#everything should work fine. if not feel free to lmk

[victoryrifle]

victoryrifle's mobile navigation tags

as per the title, this is a pinned post for mobile navigation of my works. it is copied from my tags page and therefore just as poorly organized, but will get updated through time. enjoy :)

MY WORKS

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RESIDENT EVIL UNDERWORLD THE MUMMY THE MUMMY RETURNS SCREAM SCREAM 6 SILENT HILL HALLOWEEN (1978) HALLOWEEN (2018) HALLOWEEN KILLS IT (2017) THE LAST DAYS ON MARS THE NUN BETTER WATCH OUT DOOM READY OR NOT OVERLORD RESIDENT EVIL ANIMATED MOVIES THE BOY MORGAN (2016) SUCKER PUNCH STAY ALIVE DOOMSDAY ALIEN THE PROWLER KILLER MOVIE FRANKENSTEIN'S ARMY MY BLOODY VALENTINE (2009) TRIANGLE (2009) THANKSGIVING SEE NO EVIL 2

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[thebigbadbatswife]

OCT 19th - Hand Job

Pairing - Bruce Wayne x F!Reader

Title - This'll Be Fun

Summary - You grow bored during a League meeting and you decide to test Batman’s resolve.

Warnings - Hand Jobs, Public Hand Jobs, Exhibistionism. (if i missed something lmk)

Word Count - 970

You glance at the time and internally groan. It’s been three hours and this meeting continues to drag on. The longer that you have to sit still, the more that you want to move around and do something else, but all you can settle for is bouncing your leg. 

Out of the corner of your eye, you catch Bruce looking over at you. You glance over at him. The two of you have never really needed words when it comes to each other. The smallest look or touch says everything. It’s not great for long, complicated conversations, but it works just fine for simple questions.

‘Are you okay?’

‘Bored.’

The corners of his lips twitch as he returns his focus to what Dinah is saying. Anyone else would miss it, but not you. It’s the advantage that comes from knowing each other for your whole lives. Which also means that he knows you. Which also means he really should have suspected this.

Your chairs are so close together you may as well be sitting on his lap. If you were anywhere else you would be sitting in his lap. Until you can do that, you’ll just have to settle for this.

Slowly and carefully, as to not draw attention to both of you, you bring your hand to rest on his thick, muscular thigh. He very quickly glances at you and back to Dinah again. Your fingers graze the inside of his thigh, slowly trailing upwards. 

He makes a half hearted attempt to try and bat your hand away, while also doing his best to not draw any attention toward the both of you. You’re not so easily deterred and, to your surprise, he gives up rather fast. Is he curious to sit back and watch how far you decided to take this?

When your fingers finally brush against his cock, you find that he’s already semi hard. No wonder he gave up so quickly. Bruce, apparently, likes the idea of getting off in the middle of a League meeting.

You adjust your position in your chair, making it look like you’re stretching. Your new position makes it easier for you to palm him through his suit. He swallows thickly and you can feel his cock twitch beneath your hand. Other than that, you see no other indication that any of this is even affecting him. 

Oh, so this is a challenge, is it? Challenge accepted. You really want to see if you can actually get him to crack. 

Though your eyes are focused on Dinah, you’re not hearing a single word she’s saying. All of your focus on Bruce. You can feel him growing harder and thicker beneath your hand. The thought of his cock almost has you salivating. If it wasn’t for everyone else in the room, you would happily be on your knees with his cock halfway down your throat. You’re glad that J’onn isn’t around right now to hear your thoughts. Though, maybe, that would move things along faster and you would be left alone with him to do whatever you want. 

You stop palming him through his suit and your hand moves higher up. Out of the corner of your eye, you see him glance back over to you. You ignore him, focused on your new goal. Freeing his cock from his stupid suit. If he was wearing one of his armoured suits, you wouldn’t have a chance to and you’d have to settle for just palming him. Fortunately he’s not, so you don’t have to.

As soon as his cock his free form his suit, you wrap your hand around it. There’s still no reaction from him. Just another quick glance over at you while his face remains completely neutral and his breathing barely changes. His cock is a completely different story. Fully hard now, with the head red and with the tip already leaking, it’s begging for you to touch it. 

You wrap your hand around his cock and begin to slowly stroke him. As you do so, you pay close attention to him, looking for any cracks in his straight face, but there’s nothing. He continues to remain neutral, even going as far as to answer a question Dinah directs toward him. His voice doesn’t sound strained and he doesn’t waiver or crack slightly when you swipe your thumb across the tip. You may have known him your entire life, but now you’re wondering if he’s been replaced with some sort of android. How else is he not reacting to what you’re doing?

The longer you touch him, the more you’re convinced of the android thing. He continues answering questions and putting his own thoughts forward while also taking the time to berate Hal for something. All the while you’re getting him off and he’s acting like nothing is happening at all. 

As much as you dare to, as to not draw attention over, you quicken the pace at which you’re stroking him. You can feel him growing harder and thicker in your hand as he draws closer to his orgasm. Maybe you’ll finally get the reaction you’re looking for when he cums. 

You don’t. Instead all you get is a deep inhale, followed by a deep exhale as his cock twitches and he covers your hand and himself in his cum. You tucked him back into pants and wipe your hand on his suit. 

Moving away from him, you cross your arms across your chest. You’re disappointed that you were unable to make him crack. Maybe you’ll get him to crack next time. If there is a next time. As he adjusts his cape to cover himself, he catches your eye. There’s a promise in his eyes. 

‘You are going to pay for that.’

And you really hope that you do.

[from-izzy]

[00:05] | nct mark lee

"You're not behind," it prompts the grip on his forearm to tighten, "but you are tired and you deserve to rest now."

pairing » nct mark lee x gn!reader (fast proofread once - lmk if i missed anything!)

trope/au » established relationship au!, non-idol au!

genre » maximum hurt and comfort because i need someone to do this for me AND IT'S EXAM SEASON FOR MEJSDKFJHDF, mwork is a fluffy boyfriend in these angst times, mark holding you tight and telling you that everything is fine, boyfriend mark lee concerned for your wellbeing, mark letting you rest against his chest

word count, estimated reading time » 1707, ~6 mins

warnings (lmk if i missed anything!) » reader is stressed with academics, reader hasn't slept in a while, mark implied to be physically bigger and taller

navi/masterlist!! 🤍 nct dream masterlist🤍 'especially to you...'

HEYYYY HIIII! double update in a month which is very rare for me now 😭 and thanks for beta-ing a long time ago @sohnric !!

i def still love writing but life commitments can get heavy sometimes 🥹 and with that, this one is for everyone who is in exam prep or just having a hard time academically but also just anyone who needs comfort right now! good luck on your studies and commitments everyone! you can do this!! 🫂

with that being said, my first exam is tomorrow and i am tired-

Literally from the side, you hear the door creaking open, the click of its button free from the metal that houses it on its frame. As always, you choose to ignore it even though your heart drops slightly closer to your stomach. You don't dare to tear your eyes away from the document on your screen, choosing to look at the scorching white with your tired, slightly red eyes.

He called out for you but the only thing he's greeted with is your fingers rapidly against your keyboard. Mark is no longer surprised by your dismissive actions, sighing when it seems like the rhythm becomes faster. 

Slowly, he approaches your study area, a folded finger rubbing against his eyes in an attempt to blink the tiredness away even if it's just for a little bit. When he's close enough to see what you're working on, he can't help but feel proud of your progress. The title of the document takes him back to just a few days ago when you were crying to sleep in his arms, telling him about how you have no idea and that you have hit a wall in the upcoming assignment that seems to be due so soon. 

In reality, it isn't due for two more months, but it's the weighting of the assignment that has you pondering if you can really bear the burden of sleeping when forty per cent of your grade depends on this one paper.

But seeing your hair messy with an overused coffee cup not too far away from the edge of the table, he isn't sure if he would just rather see you cry yourself to sleep or see the obvious dark shadows surrounding your eyes. What he does know right now though, is that you should just rest your whole body after depriving yourself of a whole twenty-four hours with no sleep—slightly more than that now actually.

Mark arrives behind you, the front of his oversized shirt hitting the backseat of your study chair. His arms fall onto your shoulders, slowly massaging your tension away.

"Dinner?" He tests the topic first, genuinely not knowing if you have eaten today as he was busy outside the house.

You respond with a hum, "I promise, I had it." The typing didn't cease as you continued to speak to him, "Go back to bed, Markie."

If only you could turn back to see the face he makes at your dismissive answer. "Can't," he answers simply for now. "Not when I know that you’re out here tired and sleepless."

You know that this is his way of pulling you away from the technology that is keeping you up but you decide to stand your ground, "Just a bit more."

"That's what you've been saying the past half day, bubs." 

The specific timeframe is what made your fingers freeze and you tuck all your fingers into your palm except for two, scrolling up towards the start of the document. Reality suddenly sinks into you when it doesn't feel like you scrolled up a lot, but the grey bar on the right side of the screen shows that you reached the top of the document. The wave of exhaustion finally hits and your eyelids suddenly fall instantly. Mark immediately encircles his arms around you, pulling your back to rest against his chest.

It doesn't take him another second to realise that you're silently sobbing in his arms, upper body trembling in shame and disappointment with how time has passed yet no real effort is physically seen to the real world. Mark presses multiple kisses on the top of your head, tightening his hold and whispering words of comfort. 

"Mark..." You decide to bury your eyes into Mark's arms, the salty liquid trickling down the safety of his arms. "It feels like time is mocking me right now..."

You've always felt this way. Indeed, time will never wait for anyone or anything, yet as humans, it's ironic that we always wait for the right time. It's annoying and it's infuriating to see the long hand of the clock easily circle while you just sit still and watch it happen. 

Mark pulls away only slightly, pulling your seated body out from the table so that he can spin you around to physically put your work behind you. He then kneels in front of you, his hands enveloping yours on top of your lap. 

He doesn't say anything at first and doesn't even dare to fully let go of you even when he wipes your tears away from your cheeks. Mark just offers you a smile with the crease between his eyebrows evident, letting you cry out your feelings a little bit more.

"You're doing so well," he affirms his thoughts out loud. "You don't give yourself enough credit for that, so I'm here to remind you every time."

And he does. 

Mark Lee has always been great at that even when you were both still friends. You were worried that he only did it when you were both still in the flirting stages too, but four years with Mark Lee and he still says the words sincerely and truthfully. In your darkest times, that's all that you need.

Your legs push your bottoms to the edge of the seat and you practically slump into Mark's embrace as you push the seat rolling away behind you. Your arms swing around Mark's neck for stability, hiding your cries in the crook of his neck. 

"I'm tired, Mark..." suddenly the ground felt wobbly, your knees giving out to keep your posture somewhat upright in his hold, “and I feel so dumb.”

Mark quickly refutes with a series of firm shaking of his head, craning his neck just slightly enough to kiss the trail that your tears leave on the apple of your cheeks. You whimper against the touch of his lips and you hate that you’re worrying the person who has proven to you over and over again that he loves you to the moon and back. His black hair fell over his eyes but it’s not hidden enough for you to miss the reassuring glimpse that his orbs gazed you with. 

"Your past achievements prove you otherwise as well and I promise you that you’re not.”

And he really means that. 

Your tiredness is physically shown further by the way you slump over his figure on the floor. Your knee isn't even supporting you on the ground anymore, slipping you further away from him as the fabric of your longer pants helps you slide on the polished floor to bring you closer to your boyfriend.

Mark supports your weight against his, untucking his legs from under him and spreading them beside your figure. Slowly and gently, he turns you around and sits you properly on the squared patterns. Similar to before, he makes you rest your head against where his heart beats calmly while he leans backwards slightly so that you're more comfortable in his arms around your middle. Your fingers stiffly grip his forearm, mind still clouded by the next paragraph of your work and Mark picks this up. 

His eyes drift up to the black font against the white electronic paper. "Tell me the next one." Referring to the idea of your work. 

He does this often, repeating the main ideas of your work so that he can store them inside his long-term memory. This way, he can tell it to you tomorrow. His love transcends forgetfulness, his mind jotting down all the main points so that you don't have to go back to doing work without sleep inside your system any longer. Mark gently sways his upper body and the weight of your eyelids becomes more apparent from the hum he lets out. 

"But I just don't think I deserve to rest." It feels like the world is too active for you to do so. "I feel like I'm behind all the time."

"You're not behind," it prompts the grip on his forearm to tighten, "but you are tired and you deserve to rest now."

That's all the validation you need. You just needed to hear someone say, with a mellow voice and the beating of their heart that contrasts your erratic ones, that it's alright for you to rest, even if it's for a while. The affirmation that you're doing well is gratefully received, but you just needed someone to tell you that your eyelids can fall for the next few hours on a well-deserved mattress, in a safe place.

Next, your voice box finally releases the tension to the air and Mark Lee alternates between kisses to the side of your face and whispers to the shell of your ear all the words that would make the tension around your body fade.

