#every day at my job I understand it more and more

[ari-ana-bel-la]

baby (like 4) loving the wags cause they’re so girly and since landos a single dad she didn’t have that mother figure in her life, so all the wags love taking care of her during the races and events and stuff

Different kind of mother

It was a bright, sunny day at the racetrack. The buzz of excitement was palpable in the paddock as teams prepared for the race weekend. The air was filled with the hum of engines and the chatter of team members and journalists. Amid all this energy, one figure stood out: Lando, carrying his four-year-old daughter, Yn, in his arms.

Yn was a little bundle of energy, her golden locks bouncing as Lando walked. She was dressed in a cute McLaren dress, matching her father's team colors, and her little sneakers kicked the air as she wriggled in her father’s arms. Yn was very much her father’s daughter. With her sparkling eyes and cheeky smile, she was a reflection of Lando's fun-loving spirit.

Lando was a single dad, and he had done an incredible job of juggling both roles: mom and dad. As much as he loved his little girl, he was also realistic. There were things he just couldn’t teach Yn, things a woman might understand better. So, when it came to race weekends, he was thankful for the support of the WAGs, who loved having Yn with them. They were always so gentle and kind with her, teaching her little things about being a girl that Lando couldn’t offer.

Today was one of those weekends, and Lando was grateful for the women who would take Yn under their wing. As they approached the entrance to the paddock, he saw Kika waiting for them, a smile already on her face.

“Hey, Kika,” Lando greeted, grinning as he walked toward her.

Without saying a word, Kika opened her arms to Yn, her expression full of warmth. Lando hesitated for a moment, but then, with a sigh, he carefully handed Yn over to Kika.

“You’re in good hands,” Lando said, his voice full of trust. He watched as Kika effortlessly cradled Yn, who had no hesitation in cuddling up against the woman.

Kika smiled down at Yn, her affection for the little girl obvious. “Come on, sweetheart, let’s get you something nice,” she cooed, turning to walk toward the VIP area.

Lando stood there for a moment, watching the two of them walk off. The small pang of anxiety in his chest quickly faded. He knew Yn was safe, happy, and in good hands. It wasn’t easy being a single parent, but he had a village of support around him, and the WAGs were a huge part of that.

The VIP area was buzzing with energy. Rebecca, Carmen, and Lily were there, chatting and laughing. When they saw Kika and Yn approach, their faces lit up.

“Yn! My darling!” Rebecca exclaimed, immediately rushing to hug the little girl. Yn giggled as she was enveloped in Rebecca’s warm embrace.

Carmen was next, scooping Yn up in her arms and giving her a kiss on the cheek. “You’re getting more and more beautiful every time I see you,” Carmen said with a smile.

Lily, ever the practical one, quickly moved to prepare a snack for Yn. “What do you want, sweetheart? Apple slices? Or maybe some cheese?” she asked, kneeling down to Yn’s level.

“I want apple slices, please,” Yn said, her voice soft but clear, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

Rebecca smiled as she helped Lily with the snack. “You’re spoiling her, Lily,” she teased.

“Anything for her,” Lily replied, her voice warm.

Meanwhile, Kika had Yn settled on her lap, rubbing the back of the little girl’s head as they chatted. The WAGs all gathered around, sharing stories, and it was clear that Yn was thoroughly enjoying herself. The conversation drifted to a lighter topic as Rebecca leaned in, a playful smile on her lips.

“So, Yn,” Rebecca said, her voice full of curiosity. “Tell us, do you have a crush on anyone?”

Yn’s eyes lit up as she leaned in, eager to share. “There’s a cute boy in my kindergarten group. His name is Lukas,” she said, her voice so serious it made everyone chuckle.

“Lukas?” Carmen repeated. “What’s he like?”

“He’s nice,” Yn said, nodding. “He always shares his crayons with me and lets me sit next to him when we play.”

“Aww, how sweet,” Lily cooed, and the other women joined in the adoration.

“Do you think he likes you, Yn?” Kika asked, smiling down at the little girl.

Yn paused, looking thoughtful. “I think so,” she said slowly. “But I don’t know if I like him like that. I just think he’s nice.”

The WAGs laughed, sharing knowing glances. “She’s already got boys in her life,” Rebecca said, mock-shocked.

“Just wait until she’s older,” Carmen teased. “Lando’s going to be in trouble.”

Yn looked up at them with wide eyes. “I won’t tell Daddy. It’s a secret!” she whispered, giggling.

The WAGs all shared a laugh, and Kika leaned down to plant a kiss on Yn’s forehead. “It’s our little secret, okay?” she said, winking.

The day went on like that. The WAGs doted on Yn, laughing with her, feeding her, and playing little games. At one point, Carmen pulled out a pair of playful sunglasses and slipped them onto Yn’s face.

“Oh my goodness, Yn, you look just like your dad with those on!” Rebecca said, gasping.

The others agreed, laughing at the uncanny resemblance. Lando was known for his goofy sunglasses, and it seemed that Yn had inherited that sense of style.

“You’ve got the same mischievous look, too,” Carmen added, and they all laughed again.

The women quickly snapped a picture of Yn in the sunglasses and sent it to Lando, knowing it would make him smile. They all joked about how much the little girl resembled her father, and Yn grinned proudly, completely unaware of how cute and hilarious she was.

Later, after a busy day full of laughter and fun, it was time for the men to come and collect their girlfriends. Lando arrived, looking for Yn, and the moment he stepped into the VIP area, his eyes immediately landed on his little girl, sitting in Kika’s lap.

Yn spotted her dad and immediately stood up, running toward him. “Daddy!” she exclaimed, throwing her arms around him.

Lando smiled, bending down to scoop her up. “Hey, sweetheart,” he said, kissing her cheek. “Did you have fun today?”

Yn looked up at him, her face serious. “I can’t tell you,” she said, shaking her head dramatically. “It’s a girls’ secret.”

Lando raised an eyebrow, feigning offense. “A girls’ secret? What’s that supposed to mean?” he asked, pretending to pout.

The WAGs burst into laughter. “You’re going to have to wait, Lando,” Rebecca teased, smiling at him. “It’s a secret, after all.”

Lando grinned, but he wasn’t about to let it go. “I see how it is. My own daughter, keeping secrets from me. That’s the thanks I get for letting her spend the day with you all?”

“You know we’re just spoiling her,” Carmen said with a grin. “She’s a little star.”

“More like a mini Lando,” Lily added, shaking her head in amusement.

Kika, who had been cuddling Yn all day, seemed reluctant to let the little girl go. She squeezed her tightly one more time before reluctantly letting her down. “I don’t want to let you go, Yn,” Kika said softly.

“I’ll see you soon, Auntie Kiki,” Yn said, her voice full of sweetness, and Kika smiled, giving her a kiss on the forehead.

“Take care of my girl, Lando,” Kika said as she stood up. “She’s a treasure.”

Lando gave Kika a nod, his gratitude clear. “Thanks again, Kika,” he said, his voice full of appreciation.

As they walked out of the VIP area, Yn chattered excitedly, telling her dad about everything she had done, but Lando wasn’t in any rush. He listened to every word, smiling at his little girl who was growing up so fast. Despite everything, Lando knew one thing for sure: Yn was surrounded by love, and that was all that mattered.

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♥︎♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

Authors Note: Hey loves. I hope you enjoyed reading this story. My requests are always open for you.

-💙🦋

[nerdygirlramblings]

the pups come home!

an: it's another long one. sorry?

cw: poorly executed accents, omegaverse biology, m/m anal sex (including knotting)

previous

Quiet but not quite. Still but reatless. Nervous energy crackles in the air. Excited tension. The house holds its breath, waiting. Your parents and the new pups are on their way home.

Every passing car causes a cascade of glances before the eventual, "Not them," from Ben, positioned at the front window until the gentle rumble of the engine in the drive sets everyone in motion.

Surprisingly, it's Davy who beats everyone to the door, opening it, revealing Mum mid-reach. From the sofa, you watch first as surprise then love chase away her momentary shock. Shaky arms come up as she enfolds Davy in a hug, murmuring softly to him. He returns the embrace, the muscles in his arms tensing as he squeezes her back. Michael and Helen drop quick kisses on her cheeks before slipping past her into the front garden. The three of you decided last night how you'd help when everyone came home from the birth centre. Their job is to help the moms bring Dad and the new pups in. You job is to get everyone fed and settled. There's soup for Dad, full plates for Mama and Mum, and two bottles ready.

While the elder twins bring in the younger twins, you let the triplets greet Mum and then Mama and Dad as they come through the door. All three adults give all three teens the same treatment: whispered words and tender hugs and kisses. It's a much more joyous return from the birthing centre than the triplets have seen your parents have before. All they've known is the litters Dad lost. You want them to be able to celebrate this miracle.

Though the elder twins bring the new ones in, it's the triplets who are officially introduced to them first, lifting each baby into the crook of their neck for just a moment to let the baby smell them, imprint their scent, and know this is family. Watching the ritual your parents established when the first twins were born, telling the triplets, "They aren't our babies, they're your babies too. You'll be here to love them and guide them. To look out for them. And one day, when we're gone, you'll be there for each other. Family."

Hearing it again, you realize your parents always stressed family, but they never said pack. You know many people see them as synonymous terms, but Mama was a literature major at uni, and you were raised with the importance of using the right words. You know there is a reason they use family instead of pack. You wish you understood what it was.

When you finally have a chance to be introduced, you take each baby from Michael, Grant first then Amelia, holding their little heads close, whispering the same thing you've only said five times, "You are more than my sibling. You are part of me, and that will never change. I will love you and support you and care for you always." Each reverent phrase accompanied by a kiss to the baby's temple before passing the child off to one of your parents.

Michael and Helen swing through the kitchen and pick up the bottles to feed the babies. You all remember how tired Dad is after a delivery, so you wrap an arm around his waist in the guise of holding him close after the successful delivery, Mum and Mama slowly trailing after you. You settle them all at the table, then join them to catch them up on how the household has fared in their absence.

You hadn't had a chance to talk with them when you first arrived, and now they ask why you're home. "Clearly you couldn't have expected this," Mum huffs a laugh.

"No," you smile indulgently at first her then Dad, "this was a pleasant surprise."

The question of why you're here, now, is tied up in feelings about your team you don't quite understand and aren't sure how to process, so you don't answer it. Hopefully your parents are too fatigued to notice, but it feels like Dad is watching you pick at your fingers even though his eyes are on his food and the doorway through which you can hear Michael and Helen teaching the triplets how to hold and feed the pups. Mum and Mama must catch on something too - your avoidance, your nervous tic - and blatantly watch you over their plates. "Did something happen with your team?" Mum whispers, keeping this conversation to the kitchen.

A shoulder rises and falls. Your lips twist for a moment. Small movements there and gone belie the mess of emotions you don't know how to name.

Mama's hand on yours, a warm weight tethering you. "I think we need to talk when the rest are in the nest and the pups are sleeping." You can only nod.

"Dunno if ye heard, but the lass's Da had his pups," Soap whispers into the quiet evening. All he receives is a grunt in response. He's wrapped in Ghost's arms, Ghost's knot slowly deflating in his ass. A cock in the ass is one thing. Heat and stretch. The burn pleasant, a successful workout. An alpha's knot is an altogether different experience. Heat hot enough to scorch if you're unlucky. A stretch too far to be comfortable for either party, despite biology at play. Micro tears and burst capillaries. But he and Gaz do this for Ghost and will do it for Price in a few months if you aren't pack by then. It's one way they help the pack with balance.

Soap keeps up his running commentary in these stolen moments when Ghost is lucid, unconsumed by his instincts. "Price said 'e thinks she may be open ta courtin' when we get back." The arm around his waist grips tighter, and Ghost's scent goes briney with his arousal, a perfect compliment to Soap's own marine notes. "Ye like tha', huh, havin' Ren as oor own 'mega?" He knows the other man wants you. They all want you. And Ghost has been vocal this rut, calling out your name. Soap overhead Price's side of yesterday's call with you. Could hear a tinny version of you voice through the phone. The sadness there unmistakable. He knows Price is playing the long game. He only wished he knew how it will all play out.

Things are dark, closed, safe by the time your parents pull you from the nest. The pups and triplets are fast asleep, but Helen startles from half-slumber and Michael turns from his screen. "Just need to chat with your sister before she heads back to base," Dad tells them. "Can ya watch the pups? We'll be in the kitchen, yeah?" Michael nods, back to scrolling through his phone in the dim room. Helen scoots into the space Mama left next to the new pups, her body a gentle barrier to the nest's edge.

In the kitchen, the quiet feels oppressive. The lights don't make the room warm and inviting, instead you're on the wrong side of an interrogation, like when your parents caught you sneaking in from a party when you were in Lower Sixth. A butterfly under glass. Pinned by the weight of their knowing gazes.

The air takes on weight. There's some silent conversation between the moms and Dad. You remember the looks they shared when you told them about being on the boards on base. Finally, you crack. "What?" you ask, nervous and unsure of your footing.

"Baby," Dad starts, "why are you here?"

You avoided the question earlier but know they won't let you deflect now. "We'll, the team had leave, so I came home." The omission is deafening.

"Ya didn't want to take leave with yer team?" Mum asks. "Get ta know them without all the trainin' ya do?"

Somehow they've mastered the art of seeing past your artifice, and if you don't start telling them now, Mama will cut through your bullshit faster than a dog can lick a dish. You shift uncomfortably. This is somehow worse than the conversations you had in your teens about sex and consent and your heats and an alpha's ruts. Your jaw clenches briefly before you force yourself to relax. "Well, I'm here cause it isn't really leave fer the others. One of the pack alphas has his rut, and the whole pack takes a week to handle it together." You don't rush because if you go too fast and have to repeat yourself, you will self-immolate.

Mama blinks while Mum stares at Dad. Clear whatever planned conversation they had, this is not the information they expected you to share. "Er," Mama says, "that's very... progressive of them, yeah?" She recovers quickly because she asks, "Aren't they on suppressants?"

You shake your head. "Captain Price said they only use 'em during missions. Keeps 'em from throwin' anyone off valance for too long." Dad nods, and you hope he's remembering your bad reactions.

He's the one who breaks the silence next. "How do ya feel about them doin' that? Takin' off together, without you, to handle their alpha's rut?"

You think he's asking about you, but he could be asking about your omega, and you hate that you don't know which one answers when you say, honestly, "I miss them."

Mum hums and Mama nods along, but it's still Dad who speaks. "Have ya given any more thought to the other half of yer Captain's offer?"

There's no denying now this is about you being 141's omega, being more than teammates. Your hands fiddle in your lap. The longer you wait, the more obvious your answer seems to be, to them and to yourself. "I don't want things to change," you finally whisper, sounding so much younger. Vulnerable in a way you haven't let yourself be in too many years to count.

"Hey, pretty girl," Dad croons. You can't help but look at him. "Captain Price seems like a good alpha. We know he's a good Captain and a good man. From what you've told us, the whole team supports you and wants you to be a successful soldier. They're already looking out for you in their way."

