#especially as jack has something of the divine about him

[glow-in-the-dark-death]

Don’t know if you take writing prompts so if you don’t feel free to ignore this I have an idea for a dcxdp crossover ghost hunger au ( but only if you want otherwise it’s just Danny being able to eat anything and everything literally )ghost prince Danny au Redeemed Vlad au Vlad x Maddie x jack 

 Halfas were mistaken for a lot of things in mythology and being very rare they were often considered the “special ones” of whatever species they were mistaken for and the last halfa before Vlad was the one that inspired the novel of Dracula Yes there are vampires, but the one from the story of Dracula was not a vampire

Anyway, Danny trying to hide from the GIW decides to lean in on the mistaken identity, and what better city to do that in then Gotham, the one rumored to have monsters already patrolling its streets anyway Danny, gets mistaken for a vampire and Danny decides to roll with it setting up shop in an abandoned cathedral while trying to get the undead of Gotham back into the zone ( Grundy, the talons, Jason, and possibly a few others)

And Vlad occasionally has him going to galas for business (and practice for when Danny is the ghost king ) and of course, Danny continues the vampire act there too tone down, but still enough to give off an otherworldly vibe

I love this idea! I think I've only ever seen one other story about fake vampire Danny.

I'm not really able to write an actual story with world building or anything nice like that (trust me I've tried not pretty🫠😆), my stuff is usually just gibberish that I clean up a bit before posting, so I'm really sorry if you wanted an actual mini story.

~

But I'll try to do a little prompt!

~

Tell Me What I Am

There had been some odd rumors going around Gotham.

Those who were more sensitive said that the dead becoming aware, most didn't pay much truth to all that was being said.

Still everyone was more alert feeling like the entirety of Gotham was in the presence of something Other.

~

Jason didn't enjoy going to the galas when he was young and now as the recent 'No Longer Dead Wayne Child" he was forced to go once again.

He looked around trying to avoid all the rich snobs that were trying to push their daughters practically into his arms

He snorted at his thoughts, "Very much not my type."

Distracted he bumped into someone and oh-speaking of his type.

~

Danny didn't mean to bump into someone especially the guest of honor of the gala but it had been a while since he was able to properly eat something that actual filled him up and not just distracted his mind a bit before it came back,

So forgive him for being distracted and-

oh

oh?

Oh!

"You smell divine" he mumbled in between his suddenly overly sharp teeth

"..Wha-Thanks I guess?"

Danny's foggy mind suddenly snapped back into sharp focus once he felt Vlad call for him.

He quickly fled from the man

' Shit I almost bit him what the hell! '

~

Jason thought back to the night of the gala

"Hey B, do the Masters seem...odd to you?"

Bruce glance up from his work

"Did something happen?"

He thought about the sharp fangs suddenly in the young man's mouth alongside his comment feeling almost like prey under his intense gaze that pinned him in place with the sheer hunger and want in them.

How the older man pulled him away but not before Jason saw his eyes flash red for barely a second.

"....Maybe."

~

Just an Idea

Hope this was to your taste Anon!

[everydayyoulovemeless]

Hehe seeing a lot of NSFW asks, if you're feeling like writing more maybe now the NSFW alphabet for Joshua?

Joshua NSFW Alphabet

➼ Word Count » 1.2k ➼ Warnings » MDNI ➼ Genre » NSFW, Romantic ➼ A/N » Always in the mood for a good alphabet

A - Aftercare (what they’re like after sex)

He's so kind. He'll scoop you into his arms and carry you down to one of Zion's rivers to wash you. It's peaceful, private, and just fast enough to feel good against your skin. Not to mention how cool the water feels, which is always a bonus when you live in a desert.

B - Body part (their favorite body part of theirs and also their partner’s)

Joshua loves your face. He loves the adoring way you stare up at him or the way your features shift depending on how you feel. He could stare at you for hours. You're the most divine thing he's ever laid his eyes on. He personally doesn't have a favorite part about himself. He considers all of him to be stained with sin, so it'd be disgraceful for him to be drawn to any of it.

C - Cum (anything to do with cum, basically)

He would never dare to cum inside of you. Someone as sinful as him shouldn't be allowed something so sweet. You deserve someone younger - someone who you actually deserve to have children with, or at the very least, cum inside of you. Instead, he just releases himself on the floor.

D - Dirty secret (pretty self-explanatory, a dirty secret of theirs)

He likes the thought of covering your mouth with bandages to keep you quiet. He won't ever mention it. He thinks it may be too degrading for someone like you, but he does think about it a lot.

E - Experience (how experienced are they? do they know what they’re doing?)

He hates talking about his past experiences, especially around you. Mostly because he finds it rude and unnecessary, but he has definitely slept with a handful of women before you.

F - Favorite position (this goes without saying)

Missionary (haha 'cause he's literally a missionary). It's pretty basic, but he thinks it's the best position to be in when it comes to appreciating his partner. He likes being able to look at your face and trace his fingers over almost any part of your body he wants, but most importantly, it's the most comfortable for him. His burns sadly don't allow much room for experimenting, so missionary is what he sticks with.

G - Goofy (are they more serious in the moment? are they humorous? etc.)

He doesn't like being humorous when participating in something so sacred. As a follower of Christ, he takes the deed very seriously and would be ashamed if he ever took you or the act for granted.

H - Hair (how well groomed are they? does the carpet match the drapes? etc.)

He can't grow hair anymore due to the severity of his burns, so well groomed?

I - Intimacy (how are they during the moment? the romantic aspect)

As I've said before, Joshua takes sex very seriously and would do anything in his power to make you feel that. He'll take you by the hand and gently guide you to an isolated part of Zion, where he'll set up a small camp, cook for you, kiss you, and take you to bed. The romantic parts are one of the most important factors to him, and he never fails to make it a priority.

J - Jack Off (masturbation headcanon)

He doesn't masturbate. It can be painful at times and he's too old to be feeling horny all the time.

K - Kink (one or more of their kinks)

He's generally more vanilla in his kinks, but every now and then, he likes to do some light bondage.

L - Location (favorite places to do the do)

In a nice, secluded spot in Zion will do. Usually, in a cave of some sort, but as long as it's private, he'll be happy.

M - Motivation (what turns them on, gets them going)

He's motivated by you're happiness and pleasure. It might sound cliche, but the only reason he's still fucking is because he likes being able to make you feel good. Even if it hurts him, he feels that it's his duty to honor and worship you in such a way.

N - No (something they wouldn’t do, turn offs)

He refuses to degrade, harm, or humiliate you in any way. He can't ever imagine anyone doing that to the person they love, and he certainly couldn't imagine doing that to you.

O - Oral (preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc.)

He prefers to give, one because he doesn't feel he deserves something so sweet from you and second because he can't help but cringe at the feeling of teeth against his burn scars.

P - Pace (are they fast and rough? slow and sensual? etc.)

He prefers to go at a slower pace, one because he doesn't want to hurt you, accident or not, and second, he likes to take his time with you.

Q - Quickie (their opinions on quickies, how often, etc.)

The simple answer is no. Joshua doesn't like rushing it with you, especially since neither of you really has to, and would much prefer to take you out on a walk somewhere in Zion before properly pursuing you in that manner. He personally believes that these things were meant to take time, so it's safe to say quickies are off the table.

R - Risk (are they game to experiment? do they take risks? etc.)

No, never. Hurting you or risking your well-being in any way is the last thing he ever wants to do.

S - Stamina (how many rounds can they go for? how long do they last?)

Usually, he stops after the first round. He takes his time with it anyway, so it's not like it's disappointing at all. He's just old and struggles to stay horny long enough to please you.

T - Toys (do they own toys? do they use them? on a partner or themselves?)

I don't think he knows what a toy is, but even if he did, I don't see him using them much at all.

U - Unfair (how much they like to tease)

He hardly ever teases you. His number one priority when being intimate with you is to give you whatever you desire. He couldn't ever imagine depriving you of anything or subjecting you to any kind of humiliation.

V - Volume (how loud they are, what sounds they make, etc.)

Joshua doesn't make much sound, but you'll occasionally hear him grunting above you. It's still pretty quiet, though.

W - Wild card (a random headcanon for the character)

He likes to pray with you before and after sex. He thinks it's customary to thank God for granting you both the ability to feel and the chance to find one another.

X - X-ray (let’s see what’s going on under those clothes)

He's a good 6 inches, bald, and covered in injuries. It's not pretty to look at, but that doesn't mean it can't make you feel good.

Y - Yearning (how high is their sex drive?)

It's not very high at all. He's old, and it generally hurts to do. 'Getting it up' is more of a holiday than an everyday occurrence.

Z -Zzz (how quickly they fall asleep afterwards)

He doesn't like falling asleep afterward, instead, he prefers to hold you and caress gentle symbols into your skin. The Lord gave both of you moments like these to cherish, not to ignore.

[yanderemommabean]

MOMMAAAAAAA I LOVED YOUR HORROR OBEY ME THING! (Yes I have you on notifs, I friggin love all your writing, you’re exceptionally talented.)

So here’s my request :3

Yandere Beel and Belphie, deciding to share a female reader. They think they’ll have to resort to darker methods, but she really just loves them both so much! She cooperates every step of the way, and when one of the other brothers tries flirting (probably Mammon or Asmo let’s be honest) she sees the darkest side of the two twins.

Thank you so much in advance if you so write something for it!

((Blood mention and violence! Reader is not the one bleeding!))

You really are too perfect. Belphie still beats himself up about ever being mad at you and thinking you were some lowly being. And Beel...well he's just as dark as he is a bright smile with a big appetite. They both love you so much but have to admit they never want to show that dark side to you. Really they never have to. You're so sweet and obedient, you wait for them to lead you by hand if you go anywhere, you ask permission before leaving their sight, you don't ask questions when they get a bit...odd...which is often. But they tend to forget you've captured the attention of their other brothers as well. There's jack shit they can do about Lucifer, as he's the most powerful and terrifying and could easily smite them, so they let him think he has your heart. But the others? They need to learn to watch themselves. Belphie can feel his fangs aching to tear into Mammon. That dark blood coating his mouth and throat sounded divine. That cheap asshole keeps thinking he can get you alone by throwing fits and demanding like a brat, and it's killing his last shred of sanity. You giggle when he begins to tickle you, those sinful hands daring to touch your perfect skin, and before Belphie can launch, Beel already has Mammon by the throat. You go pale, shaking as the usually playful demons are now transforming and dripping drool from their large, tooth filled maws. Those teeth look eager to pierce any flesh they can, and Mammon’s skin looked especially appetizing to Beel as he began to snarl in their ancient tongue, of which you couldn't make out much other than them being angry. Belphie moves like a snake, his arms quickly wrapped around you as he starts to carry you away from the scene, but its too late. A punch was thrown, and a nose was definitely broken. Beel holds his face as his eyes turn ballistic, his pupils pinpoints as he roars and lets the blood drip down his nose and lips. 

You scream, but Belphie hushes you with a rather possessive kiss, turning you away but you insist on wriggling and biting him even. Oh? So you want to misbehave? No no no, you’d never…You’re just worried about Beel is all! That’s it! Oh forgive him, he gets irrational when protective you know? 

“No no see! Beel can handle himself! Mammon’s already nearly blue…Once he’s a shade darker we’ll be good for a while. Why the big eyes sweetheart? Choking him wont kill him! He’ll just be hurt enough to think about what he’s done. Unless…You want him dead?” You’re unable to speak. You aren’t used to such anger and violence, despite being in literal hell, or the devildom. These are beings of pure unadulterated rage and brutality yet for so long all you’ve seen was a few screaming matches and…now this. “No-No no no! Just-” you stammer, trying to squirm in Belphies grip once again as Beels face is warped, something truly sinister covering his expression as he holds Mammon’s throat with both hands, a wicked gleeful smile on his face as he does so. “LET HIM GO! Beel! BEEL!” you scream, having no other choice but to use the power of your pact to get the beast off of him and allow him air. The demons are all thrown to the side, your body hitting the floor too with a harsh thud, the breath being knocked from you as you cough and scramble to check on the second born. 

You don't get two inches to him before Belphie whispers a spell and you’re in their bedroom, Beel still covering his bleeding face as he stares at you like a dog awaiting its next command. He looked like he was in a trance yet still wanted blood. How did things spiral this fast? This is crazy! “I love you sweetheart, I really really do…But you don't get to do that to us. You don't get to tell us what we can and can't do, pact or not, all we want is to protect you” Belphie hissed, teeth coming out as if he wanted to bite right into you, but he held off, seemingly talking to Beelzebub through their odd twin link. “Belphie. Stop…They get worried easily is all, they saw me hurt, and wanted to check on me. I mean what other way could they stop us to check on us both?” Beel says as he pinches his nose, staring at you with sweet but terrifying eyes. Completely delusional. “Right? I mean I like to think we know you pretty well at this point, you just wanted me to stop because you thought I was badly hurt. But I'm ok! I am, the blood is even stopping on its own. You’re so sweet it's almost silly sometimes”. You may be a human with ancient beings older than the world itself, but you aren’t stupid. Those eyes held a deep, dark intent, and the next few words you say might be your last if you aren’t careful. You’ve been given a chance to play along, so, you take it. “How could I not be worried?! You’re bleeding! “ you exclaim, watching as Belphies face goes back to being soft and amused while Beel pouts and holds you to his chest as he pets your hair. “Aww. We’re so so sorry Y/N, really! But we’re big and strong, there’s nothing you need to worry about ok?” Beel says with a kiss to your head, gently flopping you on his bed as he turns to look towards Belphegor. “Ward the room for a while, I don't want to hear anything from Lucifer until this little cutie is calmed down. He’d just make the tension even worse” Once Belphegor began the incantation, Beel crawled to sit above you, blood dried on his face as he smiled. “You'll be ok, Me and Belphie won’t let anything happen to you. We love you, after all”. 

-Mommabean (I hope you enjoy beans!!! Sorry for typos, I type too fast and auto correct doesn’t always catch them!) 

[linkemon]

Love language headcanons

Friendly reminder that English is not my first language. You can check my Masterlists both in English and Polish here.

Consider supporting me on Ko-fi.

Other headcanons from this series can be found here.

Rook Hunt • Words

• If there is anyone at Night Raven College who has mastered the art of speech, it is definitely Rook. The boy has been using flowery phrases since you first met. It has become so much a part of him that you can't imagine him speaking in normal words.

• His love language is words, so he naturally gave nicknames to the people around him during the time he spent with them. However, you are unique and that comes with certain privileges. You have already been called the Crown jewel of his heart, An angel with a divine face, and The most beautiful person the world has ever seen. Interestingly, if anyone else had said it, you would have thought of it as empty platitudes but not with Rook. You know he sincerely believes everything he says.

• First graders literally can't listen to the boy for long periods of time. His words are so sweet that it makes them all sick, as Ace put it...

• Hunt likes to give you poems in which he praises various aspects of your character. Of course, the concept of beauty must always come up but he wants you to remember that beauty is not just about appearance.

• Rook uses foreign-sounding words very often. At first you looked up what they meant. Now you simply ask him to translate what he is saying but sometimes you will be refused. Some things are more interesting being a mystery...

Jack Howl • Acts of service

• Something broke? Need help you with your bag? Renovation at Ramshackle? This man is definitely the answer to all your problems. At times you feel that perhaps his distant connection to dogs due to being a beast with wolf-like characteristics is responsible for his textbook loyalty. Once you have won him over, he will always be there, willing to help.

• His love language seems to be usually favors. He'll find or take care of Grim when you're having a bad day. He will help fill the hole when your dormitory roof is leaking. He will lend you his jacket when you are cold.

• You sometimes let him do things that you could do yourself. All this just to see his satisfied face and his tail moving left and right when you thank him.

• You're not as fit as he is. If you go for a morning training session in the forest on the school grounds and fall down along the way, you can be sure that he will take you ona piggyback ride. He doesn't take you in his arms because he's a little embarrassed that you'll see him blush. But you know what's going on in his head because his ears give him away.

• You especially like it when Jack's favors include manual labor. You then have the opportunity to take a closer look at his muscles. And there are many of them...

Floyd Leech • Physical touch

• Floyd is a walking fan of touch. In various forms. Mostly squeezing, which most Night Raven College students don't like. Fortunately, he doesn't threaten you with anything terrible in this matter.

• It started with Floyd simply throwing his arm around your shoulders. He would always tell you that he was extremely bored as he led you to Mostro Lounge. It wasn't long before he started literally hanging on to you if you weren't paying attention to him.

• Nowadays, a boy loves to give you surprise hugs. Sometimes you have to remind him that he has a lot more strength than the average person and that you need a little more air in your lungs.

• He likes to grab your hand unexpectedly when you're passing the school corridors. One time it got to the point that he didn't want to let you go and went with you to Professor Trein's class. You felt a lot of shame then, especially when he told the teacher that he couldn't be separated from his shrimpy. Only when Jade came to talk his brother out of the idea of starting an argument with Trein, he announced that it was over for the day because he was tired of sitting in the stuffy atmosphere. He then got a week's punishment.

• You once bought him a tiny rubber ball so he could squeeze it when you weren't around. He liked it so much that now he won't part with it. You can meet many dissatisfied people on campus who were hit in the head with such a ball.

[witchofthesouls]

Lately all I can think of is TFP Optimus being demon bait. Amongst every iteration that I seen with the Matrix, he feels more like a placeholder involving the relic than an actual Champion for Primus. Plus TFP is the only one who doesn't retain any knowledge about his past as Orion Pax.

Placeholders are easier to tempt than champions since they aren't fully protected or warned of the danger. The Matrix of Leadership practically rats him out to anything supernatural when you consider it acts more like a vessel unlike other relics. Optimus is gonna have a mixed time should a demon hone in on him.

I get what you're saying. All the strange and, let's face it, very sus Artifacts are painting a very wild picture.

Personally, while I do believe TFP Optimus is a legitimate Prime, he isn't a fully realized one. It gets weirder with the Canon lore in the Aligned verse that the Matrix was housed with Prima's Star Saber and that Optimus is supposed to be the reincarnation of the mysterious Thirteen. Plus, Metroplex from the games vouched his status as a Prime: "Metroplex heeds the call of the last Prime." (Fall of Cybertron game)

I wonder how come the writers didn't go with the Primal Artifacts being semi-sentient? It would really make sense with the mythos and immense powers, especially since those tools can be only wielded by a Prime. So the building blocks were there. Or, have the ghost of Prima within the Matrix that's controlling new ordained champions, and it's intefering with Thirteen's connections? The Matrix has an established history of reformatting new bearers, so is it a big surprise that they're turned into Prima's thoughts of a prefect guardian? Prima has different Aspects and Domains compared to his youngest brother.

The themes of identity and self-determination are there. I think he internally struggled with it. Is he Orion Pax of Alpha Trion? Optimus Prime of Prima? Are they one and the same mask? Does he remember the Wilds in his dreams? Did he have hopes and plans for reconstruction? At night, does he recounts all the steps that brought him to that point?

But yeah, TFP!Optimus would be a succulent prize for a supernatural entity. The Matrix is both a beacon and lighthouse. To see a mortal God-King or a divine champion drowning in uncertainty would turn the very dangerous or very desperate towards him because a contract could be established.

Weirdly enough, out of all the Autobots, I think Optimus would have the easiest time navigating any potential entities. Orion Pax lived and breathed in doublespeak as an archivist directly sponsored by Alpha Trion himself. He knows the intricate dance to steer between treacherous allies and hostile enemies and how to be very leery of certain agreements. Orion was stuck between impossible contradictions of his status.

Ratchet has had certain privileges afforded by his function and frame. He's comfortable taking over things and saying his piece, especially among the current team. He also has a poor opinion of non-Cybertronian anything. He would either be killed for insolence and disrespect or be ensnared in a dream that gives him his deepest wishes. Arcee, depending on your viewpoint, is either lucky or unlucky, especially since she survives all her partnerships. Even Jack Darby, no matter how careful, has a human lifespan, which is seafoam to a Cybertronian. Something would latch onto her anger and grief. Bulkhead can be a very considerate soul. Some being would be charmed by the mech. Bumblebee is kind, and Smokescreen can be impulsive and so very clever. Traits that are endearing to many entities in old tales.

Optimus would have his hands full should something start sniffing around the base.

[jaysosilly1]

Erik Destlers nsfw alphabet

A = Aftercare (what they’re like after sex) extremely touchy, and really quiet. He'd prefer to burrow in your breasts, and lay on your thighs. Somewhere where he can feel your body heat.

B = Body part (their favorite body part of theirs and also their partner’s) He loves the curve of your hips. Its his favorite thing to look at when you're in a dress. Other than that, it's most definitely your eyes. He loves to look into your eyes, at all times, not just when making love. He positively adores your perfect feminine figure and angel eyes.

C = Cum (anything to do with cum, basically) He comes very easily, and is very sensitive.

D = Dirty secret (pretty self explanatory, a dirty secret of theirs) he's definitely smelt clothing. probably underwear.

E = Experience (how experienced are they? do they know what they’re doing?) He has no idea. He gets extremely nervous, especially the first time. He tries to just lay down and let you take the lead.

F = Favorite position (this goes without saying) cowgirl, because he can get a firm grip on your hips.

G = Goofy (are they more serious in the moment? are they humorous? etc.) completely serious. If he tried to joke around, he's probably mess up and start crying because he thought he ruined things.

H = Hair (how well groomed are they? does the carpet match the drapes? etc.) He trims his pubes

I = Intimacy (how are they during the moment? the romantic aspect) he tries to be romantic as possible. kisses everywhere, "I love you"s, tracing patterns on your skin, love bites

J = Jack off (masturbation headcanon) If you're away a few nights for any reason, he'll for sure masturbate. He lays down in bed, and tries his best to pretend it's you touching him.

K = Kink (one or more of their kinks) he likes to be dominated, for sure. He most likely has a mommy kink, and likes to be pampered. But on the other hand, he LOVES to get ruined. He loves to think about you riding him till he's in tears.

L = Location (favorite places to do the do) the bed. He loves tradition, and comfortability.

M = Motivation (what turns them on, gets them going) most of the time, he's just craving affection from you. He needs to know that you love him. But sometimes, it can be just as simple as seeing you in a tight dress.

N = No (something they wouldn’t do, turn offs) pain. The thought of hurting you in any way breaks his heart. And if it was the other way around, he couldn't take that either. It would remind him of his past, which is something he's constantly trying to forget when he's with you.

O = Oral (preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc.) He loves eating you out. He lives for the heat of your thighs, and the way they wrap around his head. In his opinion, you are the most divine meal he's ever had.

P = Pace (are they fast and rough? slow and sensual? etc.) He likes to take it slow and deep. Maybe if he's about to come he'll be a bit more rough, and pick up the pace a bit. But ultimately, he likes to take things slow and savor the moment.

Q = Quickie (their opinions on quickies, how often, etc.) he doesn't prefer them, but if it's what you have time for, he'll take whatever love he can get from you.

R = Risk (are they game to experiment? do they take risks? etc.) he doesn't like experimenting, he's not very fond of change.

S = Stamina (how many rounds can they go for? how long do they last?) he can go for at least 3 rounds, if it's not extreme.

T = Toys (do they own toys? do they use them? on a partner or themselves?) no. just you and him. He'd probably get jealous otherwise.

U = Unfair (how much they like to tease) he's usually a bottom, but if he is being dominant, he wouldn't tease. He'd give you what you want, when you want it.

V = Volume (how loud they are, what sounds they make, etc.) oh he's LOUD.

W = Wild card (a random headcanon for the character) he has a hidden journal, which he writes inside about his favorite "sessions" with you from his perspective.

X = X-ray (let’s see what’s going on under those clothes) He's most likely underweight, and has some chest hair. I'd say he's not circumsized, which is why he's so sensitive. He's a good 6 inches.

Y = Yearning (how high is their sex drive?) Honestly depends on his mood.

Z = Zzz (how quickly they fall asleep afterwards) he makes sure you're okay. Then, he lays on you, almost melting into you, and he drifts off into sleep.

[crowroboros]

samuel ayers analimean analysis

I'm going to hold off on going too in-depth with Sam cause I really want to wait until TSR has a bit more content in all of its routes, just so I can really take a look at his whole character arc across the VN. I'm also not caught up with the most recent updates, so I'm not the most familiar with where his character stands currently in Nik's route (which the past few updates has been focused on from what I've heard). Spoilers for both The Smoke Room and Echo.

Samuel Ayers I find very interesting. Compared to Chase or Cameron—both of whom express a dislike of religion and a distaste for letting it influence how they live their lives— Sam really does live and die by his beliefs. There are so many times where we hear Sam's monologue in which he talks down to himself as if he himself is "tarnished" or "sinful". I do think part of this is a result from him murdering Jack in the mines as one of the first things he convinces himself of is that Satan is with him in the mines and is ready to drag him to hell for killing the guy. Now, I'm not religious nor am I familiar with the Christian God so I cannot and will not comment on the objectiveness of Sam's views but it's clear that Sam sees the Christian God as something to be feared. It creates an interesting dynamic in which Sam often grapples with his actions and sexuality and other things deemed "sinful" while also being a very self-serving person. His motivations throughout TSR aren't tied to anyone but himself, and what he agrees to in every route is ultimately focused on getting himself far away from Echo. That's the whole reason he went into sex work in the first place, to get money to head further westward (after failing in the mines). And with being gay being heavily stigmatized and outright dangerous, especially in a very Christian area, it adds yet another layer of self-loathing to Sam. Though in terms of sexuality, he doesn't seem to dislike himself due to his same-sex attraction but rather due to his work. I don't ever remember him being ashamed of being into men or anything, though he often refers to himself "whore" in a derogatory way. Overall, in terms of religion, Sam seems so wary towards his own beliefs and the idea of a God. With him both wanting to achieve his own happiness and goals but being terrified—if not outright convinced—that what awaits him is eternal damnation.