That's the thing about Mark Lee. He would let you cry it out audibly, not like the ones you would bury your entire face to your pillow, suffocating and gasping for air as you tried to keep the weight on your shoulders to yourself when you were still living alone.

The tears from your eyes are valid and so did the sobs that did the same from your lips. The world blurs due to the remnants of some of the stubborn ones that didn't drop to your tear-stricken cheeks—but it's fine because Mark would always turn his head to you, the side of his fingers brushing on your lower lid, careful to not hurt the orbs that he finds love and security in.

Mark still holds you close throughout the whole time, eventually seeing how your chest gradually decreases its frequency in taking deep breaths. 

Exhausted and spent, you managed to whisper, "Thanks, Mark." It's croaked and easy to miss if it wasn't for the proximity that you're both sharing.

"Always." His palm rests on your jawline and he softly turns your head, your ear now on his chest. Mark lands a quick peck on your now slightly upturned lips, "I love you."

"I love you more."

Sleeping is easier for him now that the other side of the mattress is occupied and that he can feel your warmth directly on his skin in a well-deserved resting position.

navi/masterlist!! 🤍 nct dream masterlist 🤍 'especially to you...'

tags: @k-films @kflixnet @starlit-network @kstrucknet @haneul-and-clouds

[reneesghostinthelivingroom]

Hii, do you mind doing a poly!plastics x reader where reader gets hypothermia 'cause she fell on a river during winter while she (or the pronoun you feel comfy writing) was out with the plastics on a date or something and the girls just try to stay calm and help reader get warm, rushing to one of the girls house with Gina's car so they can get a lukewarm bath after helping with body heat (nothing more than bear hugs and skin-to-skin cuddles in my mind tbh but feel free to do whatever you have in mind). They freak out a little when they notice reader isn't aware of what's going on (being lucid and answering things) but everything gets better in the end with fluff and assurance from the reader that she's fine now (since her girls are still on their toes about it) :D

Tysm for your fics, they've been making my days better and your last one is not an exception 😊❤️

Burning but it's Ice Cold ||

|| poly!plastics x fem!reader

(i myself am poly!)

|| Warnings: Regina soft for reader, mentions of panic attack, brief hypothermia descriptions, Reader's hurt, hurt/comfort fic

If I missed a warning lmk

|| Summary: reader and the girls go ice skating at Regina's cottage, reader gets distracted by the northern lights and falls through a thin spot of ice. The girls work together to comfort and warm up reader.

Requests open!