Your parents let you sit with that truth for a few quiet minutes before Mama tells you, "Seems like they've shown interest. And it looks like your omega is interested. You deserve a pack of your own, honey. You've already put so much faith in these men. Maybe it's time to take that last leap, yeah?"

Mum chimes in with, "You'll always be our sweet girl, but you deserve a pack who will love you in a way we can't." There are tears lining her eyes, but she blinks them away before they fall. "We want you happy."

When they head back to the nest, you don't immediately follow. You sit in the stillness and listen, really listen, to your omega. How the team makes her feel safe, desired, cared for. How she wants what your parents have: the love and support and eventual family.

You know the 141 wouldn't make you retire. They'll support your career, and in that way, they're already better than most packs you could find. If rumors spread about you sleeping your way into the team because you're their omega, you know the pack would have your back. Isn't that what you've always wanted? To be seen as who you are, not what you are?

Isn't it worth it to try?

next

~~

taglist: @sirbonesly @z-wantstowrite @thriving-n-jiving @cecelia97 @theycallmevalen @boogeysmoth @cryingpages @riley13 @luxylucylou @lucienofthelakes @ilyztwo @chaosundcoffee @lostintransist @thegreyjoyed @honestlymassivetrash @thebumbqueen @maliamaiden @mordacioust @bina-passion-fruit @kittygonap

[beanietopia]

a sweet valentine's with shiu kong

shiu kong x afab reader. yes it's been a month since valentine's day, leave me alone! do you want the fic or not?! wc: 2k. proofread? nah. reader gets fingered in the backseat of shiu's car and LOVES IT. yuki tsukumo is the best wingwoman ever. thank you to my pookie for being my beta reader ily

sogaeting, a term you were unfamiliar with until about a few weeks ago. it was a korean word, meaning something equivalent to “blind date”, your coworker had told you. it had been a few weeks since you were transferred to the seoul office from tokyo, and your office had made it their mission to set you up with someone the minute they found out you were single. well, it was mainly your one coworker yuki, who also came from your office three months prior. she was just so likeable by the office that everyone seemed to support her antics, much to your displeasure. yuki had known you long enough to know that you were single for a while, she honestly didn’t even know if she’s ever seen you talk about a date in the 3 years you’ve been at the company. for reasons you could absolutely not wrap your head around to understand, yuki had taken it upon herself to fix your quiet love life. however if anyone had asked her what her plan was, she’d keep it simple.

you needed to get laid.

because you were close friends with yuki, and because you worked with her so there was no way to avoid her on lunch, you resigned yourself to listening to her “master plan” to get you a date on valentine’s day. “no but seriously, listen.” she pauses for a moment, some lettuce had gotten in her teeth, before continuing. “i think this could be good for you! i mean, you only go to work and go home. what’s one date going to do?” you roll your eyes. you had thought you were doing a pretty good job at being the single friend. you liked your alone time, you could stay out as long as you wanted without care, and you even made enough to take your friends out for a nice dinner every now and then. yes, your eyes did linger too long when you noticed yuki swipe gochujang paste off choso’s lips with her finger, or when you could hear gojo giggle on the phone to his lover in his cubicle when he thinks he’s being quiet. okay, maybe you didn’t necessarily enjoy being single all the time, and the exasperated look on yuki’s face all but confirmed your suspicion.

“c’mon, at least hear me out. one date, just one! and if you hate it, you don’t have to listen to my yammering about you being an old maid. sorry, wrong word choice. but he’s a workaholic like you! i think you’d like him.” if it weren’t for the exaggerated way yuki was wiggling her brows, you might have been a bit more interested in going on the date. truth be told, you were a little nervous going on a blind date, all too spoiled with the convenience of swiping a finger on your phone. but this was yuki, your longtime coworker, a friend, even. she wouldn’t sabotage you like that. right??  “could i know something about him at least? like, what he does for work, or whatever?”

when the night came, you found yourself staring at your appearance longer than you would have liked. had it really been that long? truth be told, yuki was right, you hadn’t really been focused on dating since accepting a job at this company. three years and a move later, you found yourself on valentine’s day obsessing over your appearance for the nth time before a blind date. the hell was yuki thinking, setting you up for this, you grumbled, fully forgetting you had agreed to meet shiu tonight. oh yes, shiu. yuki had forbid you from looking up any information about him prior to the date, claiming you would have an unfair advantage over him. she had sent you the address to this french place in apgujeong, claiming that the restaurant was his choice. when you checked the menu on the way there, you felt your eye twitch as bile rose in your throat. none of the dishes you could even attempt to pronounce, and the amount of commas in the prices threatened to make your heart stop. you didn’t even have the opportunity to turn back if you wanted, somehow your feet carried you off the train, down the street, and you were now scaring the poor hostess with your shell shocked expression. pull yourself together, yuki’s voice rang in your ears. great, she had now infiltrated your subconscious.

“i–i have a 9 o’clock reservation? for two.” your voice squeaked out, and the hostess seemed relieved that you could actually speak. with a tight-lipped smile and a slight nod of her head to follow her, you trailed behind her into the dimly lit restaurant. the soft murmurs of conversation mixed with the clinks of forks and classical music as she led you to your table. you felt your breath catch in your throat as your date was already sitting down. with a sly grin, he stood up to shake your hand. his grip was firm, but not tight, and his hands were surprisingly smooth. he smelled slightly of cologne and cigars, and yet you didn’t seem to mind. his short hair was styled neatly on top of his head, a slight side part with a few pieces spiked upwards. his sharp eyes held your attention for long you almost didn't notice his mustache that let your eyes stray downwards to his lips. jesus, he hasn’t even spoken yet and you’re already ogling.

“you must be yuki’s friend, it’s nice to meet you. the name’s shiu kong. thank you for coming tonight. i hope this isn’t too forward but,” he pauses to hand you a bag he had hidden under the table. “happy valentine’s day. i hope i can make tonight worth your time.” looking into the bag, you had to pinch yourself to keep your eyes from giving away your reaction. inside of the bag rest an arrangement of red roses with hints of baby’s breath, absolutely stunning. you lift your gaze to meet shiu’s again and smiled, maybe yuki was right after all. the conversation wasn’t difficult to get going after that, you found out that shiu had also worked in japan for a number of years and only recently came back to korea to work and live. he had also revealed to you that he was in his early thirties—about six years your senior. when you asked him why he was interested in dating at this stage of his life, he said he had spent his twenties doing nothing but work and had no time for relationships. you thought back to yuki’s words and shook your head, he was truly your counterpart. you had explained to him that it had been pretty much the same for you, after university you threw yourself into work. sure some dates happened here and there, but nothing stuck. you figured it would be easier to just focus on your career instead. shiu nods his head in understanding, taking a moment to sip from his wine glass. you didn’t realize how easy it was to talk to him until this moment.

the rest of the dinner went smoothly, much to your delight. shiu had taught you a couple of french words off the menu, and you found yourself becoming well acquainted with the waiter that kept refilling your wine glass. you had forgotten how fun dates could be, especially with the right person. shiu was charming, you gave him that. he broke you out of your shyness with no difficulty, and he even had you laugh a couple of times. you were having so much fun, in fact, when he asked you if you would like to continue the date you didn’t say no. the gentleman he was, he didn’t even let you spare a glance at the bill. he handed the booklet with his black card inside before turning his attention to you again, a soft smile on his features. “i’m glad you came out tonight, doll. from how yuki talked about you, i was starting to think that you weren’t going to show up.” your muscles tightened as you forced yourself to keep smiling, while you silently cursed out yuki in your mind. “well, i usually don’t go on blind dates.” you actually didn’t go on dates at all, but shiu didn’t need to know that. who were you kidding, he could probably smell the anxiety radiating off you once you sat down. nevertheless, he still gave you a slight chuckle and you even got to see how pretty his teeth were. 

time seemed to have passed so quickly when you were with him. somewhere after leaving the restaurant and before getting to shiu’s apartment, you were being pulled into his lap and felt his mouth pressing kisses into your neck. now if you were just a bit sober, you’d feel some shame for doing this in the back of a cab. but in between the kisses and the shushes shiu gave you, he reassured you that this was his car and he’d be having a driver bring you to his place. maybe you’d actually end up apologizing to yuki. “look at you,” shiu rasped into your ear, his fingers already traveling up the slit of your dress to play with the strings of your thong. “you’re stunning, how did i get so lucky?” your lungs couldn’t get enough air fast enough to keep up with shiu’s fingers, as his middle and index brushed themselves against your wet entrance. he shushed you in between kisses as he pumped his fingers inside of you, until you were pathetically riding them with shameless fervor. 

shiu had you so strung out you didn’t realise that your moans were a lot louder than you originally thought, but you’d find the shame to worry about that later. his eyes looked so hungry for you, you would’ve assumed he was undressing you with his eyes. as the sound of your arousal echoed through the car, he practically moaned as he watched you ride his fingers. “listen to that, doll. she’s so needy for me.. do you think you can last until we get to my place?” if you weren’t so focused on getting yourself off you would probably smack him, fuck no you wouldn’t last! you felt as if you were going to cum at any moment! the man seemed like he knew what you were thinking, as his lips curled into a smirk before he went to speak again. “do you think you can cum for me, beautiful? make a mess on my fingers for me baby, please…” you could never say no to a man with manners. your body shook as your orgasm ripped through you, your walls pulsing around his fingers like a heartbeat. shiu gave you a moment to calm down before gently removing his fingers from inside you, making you watch as he sucked off the creamy fluids you left behind for him. 

“looks like someone couldn’t wait until we got home… can you go for another round later?”

you made a mental note to send yuki a thank you text in the morning.

can you fucking BELIEVE this took me a month to write. no but seriously work and life have been beating my ass like so bad but i really wanted to post this so i hope you enjoy :3 better late than never right AHAHA also there isn't gonna be a part 2 so pls do not ask me i will cry. choso pt 3 might be in the works IDK IDKKKKKK but thank you love you beanie out mwah

@webism @gojoscinnamonroll @yemmuis @xixflower @xxsapphirescrollsxx

[darkcherryharry]

praise you like i should

singer!harry x you wordcount: 4.2k summary: y/n is on tour with Harry but it's impossible to find a moment alone, so Harry works something out contains: smut, fingering, exhibitionism - let me know if i should tag anything else! a/n: this is my first harry x reader fic so i hope you enjoy!! 🍒

It wasn't often when Harry was on tour that you guys got a night to yourselves.

Y/n had gotten used to the hectic schedule - bus, plane, car, concert, car, bus, over and over. You had no idea how he did it, how he kept himself together with all the red eye flights and delays and people hustling him everywhere. In addition to all of that, he was performing nearly every night and giving it his all.

It was admirable, really. Your boyfriends commitment to his job. It was hard enough just accompanying him for a month on his tour across America, you felt, let alone being 'on' basically all of the time.

The problem was... it was hard to be intimate. When he was off tour it was amazing. He'd come and stay at your apartment whenever he could, book weeks for you two to reconnect, find each other - explore one another's bodies and remember what made you feel good.

But on tour there were people everywhere - constantly. Any minute you thought you could grab him, someone else was taking him somewhere. For clothes fittings, for sound check, for an interview.

Even at night it was impossible. Y/n and Harry got the double bed at the back of the bus, sure, but his band and crew slept no further than a metre away and heard the creak of the mattress if you so much as rolled over.

Harry was tired too, which was understandable. You could still sneak in kisses, of course, and he was always pulling you into his lap and being affectionate when he could.

It just wasn't enough.

So the other week you stood your ground. You told Harry about your frustrations and he did that sweet little empathetic pout as soon as he realised something was up and you were serious about it.

He kissed over your face until you were smiling again, then whispered the promise of him finding a night for just the two of you as soon as he could manage it. As he touched the curve of your waist he promised his assistant would be right on it, and if there was anything else you needed you were to just let him know.

A few days later, Harry's assistant let you know that they'd got you both a room in a hotel on a concert-free day, instead of you guys having to share the bus with everyone else.

You started to plan immediately. What you were going to wear, what you two would have for dinner. A concert free day was ideal because he wouldn't be too tired, which meant you could hopefully keep him up half the night worshipping your body like he loved to do.

Then finally the day came. You'd dressed in a matching bra and panties, purely because he loved it when you wore a set, and even decided to put on a figure hugging dress so when you were at the hotel restaurant he could start to think about all the ways he'd love to touch you.

You were just finishing your makeup - light enough that it wouldn't get wiped off on the pillow when he was fucking you into the bed but enough coverage so that you looked like you'd put a bit of effort in - when you heard the bus door open.

Harry had just returned from... something, who could say, you weren't really paying attention because you were far more focussed on when he was returning back to the bus.

You got up and slipped your shoes on, fluffing your hair into shape before centring yourself and heading out into the main part of the bus to greet your lover.

Only... it wasn't just Harry. It was Harry and the rest of his band and a few members of the crew who seemed to be... settling themselves in on the couch? What the fuck?

You turned to Harry and found him grinning, wandering over to you on instinct and grinning at his friends before turning to look at you properly.

Once he caught sight of you his eyes widened, clearly taking in your outfit and the effort you'd put into your appearance.

"Woah," he breathed quietly, coming even closer and looking behind himself at his friends, almost as if he wanted to put his body between them and yours as his hand came to rest on your waist. "What's all this about?"

You furrowed your brow up at him, crossing your arms over your chest and trying not to lean into his touch like you normally would.

"We have a date, H. We've got a room booked and a table at the restaurant?" Y/n reminded him.

Emotions flickered across Harry's face, from surprise to shock and concern before he quickly fished his phone out of his pocket, presumably scrolling for his calendar to check.

"Holy shit Y/n, I didn't-" he stammered, flicking through and seeming to get his answer before trying to tug you closer. You didn't want to budge but you did, letting your stomachs press together as his hand spanned your lower back.

"Fuck. It's an anniversary of a close family member of Mitchie's dying. I promised we'd watch a movie together, as a band," Harry whispered.

You melted, just a little, because Harry's loyalty to his friends and his willingness to comfort them was one of the reasons you were with him. He was so kind and caring - it was just rough when it was at your expense.

"Is it okay if we just watch summat with them, then go? I'll make you a snack here if you want, push the restaurant booking back a bit, then I'll make it up to you in the hotel room," Harry suggested, his tone turning a little darker towards the end of his sentence as his fingertips dug in to your side.

You still had your hands crossed between your bodies, trying to keep your pout as if you wouldn't be coerced so easily, but when Harry stooped down to kiss on your neck you sighed, tilting your head to the side to allow it.

"Fine. But you have to call your assistant to fix it," you allowed. Harry kept kissing your neck slowly, using the hand that wasn't dangerously low on your back to scoop your hair out of the way so he had more room to work.

"Of course," Harry insisted like it was obvious, making a small noise in the back of his throat. "You look fucking incredible, by the way,"

You rolled your eyes at his obvious flirting, tutting at him before gently pushing at his chest to get him off of you.

"Yeah, well. You don't get to enjoy it until we're on our date, so," you insisted to him, giving him the evil eyes before leaning closer to benevolently give him one peck on the lips. "Go sort it out,"

You left your boyfriend standing there a little dumbfounded as you turned to head back to your room on the bus, instantly taking off the shoes if you were going to stay in before grabbing one of his hoodies to put over the dress.