Sort of related to that is the way Sam almost justifies the way he seems to be trapped in Echo as if it is something he deserves. He desperately wants to get the hell away from Echo and his old life, to the point of being openly bitter and melancholic when thinking about the town and his life up to that point, and yet he really does seem to think that it is just how things are meant to be for him. It's like a self-fulfilling prophecy when taking Echo into consideration. In Echo's timeline, he doesn't leave the town and dies there slowly and painfully. And then the Samulation lives on in Echo for decades after that, continuing the town's cyclical nature. I think that this is in part due to Sam's aforementioned views on himself in the context of his religious beliefs. With how much he sees himself as "sinful" it makes sense that he'd justify the shitty things that happen to him as part of some "divine punishment". Speaking of the Samulation. I think it's a pretty good look into Sam's bitterness towards the world and the situation he finds himself in. Cause it does reflect a lot of Sam's personality—his sarcastic humor, his aloofness, the bitterness I mentioned—but it lacks a lot of what makes Sam nuanced. Sam is all those things, yes, but he is also rather accommodating and agreeable as well. Sam has this almost naive outlook and tends to romanticize things he hopes for. That's part of why he fell for Jack's scheme so easily and so quickly. But the Samulation lacks that. It has his memories, but it isn't very multi-faceted. This part is more of a theory than an analysis but I think it manifested like that due to the circumstances of Sam's death: Mangled and crushed under the weight of Mr. Bronson's van in a town that he hates. What a shitty way to die. If somehow, through the supernatural nature of the town, a simulation of Sam managed to live on after his death, it makes the most sense to me that it would mostly take the form of his mind in his last moments. All of the other aspects of Sam's personality wouldn't be present while he dies in such an agonizing way, but his anger and bitterness towards the world—towards Echo—probably would. Again though, just an idea. It isn't confirmed. I just wondered why the Samulation was both so similar to Sam yet much more aggressive and spiteful than the Sam we see. That could be why.

I'm going to stop this post here. Again, TSR isn't finished yet so I don't want to go too deep into Sam's character cause his development isn't done yet. So his relationship with other characters and the overall narrative and how it all shapes him will have to wait. I definitely will make a part 2 to this in the future cause this guy has a lot going for him.

[neverchecking]

Nsfw alphabet for Time Twilight and Wild please... I thirst hard

Can do!

NSFW So MDNI! 18+

Twilight -> Here!

Wild -> Here!

NSFW Alphabet- Time Edition

MDNI! 18+!

A = Aftercare (what they’re like after sex)

KING of Aftercare. Mans knows what he's doing. I originally was gonna say Twilight or Sky was, but the more I thought about the more I was convinced it's Time. He has the maturity and knowledge and patience needed to effectively and efficiently bring back his beloved from whatever subspace they fell into.

B = Body part (their favorite body part of theirs and also their partner’s)

On his partner? Their eyes. They tell him everything he needs to know. Every little emotion that flickers across their irises he's reading. He's adjusting every single one of his actions to better suit whatever emotion is shining in those pretty eyes of yours.

On him? His thighs. Honestly. (Thought I was gonna say hands again, didn't ya?) He loves dragging his lover up and down the muscled flesh, hearing them cry out in pure ecstasy. Or feeling his lover grab at them as they struggle around his length, looking up at him with shiny eyes. Or supporting the weight of his divinity as they bounce up and down on his shaft.

C = Cum (anything to do with cum, basically)

He cums a lot. Idk why I think this, but I just know it. And he loves cumming deep inside of you. Stuffing you so full it leaks out around him. He's got breeder balls, just so full and big and they smack against your ass every time he has you on your back.

There is something to be said about cumming all over his partner's ass though.

D = Dirty secret (pretty self explanatory, a dirty secret of theirs)

He is the biggest sucker for semi-public sex. Especially in the forest. One of his biggest fantasy's is just chasing you into the woods and pining you to a tree. Just taking you right then and there, where no one can hear how loud you scream his name.

E = Experience (how experienced are they? do they know what they’re doing?)

He has a few lays under his belt. Whether we go with Malon is an ex, or a friend, or their in a poly-ship with reader, Time and Malon probably have slept together. So he has experience. He knows all the right spots, he knows how to use his tongue and fingers in tandem, he knows. And if he doesn't? He's so willing to learn.

F = Favorite position (this goes without saying)

He loves having you on his lap, holding you close while your face to face, raising your hips up and down up and down up and down-

Anything that gives him that view of you. Your facial expressions, your chest sheening with sweat, your everything.

G = Goofy (are they more serious in the moment? are they humorous? etc.)

Serious. He's not very goofy outside of sex, let alone during. Maybe if Reader cracks a small joke, he'll smile, but other than that, he's focusing on every little action and reaction.

H = Hair (how well groomed are they? does the carpet match the drapes? etc.)

Now, this bad boy right here is...not groomed. Sorry not sorry, it had to be said. He has so many more things to focus on, pubic hair is like...third last on that list. When he does get around to it, it's very nice and trimmed. Perfect. But he lets it grow out for a little too long a little too often. As for color? It's probably the same shade as his head hair.

I = Intimacy (how are they during the moment? the romantic aspect)

you know that scene in movies where the main love interest coats the bed in like rose petals and candles and stuff? Time pioneered that. He is the second biggest romantic, second only to sky, and aims to please.

J = Jack off (masturbation headcanon)

Used to do it all the time. His adventure(s) were high stress situations and the ones where he was a teen? He needed a form of release or he would've lost his shit. Now that he's met you though?

Well sometimes he still does it to the thought of you, but most times he saves it because he knows the sight of you, dripping with his cum, is something so worth the pent up energy.

K = Kink (one or more of their kinks)

Breeding Kink.

Whew, glad to get that one off my chest. Even if we already all knew. It doesn't matter if his partner actually can get pregnant, it's just the principle of filling them up, over and over, and over again.

Also, loves edging. I feel it in my tits. He loves pushing his partner to that edge, over and over again only to rip away that pleasure at the last second. It just riles him up like crazy. That control over everything his partner feels makes every part of him just buzz.

Also also, biggest brat tamer. It's part of why he's so open to semi-public sex. If his significant other is being a shithead, he can just take them behind an inn and teach them a lesson :)

L = Location (favorite places to do the do)

Anywhere that's private is a given. Rooms at inns, private bath houses, you name it. But he's also open to the not-so-private areas. Maybe just out of earshot of camp? Or perhaps in an alleyway? Down stream from where the boys are bathing?

There are just so many good options.

M = Motivation (what turns them on, gets them going)

High stress situations, but that one is a given. But also, strangely domestic situations. Like ones where your cooking for him or where he's out farming while you occupy yourself with your little gardening corner. Coming home to see you, all dolled up in your little apron (Maybe nothing more-), welcoming him home with your habitual welcome home kiss.

N = No (something they wouldn’t do, turn offs)

There's the perfunctory hurting you in any way shape, or form. But, I also think he's heavily against degrading. Any name is either followed by or started with a 'My' or some sort of praise. It has to be evened out in some sort of way to him. He refuses to let it happen otherwise. It just makes something in him shrivel up and cringe in disgust at himself.

O = Oral (preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc.)

Honestly, prefers receiving. He loves giving, don't get him wrong, but something about seeing his lover before him, on their knees, with lashes soaked in tears as they struggle to take him? Makes his entire body just buzz in euphoric anticipation.

He's also loves giving too. And he's good at it. He loves teasing them with movements just firm enough to be felt, but nothing concrete enough to get them anywhere. Keeping them right on that brink.

P = Pace (are they fast and rough? slow and sensual? etc.)

Like most of them, depends on his mood. But his favorite? Rough and Slow. Making sure he has every single one of his lover's reactions catalogued and that every future one is predicted before it even happens. If their close, he's ensuring his pace slows just enough. His tempo is steady but just enough to keep them at a buzz instead of the glorious wave of euphoria until he is damn well good and ready.

Q = Quickie (their opinions on quickies, how often, etc.)

He's open to them. Not his favorite, but when your on the road, sometimes you just gotta take what you can get. Maybe he's fingering you in the dead of night and hoping that you can stay quiet enough to not wake anyone. Maybe he's throwing a blanket over your lap and keeping you seated right where he wants you on his cock. Maybe he's letting you suck him off behind a tree while the boys are doing laundry or something.

R = Risk (are they game to experiment? do they take risks? etc.)

He's a little into risks. Part of the brat-taming and semi public sex. It just gives him that rush of adrenaline that keeps him buzzing. It's nothing like fighting, where he's constantly watching to save his life, one of the boys' lives, or even your own. No, this is something that he's allowed to relish in and let it run his brain for just a little.

S = Stamina (how many rounds can they go for? how long do they last?)

Days, Man has Stamina. He just knows it. He's going until his partner says otherwise. He's always down for pumping load after load into his partner. He's not letting up until the sun is bathing you both in it's perfect rays.

T = Toys (do they own toys? do they use them? on a partner or themselves?)

I think he owns a few. Silken ropes to bind his lover's hands, maybe a gag or two here or there. A few plugs? Just to keep his darling full just a little longer.

If his darling is being a little extra bratty, he'll pull out the leather bound straps designed to keep them stretched and prone for whatever he deems an appropriate punishment.

U = Unfair (how much they like to tease)

The worst. The absolute Worst. He is the biggest tease especially when it comes edging. Like I said prior, he's into edging. And that and teasing just go hand in hand together so well. So, yea, he loves to tease.

V = Volume (how loud they are, what sounds they make, etc.)

Not overly loud. He's mainly low grunts and groans, any time he thinks he's gonna break just a little, he's muffling his voice into your shoulder or your neck.

If you really wanna hear him, give him a surprise blowjob first thing in the morning, before he has the chance to hide away behind his mask. He'll give you all the pretty noises your heart desires.

W = Wild card (a random headcanon for the character)

If Reader were to bring up a threesome between them and Malon, he would probably do it, if only to see them happy. He has no interest in sharing, but if that's what his darling wants, then that's what it shall be.

X = X-ray (let’s see what’s going on under those clothes)

PACKING HEAT-

He's got the girth and the length for a man of his stature. Thick and long, eight inches, eight and a half when hard, with a gorgeous head, redder than his skin tone. Littered with sensitive veins too. Also uncircumcised.

And I know I mentioned this before, but he's got big, heavy balls just full of cum waiting for his lover.

Y = Yearning (how high is their sex drive?)

Not as high as you would think. It's pretty average, maybe a bit below, but after a super intense situation, I think it's a given he's ready for a romp.

Z = Zzz (how quickly they fall asleep afterwards)

He's naturally an insomniac, so he doesn't fall asleep very easily afterwards. No, he instead spends his time watching you sleep, brushing back your hair and soothing over any of the marks he marred your skin with.

[kivaember]

me trying to figure things out re: proto-fiend lore in smtvv and my vanilla smtv headcanons for pre-aogami susano-o... by obvs writing a susano-o/tsukuyomi pwp :|

well anyway here's a teaser

-

Summer. Tsukuyomi’s most hated season and yet the most inescapable. As the world entered a warming state due to humanity’s breakneck technological progress, Tokyo sizzled more and more with each orbit of the sun, and the jungle of concrete and glass only amplified this inescapable heat to the point where even demons were put in a state of lethargy and disgust - and the Proto-Fiends were no exception to this rule.

Crafted by human hands, the Proto-Fiend bodies were inherently flawed compared to their more divine kin, yet they brought advantages with them that other demons coveted jealously: Proto-Fiends were capable of growth and change, trading additional vulnerabilities for the advantage of human ingenuity strengthening them. Of course, Amaterasu, Susano-o and Tsukuyomi were free to spurn the Proto-Fiend bodies to take upon their far more divine yet stagnant forms, but they were long used to this arrangement their father had made with humanity by this point, and so usually stuck with their flawed yet limitless bodies.

However, it seemed that even Proto-Fiends weren’t immune to excessive heatwaves, especially humid heatwaves, which has resulted in Tsukuyomi’s current predicament…

“Ugh. This damn heat…”

The moon was naught but a tiny sliver in the sky, the stars concealed behind patchy yet thick clouds that contained the sticky, humid heat pressing down upon Tokyo. The night hadn’t brought cool relief like Tsukuyomi had hoped, and his little trip to Inakuma shrine for some privacy turned out to be very ill-advised as a result. As claustrophobic as Bethel Japan HQ could be sometimes, it had air-conditioning.

Tsukuyomi, sprawled out on the concave roof of his shrine, scowled at the starless sky above, genuinely contemplating shedding his current Proto-Fiend form until this oppressive heatwave had passed. It wouldn’t be too much of a hardship for the humans to construct him another vessel - Tsukuyomi was cautious enough that they had enough bodies for him to die several times over in one evening before they hit the emergency stocks - but the problem was that Susano-o and even Amaterasu wouldn’t let him forget it.

too weak to endure even a little bit of heat, they’d no doubt tease, and Tsukuyomi’s pride refused to hand them that ammunition. It was bad enough that he was the weakest among them as it was, with an identity that was ephemeral and being steadily consumed by pop culture and commercialism (the less said about Susano-o discovering ‘sexy anime Tsukuyomi’ from human entertainment, the better), but confirming their suspicions on his constitution and having them mock him, or worse, pity him? Tsukuyomi would rather suffer instead.

So he sulked out here instead, in the privacy of his shrine, slowly cooking alive in his Proto-Fiend body. Maybe for next summer he should press-gang a bunch of Jack Frosts into service… make them create a giant snowstorm localised right here… that would be lovely…

A sudden surge of ozone and a blissfully cool gust of wind stirred the stagnant air, heralding Susano-o’s boisterous arrival onto the scene. Tsukuyomi closed his eyes, too exhausted and hot to feel annoyed about his brother’s intrusion. This may as well happen. If he ignored him maybe he’ll just go away.

“Brother!” Susano-o boomed obnoxiously, the acoustic of the shrine making it echo like thunder as the oaf lumbered over. Tsukuyomi practically heard every heavy stomp of Susano-o’s feet. “Brother, are you here?”

Tsukuyomi ignored him.

Susano-o harrumphed loudly, muttering something too low for him to hear. After a moment, Tsukuyomi heard the thump and creak of his brother hauling himself up onto the shrine’s roof, the structure groaning in protest from his considerable bulk - and inelegant way of climbing! What was he doing, kicking footholds into the wall?

“I’m getting too old to climb after you like this, brother!” Susano-o bitched, only to be interrupted by the sound of clattering roof tiles and-

SMASH!

“Ah, shit. Fuck,” Susano-o said. “Crap.”

“Stop destroying my shrine,” Tsukuyomi mumbled half-heartedly.

“He lives!” Susano-o proclaimed, and Tsukuyomi grunted when he felt his brother’s large hands grasp his shoulders and give him a shake. The back of his head whacked the roof a few times from the vigorous shakedown his brother gave him.

“I feared the worst, seeing you lie here so still!” Susano-o said with his usual needless dramatics. “Whatever is the matter with you, brother! Why- ah, why are you naked…”

“I’m hot,” Tsukuyomi admitted. He couldn’t think of any other reason that wouldn’t have Susano-o twisting it to something deviant and weird. “So I stripped.”

“I see…”

[inkblackorchid]

If you had to make filler episode for aki I yugioh 5ds what would it be about?

Now I know she has had some filler episodes to her, but not much so I figure I ask

Assuming I would get only one filler episode, this is actually a pretty tough question—mostly because one-off filler episodes in 5Ds, especially those containing duels, usually can’t fit too much plot in them. If I could make just one filler episode for Aki (and if canon rewrites were not on the table), there’d be several candidates, topic-wise:

Aki’s first day back at the academy (show her actually reintegrating into normal society, possibly make her deal with the consequences of her actions as the Black Rose Witch by duelling an old classmate)

An actual, pre-finale duel between her and Sherry (win or lose, doesn’t matter, just actually use the setup their dynamic has for something god damn it)

Perhaps something to tie up the conflict with her parents nicely (this family has a lot of issues to work through and I wish canon had interacted more with that. Also, maybe let Aki duel her dad? Throwback to her childhood + opportunity to show she can now control her powers)

Literally any kind of episode that addresses how Aki figured out how to control her powers and/or an episode that digs into how she feels about them post DS arc (anything. Literally anything to make her reaction to losing them make more sense later. I beg you.)

An Iliaster encounter similar to Yusei’s run-in with Ghost and Jack’s face-off against fake Jack would have been nice for her. Not entirely sure on what kind would have suited her best, though.

If canon rewrites were on the table, I’d have one very, very obvious idea: Make the episode with the fussy vice principal at the academy about her, not about Yusei. Good opportunity to show how her academy peers feel about her, to let her show off her duelling skills, and to show the audience early that she can now control her powers. Bam. We could have had it all.

Now, if I had several episodes at my disposal though, Crashtown-mini-arc-style, my answer would also be very simple again: I’d do pretty much what I did with my fic To Bloom or To Wilt. Aki gets to find out Divine’s alive and faces him one more time. Perfect to show her character growth and to tie up the loose end that is the Arcadia Movement.

(And if a full canon rewrite were on the table, I direct you to my Aki fics, lmao.)

[yukidragon]

What if Prince Joseph got tired of being treated badly and decided to be the ruler if the kingdom by any means necessary. As revenge on how badly his family treated him and succeeded, way before they tried to assassinate him. How would the story go from there?

Hmm... that would be an interesting twist on the tale. Rather than waiting until he becomes the all powerful dragon Jack to take back the throne, Joseph instead takes the initiative while he was still human. It might stop Joseph from being cursed into a dragon in the first place, or maybe destiny will force its hand to ensure that he meets with a draconic fate regardless...

As things currently stand in the timeline I set up, Joseph lived in an era long before the other love interests and MC were born. Either something still happens that allows him to encounter them later, possibly even reincarnation, or maybe, just maybe I can take this chance to flip the script a little.

But let's first focus on the tale of the unwanted prince who came to rule a kingdom.

From Prince to King

Joseph did his best to earn his family's love, but their cruelty towards him was too much for him to ignore. It left scars on his heart and twisted it. It wasn't just cruelty towards him either, as the family were tyrannical rulers to their subjects. In order to escape the abuse at the hands of his family and the cutthroat court politics, he took advantage of them wanting him to "live like a dead rat" and snuck out of the castle often while growing up.

Once leaving the castle, Joseph got to see what it was like for the rest of the kingdom, the suffering the people endued. His world expanded as he met more people and learned of new experiences, other ways to live, and learned more about all the injustices that his family were responsible creating. He knew that it wasn't going to get better with the future heir, or even the next in line after them.

Nothing would change... unless Joseph forced it to change.

Joseph, like many nobles, had learned how to sword fight, and he was good at it. His skill in battle was one of the many ways he tried to seek the approval of his family. He put those skills to use when he secretly gathered an army of rebels and launched a coup.

It wasn't an easy decision for Joseph to make, turning his sword and the hatred of the people on his family. Unfortunately a strong love can be twisted into hatred that is just as strong, especially when all the love he gave them was only met with cruelty and scorn in return. All of the suffering he and the citizens faced were returned tenfold.

Joseph was a hero to the people who freed them from tyranny, while still being of royal blood, and thus being worthy of the divine right to rule. Regardless of whether he ever felt worthy of the crown, he had no choice but to wear it, or risk seeing the entire country fall into anarchy. Without a ruler to guide them, the various factions would splinter and squabble with one another to fill the power vacuum left behind leading to more and more bloodshed.

Being king wasn't easy for Joseph, especially at such a young age. He was still a teen at the time, but things had escalated far faster than he ever expected. It was a miracle that things didn't go worse than they did, really.

Joseph's education never focused on preparing him to rule. If anything, such an idea was actively discouraged at every turn. Still, he had a good overall education, and he learned so much from his time with the people. If anything, learning firsthand about the needs of the kingdom was a far better teacher than any tutor had ever been.

Of course... learning by doing means learning from mistakes, and Joseph is a man who has made many mistakes in his life...

So now that Joseph is king with his family deposed, in a way he feels more lonely than ever. He made comrades, but there's a distance between them now as he has to rule. He now lives with the memory of the people he killed during the coup, including members of his family. He had to order and watch the executions of those who survived the coup, but were still too dangerous to live.

Joseph has so much blood on his hands, but it was worth it... right? The people of the kingdom are happier now, right? He'll do better than his family did. He must do better.

Right?

Joseph is a hero to the people, but he's also under so much scrutiny. His power is balanced on the edge of a sword. As long as he can prove himself to be better than the rest of his now dead family, he can redeem his family name and lead the kingdom into a better future. As long as he makes the people happy, he will be loved, even if only at a distance as their king.

After everything Joseph went through, after all he sacrificed and the guilt that weighs on him for all the lives he took, he is more desperate than ever to keep the love and admiration he achieved. It's the only love he's ever really known.

Now... we could stick with the timeline as is from the original post, with MC and the others being born much later and something unfortunate happens to Joseph to encounter them later on, orrrrrrr... perhaps the universe will give the rest of the cast some different roles to fill.

It seems a shame that a dragon AU is without a dragon, so how about we flip the script? MC gets to be the dragon in this telling of the tale. However, unlike Jack, they were born a dragon rather than cursed to become one.

So let's turn back the clock a bit to mingle together a familiar set up with a few new twists, shall we?

A Lonely Dragon

Now, since MC has a vague background by design in order for us to fill in the details, I'll start off with just the broadest of strokes before I get a bit more specific with my version of the MC, Alice.

As was touched on in the previous post, dragons are beings made of magic. They also tend to be solitary creatures, beings so powerful that they can affect the land around them. This can lead to quite a lonely life, which is often filled by creating a horde of treasure. It doesn't necessarily have to be a horde of gold. A dragon can collect anything it wants. Who is going to stop them?

Dragons, of course, come in all sorts of shape, sizes, colors, and powers. This leaves so many possibilities for the MC, but in general, they're a creature to be feared, and many choose to leave them alone.

Humans also often want to slay these powerful beasts, especially if they are a threat... or simply perceived as a threat.

When MC was young, they came across a human that was just as much of a child as they were. Young Ian, the child of a noble, was in awe of the young dragon. An unlikely friendship developed between them, and strong feelings of loyalty, even love grew...

But sadly the happiness of youth can't last forever. Things fell apart when MC and Ian were adults. Sure, Ian could have cheated, but even if he didn't, he betrayed them in a way that they may never forgive.

A dragon, when young, is much more vulnerable than an adult. It can lead them to making foolish decisions, giving their weakness to someone they trust with all their heart, leaving themselves vulnerable... and if the person they trusted was swayed by others, it can lead to disaster.

Ian was always weak to his mother. It's just as much a fact in this universe as it is in the game. Dragons have a beastly reputation, fierce and terrible. They're the monsters to be slain in many a tale.

But MC is different! Ian tells himself. He tells his mom this too. He tells everyone in the mob that quickly forms to slay the dragon before it can raze their land to cinders and gobble them all up for its supper.

Maybe MC trusted Ian with a special tool or magical item to protect himself. Maybe they even went so far as to trust Ian with a piece of themselves, something that made them vulnerable, like a magical item crafted from their own magic, scales, whatever. Maybe they forced Ian to tell them a secret weakness. Maybe they were just caught off guard, having never expected the invasion.

Maybe they didn't want to hurt anyone...

In any case, MC was ill prepared for the band of stalwart adventurers to raid their lair and come for their head. The battle was gruesome, forcing them to flee, but outside of the cave an angry mob was waiting to strike the dragon at its weakest.

Ian had tried to reach MC, to warn them. Perhaps his warning was the only reason why they survived the attack from the band of adventurers in the first place.

Regardless, his betrayal cut MC deep, as did the many wounds from the battle, and they were forced to abandon the home they made for themselves. They lost whatever friendships and bonds they forged, betrayed by the one they loved and trusted most.

Embittered by the experience, MC left to find a new place to call home.

Ian wasn't the only friend MC had made in their old home. Shaun had one day stumbled across the dragon's den and was excited to meet a dragon in the flesh. Shaun was a scholar, wanting to wander the world and study its wonders, and meeting an actual dragon was like a dream come true. MC, having grown up with the friendship of Ian, became fast friends with Shaun.

Maybe Shaun helped MC escape from the mob that fateful night. Maybe he managed to at least misdirect them. Maybe he arrived only in the aftermath, learning only afterwards of Ian's betrayal. I lean towards Shaun managing to help in some way.

The new lair MC finds is so much emptier than their old home. They lost everything. Embittered and in hiding, they have lost much of their trust. Although Ian tried to redeem his betrayal, it still cut so deep. It makes them question their friendships will all humans, and they keep their distance from even Shaun for a while.

Of course, being a giant dragon is conspicuous. Fortunately, since dragons are beings made of magic, they can learn magical spells. A spell that can transform them into a human temporarily will allow them to blend in the nearby town to get supplies, and slip away to build a new home far from anyone who might hurt them again.

The merchant MC most often has to haggle with is Barry, who works in the adventurer's guild buying and selling from adventurers. It's obnoxious how the man seems to wrangle them into doing fetch quests for him. Still, with almost nothing to their name, and not wanting to face another mob by doing anything conspicuous, they play along, grudgingly. Still, fetching a bunch of goblin ears is less annoying than singing some embarrassing song for a few coins.

Nick is a bard in the town. He came across MC during one of their stints having to do one of these embarrassing singing requests at the guild's tavern. Being seen by anyone during these times was mortifying. How far the mighty dragon had fallen... but they found Nick to be a bit awkward as well during their interactions. It was almost... charming? Well, maybe a little comforting that they weren't the only one facing embarrassment. Maybe

Still, being around humans is hard for MC after what they've been through. They're constantly on edge, especially during the few times they visit any human settlements. They need to make sure they pass as human and not let anything slip of their true nature. They can never trust anyone like they did Ian ever again. They can never allow anyone to hurt them like Ian did ever again...