Started: May 13th

Finished: May 26th

~~~

It was a cold, February afternoon. You and your girls were staying up at Regina's family cottage for the weekend, enjoying a much needed break from NorthShore drama. Lately it's been feeling like there's some new fire to put out every damn day. The four of you really needed this break.

You were chilling on the couch, sipping a tea when you remembered something you had seen on your way up to the cottage. Maybe about a seven minute walk from here there was a frozen over lake, you grinned as you got up the from the couch and rushed to the kitchen where your girls had been chatting and hanging out while Gretchen cooks.

"We should go ice skating!" You say suddenly, getting their attention.

"Huh?" Regina blinks at you, ice skating?

"Yeah! There's like a frozen lake maybe ten minutes from here!" You smile, bouncing on your heels as your girls exchanged looks.

"I think my parents might have some old skates in the shed. Gretchen, go check." Regina says, Gretchen nods and quickly goes to look for the skates. (the food was forgotten but its okay because its a fanfic)

"Is ice skating like skateboarding?" Karen asked, you and Regina shared a look.

"Mm... I guess?" You tilt your head, thinking a little too hard on it to find the similarities between the two," though it's closer to roller skating.. only on ice."

"That's like really cool." Karen replied, you gave her a soft smile and walked over to give her hand a gentle squeeze as you kissed her cheek.

Gretchen comes back a few moments later, struggling to carry four pairs of skates. You quickly run over and take a few from her to help her out, she gives you a grateful smile as she kisses your cheek.

"Thank you, Y/N/N. Hopefully these will fit." She looks down at the skates, there's one pink pair which were clearly Regina's as on the side there was a slightly darker pink glittery R written in calligraphy. You handed those skates to Regina, she rolled her eyes but took them.

Gretchen handed a pair to Karen. You and Gretchen held the last two pairs for yourselves.

"Alright! Let's go!" You grinned, running to grab your coat and quickly pulling it on before sprinting out the door.

It was getting darker, but the sky was lit with northern lights that shone bright and kept a soft glow on the ground to light up your way.

Your girls quickly caught up to you, dressed in their own respective winter gear and the four of you marvelled at the lights.

All of you took some pictures, as well as a group photo where Regina had her arm draped around your shoulders as she kissed your neck.

You shivered at the feeling but the smile never left your face.

When you finally arrived to the lake, all of you put your skates on. Gretchen helped out Karen with hers since she was having some difficulty with her laces.

Once the laces were tied, Gretchen stood and kissed Karen's cheek. By this point you were already out on the ice with Regina, Regina showing off some twirls while you cheered her on. Who knew Regina had a hidden talent for ice skating?

Gretchen and Karen soon joined you guys on the ice, Karen recorded Gretchen for tiktok while Gretchen did some of her own twirls and such. You had begun exploring the iced lake, skating further away from the group.

You went a good distance away. Your gaze going to all the colourful lights in the sky, completely distracting you from your surroundings. You don't notice that you're skating over a thinner spot even as the ice cracks beneath you.

Regina had started following behind you, her body tensing when she heard the ice crack.

"Y/N!" She yelled, pulling your attention from the lights and towards her. You stared at her in confusion and were about to ask 'what' when you suddenly dropped. A scream leaving your mouth.

You fell through the ice, desperately grasping for anything to hold. The freezing water touching your body like sharp knives. Your eyes began to close when you felt someone grasp your hand and pull you out.

Regina pulled you out of the water, her arm draping around your shoulders and holding you tight to her side as she helped you stand.

The next half an hour went by in a whirlwind of panic, Gretchen freaking out the most. Karen helping Gretchen through multiple panic attacks. Regina was the most calm, she internalized it all so there was at least someone stable enough to help you. As for you, you barely had any idea what was going on. The cold was making you go in and out of consciousness, you could barely feel any of your body. Did you still even have a body??

When they finally get you to the cottage, Gretchen gets the fireplace going. Adding in some logs then lighting it using some old scrap paper. Regina brings you over to the fireplace, taking a seat on the sofa and pulling you in her lap to keep you warm. Your whole body shook, lips were purple.

Karen frowned at the sight but then suddenly smiled as she got an idea," I'm gonna go make a hot chocolate and start a warm bath!" She says happily, Gretchen turns her head in Karen's direction then glances at Regina.

"I'll go keep an eye on Karen, you okay here?" Gretchen asked, Regina nodded and made a shoo gesture before her hand came and rested on you. Her hands trailed along your trembling body as a feeble attempt to keep you warm while Karen prepped hot chocolate and a bath with Gretchen's help.

You had curled yourself into a ball in Regina's lap, head rested just below her chest as you hugged your knees. You kept you eyes closed; barely able to focus on anything around you. You knew Regina's hands were moving along your body, but you could barely feel anything.

Regina looked down at you and gave your cheek a gentle tap," You still with me?" She asked, having noticed your eyes were closed which made her panic just a little. You made a small grumble in response and your eyes opened slightly to look at her. She was more relieved than she would ever admit," just keep your eyes open, baby. Can you do that?" Her voice was uncharacteristically soft, but then again. Somehow she always had a soft spot for you.

You nodded slowly, not really wanting to keep your eyes open. But you did as Regina asked, you always did.

Karen comes over with the hot chocolate, decorated with whip cream, various sprinkles on top and a swirly straw. She handed you the cup but you weren't able to grasp it, so Regina took it from Karen's hands and held it up to your mouth for you. You took a sip with the help of the straw.

"That's it, good girl." Regina whispered in your ear, a light smirk on her lips. She knew exactly what she was doing. She looked at Karen who was there smiling at them," Is the bath ready?"

"Yep! Gretchen's got it going!" Karen replied.

Regina looked down at you, seeing the soft redness on your cheeks. She couldn't tell if it was because of how cold you were or if it was from what she had said before. Her hand rested on your hip, gently grazing it with her thumb. The feeling made you shiver more than you already were.

"Think you can stand for me?" Regina asked, you looked at her and gently shook your head. Still sipping hot chocolate.

She frowned at that and handed Karen the cup, you pouted a little as your hot chocolate was stolen. "Hold onto that." Regina stated, then stood with you in her arms. She carried you up stairs, Karen following behind with the hot chocolate. She tried taking a sip of some, but the straw went to her nose instead and made her flinch. She did get it to her mouth though after another attempt. Karen doesn't have the best luck with straws.

Regina got you into the bathroom where Gretchen was pacing as she waited. She stopped and looked at you, frowning when she saw you were still shivering.

"I googled best ways to help hypothermia and you're not supposed to put too much heat on them at once, so I made sure the water wasn't too hot or too warm." Gretchen rambled out, Regina didn't respond. She was more focused on you as she started removing your clothing.

Once she had you undressed, she placed you in the tub with Gretchen's help.

"Stay with her. I'm getting her warmer clothes." With that, Regina headed to their shared room at the cottage and started digging through the dresser for anything that looked warm while Gretchen kept an eye on you in the bath.

After all that was done, you were starting to feel better. A little more present at least and less trembly. Regina came back with fresh clothes. The two helped get you out of the tub while Karen was off getting your comfort movie set up in the bedroom.

Gretchen got you dressed and then her and Regina helped you into the bedroom where Karen was waiting. She pressed play on the movie and the four of you laid in bed in a cuddle pile, you in the middle as your girls surrounded you. You made a soft sigh.

"I'm okay now.." You mumbled, Gretchen and Regina looked a little surprised when you talked considering you haven't said a word since before all this happened. Gretchen seemed to finally relax a bit. (Karen's too focused on the movie.)

"You sure?" Gretchen asked, hand coming to rest on your cheek. You leaned into her touch and nodded. You weren't perfect, but you were better.

"Thank you. All of you."

[eucalyptus-lvs]

Carmen Berzatto’s Night Off - Carmen Berzatto x Reader

I would have had this out earlier, but I got hung up on a two-parter that I’m putting out in the fall. The platform is still pretty new to me so I’m still learning as well. This could be in the same universe as my last two or a stand-alone. I’m trying to think of a nickname or smth to use in place for this series without putting an actual name so it’s still immersive for everyone. I was also thinking about doing requests if it’s smth that has interest so if anyone has thoughts on either feel free to lmk. As always any thoughts or constructive criticism are appreciated! Thank you to everyone who has read and supported me. Love you all! - Elli🌿

TW: None.

A knock sounds at the office door, startling Carmy before it slowly open.

“Hey.” You call to him, walking over.

“Hey, what’s up?” Attention turning back to the papers in front of him, arm circling your waist. He squeezes your hip as you stand beside him while remaining in his chair.

“Just wanted to come see you before the day starts.” You lean down to place a kiss to the top of his messy curls. “Getting some paperwork done?”

He moves his arm to run both hands down his face in frustration before settling them in his lap. “That and the menu Syd’s pushin’ for.” Tipping back in his chair with a heavy sigh.

You lean back against the desk to face him, crossing your arms. “Shouldn't you be working on the menu Syd wants…with Syd?” Questioning what, to you, seemed obvious.

“Yeah, I will. I just wanna get some general ideas down and go from there.” he shrugged.

You lock eyes with him, expression showing you think he's full of shit. “You know this does nothing for your control freak allegations, right?” you laugh.

“I'm not a control freak. I just want everything to go well. It has to if Syd wants her star.”

Tilting your head with an endearing look, you grab his hand in yours. “I know you do, but maybe you should give yourself a break. Take a night off.”

He scoffed. “I can’t just take a night off. There’s too much that needs to get done. This fuckin’ paperwork, the menu, makin’ sure the deliveries are comin’ in and that those deliveries are actually what we fuckin’ ordered and-” He ranted, getting increasingly frustrated with each task mentioned.

“Fine, fine.” You squeeze his hand as a way to gain back his attention but also ground him as he spirals. “I get it, but you can leave on time for once. You get here early and you stay later than anyone else.”

“Because I'm running it.” he interjects.

“And the place won't cease to exist if you leave with everyone else. C’mon, just one night, and tomorrow you can dive head-first back into the neurosis. I'll even come in early with you and help if it'll make you feel better.” You plead with your best attempt at puppy dog eyes.

“Don't look at me like that, Sweetheart. Please.” He tries looking away only for you to huff like a child trying to get their way.

“You are in need of some serious rest and recovery. Slow down a bit. Enjoying your life won't kill you.”

“Baby, c’mon. I gotta try and figure out these recipes or I'll get behind a-and everything will get derailed-”

“Okay, Cameron Frye.” You roll your eyes, mocking him. “I swear, your mind goes straight to the worst-case scenario every time.” Releasing his hand and turning to flip through some of the papers on the desk.

“Who?” He looked confused, shaking his head.

“Cameron Frye. Ferris Bueller's Day off? The best friend.” Focusing on what you think are the beginning sketches of a dish.

“Never seen it.” He said flippantly, going back to looking through the files.

Your eyes shot back up to look at him. “What?! How have you not seen it? Isn't old stuff your whole thing?”

“Vintage is not my whole thing.” He corrects. “I just like it. And I'm talkin’ about denim, not an era as a whole. I barely consume current media. Let alone somethin’ that came out 4 decades ago.”

“Oh, come on. You're missing out. The 80s had some of the greatest movies ever made. The practical effects of horror were unmatched. The love stories were iconic. Not to mention all the feel-good nostalgia. Which, not to be that girl, with your attitude you could probably use in your life.” You ramble on.

“Ouch.” Throwing his hands up slightly in mock offense.

You sigh, feeling as though you’re fighting a losing battle. “Okay, how about a trade? Tonight we go back to my place and have an awesome 80s double feature. You can cook whatever you want for us to enjoy it with. Call it practice for the menu.”

“I can cook anything?” He asked skeptically, crossing his arms.

“Yes, as long as you agree right now to two movies. I pick. No backing out.” You stuck out your hand with a pointed look. Giving the impression of a serious transaction.

If he was being honest, he found it quite cute.

“Okay.” He took your smaller hand in his, sealing the deal.

A smile takes over your serious expression, so wide your face aches.

“Okay! You make plans for dinner and I'll think about what we’ll watch.” Nodding your head as you move back towards the door, making your way out of the office to complete the necessary tasks before opening.

Carmy matches your smile. Happy to see you so excited. Shaking his head as his mind fills with ideas of what you might like and what is to come of the night.

______________________________________________________________

A knock sounds at the door for a second time today. Not to the office this time, but to your apartment. You race over and throw it open. “Well, hello.” You grin.

Carmy stands in the doorway, grocery bags in hand. “Hey, Sweetheart.” He presses a quick kiss to your cheek as he passes you to walk to the kitchen, immediately making himself at home as if it were second nature.

When setting the bags on the counter he sees that there are already some there. “You stopped at the store?”

“Yeah, I just had to get a few things for tonight.” You shrugged.

“You shoulda told me. I woulda picked it up for you.” He didn't like the idea of you going out of your way for him. It was something he had trouble getting used to while being with you because he never wanted to inconvenience you.

“Well, next time we'll go together. Save the trouble.” You tease. Diverting his attention by pulling him into you, wrapping your arms around his neck while his came to your hips.

You bring him in for a soft, slow kiss. The kind that made him seem to sink into you.

He likes the idea of doing something so domestic with you. He always thought he was fine with being alone.

That was until he met you.

Now a trip to the grocery store sounds like the best way he could spend an evening.

He can’t stop himself from imagining how much of the cart you’d fill with random items. You’d swear it was because you had some sort of craving, but he’d know it was more likely that you’d gone on an empty stomach and were just hungry.

Breaking the kiss, he smiles at the prospect. “Okay.” He replied sincerely.

You release him so that he can continue to unpack the groceries, standing to the side of him and watching. “So, Chef Carmen. What's on the menu?”

“Chef Carmen?” He raised an eyebrow, letting out a chuckle.

“Stop, I'm taking this seriously.” You laugh. “You need inspiration for the menu and I'm trying to simulate a good environment for that.”

“I don't think a proper simulation involves you in the old Dio shirt you like to sleep in as a uniform.” Gesturing to your attire with a teasing grin.

“Fine, forget it. What's for dinner, Bear?” You relax, crossing your arms as you lean against the counter.

“Spaghetti.”

"Spaghetti? Hardly seems like something you'd put on the menu.” You questioned, confused.

“It probably won't be on the menu.”

“I thought that was the whole point of tonight? Practicing.”

That was the point originally, but the more he thought about what you would like and how the night would go he didn't want to practice.

He wanted to take work out of the equation completely.

It was obvious you were excited about tonight and he wanted a dish to match the energy of an evening with you.

Something warm and comforting.

“I changed my mind. It’s uh- kinda a family thing. Thought you'd like it.” He tries to sound nonchalant, but it comes out unsure as he spares a glance your way.

“Spaghetti sounds great.” You said softly, a small smile gracing your face.