It looked a bit weird, but, all you were going to do was sit there for an hour or so until the movie finished, so it hardly mattered. It was just Harry's mates. Your mates too, now, since you'd lived on the bus for so long.

You sighed to yourself before heading back out to the common area, heading for Harry and letting him tug you into his lap, like he always did, watching everyone fuss over selecting what movie to watch and dimming the lights and closing the curtains so you could all actually see the screen.

Harry located a blanket to throw over the pair of you just as the opening credits started, so you sighed despite yourself and settled in, Harry adjusting himself so he was comfy beneath you and you were both tucked nicely into the corner.

It was only a few minutes later, after the opening scene, that Harry fidgeted again. He wasn't a big fidgeter but you ignored it, just moving with him and wondering if he was uncomfortable to have you on his lap. He wasn't usually, so, you just settled down again and relaxed back against him.

After a few more subtle movements you felt Harry's hands slide under the blankets, moving as slow as anything until the both secured themselves on your hips.

He gripped firmly, sliding you gently across his lap until instead of sitting sideways you were a bit more square, your back flat against his chest and stomach. That wasn't the most interesting part though.

What was the most interesting part was his cock felt half hard, and he'd just moved you directly on top of it. It was hard to properly tell, but if it was, it was definitely an intriguing development.

You turned your head to look at him curiously but he just kept looking at the television, though a small smirk was toying at the corner of his lips that seemed to stack up as evidence.

To test your theory you shifted just slightly, making sure to rock your hips and trying to feel through the fabric if that was really what was going on.

Harry's breath caught just slightly, his hands gripping your hips to still them before his fingers walked slowly down your thighs. He got to the hem of your dress and ever so carefully started pulling it up your body, exposing inches of skin under the blanket.

You moved to hold the edge of the blanket securely, the only thing keeping any sense of decorum for the pair of you now and you cautiously eyed your lap to make sure his wandering hands weren't obvious.

They didn't seem to be, even when he pulled the dress completely out from under your arse so the hem sat near your navel. Beneath the blanket you were just in your panties, and now with that extra layer removed you could feel that was definitely his cock and it seemed to be getting harder by the second.

You weren't sure what Harry's end game here was. Did he just want you to know he was hard? Was it going to go further? The thought of him continuing to up the ante caused the first gentle throb of interest in your pussy, and though you were unsure of the outcome you knew you were definitely down for the ride.

"This okay?" Harry whispered near silently into your ear. He spoke on the other side from where everyone else was, so took the liberty of sucking on your earlobe and giving it a tiny nip for good measure,

You nodded, too scared to talk because you could feel your pussy start to get wetter from the attention Harry was giving you.

"Good girl," he whispered, kissing behind your ear this time and pressing his nose in. He always liked the smell of your shampoo, he told you, so he was definitely getting his fix.

Harry's hands started to move again, this time off of your body but you could feel beneath your arse that he was dragging the fabric of his joggers down his thighs, just enough so that all that separated you were his boxers and your panties.

He then grabbed what he could of the side of your arse and your upper thigh and pulled them aside, spreading your cheeks and thighs just wide enough for his cock to slot neatly up between them.

You wondered if the throbbing you could feel was from your own blood rushing to make you wetter, or from his heartbeat coming through his cock.

The whole situation just felt so illicit. His friends were right there - Sarah's thigh was mere inches from Harry's. It was so likely you guys would get caught if you made the wrong move, but - you trusted Harry. You could work together to pull this off.

You rocked yours hips slowly, clenching just a bit in your pelvic floor and with your arse cheeks to hopefully give Harry some small stimulation. You figured the key wasn't to move too fast, make your movements slow and purposeful, like Harry was doing.

Harry's hands went exploring again, sliding over your bare thighs before heading up to play where the band of your panties cut across your hips. His finger tucked underneath and ran around to the front of your pubic bone, ghosting the skin just lightly before running back around to your hip.

It almost felt too much to bear to pretend to watch the movie so you tipped your head back against Harry's shoulder, turning your head to press your nose in against his neck.

He smelt like his usual sweet self, his Gucci perfume lingering on his skin and the soap he favoured giving him a fresh scent. You hesitated for a moment before pressing a kiss to the soft skin, judging his reaction before kitten licking and nipping the pale expanse.

That got a reaction, his cock pressed firmly against your cunt twitching upwards, like it wanted to get inside you.

The thought almost made you groan, the idea of Harry reaching his hand between your legs, pulling your panties to the side and sinking his cock deep inside of you. You knew you were wet enough already to take him, and with how wet you felt you wondered if Harry could feel it through his underwear.

You bit your lip to stop any noise coming out, instead slowly exhaling and shifting your weight again, trying to make it as subtle as possible so no one got suspicious.

Harry's hands came up under your hoodie now, over your dress as he felt the curves of your waist, his fingers running up until they each got a hold of your breasts and he gave a emphatic squeeze. You light pulled at your hoodie to disguise where his hands were travelling, thankful it was Harry's so it was baggy on you.

His hand reached inside of the fabric of your dress and he fumbled a little over your bra, clearly trying to work out what cut it was so he could get a hand in before managing to access some skin to skin contact and zoning in on your already hard nipple.

Harry pinched it lightly, much lighter than he normally would but that was because he knew that you were likely to cry out. Instead he scooped as much of your boob into his hand as he could and ran the bud of your nipple back and forth between his thumb and forefinger, twisting it agonisingly slowly and it started to get hard to remain in control.

All you could do was hope no-one would look at you, because you were red faced and all your lipgloss had probably come off from biting your lips to keep quiet.

"You're so fucking wet for me, Y/n," Harry whispered into your ear, flexing his thighs enough to press his cock up firmly against you, and you could feel the damp gusset of your panties were now entirely soaked through. "Can I touch?"

You allowed yourself to part your lips, closing your throat so no moans came out and nodded, squirming just a bit but making sure that your pussy stayed like a magnet to his cock. The hot pressure was the only thing grounding you, reminding you not to cry out.

"Careful," Harry warned, kissing the side of your head. "Gotta be good. Gotta be so quiet for me," Harry insisted.

You took a slow, deep breath in to fill your lungs before letting it out slowly, settling something deep within yourself before you nodded again. You could do this.

Harry seemed to be following your train of thought as his hands had paused their explorations, but once you settled and relaxed he kept one hand inside your bra on your tit to gently flick your nipple, and the other slid down your front.

Once it reached the top of your panties he didn't dive under, instead sliding two fingers down between your legs and over the fabric, sinking them low and curling them inwards between your pussy and his cock.

You heard a small aborted noise he made in his throat, knowing he was turned on from feeling how wet you were for him. You wanted to spread your legs properly to allow him full access but knew you couldn't so kept your thighs where they were so he had to work for it.

His fingertips pressed and probed lightly between your lips before he skated closer to your thigh, finding the edge of the panties and pushing them to the side as he managed to finally gain access.

You tensed your ab muscles to stop your moan this time, your jaw clenched as the tips of Harry's fingers slid back and forth against your labia, and you were unsure if he was trying to find his way in or just tease you.

Either way it was driving you mad, you could feel how slick you were and he wasn't doing a thing to help it. You wanted to stick something in your mouth, your hand or at this point a pillow or anything within reach, because it was so hard not to moan in pleasure and let him know you wanted more.

"Get ready," Harry whispered to you, and before you had a chance to ask what for, his two fingers slid as deep inside of you as they would go, and without your permission your back arched and your hips cantered down to get them even deeper.

Your mouth fell open again, thankfully still silent as he curled his fingers and you could have sworn you heard how wet you are when the movie suddenly went quiet. His fingers paused inside you and you held yourself rigid, almost clenching down on his fingers to keep him from moving before the noise picked back up and you relaxed.

You both seemed to know it was too high risk for him to thrust his fingers in and out of you, but it was almost more excruciating the way he was just slowly curling them around in a 'come here' motion, not leaving the current depth and staying deep inside you.

"That's it baby," Harry whispered, his fingers running over your clit from the inside as if he knew exactly where it was. He probably did. He took your pleasure seriously, taking the first few months of your relationship to seriously learn your body.

You'd never been with someone who could make you come like Harry did.

Your breathing was starting to get laboured but you focussed on trying to make it calm and steady, but every time you thought you got it under control Harry's fingers would distract you.

He kept that up for a while and you finally felt like you'd maybe got a handle on your reaction, like you could withstand this pleasure and not make it known to everyone else, but then you felt his hand leave your bra.

It snaked down your body too, pulling your dress up so it was properly out of the way before reaching in between his other hand and your body, and you knew you were doomed.

Keep quiet, you insisted to yourself in your head, shutting your eyes as Harry's finger slid down your mound and straight for your clit.

"Gonna make you come. Can you stay quiet?" Harry whispered to you. His fingertip on your clit was just a light press at the moment, but his fingers inside you were still doing their same practiced motion, only slightly speeding up.

You didn't know if you could keep quiet, you weren't sure, but you were so turned on that you weren't going to say no. You blinked your eyes open to look at Harry, parting your lips to speak before his finger on your clit swiped ever so gently across it and your eyelids fluttered.

"Yeah?" Harry asked you softly, using two of his fingers to spread your lips so he had better access and then tapping your clit directly, just another teasing touch.

"Yeah," you whispered back, giving him the permission he needed. That you needed, because you needed this orgasm. It had been so long, and this was maybe one of the hottest things he'd ever done for you.

"Good girl," Harry reassured you, giving you a peck on the lips. The affection surprised you, purely since you were sitting with your friends, but you supposed that wasn't that out of the ordinary if both of his hands weren't currently in your panites.

"Oi, lovebirds," one of boys called out when yours and Harry's lips came apart with a small smack noise. You felt your cheeks turning bright red, wondering if you'd been caught with Harry almost literally red handed, but when you glanced to check you found no-one was looking at you or him.

"Sorry mate," Harry replied, his finger dipping lower than your clit to collect some of your wet before it came back up, starting to turn slow circles like you liked. "Can't help it. She's gorgeous,"

The fact that Harry was fingering you whilst talking to his mates about how pretty you were probably shouldn't turn you on, but it absolutely did, so you just thudded your head back against his shoulder and decided this was all Harry's fault if you accidentally gave it away. He was too good at what he did.

Your clit is sensitive and he knows it, so he keeps it light start with even though you're already swollen and throbbing. You can feel it pulse, wondering if Harry can feel it on his fingers or even against his cock, that was surely drenched by now from all of Harry's ministrations.

As he sped up his action on your clit you gripped the blanket tighter, squirming as small as you could and trying to take it. You imagined you were pinned down by Harry, the imaginary weight of his hands on your hips trying to keep you stable, or maybe he'd tied you up so you couldn't move.

That wasn't a thought that had crossed your mind before, but given this whole situation was happening, maybe Harry was into kinky kinds of things like that and him tying you up wasn't that out of the question.

You started to feel the pressure build low in your stomach, knowing you were close but having no way of communicating that to Harry. You started to tense your muscles for your release, deciding at the last moment to turn your head and bite Harry's neck, deciding it was the least he could do to help you muffle your orgasm.

Little did you know Harry was timing your pleasure to the movie, so when the stimulation on your clit got near unbearable you felt yourself start to let go, an almighty noise filled the bus from the TV and thankfully managed to disguise your muffled cry, your back arching your hips into his fingers as your clit throbbed rapidly.

It was a long one, coming in shocking waves as your pussy clenched around his fingers inside of you, and he diligently kept up his motions just the way you liked to keep your orgasm rolling as long as possible.

You felt your body start to relax after a long couple of seconds, your hearing coming back and his fingers starting to feel overstimulating as you started to come down.

You realised your mouth was attached to Harry's neck still, so you unlatched your jaw and winced as you saw the teethmarks you'd left. Ah well, serves him right, for doing this to you.

Since he was still going, albeit slower, you reached down under the blanket to rest a warning hand on his arm, telling him to stop or you really would squirm right out of his lap.

Harry was obedient and stopped his ministrations, leaving his fingers still inside you but removing the others from your clit almost immediately.

"You're so fucking amazing," Harry gushed into your ear, his free hand moving around your waist so he could pin you in a tight squeeze, doing nothing to help you catch your breath but you felt warm with the praise.

"I know," you whispered back smugly, sharply inhaling when he wiggled his fingers inside of you and rolling your eyes when he smirked.

"I'm gonna worship you in that hotel room. Do you think we can skip dinner?" Harry replied, gently slipping his fingers out from your cunt and making you shudder at the loss.

"No, just 'cause you're impatient doesn't mean I'm not getting fed," you responded, because now that you'd come you didn't see the harm in making him wait. All the more time for him to worship you, actually.

"Shhh," someone insisted to you both, so you shut up, glancing around one more time to make sure no-one caught you, but didn't seem to be the case.

When you turned back to Harry your jaw dropped, seeing him with his two fingers in his mouth and sucking on them like it was his favourite meal. He winked when he found you looking, parting his lips to run his tongue between the two digits in a way that seemed like a promise.

If he was lucky, you'd let him keep it.

[afriendofblahaj]

I literally just had a fucking meltdown over this because I’m dangerously close to failing a class. It’s not about being “upset that it’s too hard” it’s that I feel like every purpose, ever goal I have in life is crashing down around me, and my parents, the people who are supposed to support me, their only response is to tell me how important it is that I don’t fail, and also that “it will be fine if you were to just stop playing video games.” They refuse to see if I want to do anything other than be perfect at school, they refuse to actually help me combat the stress and anxiety that I’m feeling, and they barely even acknowledge that it exists (at one point even telling me they didn’t think I cared enough about it, right after I got so distressed and angry about it).

And the worst part for me: it’s not even the material being covered in the class. Without going on about the whole structure of this class, exams are incredibly important for it, and I did absolutley terribly on them. I, like many other neurodivergent kids, do so much worse on exams than on other demonstrations of knowledge because of the format. However, because I always just quickly grasped certain topics at a young age, it was never addressed, if it was even noticed, and my peers attitude towards me (which borderlines on bullying) made me feel like I could never bring it up myself, because who was I to try and say tests are hard and awful when I’m getting a 95% and everyone else is in the 70s to 80s. So it never got adressed. I also have never learned how to take notes, and even though I’ve tried to start, I’m not looking forward to continuing. I have terrible study habits, and it’s so so hard to learn them so late.