A Fateful Encounter

Joseph is an active ruler to his kingdom, constantly going out of the castle to ensure that things in the aftermath of the coup settle peacefully. He's constantly coming across people, having to meet and memorize countless faces. There are so many problems to resolve, tasks to delegate, and changes to be made from the regime that made everything so hard. It's exhausting work, and it seems never ending...

During a stressful period during his rule, one of Joseph's advisors suggest that he remind the people of the glory he showed them on the battlefield. Maybe defeating another threat to the country will quell any unrest before it could potentially bubble up into another coup...

Frankly, Joseph would rather avoid that. He already has so much blood on his hands, so much guilt. The sins he committed haunt his nightmares, making it even harder for him to find rest.

But Joseph can't rest, not really. He can't lose the fragile love of the people, the legacy he's carved for himself. He can't be forgotten again...

Sometimes Joseph left the palace in disguise, much like he did when he was younger. On that day, he used the alias of Jack and a little magic to look differently, turning his hair a pretty shade of blue while covering up the magical tattoos on his body. He used different disguises and aliases over the years. It helped him get a clearer picture of what the people actually thought of him and the country for himself.

It was a chance encounter. A dragon and a king both in disguise in a little shop of old things, antiques and curios.

The dragon had gone there to see if they could find anything interesting, something to add to their particular type of hoard perhaps. All dragons have the desire to hoard, and they lost theirs when they fled their old home. Slowly, they were building it back up, but it would take time, as they lost a collection that they had been building since they were a child, many sentimental pieces as well.

Sure, the dragon could probably steal stuff for their hoard, turn into their big powerful form and threaten anyone to take what they wanted, but they weren't that sort of person really. Plus, after their near encounter with death, they weren't too keen to get into another battle anytime soon. Though some MCs might be gearing up for a battle of revenge should they be o the mind to do so, while others could be much too much of a pacifist to consider it.

Regardless, while the dragon was thinking heavy thoughts about their future, they accidentally bumped into a stack of children's toys. A colorful box fell into another person who had been talking with the shopkeeper, and burst open, revealing a jester on a spring with a bright and shiny smile that startled them both.

Jack reacted quickly when something fell on him, as he was used to combat. Fortunately he refrained from doing anything more besides catching the box that hit him, though he did flinch when it burst open and revealed the jester inside. He chuckled a little and cautioned the person who knocked it over to be careful. He even added a silly little joke to ease the tension.

Despite his charms, MC was on edge against strange new humans, suspicious of anyone who approached them. They cautiously were cordial, giving their name when asked after Jack introduced himself, but they tried to end the counter quickly.

There was something compelling about this person, though Jack couldn't quite put his finger on what it was. There was something different about them. Maybe it had to do with all his years of training to fight giving him a sensitivity to people and things that were powerful or unusual, maybe he had become sensitive to mana due to training with magic in combat mighty enough to conquer a kingdom. Whatever the case, Jack couldn't help but be drawn to MC, wanting to learn more about them.

Though MC attempted to leave quickly without raising suspicion, Jack kept talking. He was strange - sort of charming but annoying by how he kept wanting to keep the conversation going. His silly jokes got groans, but his sincere concern about how they seemed to be having a bad day touched them, which left them with mixed feelings overall.

The encounter was only interrupted when MC spotted something among the various knickknacks of the shop - it was an item they recognized, a treasured item from their hoard, maybe even the most treasured possession they owned. Maybe it was simply a replica, or maybe one of the adventurers that raided their lair sold it to the shop. Regardless of what it was, MC had to have it.

It was just a shame that the price was outrageously expensive.

MC felt their frustration grow from the injustice of it all, compounded by the awkward situation. Why should they have to pretend to be something they're not? Why should they hide like this? Why should they hold back just because a bunch of humans decided they and all their kind deserved to die for no reason other than the fact that they were born? It just wasn't fair, and no one seemed to care at all.

Jack saw the mixture of emotion pass over MC's face, and it reminded him of those days where he felt similarly helpless and wanting. Caught on an impulse, he purchased the item MC wanted desperately and gave it to them, thanking them for keeping him entertained that afternoon with their company.

MC was caught off guard, expecting a trick. What was the catch? They can't just accept this for free. Nothing this good is ever free.

While it had been just an impulsive kind gesture, Jack was never one to pass up an opportunity. He wanted to know more about MC and what it was about them that drew him to them so much, so he decided to make it into a little game.

Well, to Jack it was a game, but MC didn't have to know about that just yet. He had other places that he wanted to visit that day, things he wanted to check. He claimed to be a swordsman with tasks to complete, and if MC helped him, he would gladly give them the item they wanted so desperately.

The tasks seemed simple enough. Though wary, MC agreed.

What followed was a day around the city. While Jack claimed that he had important places to be, it always seemed to involve stopping by to help someone out, usually some sort of coincidence that clearly couldn't have been intentional. Jack brushed aside such concerns by claiming that, well, since they're there, they might as well do a good deed or two for those who need it, right?

The day out with Jack forced MC to spend time with them and the humans that they were so wary of. It was an uncomfortable reminder to MC of the kinder side of humanity. It reminded them of the friendships they made, particularly with Ian and Shaun, even if the former ended badly. It was painful, but Jack noticed whenever they were down and always tried to cheer them up.

It was actually kind of nice being cared for like this, even if it was only because of the deal they made. Even if Jack had no idea what MC truly was. Even if MC was scared to trust humans again.

It was when the sun was starting to set that Jack sadly knew that their little game had come to its end, though he felt reluctant to go. He had grown fond of MC in their short time together, and there was still something about them that was nagging at him, something that told him not to let them go so easily. But even as they got used to his presence, they were still clearly uncomfortable around people.

This was what led to their final stop leading them outside of town. Jack had heard mention of some sort of animal being spotted at night off in the woods. He wanted to check it out before heading back to the castle, but he couldn't force MC to go someplace potentially dangerous.

It was a shame to part ways, but Jack ran out of excuses to keep MC around that didn't involve keeping the item they were so desperate to have. He could at least try to get a promise that they would meet again, though he couldn't be sure if MC agreed sincerely or if they just agreed for the sake of getting the treasure that he promised them.

Jack did consider ways to ensure that they would meet again despite their reluctance, when MC suddenly bristled, instantly on edge. He realized only a moment later what they had sensed - some sort of monster charging towards them.

MC, having the sharp senses of a dragon could detect the tainted magic of a monster instantly. They were then left with a problem. Do they fight and risk revealing their real identity, or do they run and leave Jack at the mercy of whatever beast was coming at them?

Jack, not knowing the internal debate, immediately moved to defend MC, drawing his sword, which they had not even realized he was carrying due to him hiding it.

When the monster revealed itself, it was something MC had encountered before, something they knew how to defeat with their abilities, but humans... well they tended to have trouble with this type of monster. This monster also enjoyed doing awful things to humans while in the process of eating them... delivering a terrible fate that no being should endure.

And here's this foolish, goofy, smiling fool of a human thinking that he can kill it with a sword when only magic could?

MC could abandon Jack of course, but even if their heart was harder than others, the afternoon with him reminded them of the good side of humanity. Then of course there's the MCs who wouldn't hesitate to save someone when they knew they could change their terrible fate, even if it meant exposing their secret.

Needless to say, Jack was not expecting to be saved by a dragon. MC, knowing how to handle this type of monster, dispatched it quickly, and consumed it along with its magic, making themselves more powerful in the process.

Of course, MC didn't expect to be thanked. They expected Jack to point the sword at them next, declaring them to be the monster like so many had in the past.

What MC didn't expect was Jack to ask if they were okay after that.

Jack, by this point, had learned how to act, hiding much of his feelings and intentions behind whatever emotion he needed to wear at the time. It was essential as a king in order to deal with various people. Though the appearance of a dragon was unexpected and alarming, at the same time MC was surprisingly beautiful.

Oh, sure they were beautiful in their human form, but in the sparkling hues of the setting sun, they practically glowed even brighter than the sun ever could. MC had been charming during their encounter, ferocious and powerful when defeating the monster, and now... vulnerable. It was that same sort of wary vulnerability that he saw before when they first met.

Jack talked to MC the same way he did when they were in human form, and it was surprising to them. Everyone who had seen them in their true form for the first time always had a big shocked reaction, whether that was excitement or fear. Jack was so calm, and surprisingly warm.

It felt... nice, confusing, scary, and all sorts of emotions for MC.

Of course, such a big battle drew attention of other people. The sound of approaching humans coupled with these emotions were too much for MC, and the reveal left them too vulnerable, so they fled despite Jack calling after them to come back.

What a shame that MC left behind not only the important treasure Jack promised to give them, but a few other of their important items as well. Luckily their new friend Jack would keep them safe until the two of them could meet again.

And they certainly would meet again. Jack would make sure of it.

What is a Dragon to a King?

Well now, Joseph had a conundrum on his hands. A dragon, a mythical beast of great ferocity and power was masquerading around in his kingdom as a human. A "good" ruler would be expected to order knights and adventurers to slay the "wicked" monster before it could lay waste to the kingdom and consumed any of the innocent people.

Yet, MC was nothing like those tales. Really, were there any stories of dragons pretending to be human? They were powerful creatures, the the most powerful some might say, with bodies made of magic that could be harvested for incredible potions and magical tools. Their bodies alone were worth a fortune, to say nothing of the treasure they guarded. For as dangerous as they were, they offered riches beyond compare.

Funny... how a rich and powerful dragon fumbled around in a shop and lamented the price of a single trinket. The rest of their behavior that day defied all the tales as well. MC was just like any normal human, distrustful and wary, but noble. They revealed their true nature to save Jack, a mere human that should have been nothing more than cattle to slaughter to such a creature. Dragons were widely known for arrogance and greed, for regarding humans as beneath them.

Joseph had to admit that MC had interested him even before their true nature was revealed, and after it was, he saw the beauty in their inhuman form. There was nobility in MC as well, shown in that single act of bravery and kindness, as well as all the other little moments throughout the day. Though Jack may have dragged them around reluctantly, in the end MC did help him assist others. They had rather fun day together in fact.

Aside from his feelings, Joseph has a duty to his kingdom. He has to keep his subjects safe from potential dangers.

Does MC count as one of those subjects then?

If people learned of a dragon nearby, let alone secretly infiltrating the capital city, there would be riots. This is especially a dangerous thing in a country that only recently stabilized from a drastic shift in power and civil unrest. The monster that had suddenly appeared to attack Joseph and MC had been alarming enough. Adventurers were scouring the nearby woods for any others.

What if one of those parties found the dragon? The fear rumbling through the land would erupt into a full blown panic, and MC would be facing an angry mob out for blood.

Joseph didn't want to think of what would happen then to MC and the rest of his people. He had to protect them, all of them.

Even if that meant doing things that could be cruel to some... but he was used to it. Joseph's hands were already irrevocably stained with sin after all.

Joseph worked with the mages and his most trusted advisors to come up with a cunning plan. A stealth party tracked down MC's lair and a trap was laid.

MC would have fled the area if they could, but with the increased patrols due to the monster attack, they couldn't go far. They were afraid of going out in their human form for fear that Jack spread news far and wide about their true identity. They had hoped to lay low and wait until things calmed down before slipping out of the country.

It was a shame that they had to leave behind another home, but MC didn't have any other choice.

Well, at least they would have if they didn't get an unexpected visitor.

Jack showed up unexpectedly to MC's lair, much to their shock. He approached while speaking in soothing tones, saying that he had looked for them all over and that he had been so worried about them. He didn't mean any harm. He wanted to thank them for saving him, and he owed them something. He presented the treasure he promised them, a peace offering.

MC was hesitant, wary, but also painfully lonely. Despite knowing their real identity, Jack was so gentle and kind. It made them waver.

Jack offered to be MC's friend, to give them a place to stay, to belong. He could keep their secret and make sure no one hurt them. They just had to trust him.

Here would be a decision for MC to make - take a risk and trust Jack, or reject him outright. If they agree, even hesitantly, they could even lie just to trick him and flee into the night.

Well... if Jack would let them get away from him that is.

The events of that night are a blur. Whatever happened, the trap Jack laid... it wound up with MC waking up in the palace, forgetting the night before entirely. There, they were bound by enchanted chains, and informed that they belonged to the king now. So long as the dragon obeyed the king for the good of the country and its citizens, it would be allowed to live.

Surrounded by so many wary eyes, seeing MC as a beast, chained up in their true form... it was a nightmare.

This, unfortunately, was for optics and the fearful human citizens. The people were scared of a giant dragon. Only this show of absolute obedience would prevent an angry mob from trying to slay MC. MC, understandably, was enraged at the assertion that they were now the pet of the king, but their own magic was turned against them to force their obedience.

Joseph hadn't wanted to use such forceful methods. He hoped that over time he could calm MC's anger, and those of the people. He wanted to quell all the hurt and fear, and maybe help both sides see that a dragon living in the kingdom among humans could be the best thing to happen to both.

His methods might be cruel and manipulative, but it was all for the sake of everyone's happiness and the safety and peace of the kingdom that Joseph was tasked to maintain.

Of course, Joseph knew that MC hated the king for capturing them and putting them in this position, so he used his alter ego as Jack to try and grow closer to them as a person. He carefully avoided directly lying, but left important details out. MC was suspicious when Jack showed up of course, even if they didn't remember the trap, even when he still acted so kind and gentle.

Jack explained the reason the king ordered MC's capture... how once the people learned of a dragon they wouldn't rest until its death. The kingdom that tried to kill MC before were still trying to find them. There was a bounty on their head. Being the king's "pet" was the only way to protect MC from the scared humans. If the king had control over the terrifying dragon, then it would lessen their fear. It would allow them time to see MC isn't a scary monster, but a friend they just hadn't met yet.

In essence, Jack was trying to soften MC's opinion of the king and sound them out while explaining his reasoning. MC was still, understandably, very pissed that their freedom was taken away from them.

So what was Jack's role in things, MC accused, suspecting betrayal once again. He was careful not to lie, claiming that he came upon hearing MC's capture. (Technically true, since he came after they secured MC after the trap was sprung.) He knew they weren't a danger since they saved him from the monster, and, well... after the day they spent together, he felt like they became friends.

Jack claims that he talked with officials and mages and vouched for MC's character (true) and he was willing to take the chance to prove MC was a good person regardless of whether they were human or not, so he offered to be MC's guardian. (Also true, considering king's pet and all.) He would watch out for them and give them a chance to prove themselves to everyone just how good a person they were and that the humans had nothing to fear.

MC isn't really given much of a choice.

From here it's up to Jack to try and befriend MC despite the circumstances. Strangely enough (at least to MC), they never meet King Joseph face to face, and the orders they're given are surprisingly mild. In fact, they're given a surprising amount of freedom... provided Jack is the one in control of the magical restraints.

Really, there could be a way for MC not to have magical restraints if they make a pact with Jack outright that binds them together to ensure they won't be a danger. It's probably better than being in chains and it would allow them more freedom, which Jack very much wants... though it would also make sure they can't run away from him, which he also very much wants.

Jack does his best to give MC as much freedom as he can, while being aware of how it appears to others. He needs everyone to believe he has MC totally under control if he's to keep them safe. He also wants to make sure MC is happy and make up for his deception and keeping them on a leash.

How the other love interests come in would be due to word spreading quickly of the king's pet dragon. Shaun and Ian would instantly hear the word "dragon" and rush over, wondering if it's MC. They would then try to come up with their own plans to escape with MC, or at least communicate with them. Ian wants to so badly make amends for betraying them so long ago, and Shaun wants to help his friend who doesn't deserve to be in chains!

Nick comes back into the story by somehow managing to make the connection between MC the human he encountered a few times and crushed on, and the dragon the king took as a pet. With his connections to nobility, he arranges meetings with MC whenever he can. How their relationship develops from there is a question for another day, same with how Jack might find Nick's presence a help or a threat.

Here in lies all the different potential routes MC's story could take. Do they trust Jack, King Joseph, and the rest of the kingdom? Will Nick win their heart? Will Ian redeem himself? Will Shaun free them and run away with them?

Naturally, the love interests do see the beauty in the "beast" and are fond of MC no matter the form they take. This leads to potential romance routes as well.

A Dragon Named Alice

Of course, you know me and my love of my OTP. Jack and Alice are endgame. Well, Alice and Joseph in this case. With the general gist of the MC's story out of the way, let's play with how Alice would shape some of the details just by being herself.

The type of dragon Alice is would be a furry dragon, soft and deceptively cuddly. I am forever a Lunar Silver Star/Eternal Blue fan, so I imagine she would look a lot like Nall in his dragon forms, both baby and adult, only totally white. Well... maybe a bit softer in shape and details like Ruby is, but still all white. She would still be albino in this world, with the same light blue eyes. For a dragon she's small, but even when compared to a human she's fairly large.

Alice would be a bit chubbier than Nall here, maybe a touch more cat or bunny-like in shape, but also even cuddlier than he looks.

Alice still comes from a large family in this universe. Dragons are powerful beings, affecting the natural magic in the land and ley lines around them, so it's best if they live spread apart. Too much magic in an area could warp and change it in unexpected ways and turn the land strange. Like, say, the cursed dark woods from the dragon Jack AU? ;3

So dragons tend to live alone or in very small groups of 2 or 3. The exception being temporary gatherings, such as special events or while raising their children.

Even as a dragon, Alice is the oldest child. Sadly, as oldest, she was expected to leave the nest first. She went off on her own at a young age because she had made a friend during her adventures in her childhood.

Alice came across Ian one day while flying around on her own, just having fun zipping around in the sky. She spotted him despite his attempts to hide in some foliage. He had been bullied by some kids. She heard him cry and felt bad for him. Innocently she went to cheer him up, despite her parents' warnings to be wary of humans. Ian just looked so small, pitiful, and harmless. He was so wounded and her heart went out to him.

Ian was amazed to meet a young dragon, though Alice looked quite a bit like a flying cat. (I make no apologies for my love of the Lunar dragon aesthetic and how it influences me to this day.) It was a wonderous first meeting, and from there they became fast friends, meeting in secret when Alice could travel to meet him. When she was finally old enough to live on her own, she went to create a lair near where Ian lived so that they could see each other all the time.

It's such a shame that Ian let the secret slip. Alice is a gentle soul, even as a dragon, and she nearly died when the adventurers attacked her cave. It was only with Shaun's help, and her transforming into her baby dragon form due to using up nearly all of her magic in the battle, that she escaped with her life.

Though Alice had fallen in love with Ian, his betrayal cut her too deep to trust him again, even when he found her and apologized. She couldn't stand to be near him after he destroyed her trust and scarred her heart so badly, so she left, never to return.

It was some time before Alice recovered enough to try again to make a home for herself. She lost everything when her home was raided, leaving her to start again entirely from scratch. Her hoard wasn't as rich in treasures as other dragons, but she crafted beautiful trinkets made of gemstone and gold as a hobby, one she learned from her father, and she had an entire library filled with books, many old and valuable ones.

The most precious item that Alice had lost was a pendant her father made out of a blue rose that her mother grew with magic. The pendant wasn't terribly powerful, even though it was magical, but it was sentimental and beautiful. She never thought that she would find it or anything else she lost in that raid ever again.

Alice did consider going back to her family... but at the same time she felt like she couldn't. She trusted a human despite the warnings she grew up with, and paid the price for it. She felt ashamed, as though she couldn't go back to see any of them until she redeemed herself... somehow. The problem was that she wasn't sure how.

Needless to say, when Alice's random trip into an antique shop led to the discovery of her lost pendant, she was shocked. It made her almost forget about trying to end the conversation she was having with the overly friendly man with blue hair.

The fact that Jack was willing to buy her pendant for her despite the price was shocking. Alice couldn't believe her luck.

She didn't believe she was that lucky.

So Alice wound up accompanying Jack around in exchange for the pendant, helping various people. She pretended to be a human mage, and Jack made use of her powers, especially her healing abilities. Despite having kept her distance from humans if she could help it, she found it gratifying to help people in spite of everything. Their gratitude and smiles warmed her scarred heart.

Defending Jack against the monster had been an instinctive decision. The moment she saw it coming for them, she knew that she had to act. Sure, she could have fled, but then that would be leaving Jack to die.

For as much as humans had hurt her, Alice couldn't do that to an innocent person, especially someone like Jack who had been nothing but kind to her and went out of his way to help others, including herself.

Alice didn't want to see how Jack reacted when she transformed, or after she killed the monster and absorbed its magic. She didn't want to see his shock or fear. Even if Ian and Shaun were shocked and in awe when they first saw her, even though they were her friends... Ian's betrayal had cut her deep.

Though Alice wasn't expecting to hear Jack call her beautiful, or to say it in such an awe-struck, breathy tone.

Finally Alice did look back at Jack, she was taken aback by the wonder in his eyes. No one had looked at her the way that he did. It left Alice frozen in place until she noticed him slowly approaching her.

Unfortunately, Jack was not the only witness to the monster. There had been others in pursuit of the beast as it headed towards the capital. They caught sight of Alice in the distance, or at least the large shape of her, and she fled quickly into the night before Jack could say another word to stop her or prevent the knights from rushing towards them, ready to attack.

Alice laid low while the monster hunt was going on, hiding in the cave that she had tried to make into her new home. She packed up what little possessions she spent so long collecting in this place, once again planning to abandon her home.

Hopefully this time she could keep at least a little bit more than just her life. It was only a shame that once again she lost her precious pendant...

While waiting for an opportunity, Jack arrived.

Alice was, naturally, shocked by his presence. He never expected him to find her. He approached her cautiously, making sure that she knew that he was there to make sure that she was safe, that he had been worrying about her all this time and was grateful that she saved him.

Jack wanted to convince Alice to come with him of her own free will. He said that he wanted to be her friend the day they met, and he still meant it. He promised that he could keep her safe, make sure no one came after her.

Despite how friendly Jack was, Alice couldn't trust someone that she barely knew, not after someone she grew up with betrayed her.

Thus Jack is forced to do what he feels is best for Alice. He just has to get her to trust him and understand that he only wants to protect her.

Needless to say, Joseph is pretty sketchy in this AU no matter how you slice it, hahaha. Still, he does have Alice/MC's best interests in mind, as well as all the people of his kingdom. He also falls deeply in love with his sunshine, naturally, which only complicates things further.

Still, despite the sketchiness, I want to give my OTP a happy ending. Despite Joseph pulling such a stunt, he does pay for it narratively at some point before Alice does eventually forgive him after learning to trust and even love him as well. When that finally happens, Joseph is going to be able to appreciate some big floofy hugs from his sunshine, and maybe she'll take him on a ride or two.

Yes I do mean that in both senses of the word. ;3

Well, I think I'll end things there for now. This post has gotten pretty long, probably because it's about dragons, hahaha. At least I just capped off at around 20 or 21 pages this time. I'm just a sucker for all things fantasy and dragons, and add in my OTP, and I can ramble on and on and on for way too long.

I hope you all enjoyed this alternate path for a dragon AU and the possibilities that it could present for us to play with. If you want to hear more about this or any other AU, please let me know! Also let me know if you want to be tagged in the next ramble or story post. Thanks for reading!

@channydraws @earthgirlaesthetic @sai-of-the-7-stars @cheriihoney @illary-kore @okamiliqueur @kurokrisps

[ace-writes4u]

ROMANTIC GOD USOPP HCS 🤥

For any of these headcanons to work, Usopp Is Not in love with Kaya. Childhood friends. :D

Usopp never expects anyone to like him back, so it's always a very welcome surprise when figuring out that you like him too. Good luck getting him to ask you out first, he's incredibly shy.

Very insecure. He doesn't need his ego boosted 24/7, especially post-time skip, but he will definitely have days where he believes you could do better. Small reassurances go a long way with him.

He's a man of many skills, a jack of all trades. Though he's a master at none (as far as he'll tell you,) he loves spreading his "Divine knowledge." He has many tips on working out, gardening/plant care, sniping with all kinds of ranged weaponry, inventing, as well as tons of tricks to bluffing.

He's ecstatic to share these skills with you. He's not asking you to spend ALL of his time on it, no, but he definitely likes when you're interested.

He's very silly, in regards to the actual lovey stuff. His main goal is to make you smile, so no matter how intense and love-charged the moment becomes, he will find a way to crack some kind of joke.

He's not the greatest about serious conversation. He tends to steer away from topics that are too heavy, unless they NEED to be addressed.

Will absolutely build something for you if you ask. Even if you didn't ask, he will.

Really great with kids. Will rally a small gang of rapscallions to tackle you.

Finally, Usopp's love languages are very creative, relying on gifts and quality time. He's also no stranger to physical touch. He enjoys the little things about you, and will even go as corny as writing small poems about you in his spare time.

TLDR: Usopp wants to make every moment he has with you count, for as long as you still like him. He's many, many things, but one thing he refuses to be is a shitty boyfriend.

[wardenparker]

A Second Chance at Life

Part 3 of A Second Chance at Love

Jack Daniels x female reader Zach Wellison x female OC Co-written with @absurdthirst

Rating: E for Explicit! 18+   Word Count: 22.7k Warnings: Mentions of: homelessness, hunger, discrimination, human trafficking, past military service, classicism. Cursing, alcohol/food, awkward flirting, vaginal sex, unprotected sex, just a touch of a praise kink.  Summary: Junior returns to Statesman after a mission with a civilian in tow. Ready to go to bat to Ginger to get Zach a place as a Statesman agent, it shouldn’t be surprising that the whole Daniels family is ready to adopt the young man as well. Especially Jack and his beloved wife’s youngest and most mischievous daughter. ✨This piece can absolutely be read as a stand alone!✨ Notes: Set 23 years after the original ‘A Second Chance at Love’, this part 3 is a celebration of TWO YEARS worth of writing collaborations between myself and absurdthirst. Keri is a divine angel of inspiration and a true friend and I truly don’t know what I would do without her. Thank you for being there through thick, thin, and everything in between. I would not be who I am without the friendship and support you’ve shown me over the last two years. 🧡🧡

Part 1 ~ Part 2

"Jack!" When the alert on your watch goes off letting you know that the Statesman jet is about to touch down, you fully abandon the tray of chips, dips, and appetizers that you were putting together on the kitchen counter and go to poke your head out onto the back deck where Jack is sitting with a glass of Statesman Reserve and a book. "Put the burgers on the grill, honey. I'm going to go pick up Junior from the jet and Janey should be over with the other kids soon."