He has to change the subject quickly before he abandons the idea of cooking completely in favor of you.

He clears his throat as he starts prepping the ingredients for the sauce. “What are we watching?”

“Well, I wanted to pick something I thought you’d like, but since you don’t watch a lot of stuff already I had to gamble with my favorites. First is The Thing since I talked about practical effects. It’s horror, but I don’t think it’s really scary in case that bothers you. The other isss-” You pause to drum your hands on the counter.

Carmen shook his head with a smile and laughed. This is why he likes you.

One of the many reasons he likes you.

You were weird but in a good way. Having the ability to be effortlessly fun in a way he could never be.

“Ferris Bueller's Day Off!” You beamed. “An obvious choice, I know, but I figured it’s the reason we’re having this night in the first place. Plus, it kinda has a little of everything. Friendship, romance, adventure and it takes place in Chicago! A little bit of a 180 from The Thing, but hopefully you’ll like it. It was hard to narrow it down to just two.”

“I feel like this is the most I’ve ever heard you talk.” He teases with a small grin.

He can see an immediate change in your body language. Suddenly turning shy for the first time tonight. He curses himself for mentioning it in the first place.

He was good at nothing if not ruining a good thing.

“It’s easy to talk about things I like,” you take in a deep breath, fidgeting with your hands “with someone I, yknow, really like.” Moving the strands of hair that had fallen in your face as your eyes focus on the floor.

Oh.

He pauses, thoughtfully. It was often hard for him to approach direct conversations, especially ones centered around feelings. But he knew if there was ever a time to try it would be for you. “Well-uh, those sound good. Maybe we could do another night? For the other ones you had in mind.”

The olive branch is all you need to perk up. Going right back to the bubbly personality he became accustomed to with you.

“Yes! Okay, I have so many ideas. A close runner-up was The Lost Boys. I wasn’t sure how you’d feel about vampires though. And Beetlejuice! Beetlejuice was a good one and I heard they’re doing a remake so we could watch both if you like it and compare-“ You continue to ramble as Carmen listens intently. Nodding along to everything you're saying as he cooks for you.

______________________________________________________________

The dishes have long been forgotten on the coffee table. Empty since the first half of The Thing.

You’ve both settled back into the couch with large blankets and at least half a dozen snacks you picked up on the way from work because you insisted that ‘people enjoy movies more with fun snacks’.

It's logic he’s not quite sure he agrees with, but when it came down to the two of you he wouldn’t claim to be the expert.

Now onto the next movie, Jennifer Grey is front and center on the screen as her character sits in the police station.

You stare ahead, almost hypnotized. “Yknow she had been in a couple things at this point, but I think I read somewhere that her role in this is what helped her get Dirty Dancing. It came out a year after.”

“Is that one you wanted me to watch? Dirty Dancing?”

He didn’t want to admit it, but he’d seen it before. It was something Sugar had played once when taking over the tv in the living room and he was forced to watch that or nothing at all. It wasn’t a movie he remembered in great detail, just that he was able to sit through it.

He was thankful Mikey and Richie weren’t around that day or he never would’ve heard the end of it.

You shrug, still transfixed by the screen. “Yeah, if you’re down for it. It would only be my second time so it’ll be pretty new for the both of us.”

“You only saw it once?” He asks curiously.

“Yeah, last month.”

He paused, looking over at you.

Sensing his gaze you turned to him and locked eyes. “What?”

“So you’re givin’ me all this shit about missin’ out on 80s pop culture when you didn't even see one of ‘em until a month ago.”

“I love the movie genre. It doesn't make me an expert! Plus, I used to get creeped out by the age gap between her and Patrick Swayze. But they do this flashback cinema thing at the movies sometimes and I thought ‘How often do people our age get to say they've seen Dirty Dancing in theaters?’ I figured if I was gonna give it a real shot I should watch it the way it was intended.” Your eyes lock back on the screen as a sheepish smile appears.

He just continues to look your way. “Did you like it?”

A grin breaks out on your face and you turn to him once again.

“I kinda loved it.” Your nose scrunching a bit. “I was wrong! I was totally wrong. The soundtrack was great. The choreography was hot. Even though the age thing creeped me out I did end up liking their relationship a lot. I mean, their chemistry was unreal. I guess you could say that about most romantic films, but I don't know… It felt different. Maybe because I built it up in my head?”

You let out a small laugh, turning back to the tv. “As soon as I left the theater I played the soundtrack and sang to it the whole way home.”

A moment passes as he looks between you and the screen.

He leans close to you, putting an arm around your shoulder, and whispers, “Nobody puts Baby in the corner.”

You turn to him so quickly he thinks you might have whiplash.

“Hey! You got one!” You giggle.

Smiling at him, you once again turned your attention to the movie. Only this time scooting closer to rest your head on his shoulder.

As the movie goes on, shared laughs and your mumblings of the dialogue can be heard filling the small apartment.

Towards the end, he goes to make a joke. When he gets no response he looks down to find you asleep on his shoulder.

Captivated by how peaceful you look, the voice of Ferris pulls him back to reality.

“Yup, I said it before and I'll say it again. Life moves pretty fast. You don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”

Leaning down, he places a kiss on your forehead before laying his head against yours.

He's glad he didn't miss this.

[kazumist]

SMALL SPOON OR BIG SPOON .ᐟ

✩ — are they a small spoon or a big spoon in your relationship?

✩ — includes: various x gn!reader. fluff. no cws. wc: 994. lmk if you want a version that includes more inazuma and sumeru characters! reblogs and feedback are very much appreciated :]

small spoons — !

xiao, scaramouche, and venti

xiao has been through a lot, he never really considered indulging himself in these types of things. he thought he didn’t deserve it, but he covered that up by stating that there should be a fine line between the mortal and the immortal. but when he felt you hug him, xiao was comforted. he slowly became desperate for the familiar feeling of warmth that he felt from you. the second you pulled away from the sudden hug you gave him, he was hesitant. he wanted to feel it again but is he allowed too? does it make you uncomfortable if he leans in for another hug? his thoughts were a mess. and you noticed it, you noticed his hesitancy and gave him another hug—a longer one at that. he didn’t know why but xiao felt safe after years of despair.

venti is cheeky, mischievous even. you never know where he gets the endless amount of energy he has on a daily basis—a smile here, a smile there, he smiles all the time. which made you wonder: has or does the ever so popular bard of mondstadt have times where he breaks? well, you didn’t know if you actually have an answer to that so we might as well never know. even though you never expected to find out the reason for that soon. everyone gets tired in the end—including venti. give him a comforting hug during those times and the pace of the wind will surely be better.

scaramouche seemed like a big spoon at first but in truth he's the one who loves to be cuddled. not many individuals favor scaramouche, most dislike him due to his attitude —but for some reason, you didn't. you never cared about others opinions. despite working in the fatui, scaramouche had always thought that you were too… bright for the job. under the ruling of the beloved tsaritsa, the fatui is dark and cold. yet you're bright and warm, the differences are too big to ignore. but it doesn't matter—even though scaramouche is disliked by his co-workers in the fatui, he knows that you're someone who'll believe that there's honestly more to him as an individual.

big spoons — !

zhongli, kaeya, and dainsleif

zhongli likes to hug you especially when you're tired (and it comes with a free back massage so who’s gonna back down on that?). he tries his best to make you happy—to enjoy yourself with him. he adapted to many eras of humanity so there’s still some parts he’s kinda rusty in. who knows how long has it been ever since he had a lover, did he even had a lover back then though? it doesn’t really matter. zhongli likes being the big spoon in your relationship and that’s that.

for some random reason, kaeya really likes to drown you in hugs. no matter where you are, you get all sorts of hugs. sidehugs if you’re walking in public, back hugs if you’re in your own quarters and many more. you never really thought of why kaeya likes hugs so much. maybe it’s because it feels nice? not that you minded though, kaeya’s hugs are fun to drown in.

dainsleif isn’t that used to hugs (or cuddling in any sense) so he was rather stiff about it at first. but once dainsleif got used to it, he prefers to be the one who’s hugging you from behind with his arms wrapped around your waist. he feels consoled by it, who knows what runs on his mind at all times every day? everything and everyone has their boundaries that they cannot seem to reach—some try to reach past it with some being successful while some would fail. it’s just how life is, an endless cycle. but in that cycle, dainsleif doesn’t mind for your precious moment to repeat.

in-between — !

diluc, childe, albedo and kazuha

similar to dainsleif, diluc was also a bit stiff at first. but whenever diluc is exhausted, he tends to be the small spoon for you but there’s times when he’s also the big spoon. it’s either to be held or to hold for him, and you couldn’t really guess if he wants to be the one who’s cuddled up. that’s okay though—as long as diluc is comfortable, you don’t necessarily mind.

childe is too in-between because he cuddles his siblings if they ask him and he likes to get cuddled by you. it reminds him of the nostalgic feeling of warmth of being held by someone. he wants to feel the exact same warmth once again to the point he’s drunk from it but that doesn’t mean he’s completely a small spoon—he likes being the big spoon at times too. it’s a mix, really. once you see that small pout on his lips, it’s best to assume he wants to be the small spoon. but when he greets you arms wide open, prepare to be the small spoon instead.

albedo is sometimes complicated to understand. you never know if he wants to be cuddled or what—but in the end you cuddle him anyways. he deserves it, after spending hours of working on lab results, experiments and other studies? who wouldn’t get exhausted by all of it. however, albedo isn’t always the small spoon. even though he’s so tired from all the work he’s done, there are times he prefers to hold you instead of being held.

kazuha is usually the big spoon whenever the two of you are together. but if he just recently returned after months of sailing? small spoon all the way! he wants to regain his energy by being with you so cuddling is his best option. because he’ll be able to rest and spend time with you—nothing too complex to understand, no? whenever kazuha is the big spoon though, he won’t let go of you easily if you try to get up. you’re practically stuck but that’s okay.

[yaekiss]

#mailroom open! i hope the event is still open —if not, feel free to disregard !! i’m looking to send a letter to cyno confessing my love, and looking for a letter w/ yan + nsfw themes back! i love the petname bunny, but any are fine with me!

letter and gift below the hearts. congratulations on 400 !!!

the letter is scrawled on parchment paper, the handwriting a bit messy and hurried. the craftsmanship looks like it was a draft of many — is it possible the sender sent the wrong version of the letter?

“to cyno,

to think it has been merely two weeks since my departure from under your watch. i understand i’m supposed to be focusing on my work, completing my assignment and coming back, but i keep getting distracted.

i wouldn’t say it’s my fault in my entirety, because frankly, it’s you who is distracting me from the duties you sent me on. my mind keeps racing back to thoughts of you, you, you, and it’s impossible to look forward when all i want to do is have you order me around again in the desert.

leaving you was a pain. i didn’t want to go. i crave to be curled against your side and to really, truly love you, but it’s so inappropriate of me. insubordinate.

i’m writing this because i know i can never send it. my thoughts, my emotions — i would be jeopardizing my station. i need to focus, but it’s hard when i know you’re so far.

how embarrassing of me to write this to you. it’s childish of me to think you would really ever take notice.

i should throw this letter away before i fall asleep at my desk and mess it up with the one i really want to send you.

signed, your wannabe beloved.”

the letter makes no mention of the gift that came wrapped with it. it seems that the author really did send the wrong version. the gift enclosed was a bottle of wine, some photos to be included with a report, and some paperwork regarding the assignment they were on in liyue. when opened, it smelled faintly of perfume. “for filing, so they don’t get lost.” read a note attached to the papers and photos.

꩜ Letter Content: GN! Dom! Reader x Yan! Sub! Cyno, no gendered terms for reader, Cyno calls you "bunny", implied abuse of authority, unhealthy obsessive and possessive relationship from Cyno, lmk if I missed anything ! ꩜ Delivery Notes: You wouldn't believe the number of puns I had to listen to... they were all rabbit related too... ꩜ Wanna write a love letter yourself? Check out it out here!

There’s a cardboard box dropped off at your hotel doorstep when you return from your day’s duties.

It reminds you of the kind you see hugged in your colleagues’ arms when they transfer out of your office and to a different jurisdiction or during the bittersweet retirement of a senior staff member. For a moment, the thought of Cyno, the General Mahamatra, taking offence to your confession letter cruelly crosses your mind and you dejectedly bounce the notion of getting fired from your job around in your head as you move to go pick up the box. 

However, you soon discover that it is anything but a termination, evident from a heart-shaped envelope that rests shyly on the top of the box. A sense of hope bubbles up in you and you quickly move everything inside, eagerly opening up his letter. Inside the romantic envelope is his response, folded flawlessly into a heart as well. After unfolding it and doing your best to smooth out all the creases in the paper, you rake your eyes over the parchment, noting how his handwriting is identical to the one you always see in official reports. But to see such a font spelling out his love for you has you in disbelief. His letter reads:

“A reply to my dearest bunny. Can I call you bunny? Or should I call you mine?

Starting off, I need to reciprocate your confession, it won’t be ice of me to leave you in the cold. Haha, I wish I could’ve seen your reaction at that joke. On a more serious note, I would be lying to say that I don’t have any feelings for you. You caught my eye when I first saw how admirable you truly are, bunny. Now, you might not think so yet yourself but I’ve personally witnessed it in the little things you do, in your passions, in your dreams. Truly inspiring, bunny.

Thank you for the timely submission of your report again, bunny. Impeccable work as usual, I can always count on you for a job well done. The wine was a thoughtful gift too, if only I were able to share it with you in person. Perhaps I should reward you for being such a hard worker, I could be all yours to use, if you’d want me. Gods, I might be the General Mahamatra but the power you have over me is unfathomable. Would you allow me to lay my head in your lap, to let my hands trail up your calves and thighs, to bury my head between your legs? Maybe you’ll even have me call you General for the night instead, perhaps I’ll scream your title until daylight. I can satiate you in any way you’d like, I’m giddy with desire for you, bunny.

You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to get closer to you, it was simply fated that you were transferred under me a while back, bunny. That previous superior of yours wasn’t the best either, always so harsh on you, aren’t you glad you’re under my watch now? If I can be frank (even though my name is Cyno), I never wanted you to take up the Liyue assignment, it wasn’t my idea in the first place. I loathe that I had to send you for it. What if you got hurt? What if you went missing? What if you fell for someone else? It simply won’t do, bunny.

Thankfully, I’ve managed to find someone to relieve you of your post in Liyue. Let’s just say that they needed this “learning opportunity” more than someone as experienced as you. In the box are all the required paperwork for you to hand over your duties and return to Sumeru. I expect to have you back by my side within a week. Don’t keep me waiting too long, I want to finally show you how much I’ve yearned for you all this time. I just hope you’re a hands-on learner, my bunny.