It’s even worse tonight because I’ve been getting uni acceptance letters this past week, and while it’s a healthy mix of rejections and acceptances, everyone in my life has told me they are “sure I’ll get in” to every school on my list, so when I got rejected from my dream school MIT, I didn’t immediately feel sad, because I have a few other options which have already accepted me, but I don’t fucking know how to tell everyone else. The fear of disappointing them is worse than the feeling of not getting into the school, even though I did genuinely want to go there. I don’t know how to tell them that uni is just the next step for me, and I don’t even know what I want to do with my life because I’ve been pushed into a box. I’ve always felt like I have to do huge things, but the longer life goes on the less I want that. The more I just want to settle into a comfortable place with friends and people who understand. Maybe I’m overreacting because of a few setbacks in my life, but these last few days feel like the pedestal that everyone in my life has put me on is crumbling down, and the fall fucking hurts. I never asked to be treated like this, my interest in space, math, physics, and computers isn’t about being good at school or getting a good job, it’s something I genuinely just enjoy doing, and comes naturally to me. It hurts me to my core how many people resonate with the things above this post, because no one deserves to go through these things.

people misunderstand what ‘gifted kid’ actually means but it’s ok it’s fine it’s cool it’s good

[controld3vil]

SO PROUD OF YOU

pairing: sinister invincible x villain!reader

synopsis: You had reasons for everything you did. Letting Mark was one of them.

notes -> the finale was crazyyy reader has invisibility powers and can create force fields cw: canon typical violence, exes to enemies trope, angst, post-break-up, foreshadowing (if you caught it)

The first realization that the world may never get better came when you witnessed the brutal fight between Mark and his father, Omni-Man. You had been a superhero for as long as you could remember, once standing side by side with Mark before he became Invincible. You knew him before he was the symbol of hope the world would come to depend on. He had always admired you, and you believed that you would make the world a better place with him by your side. 

But that all changed when Invincible fought against Omni-Man in a violent and brutal battle that left cities in ruins and innocent lives lost in the crossfire. You watched as the father and son clashed, unable to reconcile their differences and the destruction that followed fell personal.

It wasn’t just that fight that shook you though – it was Mark’s unwillingness to take the hard, necessary steps to protect Earth from those who would harm it. You found yourself growing more and more frustrated with his hesitation, his refusal to do what was necessary. You had always believed in his potential to be the hero that the world needed, but after everything that happened, you started to wonder if that potential was holding him back. 

It all came to a head one day when you confronted Mark after another failed attempt to stop a threat – Angstrom Levy. The villain had managed to escape yet again after Mark had spared his life in a moment of mercy. The destruction and chaos Levy had caused was like an endless cycle and Mark’s reluctance to finish it once and for all fueled your frustrations. 

“Mark, why didn’t you just finish it? Angstrom Levy – he’s gone again, and you’ve given him the chance to hurt more people, maybe even your family. You had him! You had the chance to stop everything and you just let him!” You voiced, frustrated. 

Mark shakes his head, trying to explain. “I couldn’t. He’s not like… I can’t just kill someone in cold blood, even if he’s a threat. I don’t want to be that kind of person.”

Your eyes narrowed down at him, a bitter tone escaping your mouth. “And what about all the people he’s hurt? What about the families he destroyed? What about all the lives he’s endangered? You don’t think your mercy is just another way of allowing people to get hurt?” These bitter and gnawing thoughts pile up from your subconscious as you step forward. “You can’t keep fighting with this idea that everyone can change. Some people don’t deserve a second chance.”

He looks at you and looks away hesitantly. “I... I don’t want to be like my dad.”

“Look around, Mark. The world is falling apart, and you’re trying to hold onto this.. this naive idea that mercy will fix everything. Wait until another intergalactic being invades Earth, and then what?” You scoff, with a bitter laugh, offended by his reasoning. “The only way for us to survive is to take matters into our own hands. And if killing those who deserved it to keep us safe, then it’s worth it.” 

Mark’s eyes open wide, voice trembling in disbelief. “Wait.. what? No… no, why would you say that?”

“Because it’s true and you know it!” You raised your hands, frustrated. “You can’t save everyone, Mark. It’s not until Angstrom comes back with more little tricks up his sleeve and then? More lives will be gone, cities, towns, more people will die.”

“You can’t be serious.” 

“I am. And the sooner you understand this, the sooner you’ll realize how all of your failures to finish the job cost lives.” Your eyes are hardening, voice is absolutely in every fiber of your body. Having known each other for a long time, you rarely argued with Mark. But this was one of the very few instances where it was needed. Mark’s world has been the same since he got his powers. He still couldn’t grasp the consequences of his actions. Every time he wanted to negotiate with a villain or talk it out was a waste of time. 

“I thought you were better than this, Mark.” You stared at him in disbelief. “I can’t– We can’t do this anymore.”

“No– no.” He gripped both of your hands, terrified of the thought of you leaving – giving up on him. “You can’t just give up on us.”

“Why can’t I?” You snapped. “Mark… I don’t want to argue with you every time I see you. This isn’t healthy.”

“Oh really? Says the person who made a deal with The Order!” You thrashed your arms away from Mark, knowing he would bring it up sooner or later.

“At least they understand–”

“Oh, I understand.” You can feel his intense stare at the back of your head, hoping – pleading with you to turn around to see the truth. “You’d rather get involved with criminals than help me fight whatever alien or extraterrestrial creature that is trying to invade Earth!”

No words were spoken from either of you. It felt as though all of the frustrations the two of you built between one another had spilled out into the room. The tension lingers, and you hold onto it like a buoy to a ship in a stranded sea. 

“This is never going to end, Mark.” You whispered, picking up his exhausted sigh from all the shit you’ve pulled. “What I’m doing with The Order has done more good than GDA in the last month. Face it, we’re never going to work.” When you finally turn to look at him, the first reaction you felt was sorrow. Because Mark looks distraught and almost willing to give everything up. He’s always had a strong heart but seeing him so broken and emotional, all because of you was enough to break your heart into a million pieces. 

Both of your hands cupped his face, your thumbs tracing the fallen tears. “Let me go.”

“No–”

“I mean it, Mark.” You give him a weak smile, attempting to lighten the mood. “After everything we’ve been through, I can’t keep following you down this path of mercy you always talk about. Because the world just got a lot bigger and I can’t avoid losing you because you can’t fucking kill.”

Your name slips out as a desperate plea. “If– If I go down that path, I’ll just be like my dad… I can’t…” 

“I’m not asking you to.” You hummed, with a smile never reaching your eyes. “All I want is for you to let me go.” 

And he did and you fucking cried over it. 

For a while, you went AWOL on Cecil and the GDA. You didn’t answer their calls and ignored every chance they visited your door. Cecil was mad – disappointed in your resignation because ultimately you were a great asset, he might even say you were one of the good ones. The ones that didn’t question his intentions and moved on with the job, because in your heart, you knew this was for the greater good. He’d guessed along the lines of catastrophe after catastrophe, you couldn’t handle the pressure. 

Mark did you a favor by never giving any information about you. He prevailed with his promise and continued to fight bad guys and help the Guardians. But after your disappearance, he felt you left a hole in his heart. 

Even if he couldn’t call you, news about Invincible followed you everywhere, even underground. 

“So Invincible caught you.” 

“Yeah, how many times do I have to tell you?” Your new acquaintance with Multi-Paul was still fresh and annoyingly frustrating to work with. Your boss, Titan, had close ties with Master Liu, Paul’s boss and crime lord. “He was an asshole.”

“Hey,” As you stood up from the chair, standing opposite of Paul. Titan told you specifically that Paul needed to be broken out, simply because Mister Liu insisted on it. He had more power over Titan and that made him paranoid about what he was able to do. So he consoled you, hoping you would be able to compromise with Paul to lay low for a bit longer before you decided to help him break out. “I just need you to postpone this a bit longer. Titan–”

“I don’t negotiate with Titan. I work for Mister Liu and when he says I’m out, I’m out.” The assassin scoffs, dangling his carbon seal handcuffed to prove his point. “I don’t work for you so whatever your boss told you to do, it won’t work on me.” 

“Stop being an asshole for a second and listen.” You sneered, slamming your palm against the metallic table separating the distance between you two. “All Titan asks is to wait a few more days. That’s all, and then he and I will break you out. Mister Lie agreed to this.”

“I gotta hear it from him then,” He mockingly grins, as he senses how thin your temper is getting. But in the end, you knew he was messing with you. So as you prepare to leave, he says another thing. “And while you’re out there, give my thanks to Invincible. I’ll be waiting for my rematch.” 

You rolled your eyes, not even taking a glance at the inmate before leaving the premises. 

Titan called you on the premises when it happened. When the world went to shit and buildings started collapsing. You barely left your home, understanding what it all meant. You lived in the city and witnessed firsthand what kind of chaos these enemies were capable of. As you rushed past frightened citizens, you watched as a quick flash of yellow zoomed past another building. 

“Don’t worry about me, kid. For now, just focus on helping the people move out of the city. The heroes can’t handle this all by themselves.” You gripped your phone against your ear, as you slowed your jog, looking back and forth where to go. Your mind was racing so fast like on a race track. 

“What about you, boss?!” You urged. 

“I got it under control. Look, watch your head, and contact the others. We need to make it out of this alive.” Titan reassures desperately and hangs up. You stare at the blank screen with frustration. The others? They’re probably dead by now, how are you supposed to contact anyone? 

Seeing humanity crumble so easily made you feel a bit sentimental. It reminded you back to why you got into the superhero business in the first place. Initially, you believed your powers were a gift from grace. As fate chose you to help and save others when times were tough. To a point, your parents and the GDA supported that theory when you joined the task force at the ripe age of twelve. You didn’t know back then but you were setting yourself up for failure the moment you decided to become a superhero. 

Because being a superhero was not always stars and rainbows. You became a prolific figure alongside the Guardians of the Globe and Teen Team. You were always under mentorship by one of the heroes, acting as a sidekick for the day. And eventually, when you got older, you outgrew the program and began to serve the GDA full-time. 

There were small instances where the GDA offered you a civilian life, such as going to public school, allowing you to pursue your interests and take courses that would benefit your abilities. That was how you met Mark. But the fact was he knew you before you officially became a superhero. You both came from the same elementary school, passing mutual greetings ongoing to high school. At some point, you both hit it off and became something more.

Up until Mark got his powers. 

Part of you wished you hadn’t met Mark at all to prevent this type of awkward tension. Because now you can’t even look him in the eye without remembering your last conversation and saying goodbye. 

But you also have to remind yourself that breaking off with Mark was the reason for your fight for the greater good. You joined The Order and now under the mentorship of Titan, you saw what real cruelty was amongst the streets. 

Even now, as you pushed off massive boulders for people to get through to the other side, you had hoped to find another one of your associates somewhere in the middle of this mess. Smog, smoke, and fire lingered everywhere no matter where you turned. You couldn’t see straight without brushing the particles aside with your hands. The hot smell of roasted corpses was unbearable but also a reminder that the perpetrator was nearby. You could sense something, flying past you any second. 

In a quick splash of yellow, you thought you saw Mark. But you knew your mind was playing tricks on you. He didn’t wear the typical yellow, black, and blue suit anymore, not after his fight with Omni-Man. But the figure was zooming in fast velocity, you were sure it was him. 

“You can’t just stay away from danger, can you?” 

You didn’t want to believe it but even with dust flying everything – your bloodied combat outfit and exhaustion creeping up into your body, you wanted to believe it was your mind playing tricks on you. But it wasn’t that simple. There he was, Mark– Invincible hovering over you feet above the ground, arms crossed with a completely stoic expression. 

His attire, with alternating colors of yellow and black, made him stand out like black lettering on white paper. He was intimidating, exuded dominance, and stared down at you like a piece of meat. You didn’t know how to feel about it. 

“You’re not him.” You sneered, taking a few steps backward to relay the distance between you further. 

“No, I’m not.” He lowers himself, only now barely touching the street floor. His goggles shield you from his real expression, what he’s really feeling. It makes you queasy, sick to your stomach to the anticipation of what he wanted from you. To him, you might just be another insect, ready to be squashed. 

“What do you want?” You already knew he could feel your heart beating faster. Your heightened sense, your shaky hands – all of those symptoms made you feel like cattle to a butcher shop ready to be slaughtered. Was he going to play with his food? 

“Never thought I’d see another you.” He clenched his fists together. “It’s a shame, you had to go out like that.” 

“I don’t want to know,” you scoffed, without thinking you lowered yourself into a defensive position. “Look, whatever you and I had in your world doesn’t exist here. And right now you’re trespassing.”

“Trespassing? Is that what you call it?” This time, this Invincible cracks a smile, a reflection of cruel mockery. “Listen I thought about killing you all over again from the moment I stepped foot into this god-awful universe. But now?” You take a slow breath, slowly anticipating the worst. “Now, I’m kinda enjoying this version of you. Not naive or fragile, god you’re nothing alike.” 

“I could say the same.” You glared at him, warning him of the next words he anticipates saying. “And unlike him, you’re actually willing to kill people.”

“Really?!” He sounds genuinely surprised, almost chuckling. “He sounds pathetic.”

At that, you can grind a little. “The Mark from this world couldn’t finish the job of killing Angstrom, and now look at it.” You glance at all of the burning bodies and buildings his doppelganger has made. 

“And out of everyone, I didn’t expect you to be so happy about it.” There’s a smirk on his face, as his teasing is the only thing bringing you down. “You know, back in my world, you’d be the first to resist this kind of control. Always complaining about innocent lives and humanity–”

“Well, I’m nothing like her.” As if you were insulted by the fact he was even bringing that version of you. “Are you here to kill me or not?”

“Nah, I wouldn’t do that.” He could if he wanted to. But for some reason, this version of Mark was much more sinister. He had this kinda taunting tone about him. Even when destruction and chaos surrounded him, he didn’t care. He was looking at you like prey. All this time, you’ve been trying to stall and keep yourself alive. “Torturing you sounds so much better.”

“So what’re you waiting for?”

Then you disappear from the cool sensation of disappearing from the world around you. The air felt heavier, but you were hidden. You can hear him, his every movement amplified by your heightened senses. The sounds of his boots scraping against the cracked asphalt made you shiver, he hadn’t moved but was scanning the perimeter. You couldn’t have gone far, with your abilities, he knew you were trying to stall for time. You were like a ghost, slipping through the cracks and seams. 

He lets out a cold chuckle, as if knowing exactly where you are, though even he couldn’t see you. “You really think you can hide from me?” His tone was colder, sharper.

Without hesitation, he shot forward, his body spiraling forward with immense speed and precision. The air itself shuddered around him as he tore through it, a blur of power and rage. You shifted to the side, avoiding the devastating punch that would’ve shattered you in an instant. 

You almost tripped, momentarily visible, but before he could track your movements, you blurred out of sight again, leaving a singular trace of your presence. You were tense, terrified of his capabilities to kill you in an instant. Your heart was pounding out of your chest, and you were sure he could hear it from above. 

This was the first step, staying out of his sight. You peeked at him slowly, feeling the air shift with every movement he took. 

Suddenly, Mark stopped and turned his head, eyes narrowing. “I can feel you. You can’t be invisible forever.”

You slipped behind a crumbling pillar, fathering your focus. This time, you reappeared out of thin air. You summoned a force field, a shimmering wall of energy that surrounded you like an invisible shield. Your hand extended, and with a thought, you shaped it, making the force field extend outward as a curved barrier in front of you. 

Mark flew toward you, his body moving at lightning speed. Before he could land a punch, you activate the force field, raising between the two of you two. His fist collided with the barrier with an ear-splitting crack, as the force of the impact sent shockwaves through the air. He staggered back, his surprise evident as he gritted his teeth. 

“You think a wall will stop me?” he scoffed. 

You smiled, only slightly. “It’s not just a wall.”