Anytime Junior comes home from a mission, it's cause for celebration. The whole family descends on the big ranch house and a mountain of cheeseburgers gets demolished to welcome him back again. Your twin girls are grown now, beautiful young women in their own right who dote on and challenge their brother in equal measure, and Junior and Janey's three kids are finding their own footing in the world. The family you thought you had lost for such a long time has materialized around you and become something worthy of gratitude, and you have never taken a day for granted.

Retirement has its own set of challenges, just like getting old does. Groaning, his joints protest slightly as he sets the book down and rocks himself forward to push up out of the chair. “Yes ma’am.” He grunts, tossing you a craggy grin that isn’t quite as lecherous as it might have been about ten years before, but Jack Daniels is still a man who is besotted with his wife. “As long as you give me a kiss before you go.”

"Well, of course," you roll your eyes at him like he's crazy for even asking, but Jack hasn't taken a day for granted either. He still makes sure to show and tell you just how much he loves you every single day. Stepping out onto the deck, you wrap him up in a hug and inhale the familiar scent of his cologne with a grin before tipping your head back to kiss him. You move a little faster than he does these days but it's only because you've done a bit less damage to your body over the years – party planning not having been nearly as physical a job as being a secret agent. "I love you, sweetheart."

“I love you too, darlin’.” Jack promises, the kiss more tender than passionate, but the bone deep resignation of love carries through the simple gesture. “I’m throwin’ some extras on since the grandkids seem to be eatin’ everything in sight.”

“Tucker is trying to bulk up for senior year.” The way it makes you grin is the picture of grandmotherly indulgence. Your youngest grandchild - Junior and Janey’s younger son Tucker - had taken after his older brother in every way. Miles started playing football in middle school, so Tucker did also. Of course, now Miles is working on his medical degree and Tucker is about to start his senior year of high school. Time flies.

“Sounds like Tucker.” Jack shakes his head and pats your ass as you turn, pulling out of his arms. “I’ll even throw on a few of those veggie burgers on the grill for Sam.”

“I put two on a separate tray, and her vegan cheese.” Though the twins were born barely two minutes apart and have been basically inseparable their whole lives, Sam and Riley have grown into very individual women. Sam has joined the front of the Statesman Operation as a distiller, and recently jumped from simple vegetarianism into veganism in solidarity with her wife. So far the hardest transitions for her are actually for her family, and not for her at all. “You’re a good father, Jack. You know that.”

“Try to be.” Jack grins, thinking about the three children that he is damned proud to be called their father. “Never thought I’d ever be able to say that a few years ago.” He reminds you. “Gotta prove myself, to myself.”

“You’re a damn good daddy and a damn good granddaddy, too.” You pause for one more kiss to his cheek before pulling away again. “I gotta go get Junior. Don’t burn the house down while I’m gone.”

Jack chuckles and nods. “I won’t. You just now got it decorated the way you like it.” You are always redecorating or changing something and he loves it.

“It only took me twenty-three years.” Tossing him a cheeky grin, you head for the front door and grab your purse to go pick Junior up from the airstrip.

He knows why. For a long time, you still expected a knock to come. A phone call to tear you away from the life you had with him. Changing things up meant you could focus on a goal, a reminder you were still here. Jack hums, turning on the speakers and playing some music as he fires up the grill and moseys into the house to get the burgers.

******

“We should be on the ground in five minutes.” Junior checks his watch, forcing himself to stop pacing and down the rest of his drink so he can sit for the jet’s descent. He hasn’t technically broken any rules, having gotten the all-clear from Ginger Ale to go ahead and bring a civilian back to Statesman, but the knot in his stomach says that not everyone is going to like it. This man, though? This man saved his life. With astonishing skill, no less, and then turned out to be a military veteran with nowhere to turn. Jack Daniels Jr. has made plenty of sacrifices for his work or for his family, but he has never left someone helpless when he could be their helping hand. His mother taught him better than that.

Zach looks up at the man who has insisted that he come back with him to Kentucky, of all places. He can tell that he’s nervous. “Look, I can just— leave.” Zach offers, drying his hands on his borrowed jeans and shrugging. The streets of Kentucky can’t be too different from where he was. “You already bought me dinner.” All for picking up a weapon and pulling a trigger. It had been instinct. Seeing someone running through the park that was being chase by a group of armed men, he had leapt into action when one of the rifles had been dropped. Picking it up, aiming and pulling the trigger without a second thought.

"No, no, no." The Statesman agent shakes his head, telling himself to relax as he sits down across from the ex-Marine. His knee pops a little but that's a small complaint for a man old enough to have a grown daughter. "The thing is, Zach," he glances at the younger man from under his Stetson. "You've got faster reflexes than most - maybe all - of the recruits I've seen over the years. You said what you did was instinct, but those are some damn impressive instincts."

Zach snorts and shakes his head. “Preservation of self of what the psychologist told me.” Not that he had a lot of help after he got back stateside. Once he had his discharge papers it was ‘good luck and don’t let the door hit you’.

"It takes a strong character to still have a sense of self and not dissolve into apathy during hard times." He had come close to it himself, as a teenager in Witness Protection, but he had been lucky enough to have his mother to think about when he couldn't see to taking care of himself. Junior shifts in his seat, rubbing his palms together and looking straight ahead at the young man in front of him. "I'd like to offer you a job. Not one specific one, but Statesman is a big operation and there are a lot of different opportunities for someone like you." Does he have one specific job in mind? Of course. But being an agent isn't for everyone, and more than anything he just wants to help this man who saved his life.

“Why?” Zach’s suspicions are caused by the nearly three years he’s spent on the streets. Almost thirty years old and the only thing to his name is what is in his pack. Since leaving the military, not one damn person has offered him anything more than platitudes. “You don’t owe me anything.”

"I owe you my life," Junior tells him honestly. "But I'm afraid that would be a pretty shitty life to hand to you, all things considered. And my mama taught me not to give used gifts." He shrugs slightly, feeling the jet start to descend. "Military vets get dealt a raw fucking, deal, Zach. Pardon my language. You deserve to have a life you can be proud of."

Zach clenches his jaw, not answering that. It was true and it stung. He had gotten a raw deal, but he also knows that he’s too damn proud for charity. “You never told me what the hell got you into that situation.”

"My work." He has to stay intentionally vague until he can bring Zach to meet Ginger, and he knows that won't happen until after dinner. Dinner is mandatory. Even with nearly half his life spent in Kentucky with his father, he still never misses a family meal for anything short of a mission. "The man you shot would absolutely have tried to kill me if he'd gotten a hand on me. Unfortunately not the first time a man's tried that, but that's the life I chose."

The other man can’t help but snort at that. “Well, it looks like you get paid better than the military.” He says, looking around the sleek jet. “Swear I’ve heard of Statesman before.”

"Definitely get paid better than the military." Junior chuckles at that, topping his hat back. "Statesman is whiskey. Best sour mash in the world, bar none." It's so much more than that, but he can save that tidbit of information for later.

“And whiskey equals guns….” it’s not a question, because Zach feels like Jack won’t answer it. But something else is going on. “I’m not being kidnapped and forced to have genetic testing performed on me, am I?”

The specificity of the question is what makes Junior bust out laughing, and he shakes his head while he waves off the younger man's concern. "No, but my son is pre-med so if you start hearing a lot of gruesome talk out of him it's just academic curiosity, not a threat."

“Wow.” There’s an undercurrent of bitterness there that can’t be hidden, but it’s not directed towards Jack or his son. It’s more a shot at his own life choices that have obviously turned out so well. “You don’t look old enough to have a kid pre-med.”

"I appreciate that." Never one to deny being proud of his family, Junior straightens his back a little and unconsciously flexes the hand that bears his wedding ring. "Wife and I were young when we got married. Miles is actually the middle child." Like any proud father, he is immediately digging into his pocket for his wallet to show off pictures of his kids. Having gotten the all-clear to bring Zach back to Louisville, he knows that the young vet is going to meet his family anyway. No harm in showing him a photo a few minutes in advance. "There. That's my wife Janey, our oldest Becca, and the two boys are Miles and Tucker."

“You have a beautiful family.” Zach sincerely means that, a little envious at the happy family in the picture. He had always imagined that kind of life for himself, it had just never worked out.

"It isn't always easy, but hard work is worth it." He sits back again and slides his wallet into the pocket of his jacket. "Listen. I don't intend to force anything on you, or to tie you up into something that you're not happy with. That's not the point here." Loyalty at Statesman was earned through respect and hard work, not kidnapping. Although ironically there sometimes was a bit of light relocating involved - like with this flight. "If there isn't a job at Statesman that you think you can be happy with, then you go ahead and say so. I'll have this jet bring you wherever in the world you want to be dropped off and you can pretend you never met me or even heard of Louisville, Kentucky. Just give it a week to decide. Is that a deal?"

Zach looks around the plane again, aware that the shower he had taken an hour earlier was first hot shower he’s had in peace in a long time. The few times he could get a bed at the local shelter, the water was cold and he had worried about people stealing his meager belongings. “Doesn’t look like I have anywhere else to be.” Zach chuckles, lifting the glass of whiskey he hadn’t touched before to his lips. Humming at the taste. “And this is good.”

When the jet touches down a few minutes later, the flight attendants have little to do but bid their passengers a good day and go about tidying up. Junior leads the way, chuckling softly to himself when he steps out onto the mobile stairs and sees the familiar black pickup truck waiting for him. The Bronco died years ago, but that has never stopped his father from having a truck. "Looks like our ride is here," he tells Zach, pointing down to the tarmac just as you pop out of the front seat to wave.

Zach frowns slightly, shuffling his bag over his shoulder and hums. “That’s your mom?” He asks, surprised because you certainly don’t look old enough to be his mother. But he has just seen a picture of Jack’s wife.

"My parents were high school sweethearts. I guess young love sort of runs in the family." With a hearty slap on the shoulder, Junior leads Zach down the stairs toward the truck and quickly shoots a text off to Ginger letting her know that they've landed and will be in to see her as soon as she wants.

"I only asked for a postcard from LA, Junior." Your instinct is to tease a little, knowing that whatever might have caused your son to bring home a civilian and not immediately sweep them off to Ginger's office to be debriefed must be quite a story. Keeping things lighthearted until you know more details is really all you can do considering the classified nature of Junior's work as Agent Absinthe. "Looks like you brought home a friend instead?"

“Mom, this is Zach Wellison.” Junior rests his hand on the other man’s shoulder, feeling the way it rounds slightly in self-consciousness, even though he is wearing a clean set of clothes from Junior’s own bag, with the promise that his own clothes would be cleaned as soon as possible. He introduces Zach to you, telling him your name. “Zach pulled my ass out of the fire, and I decided he would be a damn good fit at Statesman.”

"Well that's a hell of a compliment." The polite thing would be to offer him a handshake, but hearing that this man saved your son's life has you offering him a grateful hug instead – the instinct of a mother still very attached to her son after going through so much together. "Are you hungry, Zach? We've got burgers on the grill at home and all kinds of things to go with them. Family dinner always includes a brave man."

“I don’t want to impose.” The snacks on the plane hadn’t been touched but there’s no mistaking the grumble of his stomach when you mention burgers. It’s been a few days since he’s had a proper meal.

"It's not an imposition at all. I insist." You urge them toward the truck, which has more than enough room for the three of you, and smile when your son tosses his bag in the back without hesitation. "Junior, text your sisters and let them know you're back? I swear getting Sam away from the stills is like pulling teeth these days and your father is making her veggie burgers without a fuss tonight."

“Damn. Junior whistles, sounding impressed. He waggles his brows. “That’s something akin to a miracle.” He tosses Zach a grin. “Dad is a ‘meat is king’ kinda guy. And grillin’ is his specialty. Making veggies burgers hurts his soul.”

The three of you climb into the truck and head for home. It's a short drive with the ranch being just outside of Statesman property, but it's enough for you to note that the civilian your son has brought home with fairly quiet but highly alert. He seems to notice everything but only takes it in without comment. You chat about light things for a little while before refocusing your attention on your visitor. "Are you from California originally, Zach?"

“Yes ma’am.” Zach answers quietly, finding the lush green hills in the background very tranquil. “Sacramento area originally.”

The ma'am catches your attention and you glance over at your son while you drive. "Sacramento's Army and Air Force country, isn't it?" You ask, though you know your casual tone doesn't erase the point of the question.

“I was a Marine.” He snorts, smirking slightly before he remembers there’s nothing to actually be proud about anymore. “Went against tradition.”

"Junior's father was a Navy pilot. Seems like every branch has its ups and downs, but we honour service in our family. Thank you for yours." Though you get the sense from his reaction that he might not be too glad about the decision in hindsight, you would just consider his sacrifices all the more worth recognizing because of it. "How long have you been stateside, if you don't mind my asking?"

“Three years, five months and six days.” Zach supplies easily, having kept up with the time since he had been discharged eight months after he had come back from his final deployment. “Ma’am.”

"Well, you'll still find plenty of 'sir' and 'ma'am' around here and plenty of folks following orders, but Statesman is a lot more laid back than service, thank goodness. And the food is infinitely better."

"Does that mean you made cobbler?" Junior asks, sitting up in his seat like he's suddenly twelve again as he looks over at Zach. "She makes a blueberry and peach cobbler that I swear must have magic in it."

The compliment is sweet, if a little overblown, but you nod as you drive. "I made it with vegan butter for your sister, but don't tell anybody until they start eating it. I want to see if anyone notices."

“You know dad will taste the difference.” Junior laughs and shakes his head. “He swears he can taste the chemicals.”

"He swears up and down," you agree to that, but the smile on your face turns sly. "But I made shrimp and grits last night with vegan butter and oat milk and he had seconds."

Junior grins and looks back at Zach. “My younger sister’s wife is vegan and she just went down the rabbit hole with her. Hence the recipe changes.”

"We just want to make sure Vanessa and Sam are always able to eat with family." Not to mention that your whole family adores Vanessa and were glad to welcome her into the family. Having Sam marry so early was only a minimal surprise. After all, like Junior had told Zach earlier, young love runs in your family.

“You said you had two sisters. Twins?” He asks, wanting to keep everyone straight. “So you have three kids and three grandchildren?” That question is directed towards you.

"Exactly right." Directing the car off the highway toward the ranch, you nod to your son's guest and smile. "We had Junior right after we were married, and his sisters quite a while later. Sam and Riley are around the same age as our grandkids - that's Junior and Janey's three. Actually, the twins and their niece Becca were all born the same year."

Eyes widening in surprise, Zach absorbs the idea that the younger sisters of Junior are younger than he is. “Wow.”

"It's unconventional." You can admit that readily, and you love your big family full of very different and very strong personalities. "But it works for us." In the distance, the top of the ranch house comes into view and you point it out on the tree line. "There's the ranch. We'll be home in no time."

The house is big, and gorgeous. He’s awestruck by the larger house, then the slightly smaller one just a few hundred feet away. “Is it a working ranch?” Zach asks, seeing horses out in pastures. All of this speaks of a lot of money.

"Small, but yes." It makes you shake your head as you turn down the long road that is your driveway. "My husband decided he wanted to retire from his main career on the early side and amp up the ranch work. There's a bit of breeding and sale, but we also have a stable for show horses and teachers that give lessons."

“What did your husband do? After he got out of the Navy?”

Your eyes tick quickly up to the rear-view mirror to see your son subtly shake his head. A civilian answer, then. “He worked for Statesman.” You tell Zach. “From security guard all the way up to CEO.”

“CEO?” No wonder they have a ranch. “That’s impressive.” There’s more that’s not being said, but it’s not his place to ask.

“Things were hard for us in the beginning, so we make sure that we never turn anyone away.” Which is, you suspect, why Zach is here with Junior. The former military man is wearing your son’s clothes, after all. That is a fairly large clue.

Zach’s mouth snaps shut, shame and the anger from that shame nearly making him ask you to stop the truck. He doesn’t want pity and he’ll be damned if he has anyone look down on him for his circumstances.

There are a half dozen cars in the driveway by the main house when you park the truck, all telling you that you’re the last to arrive. A group of three is passing a frisbee in the yard and music is pouring out of hidden speakers, but the real commotion is out in the back deck where your kids and grandkids are digging into appetizers like there’s no tomorrow and the twins are in the middle of a hot debate with their father at the grill. This is as much a family party as it is any regular Sunday - it just so happens that your Sundays usually turn into parties when everybody is able to show up.

Zach climbs out of the pickup, hanging back as if he is hesitant to get near. This is obviously a family function and he doesn’t belong here.

“Come on,” Junior doesn’t let him shrink away, one hand patting his shoulder but not pushing. “There’s always at least a couple of friends at these things.” To prove his point, he directs Zach’s attention to the frisbee players. “That’s my oldest and my youngest. But the third kid is somebody my youngest knows from school. Couldn’t tell you the kid’s name if I tried, but he comes around sometimes. And playing with the dog? That’s one of the guys my wife and daughter work with. I promise I didn’t bring you into the middle of something I thought would be awkward.”

“I don’t know.” Zach huffs. “I don’t want to intrude. Just— point me towards Statesman and I’ll walk and tour the grounds.” He smirks sardonically. “I’m an outdoors specialist after all.”

“We’ll go after dinner,” Junior promises, fully ignoring the joke made at Zach’s own expense. “You want a drink? I don’t know what else is here but there’s always cold beer and good whiskey.”

It’s been so damn long since Zach’s had a cold beer in a relaxed atmosphere. He nearly drools at the thought. “Yeah— I guess a beer will be alright.” He concedes. “Just one.”

“Sure thing.” Leading Zach through the yard behind you, Junior stops to say hi to Janey and the frisbee players, introducing Zach as he goes. There are handshakes and greetings and hugs all around, and you make it up on to the porch to say hello to your girls before they make it halfway through the yard.

“Jay brought home a civilian?” Sam asks quietly, sipping her whiskey as she watches them closely. The girls had long-since picked up on Janey’s nickname for their brother and liked it better than calling him Jack or Junior.

“Yes he did,” you nod and turn to hug Riley next. “And I haven’t gotten the whole story yet, so be nice.”

“We’re always nice, Mom.” Riley contends, although there is a smirk in the corner of her mouth when she says it.

Sam snorts. “Yeah? Since when?” Riley is older by two minutes and she never misses an opportunity to remind Sam of that fact. “Where you nice when you told that old breeder to go choke on a horse co—”

“Okaaaaaaaay.” Riley interrupts, rolling her eyes. “Sometimes I’m nice.” She huffs dramatically. “But that old bastard deserved that.” She contends.

That earns a laugh from you and Jack, who both disliked that particular breeder despite his good work. It was a blessing to be rid of him. “Here,” you hum, handing off two bottles of beer from the cooler to your younger daughter. “Go say hi to your brother.” “Yes ma’am,” she chuckles, accepting the bottles and grabbing the magnetic bottle opener from the side of the grill. “Jaaaaay!” She calls out, trotting down the steps with drinks in hand. "I've got beeeer!"

Turning automatically to the sound of someone shouting, at first Zach is anticipating anger. Until he catches the face of the woman practically racing for him and Junior— not Jack like he had introduced himself as after the firefight. His heart leaps up into his throat and he swears he nearly stops breathing, she’s so pretty and carefree.

"Thanks, Ri." Junior takes both bottles and offers one to Zach, not missing the slightly dumbstruck look on his new acquaintance's face at all. "Riley, this is my new friend Zach." He nods to his sister, miraculously without smirking. "Zach, Riley is the younger of the twins. My baby sister."

"Nice to meet you, Zach." She offers the new arrival her hand brightly, cheery vibrancy making a good cover for how hard her heart starts pounding when he looks up and meets her eyes. His irises are the colour of freshly brewed coffee and his jaw looks like it was cut by a Grecian master sculptor, making Riley practically gulp down a breath. "I—um—it's...I mean...welcome."

“Hi.” Zach takes the beer up to his lips to hide the small smile that Riley managed to bring out. “So your ‘Jay’s’ sister?” He asks before he turns towards the other man. “How many damn names do you have?”

"Three." He shrugs, except the answer is actually four. Agent Absinthe isn't exactly a nickname so much as a title and it's not one used outside of work. "Jack Daniels Junior gives two out of the three. My wife and sisters call me Jay."

“I see.” Zach raises a brow, nodding at the obvious. “So I’m guessing that your father is Jack Senior?”

"Found where all fathers can be found," Riley smirks and points up at the deck where the grill is the center of all activity. "At the grill. But if you guys want any of the salsa or guac that Mom made you better get in there. Tucker brought a friend and teenage boys are bottomless pits."

As much as Zach’s stomach rumbles at the thought of fresh salsa and guacamole, he nods politely and sips his beer. “Thanks.”

"You guys make friends, I'll be right back." Junior glances between his sister and his potential recruit with a twinkle of amusement before he nods and makes off in the direction of the deck.

Shuffling slightly, Zach glances her way, struck again by how pretty she is before he reminds himself there is no way this woman would be interested in him. “So did you grow up here?” He asks, rolling his eyes as soon as it comes out of his mouth. What a dumb fucking question.

Riley catches the way he rolls his eyes at himself and grins, smothering a very uncharacteristic giggle. "That's my room in the top floor corner." She points, indicating the set of windows with linen-colored curtains in it. "Kentucky born and raised, unlike my brother. But my guess is you're not from around here? Since you came home on the jet with Jay, I mean." For some reason the ability to form an original or interesting question has escaped her, but that's probably from the man beside her.

“California.” Zach bobbles his head, glancing up at the window, wondering if it was a nice view out of the window. It must have been to grow up in a place like this.

"I've never been." And why that makes her dig the toe of her boot into the grass is completely beyond her. "It looks pretty in the movies, though. For whatever that's worth, she's definitely not at the top of her game tonight.

“Don’t bother.” Zach huffs. “It might be nice to visit some areas.”

"Not a big fan of California, got it." She nods and shoves one hand into the pocket of her jeans while she takes a sip of her beer. "Well...maybe you'll like Kentucky better?"

“Sorry.” His shoulders roll back, aware he’s sounding like a complete asshole. “The last few years haven’t been the best, so I guess I’m bitter.” That’s putting it mildly, but she wants small talk, not a pity party.

"I'm sorry to hear that." It pulls her attention, though, bringing her eyes up from her toes to find his. "I know we just met, but if you need to vent or whatever..." she shrugs, hearing exactly how strong she's coming on, but there's no chance he would ever be interested in her. It's just being friendly to someone that her older brother brought back from a mission. And it's not like that had happened more than one other time ever.

“You don’t want to hear about it.” Zach huffs. “But thanks. It’s a nice thought.” In what way could this beautiful, rich girl ever commiserate with him? He shrugs. “Junior said to come to Kentucky, and I had nothing better to do. Might not work out. Rarely does.”

"I hate to admit it, but my brother is rarely wrong," she admits, sipping her beer again. "When he has an instinct about a person he's right about ninety-five percent of the time." He had certainly been right about the last guy she'd brought home to meet the family, a fact which stings a little and makes her frown instinctively before she quickly recovers. "Well...come on, Zach from California. Nothing helps smooth over meeting new people like alcohol and food, and we can make both of those things happen."

He hadn’t been going to approach the food by himself, so being dragged over helps. You are standing next to an older version of Jack, so much so that Zach has to blink. Hanging on to his arm and laughing like the picture-perfect family. “You know, being from Kentucky, you don’t have an accent.”

"Yeah, it, uh...it turns out that if you go to a college in New York City to be an engineer and you're a cowboy boot wearing Southern girl with a country accent, nobody takes you seriously." The way Riley rolls her eyes is an obvious cover for a deeper hurt, but she taps her boots on the stairs as they walk up to the food. "I phased it out pretty quickly during freshman year. Not that it eliminated the problem of people assuming girls can't do math, but at least it lessoned the jokes a little."

“Shit. Girls are a shit ton smarter than guys.” Zach snorts then shakes his head. “Sorry about the language.”

"Please, I'm not delicate. Swear all you want." As if to prove it, she scoops up a chip full of guacamole and crunches down with a happy moan of contentment.

An innocent moan over a chip and guac shouldn’t make him think pornographic thoughts. He shouldn’t be thinking about what he could do that would make her make that sound, but it does. He’s lucky that he wasn’t drinking, otherwise he would have choked to death on beer. His cock twitches in extreme interest and he swallows harshly.

“Seriously, try some,” Riley urges. It’s not like she’s oblivious, but she also doesn’t fully process that the hungry look on Zach’s face is more about her and less about the food.

“O-okay.” Zach moves over to grab a chip, anything to take his mind off the way she sounded.

It doesn’t help that she reaches for another chip at the same time, unleashing the sound all over again right before Zach takes a bite. If she had had any idea of how drastic his reaction was, though? Well…she probably would have closed her eyes and tilted her head back just to give him a good visual along with the sound. Zach chokes on the chip, coughing and sputtering as the damn corn chip threatens to go down the wrong pipe. Making him slap himself on the chest as his eyes water and he coughs.

“Oh shit, are you okay?” Riley doesn’t really have a panic button but she cringes internally at his reaction and gives his back a gentle rub after he stops coughing. “No dying on us, okay? Miles is only pre-med, he’s not prepared to save lives just yet.”

“S-sorry.” He manages, coughing again one last time and taking a hasty sip of his beer. “Got caught in my throat.”

“Maybe pointy foods aren’t prime for you,” she jokes, more teasing herself with realizing exactly how broad Zach’s shoulders are than him over the chip thing.

“Maybe.” He can’t help but chuckle, even though he is kicking himself over the faux pas. His shoulder tingles where her hand is resting, making him feel like he’s being shocked.