Fated to be yours,

- Cyno -

P.S.: Would you ever show me the version of the letter you originally meant to send?”

Lifting the cover off the cardboard box, you see an assortment of gifts he prepared for you. Bundles of your favourite snacks, little trinkets, and a small journal tucked to a corner. Opening it up, you glance over the different lines scribbled on it and realise that they’re all cheesy pickup lines and puns from Cyno. There’s one that says, “Nobunny (nobody) compares to you” and another that reads, “You got my heart jackrabbiting for you”. A lewder one says, “Let’s fuck like rabbits” At the bottom of the first page, he wrote, “I save my best jokes for you, bunny ♡”.

Additionally, what also catches your eye is a holographic copy of a TCG card of you in a durable clear casing, it produces a brilliant iridescent sheen when you slowly turn the card side to side in the light. Did he specially commission one of you? Setting the card on your bedside table, you continue going through the box. 

True to his words in the letter, there’s a neat stack of paperwork stowed carefully in it. Flipping through the pages, you discover that it comes along with paid for travel arrangements from Cyno. A closer look reveals that all of them are scheduled to get you back to Sumeru as fast as possible. Just as you want to place the stack back into the box, a loose scrap of torn paper slips from it and flutters onto the floor. 

The only few words on it you can unfortunately make out are “pulled strings”, “transfer”, and the crossed out name of your previous superior.

Thanks for reading! Consider supporting me on kofi if you enjoyed this or check out my other works hehe ♡

[wind-up-thancred]

SO i've been digging around in the benchmark files with xiv data explorer...

...and with my middling knowledge of how XIV's current texture types work, i've noticed some differences in how texture channels have worked and what data is stored where. i haven't figured out what EVERYTHING'S for yet and if you think you have an idea or any corrections, pls feel free to lmk. could help with figuring out 7.0 modding quicker! this is also decent info for figuring out what old mods can be repurposed for 7.0 graphics.

also content warning for unwrapped face textures under the cut, i know those can look kind of spooky if you arent used to 'em lol

starting off, i didn't source this info but chirp (known plugin dev) on twitter talked about finding about fifty six new bones in the facial armature specifically. this means things like sculpts will probably be unusable unless they are manually re-rigged with each one of those fifty six new bones, or else they wont animate properly.

the default UV maps for the face specifically have changed, too, and many of the uses of the old normal and multi channels have been changed or moved to a different texture. NOTE that these examples were found from au ra textures, male specifically, and the channels may or may not have different uses on non-scaled races!

old vs new multi map. i'm fairly certain every channel here has been repurposed: for example, blue used to be for lipstick, now it seems to be for something else. so where'd the lipstick area data go? well:

it's been moved to the alpha channel on the normal map (these are both the new one). additionally, it seems like the blue channel on the normal map has been changed to signify the difference between skin and non-skin or something of the like.

(old vs new) similarly, even though the body seems to use the same UV layout with a redefined normal map, the blue channel here also seems to indicate skin vs non-skin. but the blue channel used to be for transparency (iirc?), so where is that data stored now?

the transparency data seems to have been moved to the alpha channel of the diffuse now. this image is part of the new face diffuse.

like the face multi map, the body multi map seems to actually use the blue channel now (and looks SO much cleaner, wow!). old vs new.

so what do these changes mean for our current mods?

-due to changed UVs, existing makeups will not be usable with the new faces UNLESS someone goes through the effort of taking the old sculpt (vanilla or otherwise) and weight paints ALL the new face bones to them, or somehow adjusts the UV mapping on the new sculpt to match the old one. i don't work with sculpts so i'm not sure how feasible either of these are

-existing body tattoo mods that only affect the diffuse should theoretically still work fine, as the UVs have not been changed on the body. body scale mods that are just recolors should work fine as well, but matching face scale mods will have to be redone for the new UVs.

-however, if it's a scale mod like dragonborn that changes the placement of the scales and therefore the normal and multi maps, those will have to be adjusted to match with the 7.0 channel uses.

assuming there are no major changes to how this data is stored between now and the releases of dawntrail, you could theoretically begin working now on your own texture mods ready for whenever we get access to 7.0 modding tools. i was able to access these files (and many others) by using XIV data explorer, a program that lets you view and export (but not import!) data directly from specific XIV data indexes.

if you also want to rip textures, the index storing them, alongside skeletons and animations, is 04000.win32.index2. hit ctrl+shift+e to export individual files to a .tex format and then run them through penumbra to convert them into .dds for normals + multis or .png for diffuses for editing. i'm fairly certain that 95% of the pathings will be exactly the same as what penumbra and textools gives us now, so there shouldn't be much need to find entirely new paths.

again, if anyone sees any differences in other races for texture uses or figures out the uses for new channels, PLEASE let me know bc the sooner we get all this figured out the better! i have only been modding for a few years and don't know everything about how every texture works so i'm open to corrections.

[nicolesainz]

Pretty cute, if you ask me (LN 4)

Lando Norris x reader

Warnings: extreme fluff

Special dedication @freedaxf1 !! I hope you like it. This one’s for ya! If you have any other requests lmk. Love you!

Summary: Hints everywhere. Cheeks flushed and heart beating. Everyone has picked up on your feelings towards Lando, but do they know the truth yet?

“I sometimes regret having you around. I enjoy my peace and quiet during the weekends” I let out a defeated sigh as I remove my headsets.

“You only enjoy it because you get to be alone with mister McLaren” Fertwell comments as he nudges me playfully.

“Truly wrong judgement here, Max. Try again maybe” i roll my eyes

“Oh no she’s lying. They are both attached to each other, I still don’t understand how he managed to even do a few proper laps during free practices” the former McLaren driver, Daniel Ricciardo, adds, fueling the interest of my other friends.

“We should definitely attend the races more often. We are being excluded from the best moments” Ria smirks lustily at me, making my cheeks flush

“It’s the first time I’ve head a driver sing so much during free practices on the radio to his friend. He’s the only one who’s done it and probably will continue to be” the Australian drops another hint, sparks amongst the group being lighten.

“Since Y/N, refuses to tell us the truth, please Daniel, give us more details. What is my adorable baby sis doing around Norris, when we aren’t in sight” my older sister almost begs ex McLaren driver to be a inside source.

“There’s nothing to say for the love of god!” I shout at the same time as the mechanics work on Oscar’s car, getting it ready for another session.

“It will be the first time I’ll believe anyone else but you sis, sorry!”

“How do you explain the multiple pictures and stories then? Your gallery has more pictures of Lando than anyone else!” Daniel keeps pushing my buttons as if he’s doing it on purpose, which he is

“That’s not true! I just like to share things.” I shrug my shoulders as Max scrolls through his phone and shoves it on my face

“It’s the 5th story you’ve posted with Lando this week. I’m not buying it, Y/N”

“I don’t get why I have to alert you about anything that happens in my life”

that’s wrong! I tell them everything that happens in my life. Everything except one thing.

“Fine! Don’t tell us. I’ll ask Oscar. Rookie will be too much under pressure not to blurt anything.” My sister is almost threatening me to the point it scares

“And what if he doesn’t? You’ll go to Zak? Or his race engineer? They say curiosity killed the cat!”

I’m trying to hide the fact that nervousness runs through my entire body. Oscar is easily persuaded and knowing my sister, he’ll tell her whatever she desires to find.

“Hey Y/N, have you seen that Ma-“ I grab Oscar’s arm and move us somewhere farther away from my friends who were now occupied talking to Daniel.

“No need to be aggressive. Are you alright?” The new Aussie asked me, worried about my anxious presence.

“If my sister asks you anything about Lando, I beg you to not say anything. Even if she bribes you.”

“I wasn’t planning on saying anything but sure! I won’t tell a soul.”

“Thank you! You’re the best” I give him a quick hug before letting him go and running off to the group I left behind

As I was approaching them, I saw Lando moving towards them as well. Oh fuck.

“Hey guys, hey baby” he welcomes everyone and lands a soft kiss on my cheek, while wrapping his arm around my waist. I could feel my whole face turning red

“I KNEW IT!” My sister exclaims loudly

“You’re a very bad liar Y/N” Max continues

“Hey, leave my girlfriend alone. She’s a shy one” Lando bites back playfully and gives me the sweetest look of comfort.

“Now you know why I post about Lando regularly. And why I want my peace.”

“Yeah, I will agree to the second one. Someone had forgotten their mic on and I could hear the whole conversation. Try to be more discreet next time” Lando tries to hold back a laugh, as a look of horror covers my whole face to the idea that everyone could have heard this

“Aww, don’t worry love. I only heard it. No one else. Our little secret is safe. Also I found it pretty cute if you ask me”

[askjingrandet]

yo jin, i have a question that got me thinking 24/7...

can you tell me the difference between you and nokto on the way you both handle women? the way y'all flirt with them? the way y'all sleep with them? also like nokto, do you also woo women to gather information from them? if not, how differently do you both do be in charge of information (or should i call it negotiation-).

another question is that, what is your relationship with nokto? since...i never really seen y'all directly interact to each other despite both of you being WOMANIZERS. (if y'all did please lmk 🥹🙏🏼).

please answer them when you're free, if you want 😅

take care of yourself 💟.

Hey there Anon, this is a really great question!

I can tell you right off that bat that I've never managed to piss any woman off even a quarter as bad as Nokto has. Actually I can't think of anyone who can piss a woman off as much as @asknoktoklein can, even @asksilvioricci isn't that bad.

You're right in thinking that Nokto and I have very different approaches to women and that comes down to our personalities and natural skills.

For myself (and Luke) I'm what you'd call a natural born charmer. It's not something I worked on or learned at all it comes so naturally to me there are times I don't even realise I'm doing it, and between you and me that got me into trouble more than once when I was younger. As I grew up and gained more experience I learned how to manipulate it better but even then it's still something I fully control or as I said am aware of.

Nokto well he's really sly and cunning and he's great at reading people so he naturally uses those skills when it comes to seducing and flirting with women. With just the tiniest bit of knowledge about a woman he can weave an unbelievable tale around her that speaks to everything she desires and make her swoon.

Now a big difference between Nokto and I is also why I never have any women angry at me (especially since I made my rules) but it's that Nokto doesn't care about lying to the women he seduces. He'll tell them whatever he needs to to get what he wants from them and that causes him a lot of headaches. He's got a bad of habit of leading them on or stringing women along with the things he says and when they find out he has no intention of living up to it well. Thing is he's so damn clever at it that when pushed these ladies can't see he promised them anything concrete because he never does, it's always inference and innuendo with Nokto but what can you expect from a fox *shoulder shrug*.

Speaking as his big brother I'm not totally happy about the way he does things and one of these days he's gonna get himself into a mess he can't get out of but that'll be his problem. I know he's really hurt from the stuff he went through, hell we all are in different ways, and I hope he can clean his act up a bit before it's too late. He really is a sweet kid at heart who deserves something good in his life.

As for using women for information well there's different ways to go about that too. There have been a few professional ladies I've used my charms on to get information out of but they play just as may games as Nokto and I do so they know what they're getting into. As for gathering information from the non professional ladies if I think a bit of flirting and sweet words will get em talking sure I'll take advantage of that. In either case I won't compromise on my rules though but that's never hindered me so far.

As for your question about Nokto and I and how we get along we get along fine actually. It's true we don't spend a lot of time together but that's because we're so busy with our duties and 'hobbies' that we just don't have a lot of free time at the same time. We have enough in common that we can have a good laugh or conversation and we definitely have some fun together from time to time. I hope this answered all your questions anon but if not feel free to reach out again anytime.

[pet4pet]

── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ intro ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──

im bunnie/rae/deer!

im trans nb (genderfluid i think!) and bi/pan/queer/something like that idk that shits difficult

im also autistic and have Fucked Up Brain Disorder, both of which affect my interaction with sexuality and also everything lol

i am aceflux so my interest level/activity may also fluctuate!

im like 98% t4t, theres exceptions to every rule but generally speaking t4t 4 life, and polyam too (currently single)

UK based so generally work on those timezones but with the caveat of a dogshit sleep schedule most of the time oops

── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ dni ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──

bigots or bigotry based kinks (raceplay, detrans/sissy, etc.)

pedos/"maps"/etc. and related kinks (ddlg, agere etc.)

minors/no age in bio

cryptobros/nft fans/billionaire techbro dicksuckers

cis men you can follow just fuckin behave and dont expect interaction from me ^^'

kinks, comfortable language and misc under the cut!

── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ kinks ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──

i am a switch and most of these i like both as sub and dom! exceptions noted with [s] for as a sub and [d] for as a dom

petplay! (bunny, puppy, deer??? difficult/rare one but is me!)

bondage/shibari

power dynamic stuff in general

praise

soft degradation/humiliation

breeding (no preg!) [s]

monsterfucking

tentacles

size difference [s]

edging/denial/orgasm control

free use

rough use [s]

soft omorashi (mainly desperation/humiliation aspect)

oviposition maybe?? is a new one for me

probably others ive forgotten!

i do my best to tag harder kinks but just lmk if theres a specific thing you need tagged and ill see what i can do o7

── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ language ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──

gender neutral names (both for pet names and dirty names)

gendered names when i have specified a gendered feeling (eg. if i say i wanna be your boyfriend, masc terms are okay in that situation, etc.)

pretty much any terminology for my genitals (pussy, cunt, hole, clit, dick, etc.)

honestly just dont refer to my chest unless i have first, then you can mirror my terminology (most likely just chest)

── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ misc. ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──

asks very welcome just dont be a weirdo pls!!! if you read this and follow it it should be fine?

if im not comfortable with an ask/dm ill probably just ignore it bc im an anxious person lol sorry

if you want a specific thing pls tell me i am the big 'tism i need clear communication and also being able to consent to sexting prior is good too

no unsolicited pics pls, and dont ask for them either unless i bring it up i am Big Shy

if you fail the vibe check i will block you cause thats what its there for, but im usually pretty chill so you shouldnt need to worry!

── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──

[lightna312]

Ah thanks! i dunno if you wanna do this in the dms (lmk if you do cause id have to send a dm first) or via asks but regardless thanks :D

Basically, I found this profile and i want to try to make one of the tabs/pages (the aesthetic/moodboard one) into a ribbon cabinet like this one. But no matter what i do, it just looks off (due to leftover code for the moodboard images. It works but ideally id want it centered) or the code breaks entirely.

Dya think its possible to do something like that? and if so, Dya know what i have to do and where i have to do it so that it works as intended?

tbh I hate tumblr dms so asks is fine! Yeah this is totally possible :0

I'm not sure if Wren told you, but just in case since this might be the problem: most codes break if you have what is called WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) turned on! So, if you haven't turned that off, you're gonna want to go into your display settings and uncheck the 'profile text' toggle in the WYSIWYG section.

If that was the problem, unfortunately you'll have to delete it all and paste it back in again because it probably got wrecked </3

When it comes to the code itself, what you're going to want to do is replace everything in the moodboard tab with the entire ribbon cabinet code. If you're having problems with it breaking, you might have accidentally left stuff behind!

Here is a screenshot of the code for that tab. I've highlighted everything you want to delete out of there. Then you'll replace that with the code for the ribbon cabinet. It should be centered by default like this:

I hope that makes sense! If not feel free to ask more questions :]

[balemccn]

hello all!! this is an indie, private, & highly selective roleplay blog for arlecchino from genshin impact. on this post, you’ll find all relevant links/info for my blog.  i am completely caught up with the archon quest, so this blog will not be spoiler free (i will tag if i mention leaks, though). if i'm not here, you can find me on one of my other blogs: @impishsensei @fatuispolaris @blastintriumph @muryonokansei @yuujitheevessel 

please be sure to read my rules before interacting/following.

carrd || interest check (wip) || pinned credit

for ease of access, my rules are placed under the cut!

i will interact with mutuals only. if i follow you, i want to interact, so do not hesitate to send me asks or im me with plot ideas! i'm willing to roleplay with ocs, and characters from other series. for personal blogs: please do not follow/like/reblog my posts. doing so will result in an immediate block. i’m okay with one-liners, crack, multi-para, novella… everything! feel free to send in any ask memes if we haven’t roleplayed before. i’m duplicate friendly.

if i haven't replied in two weeks and i'm not on hiatus, that means i probably lost our thread or it’s sitting somewhere in my drafts and I haven’t noticed it, so please message me to remind me about it. i drop roleplays sometimes out of a loss of interest but please do not blame yourself. it is always a personal thing that has nothing to do with anyone else as a roleplayer. i’m always happy to start/write more regardless of dropping previous threads.

Don’t god mod. My character is mine, and yours is yours. Little things to move the thread along are fine with me, but don’t kill my muse without even checking if that’s fine with me first (ask memes that call for it are an exception though, of course).

where RP is concerned i heavily prioritize chemistry. for now, my blog is multi-ship, so any relationships my muse develops will take place in separate verses unless stated otherwise. that being said, although i absolutely love shipping, arlecchino is absolutely someone that's difficult to ship with because it's not romance is nowhere near her list of priorities... sooooo it'd require a lot of build-up and work.

DON'T involve me with drama OR send messages telling me to reblog callout posts or anything like that. i don't care for getting involved with petty roleplay drama. if it's something actually serious, i've already seen it on the dash and taken note. seriously, i will hardblock, anyone that pesters me with this nonsense.

There will be NSFW content on this blog so if you’re uncomfortable with that just blacklist the the following tags, as i tag all my nsfw posts with the following: “cw nsfw”, “nsfw //”, and “( nsfw. )”.  Feel free to ask me to tag anything you need tagged.  I am 27, so if a roleplay should ever come around to it I will only write smut with partners that are also of age & that I feel comfortable writing smut with. If you’d rather not roleplay smut publicly, I’m cool with continuing roleplays on discord. I’m also open to just private RPs (not necessarily smut) on discord too, just ask/lmk you’re interested!

Given that arlecchino is a morally gray character, I will not stray away from this nature of hers or soften it in the slightest. Even though she is a playable character in game and a friend to the traveler, she is still unapologetically a harbinger. i will approach writing her character with this mentality. Additionally, I will cover dark topics. There will be mentions of murder, blood/gore, toxic/unhealthy relationships and so on featured on my blog. I will of course tag what I feel needs to be tagged. 

I ask that minors DON’T follow my blog. I don’t want to be the reason anyone sees something inappropriate for their age. If you’re a minor & I accidentally followed you, let me know & I’ll unfollow you immediately. 

[scribble-dee-vee]

You have some great quotes here!! "Ravenous and loud" is a funny and accurate way to describe that scenario. Also, are Ilya and Agafiya GOOD??? Somehow, the fact that this passage comes from a journal makes it even more ominous. I feel like I could find this in a survival horror game.

My answers/tags are under the cut for convenience!

Find the Word Tag Game

I haven't done a tag game since like,,, 2019??? But find the word is my favorite, and I finally have a longform current WIP, so let's GO

Quotes are going to come from the working draft of Lost Letters (which was a prequel to Heart of Lead, and is now the first book in the series, for anyone who's followed this project at any point in its ungodly long timeline. I should probably make a proper update post if I'm getting back into writeblr for 2024).

I will leave this as an open tag, because I'm rusty on the blogs in my orbit that are A.) still active and B.) tag-friendly. Feel free to lmk for future games, if you'd like. Moots and other writers, please consider finding bone, run, focus, and relief within your wips.

Night

This draft currently sits around 71,000 words, and "night" is ninety of them. Many passages with "night" are CHOCK FULL OF SPOILERS, so I can share surprisingly few of them.

Here's a non-spoilery paragraph that has persisted through several drafts, from Dale's POV:

And we ended up back at the bar, and the night started sliding from there. It blurred into an evening that I’d lived a thousand times. An endless range of bottles in our server’s steady hands. A couple of young ones passed out in the back. A dazzle of light in Starbell’s streets, when one of us rallied to go and dance outside. We emerged from the door too fast, too many, and Charles caught me close before I fell. I pressed my face into his chest, and he asked if I wanted to leave – but I couldn’t leave, I had no other friends and nowhere else to go, and Rosalind pulled me away from him to dance.

Another fun fact: "night" is the very first word of this draft!

Night descended heavy in the Diamond City's slums.

And here are some fun variations on "night" that pop up, really leaning into the Victorian aesthetic – "nightcap," "nightgown," and "fortnight."

Touch

Touch has some ~spicy~ variations, which I shan't share bc of the spoilers. Hehe. It also comes up in most of the story's dreams and visions, to contrast the cerebral aspect. Here are two of those instances.

From Cecelia, who is having dreams of grandeur:

I could see the benevolent face of my Queen, the snowfall of her silver hair, as she touched my chin and told me she was proud.

From Dale, who is having a certified Bad Time:

I steadied myself against the bench and Jamie’s shoulder, unwilling to touch the wallpaper. It looked wet. Bloody. A grotesquely regular arrangement of torn flesh, crawling and moving in the haze.

Window

There aren't many interesting instances of "window." I would have expected some more, with setting description, but I did find a few solid ones.

Quintessential Charles Angst™:

I never lingered long at any window. I’d frighten them, an outsider, a phantom.

And... this!! I'm giving you no context, to avoid potential spoilers. It's fine. Everything's fine. Don't even worry about it :)

September on the road was very beautiful back then. He grabbed my hair through the window and pressed his knife up to my throat- said I’d make him a pretty penny- and then- do you remember how his brain went everywhere? My dress, my face, your journal. It was sticky in your hair.

Weight

Dale sucks, but this is a whole mood:

I recognized that it was cold, unseasonably cold, but I could hardly feel it. I felt weighted, ponderous; if I sank into the earth, perhaps I could escape the demonic Miss Lake and her sycophants. Worth a try. I closed my eyes.

Huzzah! Now on to use "night" ninety more times in the back half of this draft.

T A G : FIND THE WORD

Jumping in the open tag from @oh-no-another-idea. Thanks for leaving the tag open! 😊

The words they've given are: raven, wound, travel, and hand.

RAVEN

I... I don't think I've ever used... this word in my writing? I'm so confused; how can that be??

That being said, I have used ravenous, so that's what I'll substitute it with. Here's a little excerpt from An Entity In Your Midst, my standalone horror that I've been working on for centuries:

Being in school was a welcome change, especially with what had been happening at home. She’d begun to question her own sanity, and when her mother had suggested that she stay home for yet another day, Anya had put her foot down. She didn’t tell anyone about it, not even her best friend Daria, who’d tried to get her attention all throughout first period. She couldn’t avoid her forever, though, and at the end of second period, when lunch had finally come around, Daria pulled her back while the class shuffled out, ravenous and loud.

WOUND

Since I've already gotten us started with An Entity In Your Midst, why not continue? :D

An excerpt from Agafiya's journal:

Ilya refuses to tell me what he and Sergei saw that night. He came back covered in scratches and mud and bruises and a broken arm – and even then, he still held his rifle with a death-grip, and his eyes were wide and wild. When I saw him like that, for a moment I feared he was on of them, come for us. But then he dropped to his knees and fell forward, unconscious with what I think was both exhaustion and shock. Maria and I did our best to treat his wounds, but I fear it is the mental wounds that will need the most time to heal.

TRAVEL

This game has me reading back over AEIYM and I LOVE ALL OF IT. (Where's the rest of it??? Why is it not finished??????) No wonder I was obsessed with this wip for a little while.

When he had heard about his dear friend Mikhail Volkov and his charming family, he felt the pain in his bones. What misfortune had befallen them had been unexpected and terrifying. Nobody could explain what had happened to them, only a handful of days after he had traveled down there to check on young Fyodora.

For reference:

Mikhael Volkov OC intro

Fyodora Volkov OC intro

HAND

So many to choose from for this one, but I decided on this excerpt:

“Please keep this between us,” Mrs. Volkov said. “She’s been very ill. She’s not herself.” “She’s another person entirely,” Nina grumbled, shaking her head. She was still waiting for her heartbeat to slow down. She became aware of Mrs. Volkov’s hand, still holding her shoulder in a firm grip, and stepped back, opening the front door. “It’s been very difficult for all of us.” Mrs. Volkov held a knowing look, but there was fright etched onto her face, and it unsettled the young girl. “I have to go,” Nina whispered, backing out of the door. “My parents expect me home. I have to go.” And with that, she turned and ran.

I'm going to tag a few peeps for this one, but please feel free to ignore! @dyrewrites @leave-her-a-tome @contes-de-rheio @scribble-dee-vee @akindofmagictoo @wiredhouse

Your words, should you accept the challenge, are: night, touch, window, and weight.

[folkloreguk]

French Class [6]

A/N: You guys might want to whack out your love song playlist for this one…I cried writing this BYE I'm posting this from my grave!!

genre: optional bias (m) x reader (f), fwb, f2l?, college!au, fuckboy!bias, nerd!reader, ANGST, smut

words: ~ 3.8 k

✽series masterlist���

taglist (lmk if u wanna be added!): @lovely-ateez, @runaway-fics, @mainexiii, @awfullytiredbuthealing, @erikyoong, @etherealuv, @staysuki, @justcuz-ican, @yeostars, @hyuckthangs, @teenloves, @mexious18-blog, @sunghoonied, @mailobjaeyoon

couldn’t tag: @chorizoek

You: can I come over? I kind of need u

H/N: you need me huh…you’re lucky I’m home alone

It always starts differently. Some other question, or a subtle message of telling him you’re bored, or a flat-out confession of being horny. The ending is always the same. You, naked in his bed. You just had to get there, and things were easy when you were already on his dorm’s doorstep.

The moment he had opened the door, you had fistfuls of his hair between your fingers and attacked his mouth in a feverish kiss. He made a noise between a laugh and surprise but reacted quickly. His lips parted right away, letting you in, and you tasted mint from the chewing gum he liked so much.

“Let me- at least- close the door,” he mumbled. “Jeez, what’s gotten into you today?”

You stepped aside and mirrored his grin. He was acting surprised, but the way he instantly locked your lips after he had shut the door told you he was enjoying this as much as you were. You ran your hands down his torso and along the side of his thighs. His happy hum only poured oil into the fire, and you saw no reason as to why you should have kept your clothes on any longer. In minutes, in the middle of heated kisses and clumsy chuckles, your clothes were discarded, and you were left in your underwear. You stumbled into his bedroom in a tangle of arms and legs and heads barely pulling apart.

“Will you tell me about the date you had today or are we skipping over that part?” he asked, as he pushed you down by the shoulders onto his bed. You groaned a little, not even knowing where to start.

“Didn’t go well, huh?” he asked. Only a few nights ago you had consoled him after his failed date, now the roles were reversed.

“That’s one way to put it,” you said. He was climbing on top of you now, and the weight of him between your thighs still did the same things to you it had done the first time. There was one of his random playlists playing quietly from the speakers, but you were both too occupied to even consider switching the music off. You weren’t in the mood for a chat, not when he was biting and sucking bruises into your chest, pushing aside your bra just enough. But you knew he wasn’t going to let it go this easily.

“Tell me about it or I won’t take one more piece of clothing off your body,” he threatened. You shot him an are-you-serious-look while he only blinked at you innocently, like he was awaiting your response.

“Fine,” you groaned. “But hurry, now.”

“That’s my girl,” he said, before unclasping your bra and throwing it to the other side of the room. “Go ahead, I expect a story.”

You had rolled your eyes at him, but when he sucked on your nipple all of a sudden, and his tongue flicked over the sensitive bud ever so perfectly, your eyes moved to the back of your head involuntarily. And, before he could complain, you started to retell today’s events.

“Alright. First of all, he acted all gentleman-y. Pulling back my chair at the restaurant, letting me have a look at the menu first, letting me order first, asking me if I was okay with our seats because they were in the sunshine, or whether he should have requested we get a different in the shade table, blah, blah, blah.”

With the lewd noises he was making, kissing your chest and fumbling with your breasts, you almost wondered whether he was paying attention to you at all.

“I’m waiting for the plot twist,” he chuckled. “If he had been this great, you wouldn’t be in my bed right now, would you?” He was now on his way to your lower regions. Your breaths came out shaky when he gripped your hips with familiar fingertips and placed a few kisses there, right above the material of your underwear. Nonetheless, you had to continue your story.

“Oh, it’s coming,” you said. “Because I suspect, the only reason he was acting that way was to compensate. For the fact that he was an hour late.”

He stifled a laugh, and you slapped his head playfully. “It’s not funny! I stood outside that restaurant on a busy street like an idiot for an hour. During exam season!”

“I wonder, if studying is so special to you- ,” he said. He tugged on your underwear, and you barely cared about his words when you were already imagining his mouth on your pussy. “Why aren’t you at home right now, doing just that?”