You expanded the force field outward with a burst of energy, sending it toward him like a tidal wave. This caught him off-guard, knocking him backward and sending him crashing into a pile of rubble. He groaned, trying to push himself up. His arrogance was still there, knowing you’d just ticked him off. 

When he rose to his feet, you phased out of the visibility, disappearing again silently drifting through the air. You weren’t just hiding, you were waiting for the right moment. 

His eyes scanned the area. 

Before you could summon another force field, without warning, he shot his fist, punching through the air toward your previous position, hitting the ground with explosive force until there was nothing left in his path. Your invisibility faltered momentarily, revealing your position for a split second, just enough time for him to latch his eyes on you. 

And then he slammed his fist into you before you could react, sending you tumbling backward into the broken street. The blast shook your balance, your head spinning, yet you managed to summon a small force field just in time to shield you away from the debris and fall.  

“Had enough yet?” Sinister Invincible taunts, hovering above you. Even though you couldn’t see his eyes, you knew he was looking at you with distasteful disdain. “Or would you prefer I make it quick?” 

Before you could answer, a sickly distortion ripped through the air, warping space and time around you. The world seemed to twist in on itself, as your senses exploded, running in every single direction like being caught in the middle of a violent storm. Everything spun, everything shifted.

In a blaze of neon green, the city was gone. 

You felt the ground crack beneath you as you were swept away from your surroundings, pulled through space and time into an entirely different location. The world around you shifted, the landscape morphing and distorting like it was falling apart. You activate your force field instinctively, as you shield yourself from instant shifts. The change overwhelmed your senses, and your heart raced. Your breath caught in your throat as you looked around, disoriented.

There was nothing. The landscape was barren – cracked earth, shattered remnants of buildings, jarring metal from the ground like skeletons of a dead city. The sky was an eerie, sickly blue, the only thing you realized that was normal from this reality. There was no sign of life, only the depressive atmosphere. It was a world where hope had died long ago. 

“What the hell just happened?”

[cloudcountry]

SUMMARY: how they could make you worse.

WARNINGS: references to co-dependent relationships (kaito, lyca, towa), subaru's is a lil manipulative as always, references to violence (taiga), references to depression habits (ren), etc etc i think thats it.

COMMENTS: ok i wrote some Stuff in here. i would like to PREFANCE that this is your relationship with the tkdb boys at its worst. either someone isn't communicating in a way the other person can understand or your personalities just don't mesh well, and that is OKAY. these are just my thoughts and are by no means canon. so please do not yell at me in the tags i am just a silly ritsu kisser.

also i wrote this with the mc's personality in mind but its not Her yk.

Jin ruins your reputation. It isn’t his fault that Frostheim has sunk its teeth into you, making you the prime target of horrible gossip. It doesn’t matter what you say or do, you’ll end up shutting everyone else now. Nobody understands you but Jin, anyway.

Tohma makes you sneaky. You make so many secrets, standing by his side, that it's safer to lie than to be honest. You become someone who can’t trust not only the people around them, but themselves as well. Ironically, Tohma is your most trusted confidant, regardless.

Luca makes you complacent. You’re so used to having protection that you never learn how to stand up and defend yourself. You rely on his power and courage, allowing him to run into fight after fight, allowing him to carry the injuries you could have sustained for him.

Kaito builds your ego up and up and up until you begin to believe you really are the best. He does all of this while regularly putting himself down in front of you, which ends up draining you emotionally. At the end of the day, you end up spending all of your time with Kaito, reassuring him because you are his goddess and the only one who can.

Alan wants nothing more to protect you, but he knows deep down Vagastrom is going to get to you at some point. It happens one afternoon when he isn’t there to stop it, and all he receives is a text from Sho that reads “they’re in the pit.” He didn’t expect to come back and find you victorious, your body battered and bruised.

Sho seems like the perfect boyfriend on paper. And really, he isn’t the problem. It’s his inability to say no to Leo’s bets. Whether you like it or not, dating Sho means you have a massive target on your back, and Leo is aiming a shotgun at every single insecurity. You may end up becoming more self conscious under Leo’s constant scrutiny.

Leo comes with a large amount of problems, and that’s putting it lightly. He gets into pointless drama, both online and at school. He berates you at every turn. He makes you frustrated, gets you wrapped up in all of his bets, and if you become too complacent, he will take advantage of your kindness.

Haru makes you self deprived. You want to help him so badly, but it comes at a physical cost. You aren’t a ghoul. Waking up at 4am every morning and staying out til 9pm just isn’t feasible. You have a life, you have a job here. You need to rest. You can’t keep running around like Haru does...you just can’t.

Towa finds so much delight in being your protector. He said you were perfect, Dandelion! He’d do anything for you! You gradually slip further into his shadow as he becomes more and more defensive, hanging over you like a shadow just in case he needs to catch the next inconvenience. He does it because he loves you, you know?

Ren would rather not go outside if he can help it. If you don’t end up dragging him out, the two of you can very quickly become hermits who never see the sun. It’s so easy to get depressed and dehydrated and lose all of your social connections when you do nothing but watch movies with your boyfriend all day.

Taiga likes to give you adrenaline rushes. He’s reckless and impulsive, always dragging you into his schemes as he cackles about how much fun you’re having. It’s easy to forget that you’re actively sustaining injuries when you’re always running on adrenaline. Let’s hope he’s keeping an eye out for you.

Romeo does not trust many people to work with him. He often puts people beneath you on some level. If it gets to be too much, he can not only end up turning people against you, but shaping your own mindset into thinking that you’re better than them. Than everyone.

Ritsu makes you an even harder worker, to the point that a few of your social relationships may start to crumble. You don’t want to talk to anyone who isn’t a close friend anymore since all of your time is eaten up by him and your business partner ventures. It’s not like you mind, though.

Subaru isn’t as much of a pushover as he has people believe. He knows you know it too, he knows you can see the mischief in his face when he says something snarky about Haku and Leo as payback for something they said to him earlier. And although he’s always easier on Haku, he can feel you start to play his games. He didn’t want to get you involved, but if you’ve already caught onto his game, he might as well indulge you.

Haku would never lie to you, but he will also never tell you the truth. He hides what he truly thinks behind soft smiles and “it’ll be okay,” but you can never bring yourself to believe him anymore. You’re not foolish enough to trust someone blindly. Not again.

Zenji leaves you lonely. He’s always there, in the back of your mind, whispering sweet nothings into your ear while you sleep, but his hands just cannot reach you. He could sing to the whole world about how much he loves you and you would still be left wanting. It isn’t his fault, you know it isn’t. But it still aches.

Edward doesn’t tell you the blatant, honest truth half the time. He’s always masquerading, putting on a facade of playful innocence while he carries power that could obliterate you on the spot. You learn to be wary of the ghouls, to distrust them and keep them far away, because if Edward can threaten you, so can they.

Rui makes you jealous. He’s always flirting with other people like it’s instinctual. You long to be his and for him to be yours, but with how he acts you doubt he’s ready for commitment. So, you steam in your jealousy and fury, pushing Rui away in hopes of getting over him.

Lyca makes you more uncooperative. You don’t know how many of these people you can trust, especially since so many of them are nothing like you. It’s easier to never reach out, to stay behind, to stay with Lyca, so that he never has to worry about you leaving, and he will never leave you.

Yuri berates you at every twist and turn no matter what you do. You’ve seen him stretched to the end of his ropes, talking to himself while he works, murmuring about his mother, and yet it's like he doesn’t trust you at all. You feel disrespected, brushed off, and so deeply hurt. You doubt you will ever tear your walls down for someone that easily ever again. You won’t let anyone try like he did.

Jiro is blunt. He’s always been honest with you, but that can sometimes cause tension. He doesn’t seem to understand that sometimes, you really do just want to hear something nice, and not just scientific feedback. It makes your heart ache when he regards you so coldly. Where did you go wrong?

[draconym]

Nah. While growing up as a Weird Kid was hard, I don't really need accommodations as an adult in my thirties. I don't score particularly high on the RAADS (around 65 - 70) or other evaluation tools.

As a kid, I definitely would have scored higher. I couldn't stand wearing socks. I infodumped about birds at every opportunity. I talked like I had eaten a thesaurus. I couldn't switch tasks to save my life. I ate the same food every day (Lipton instant soup) for years. But I scored really high on standardized tests so nobody really saw the need to ask why I was such a strange kid. I lived with my grandparents and spent most of my time around old people who enjoyed my odd mannerisms and willingness to read them the newspaper.

Sure, I still find some textures and sounds gross. I love listening to the same song for two hours in a row. I cannot tell when people are lying to me out of politeness. But I also have a lot more control over my day to day life than I did as a kid. I don't have to wear clothes or do tasks I find uncomfortable. Infodumping is a key part of my job. Many of my friends are neurodivergent and those who aren't understand my quirks.

It wouldn't really change anything about my life if a doctor told me I am or am not autistic, so I don't really see a need for documentation or diagnosis. Sometimes people are also just kind of weird and it doesn't require categorization. Even if I'm not autistic, I believe in their beliefs (clear communication, pursuit of special interests, sensory seeking and sensitivity, etc).

My new coworker and I were just talking about our most dreaded Bad Texture Experiences and I mentioned that touching microfiber fabric makes me want to take off my hands and put them in the dishwasher, but that the next best thing is touching something else with a radically different texture, and that sometimes this makes me Weird in stores.

"Do you have a rock?" they asked, and then looked sort of embarrassed. "Or--not necessarily a rock, just, like--"

"Yeah, of course I have a rock," I said, and took my rock out of my pocket.

With relief, they said, "Oh, good. Me, too," and presented their own rock.

[a-super-cutie]

Persistence. Obsession. Persistently obsessed.

(Part 1 of 8) SFW chapter, MDNI, 18+ series

cecil stedman x female!superhero!reader

wc: 1,345

series synopsis: You and Cecil have started seeing each other but your jobs (mostly his) keep interrupting date after date. He clearly thinks this won't work for you, but how many times do you have to tell him how utterly head over heels you are for him?? Well, if telling won't work, maybe showing him will.

Masterlist ~~~ Next Part

Today was a day to celebrate. It’s been exactly three months since you and Cecil Stedman begun dating. If you could believe he’d even agreed on a first date in the first place.

You looked out your bedroom window, down at the bustling city below, and sighed. All those people, walking side by side, hand in hand, talking and laughing to their heart’s content and where was your boyfriend? At work. 

Work work work all day every day and you couldn’t even fault him for never seeing you. He’d set you up in this nice apartment (top floor), had all your food delivered right to your door weekly (if not daily when you ran out of your favorite items), and spent all his waking hours saving the world (or in saving-the-world related meetings with world leaders). 

Cecil Stedman was a busy man. And an important man. And most importantly, YOUR MAN. So why have you only seen him a total of five times in three months? Well, not counting all the times you’d seen him after beating up bad guys or in superhero meetings where you both had to pretend you couldn’t care less for each other.

“You can’t tell anyone we’re seeing each other… You know that right?”

“Yes, Cecil. I figured.”

“That doesn’t bother you? WON’T bother you? In the future?”

“NO!” You’d reassured him over and over you wouldn’t regret keeping your relationship a secret. “This is absolutely fine with me. Whatever you want.”

But he’d only sighed at that. “It’s not about what I want. We’re coworkers in a way… We need to remain professional. And I can’t be accused of having favorites and least of all have my actions questioned when it comes to you… You’re a conflict of interest now.”

You’d nodded. “Yes. I understand. Work comes first.”

“Exactly.”

His office turned quiet as you’d both sat with his answer to your most sudden of questions. Yes. He’d agreed to a date. But only a single date.

But that had been three months ago and it had gone great! You made him laugh - once - and he’d asked you out himself! Willingly! And that one had been even better! He’d smiled more, laughed twice at your dumb jokes, and asked for another. By the end of the third you’d given him a ‘tour’ of your dingy place - which ended with breakfast the morning after - and a day and a place was set for your fourth the day after that.

He’d surprised you with a “nicer” - you’d pieced together he meant safer - apartment, and you rolled your eyes at that considering your powers and the missions he’d personally sent you on. He helped you move a few boxes and you both left the rest up to the moving crew while he showed you around the neighborhood. 

He’d been just as nervous about surprising you with a new place as he’d been on your first date - in ways only someone who observed him closely could tell: scratching his neck, avoiding eye contact when it wasn’t socially necessary, and over-explaining the logistics of his actions with big words that flowed naturally. 

You’d hugged him and thanked him which took him by surprise and brought on one of the fakest throat-clearing coughs you’d ever heard and seen…but he’d patted your back and lead your around the block explaining the pros of living in these parts. It was as if you hadn’t spent half of the last date naked and cuddled in each other’s arms at night (you think, you fell asleep and stayed asleep soon after the 'deed' was done).

The end of that fourth date hadn’t ended in an impromptu 'house tour' because he’d been called away to a problem you weren’t needed with. It wasn’t until weeks later that you’d met up with him. Honestly, he’d seemed very surprised to see you in his office with food, even if you had specifically made a non-urgent totally reschedule-able appointment - you’d written that in the ‘detailed reason’ portion of the form - that he definitely knew about. 

"I figured since you’ve been too busy the last two months, I’d just schedule an appointment… That’s ok, right?”

He’d given you a small, weak smile and nodded his head. “Y-yeah. That works great… I-is that food for us?”

You’d nodded. “Yeah. Lunch for lucky date number five.” You’d taken a seat on the other side of the smooth desk and winced when the paper bags left a grease stain on the shiny surface.

He’d chuckled. “Is that what number we’re on?”

You both ate in silence. There wasn’t much to talk about this time. You’d wanted him to talk since he rarely did - not about his own life, anyways - but if you didn’t start the ball rolling he didn’t seem to have anything to say other that asking you questions about your personal life.

You answered the questions about yourself simply and short. You wanted to hear about him, not relive your own life - though he was a really good listener. You’d started to feel guilty about how you were acting when he’d spoken up finally.

“Listen…”

Oh oh.

“This can’t be what you wanted…”

You’d started to shake your head but he had continued before you could even think about talking.

“I’m not the ‘boyfriend’ type, as you’ve probably realized…”

“I really don’t mi-”

“You had to schedule a date with me, for god’s sake.” He’d pushed aside his burger and sighed. “Look. I wanted this to work. I thought I could make this - with you - work.” He'd sighed again and looked further down at his area, completely avoiding you and your breaking heart. “I’m sorry. My work - my LIFE - just doesn’t allow for this type of…”

Cecil's eyes had finally glanced back at you and widened when you were no longer sitting across from him. He’d turned to look up at you as you’d made your way around his desk.

Your fingers had found his chin and pulled it up as you leaned over. His lips had parted and you’d kissed him hard. Passionately. Desperately. You had licked the ketchup stain from the corner of his mouth and looked at him with eyes that made his breath hitch.

“I’ll have you any way you are. ‘Boyfriend material’ or not.” You’d smiled at his stunned face. He looked at you with a million questions in his eyes. With doubt. With insecurity you’d only just noticed. “I’d rather kiss these lips once in a blue moon than never at all.”

To top off your bold move you’d kissed his scarred cheek and retreated, waiting for his response.