“Better now?” Resisting the urge to offer him mouth to mouth if he should ever need it, Riley clears her throat as little and grins. “That’s alright. Swallowing is hard,” she teases, managing to continue to look completely innocent.

Zach blows out a breathe, the scandalous comment about what she can swallow on the tip of his tongue but he can’t say that. Surprised that he’s even thinking it. It’s been a long goddamn time since he’s really thought about sex beyond some distant memory.

“Cat got your tongue?” Her eyebrow ticks up in curiosity.

“Apparently.” Zach grunts, rolling his eyes at himself again. “Just, trying to breathe without incident.”

“Right. Sorry.” Riley sags a little against the porch railing, feeling embarrassed. Just because she’s all hot and bothered over him doesn’t mean he is over her – and she has to remember that, since it seems like she’s the only member of the Daniels family born without the flirting gene.

“Nothing to be sorry about.” Zach frowns slightly, not liking the way that she seemingly deflates in front of him. “How embarrassing would it be to survive war zones and die by a chip? I could never show my face in hell.”

“War zones?” That seems to perk her ears up, and her head tilts slightly. Curiosity is certainly one thing the Daniels kids have in spades. “You’re a vet?”

“Yeah.” Does everyone in this family like military? “Marines. Or used to be.”

“I almost went Navy,” she admits with her signature shrug. “Like my Dad. Went through a recruiter and everything. It was exciting, I was going to go right out of high school. When I went to get checked out…turns out I had some health issues we had no idea about. So I got to go get made fun of in engineering school instead.”

“I’m sorry.” Not that he believes she needed to be in the military, but it’s always crushing to learn you can’t do what you want. “I’m sure engineering is better than having creaky joints at twenty-five.”

“Everybody ends up where they’re supposed to be eventually, right?” She can sense that maybe she’s hit a sore spot, and Riley picks up her beer again wondering if maybe she just talks way too damn much.

“You could say that.” He was meant to be on the street, fuck, what a depressing thought. She doesn’t know that though, unless Junior has already told her. “So what do you do at Statesman?”

“Research and development.” Her actual work right now is in gadgets and equipment, but for the sake of the distillery’s cover story she could talk about things like the distilling process and the chemical complexities of whiskey. Everyone in the family could. “I do the science and then my twin sister does the actual brewing.”

“Hmmmm.” Zach has his doubts that a brewery is all that is going on. There’s too much that is left unsaid between Junior and his mother. Still, he takes another sip of his beer. “So isn’t this like…drinking the competition?” He asks, titling the bottle up in the air.

“If we brewed beer, sure.” The question makes Riley’s lip curl into an amused grin, though, and she takes the last swig from her own bottle. “Statesman is purely a whiskey operation, so it’s more like…embracing the community.”

"Ohhhhh." He knows that, but it's a way to extend the moment. Enjoying the slightly disjointed conversation.

“We grew up with whiskey like some people grow up with a favorite cereal.” By now it’s obvious that Riley’s most frequent gesture while she talks is to shrug. Almost as if she’s afraid of being taken too seriously or inconveniencing someone with talking too much.

“That’s cool though.” Zach insists. “I know about how to get drunk, even if I haven’t done that for years.”

"We can definitely make that happen, if you want to." After all, it's not like they don't always have an abundance of bottles of different kinds in the house. "Actually the bottle room in the cellar is pretty cool. I just upgraded the atmospheric controls about a month ago so."

“You have a bottle room in your house?” Zach’s eyes blow wide, unable to even think about that kind of luxury. The differences are stark and he’s starting to wonder if he will fit in here just working.

"Yeah, it's super fuckin' cool actually—" She flusters, setting down her empty bottle and motioning to the house. "Do you want to see? It's actually a really cool house. The whole story behind it is cute and everything."

It doesn’t sound like she is bragging, and that’s the only reason why Zach nods. “Okay.” He agrees, looking down to check to make sure there isn’t anything on him that he might dirty up the house with.

"My dad basically built the place himself." Through the porch door and into the kitchen, Riley wipes a little nervous sweat from her palms onto her jeans and shuts the door behind them. No one will even notice they're gone, she reasons, and Jay brought this guy home. So clearly she's just being friendly. Just friendly. Right. That's why she's telling him her parents' love story - because it's totally normal and friendly. "My parents were apart for a long time. Mom got mixed up in a mob thing when she was pregnant with Jay and they were in WITSEC for twenty plus years. Dad built their dream house as a kind of tribute to her. And then when they found each other again they started adding a few more things to the house here and there."

“That’s…wow. So your dad thought they were dead?” It explains the age gap between Junior and the twins. “That’s amazing and horrible.”

"Yeah, it was..." Riley shrugs as she leads him into the house, pointing out little things and pausing in front of a wall of wedding photos in the main hallway. Two photos of her parents, one of her brother and Janey, and then Sam and Vanessa's wedding photo from just last year. She's the only one missing from the wall now, but she pushes away the swimming dread that that thought conjures in her belly. "Dad talks about it like it was such a dark period for him. But they're so perfect together, I can't even imagine what they would be like apart. Either way, um...yeah. That's how the house came to be. The...the cellar is this way."

Zach glances at the photos, the ones of her parents’ wedding were obviously at different times. He had to assume one was the original and another, your father looking older and more distinguished, was a vow renewal of some sort. He’s notices she isn’t in a wedding photo of a bride and groom, having clocked the lack of ring on her hand. Not that it mattered, he just noticed. “Lead the way.”

The cellar is fully furnished, having become a playroom when the twins were little and then a dance studio for the two years they took lessons, then a practice room for their high school rock band after that – at which point it had happily been soundproofed. Now it is a games room with a card table and pool table, a large sofa, and a bar built into one wall that stood next to the glass door of the temperature-controlled bottle room. In most houses this would be a wine cellar, but not the Daniels house. This is a glorified whiskey showroom, with a few other things collected over time. Riley punches a code into the panel on the wall and shoots Zach a grin before the panel chirps and the door hisses to indicate it’s unlocked. “Come on in. It’ll be cool inside at first. Like how walking into an air conditioned building in summer makes you feel freezing for about five minutes. But this lasts about a minute max.”

“Holy shit.” Zach eyes widen at the causal luxury and the comfort that seems to be in the game room. Then the sophistication of the whiskey room. “This is better protected than most state secrets.”

"Thank you." Riley fully beams, her shoulders doing a happy little wiggle as she grins. "I designed the system and built it myself."

“This is what you do?” He’s impressed. Looking around and admiring the security. “This is damn good.”

"My sister makes the booze, and I protect it," she laughs lightly. In actuality, she worked like a cowgirl version of James Bond's Q, developing new tech that would help keep Statesman's agents safe in the field - but that's not exactly the kind of thing she can tell this new arrival. Her status as Agent Grenadine needed to stay tightly under wraps just like her brother's active field agent status and her father's former identity as Agent Whiskey. She'll take the compliment, though, enjoying the way it warms through her as they look around the bottle room together.

“So it’s a family operation.” Family is something that Zach hasn’t had in a long time. The men he called brothers had all drifted off, moved on with their lives while he had been stuck in a horrible rut.

"Sort of." He gets a nod from her as she traces her lingers along the label of a limited release bottle produced the year she was born. "There's a lot more than just our family involved, but yeah. Statesman is definitely tight-knit. Once we let somebody in..." She offers him a half-smile, knowing that Jay never would have brought him back to the house if he didn't like the guy or intend on bringing him into things eventually. "That's sort of it. You're family."

He shuffles slightly, aware that she’s trying to tell him something but he can’t quite believe it. Maybe the mangy stray dog that someone takes mercy on. Not family. “Sounds nice.” He admits quietly.

"So far nobody's run away screaming," Riley jokes, laughing awkwardly under her breath.

“With all the liquor, no one would be able to run a straight line.” Zach jokes, laughing slightly.

Riley snorts, hand barely making it up to her mouth to smother the sound, and ends up stifling a torrent of giggles in the process. All she can visualize is her beautiful, proper, and upstanding niece Becca trying to run away tipsy and it’s the funniest goddamn thing she could possibly imagine. So much so that it basically has her sagging against the wall. “That’s—” She cackles once more, trying to catch her breath. “That’s an excellent visual.”

Zach grins, the sight of her laughing at something he said is probably the most beautiful damn thing he’s ever seen. “You drink enough and tell me you can run straight. We used to drink all night and PT still drunk and it looked like we were bobbing and weaving enemy fire.”

"You paint a very vivid picture, Zach." She straight out giggles again. "And suddenly the idea of drunk PT is making me very glad I didn't end up serving."

“Yeah…” he shuffles again and gives a half grin. “It was interesting. Corporal Ivers said the beer shits motivated you to run faster.”

"I mean, I can definitely see that." From one of the racks built into the walls, Riley pulls a bottle of Statesman Blue Label - a bottle frequently shared in the Daniels family between friends or a family events. Since today sort of seems like both, it's sort of a safe choice to bring upstairs. "Have you ever had Statesman before?" She asks, not realizing her own unconscious attempt at stalling down here.

“No?” Zach admits with a small shrug. “Don’t know if I’ve really seen any besides the commercials. What kinds do you have?”

"We've got a couple of open bottles down here if you want to try?" Out in the main room, there is a bar with partial bottles worth looking through. "The Blue Label is a family favourite, but the Reserve is really good and there's a bottle of 2014 Select out there that was a really good batch. Notes of maple and vanilla with this cedar smokiness that makes me feel like I'm at a campfire in the woods every time."

“I’m really good at camping.” Zach is completely ironic and un-ironic at the same time. Camping was a part of life in the military, but the urban camping was the real adventure.

“Come on, then.” Feeling confident enough in herself to nab his hand to lead Zach out into the main room again, Riley still doesn’t look back at his face as she goes just in case he reacts poorly to the innocently flirtatious move. It’s not like she pinned him against a wall and stuck her tongue down his throat, but little touches can all add up to something fun. And Zach is extremely cute.

Shocked that she is holding his hand, Zach lets her lead him out of the whiskey room. Knowing that if she knew what he was, she would probably turn her nose up at him, he tries to just enjoy the moment. Huffing slightly as she yanks him forward. “I’m hurrying.” He promises, wondering what it is about her that relaxes him.

When he doesn’t pull away from her Riley allows herself a silent thrill and decides to open the decanter of 2014 Select and pour their shots with one hand. “Close your eyes and think of sneaking a flask into summer camp,” she tells him, offering him one of the shot glasses. Whether he chooses to shoot or sip, it’s going to be delicious either way.

“Sláinte” Zach offers, nodding to her before he puts the glass to his lips and tosses his head back. Letting the cooler than room temperature whiskey slide down his throat.

“Cheers.” This is the one time she does look him directly in the eye, remembering Jay teasing her about how you have to look someone in the eye when you drink with them or it’s seven years bad sex.

“That is….” Zach feels the burn, the warm heat sliding down his throat, but the normal wince doesn’t come. “Smooth.” He murmurs, looking at the shot glass and then back to her. “Damned smooth.”

“Isn’t it incredible?” There’s a reason this one is her favorite. It’s the ultimate hug, in Riley’s opinion. “When Sam and I turned twenty-one, we made s’mores shots with it.”

“S’mores shots, huh?” Zach huffs and shakes his head. She made drinks out of this instead of just drinking it? “Sounds fun.”

“We were twenty-one,” Riley shrugs like it was a long time ago when she sees the doubt in his eyes. “Everything had to have chocolate in it in order to be good.”

“Chocolate is good at any age.” Zach argues, although it’s been a long time since he’s had chocolate.

“You’re not wrong.” She smiles a little, feeling silly for all of this — this whole attempt to flirt a little or whatever the hell it is she’s been doing. Riley clears her throat, pouring them each another shot and handing him his glass.

“Thanks.” Zach murmurs, feeling his heart race when their fingers brush. “It’s been a long time since I’ve been offered a drink and a nice evening.”

There’s a moment where she could swear she sees him gulp down a breath, but it’s probably wishful thinking. Just projecting her own attraction onto him. Even so, she flusters at the sentiment. “Any time,” Riley murmurs with a grin. “Any time at all.”

“To—” Zach completely blanks out, the idea of saying something charming and witty completely failing him. He doesn’t flirt, or at least, he hadn’t in a long time. “Not choking to death on a chip.” He manages with a roll of his eyes.

Riley grins, letting out a small giggle at that, and holds up her glass. “I’ll drink to that.”

At least she hadn’t thought he was completely insane. The tips of the shot glasses clink together and Zach feels the way his entire body relaxes as the next shot goes down even smoother than the first. Riley hums at the warmth as it spreads through her limbs, just letting her enjoy the moment for what it is. Brand new attraction is something to relish after all, even if it’s fleeting or one sided. Nothing is more fun than feeling those first tugs of want.

Zach leans in, about to make a comment about how good it feels to relax when the door upstairs opens. Making him stiffen and rocks back to put the proper space between them again. Reminding himself that he’s a guest, one that is a surprise. “Ri? You down here sweetheart?” The voice of her father comes down the stairs as boots descend and Zach can hear the censure in his voice. Asking why she’s alone with the homeless man his son had dragged back to their picture-perfect home. Maybe even wondering if he’s pocketed something valuable down here.

"Just showing Zach the cellar, Dad!" Riley calls back, almost straight out laughing to herself at the timing. Right as Zach was starting to relax and she had discovered that gorgeous dimple in his cheek, her father's tingling Spy Sense had gone off. "Is dinner ready?"

“Yeah everything’s ready.” Jack descends to where he can see his daughter and the newcomer. “Let’s go eat so Junior can take Zach to Ginger.”

"Sure thing." The drawn look of suspicion on his face lightens when Riley doesn't protest or try to stall, setting down her shot glass and nodding toward the stairs for Zach to follow. After all, it's not as though she was really trying to seduce him. She wouldn't have been mad about it, but she wasn't really trying.

Jack watches the boy – man – he’s not a boy. It’s almost visible the way that his guard goes up, nearly making Jack relax slightly. There’s something about him that he wants to nurture, protect. Like he was one of his own kids. Junior told him quietly about the vet saving his skin, how he had been sleeping in the park that Junior had been chased through. His heart was compassionate, but still, where his children are concerned - he’s cautious. “Hope you like burgers.” He offers. “Plus we fried up some bacon and it’s perfect with the missus’ guacamole.”

Riley groans, the vibrating sound of hunger unapologetic as she nabs Zach’s hand again to lead him upstairs. “A bacon guac burger sounds amazing!”

Jack’s brows quirk under his Stetson, but he doesn’t comment on his daughter holding Zach’s hand. “Well, come on then.” He grunts at her. “Get your tail up here before the boys eat all of it.”

******

The meal is as exuberant and good natured as a Daniels family get together always is, with everyone nursing groaningly full stomach by the end. Everybody gets a clean up job to make things go faster, and after Junior and Zach help to clear the table the oldest Daniels boy gives his wife a kiss and promises they’ll be back soon. “C’mon,” he nods to Zach, swiping up his Stetson from where he had been sitting. “We gotta go see a lady about some arrangements for you.”

“You don’t have to go out of the way for me.” The anticipation of a gentle letdown is already hanging in the air and Zach moves towards the bag that is still in the back of the truck. “I can just hitch a ride out of town. The meal was enough.”

“It’s my boss,” Junior explains, always knowing his family would disown him if he just let Zach wander out of Louisville without help. Especially Riley. “She wants to meet you.”

“I didn’t get you into any trouble, did I?” He hadn’t expected the lack of police investigation, or the way that he had nonchalantly told whoever was in his ear about killing people, but he doesn’t want the man to lose his job.

“Not at all. If anything, Ginger’s impressed.” They climb into the truck together and head back toward the highway, bound for Statesman’s main offices. When Ginger Ale had taken over the running of Statesman from Champ ten or so years ago, the only person who was surprised at the offer was Ginger herself. Since then she’s led the agency fearlessly and honorably, giving the whole place a new sense of vibrancy.

Zach highly doubts that, but it’s easier to just go along right now. He can always leave later on when the boss is yelling at him. “Well, that’s something.”

The drive doesn't take long, just a reversal of the route they drove earlier from the airstrip out to the ranch after landing. At this time of night there aren't many people around and the cars in the lot are few, but Junior parks in a spot by the front entrance and grabs his hat again after throwing the gearshift into park. "C'mon," he encourages, as though it's his catchphrase or something. "Top floor. Right in the bottle cap."

“Well that’s a hell of a view.” Zach looks up at the large building that looks exactly like a whiskey bottle. It’s definitely a statement although he’s not quite sure what it says.

The barrel-shaped elevators give him a good chuckle, and by the time Junior is strolling into Ginger's office with a contented smile, he's pretty sure he knows how this is going to go. "Evenin', Ma'am," Junior drawls, waving Zach into the office behind him.

"Jack." Ginger looks up over the rim of her glasses at the younger Jack Daniels before her eyes move over to the more tentative man behind him. "And this would be Corporal Wellison, yes? Shut the door behind you and have a seat, gentlemen.”

Zach is unsure if he should salute the older woman, but he refrains. He’s not in uniform anymore, nor is he a corporal in the Marines. “Ma’am.” He offers politely, wondering if all the woman are just unreasonably beautiful around here. This Ginger looks like she could have modeled, even now.

“I understand I owe you some thanks.” Ginger looks to Zach directly, her steepled fingers peaking under her chin. “Jack here is one of the best men in my operation and I don’t like to think of what I’ll have to do when I don’t have him at hand any longer.”

“I didn’t do anything special.” The small shrug of Zach’s shoulders isn’t to dismiss Ginger, he had just assessed the situation and chose a side. Apparently, he had picked the right one. “Sometimes back up in a firefight is necessary when you’re pinned down.”

“That’s exactly my feeling.” She nods, looking between the two men. For the last hour she’s been absorbing Corporal Wellison’s file and reading through reports from the clean-up team that deployed to LA. A full background check on the former Marine had been very enlightening. “And it a appears that you’re a very good man to have as back up.”

“I was a Marine.” There is a bit of pride in his tone. “We didn’t leave anyone behind on the battlefield.” In real life was another story, but she isn’t interest in that.

"You're a Marine with an exceptional record and impressive marksmanship." She can't deny that, nor would she even under other circumstances. Of course Statesman had active recruitment processes, but sometimes candidates just fell right into their lap. "I understand that circumstances haven't exactly been favourable for you since you returned stateside." Ginger shifts in her large chair, moving his file forward on her desk for him to see. To show him that she's been looking into him, unapologetically. "From what I've heard and what I've read, I'd like to extend an invitation to you. Call it...an application process. Our own version of boot camp, if you will. We have room for two more people on our team here and if you're inclined? I think you'd be an excellent fit."

Zach’s eyes narrow suspiciously. The idea of boot camp had the wheels in his head turning. “Recruited for what exactly?” He asks. “I was told this is a distillery not a Blackwater group.” He looks over at Junior and wonders what the fuck he’s gotten involved with. “I’m not a merc.”

"No, you're not." A smile tugs at the corners of Ginger's lips as she sits back. "You're a gunslinger. Choosing your battles and covering a victim when you see him being pursued in a park," she gestures at Jack, knowing he isn't innocent or a victim in any way but for the purposes of this exercise. "You sound like a cowboy to me. And if you'll sign on the dotted line..." An NDA seems to materialize on the top of her desk as if from nowhere. "I'd like to introduce you to the other side of what Statesman is all about."

Seconds tick by. Probably the longest twenty seconds of his entire life. Another glance at Junior doesn’t reveal anything beyond the man’s desire for him to sign the paper. Then his eyes find Ginger. Watching her carefully and there’s a slight edge of challenge in her gaze. Enough that Zach is leaning forward and taking the pen to scrawl his signature on the line.

A quick glance down at the paper and Ginger's photographic memory are all she needs to know that that signature matches up with the others of his that she'd seen and this young man is indeed who he says he is. Good. She had been right about him being upstanding - most people would think there was no cause to lie about who you are when you have nothing, but she had found that that was exactly when people started to bend their stories to suit their situations. "Statesman is an independence intelligence agency," she explains, pressing a button on her desk that causes control panels and monitors to appear from behind previously mundane panels of wood around her. "And Jack Junior here is one of our finest agents."

He is struck dumb for a moment, eyes wide as he absorbs the way the room shifts and he frowns slightly as a million different questions pop up in his head. “Independent intelligent agency…” He repeats slowly as if he is weighing his words and reconciling them with what he is seeing. “So those men chasing you…” he turns to Junior for a full explanation.

“Were thugs hired by a human trafficking operation.” Junior sits back in his chair, tilting his Stetson back a little so there is no question that he is looking Zach in the eye while he tells him the honest truth. “They didn’t take kindly to my partner and I posing as buyers to get those girls back to their families. I drew the short straw - pulling their firepower away so the others could get to safety.”

“Then I’m glad I picked up that gun.” Zach scowls angrily at the idea of human trafficking. He’s seen a lot of that shit while he was on the streets and there was nothing he could do.

“It’s not always big operations.” Ginger warns him, seeing the righteousness in the young man’s eyes. “Sometimes it’s small. Observation. Or escorting people who have no way to protect themselves. Sometimes it’s intelligence gathering or undercover work.” Clearly proud of her agents, she does tilt her head a little and smile. “But it pays a hell of a lot better than law enforcement does and doesn’t have to answer to whatever yokel is in office at the time. We operate only on what we see as benefitting of our time. And frankly? We’re damn good.”

“And you want me?” He asks, lifting a brow as if he can’t believe it. He can’t. After the military, no one wanted him. He was used up and slightly bitter about that fact.

“I went over your service record and your background check while you were with Agent Absinthe, and on paper you’re a perfect candidate.” A part of that, unfortunately, is his utter lack of family or friend attachments. Not even a job to put his notice in at or an apartment to pack up. But for those unfortunate circumstances, Statesman could offer him a place to live with a steady paycheck and a proverbial family to have his back. “If you go through the training and decide that being a field agent isn’t for you, we have plenty of secure jobs on the ground as well.” Ginger folds her hands in front of her on her desk and smiles - something her predecessor rarely did but she thinks Zach might find comforting. “You can say no, of course. But not everyone gets a second chance at life. I sincerely hope you take us up on it.”

A second chance at life. Zach remembers what Riley had said about her parents. Twenty years without each other, one thinking that the other and the baby were dead. Only to find each other again and pick up where they left off. He wonders if he could get back a little of the man he had been before. The gun hadn’t felt as heavy in his hands the last time he turned one in with the military. It had felt right, even better now that he knew what kind of scum he had dispatched to hell. “Not like I don’t have some free time in my schedule.” He reasons, giving a slight shrug. “Might be interesting to see what kind of training you’re talking about.”

“Hot damn.” Junior laughs out loud, reaching out to slap Zach’s shoulder gleefully. “Didn’t I tell you, Ging? I knew he’d be in for it!”

“Keep it in your pants, Jack,” Ginger chuckles. It’s definitely not the first time she’s said that to a man named Jack Daniels. “Jack can show you to temporary quarters until we get your housing sorted out. There’s a cafeteria on the bottom floor of this building that feeds employees three meals a day for free, and I’ll have a company ID delivered to your room overnight. Both of you report to the training grounds at 0800 tomorrow. Any other questions for now?”

“I—” Zach stops for a moment, gathering his thoughts and then he starts again. “Thank you.” He offers quietly, aware that this invitation did not have to be extended. “Is there anything I need?” He doesn’t have a lot, but maybe his old running shoes he’s been wearing for the last four years will hold up.

“We have some things ready for you in your room to get you through until your first paycheck is cut.” She had a feeling he’d say yes based on how Jack had told the story of their encounter, but she doesn’t really want to overwhelm the young man by letting him know that the room is the extremely comfortable visiting agent’s apartment on the fourth floor, not just a room with a bed. It’s fully furnished and packed with clothes in a variety of sizes so that he’ll be able to find things that fit without having to ask for help. A little dignity, at least until they had him situated in a permanent residence. “Anything in the space you’ll be staying in, is there for you to use.”

“Thank you again.” He’s a little overwhelmed at this point. Barely hanging on to his emotions. “I won’t disappoint you.”

“I don’t expect you will, Zach.” Standing almost in unison, Ginger extends her hand to the young man and can practically feel the vibrations coming off of him. Tomorrow will be a very big day for Zach Wellison, it seems. “I sincerely hope you don’t have an aversion for Stetsons, because we’re going to have you wearing one in no time.”

“Never worn one.” He admits with a grin. “Unless you count when I was two.” There’s a few pictures he had from his childhood, one of them is him in his diaper and a cowboy hat.

"Well, we'll fix that soon enough." She nods when he takes her hand, acknowledging the leap of faith he's taken tonight. Not everyone could do it – they'd deny or lash out or even be upset at the revelation. But she has a good feeling about this man. "0800, gentlemen. I'll let Tequila know to expect you."

Even though it is her office, in the blink of an eye, Ginger has disappeared. Leaving Zach slightly bewildered until he notices the hidden door off to the side. He had been battling the intense emotions and near teared up and she was just…gone. “Now what?” Zach asks Junior.

"I can show you where you'll be staying, if you like." He offers, stepping out from the area surrounding his chair to stretch his legs. "It's an apartment a few floors down. Usually used for visiting agents from the New York office, but that just means it's ready for you now at a moment's notice."

“Are you sure I’m not putting anyone out?” Zach asks. “I thought Ginger said I would be sharing a room?” He doesn’t want any treatment that would have him set apart from everyone else.

“If you’d rather stay on the ranch, that’s fine.” It wouldn’t be the first time that either he or his father had taken in someone to stay for a while, and he knows that there is plenty of room. “Might be less lonesome.”

“There’s no way you have the room at your place, not with three kids.” He would offer to sleep on the sofa, but then people would be tip toeing around him and he didn’t want that either.