“Too frustrated,” you groaned, spreading your legs, practically inviting him in. “You don’t get it. That was only the beginning of the date. It gets worse.”

“Oh, damn,” he laughed, and you were going to slap him again. Harder, this time. But his tongue kitten-licked over your clit and you didn’t dare interrupt him further.

“First of all, he turned out to be boring. An economics major. And look, I’m not generalizing, I’ve met some cool economics majors. But when I said I never really understood the whole thing with inflation and deflation, I wasn’t asking for him to explain it to me. I know what it means, I just meant to say money is the root of all evil,” you said, little moans slipping inbetween your sentences. He laughed whilst sipping on your clit. You couldn’t be mad at his laughing anymore. In fact, at the sound of his chuckles, your own lips curled into a smile, too. God, he was so good with his tongue.

“But turns out he loved money. Like it was the sole reason he was doing anything. When he showed me his gold watch I almost yawned,” you continued.

“Dating a rich guy can have its upsides too, though,” he said, but you knew he was joking. He was running the tips of his fingers over your core, and you whimpered at how badly you wanted him to put them inside of you. You loved watching him, loved feeling his hair tickle the side of your thighs and having his free hand laying on top of your hipbone. The familiarity of it all, his little habits, made your heart heavy, so full of emotion, all of a sudden. But you had to snap out of it.

“Not this guy. He kept saying these lowkey sexist things I won’t repeat now. It’ll only make me mad again. He was one of those who thought money would buy him a girlfriend. And I was really trying to see the good in him…only there was none,” you said.

“Alright, I’m starting to understand why you needed some cheering up,” he said. “Good thing you’re at the right place. I know just the thing.”

At this, he slid his digits into you. You hummed and dropped your head into the plush pillow. Slowly, you exhaled, happy you finally got to relax after being so upset. But of course, he had to interrupt. Again.

“Did I say you could stop? Was that the end of the story?” he said. How did he expect you to form a coherent sentence? He fingered you gently, but the slowness of it all only drove you crazier. You felt every tiny sensation, every new bit of you he touched.

“No,” you sulked. “Fuck, it feels so good.”

“Go on, then,” he encouraged you, grinning because he was proud of your reaction he had caused.

“Fuck- okay. He was super shitty to the waiter. I’m talking about criticizing everything. This man had the audacity to complain about the food. I’m not a food critic, but I swear the food was amazing, there was nothing to fault at all,” you said, and then whined when he switched from licking your clit to sucking it between his teeth. You knew he was doing this on purpose. To make speaking harder for you.

“Oh my god, H/N. Wait, let me finish this. Not only was he horrible to the waiter in person, but he also made fun of the waiter’s appearance behind his back. And all along he expected me to find him funny. I used to think he had a sense of humor but not after today. Blech.”

“At least you got a free dinner?” he said, and without awaiting your answer, went back to work. Your head was spinning in pleasure, and you could only laugh sarcastically at his suggestion.

“Yeah. And after that train wreck of a date, he really thought he’d get to stick his tongue down my throat,” you said.

“Did he at least ask permission?” asked the boy between your legs.

“Mhm…but I told him I don’t do that on the first date,” you said. “Safe to say there won’t be another date, though.”

He looked up now, laughing more than before. You grinned, mainly because the sight of him was so cute. He folded his hands on your belly and put his face down onto your skin to giggle. In no way could you be upset or urge him to keep giving you head. In fact, you had forgotten about all of that for a while, as he seemed to enjoy your misfortune a little too wildly. You should have been hungry, eager to have the half-naked boy inside of you. Yet, you laughed at the way his breaths tickled your stomach and when he finally made eye contact, it was a wholly different sort of hunger which overcame you. Instead of the heat he usually made you feel, it was a comfortable warmth that was in your chest. It reminded you of a bonfire or of drinking your favorite hot drink on a cool autumn day.

“I want to watch you come,” he said, casually. “Were you close?”

You were so lost in his trustworthy, dreamy eyes, you almost forgot to reply. Quickly, you nodded and hummed.

“I would have already come, had you not pestered me to tell you all the details of my date,” you said. The way his cheeks beamed when he smiled made you feel as if your insides were turning into mush.

“I’m sorry. I’m your friend, aren’t I allowed to ask how your day went?” he asked.

“Of course you are,” you said. The word ‘friend’ echoed off every wall in your head until you wished you could have deleted it from the dictionary.

“I’ll make sure it feels extra good now,” he said, kissing your stomach. You shivered as you watched his gentle lips move lower, to your hips and the insides of your thighs. The touch felt like butterfly wings on your skin, and the tardiness of it made you impatient. When his tongue came in contact with your clit again, you sucked in a breath of surprise.

He tried to start slowly, but then you gripped his hair tightly, and carefully pushed him further. It was something you did often, a way to tell him you wanted more without having to use words. After all this time, he understood perfectly. Your clit was between his lips and his tongue flicked over the sensitive bundle of nerves with just the right amount of pleasure. It felt incredible, creating a funny sensation in the pit of your stomach. His fingers grazed over your slit until you were whimpering and shifting your hips, trying to make him hurry.

One of his digits slid into you easily, curling against your sweet spot, and it hit you only now how much you had missed him between your legs since he had stopped a few minutes ago. It made you feel as though you were suddenly overwhelmed with all of him, but you were willing to let the heat crash over you if it meant you could be close to him.

“Am I making it up to you now?” he asked as he pulled away merely for a breath. “I’ll turn your day into a good one after all.”

In a different tone his words would have sounded like the exact thing one would have expected to hear from a fuckboy in the bedroom. He could have boasted and bragged endlessly about how great he was with his tongue and fingers – he would have been right – but he didn’t mean it like that. You could tell from the uprightness and the authenticity in his voice that he really was doing his best because he wanted to make you feel better and turn your day around. Because you were special to him. Or so you desperately hoped.

Your legs wrapped around his shoulders as if you were trapping him between your thighs. But he was right there, and he would gladly stay for so much longer, and to say it puzzled you was an understatement. The boy who belonged to everybody, who was known by all of the campus, was treating you like you were royalty, and not the other way around. You moaned, his name inevitably falling from your lips. He added another finger and the slightest stretch made you lose your mind for a split second.

“That guy could have never made you feel this good, could he?” he suddenly asked. Your initial response was a helpless whine. You had been so close, and his talking had interrupted the otherworldly bliss for a moment.

“No, never,” you then whimpered shortly. ‘No’ was such a tiny word. It could barely encapsule what you truly meant to say. Which was that it would have never even gotten that far. That other guys couldn’t even have you at all. They didn’t get their turn to try and beat him. Not as of lately, at least. That you didn’t so much as dare to think about sleeping with other guys. That even before you had gone on the date, you had known it wouldn’t lead to anything. No guy could let you develop an interest on him in the same way the boy between your legs had done it. No other would be able to kidnap your brain like that. H/N was always there. Even when it was only you and your sex toys, you would automatically pretend it was him getting you off. You were so far gone that it was embarrassing how long it had taken you to admit it to yourself. But it was a colossal thing to confess to him, and you would never do that. Rejection would hurt a billion times more than whatever it was you two had now.

Your heart was racing as you closed your eyes. You had been so lost in thought, it was wondrous you hadn’t fallen yet. But you were right on the edge, making your breaths come out like puffs and a string of moans and swears sound from your lips. He too had stopped talking, concentrating on the task at hand, and judging by the way your back arched he was doing one hell of a good job.

“Oh my god- “ you whimpered. “I’m so close, H/N.”

This time he didn’t reply, which was for the best. Only a few seconds passed until you started to quiver and whine beneath him. You were going to outer space behind your eyelids as your high rushed through you. Your fingers curled and tightened in his locks while your legs clenched around his head. He was quick to pull your thighs apart again, still not being finished. For long seconds you swam in pleasure, with nothing on your mind but bursting stars. He was heaven, knowing precisely how far he could take it until you were too sensitive to take any more.

When you were at that point, he finally pulled away and looked up at your crumpled form. There was a lazy smile playing in the corner of your lips and your vision was hazy after having had your eyes closed for a while. He climbed up your body until his chest was against yours so he could really look at you.

“I get all of this without ever having been on a single date with you? I’m so lucky,” he said. You only smiled at him, at a loss for words. What were you to say? The two of you were clearly past the awkward dating stage already.

“I’m lucky you let me come over all the time,” you said. “I would have expected the campus fuckboy to be busier. To not have an empty spot in his bed every night.”

“Ah, shut up,” he said. “I’d rather have you here than a girl I don’t know at all. Look, I’m really tired so I don’t know how this will go…but can I?” He was on his knees, a tent visible in his boxers. With a questioning look, he was tugging them down his legs now.

“Of course,” you said. As you watched him roll on a condom, your ears perked up. Did that song have to come on shuffle just now? The coziest, most romantic love song you adored so much? You knew if you looked him in the eyes you’d be done for. But there wasn’t anywhere else to look when he settled between your legs and held up his weight with his forearms. His eyes were deep enough for you to get lost within a second. Distracting yourself was impossible. The one last thing you could do was to reach between the two of you and guide his length into you.

The song’s chorus came on, you looked at him once again, and suddenly you were all his. You didn’t need to tell him so. He thrust gently, almost carefully, like he had never done it with you. Your heart hammered against your ribcage so vivaciously, you wondered whether it had turned autonomous and was now trying to jump out of your body, onto his skin and through it, so it could nestle next to his own heart.

Neither of you spoke. Yet, there had never been so much chemistry, such a heavy amount of uncommunicated emotions between the two of you. You were ready to hang on his every word, should he decide to speak up. In your head rampaged a billion sentiments you needed him to know, but there was no option to express them adequately. Perhaps there were simply no words in the English language to declare your feelings for him.

Small whimpers and moans left your lips only for him to hear. Sometimes he moved a little quicker, gifting you with the most perfect sounds he could make. And to know you were the cause for it sent you into overdrive. His mouth was right above yours. If you lifted your head slightly, you could have kissed his sweet, sweet lips. But you were so afraid. What would he think? You had never kissed him during sex. Not softly, like you wanted it so terribly.

Even worse, you craved so much more than that. You wanted to pull him in, envelope his mouth in your own, crawl over the edge of his lips and reside in his chest for safety. Because that’s what he was. Comfort. Reassurance. Home. How foolish you had been, pretending this little fling would lead to nothing more. You really had told yourself this would work. No feelings. Just fun. You couldn’t deny having fun with him. He was the best company you had ever known, and he had become your most precious friend quickly. It was as if you had only been waiting for the silly, flirty boy to sit across from you in the library and make weak advances towards you.

The love song tuned out slowly, replaced by something more sensual and sinful. In accordance with the new background noise, he gripped your hips a little meaner and went faster. You barely noticed how his breathing had sped up as he was getting closer to his orgasm. A trance had overcome you, transfixing you on his godlike features and how much it hurt to know you couldn’t call him yours. In your head you were made for each other. They always said to date your best friend, didn’t they? You could try to turn back time, go back to your first meeting place, at the party. See if things would turn out different. But you knew they wouldn’t. As much as your fear tried to suppress it – you would take the same path again, stumbling head-first into his arms and letting him into your life like a crashing wave of laughter and heart-crushing conversations.

Now you reflected in despair, how he had taken your heart in a storm, without having to try too hard. And worst of all, you were okay with it. Your heart was secure with him, you thought. The feelings yearned to be spoken out loud, but you couldn’t bring yourself to do it.

“You feel so good,” he said. “Always, so fucking good.”

He snapped his hips against yours, burying his cock deep inside of you and all you could muster was a hum of agreement. This is what you got for keeping him at arms-length from the beginning. Wasn’t it you who had challenged him to be friends and only that? Perhaps you would be okay, so long as no one else called him theirs either. You could go on like this, letting him use you for sexual relief and making him laugh when he needed it. Gladly, you would take the pain of not being allowed to love him with your whole being if it meant you could see him whenever you wanted. Exposing those silly emotions would wreck your friendship and you wouldn’t let it happen.

He grunted and only then, when he lowered his head into the crook of your neck and moaned your name, you realized he was reaching his high. Softly, you cradled his head in your hands, as if it was the last time you could hold him like this. When he put his forehead against yours, he had his eyes closed and his chest was moving steadier than before.

“You’re the best,” he whispered. “Stay the night?”

Should you have gone home, and missed him all night? Would you have regretted saying no while you curled up in bed with no Cheshire-cat-grin-boy to hold? Or were you to remain in his bed, and pray you would survive the torture of not speaking your mind? His skin radiated the most wonderful warmth and you wanted to trace his lips with your eyes until you fell asleep. That’s how quickly it was decided.

“Okay,” you answered.

[smalls-words]

Chapter Six: The Container

Summary: Natasha wants to keep her personal life away from you. But a case interrupts that.

Pairings: Natasha x Fem!Reader, Steve Rogers x Fem!Reader (separating co-parents), Natasha x Yelena (siblings), Yelena x Kate (something's there that wasn't there before).

Warnings: Death (suicide), threatening, Natasha being a bit more of an asshole, Natasha being a bit softer too. Lmk if there's anything else!

A/N: If you have any ideas for the story and/or want to see some drabbles, feel free to send something into my inbox :)

Series Masterlist

*not my gif*

This was not how you wanted your morning to go.

“What made you think you'd get away with it?” You interrogated, staring down at your culprit.

“If you come clean now, I'll go easy on you. So, tell me. Did you eat… the chocolate cake?”

Peggy shook her head, her pigtail braids clipped neatly against her head. “No, Mama.”

You stood up and slowly turned at the sound of suppressed laughter being covered by coughing, glaring at Steve. 

“I'm sorry. It's just cake, Y/N.” He snickered.

“Cake is not the point, Steve. This is about honesty and personal responsibility.” You sighed.

“Fine. I got this.” He patted your shoulder gently, to which you grabbed your coffee and held it easily in your fingers. 

“Hey, munchkin. Do you remember when we had that talk and we said that lying is a really bad thing? Well, some of your birthday cake is missing. Now, I didn't eat it, and we know Mama didn't eat it, so… is there something you want to tell us?” 

Peggy sighed, looking at Steve regretfully. “I ate it.” 

“Mm-hmm.” He hummed in victory, turning to see you shaking your head.