He had let out a shaky breath and blushed. BLUSHED! “Ah…” he chuckled. “Kind of hard to rebuttal that.” He’d smiled wide when you giggled at that.

“Good. That was the whole point.” You’d taken your seat across from him again and picked up your burger.

He’d done the same. “But - “

You’d sighed and sat your burger down. “I’ll kiss you again. That’s a threat.”

“Ha. But seriously… We WOULD only see each other once in a blue moon… I mean I rarely get any time to myself. And you obviously want to keep this thing going despite my constant unavailability… But if… If you ever wanted to call things off I’ll understand. Just send me a memo.” He’d smiled like he was being funny. A real comedian as he sat in his fancy chair in his nice office in a big spacious room telling the woman he clearly liked she could dump him in a memo whenever she felt like.

Your heart had broken as the corners of his smile trembled and his eyes darted between your eyes in search of something he needed.

You smiled casually. “Will do, right after the memo about pigs flying.”

That last date was weeks ago. 

“But I have a plan!” you told your plants. “Cecil and I will go on a nice three day - “ you crossed your fingers, “- vacation. Simple. So simple. Easy.”

You swore a leaf wilted just then.

______________________________________________________________

Masterlist ~~~ Next Part

a/n: hope you enjoyed my first fic for Cecil Stedman :)

[dappled-sunlight-dap]

AO3 author here. I don't normally blog about fandom issues (or anything really) but it hit me close to home so I figured I'd share my two cents.

This actually happened to me! I put a work on hiatus for roughly nine months for multiple reasons, but a big part of choosing that one to shelve for a bit was because it got the least engagement.

I WRITE for myself, don't get me wrong. Everything I post is what I want to see. That's why I write fic! But I POST for community interaction. I wanna talk to folks about my fandom and get all excited and freak out with somebody. Otherwise, what's the point of making it public? Why not keep it to myself?

When you post and get no engagement, it can make you question why you're posting if you're getting the same result as you would from keeping it to yourself. It also makes one feel like slaving over it to make it as good as can be is too much effort for no return - why should I bother making it look nice when I can post a sloppy rush job and get the same result? It's also easy to lose confidence in yourself - do people like it? Hate it? Who knows? And it's just depressing and lonely. Fandom is a community!

I was a new author when I had this dilemma, and at the time I didn't realise that this was just a normal thing, so I took it personally and lost my confidence. That got combined with unrelated problems until I figured the fic was just too much trouble to deal with. I only posted for it again last month because a mutual told me they liked it and that made me happy.

Now that I'm more experienced, I know not to expect much engagement because that's simply how fandom is these days. I happily post my stuff knowing that probably nothing will happen, and I'm okay with that now. I'm just happy to post it! It's more peaceful, in a way - but that doesn't mean it shouldn't change. I can understand not leaving comments - maybe you're anxious/shy, or you're a guest on a fic where only registered users can comment. However, there is no excuse with kudos. Giving kudos is literally as easy as pressing a button. If you cannot be bothered to press a single button for a fic you love, why should an author bother to give you that fic in the first place? We will not know you are there otherwise.

Also, I've seen some folks say they don't leave comments because they're afraid the author will find it weird or get offended or that they feel like they have to post an essay. No! We LOVE comments! We love ALL comments! I have a reader who posts mostly heart emojis on every single chapter of another longfic of mine and I treasure every single one of those comments! This person takes the time to leave something that tells me they're having a good time, and it makes me happy to have somebody to engage with and freak out about a ship with! That is what fandom should be!

And every time they leave another string of heart emojis, a fire lights within me because somebody is enjoying it and telling me about it. I'm happy, they're happy, we're HAPPY!

What I'm trying to say is: fandom is about community. If there's no audience acknowledgement, there's no point in sharing in the first place. So tell your favourite authors how much you like their work! Press that kudos button! Leave that comment, even if it doesn't contain a single word! Hell, just leave a keyboard smash! They will love you for it, no matter how small the gesture is! And you'll love it even more when they make more of that work you cherish! Everybody wins!

"You have to become comfortable with the fact that most people who enjoy your fic will never bother to kudos or comment on it."

Shockingly, I am comfortable with this fact. Lack of kudos or comments doesn't bother me.

That doesn't mean it shouldn't change.

If you enjoy a fic, leave a kudos or a comment.

[kwisatzworld]

I’d like to know if you like this life. I love it so much because it’s a strange life, one you would never live unless you had a great passion for it. You have to let go of many habits you might have had before, like hanging out with your friends or going for a drink at a bar in the evening. You can forget about those things.

Why did Valentino choose you, out of all the friends he had? Maybe because we had a bit more of a connection. We were a tight-knit group of ten, but he and I had always had a good connection since we were kids. That’s the first reason. The second is that I worked for my father, so I wasn’t a factory worker, I was free. One day I told him, “Dad, I’m quitting because I’m going to work for Valentino!” And he was happy to let me do it. So, in practical terms, I had more possibilities. That’s how I started.

How would you define your role if you had to give it a name? What do you do? I don’t really like it when people say, “Uccio, Valentino’s friend?” I am Valentino’s friend, of course, but first and foremost, our friendship came before this job. My job, first of all, is to take care of the motorhome. Besides keeping it tidy inside, the motorhome is fifteen meters long, so it has its own needs. You have to take care of everything and clean it, it’s like a moving house. Just like at home, things can break, like the washing machine. I also drive it to races and tests, only I drive it. And only he and I sleep in it.

So you don’t stay in hotels? Let’s debunk this myth! No, absolutely not. Hotels are inconvenient. You have to wake up early every morning. We really like sleeping.

Maybe you stay up late? No, we go to bed early because there’s always a lot to do at the races, and there’s also some tension. I mean, we don’t go to bed super early, but not too late either. We don’t go out, we just stay in the motorhome, chat a bit, watch a movie… we just stay there.

Do you do any management work? Not really. But I do help take some stress off him. If someone comes asking for a photo, I know how to say no in a better way. I know what he wants, just one glance between us, and I understand what to do and what not to do. That’s my job. Anyway, every rider has an Uccio. Whether they are friends like we are, since we’ve been friends since we were five years old, maybe not everyone, maybe no one. But still, it’s a job.

Does friendship mix with work? For example, do you argue? Of course! We definitely argue, but not about work, just like two normal friends. Like, I want to eat somewhere, and he wants to eat somewhere else, that kind of thing. As for work, he lets me do whatever I want. If he arrives and the motorhome isn’t clean, he doesn’t get mad at all, he knows I’ll clean it up in five minutes. We have that kind of understanding.

What do you feel for him? I care about him a lot and have so much admiration for him. He’s someone who never loses his temper, even in his private life, he’s always very calm. A lot of people come at him, but he always keeps his cool. Plus, he makes people feel included, not just me, but everyone. He always involves you in everything he does. Even though he has way more opportunities than others, he always makes sure that everyone feels equal. That’s something really special. If he rents a house, it’s for everyone.

[daggerfall]

So the GM of one of the big PC/NA raiding servers attended the ESO guild summit and wrote down some notes about questions and answers asked there. A lot of them are about potential future features we could see in ESO's future, and also answers to questions some worried players have had, but most of it is about guild stuff. I'll post the text under a read more.

Hey @/everyone, I recently attended a guild summit with ZOS developers where we got a chance to do a Q&A session. I am breaking down some of the keys points from the discussion for us. I will include the stuff I know a lot of us care about first. This is a really exciting time for us to have some feedback/suggestion for the future of ESO. ZOS has been doing a great job of engaging the community and we can expect more from them in the future. For instance, this guild summit will likely become yearly or biannual. About the questions - I missed some, there’s some interpretation, and comments from me included. I want to keep you guys in the loop on what is going on and how we as a guild are involved. A lot of this stuff is things they are considering doing or testing feasibility on. It doesn’t mean it will 100% happen.

Isiimode and I had a very similar question about the next trial drop. They answered the question by saying watch the global reveal. They said they don’t see a lot of the content drops changing. My interpretation of this was mainly that we can still expect a yearly trial and it might not drop exactly on the day that it used to drop on. They want more flexibility in releases and instead of large drops with a drought they would like to drop engaging content as its ready to keep players more engaged over the year. April 10th will be revealing the new trial/content. I think(?) there will be a new trial like normally scheduled just by interpreting Rich’s comments.

It looks like ZOS is going to be working on guild management tools for us in the future. Guildhalls seem unlikely but maybe if we can do them with limited capacity. They are looking into guild halls more. They are going to try to make it so multiple people can manage a guild home from a guild like an officer permission. This last sentence is my interpretation but based on Rich’s answer it seems like someone still have to own it and this is hard to do.

They are working on guild traders and adjusting how they work. Number of listing was really high and this was hard on the servers. They want people to still be able to sell stuff and understand this changed a lot for trading guilds.

They are thinking of more mechanical ways to make guilds useful. They understand that the only reason for joining a guild is really a guild trader. Otherwise discord is the best place for things to happen. No real specifics on this yet.

Limits on guild capacity and other limit items are there to reduce server load. When they started enforcing the mail limit it turned their mail server from terabytes of data to gigabytes. They are trying to minimize the workload on the servers with some of the choices they are making. They referenced guild history, and even Cyrodil changes. Ideally reducing server load overall should help with performance.

Five guild is somewhat arbitrary but it cant be higher because it is a lot of server load to manage five guilds for everyone. Think about how the server has to be pinged every time someone logs on and off or deposits something in the bank. They might consider reducing the number of people in a guild so you can have more but i dont think this is a good idea. They are going to add a guild search function if possible.

They are going to add a guild communication system if possible. It might not look like in-game mail. It could be a calendar or some other functionality.

They are going to explore adding API for guild bank/roster stuff for addon developers to introduce addons. (I didnt really understand this question)

They are going to consider working on a companion app to allow people look at achievements and other account statistics and have already done this in the past but they always blow up the server and make performance tank.

Servers are expensive and getting aussie or other servers seems unlikely. They are already supporting some servers that aren't really active so it’s hard to add more that might not be active.

Some leaderboard changes might be coming in the future. Ultimately, score is the best metrics to base leaderboards on. It includes vit, speed, and HM so it is all encompassing.

What would console addons look like? Very hard to answer. Strict memory limits make it very hard. On PC memory isnt really the limiting issue so its hard to say what console addon developers will be able to use. Codes combat and lazy writ crafter will likely go to console.

People want lore about the players to be included in the game more.

Do the devs play the game? The team plays the game a lot but not everyone plays the game the same. Rich likes the solo content and does that more. Other developers like world bosses, cyrodil, and trading. Its really hard to make content that every single person will love. That being said the devs do play the game and just see different issues than we might see. These summits are way for us to bring our issues forward.

How many people dont interact with guilds? A lot of players play this game like a traditional eso game but might join a guild for a trader or something. They are thinking of new ways to include the community in the functionalities that they have created. It seems like a lot people find playing with people scary.

ZOS love RP community and they like giving them opportunities to RP. A lot of story development includes ways for people to RP.

There is some consideration for integrating EU console servers.

Increasing limits on furnishing in player homes is something they are thinking about but might be hard to do.

They dont want guild homes to replace going to a major city. They want people to have reasons to go to these areas. No one stop shops!

A lot of the cyrodil related development right now is solely on the performance and the champion campaigin/system(?). No other changes will likely be made in the short term.

Will the game be around in 5 years? The best way to answer this is look at development patterns. New cyrodil stuff is an indication that ZOS is going to continue to support the game. ZOS is committed to the game and will continue to commit to the game.

Update the guild tabards to look more modern. Guild specific decorations would be fun and cool.

[khorneschosen]

I think you lack the critical skills to actually understand what you've made my point for me.

Because you haven't read one so far and every point you have been dismissive of what I write.

But perhaps you should.

At least understand something about this because quite frankly I've thrown tired of it. You don't know what ideology you serve You don't know exactly what ideology you belong to my guy and it's one where wealth is produced by labor only. No intelligence is required for it.

That is your philosophy, You may not realize it right now but you are parroting every single belief they have and I am smart enough and I've studied 10 years to understand the fact that behind the idea is that your parroting without any knowledge of what's behind them.

You are espousing theories that only can be maintained by the philosophical theories I am pointing to.

Actually because there was a man with a similar name I was trying to name but again this is text to speech. I could have named any number of people.

Braum is we have an entire world of people who are capable of doing unskilled labor in those exact terms most of them lacking even the skill of speaking the native language. And yet they are able to perform their tasks excellently. I should know I did most of those jobs myself. I've worked on a ranch I've worked in a factory I've worked retail I've worked every kind of job that you would consider beneath you.

Want to hear something that's even harder to understand than the fact that differentiation between skilled and unskilled labor is that labor can beyond skilled They can have 10 plus years of experience and it still will amount to nothing because they do not have the virtue required to expand that skill even further.

You know Starbucks is closing locations You know that right because it lost its competitive edge It's laying off workers because it is no longer a successful company something you don't seem to understand because you've always viewed it as an absolute. It is laying off its workers and then hiring CEOs at a much higher price because they are bringing in what they view as skilled talent to unfuck their situation This is what they do This is what a lot of the CEOs do rather than owning stock in the company they will take a huge paycheck so that they can unfuck their management situation.

You would know this if you would be able to place most historical or even current events in their own proper context.

But you don't because you don't put it in these contexts because you put it in a Marxist framework rather than a capitalistic framework. Because it is not a lack of skilled versus unskilled labor it is the incredibly and high-end skilled labor that is now missing from our society. And the shit does roll downhill.

Starbucks lost all of its competitive edge because it understaffed workers, has a menu that is far too complicated and gets more complicated by the day, has lost most of the atmosphere within its own restaurants, and doesn't even make the best coffee anymore every competitive advantage it once had besides brand recognition is now gone. Because it lost it to the local coffee house. So yeah and the long view of them as a company they very much said we will not be able to sling coffee for very much longer unless we get some new talent in.

And again if you're not able to put things in their current context to understand what is going on with them and merely just rely on this Marxist framework which has been proven to be not only academically but in reality wrong every time, then new will not be saved by your ignorance. Like the ignorance of when I am pointing out that you are using a Marx's framework to turn around and go So anyway I don't like to use this term the skilled labor versus unskilled labor I like to go with undervalued labor and properly valued labor. Which is again using the Marxist labor theory of value. Like I wouldn't recognize it. Fucking absurd. If you can't understand economics can you do me a favor and least understand good philosophy.

I said take someone off the street and see if they can do it is a point about skilled and unskilled labor because what we describe as skilled and unskilled labor is the scale of that skill. But it doesn't matter because you've already made my argument for me so I'm not going to argue with you further.

Look at you trying to make it more argument like you understand right from wrong.

You call it wealth warden because you don't understand what wealth is doing. You are ignorant of economics and you're even ignorant about the people you're talking about.

Oh yeah no that he shouldn't have left anything for his children They should have to struggle and work hard to survive as well because you see that's what we consider charity that your parents work hard and they leave you with nothing.

Again place that work in its proper historical context and you'll see that yeah it wasn't much different for those who were doing other dangerous jobs at the time. Because I I'll put this in your terms materialistically these were the jobs available to them.