"My parents have room at the big house." Out of Ginger's office and back through the hall, Junior presses the call button on the elevator and leans against the wall. Now that Zach has accepted the invitation to stay and try Statesman on for size, he is fully relaxed. "They keep a guest room ready and Mom loves to have visitors, so it wouldn't be imposing." He shrugs nonchalantly. "Dad was a legend when he was a field agent. I'm sure he'd love a chance to bust out some old stories for someone who hasn't heard them a hundred times."

“No wonder your mom was wary about answering questions about his job.” Zach murmurs, understanding now that the entire family is in this business.

"The title of CEO is a cover for senior field agent," Junior explains when the elevator doors open. "There's all kinds of corresponding titles for civilian jobs to agency jobs." He jabs the button for the bottom floor, sure that Zach would prefer to stay at the ranch than alone in the Statesman building. "And, of course, there's some jobs that are just civilian. Like my sister Sam and her wife Vanessa? They really are both distillers."

“But not Riley?” Zach sneaks a glance over at Junior as he asks, trying to be casual about it.

The older man stifles a smirk, keeping his face totally neutral as Zach tries to be stealthy in asking about the woman he spent nearly every second of tonight with. It was abundantly obvious that Riley was attracted to Zach right off the bat, but it seems that the feeling is mutual. "Riley is in Research and Development," he explains, affecting a bored tone. His sister's work has been invaluable, actually. "She's technically an agent, but not a field agent."

He’s slightly relieved, happy she’s not getting chased or shot at. Maybe slightly rooted in that old school belief that women should be kept safe, although he has a hell of a lot of respect for women in authority. “That’s good. She’s a smart lady.”

"You guys seemed to get along pretty well." Junior cracks a grin, but in all honesty he's okay with it. Zach got dealt a shitty hand by life. Not because he made bad choices but because the system failed him. Now, hopefully, a new system could give him a better chance.

Zach immediately rounds his shoulders, aware that he should have kept his distance from Junior’s sister. “You don’t have to worry, man.” He murmurs. “I hear you.” All he can think about is that Junior is warning him off and he can’t mess up this chance.

"Hear me?" The grin disappears from his face, replaced by an expression of worry, wondering if he said something he shouldn't have. If Zach had taken something differently than he meant it. "No, man. No. That's not—" He shakes his head twice as they wait for the elevator to come to a full stop. "She's a grown ass woman. And she obviously likes you a lot. Ri's never been very good at hiding that kind of thing. There's no...warning here, or anything. I wouldn't have left you guys alone together or brought you to meet my family in the first place if I objected to something about you, Zach."

Zach snorts, not believing that. “Yeah, because you want your little sister to be interested in a homeless bum.” The doors to the elevator open and he quickly steps off, angry – mostly at himself – about how this is going.

"As of five minutes ago, you're Statesman." Junior reminds him as they walk to the truck. "Listen, I— I've never been homeless. But I know what it's like to have no sense of your future and the hopelessness of not being able to grasp a real life." He unlocks his pick up and waves Zach in, sighing a little as he shoves his key in the ignition. "Until I was twenty-four, my mother and I were in Witness Protection. Every single thing about my life was a lie. We were relocated five different times because the people after her kept finding us. It was...terrifying. So I know it's not the same, but I also know that you didn't ask for it just like we didn't ask for what happened to us. It can take a while to adjust to something new. Just...I'm asking you to believe that we don't think less of you. Our family knows what it's like to not be able to make your own decisions about life. And it's no one else's business what you were doing before you came to Statesman. No one here comes from the perfect life. No one."

Shame isn’t something that Zach is unfamiliar with, but it’s been a long time since someone made him feel that way because they were being kind. “‘m sorry.” He apologizes quietly. “When you’ve been kicked long enough, you feel like you deserve it. You expect it.”

"I know that feeling." For as much as you ever shielded him growing up, Junior had had plenty of his own battles to fight in every place you had been moved around to. Just because it wasn't exactly the same circumstance as Zach's, didn't mean he couldn't relate. "I don't expect you to turn on a dime and readjust to a new life instantly. That's...that's incredibly unrealistic. Just try to keep an open mind, that's all."

“I’ll try.” Zach tries for a sheepish grin. “Pretty hardheaded sometimes.” He admits with a shrug of his shoulders. “Jarhead is a Marine nickname for a reason.”

"That's fair enough." Junior chuckles as he backs out of the parking spot. "Daniels' are hardheaded and we don't even have an excuse."

He can’t help but snort at that, having experienced it firsthand when dealing with Junior. “I guess it must be in the blood for some.” He murmurs quietly. “Are you sure your folks would be okay with me staying with them? I don’t want to put an agent out of their place. Just give me a sofa or a cot in a back room and I’ll be better than I was.”

“That guest room is sitting empty waiting to be filled,” Junior promises. “I can swear to you the original occupant isn’t coming back for it, since it used to be mine.” Jack had kept the room at the ready for his son for a long time just as a symbol, even after Junior and Janey’s house on the ranch was full of kids. “We can call ‘em from the road if you’d like? So they know to expect you?”

“Just to make sure.” The last thing Zach wants is for there to be some reason you didn’t want him there. Or couldn’t have him. It would just embarrass him even more.

Confident in his plan, the older man uses the truck’s communications panel - a Statesman must-have - to call the ranch, and grins when his father picks up. “Hey Dad,” Junior hums as he drives. “Question for ya.”

“Junior.” Jack’s voice rings out warmly in the speakers. “Shoot. you know I always have time to answer any questions you have.” Since coming back into his life, Jack has made forging and strengthening the relationship between himself and his eldest his priority. Trying to make up for missing the first half of his life.

“It’s not that serious, Pop. I promise.” The younger Jack Daniels chuckles. “Would you and Mom be alright with hosting Zach until Ginger gets his housing squared away? He starts training tomorrow morning.”

“So he accepted?” Jack chuckles, proud of his boy for finding the next wave of talent for Statesman. “Good, good. Of course, we’d be happy to have him here. Your mother needs someone to fuss over beside me.” He’s aware that Zach has to be within earshot and while he’s protective of his girls, he’s aware he can’t meddle in their affairs. You point out what a manwhore he had been when he thought you were gone. It’s not fair for him to coddle her as his last unmarried child.

“That’s what I was thinking you’d say.” Junior grins, flashing Zach a thumbs up. There’s no point in saying an ‘I told you so’ when the outcome is a good one and the concern was only polite. “We’re on our way back to the ranch now. Shouldn’t be more than a couple of days for everything to be set. You know how fast Ginger works.”

“Boy’s welcome to stay as long as he’d like.” Jack assures him, wanting to make sure the message is clear. “You know we always enjoy company and I can get a feel for how trainin’ is goin’, give him a few tips.”

“You mean give him tricks so he can get one up on Tequila?” He laughs softly at his father’s enthusiasm, glad to see that he was exactly right about how this would go. So far, at least. “We’ll see you in about ten minutes. Thanks, Dad.”

When Junior ends the call, Zach exhales audibly, relieved that he had been right. It didn’t sound like Jack was wary, and that did wonders to relieve his anxiety. After being invisible for so long, it seems almost jarring to be so in the spotlight. “So, I take it he knew what you wanted to do with me?” He asks, wondering if Junior brought home people all the time.

“Every once in a while, one of us will get a feeling about someone.” It wasn’t terribly common, meaning that whenever it happened the recruit in question tended to get a bit more attention and training, but it certainly wasn’t unheard of. “The agent in charge of training – Tequila? That’s how he came in. Guy used to be a rodeo clown back in the day.”

“A…rodeo clown…” Zach says slowly, grinning slightly at the mental image. “That’s one hell of a job. I’ve never even been to a rodeo.”

“Oh, we’ll fix that soon enough.” The grin that Junior flashes him is mischievous. “Riley loves the rodeo. I’m sure she’d take you.”

“I’m pretty much assuming everyone in your family is familiar with horses or ranch life.” Zach had been a city kid and it wasn’t like he was riding horses in Iraq and Afghanistan in the middle of a war zone.

“It’s definitely a big part of life. The cowboy thing was never something that I felt attached to before coming here, but it grows on you.” After spending a full half of his life in Louisville with Statesman, Junior had come to view it as a way of life. A set of principles to live by. And though his kids were all growing up in a modern world that seemed to move faster than light, the core of their family was always respect and freedom – two things that Statesman valued as well.

“I’ve never even been around a horse.” Zach admits. “Not unless you count a Great Dane.”

Junior laughs, smacking his hand on the steering wheel as he drives. “They’re damn near pony-sized, I’ll give you that. But horses are beautiful creatures. You should give it a try while you’re at the ranch.”

“I—okay.” Zach nods, aware that this is surreal. Nothing in his entire existence prepared him for cowboy spies, although the westerns he had seen flipping through channels as a child makes him think of a romanticized version of it. A more friendly Bond.

“You’ve been to war, Zach.” Junior shoots him an encouraging smile. “I promise you can manage a horse.”

"Somehow I think a living breathing animal is a little different from the Humvees we rode in." Zach snorts, appreciating the vote of confidence. "Although I could say that one of them did buck me when it flipped with me inside."

“See? You’re already an old pro.” It’s nice to be able to laugh with Zach now, even only hours after meeting him. Earlier today he had been understandably caged. Guarded. And of course – his everyday survival depended on self-reliance in every way. It’s good to see those barriers already cracking under the gentle touch of kindness and good faith. “You’ll be a cowboy in no time.”

“I don’t know about that.” He huffs. “I’ll settle for ‘regularly showered’ for right now.”

******

The rest of the drive passes easily enough, this time with Junior pointing out a few favourite sights and restaurants from the road, and soon enough they’re back at the big house. There’s a lot less bustling activity going on now that most people have gone home for the evening or moved on to nighttime activities, but the kitchen is still brightly lit when Junior opens the front door. “We’re back!” He calls, though the path of light in the house shows exactly where everybody is.

“In the kitchen, sweetie!” Your voice rings out, and laughter from two different people rings out almost immediately.

“They must be playing cards or a board game.” Junior tells Zach, already headed in that direction. “Riley and Mom are Scrabble fiends. Dad prefers poker.”

Nodding, Zach shrugs. “I’ve been a card player during my time in the Marines.” He had never played for anything more than fun, or beers, but he had fond memories of nights in his unit playing while pretending they weren’t in danger.

"Dad will be glad to have another vote for cards." With a clap on the back, Junior strolls into the kitchen and immediately goes to say hello to you and Jack. "Ginger's said yes," he reports with a grin. "Say hello to Statesman's newest recruit."

Jack leans back in his chair and grins at the younger man who looks like he's had his world turned upside down. Hopefully that will be the best damn thing to happen to him. "Pull up a chair, son. We'll get you a glass of whiskey and I'll tell you all about some of the missions we've run."

"Told you," Junior laughs, flashing a smirk at Zach.

"You love your stories too," you remind Junior, already hustling to pull up two more chairs at the table. "Like father, like son. Always."

"Bond in a Stetson?" Zach asks as he sits down, glancing over at the older couple.

"That's what I called him the day we found out what it was Jack had been doing." You tell him, patting the back of a chair as Riley disappears down the hallway with a grin on her face. "Cowboy James Bond. It didn't take long for Junior to follow in his father's footsteps. Statesman's been a blessing to our family in every single way."

"Were you recruited from the Navy, sir?" Zach isn't very clear on the timeline for everything, but he wonders if Statesman had been sniffing around military branches for most of their agents or if civilians like Tequila dropped into their laps in equal measure.

"You could say that." Jack's laugh is deep and amused at that, considering the circumstances. "I was recruited from the brig on the verge of a dishonorable discharge. Champ – our old director – he liked a rebel when they had a good cause. But me?" He shakes his head. "I was angry at the world for taking away my sweetheart and little boy. It wasn't a good place for a man to be in. Any man."

"I couldn't even imagine." Zach had been single when he hit rock bottom, he couldn't even fathom what it would have been like to lose a significant other. Especially when pregnant. He might not have survived that, so it speaks to how damn tough Jack Daniels Senior is.

"Junior was twenty-four when Statesman took over our case from the US Marshals." You explain, knowing that your children had already mentioned your time in WITSEC to Zach over the course of the night. "Champ got wind that we were being moved again and stepped in. He sent Jack to pick us up and relocate us here instead."

"And the rest is history." Riley reappears from around the corner with a bottle of Statesman Blue Label in hand and deposits it on the table with a stack of glasses.

"Happy ever after." Zach murmurs, unsure of what that would ever entail for him or if it was even in the cards. He's never really known what he wanted out of life, kind of aimless if he were completely honest with himself.

"Happy ever after." You hum in agreement and lean over to kiss Jack's cheek. "Which we never thought we would get, honestly."

It's probably the most relaxing evening Zach has experienced in a long fucking time. Drinking his fair share of that bottle, he grins as he leans back. His stomach is full because you had insisted that nine o'clock snacks were perfect. Laughing at another story that Jack Senior has told about a time where his ass was in a jam and Tequila, the man who was training him tomorrow, had pulled it out of the fire. "You got them though, right?"

"Statesman agents always get their man." Riley tells him proudly, chin up in the air as she tips back the last of her glass. She may be unsubtly playing on the fact that she, too, is an agent of Statesman, but mostly she's just proud of her father and brother. "Always."

"So don't fuck up." Zach chuckles, shooting you a sheepish look. "Sorry, ma'am." He offers, hating that he had cursed in front of you. You seem like a wonderful woman, but he wants to give you the impression he has manners. He's staying in your house after all.

"No need to apologize for cursing." It earns him a waved hand from you, and a smirk. "We swear up a damn storm in this house. Don't think otherwise." Though you hadn't done it while the kids were young, and generally reserved that vocabulary for when it really counted, that didn't mean you never swore.

Riley laughs and Junior sighs as he leans back. "I should get back to the house. Janey is waiting." He smirks, although it's one of those soft ones that men think that no one else notices when they've been promised sexy times.

"Gross." Riley gripes, swatting at her brother and rolling her eyes heavily even as she snorts a laugh. "Go be domestic and happy or whatever, I guess. I'll retire to my spinster's room and do something dangerous like read a book."

"Can't be readin' now." Jack winks at his daughter and shakes his head. "You're already smarter than everyone, 'cept maybe Ginger."

"Oh no." Another roll of her eyes is fully sarcastic and Riley squeezes her father's shoulder affectionately. "A smart daughter? Whatever will you do with me?"

You just laugh, shaking your head at the two of them and reaching over to pat Riley's hand on her father's shoulder. "Will you show Zach the guest room before you turn in, honey? Show him where everything is?"

"Sure, mama." She bends to hug both of her parents and affectionately nudge Junior's shoulder before turning to Zach. "You ready to turn in, cowboy?"

“I should get some sleep.” Junior had brought Zach’s bag in and told him that everything he needed was in the room. He assumes that means he had let him borrow some more clothes. “I start at eight tomorrow morning.”

"With Tequila, that means more like 8:15. He's not exactly a morning person." You smile, though, and say good night to Zach once more before he follows Riley upstairs.

“So you develop more than just tech for the distillery.” Zach hums. “I thought it was a very impressive system for just whiskey.”

"I would protect that whiskey with my life," Riley tells him with her hand on her heart. "But yes. Agent Grenadine, at your service."

“Agent Grenadine.” He likes that, it’s sweet like she seems to be. A good additive to any cocktail. “I like that.”

"Active field agents are liquors. Ground agents have slightly less pungent names." She giggles at her own joke. "Our boss? Agent Ginger Ale. She was R&D like me before taking over as director."

“Smart. Easy to identify.” Zach absorbs that information. “So that means my trainer is still a field agent?” He asks, wanting to know what to expect tomorrow.

“Tequila still works in the field from time to time, but he mostly trains now.” At the top of the stairs, Riley turned right into a large bathroom with two sinks built into the counter and a bath/shower combo big enough to fit three if the need ever arose. “He’s a good guy. Sense of humor, pretty positive outlook considering the man is a secret agent,” she smirks about that. “He was my brother’s partner for a long time. Sam and I called him Uncle Tequila for years.”

“Sounds like he worked with your dad too.” If he has any questions of why she is bringing him into a bathroom, he doesn’t ask. Just quickly and discreetly ducks his head to sniff himself. It’s been a while since he’s had that shower on the jet, but he should still be okay.

“Towels in the closet, soaps and stuff under the sink.” She says casually before ducking out of the room again and heading down the hall. “Yeah, Dad helped train him. They’re thick as thieves.”

Ahhhh, he’s getting a quick tour. He follows her quickly and chuckles. “So I can expect him to get a progress report on my training.”

“Especially since you’re staying here.” The grin that Riley flashes him is playful, and she stops in front of a bedroom with the door wide open and fresh sheets in the bed. “This is you,” she tells him. “My parents and Sam’s room are on the other side of the landing. But I’m right next door if you need anything.”

“I thought Sam lived off property?” He doesn’t care who is here, it’s not his house, but he just didn’t want to run into anyone on the way to the bathroom or something.

“She does, but she only moved out about two years ago and Dad has a thing about leaving our rooms set up. Jay’s was in tact until I left for college and he hasn’t lived in the big house since he and Janey got married.” Pointing out the window, they can make out the top of the cabin over the tree line across the main property. “The cabin was their wedding present.”

“Wow.” Zach is definitely impressed. “Did he build Sam and her wife a cabin too?”

"Sam moved into Vanessa's house when they got engaged." Riley steps into the room, giving them time to talk some more if they want it. "Their wedding present was their honeymoon...and while they were away he had their backyard redone for them and a pool put in along with fixing up Vanessa's work shed. Dad...tends to go overboard."

Zach lifts a brow and looks around the room that was very obviously set up for a boy in a gorgeous shade of green. “You mean building a house as a tribute isn’t what most people do?”

"I don't know about most people, but it is if you're Jack Daniels." Riley looks out over the property, fidgeting with her hands shoved in her jeans pockets. It's always been the dream – at least for her. To grow up and have her own little cabin with her own partner on the ranch where her tight knit family has grown and prospered. Maybe it's old fashioned, but sometimes old fashioned really isn't a bad thing. The city just wasn't for her. She had tried it and found out that she's just a country girl at heart.

“It’s touching.” Zach doesn’t want her to think he’s insulting the idea. “This is— hell, I’ve not ever been able to dream about a life like this for a long time, but back when I enlisted?” He shrugs and shakes his head, his own eyes finding the same view Riley is looking out at. “All I wanted was to find love and make a family.”

"It's kind of the dream around here." And it's not even something that she is going to be self-conscious about. It's her dream and it's a good one - just because it's not for everyone doesn't make it any less worthy for her. "Definitely what I want. But it's kind of hard when you have to be cagey about what you do for a living."

“Are you not allowed to tell a spouse?” He could see where that would cause issues. It might be a special set of circumstances for you since you had been protected by Statesman.

"We can tell our spouses. There's a clearance level for that." She shrugs slightly. "But it makes dating a little...awkward. Having to lie to someone right off the bat isn't really a great foundation for a relationship."

“I get that.” Zach feels bad for her. “You’ll find someone. You’re way too—” he bites his lip, hating that he had almost said that.

"Too...?" There was almost a compliment there, she's sure of it, and one eyebrow raises at Zach in question.

Zach rolls his eyes at himself. “Pick one. Pretty, smart, funny, loyal, kind.” He almost grumbles it. Sore that he’s meeting a woman he one thousand percent would be interested in when he is at his lowest and receiving a hand out from her family.

Riley flusters, biting her lip to hold back the fairly enormous smile threatening to overtake her face. "You too," she hums, leaning against the windowsill. "Pick one. Any of them. Except maybe sub out handsome for pretty."

Warmth spreads through his stomach and makes it flip pleasantly. “Look, I know—” he breaks off and shakes his head. “You should know your brother literally picked me up off the streets.” He admits quietly. “Yesterday I slept in a fucking park with a metal pipe for protection.”

"I'm sorry to hear that." It makes her swallow a little, not out of fear or concern but out of sympathy. Homelessness is a hell of an issue and she's not blind to how lucky she is to have a comfortable place to live and a well-paying job. "I know that's a big issue for vets coming back from combat, and..." Riley shakes her head slightly. "It doesn't make me think less of you, for the record. I mean, you served your country and you didn't deserve to be dropped on your ass when you came home."

He had a feeling she would pity him, but he shakes his head. “I don’t – I know that you aren’t trying to pity me, but I don’t want you to feel sorry for me, or whatever.” He’s so fucking bad at this. His hand slides out of his jeans to rub the back of his neck. “Just because I think you’re pretty doesn’t mean you have to think anything about me.”

"If you knew what I thought about you, you'd probably kick me out of the room." She admits with a slight cringe. "I'm sorry. I'm really fucking bad at this too, and I always have been. Why do you think I'm the only Daniels still single in a family full of people who tend to find romance very young?"

“Because you deserve better?” Zach shrugs, curiosity piqued now. “What do you think about me?” The worst thing she could think about him that he’s not already thought?

Riley huffs, caught between hoping he wouldn't ask and wondering what he would say if she actually told him. Her eyes drift down to her boots and the rug, not letting herself be so bold as to actually look him in the eyes in this moment. "I think you're about the most handsome man I've ever seen in my life," she admits, shoulders rounding in on themselves. "And it's...it's embarrassing to admit that I feel like I already know you somehow. Like you just feel familiar to me and I don't know why. But Sam said that's how meeting Vanessa felt to her and I can't get it out of my head."

“Are you sure you just don’t want to feel that way?” He won’t dismiss anyone’s feelings but he’s not ever been looked at like that before. “I’ll admit that you’re the first woman I’ve been— that I’ve just wondered about since I got back stateside really.”

"I thought she was bullshitting me." Riley confesses, looking up now even though it's tentative. "How can you know somebody before you've even met them, ya know? But then...I walked up to you and Jay tonight and it felt like the universe was kicking me in the teeth for doubting her. You just..." She sighs, finally looking up all the way to find his eyes. "This is going to sound so ridiculous. But I know that if I hugged you it would feel like coming home."

“It’s— it’s been a long damn time since I’ve had a hug.” Zach admits, pulling his other hand out of his pocket and opening his arms slightly as if to give her permission. “Only one way to find out if I suck at giving them.”

There's only a second of hesitation on her part as Riley tries to figure out if he's teasing her or not, but the look in his eyes is full of sincerity. She stands up straight up, pushing off from the wall to step forward the three strides it takes to reach him. Their arms fold around each other neatly and Riley inhales a ragged breath of surprise that couldn't be faked even by the more award-winning actor. It knocks the wind right out of her, how perfectly they fit together, and with him being several inches taller than her there is such a feeling of comfort and rightness that she could just break right down and cry. Goddamnit. Sam was telling the truth after all. Sometimes you just feel it.

Zach tilts his head, leaning his cheek on the top of her head and closing his eyes with a small sigh. The gesture is just perfect. Comforting and warm, making him relax more than anyone and anything else had tonight.

"You definitely don't suck at hugging," Riley finds herself chuckling softly even at her own reaction, tightening her arms around him just a little bit more.

“That’s good.” He murmurs softly. “I was worried about that.”

"No need to worry." Lifting her head is almost reluctant, but she readjusts against him to just barely look up and ends up nuzzled into his neck with this slight shift of their positions. It's more comfortable than she could have ever possibly thought as she sighs again without thinking.

Zach leans into it again, hesitant to break this wonderfully comforting embrace. Needing it more than he ever realized. A damn earthquake couldn't make her let go now, and Riley stays right where she is happily. Zach is a solid wall of comfort even with everything he's been through, and if she makes him feel half as relaxed as he is making her feel, then it was worth taking this leap of faith.

******

Zach groans, opening the door and shuffling inside. The biometric locks have been updated to include his thumbprint so he can come and go as he pleases, but Zach tries to be considerate. Sore and desperately needing a shower, he feels good about the progress and his footing here at Statesman.

The house is quiet. Only one car was in the driveway when he pulled up in the beat-up sedan that he'd bought off of a repair man's lot with part of his second paycheck. It didn't do much but get from Point A to Point B, but at least it did that. The only car in the driveway besides his right now is Riley's, which points to the elder Daniels' being out for the night. Friday nights are still their date nights after several decades of being together.

“Ri?” Zach closes the door to the house and looks around to see if she is downstairs.

"Down here!" The clacking of billiards balls can be heard and quiet music from the radio float up from the basement games room with the door open. "I've got cold beer!" She offers a second later, as if he needed more incentive to say hello.

“I’m gonna shower and I’ll be right down.” The grin that breaks out is purely in anticipation, he rushes towards the stairs so he can get into the bathroom to clean up. A Friday with Riley, some cold beer and billiards sounds like a perfect beginning to the weekend.

"Okay!" She calls back, not even knowing if he heard her or not. She's got the only pizza place that delivers out to the ranch on speed dial and two different six packs in the cellar refrigerator. If she had maybe known that staying home meant she'd have some time alone with Zach, she isn't trying to make it too obvious.

Being a Marine, he had showering down to less than five minutes. Throwing on some clean jeans and a t-shirt that seems to look better on him than it had on the hanger when he had picked up some new clothes. Smirking slightly as he starts down the stairs. “Need anything from up here?”

"Just some company." There's a smile in Riley's voice when she calls back to him. They've been moving towards things slowly. Small touches, lots of laughter and long talks. Star gazing in the fields, cuddling together watching movies in the living room. Holding hands like preteens. It's been sweet and innocent, and Riley is so deliriously smitten that she can't stop smiling anytime he's around.

“That I can do.” He promises, quickly bouncing down the stairs and smiling when he sees her. It’s been so fucking good. “Although I’m sore as shit.”

"Tequila's been running you pretty hard lately." She goes to the fridge to grab a beer for him and pops the cap off, dropping it into the jar nearby before handing the bottle over. "But that's good. It means he thinks you can take it."

Lifting the bottle in thanks, Zach takes a long swallow. “Yeah I can, but the man is like a machine.” He might be older than Zach, but Tequila can run circles around the former Marine when he wants to. “Said to look at fighting like a dance. Right before he kicked my ass.”

