said to have fused exactly once, and never again, as Whitebeard rarely fused) fusions were much more visible, striking fear into every soul.

Big Mom made a habit of fusing with her compatible children, trying to create more creatures to add to her menagerie with her children’s powers. Kaidou’s men were often ordered to fuse, to overcome any odds.  Red Force, the force of the emperor Shanks and any one of his men, could be seen in a smaller state, partying on any given island.

The last time any Marine Admiral had fused had been at Marineford, when the clash of giants had cause Whitebeard to fuse, springing the giant admiral and pirate fusions to life.

The Strawhats are a legend now. Or rather, King’s Crew, the Strawhat crew fusion, is a fusion legend (though that isn’t to say the Strawhats don’t make headlines every other week.)

For every member of a crew to have a bounty is incredibly rare. To have more than five in a (stable) fusion is even rarer. To have the entire crew in one… well, it’s unheard of to say the least.

When King’s Crew rises from the ashes of the battlefield, gods learn the meaning of the human fear.

(for when emperors’ wills collide, one must dominate, leading to one will bigger than the other. But when wills become one – when dreams become one – fusions such as King’s Crew occur, shaking the very dirt of the Earth for centuries to come)

And what a Beautiful fusion they were.

Unbelievably tall and towering over giants, with rainbow black hair that stretched down to their low back. Seventeen eyes, some closed and some open, the widest being that of their Captains, and not all on the face, scattering across shoulders and necks. In place of one eye was a sloping scar, familiar to all who knew the face of Strawhat.

A smile, stretching wide across their face, sharp-toothed and half-feral half brilliant. Dimples and freckles decorate cheeks that are slightly too see-through, as if to see bone lying beneath them.  Six arms and four legs extend from their torso, dangerously half metal, fire and strong muscle. Their feet are clad in black roman sandals as black shorts are slung about their hips, and bracers decorate their clawed hands. A half skirt, made of the Straw Hat flag, ties around their waist with a wide-open slit, while their chest has only an open, printed suit vest covering it, displaying the mass of scars in the center of the chest. Spiraling tattoos of oceans and friends and jolly rogers scatter over arms as the ever-iconic straw-hat rests upon their head.

Magic seems to surround them. Fire at their feet, rubber in their skin, a demon in their heart, fur running down their back with metal and bone, extra limbs at any moment and a storm trembling overhead. Gentle fish scales slide over shoulders, glinting in the moonlight.

Demon would be the word for them, if that was able to encompass all that was King’s Crew.

Another word would be legend.

But the Straw Hat’s prefer just to call it love.

(A fusion, in its truest sense, is a symbol of a friendship beyond friendship, of a love beyond love. It has been corrupted, to mean power over the weak, for the sea is dangerous to those alone, but those like the Straw Hats, like King’s Treasure, know the truth.

To fuse is to place your soul in someone else’s hands and trust that they will regard it with nothing but love in turn.

This is why the Straw Hats fuse, and why King’s Crew is nothing but an act of loyalty and devotion to something greater than themselves.

This is fusion.

Love.)

King’s Crew, while stable, is bold and daring and rash. They are unhesitating, unwavering, and treat every decision as if fact.

They will win the battle.

They will sail to the end of the Grand Line.

They will become the pirate king (greatest swordsman, great warrior, will map the world, find the All Blue, the True History, an old friend, the cure to any disease, see the ship of dreams to the end of the line, find adventure in a world of hardship.)

They will do that.

Because with their crew, there is nothing King’s Crew can’t do.

(I can’t become pirate king without my crew! Luffy says, and after three years of sailing (after a day in the presence of their captain) the rest of the crew echoes it in turn. People fuse to become strong, but why can’t they fuse to become free?)

[snowfallen-nymph]

Gladiolus: What is something you hope to do in the next year or two?

“Nngh... m-must one really think ahead like this..? It seems like such a short period of time, all things considered...” The end of a rime-covered digit extended skyward to idly tap the lower petal of her blushing lips slender ears wilting along the sides of her head. Amora’lei blinked thricely, her large curious eyes peering toward the unfamiliar man while her other arm tucked itself beneath her bosom. Suddenly, those elongated ears would perk right up, similar to an alerted rabbit or perhaps one with a brilliant idea having come to mind. “Ohhh, I’ve really been wanting to learn frost magic on a more professional degree!” 

The petite elf then sucked her lower lip into her mouth, porcelain teeth eagerly chewing the tender flesh with excitement. “M-My elder sister was quite the magistrix-- I know I c-could never be nearly as good as her... but I still would fancy studying the arts no doubt...”

{ Thank you for the ask! @alexkestavin }

[riptoned]

💯 Doube Tap If You’ve Been Lifting Weights! 💪🏼 #bodybuilding #fitness #gym #motivation #fit #workout #fitfam #health #training #fitspo #muscle #fitnessaddict #fitnessmodel #strong #eatclean #healthy #gymlife #diet #cardio #lifestyle #fitnessmotivation #exercise #instagood #shredded #bodybuilder #determination #train #body #photooftheday #riptoned https://www.instagram.com/p/Bq_jszphKi7/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1cied543mrz0u

[koze-kreyol-blog]

Samdi 2 mas 2019.

Ekri pa: Frantz Renel Lebrun.

Nan lide poul tevin planifye aktivite kiap fèt Nan lakou souvnans,yonn Nan lakou mistik kigen Nan vil gonayiv jounen samdi 2 mas la, Premye Dam repiblik la madam Martine Moise,te twouvel nan zòn lan Kotel tap gen poul tal vizite 2 lòt lakou yo kise soukri avèk Badio.

Briskeman,yon bagay eklate ant bann 2 motè ansanm ak doub motè kinan lokalite souvnans ki nan gwo konfli sagen plizyè lane, lakoz anpil wòch tap tire antre yo,sa kite lakoz gwo panik Nan moman,e Premye Dam lan kite deja Nan espas la pat pran tan poul te deplase Rapid akoz lipat santil an sekirite nan moman akoz 2 bann yo kitap twoke kòn yo nan moman.

Kontrèman a enfòmasyon kap sikile kita fè kwè se sou madan chèf leta yotap lanse kout wòch yo,nap raple dosye 2 bann sayo kinan konfli a nan men otorite jidisyè yo depi sou ansyen komisè gouvènman mèt Marie Paule clerjuste Valentin,pou rive sou aktyèl komisè a mèt Serard Gasius,men ta sanble pyès mezi pako pran pou kanpe konfli sa akoz doub motè kisoti nan 2 motè kipa deside antann yo,e yo chak ap menase lòt, daprè enfòmasyon yo,e a sesa ki lakoz aktivite Madan prezidan pa rive fèt Jan sa te prevwa.