Darling I'll ask you a question, what is there to be admired about people to you. I have a great deal of answers I'm wondering if you can come up with one you'll actually practice

Answer: Roughly $400 per month.

[yourbasicqueerie]

I had a lovely litlle anon ask me to make more Lilia head a on a about 3 months ago, and though I can't seem to find them, I have indeed made more headcanons just for them!! Here u go my loveeee

Lilia Calderu headcanons pt. 2:

(ignoring character deaths like it is my job btw, EVERYONES ALIVE IDGAF)

- she makes the best homemade tea blends in the whole state of new jersey. Lovessss a little cinnamon blend.

- LOUSY drunk, she sings, sits on laps and overall gets very red cheeks and bosoms. the whole coven was caught staring one eventful evening.

- she isn't a necessarily messy person, but very spacious nonetheless. i think everyone has found something of lilia's together with their stuff more than once by the time they reach one month post road.

- by the way, they did eventually all mov run close together, or at the same house. this isn’t even a  headcanon it’s my reality.

- when they got out of the road, lilia grabbed whatever was left of jen’s dress and tailored it again for her. it has become the baldies fave dress.

- after coming back, lilia was sheepish regarding blades. you can call it bad flashbacks or trauma, but in any case she obliged teen to help her out in the kitchen by cutting up little herbs or skinning chickens, it became their thing and now every saturday they meet up and make lunch together, all while gossiping.

- surprisingly keen to math, not so keen on paying rent on time.

- taking about time, that’s a fenômenos she has yet to get a full grasp on, even as a kid her mentor always scolded her for being late.

- will drink rose as if it’s a day job

- she crocheted senor scratchy a hat he insisted on chewing on.

- i said this before but ill say it again. contrary to popular opinion, her favorite color is not yellow, but orange.

- loves to indulge in different perfumes, she and jen bonded on about that even though lilia’s much more of a woodsy citrusy woman and jen likes floral and fresh.

- lilia has tried to read all of the covens fortunes more than once. she eventually gave up on rio because every single time she pulled the first card, no matter the question, it was death who came first.

- polyglot lilia calderu you are so dearly important to me!!!!!! it’s a necessity for me that you all understand just how many languages that woman speaks.

- she has mastered english, italian, sicilian, arabic and french through her walks in life.

- she is a judging whore when it comes to popular today music. i just KNOW she hums to ornella vanoni and gaelic hymns under her breath at all times.

- loves to spend all her money on pretty flowers down at the flower market. they all dye within 2 to 3 business days though. 

- she CANNOT drive to save a soul. its passenger princess life or no life for her.

[hisfavoritesundress]

pissed and frantic

cw: cursing, slightly suggestive

jason is known of many things, his skills in fighting, precision, his blunt comments, and etc.

but one of his defining personality is being calm.

it's been hone and molded by years and years of training and experience, being able to stay calm and collected in the midst of chaos is a whole different type of skill.

and now, it become his second nature.

at first you didn't pay much attention to it, you understand that it is part of him and you love every aspect of his being.

until...

it becomes a frustration for you.

coaxing to draw a reaction from him, from little things like cooking for him, stacking his favorite energy drink, making him coffee, etc, although, you do all those things not only because you want him to see you and give a reaction but a little appreciation wouldn't hurt right?

but it's the same jason, neutral and stoic, although you know he's comfortable around you but it's not always consistent and you're okay with that, especially that he's adjusting his life again.

yet he just hum and nod then moved on with his day.

is it too much to ask for a bit more?

not until one time, he came home to drop by your shared apartment, which he usually does before patrol, and as he gets to the door, it's quiet, eerily quiet, it's not always quiet when you're around, he knows it despite not showing it, because either you're listening to music, watching tv show, scribbling, or just your overall presence.

he frown slightly.

he drop his bag by the door not even bothering to take his boots off and immediately goes to the living room, hoping to find you.

but nothing, okay, maybe you're sleeping early?

then he goes to the bedroom and not even your shadow or your scent is there, his mind is going to the most dangerous situation like it's wired to think the worst case scenario first, then he goes to the bathroom and it's also empty.

his heart starts to pick up.

he fish his phone from the pocket and dial your number while he roam around the apartment, as if there's more room you could be in, not even in the small kitchen, where he usually finds you around this time, making yourself a tea.

the phone rings.

then a ringtone echoes from the living room

fuck, she left her phone?

he doesn't easily panicked when it comes to things, especially in danger, but to you?

he was about to storm out the door and find you in every fucking corner, nook and alley of Gotham city if he needs to,

but then the door opens and you appear.

as soon as you saw him standing in the middle of the living room, with his outside clothes, boots, clutching around his phone and a thin layer of sweat on his forehead, you know something was up.

"you okay?" you asked with slight frown as you fully enter the apartment.

he was clenching his jaw, probably holding himself. "where have you been?" he asked, quiet and frowning a bit with an edge to his voice.

you head to the kitchen to wash your hands, too caught up the feeling of the trash bag you just held.

"answer me," he asked again with more firmness and demand to his voice, footsteps following you.

"at the back, i was just throwing the trash," you said after washing your hands fully and then turn only to see him standing at the doorway, almost crowding the entrance between the kitchen and the living room.

"why haven't you told me, why did you left your phone, did you know how dangerous it is?" he asked rapidly.

which you're surprised at the sudden outburst. "i was just throwing the trash babe," you defense as if he sounds ridiculous right now.

he looked away for a beat then goes back to you. "who told you to throw the trash?" he frowned.

"i j–"

"no, that's my job, what the fuck you doing? throwing the trash at," he retorted looking at the clock at the wall, "9 pm?"

"it's full," you added.

"i don't care, you tell me when it's full then i will do it," he said putting period on his sentence.

"why are you mad?" you asked, trying not to level his frustrations, as you dry your hands.

"im not," he answered shortly, as he turn around and walk to the living room.

you followed him, hoping to find answers of his outbursts.

"you sound and looked like"

he goes quiet again.

that expression, it's so guarded and reserved, it's getting into your nerves of how he could change his expression that easily, as if there's a switch somewhere, where he could go one face to another.

you stood there waiting.

he takes off his boots and places it properly by the door.

"you're not fucking touching that trash again," he said, passing you as he walks to the bedroom, there's no bite on his voice but rather a pissed off look on his face that adds fire to his overall body language.

now he's really pissed.

you followed simply because you want to see his face, his pissed off face, a reaction, finally.

you form your words carefully in your head, like a menace you are, adding gasoline to the fire, it sounds so sick but it's satisfying in a way, after so long of waiting to gauge a reaction from him, more than just a calm and stoic ones.

"i can do it, im not weak or an–"

"and?" he snapped, but not yelling, "didn't i specifically told you not to go out around this time, especially for a trash, baby?"

god, his eyebrows are knitted together, his eyes looking at you so intensely that it could cut you half, his jaw are clenching and unclenching, you swear you could see his pupils dilated.

please more

he huff an air out as he goes and take off his shirt in just a second.

"do you have any idea how anyone could just be lurking around and do something ungodly," he continues, venting his frustrations as he take his day clothes off while you're watching absentmindedly, "and i don't fucking care if it's full to the brim, you're not touching that fucking trash again, do you understand?" he asked, voice honeyed with vex and annoyance as he turns to you.

your mind is just going haywire at this point, you don't even know half of what he's saying, it's sick and hot.

"mhm, y-yeah"

"use your words properly baby," he frowned, as if taunting you for being stupid of going out this hour.

you sigh, acting. "it won't happen again"

"you better be," he retorted and the belt unclasping echoes through the room, the metal softly whispering to you.

while he's focused on undressing and finally getting into his under suit , he catches you staring at him, you're too distracted to even noticed him noticing you.

"you enjoying this?" he asked, snapping you back to the reality.

"huh?"

he huff an air out, looking at you, belt hanging on his pants, his boxer's waistband appearing with his bare stomach bouncing the light to your eyes, abs, scars and all. it's not the first time you saw him bare, but this is a different genre of him being shirtless.

he's pissed.

he grab his shirt and throw it to the laundry basket, looking at you.

"you like seeing me like this pretty girl?" he asked again, "pissed and frantic?"

"um"

"um what?"

you gulped, looking like you've been thirsty your whole life.

"nothing"

he scoffed, pressing his tongue against the inside of his cheek as he stared at you in sheer disbelief.

"don't do it again, are we clear?" he asked, pausing for a bit, thinking, "or are you planning this the whole time?" he added, his gaze drag to your lips, dark and deep with tinge of leftover frustration.

you frown. "what, no"

maybe just half of this.

jaw clenched, a sharp exhale escaping his nose. "no what?"

"i didn't plan this, that's, that's- no"

he hum, boring his eyes at you. "if you want to see me bothered, just ask"

"what you mea–"

"don't play coy," he cut you off, turning towards you "as if you're not drooling all over the floor," he remarked quietly, just above whisper, lips curling a bit, taunting you as he continue to take his pants off boring his eyes at you with that same darkening gaze.

"c'mere,"

"take a closer look"

yeah, you're partly thankful of the trash.

[kikyoupdates]

Love Bite ⭑˚🩸⭑ 𝑎 𝑛𝑒𝑤 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑐𝑡

yandere!vampires x f!reader

yandere, reverse harem, original characters, vampire!ocs x fem!reader

Desperate for money to pay off your debts, you sign up for a program that allows you to sell your blood to vampires. At first, everything is fine, and you’re finally able to make ends meet. But they soon begin craving more than just your blood.

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“You look like you’ve been having a fun night,” Johnny remarks. As always, he’s got a sadistic glint in his eye. “I didn’t realize you had so much time to spare fooling around with men. I was under the impression that you were busy working to pay me back.”

Your throat clenches uncomfortably. God, why is this happening? Even taking into account your drunken blackout, you’d actually been having a good time for a change. Spending time with Elliot is fun. You feel at ease around him. You feel like you can let your guard down and allow yourself to actually breathe.

But nothing is ever allowed to go right in your life, which is why Johnny chose the perfect time to crush your spirits.

“He’s my friend,” you say, trying to keep your voice steady. “I’m just trying to go home and get some sleep. Please.”

Johnny scratches his cheek. “Well, originally, I just happened to be in the area, but now that I’ve stumbled across you like this, I have to admit that it’s left a bad taste in my mouth. If you can afford to drink the night away with your little boy toy, then things must not be as bad as you let on. You must have more than enough time and money to spare. It looks like things have improved for you quite a bit lately, huh? Or maybe you were just lying to me all along about not being able to make your payments on time.”

You can feel your stomach progressively twisting into a knot. He’s as scummy and remorseless as always, not that you’d expect any less of him. Nonetheless, you can’t stand what he’s insinuating. Just because you recently started selling your blood doesn’t mean you’ve been blessed with immeasurable wealth all of a sudden. Money is still tight, even more so considering how much you spent on that hospital visit.

He’s making it sound like you’re living pretty, without so much as a care in the world, when he’s the sole reason for your stress and misery.

“I just wanted to see a friend for a little bit,” you swallow. “I’m still working several jobs, and I haven’t failed to pay you back on time, right? I don’t understand what the issue is. I’m doing everything I can to hold up my end of the deal.”

Johnny narrows his eyes. “The problem is that if you can afford to do shit like this, then you should be paying me back more often, because clearly, you have the means to do it.”

“What?” you gasp. “No! I can barely afford what I’m paying you as is!”

“Oh, really? Then how is it that you’re able to enjoy a night out with this spineless-looking piece of shit, and why do you reek of booze as if you just drank your fill at a bar?”

Tears well up into your eyes. What the actual fuck does he want from you? You so rarely splurge or treat yourself. You so rarely give yourself a break and take a moment to unwind. Are you not allowed to live like everyone else? At least every now and then? Does he want you to be miserable every second of every fucking day?

When your parents signed off on the massive loans they took out all those years ago, they also signed off on your freedom.

“I just think there’s an issue of transparency here,” Johnny glares. “It seems to me like you can afford to pay more than our current agreement, and I don’t appreciate being cheated like this.”

You feel like you’re about to start crying. Everything about this situation is just so goddamn hopeless. Right as you finally started making enough to meet his demands, he starts asking for more. Greedy assholes like him will never be satisfied. They’ll keep pushing you until the day you inevitably break.

Is there even a point anymore? Will you ever be able to live a life that’s entirely your own?

You sniffle, wiping away the tears before they can fall, but just as you’re composing yourself to form a response, someone interjects.

“Excuse me,” Elliot frowns. He steps forward, placing himself in between you and Johnny. “I don’t know the whole situation, but it sounds like you’re shaking [Name] down for money.”

“Shaking her down for money?” Johnny laughs. “Ha! You make me sound like some common thug. She owes me money, dipshit. She’s in a ton of debt, and since her parents skipped town, it’s her responsibility to pay me back.”

Elliot recoils, then searches your expression for an answer. When you opt to shamefully stare at the ground rather than argue otherwise, it tells him everything he needs to know.

“So... how is that fair?” Elliot gapes. “It’s not her fault her parents didn’t make good on their dues. You should have kept better tabs on the people who borrowed money from you. Not to mention that, as far as I know, loan sharking is a crime. You can get in serious trouble for harassing someone like this.”

“[Name] is the next of kin,” Johnny says simply. “And believe me when I say that we tried to track those scumbags down. They got lucky and slipped under our radar. By now, they must be long gone. No way in hell will I ever get my money back. So, [Name] has to foot the bill in their place. And please don’t threaten me, you little fuckface. Try getting the police involved and see what happens. We keep our books clean, and you’ve got no evidence whatsoever. But if you want to get [Name] in even deeper shit, then be my guest. Pull the trigger.”

Elliot scowls. It’s probably the first time you’ve ever seen him look openly upset before, and while you appreciate that he’s getting so passionate on your behalf, Johnny isn’t someone he should be making an enemy out of.

“I’ll get the money,” you mumble brokenly. “I’ll pay you now, earlier than usual. If I do that, will you leave? I promise I’m being honest when I say I’m doing everything I can to keep up with this debt. I’m not taking it lightly, and I don’t have excess cash laying around. I just... for one night, I just wanted to spend time with a friend and forget my worries. That’s all.”

“Yeah, well, you should’ve picked up another shift instead of fucking around,” Johnny snaps. “Learn to be more responsible, for fuck’s sake. It’s no wonder you’ve been doing such a shit job of paying me back. Now, hurry up and get me my money, you dumb bitch.”

You flinch a bit, although it’s certainly no worse than what he’s called you in the past. In any case, the only way to get rid of him is to give him the money and hope that he doesn’t stir up any more of a fuss. Things will be tight for a little while, and you’ll probably have to skip more meals than usual thanks to how abrupt this all was, but there’s nothing else you can do.

Visibly dejected, you turn and trudge towards your apartment to retrieve Johnny’s fee.

But you don’t make it very far.

“What did you just call her?” Elliot glowers. His eyes are wider than you’ve ever seen them, and he even clenches his jaw, causing one of his veins to throb visibly.

Johnny blinks, unamused. “You got a problem with how I talk to my bitch? Shut your mouth and stay out of it. You know, you’re really starting to piss me off, meddling in business that you’ve got nothing to do with.”