Riley snorts, starting to reset the pool table. "Bet he didn't tell you that he has awards from dance competitions, did he? He's such a fuckin' show off."

“That explains how he flipped me over and managed to not throw my ass on the ground.” Zach grumbles under his breath.

"Rodeo clown and..." This time when Riley laughs, she waggles her eyebrows. "Exotic dancer. Or so the legend says."

“I’d believe it.” He snorts and takes another sip of his beer. “He moves like he’s rolled his hips a few times.”

"Taking notice of his hips, were you?" It just makes her laugh, making even more suggestive faces at him as he pulls a pool cue off the wall.

“Best way to see how he’s going to attack.” Zach rolls his eyes at her playfully. “People who say watch the feet don’t understand you can’t faint where your core rotates.”

“See, this is why I’m not a field agent,” she laughs as she sips her own beer. “You’re talking combat and I just want to make dirty jokes.”

“Nothing wrong with a dirty joke.” The only reason he doesn’t feed into them is because he knows he will be thinking about that with Riley and she’s given zero indication she’s wanting something like that.

“I have never met a man less inclined to a dirty joke.” And it’s kind of a shame, from her point of view at least. These couple of weeks have been very sweet between them but she definitely has a raunchier sense of humor that she keeps in check around him. Originally it was just so that he wouldn’t feel like she was coming on to him constantly, but then it seemed like he just didn’t like dirty jokes at all.

Zach’s brow wings up and he pins her with a confused look. “What makes you say that?” He asks, slightly insulted by that idea. He had a twisted sense of humor, he’s just been trying to be respectful, still aware of stereotypes of people who were homeless.

"Well...I don't know..." she mumbles, suddenly feeling sheepish. "I normally have a pretty decent sense of humor but you never responded to any dirty joke in the beginning so I just stopped going for them. It seemed...less awkward? Although now it's very awkward."

“I’ve been trying not to make you—” Zach huffs at himself. “I didn’t want to push if you weren’t— if it wasn’t to that point yet.” His own tone is sheepish. “Wanted you to know I have manners and know how to treat a lady.”

The way she huffs at both of them and shakes her head, it's clear that she's trying not to laugh at the irony. They were both trying so hard not to make each other uncomfortable that it led to an awkward conversation instead. "The first night you were here," Riley leans back against the pool table and sighs in resignation. "You let me in just a little bit. To hug you? That was already the third time I wanted to kiss you."

There hasn’t been a night where he hadn’t wanted to kiss her, but he had always felt like Riley should make that move. “I wanted— I didn’t deserve to— but I wanted to kiss you too. I want to kiss you now. Hell—” he chuckles and shakes his head. “I want to do a lot more than kiss you.”

When Riley laughs this time it's almost pained, like the irony of the situation is just a knife in her side by now. "Do you know how many times I've had to stop myself from coincidentally being in the shower or changing with my door half open or any other horny bullshit on Friday nights when it's just us at home? Just to give you the opening?"

“I wouldn’t have taken it.” Zach can admit that to her, to himself. “Because I don’t want you to believe I don’t respect you. Or just want to get off.”

"What about now?" Now that he knows she wants him, surely that changes things? Or at least she desperately hopes that it does, because she's been aching to do more than hold his hand for weeks.

He sets the cue stick down and steps towards Riley, his eyes fixed on hers. “That depends on what you want.” He murmurs, edging closer again. “All depends on you.”

"Me?" The smirk growing across her face belies the way she squirms, backed up against the table as he takes a step closer and moves into her space. If he only knew how many times she had imagined this. "I respect the hell out of you." Riley swallows a laugh. "But I also want to know what you look like when you cum."

“Probably a mess.” Zach chuckles, cock twitching at the idea. “Sweaty and satisfied, nearly weak from cumming so hard.” He shrugs one shoulder. “It’s been a while since I’ve had something other than my hand.”

"You're not making it sound less appealing, ya know." If anything, he's making that weeks-old ache between her thighs even worse. Riley has seen him sweaty and disheveled from training a dozen times or more and each time has ended up with her hand between her thighs in bed that night.

“Do you know how many times I’ve thought of you while I was showering?” He confesses, reaching out and brushing his fingers over her hip before settling his hand there. Still moving slow, but his gaze is hungry, his voice lust rough.

"About half as many times as I've thought about you with my fingers buried in my pussy?" With no real reason to be subtle about it, and her pulse going about a thousand miles an hour, Riley throws caution to the wind and tangles her hand in Zach's shirt before leading him into the space between her legs. Letting him get as close as possible with clothes on but not going all the way to kissing him. Letting him decide whether or not he's ready to cross that physical barrier.

Zach lets out a cross between a groan and a growl, lunging forward and capturing her lips with his. The other hand not on her waist wraps around her back and tugs her close even as he presses her against the table behind her. For all the hundreds of daydreams she has had about this moment leading up to it, Riley can’t pick a single one of them that stands up to what actually kissing him feels like. A month of working out daily and eating right has made his entire frame broad and strong again, and he envelopes her with every inch of himself as she scrambles to wrap her arms around him in turn. There is no hesitation in the kiss, just fierce hunger, and she moans into it with a need that makes her whole body shiver.

The slide of his tongue into her mouth is natural, almost like breathing. Slowly and sensually exploring the contours of her mouth like it’s a wonder of the world. Riley was already hanging on by a bare thread before Zach deepened the kiss, now she’s one hundred percent certain that she doesn’t have a ghost of a prayer at retaining her self-control. She whimpers this time, one hand finding the curls at the base of Zach’s neck, tugging on them insistently while her other hand starts to map the contours of his waist and chest over his clothes.

He groans, eyes fluttering closed in pleasure as he knows that she feels the hardening of his cock against her stomach. There’s no way she couldn’t. The way her back has bowed slightly from being pressed up against the table means that some things are even more pronounced, and Riley tilts her hips forward to get more of that gorgeous pressure from his length against her torso. If he’s half as hard as she is wet they’ll be an even match, but she can’t resist taking another step forward. Capturing one of his hands in her own, Riley slides Zach’s fingers under the hem of the t-shirt she threw on when she got home from work. The invitation to explore is unmistakable, and she moans at how hot his skin feels against hers. It’s like being granted permission to go to heaven. Zach groans into her mouth and his hand closes around her breast, squeezing gently and massaging as he deepens the kiss even more.

Tossing off her bra with her work clothes was the best decision she ever could have made, and Riley presses into his touch as eagerly as possible. His hands are huge, calloused and clever, and his thumb is running circles around her nipple in just under two seconds which makes her gasp and break their kiss for the first time since it began.

“Baby…” Zach blushes slightly, realizing he’s used an endearment. “Can I—” he glances down at her chest and then back up to her eyes. “I want to—”

“I want you to, too. Trust me.” Untangling herself from him is only necessary for as long as it takes him to slip her shirt off, and the cold air of the cellar feels like a wake up call with how overheated she’s become in the last few minutes.

Zach kisses her lips and the starts a gradual trail down her jaw and neck. Not wanting to rush while he cups both breasts and makes his way to take one nipple in his mouth. It draws the most sinful moan from her throat, and Riley’s hands find his bulk again to keep him close as she arches her back into him. His slow and steady tendencies might drive her crazy - in more than one way - but it’s as reverent as it is needy as he closes his lips around the pebbled bud. “Fuck, baby…” her head tips back with a groan. “I knew your mouth was going to be amazing.”

His tongue flicks over the tip harshly, then more gently as the pressure of his teeth increases. He hums against her breast, aware that she is whining so beautifully that he wants to hear more.

“Shit—” Without even really being under him she’s still squirming and panting, letting him explore at his own rate and not interrupting him no matter how desperately she wants to get her hands wrapped around what she’s certain is a beautiful cock. “‘Sall yours, baby,” she promises, gulping down a ragged breath. “Every inch of me.”

He suckles, bites and soothes like he hasn’t done in a long time. Having spent hours thinking about her tits, what he would do to them, to her, if he was ever allowed to touch her. Now that he’s given permission, he wants to make her burn, crave his touch. Needing it like he had needed this place, and her.

Those first touches are intoxicating, letting Zach graze his hands, lips, and tongue across her flesh any way he wants until she’s begging him for more. “Fuck—I—please, baby,” she moans, feeling the ache in every part of her body. Her focus, though, is on getting him to move south. To the point where she’s fumbling blindly to get her own jeans off for him.

He pulls off her tit with a pop and reaches for her hands. “Baby, do you—” he doesn’t know if she wants to do this here or upstairs, but he wants her to be comfortable.

“I don’t even care,” she admits sheepishly, though this time when she leans in to kiss him it’s gentle. “I don’t care where, I just care that it’s you.”

He grins, kissing you again. “You wanna risk your daddy comin’ down here?” He asks.

“They’ll be out for hours,” Riley grins. “He took Mom for a fancy dinner and dancing.” Even thinking about it for a few seconds, her grin turns evil. “And the basement’s soundproof.”

“There’s a couch, right there.” Zach groans, grabbing her and dragging her over to the sofa so he can lay her down. The giggle that rises out of her at his enthusiasm is so light and so free it’s like air. This is all she’s wanted since the day he walked into her life and she just feels how right it is in her bones.

“Shit—” Zach hisses, squeezing his eyes shut as he rests on top of her. “I— I don’t have a fucking condom.” It’s not like there’s been a lot of opportunity for Zach to have sex in the past few years.

“I’m on the pill.” All Statesman agents - field or otherwise - have periodic physicals done so she knows she’s clean, too. “As long as you passed your physical, we’re good.”

“I passed it.” He promises, bobbling his head up and down. “Are you sure?” He asks softly, not wanting her to feel like he’s pushing for raw sex. As it is, a condom might be a good thing.

"Hey." Riley sits up, both of her hands on Zach's cheeks. "If you want to be extra safe, we can go upstairs. I have condoms in my dresser and we'll have a bed. I don't...want you to regret any of this."

Zach shakes his head. “No. I— fuck, I want to feel you.” He admits quietly. “So fucking badly.”

"Then get these things off me." That mischievous giggle returns and he slips one of his hand down to the apex of her thighs where the extra fabric grinds against her dripping slit deliciously.

Shedding clothes turns into a series of giggles and curses when a piece of clothing is being difficult. Until Zach is finally pushing his boxer briefs down and revealing his aching and nearly purple cock. "Fuuuuck." The groan that tears out of Riley's chest is deep and needy as she reaches for him, letting the fingers of one hand wrap around the base of his cock with a slight squeeze. "I knew you'd have the best dick."

He huffs in embarrassment and arousal, rocking his hips forward into her grip. “Shit.” He hisses, throbbing as a lovely little spurt of precum dribbles out and down her knuckles.

They both whine, different pitches and different levels of desperation, but when Riley leans forward to lick the precum off her fingers, she voices such obvious enjoyment that she leans forward further and flicks her tongue across the tip of his cock for more. "You even taste good," she praises, looking up at him through hooded eyes. "Next time I promise I'll suck you dry, baby. But this time I need to feel you."

“If I— if I don’t last—” Zach moans as she guides him towards her core. Nearly pulling him as she doesn’t let up on her grip but it’s probably the only thing keeping him from cumming, so he loves it. “I promise I’ll make you cum on my tongue.”

"I'm not worried." If anything, she's fairly certain that she's so worked up that she might still cum first, but Riley shakes her head and presses a kiss to Zach's lips. "This isn't going to be the only time we do this."

“It’s not.” He promises, shuffling closer and letting her slide him through her folds. “God, you’re so fucking sexy.”

"Want you so fucking badly." Never having been one to disguise her wants before, she's felt like she was going to implode for weeks. Now, as he sinks into her, Riley can't tear her eyes away. Watching inch after inch of his cock disappear into her pussy is so hypnotizing she doesn't even hear the way she keens at being filled so completely.

The tight clutch of her surrounds him, squeezing him in a way that nearly makes him breathless. “Fuuuuuuuuuck.” He manages to lean down and press his forehead to hers as he finally grinds deep and bottoms out inside Riley.

"Fu—fuuuck—you feel so incredible. Holy shit." Her legs wrap around his waist, keeping him buried inside her while they both adjust to the perfect way they fit together.

His body is primed, right on the edge of toppling over. Inhaling and exhaling slowly as he throbs inside her. Hissing when she clenches down around him and makes him rock his hips forward slightly.

"Take your time." Riley has no plans on rushing this, needing a moment of her own to adjust to the way his thickness is splitting her open. It has her chest heaving under him even as she trails kisses down the long line of his jaw and throat.

“So fucking perfect.” Zach groans. “Jesus, you feel— it’s perfect. Like coming home.”

In the last month they really have spent nearly all of their free time together, and this moment that they're in now is the place she was absolutely certain that they were going to end up. Maybe not this couch specifically but intertwined together with intimacy at the core of their connection. "You're so fucking incredible." It really is on the tip of her tongue, to say what she's been feeling for weeks, but saying it for the first time with him buried inside her would either be cheesy or seem insincere. And since she doesn't want it to be either of those thing, she pours herself into kissing him instead.

When she says it like that, Zach believes it. Wondering what things would have been like if he had known her before being discharged. With his mouth occupied, he can’t voice anything more than a groan as he slides his arms under her and burrows in closer before he starts to move.

Knowing that they’re completely alone and in the only soundproof room in the house, Riley doesn’t hold back. The moans that cross her lips are salacious and encouraging, rising up through the air to practically float around them. To make them float somehow.

Every thrust feels like he’s being ripped apart. Torn at the seams and reforged in the extreme pleasure that only she can bring. No one has ever felt so good, not even the first girl he slept with. “Fuck, I— Jesus.”

“So fucking good.” The praise seems to be on repeat for her, punctuated with curses and cries that carry his name but break halfway through as another tremor of pleasure tears through her. Other encounters might have been more carefully planned or had more of some element or other, but none has ever felt this right.

Rocking into her steadily, Zach groans his own agreement. Three little words, ridiculous and not appropriate right now, are begging to fall from his lips. Making him kiss her again to not voice them.

Riley shifts under him, angling her hips to take each thrust deeper and letting out a muffled cry when his perfect cock strikes home at her g-spot at just the right time. She’s so close that she’s shaking with it, trembling on the verge of her peak and clinging to him with every stroke.

“Shit— shit, you need to cum. I need you to cum.” He can feel his control unraveling, surprised that he’s lasted this long. Only brief changes in pace have saved him to this point.

“Just like that,” she promises him, feeling the tension coil in her spine, knowing that she’s so close to the edge that if he changes anything she’ll lose it. Four more strokes is all it takes and she’s gasping for air, moaning Zach’s name into the heavy air as she comes apart for him.

“Riley.” Zach moans, unable to do anything other than follow her over the edge, pushing deep and gasping as he cums. Spilling hot ropes of cum into her womb as he seemingly cums forever.

“Holy fuck.” Head dropping back against the cushions, Riley pants for air and giggles wildly with the giddiness of such an intense first encounter. The words dance in her head but she’s able to push them aside for now, not willing to sacrifice the chance of a repeat encounter to her hummingbird heart.

“Holy shit, I’m dead.” Zach collapses against her and pants, smiling goofily as he tries to catch his breath. “Tell me it was good.”

“Baby,” she frowns slightly at the mere idea that it wouldn’t have been mind-blowing, but her fingers card through Zach’s damp hair. “It was so good I’m tempted to try to keep you all to myself,” Riley admits, maybe a little too softly.

“You can.” Zach mumbles, unsure of what she meant by that, but he had no intention of doing something with someone else. He’s never been that type of man.

“I didn’t want to assume.” The slightly nervous look on her face dissipates and she leans up to kiss him slowly. “Maybe you had your eye on someone else, too. Or maybe you’re not a relationship guy. We’ve never…never really talked about that.”

“Not a chance.” Zach grunts, shaking his head and huffing slightly. “I don’t deserve you, no way I’m going to think that I should just fuck you.”

"I just..." she blows out a breath, finding herself gazing into his eyes with a nearly dopey expression. "I really like you. And I think we could have something special. That's...insanely sappy. But at least it's true."

“I love you.” Zach’s eyes widen, even as he blurts out the confession. Cursing himself for not keeping his mouth shut.

For a second the moment is frozen. Riley doesn't dare to breathe or speak until she sees the regret in his eyes. "Please don't take it back." Both of her hands find his face again, cupping his cheeks and smoothing the anxious creases from his features before pressing a firm, earnest kiss to his lips. "I love you, too. I just – I guess I was really off base worrying that you didn't feel the same way about me."

“You are amazing.” Zach huffs. “Fucking amazing.” Relaxing in her embrace as she admits her own feelings. “I— I was worried that I would come on too strong, or someone thinking I’m trying to get in good with your family.”

“You might get a good questioning from my daddy now that we’re together, but that’s about it.” She actually laughs at the idea of it, already having seen firsthand the way her father doted on the trainee agent under his roof. He had taken a personal interest in Zach’s training as well, giving him a few tips in the way of lasso and whip technique. “Don’t worry, baby. I’m an all or nothing kind of girl and I swear I’m all in.”

“Your dad has already spoken to me.” Zach admits, shaking his head and grinning at her shocked expression. “Wanted to know if you wanted more than friendship, what would I do.”

Riley laughs when she finally shakes her head, shaking with it and grinning at him. "Was the answer fuck me into the basement sofa? Because that's a pretty fucking excellent answer."

He snorts and shakes his head. “Hell no.” He moans. “Do you think I wanted to die? He had the electric whip in his hands.”

"I appreciate a man with instincts for self-preservation." She's still grinning when she nudges her nose against his. Still lying wrapped up in him on the sofa is an amazing place to be, but her stomach rumbling gives her away. "I was waiting for you to come home so we could have dinner together," she admits with a slightly guilty expression. "Maybe we can clean up and order a pizza? I kinda want to just snuggle up and relax with you."

“That sounds good, but I’m paying.” The Daniels have been more than generous, letting him stay for free, feeding him, helping him more than he could ever repay. Buying the woman he loves a pizza seems small, but a month ago, he couldn’t do that.

"If you insist." It isn't something she would ever expect from him, knowing how he saves and cherishes every penny in every paycheck, but she also won't push back against his pride. Instead, she just kisses him again, enjoying the lingering moment of affection, and looks back out over the room as they stretch and stand up again. There are truly clothes everywhere and every single cushion on that couch is in disarray.

“It’s a good damn thing your daddy told me that he had disabled the camera system in the basement.” Zach groans as he pulls back with a grin. “Don’t want him to see this.”

"I would not be the first one of his children that he walked in on." Riley snickers, tracking down her panties about four feet away where they landing when Zach threw them. "Jay has that distinction. And Janey was mortified."

“I’m sure it’s a lot different than walking in on your baby girl.” He had heard the nickname one night when Riley and Jack had been talking in his home office and the older man had hugged her and told her how proud of her he was. It was a moment that made Zach ache for a family like she had.

"Younger by a whole two minutes and forever the baby because of it." There's nothing wrong with that, but Riley just shrugs as they get dressed. Once things are back in place, she slips her hand into Zach's and squeezes. "We should just be up front with them. There's no keeping secrets in this family, for better or worse."

“Hopefully they don’t hate the idea too badly.” There’s still the issues with socialization, feeling inferior. He had been working on it, but there was nothing but time that would help that.

"Are you kidding?" They head upstairs together hand in hand. "Mom figured out which coffee mug you like best and won't let anyone else use it now. That's family shit. You're fine, babe. I promise."

“Is that why she’s always got it set out no matter how early I try to get up to make coffee?” He asks with a laugh, overjoyed by the thought and it makes him grin.

"Oh yeah. That's Zach's mug. It gets set out on the counter every night before she goes to bed along with everybody else's." When the house was busy and bustling and full to the gills, it helped to have specific things like dishes associated with each member of the family. It persisted after the house was just down to the three of you and now that there are four again it seemed like a nice thing to also give Zach that little bit of familial normality.

“I like that.” He admits, blushing slightly. “That makes me feel like I’m one of you. Like I belong here.”

"You do, honey." It might be a little rude to surprise the kids by just sitting at the kitchen table like you are, but you didn't plan on it. Date night got cut short by the place you normally go dancing being closed for a private event, so you and Jack had stopped for a pint of ice cream to share and planned on playing a board game. From both of the kids' disheveled appearance, it would seem you weren't the only one having a date night.

"Fucking shit, Mom!" Riley jumps three feet in the air, clutching Zach's hand in surprise and all but clutching her chest with her free hand when she whirls around to find you and her father sitting at the table. "Shi—I—sorry. Just...what the hell are you doing home?"

Jack chuckles, trying not to scowl at the very obvious evidence of what his baby girl and Zach had been up to down in his basement. He had been correct in turning off the damn cameras. “Nowhere to dance in this town tonight.” Jack grunts. “Least not to music I can handle.”

“We were going to order pizza.” Riley blurts out, suddenly nervous at nearly being caught, but she doesn’t let go of Zach’s hand. “Did you—uh…did you eat yet?”

“Not yet.” Jack hums, pulling out his phone so he can pull up the website for the only pizza place that delivers to the ranch. “What’s everyone want?”

“Pepperoni.” Riley answers immediately before looking back at Zach. “And banana peppers. Thanks, Dad.”

“Come and sit.” Honestly, you just want to bundle them up in a tight hug and tell them how glad you are that they stopped tiptoeing around each other, but you don’t know how Zach will react to that very maternal response. “How was everyone’s day at work?”

“I’d like your permission to date your daughter.” Zach blurts out, flushing again at how his mouth runs off without his brain around. Riley. “I mean— I understand that I am a man you haven’t known for long, but I will do whatever it takes to make sure your daughter is loved and respected.” He rallies and looks between you and Jack. He knows that he doesn’t need to ask you anything, but he wants to. He respects you both.

The mutual smile that breaks out across yours and Jack’s face is partially quiet amusement and partially the fact that you’re touched he would even approach it in such an old-fashioned way. “Come on and sit down, kids,” you insist, patting the tabletop even as you get up to fetch a pitcher of sweet tea and four glasses. Serious discussions usually go easier if you have something in your hands to fidget with.

Zach throws Riley a look and dutifully sits down. Wondering if he had misstepped. He had thought the parents of the woman he loves wound want him to be serious.

“First off,” Jack sits up straight in his chair after hanging up the phone and gives you a nod of thanks for putting a drink in front of him. “Ri usually lives by the motto that it’s easier to ask forgiveness than permission, so I appreciate you being straight forward.” He shakes his head in his baby girl’s direction, but this is really for the young man directly in front of him.

“I’ve figured that out.” Zach chuckles, looking over at Riley with nothing short of adoration in his gaze. “But I am a guest in your house, and feel like you’ve taken me into your family. I don’t want to insult your sense of propriety after you have been so wonderful.” It’s about respect for him. He’s had the last three years of being looked down on, taken for the worst and not once has this family done this to him. Not even when the chip on his shoulder got in the way.

"And I appreciate that." He won't pretend otherwise. Good manners matter to Jack when it comes to his family and they always have. These are the most important people on the planet to him. "Which brings me to my second point," he looks between the two of them - young adults even older than you and he were the first time you got married. "Y'all be respectful of each other and the shared parts of this house."

Riley tips her head, brow furrowing with interest at her father. "That's it? Just 'be good and don't have sex in the kitchen'?"

Jack closes his eyes briefly, ignoring the way you stifle an amused snort. “Do you want me to pull the ‘not under my roof’ bullshit you would just ignore anyway?” He asks, wondering why, of all his children, his youngest was most like him. Jack Jr. might look like his younger copy, and Sam might have his tenacity, but Riley had always had his fighting spirit, his need to buck the system. It had caused some headaches through her teenage years, but he’s trying to respect the fact that they are grown.

"Hell no," Riley shakes her head, reaching for Zach's hand under the table and lacing their fingers together. "I guess I expected the same 'what are your intentions' speech you gave Vanessa, though." Of course - Zach had said that he and her father had already spoken about her a little. That might be the reason for no speech. But that didn't stop her from being surprised.

“I already know the boy is in love with you.” Jack snorts, rolling his eyes. “He’s the type to want to marry you and have babies.” He shoots a very red-faced Zach a grin. “Am I wrong?”

Trying to save him the embarrassment, Riley puts up her other hand in defeat. "Okay, so no intentions speech. And I'm not upset about that fact, for the record. Just surprised."

"We told your brother and your sister the same thing," you remind her, sitting back in your seat with both hands around your cold glass of tea. "As long as you're happy, we're happy."

“I think your dad understood I have good intentions.” That vote of confidence has Zach straightening up in his chair. Feeling a burst of pride through the embarrassment.

"One of us should," Riley jokes, knowing full well that she is viewed as the most mischievous Daniels child.

Snorting, Zach looks to her father, expecting Jack to say something. The older man just shrugs. “That’s your problem now, son.” He jokes with a chuckle. “That’s alllllll you. Your second chance is here. Grab on and hope to hell like you don’t fall off.”

Zach grins at the advice and nods. “I won’t sir. I’m on this ride for the long haul.”

______ Master Tags: @pixiedurango @chattychell @winter-fox-queen @lady-himbo @artsymaddie @princess76179 @paintballkid711 @missminkylove @pedrosbrat @ew-erin @sarahjkl82-blog @sharkbait77 @justanotherblonde23 @lv7867 @recklesswit @mylittlesenaar @f0rever15elf @gallowsjoker @steeevienicks @athalien @sherala007 @skvatnavle @thatpinkshirt @jaime1110 @girlimjusttryingtoreadfanfics @goodgriefitsawildworld @greeneyedblondie44 @katheriner1999 @littlemousedroid @harriedandharassed @churchill356 @ajathegreats-blog @haylzcyon   @beardsanddetectives @kirsteng42 @ladykatakuri @adancedivasmom @madiebear @tanzthompson @emilianamason @bigsdinger @xocalliexo @pedr0swh0r3 @avaleineandafryingpan @charlyrmv @avidreader73 @iceclaw101 @loveslide @elegantduckturtle    

My Masterlist!