“Take it back,” Elliot warns. “Not only are you harassing [Name] and shaking her down for money, but you’re disrespecting her too?”

“Whoa, what the fuck? Did you just try to tell me what to do?” Johnny half-chuckles, but it’s clear from the cold look in his eyes that he’s quickly losing his patience. “I’m not joking around. You’d better back up before I punch you in the throat.”

The tension between them is unmistakable, and at the rate things are going, it’s only a matter of time before this gets really bad.

Frantic, you try to protest, “I’m getting the money right now—”

“Go ahead,” Elliot deadpans. “Hit me. See what happens.”

You would’ve never expected him to be capable of such frigid hostility. Of course, you understand he’s only doing this for your sake, and as far as he knows, standing up for you is the right thing to do, but what he fails to realize is that angering Johnny will only make things a million times worse for you in the end. It’ll make him act out with a vengeance and seek out new ways to destroy you.

Elliot needs to stop provoking him. The thought alone is worth its weight in gold. You appreciate that he cares enough to try and protect you.

But he seriously needs to stop. Like, right now. Or rather, he should have stopped a long time ago.

“Fine,” Johnny glares. “Just remember you asked for this.”

Ah.

It’s already too late.

Johnny lunges at Elliot, eyes wide and manic, and you swear you hear the sound of the air pressure as he drives his fist ahead at full force.

Johnny is a loan shark, but he’s basically just a glorified gangster. You’ve seen him beat the shit out of more people than you can even count, and a lot of the times, he did it just to send a message. Just so that you would know exactly what will happen if you ever fuck him over.

That’s why you can’t bear to watch. You squeeze your eyes shut on instinct, terrified of seeing yet another one of your friends have their face bashed in. The stress of the situation has gotten to you, and in this moment, you’ve actually forgotten a very crucial detail.

One of them is a human, and the other is a vampire.

Johnny doesn’t stand a fucking chance.

The sound you were waiting for—the sound of Johnny’s fist colliding forcefully with Elliot’s face—never comes. Instead, you hear something akin to a strangled gasp, and when you hesitantly open your eyes, you realize that Johnny is standing stiff as a statue, with a look of utter disbelief.

Elliot caught Johnny’s wrist long before his punch could hit its mark.

“Okay,” Elliot says, visibly unimpressed. “Is that it? You’re so weak I almost feel sorry for you. To think that you said all those horrible things, but when it comes down to it, you don’t even have the strength to back it up.”

Elliot grips down on Johnny’s wrist, and you watch as the latter winces from pain. He eventually kicks away from Elliot in a desperate attempt to put some distance between them, and once he’s free, Johnny cradles his wrist, which is now an angry red shade and appears to be throbbing uncontrollably.

“Fucker,” Johnny spits. “I see your fangs now. Looks like you’re one of those goddamn freaks. Those disgusting vampires.”

“Regardless of what I am, I’m still less disgusting than you,” Elliot glares. “You’re a pathetic man who preys on the weak and harasses women. I don’t know how you can sleep at night. I feel sorry for you.”

“I sleep comfortably, in a big-ass house, thanks for asking.”

Elliot’s expression darkens. He steps forward again, and even though he never struck you as the type to get violent, based on the way his fists are repeatedly clenching and unclenching, you can tell he’s itching to beat the ever-loving shit out of Johnny.

A vampire like Elliot can easily pull it off. He can give Johnny a rude awakening, lay him out in the dirt and make him beg for mercy. Based on how easily Kai pummeled Caleb, you already know that the average person can’t do a damn thing when faced with overwhelming power.

But just because he can doesn’t mean he should. If Elliot beats the crap out of Johnny now, then what happens next? Johnny won’t hesitate to punish you in his stead. He’ll send his goons after you to figure out your exact schedule, and you get the sense they’re already keeping a lot of tabs on you. It won’t be difficult for them to find an opportunity when you’re all alone and vulnerable. Elliot can’t possibly be by your side every moment of the day. Even if he tries to protect you for a period of time, eventually, they will make you pay the price.

You know how this story ends, and unfortunately, there’s nothing Elliot can do to fix the root of the problem—AKA your debt.

Unless, of course, he kills Johnny.

A shiver rips down your spine at the thought. It pains you to admit, but you’ve entertained the notion more times than you can even count. Time and time again, you’ve imagined what your life would be like if Johnny bit the dust. If he stopped breathing and finally gave you the space to breathe instead.

If Elliot kills Johnny, perhaps all your problems might really be solved.

Unfortunately, you know that isn’t an option. Not only is murder wrong, but you doubt that someone as kind-hearted as Elliot would ever resort to such extremes. It’s only a fantasy. A dream that will never come true.

But this is reality. And unless you want your life to get a million times worse, you need to stop Elliot before things get completely out of hand.

“It’s fine,” you reassure, grabbing Elliot’s arm and pulling him back. You strain a smile, despite how shaken up you are. “Please don’t. It’ll only make the situation even worse for me. I’m just going to run inside and grab his money.”

Elliot’s brows droop. “But I can’t keep letting him do this to you. He needs to—”

“Stop. Please. I’m begging you,” you breathe. “This can’t be fixed with just a beating. Whatever you do to him will come back and bite me in the ass later. I’m just going to keep paying him back, as best I can. Don’t make him any more upset. You might be strong enough to deal with any threats, but I’m not. Like you said, I’m weak, and there’s only so much that weaklings like me can do to survive.”

“Listen to the pretty girl,” Johnny muses. He’s finally gotten his wrist to stop shaking, although you’re quite certain it’ll swell up later. “Since I’m such a nice guy, I’ll forgive you for this instance of disrespect and I won’t make [Name]’s life any more difficult. But only if you kneel down and apologize to me, of course.”

Elliot doesn’t say anything, but once again, you can see the way his jaw clenches.

“What is it?” Johnny sneers. “You’re a proud little guy, huh? Does your ego prevent you from admitting you fucked up? I guess you really don’t care what happens to [Name].”

Another pause, and you’re afraid that Elliot might actually hit him this time, but mercifully, your worst fears don’t come to pass.

“No,” Elliot mutters. “It’s fine. I’ll apologize, if that’s what it takes. I’ll apologize, so don’t do anything to hurt her.”

It must bring him immense shame, but he gets down on his knees and prostrates himself before Johnny, just as the latter prescribed. You watch as the sneer on Johnny’s face gets wider, and feeling emboldened by having regained his authority, he stomps down on the back of Elliot’s head, forcing his face to kiss the ground.

“Asshole,” Johnny mutters. “You and your kind make me sick to my goddamn stomach. It won’t be long before this city goes to shit. I don’t know what people are thinking, letting monsters like you inside our walls. If you ask me, you all deserve to be burned alive.”

Johnny stomps on Elliot’s head one last time, then, in the utmost act of disrespect, spits on him and lets out an unhinged laugh.

“Look at that,” he muses. “Vampires are supposed to be so tough, but I’ve just gone ahead and made this one my bitch. Ah, life is funny. Anyways, we’ve wasted enough time. [Name], go get me my money before I really lose my shit.”

You grimace as you avert your gaze. The fact that Elliot is having to endure this abuse because of you makes you feel immeasurably guilty, and you know you’re completely helpless to do a damn thing about it.

All you can do—all you can ever do—is give Johnny exactly what he wants.

You rush in and out of the apartment, returning with the amount that you owe him. As always, Johnny takes a moment to rifle through the bills and make sure everything is accounted for. Presumably satisfied, he pockets the money and turns back towards Elliot.

“Hey, bloodsucker,” he says. “You can stand up now. Take a look at this.”

Elliot lifts his head and collects himself, but whatever momentary composure he feels is quickly overwritten when he watches, with a look of horror, as Johnny shamelessly gropes your ass.

“Always nice to cop a feel,” Johnny muses. “See you later, cutie. And from now on, I expect you to give me more money, since you’re apparently living large now.” Then he walks off, the dark night sky covering him like a veil.

Elliot’s shoulders are trembling now, and it’s actually a miracle that he held himself back after what he just saw. He can handle having his head kicked into the dirt or being told that he’s disgusting just for existing as a vampire. He can handle virtually any form of abuse, so long as it’s directed his way.

What he can't handle is having to watch you be abused as well.

To this day, you’re the only human who’s ever treated him so kindly. He hasn’t been in the city for very long, but even so, the treatment has been abysmal to say the least. If he’d known it would be like this, he probably wouldn’t have ever moved here in the first place.

But ever since he’s met you, he’s actually had something to look forward to. He finally feels accepted for who he is. You’re an amazing person, free of prejudice, and you deserve only the best in life.

So, why is it that you have to suffer like this?

“I’m so sorry, Elliot.” Fat tears roll down your cheeks, despite your best efforts to keep them at bay. “I-I’m sorry you had to go through something like that because of me. I feel like... I feel like all I ever do is drag people down. I’m a shit magnet. I make everyone around me miserable.”

You start crying, and Elliot feels his heart slowly break.

This is all that bastard Johnny’s fault. Not only that, but the fault of your shitty parents too. It’s no wonder you got so upset when he asked about your family earlier. They left one hell of a mess for you to deal with in their place. He can’t understand how genuinely despicable some people can be.

“There’s no need to apologize,” he reassures. He hesitates for a moment, wondering if you’re comfortable, before eventually pulling you into his arms. When you cling to him rather than push him away, Elliot’s cheeks redden, and he holds you as gently as he can manage. “I just wish I could have done more,” he mumbles. “I’m sorry for trying to start a fight with him. You’re right that I might have just caused you more problems in the long run. I shouldn’t have acted so impulsively, but... I couldn’t stand to just keep watching. I had no idea you were dealing with something so horrible. I can’t even imagine how difficult it must be.”

You keep sobbing, burying your face into his shoulder. “I-I just don’t know what to do. I was barely able to keep up with his demands as is, and he just keeps asking for more and more. I’m already on the verge of breaking. How much more do I need to push myself before I finally start to see some results? How much more until... this nightmare is finally over?”

Elliot doesn’t know what to say. All he can do is keep holding you, offering you at least the slightest bit of reassurance.

Fearfully, he decides to ask, “How much money do you owe?”

You pull back for a moment and look at him with tear-filled eyes. Then, you whisper the amount, and even though he tries to hide it, his expression betrays his bewilderment.

That much money? All this time, you’ve been trying to pay back such a ridiculous sum?

It’s too much for one person to bear. It’s too much for a young woman living alone, with no family, no education or credentials, to possibly pay back without killing herself in the process.

He suddenly resents the world even more than he did before. Such a fucked-up situation shouldn’t even be real, and yet, it is.

“I’ve been doing everything I can,” you whimper. “I even started selling my blood not long ago, just so I could make ends meet.”

Selling... blood?

Elliot swallows without realizing it. “When you say selling blood, you mean...”

“Oh.” You blink, and all of a sudden, it looks like you’ve realized something. “Yeah. I never mentioned this before, but I signed up for a program where I can take on vampires as clients and sell my blood to them. Obviously, there’s only so much blood I can give, and only so often, otherwise my body wouldn’t be able to handle it, but that’s what I’ve been doing on the side, and honestly, it’s the only reason I’ve been able to pay Johnny back recently.”

Elliot’s heard of the program you’re referring to. It’s supposed to be quite expensive, far more expensive than the government-mandated blood packs that he’s been buying until now. But from what he’s heard, it’s a program that allows you to drink blood directly from the source, which, for a vampire, has always been the ideal.

But he never signed up for it, because quite frankly, he didn’t think he would be able to deal with the scathing, fearful looks people would give him. It’s bad enough when the average person discovers he’s a vampire. He can only imagine how terrified some poor human would look if he was going to drink their blood, regardless of whether or not they signed a contract to do it.

But now he discovers that you’ve been doing this all along. Perhaps that’s why you’re not afraid of vampires, like everyone else. You’ve already experienced what is likely the most frightening outcome of being in contact with one.

And that also means... that vampires have been drinking your blood.

Vampires other than him.

“Um, this might sound kind of weird,” you frown, rubbing at your damp eyes. The sound of your voice quickly snaps Elliot out of his daze, and he collects himself enough to smile.

“What’s weird?” he asks.

“I mean, what I’m about to suggest. I don’t want it to make you uncomfortable or anything. Just, after Johnny showed up and everything, I’ve been thinking.” You purse your lips, clearly hesitant, but eventually, you let out a sigh. “Feel free to turn me down if I’m getting ahead of myself, but would you be willing... to drink my blood? I mean, is that something you would want? I’m not sure how you’ve been getting blood until now, but I was just wondering if—”

“Yes,” Elliot blurts. He doesn’t even need to hear the rest of your question. “You need money, right? I was actually going to offer to give you some, but this way, you won’t need to feel guilty about taking it, because I’ll also be getting something in return.”

Your eyes widen. “Is it really okay? Since we’re friends and all, I worry that it might make our relationship a bit awkward. I-I mean, I’m fine with it, but I wouldn’t want to put you out. I just wanted to leave it as a suggestion in case it was something you were interested in...”

Elliot is definitely interested. He’s really, really interested. And he wouldn’t feel comfortable doing this with anyone other than you.

Above all else... he has to admit that he’s curious. Ever since the moment you first spoke to him, with that kind smile of yours, he’s been wondering.

Wondering what your blood would taste like.

A blush spreads across his cheeks. He feels guilty entertaining these kinds of thoughts, but he’s a vampire, and he can’t help what he wants. Besides, this way, he can help support you, even if it’s only a little. Both of you can profit from this arrangement. There are no disadvantages to either side.

“I want to do it,” Elliot nods. “If I can help you, at least to some extent, it’s already worth it. How do I sign up for that program and get matched with you? Am I able to request you by name?”

You pause to frown. “Actually, now that I think about it, I'm not sure if it would work. They seem pretty stingy about confidentiality and keeping both the client and donor’s information private. Since we already know each other beforehand, they might not agree to put us together. And I think my contract states that I can’t solicit clients without obtaining them directly through the program. Probably so that friends like us can’t use it to our benefit.”

“...oh.”

Elliot’s shoulders slump. What a shame. He was hoping to help you out a bit, while also sating his curiosity and finally getting a taste of your blood. But if those are the rules, then he supposes there’s nothing he can do to—

“How about you just pay me directly?”

The sudden question makes him blink. “Pay you directly?” he reiterates. “As in...”

“Forget going through the company. You can drink my blood, and just pay me after the fact.”

Technically, that was the agreement you once had with Felix, but Elliot is different. He isn’t the type to lose control and push you too far. You were blackout drunk tonight, as vulnerable as you could possibly be, and he took care of you rather than taking advantage of the moment.

Yeah. Elliot isn’t like Felix. That much you’re certain of.

“I trust you, Elliot,” you say, offering him a smile. “You’ve already done so much for me, and watching you stand up to Johnny solidified what I already knew. If this is really something that you’re interested in, I feel comfortable moving forward, even without the program’s involvement.”

Elliot doesn’t know what to say. The fact that you believe in him to this extent... quite frankly, it’s almost enough to move him to tears.

He will never mistreat you. He will never give you a reason to doubt him or his intentions.

You won’t regret letting him into your life.

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