[anonymous-dentist]

Egg 2.

(Egg 1, semi-required reading)

-

It takes four months of the end of the world for the bunker to run out of food. With George asleep and Foolish trying to get the generator working in the other room, Karl finds himself sneaking out the door with a gas mask strapped to his face and a "borrowed" netherite sword strapped to his back.

Technically, he isn't supposed to leave the bunker by himself. Nobody is, and they all agreed that going out on your own in the apocalypse is a certified Bad Idea. But, well, maybe Karl is especially under house arrest. Something about the Egg hating him a bit more than the other two, Karl doesn't actually know. He thinks that maybe it has something more to do with the fact that he's the easiest to possess out of the three of them, which is ridiculous because he's just as divinely favored as George and Foolish are.

That is to say, not at all. Because God is dead, and the sun has been red with spores and blood for four months, and the planet sings.

-

Karl remembers the world ending. He doesn't remember much of what happened before that, but he remembers what happened after.

Sapnap is gone. Even without Karl's memory blanking out of him, it's hard to remember a Sapnap without the freaky-hot demon horns or the scary-hot demon fangs or the, uh, the tail. Those were new. So were the plain-old-terrifying glittering red eyes, because you may be brainwashed under the Egg's control, but you aren't a zombie. You're still a person, but you're the Egg's person.

Sapnap is gone, and so is just about everybody else. It's just Karl, George, and Foolish in the bunker. They're based out in the woods towards Snowchester, pretty far from the Egg's usual haunts. Sometimes they can talk to Niki over the comms, but she hasn't been answering lately. Karl doesn't like to think about what she'd say if she did answer. He doesn't think he would want to hear it.

When XD told Karl goodbye, it was the day of the end of the world. He hasn't been seen or heard from since. Karl never expected God to ghost him, especially considering how tight they were getting towards the end, but he especially didn't expect it when he checked his comms one Thursday afternoon and saw the message [DreamXD has suffocated in a wall] spammed seventy times over in the span of half a minute.

What a shitty way for a god to die. Foolish says that he never would've died that way, but he's also Foolish. Karl thinks he's gonna die in a way more embarrassing way, like drowning. Imagine drowning to death in the eggpocalypse. Crazy.

The server is more alive than Karl has ever seen it. He doesn't leave the bunker much, being under house arrest and all, but, when he does, it's vibrant. It's red, yeah, but the world is moving. It's kind of amazing? But, really, it's super bad, because Karl what happens to uncooperative people, the ones that won't breathe the spores in and who won't give in and have their wishes granted by the world's most fucked up vegan genie. Jack Manifold is freaking dead.

The world as Karl knew it is long dead. Just like Jack Manifold, it is rotting and bleeding into the earth itself. The Egg is at the world's core, and Karl and the other survivors are ants walking on the peel of an orange waiting to explode in the summer sun.

If Karl is going to die, he is not going to die hungry. He's capable, and he isn't completely useless. He can go on a grocery run and he can get back before the others notice he even left. He'll be a hero again, and then they might even start talking to him again.

So, with a sword and a mask and an otherwise-empty inventory, Karl goes to El Rapids.

-

El Rapids is rubble by now, covered in thick red vines that twitch when you look at them for too long. They breathe in the limited air left in the atmosphere, and they spit out spores that stick to your lungs and steal your thoughts until they're only halfway yours. It's fucked up photosynthesis, really, but, like, in reverse. Cellular respiration? Whatever. The air in El Rapids is thin enough to leave Karl heaving for breaths every few steps, and it leaves his head spinning and not in the usual way. By all means, this is a bad idea. It's a horrible place to get food, the ruined remains of a dead country destroyed by bombs and fire.

But the thing about El Rapids, the thing about El Rapids, is that the vibes there are so freaky that the Egg doesn't really do much of anything there. Karl and the others have a theory, see. The Egg wants bad vibes so it can trick you into joining it to make the vibes good, yeah? Well, if there are good vibes, then the Egg won't show up. Yeah, there will be vines and shit, but there won't be any people. Karl can handle some vines. Easy. He loves gardening.

Carefully, Karl picks his way through the charred streets of his old home, tiptoeing past spasming bulbs coughing spores into the air in streams thick enough to be observed by the naked eye. Karl's goggles tint the world purple; on top of the naturally-red sky and sun, the plants are all almost the color of eggplants and not, well, egg plants.

He scratches his cheek, eyes running over a broken-down billboard with his face covered over with red paint reading FUCK YOU.

El Rapids may have been destroyed out of spite, but it was a child, once. It was young, once. Karl died for it, he thinks. He can't remember much of that whole deal, but he does remember waking up happy every day that he lived there. Sapnap was on one side of the huge bed they all shared, with Karl in the middle, and... and Quackity was on the left. He liked to be by the window so he could wake up with the sun, Karl liked to be in the middle so he could be held by as many people as possible, and Sapnap liked to be on the outside so he could leap out of bed and stab intruders with ease.

There's enough love in this town to keep the Egg out of it for the most part, Karl thinks. He shimmies between two overturned wagons, lungs screaming as they claw at the air for what limited oxygen they can get. His vision is spotty, but at least he isn't in Kinoko. That place is fucked. (Turns out building a city in a forest makes it easily susceptible for invasive plant species. Go figure.)

He and George scavenge El Rapids all the time. Foolish sticks to the remains of Las Nevadas. Well. The "remains". Nevadas is still up and running. Cult members are gambling addicts, apparently, and the Egg itself seems to appreciate the fine dining culture of desert sunlight and human flesh that Las Nevadas prides itself on these days. Figures that Quackity would still be running his capitalist hellscape in the apocalypse. Even if he wasn't possessed, he'd probably still be operating business-as-usual for a buck or two. Pandering sack of shit.

Karl and George have already picked their ways through half the city. That leaves the half towards the L'Manberg Crater, where Karl and his fiances used to live. Their old houses are on his list today, actually. Karl can almost remember leaving a whole pantry full of canned food when he and Sapnap and George packed up and left. (Who needs canned beans when you can grow fresh ones in your own back yard?) He doesn't know if they're still good or if they were destroyed, but, well. It's worth a shot.

Wincing and coughing, Karl creeps up on the street his old house is on. There's a big ol' Egg flower poking out of the topmost window, which bodes well, thank you.

Karl looks up at it and debates maybe just going home. Maybe he should just go home. This was probably a bad idea.

The sun whispers, No, stay, you need the food. It'll be worth it.

Karl swallows the fear in his chest and nods. Right. Food. He loves gardening. The quicker he gets this done, the quicker he can go back down to the rest of the world, the quicker he can breathe again.

With a fuzzy brain and trembling hands, Karl quietly pries the front door off its hinges and places it on the sidewalk between two tendrils that tremble with anticipation, just waiting, just waiting for him to screw up. Yeah. Well. He isn't going to screw up. He's super capable.

Adjusting his bag where it hangs on one strap off of his shoulder, Karl steels himself with as deep a breath in as he can manage. And then he goes inside.

-

George and Foolish were immune to the Egg until XD's death. They were blessed. Karl was not. Karl was still basically human. He's always been human despite his best attempts to convince people otherwise. He's not like George the faerie or Sapnap the half-demon or Foolish the totem god or Quackity the avian. He's just a funny little man, and that's a fact.

Foolish threw Karl face-first into a soul campfire when they stumbled across each other right after the chaos started. Foolish was still immune at the time; Karl never was. The fire worked, thank god, and Karl knows that it worked because the thickness that he hadn't noticed in his brain and lungs had screamed itself into oblivion upon his body hitting the flames.

When Karl gets back to the bunker, he's gonna have to detox again. It hurts, but it's worth it. He doesn't wanna risk anything, not when it comes to his friends. If he gets infected, he hopes that he won't be able to even make it back home. He hopes that he'll have enough of himself left in his body to throw his body off the nearest cliff and destroy the spores before they can set hold properly.

That, at least, he hopes he can do.

-

Somehow, most of Karl's pantry managed to survive the destruction of El Rapids. The beans aren't even expired yet, hell yeah.

Avoiding the vines criss-crossing the floor, Karl swings the bag off of his shoulder and crouches on the floor in front of the pantry. He starts pulling cans out at random- beans, soup, corn, more beans. There are a few packs of ramen, heck yeah. Some instant mashed potatoes. Easy, quick meals for the time traveler on the go.

There's a crack from outside down the street, a crash like breaking glass, and then a scream almost simultaneously and a laugh.

Karl frankly, freaks. He freezes with his arm hovering in the air still holding a packet of mashed potatoes. His chest moves faintly with forcibly-silent breaths, eyes widening as he strains his ears to hear.

"What the fuck!" someone screeches, very offended, and Karl's heart stops. "Get off of me, asshole!"

"Mmmm, no, I'm good," the other person responds, very casual, and Karl's heart threatens to explode. Tears well up in his eyes; they sting.

Of course, a small part of Karl's brain says.

Of course, indeed, says the sun. It smiles, and Karl feels its brilliance burning into his brainstem.

"I hate you," Quackity says, because who else would be here? "Let go of me before I, uhhhh..."

"Yeah, no, go on," Sapnap teases, because who else would be with him?

"I'll... never forgive you. I'll divorce you."

"We aren't married, idiot."

Karl's chest hurts, and not from the lack of oxygen.

What a shame, the sun says, and Karl can't help but agree.

There's a palpable pause as Sapnap takes Quackity's words in, and then a quiet, "Please don't say that again."

"Say what, that we aren't married? We aren't."

"Just don't say that."

Karl's arm is starting to shake with the strain of being held up for so long. Slowly, so slowly, he starts to lower it. He runs over escape routes in his head, and he quickly realizes that there's two ways out. One is the front door, where Quackity and Sapnap are. The other is the back door, which Karl knows from an earlier inspection is filled with rocks and vines. It's almost like it's been bricked up on purpose, a real Cask of Amontillado situation here, and Karl is starting to think that maybe he shouldn't have come out alone. He's starting to think that.

Quackity sighs, "Whatever."

"Don't 'whatever' me," Sapnap huffs. Karl hears a quiet squeal as, he assumes, Quackity gets scooped up into the killer-tight embrace that Karl himself had felt when the end of the world began. "Wow, you're light."

"Put me down, I swear to the Egg-"

"You're cute when you're threatening me."

"Fuck you, I'm always cute. Fuck you."

They start bickering, slowly making their ways down the street. They're a couple of houses away from Karl, okay, that's enough time for him to try and get out the back. He can even break a window if he has to. He can grab a bucket and clutch if he has to jump. Easy. He's got this.

Using his thumb to try and muffle the sound of his bag's zipper, Karl shuts his bag and slings it onto his back, using both straps this time so he doesn't lose anything.

Good idea, says the sun.

"Thank you," Karl replies, voice barely above a whisper. It hurts to talk, and it leaves his head full of cotton. He has to steady himself against a vineless patch of wall to keep himself from toppling over. Okaaaay, no more talking, okay.

Good idea, the sun repeats. How kind of it.

The air is sour as Karl picks his way across his old house and to the back door. He wipes his lips with the back of his hand, a grimace firmly set upon his face. Ugh, tastes bad. Ew. Ew. The bunker air might be stale, but at least it isn't gross. God, he misses Kinoko. The air there was crisp and clear like a snowdrop, not anything even remotely like this. Stupid plants.

Karl trips over a chair leg and almost faceplants right into an Egg bulb. He stares at it, unbreathing. Stupid plants.

Quackity and Sapnap knock against something outside and both simultaneously burst into giggles. Karl burns. Under any other circumstances, he could run out and join them. He could pretend it's just like how it used to be years ago when they all still liked each other. Like they hadn't been torn apart, like Karl wasn't broken by XD, like Sapnap wasn't broken by the world, like Quackity wasn't broken by himself. Like the world wasn't ending. Like the world hadn't already ended.

But Karl can't do that. Before the outbreak, he and Sapnap hadn't talked to each other for months. He and Quackity hadn't spoken to each other in years. Only recently after the end living with George has Karl started remembering that he and Quackity were even engaged to begin with, only after XD's death.

Asshole, Karl thinks, and he can't tell who he's thinking about.

He pushes himself back to his feet and stumbles to the back door's vine-filled entrance. It's horrible. Terrible. Impossible to break through. He'd need a pick to get through the rocks normally, but maybe, he thinks. Maybe if he gets rid of the vines, then the rocks will all come tumbling down. They might be holding the rocks up like a net.

Karl glances over his shoulder. No fiances. Okay. He can do this.

He turns back to the doorway, and he pulls the sword off of his back. Its enchantments glow dully in the dim red light.

Holding the hilt with both hands, Karl looks the vines up and down looking for a weak point. He raises his arms, and-

"Oh my- Karl?"

-

Technically speaking, Kinoko Kingdom is the last stand against the Egg's powers. The Syndicate all cut ties with the server and left, from what Karl can tell. There's been no sign of Philza or Technoblade, or Ranboo (RIP). He hopes that's where Niki went, too.

Kinoko Kingdom is all that's left. Just Karl and George and Foolish. That's it.

The former OG Eggpire was the first group, as would be expected. From there, Sapnap was infected because he was with Bad, and then he turned Tina, who he had run into in the Nether. Sapnap is a terror to deal with when he doesn't have a purpose in his life; give him one, and he's a nightmare. Karl had barely gotten away intact the first time. He doesn't think he'll be half as lucky the next.

The rest of the SMP went down pretty quickly. They all either converted or died. Karl and Foolish were trying to get to the Snowchester Nether portal when Jack died. So now the Egg has nukes, which is great.

Las Nevadas was last. Karl couldn't save Quackity this time. At least he went willingly, from what Foolish said. He asked for it.

Sapnap did it. Karl doesn't know if he would want that or not. At least it would be a pleasant death.

-

Karl spins around wide-eyed and panicked. He points the sword right at Sapnap and Quackity, arms and legs shaking. Oh, George and Foolish are gonna kill him.

Sapnap and Quackity are next to each other in the kitchen just a few feet away. Sapnap has his arm out to the side as if he's protecting Quackity, and Quackity has both of his hands balled into fists by his side as he takes Karl in, and they both look shocked as Karl swallows a scream and backs up as much as he can without bumping into a vine.

"Don't come near me," Karl rasps, wincing as his throat tears. Ow, fuck.

Sapnap looks the same as he did when Karl saw him last. Cute little horns curling out of his head like miniature versions of his father's, tail twitching excitedly behind him; it reaches out and curls around one of Quackity's wrists, sickeningly sweet.

As a smile slowly crosses Sapnap's face, Karl can see the fangs. They're terrifying. Hot.

"It's really you," Sapnap says, voice tight with emotion. Despite his smile, his eyes are welling with tears; Karl has to fight the urge to run up and wipe them away. "Karl, you're here! You're really here!"

His body twitches like he's forcing himself to stay still and not run across the room and pull Karl into a hug that Karl knows he would never wake up from. Thank god for it. Karl doesn't want to die today.

Sapnap looks over at Quackity, eyes glittering. "I told you he'd be here, I told you!"

Quackity looks unimpressed. The billboards all show him smiling with sharp golden teeth, but, in the flesh, he looks almost bored.

Dressed in formal reds and blacks with a cigarette still sticking out of his lips, he looks like he just left his casino. Just now.

He did, the sun says. Just a few minutes ago.

Karl looks up at the ceiling, eyebrows furrowing. How does it know that?

"Yeah," Quackity eventually says, "he is. You were right."

"I'm always right. You just need to trust me more."

"I always trust you," Quackity responds, and Karl knows he means it. It's in the way his eyes soften as he looks at Sapnap, the corners of his mouth twitching as if he wants to smile but can't bring himself to. "Sometimes I don't believe you, that's all."

Karl's comm buzzes. It's George, he knows it's George, he's woken up, and he wants to know where Karl is. Karl has been gone for too long. The sun is setting- when did it get this late? The light coming in through the vine-crowded kitchen window is redder than it was before, the shadows on the floor just slightly longer.

"Go away," Karl demands. His voice is hoarse, barely above a whisper, and the act of talking is hard enough that his knees buckle beneath him. He staggers forward, barely catching himself before he falls.

At Sapnap's attempted concerned rush forward, Karl snarls and brings the sword back up between him. Sapnap backs up with both hands raised, eyebrows knitting together in confusion.

"What's wrong?" Sapnap asks.

Quackity rolls his eyes. At least he knows how stupid of a question that is.

For his part, Karl looks down at Sapnap like he's stupid. He isn't stupid, is the thing, he's just... wrong. He's confused.

You're confused, the sun comments.

"You can say that again," Karl agrees.

Sapnap blinks. Then, he says, not unamusedly, "What's wrong?"

Quackity sighs and pulls the cigarette from his lips, blows out a bright pink smoke cloud in the shape of a ring.

"Dude, come on, he's obviously freaked out. We're with the Egg, remember? He isn't."

Karl nods. "Yeah. You're..."

He flounders for words before coming up with, "...weird."

Sapnap shrugs, unconcerned. He drops his hands, slipping them into his pockets. "You're weird."

"I'm not."

"No, you are. Like- he's weird, right, Q?"

Sapnap looks to Quackity, who nods sagely.

"Super weird," Quackity says, slipping the cigarette back into his mouth. "You know, you and the other two are the last ones left. Kinda shitty of you to do that, you know."

Karl blinks. His head is starting to hurt. "What do you mean, it's shitty of me? I'm not the one brainwashing and killing people."

"No," Quackity agrees, "but you are the ones sneaking around like rats pretending you're special. You aren't special, you know."

Sapnap nods in agreement. "Yeah. You're just weird."

Super weird, the sun agrees.

Karl looks at the sun and sticks his tongue out at it. Out of the corner of his eye, he can see Sapnap and Quackity exchange a look that he can't quite decipher.

"I'm not weird," Karl argues, "You're weird. Get out of my head, weirdo."

"What, is the sun talking to you now?" Sapnap taunts. His tail flicks behind him. "That's pretty weird, not gonna lie..."

"It's not-"

"Ew, imagine the sun talking to you," Quackity teases. "Couldn't be me. At least the thing in my head is cool."

"It isn't cool!" Karl snaps. "It's evil!"

Quackity shrugs. "And? It's also the best relationship counselor I've ever had."

...what?

Sapnap beams, reaching over to take Quackity's hand in his. He holds it up proudly. Right there, right on his finger, engagement rings, shinier than the day he made them. Quackity's match exactly.

Karl's do not.

"Yeah!" Sapnap cheerfully says. "We're getting married tomorrow. Isn't that fun?"

He wiggles his eyebrows at Karl, who flounders to come up with a response. They're what?

They're getting married, says the sun. Tomorrow. Las Nevadas wedding chapel.

"I can't believe you didn't know," Sapnap sniffs, fake, exaggerated tears. "What kind of fiance are you?"

"I mean. I-" Karl stammers. "I'm not getting married tomorrow. I don't talk to you guys. How was I supposed to know?"

"I mean... you could," Quackity says. He takes his cigarette out with his free hand and, with that same hand, he taps his chin as if in thought. "We wouldn't have to change too much..."

Karl can imagine it now, walking down the aisle with both Sapnap and Quackity waiting for him at the altar. Bad is officiating, as is one of his duties as the Egg's favorite disciple. Karl is wearing a suit that matches both Sapnap's and Quackity's, purple to their red and blue. The rings on his finger match theirs, and so does his smile when he reaches them and they take one of his hands each to hold.

"Is that what you want?" Quackity asks, tearing Karl from his thoughts. "I can make that happen."

"Is what what I want?" Karl asks. He shakes his head as Quackity makes to answer, backing up even further. His back presses against a vine, and it squishes into his hoodie unpleasantly. Damp. "No, I don't want that. I want to- I want to go. Let me go."

Sapnap snorts. "Uh, no? We just got you, dude. You can't leave us like this."

Karl's heart stops. Or, rather, he feels it start again, having already been stopped for as long as he can remember.

"We literally just got you back," Quackity says. His eyes aren't as red as Sapnap's are, but his teeth are, in fact, gold when he smiles. Karl wants to taste them. "Besides, I don't think your friends will want you back after this. I mean... y'know..."

His free hand mimes a gas mask across the face.

Shakily, Karl raises a hand to his own mouth and presses his fingers against his lips with no barrier to stop him. When did he take it off?

There are those memory problems again, the Egg says. I can fix that for you, easy.

Karl shakes his head, looking from Sapnap to Quackity to the window in the kitchen.

The sun isn't setting, he realizes. He looks at his comm. One in the afternoon. He's only been gone an hour.

He catches his reflection in a broken glass cabinet door.

Karl drops his sword, and his legs give out beneath him as he takes in his last breath.

Sapnap swoops in to catch him before he hits the floor, pulling him against his chest and smiling a kiss into the crown of his head. Karl can feel Quackity sidle up behind him, arms loosely slinging over his shoulders.

"Oh," Karl lightly comments. "Okay. I get it now."

"Took you long enough," Sapnap laughs. "Even I caught on quicker than that."

Karl laughs, slight and scared, though he's starting to wonder why he should be.

It's not like he needs to breathe, anyway.

[saints-who-never-existed]

Rereading The Terror

Chapter Fifteen: Franklin

This is the big ‘un! 

“By the day that he was to die, Sir John had almost recovered from the shock of seeing the Esquimaux wench naked.”  I’m sorry but, like it or not, that’s a banging first line and I love it. 

There’s a fascinating mention of Gore’s coffin being lined with lead in lieu of the usual two rounds of shot to weight it down which all feels very deliberate and symbolic. 

The description of Gore’s funeral procession is, ironically very funny to me. Franklin - the idiot - insists they wear nothing covering their formal uniforms so they’re all just out there freezing their arses off. They’ve all washed and styled their hair especially for the occasion. Le Vesconte’s carrying Gore’s cocked hat and sword, Fairholme has a bunch of medals on a blue velvet pillow - it’s fuckin’ carnage. Nae need for it. 

The next Sunday service Sir John gives sees the same Union Jack that was draped over Gore’s coffin now thrown over a lifeboat for a makeshift altar. Not sure if it’s the same flag that Lady Jane draped prophetically over Franklin himself but it seems likely. Very intriguing that - something about death and religion and the Empire all hopelessly intertwined that I can’t quite fully parse yet.  

Franklin also tells an outright lie about Gore having seen the Northwest Passage and another about him shooting the Tuunbaq, even though all the witnesses attest that, while his pistol definitely went off as he was being crushed, it was basically a misfire and there’s no indication that it actually hit anything. Sneaky Sir John!

Also very very intriguing is the mention of Tozer having a big purple birthmark across his face! Mainly intriguing in that I don’t remember it at all from my first readthrough and would be delighted see more art that includes it. 

There’s a lovely little paragraph about Franklin’s overall discomfort in the world -  “At this moment, Captain Sir John Franklin was as happy as he had ever been in the company of other men. It had taken Sir John years to realise that he was far more comfortable in the presence of women... But since his Divine Service the previous Sunday, he had received more smiles, nods, and sincere looks of approbation from his officers and seaman than at any time in his forty-year career.”  What this excerpt fails to mention is that the reason Franklin is receiving such positivity from the men is that he’s offered a massive cash reward for shooting the Tuunbaq. Just think of that - the first time he’s felt happy in the company of other men and he’s basically had to pay for the experience. 

Still, we mustn’t feel too bad for him - on the very next page he looks over at the ice hole they turfed Gore into and all he can think of is himself and how well he performed the burial service. 

Franklin’s death goes mostly the same in the book as it does in the show only it’s Le Vesconte out there with him and he screams like the drama queen he is when Tuunbaq arrives. It’s also really bizarre to read Franklin, even as he’s under the ice bleeding out, thinking about how he’s going to relate the event as a jolly anecdote when he’s back home - there’s always that level of artifice to him, right until the very end...  

[witchofthesouls]

for the tfp kids as other au...why Raf is a dragon, and not a Dragon? Like, I assume there´s a difference between those therms. What would make him change into the latter? Also, idk why, but I imagined Miko would end up with Jack, lol. Idk if them three ending as a proper trio is plausible, cause the age difference or not. Just asking cause I have no idea how the Tarn/Miko thing came to be, not that I´m complaining cause I kinda like it lol.

The Tarn/Miko crackship came from this ask about a TFP!Tarn with a soulmate that he found out to be an Autobot-aligned human that's a Wrecker. That's fucking Miko, and the entire concept is hilarious to me, especially with an Other!AU so everyone needs to deal with culture clash and alien biology. (The extended Nakadai family are well aware of their yōkai origins, and the Earthlings are losing their minds that aliens have a soulmate phenomenon as well.)

I did write some thoughts about Jack/Miko pairing, but I basically view them as platonic soulmates/'ride or die' where time and distance is of no consequence. I can see them as a romantic couple, but after a decade of maturing and settling into their own selves. They (along with Raf) would have so many inside jokes about their time with the Autobots.

A dragon is basically an umbrella term for any and all those kinds of draconian beings and various hybrids. But a Dragon is something else completely. They're not born. They're chosen. Such individuals are living acts of theurgy, the bridge between humanity's potential and divine authority of the celestial bodies. They're considered portents of change; something between monster and godkin. Because Dragons embody a specific Aspect from their resurrection, they typically don't live long as no Dragon is made from peace.

Raf (like countless humans) has the potential to become a Dragon, but whether or not it happens is the choice he must face in that crucial moment that many will balk or be consumed by the inferno.

He's also far more aware of what is expected should he gain and lose should he complete the covenant. He's seen what happened to his older sister, who had made a deal with another powerful entity to return back her Earth. Pilar is missing something integral. She's not soulless, but the experienced can tell her fatigue comes from an extremely consuming deal and she always seems preoccupied by something else. Perhaps she could be the first Dragon to die of old age...

On a side note, Dragons are basically part of the answers I built in regards to humanity's relations with Others. Cultures across the world have many tales and folklore that are either enchanted or terrified by the supernatural, so it's part of the "What are the traits they would find beguiling and horrified by?" I'm taking the adaptability to the extreme.