“But Natasha said it was okay.” 

“Oh, really?” Steve questioned.

“She said, if you really want to do something, you should. And I really wanted to eat some chocolate cake.” Peggy emphasised.

Steve faltered slightly. “Huh. That's… interesting. Why don't you go grab your stuff?”

You put your coffee down, a sixth sense in the back of your mind spiking as Steve turned to you once Peggy was gone. “I am so glad to hear that advice from Natasha, of all people, is on the personal responsibility lesson plan.” 

“Steve, it's not what you think.” 

He scoffed. “You know what, Y/N? Your private life is none of my business, but when it comes to Peggy - keep Natasha out of it.” He spat her name like it was poison on his tongue.

You thanked whoever was up there that your phone rang. “Valeria. Yeah, yeah. I'll hold.” You covered the bottom of your phone with your hand. “Okay, I get it Steve, but just don't forget tomorrow night's Taco Tuesday, okay?”

His eyes widened. “I can't do it.” 

“Why?” You hissed.

“I'm working a stakeout in Van Nuys.” He shrugged.

You shook your head at him. “We agreed on planned family time so that Peggy can maintain some normalcy during the separation.”

“I know, but… this is important. I don't have a choice, Y/N. This is work.” 

You rolled your eyes. “Yeah, I've never heard that one before.” You got quiet at the sound of the officer’s voice back on the line. “Yeah. Long Beach? Okay, I got it. Thanks.”

You hung up, looking at Steve with disappointment. “You know, when she asks where you are tomorrow, I'll be sure to tell her that something important came up.”

“Y/N, don’t be like that…” He tried to grab your wrist but you were already out the door, almost slamming his fingers in the frame.

You would have been glad to hear his high-pitched whine of pain.

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The physical crime scene was minimal but the location was packed with cops confiscating illegal contraband from containers, checking the books to make sure everything was accounted for whilst you hovered over the dead body with a forensic.

“What is this bruising from?” You asked, gesturing to a spot on the corpse’s neck.

“Possible imprint. I'll know more once I'm back at the lab.” He replied.

“Okay. Call me when you get something.” 

“Howdy, partner!” 

*Oh, God.* You thought to yourself before you looked up to see Natasha strolling in, adjusting the cuff of her polka dot black long-sleeve whilst her phone bulged from the pocket of her grey jeans. “We're not partners.” You remarked.

She looked you up and down, your leather jacket covering a viridian shirt that matched with your black jeans, her eyes lingering slightly on your boobs. “Right. So, what unpleasantness felled this heap of unrealised ambition then?” 

“Suffocation, a crushed trachea. And this heap has a name.” You grumbled. “Erwin Scovell, 55. He worked security here for 20 years.” 

“Ooh, talk about suffocating.” She sighed.

“Vice suspects this place has been used by criminal organisations to store illegal contraband. A container went missing, so Scovell probably walked in on a robbery in progress. Security cameras were disabled, so no video either. Probably gonna need to canvass the area…” 

You trailed off as light caught your eye; light that stemmed from the torch in Natasha’s hand, flickering between your boobs whilst she gleefully observed through the forensic’s goggles.

You scoffed. “Natasha, it's a dead body. A little respect, please.” 

“Do you know, I am amazed by the deferential regard you people hold for rotting flesh. I mean, this poor sap's either already in Hell or in the Silver City enduring the welcome speech, which is far worse than Hell, if you ask me.” She stood, standing over the corpse.

You brought your hands to your face, taking a few deep breaths before a tactic formed. “Okay. Let's pretend for one second that you're someone else. Someone nice, someone mature.”

“Ooh, I love role-play.” She licked her lips. 

“Great. So, since we don't have any leads, let's focus on the next steps of the investigation, like what was in the stolen container.” 

“But I've already solved it. I know what killed Erwin.” 

“What?” You asked, entertaining her for a moment.

You really shouldn’t do that.

“Boredom! I mean, getting murdered is probably the most exciting thing that ever happened to him. When do we get to raid a drug house or shoot someone? I mean, I gave up an epic foursome to be here.” 

“A man died, and we're going to do everything we possibly can to catch the killer.” You huffed.

She gave you a deadpan expression. “Pass.” 

As she walked away from you, you followed after her with frustration bubbling beneath. “Are you joking?” 

“Hard pass.” She emphasised.

You exploded a little bit, like a tiny volcanic eruption. “Hey!”

She turned around, still giving you that same look that annoyed you. “After all of your manipulations to get to work with me, you're really gonna walk away because you think this case is boring?” 

She sighed. “Just call me when you've got a murder with a pulse. Or at least someone good-looking. I mean…” 

You turned around, looking at the corpse as it was covered in a white sheet. “That woman is unbelievable.” You muttered to yourself.

And whilst you were easily capable of talking to the other officers, since you were the primary for the case, you didn’t expect Natasha to be back so soon.

“What? Have you thought of any new offensive things to say?” You glared at her.

“No, I've changed my mind. I've come back to help. Any leads yet?” She gave you a smile, but you weren’t sure if it was genuine or not.

“I need your help like I need a third boob. Wait. Don't say a word. Knew it was a mistake the minute it came out of my mouth.” You sighed, wanting to facepalm yourself.

“We're partners, and I'm offering you my services.” She grabbed the forensic’s dust brush and tickled your nose with it.

You snatched it from her grip and put it back in the bag. “I think you need a refresher course on how a partnership works. You left me hanging, remember?” 

“Yes, but now I'm here because of the robbery.” She replied.

“Robbery? Why?” 

“Because the container that was stolen was mine.” 

You scoffed. “You somehow left that out before.” 

“Well, I didn't know before. Wanda handles logistics, storage and such.” She shrugged.

“And did you know that this facility was used to house illegal contraband?” You questioned.

“No. But what better place to store my stuff than somewhere where people hide illicit goods?” 

You closed your eyes for a few seconds, annoyance and frustration mixing. “Asking the obvious here, but was your stuff illegal contraband, too?” 

“Define ‘illegal’.” She chuckled sheepishly. 

“What was in the container?” 

“A personal item, insignificant.” 

“Yeah, but what was in it?” 

“The only thing I brought with me to Los Angeles.” 

“I know, but you're not answering the question-” 

“Look!” She interrupted you abruptly, acknowledging your frustration with her surrendering hands. “I was storing some stuff, it was stolen, the theft sets an awful precedent, so I'm obliged to make the person responsible pay. Now, if you let me help, I'm certain we can solve this case quickly. And I have a lead.”

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“Snow cones? This is your lead?” You asked as you stood in line for the snow cone truck, the beach positively warm as you stripped off your jacket.

“We don't have time for this. We should be working.” 

“What can I get you?” The truck owner asked with a happy smile. 

“Uh, yes. I'll have two Tropic Wonders and your face smashed into the ground.” Natasha smiled, grabbing him by the shirt before pulling him out and onto the ground, shifting her grip to his neck.

“Natasha, what are you doing? Stop!” You growled, pushing back against her but she was incredibly strong, evident by the muscles underneath her shirt that you gripped tightly.

“I believe they call this interrogating.” She smirked.

“Natasha, stop!” 

“He needs to tell me where my stuff is.” 

“Natasha! This is not how we do things!” 

She lifted him off of the ground and onto his feet, even if it was just his toes touching the ground. “This pathetic sap's real name is Frankie Costa, and his real job is transporting and storing illegal goods. Wanda set up the warehouse through him so if someone knew to rob it, he'd be involved.” 

“I wouldn't steal from my own operation. That warehouse is off-limits. Chica, I'm trying to get out of the storage racket.” 

“Yes, focus, Frankie. Who took my property?” She asked sternly.

“I don't know. I'm trying to find out myself. This is bad for business.” He wheezed through her firm grip.

You observed the phones around you, recording Natasha’s assault. “And who would know about the storage service?” You quickly questioned.

“Who are you?” He looked down at you.

“I'm someone with one of these.” You gestured to your badge on your hip. “But she doesn't have one. So say if I were to walk away, she can do whatever she wants to you. Or if you're not responsible, you can point us in the right direction of someone who is. Cool?” 

Although you paid her no mind, Natasha felt a thrill chase down her spine at your deviousness.

Frankie nodded. “Okay, okay. Los Diablos.” His pronunciation tinged with Americanism.

“The biker club?” 

“Yeah. I run the warehouse, but they run the docks. If anything went down, they would know about it. That's all I know. I swear.” He wheezed again.

“All right, all right.” You tapped Natasha’s forearm.

“Fine.” She let him go back into his truck to make her snow cone.

As you walked to the top of the staircase, back onto the sidewalk of the main road, you could feel Natasha’s eyes on your ass. But you couldn’t ignore her as she came to your side - mostly because she was being annoying.

“That was incredible. It was musical, poetic really. We were like fish and chips, salt and pepper. Hipsters and condescension.” 

“Give me one good reason why I shouldn't arrest you for assault.” You hissed. 

She shrugged. “Fine, Frankie's a complete scumbag, and he skimps on the cherry syrup. So that's two, actually.” 

“Something's going on with you, and it has to do with that mysterious container, so no more games. What's in it?” 

She huffed. “It was a gift from my father.” 

You scoffed. “That's still not an answer. I mean, what, was it his memoirs? Some priceless porn collection?” 

“Look, if we're gonna work together on this, you're gonna have to trust me, all right?” She turned in front of you, making you stop.

“You're right, we shouldn't work together on this.” You looked defeated as you walked past her. 

“Aren't we being a touch dramatic?” She chuckled sheepishly, a skip in her step as she caught up with you.

“You know, I put up with a lot of crap to let you in on my cases, and that's because thus far you've been honest with me, but now, for some reason, you're not telling me the full story.” You stopped again, her eyebrows furrowed slightly but you couldn’t detect what emotion they held.

“I'm telling you everything you need to know to help find my stuff.” She huffed.

“A man was murdered, and all you can talk about is your property?” 

“Yes, but if we find it, then you find out who killed the security guard, it's a win-win. So, please, enlighten me. Under what rock will we find Los Diablos? It's a very on-the-nose name, if you ask me.” 

You sighed, pulling out your phone. “We won't find them anywhere. It's a conflict of interest.” 

You quickly walked away from her, wiping away the small tear that rested on your cornea. The dial tone rang three times before the caller answered, a sigh coming through.

“Look, Y/N, I told you, there's nothing I can do about tomorrow.” 

“Truce. This is a call for Steve the detective. I need your help.” 

“Okay.” He answered cautiously.

“It's about my case.” 

“Homicide at the docks. Security guard killed during a robbery.” 

“Yeah, that container that was stolen, it was Natasha’s.” 

You heard his hesitation. “That storage facility was filled with black market goods. You think what Natasha had stored there may be illegal.” 

You hummed. “Whatever is in that container, she won't tell me. And for a woman who's all about oversharing, says a lot, so I want you to look into her, try and find out what she might be hiding.”

“Absolutely.” You heard his pleasure shine through before he ended the call.

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Natasha sat on the couch with her arms spread over the back of it, listening to the noirette talk.

“When Y/N told you to leave, how did that make you feel?” Kate asked.

“Well, pissed off, of course.” She remarked. 

“Whatever was stolen from you must have been very important.” 

“No. Actually, no, it's the principle at stake here. I mean, nobody steals from me and gets away with it.” Natasha chuckled wryly. 

Kate sighed, folding her legs as her fingers intertwined with each other. “This loss brings up an issue that we've been skirting since we began our work together. Your identity.” 

“It's still the Devil, darling.” 

“Yes, but who are you trying so hard to become?” 

“Nobody. I'm completely unbecoming.” 

Kate took a breath. “And yet you keep trying on many hats to hide your horns. Party girl, cop, club owner…” 

“Yes, you forgot ‘mistress of all things tongue-related’. Speaking of which, shall we?” She smirked, moving to unbutton her top. 

Kate held her hand up to stop her. “That's for later. I think we're onto something very important here. One of the hardest things we ever do…” She waited for Natasha to sit back down. “Is to learn to be ourselves. I want you to tell me who you believe is the real you.” 

“I…” The redhead sighed. “I am… second-guessing your skills as a therapist.” 

Kate held back her initial remark. “You're feeling judged. So you're lashing out and judging me. But that's excellent. It's transference. Which means you seek my approval.” 

Natasha rolled her eyes. “I seek no one's approval. And time's up. Suddenly I'm no longer in the amorous mood.” She stood, grabbing the door handle. 

Kate stood too. “Okay, hold on... Hold on, Natasha. You think that's a fight. I think it's progress.” 

“Or maybe I'm just realising what a waste of time this is.” Natasha left, closing the door behind her. 

“I'm glad you came ba…” She faltered, recognising another doctor instead of Natasha. 

“Oh. Is everything okay?” Yelena asked, standing in a plain jacket and jeans. 

Kate smiled nervously. “It-it's you. Hi.” 

“I'm sorry, it's just, uh, thin walls.” Yelena chuckled sheepishly.

“Oh. Yes, everything's fine. Uh, please.” Kate gestured for her to come in.

“Thanks again for drinks the other night, Kate.” 

“Uh, yeah. Yes, that was fun.” 

“Yeah.” Yelena chuckled. “And what do parents do to their children to make them believe that they’re the Devil? I don’t mean to be unprofessional, but… It’s a few red flags in the family department there.”

“We're colleagues. Cone of silence.” Kate promised, sitting on her couch. “And I think she struggles with her identity, if anything.” 

“Patients with delusions. They can be really challenging.” Yelena commented.

The noirette smiled to herself. “She's actually quite charming. She’s incredibly kind, but tries to hide it behind her ‘Devil’ stature.” 

“Yeah, but even Satan disguises himself as an angel of the light. 2 Corinthians, chapter 11, verse 14. Two years of seminary school before I decided I wanted to help people in a different way.” The blonde explained after receiving an odd look. 

“Ah. Interesting. I thought you seemed… pure.” 

“Listen, you really helped me with my patient the other day, and I would love to return the favour. I know the Bible inside and out, so if you ever need a consult, just let me know.”

“Thank you, Dr. Belova.” Kate gave her a sweet smile before Yelena left to go back to her office.

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“I can't explain it. Lux's books are clean.” Steve spoke over the phone whilst you stepped out of the car, making sure it was out of view of the bar’s cameras.

“How is that even possible?” You scoffed.

“I had them run for discrepancies with receivables. I looked for hidden payments. Whatever Natasha’s into, it's not running through Lux.” 

“All right, thanks for trying.” 

“Listen, Y/N… I want to talk to you about Taco Tuesday.” 

You spotted the head of red locks over the bush before you even turned the corner, Natasha’s awaiting stance brightening slightly with a smile. “Hey, Steve, I got to go.”

You rolled your eyes at Natasha as she walked next to you. “Next time you secretly follow someone, don't tailgate them. Draws a little attention.” 

“It's not my fault you drive like an elderly turtle.” She remarked.

You pinched the bridge of your nose. “Natasha, just… go home.” You huffed, already having a migraine.

“Detective…” 

“It sucks not getting what you want. Now you have to deal with it like the rest of us.” You walked ahead of her towards the bar door.

“I'm sorry.” 

You turned around, observing her nervous stance and downcast lips. “What did you just say?” 

She straightened herself up a little bit. “I apologise. I crossed the line this morning with Mr. Snow Cone. It was a mistake. I realise that now.” 

“Wow. You must really be desperate.” 

“I prefer determined. Look, I need your help to find my stuff. But you have to admit I've proven myself useful. Despite the methods employed, Frankie did give us a solid lead. Insanely wild guess, but this is where we'll find some Los Diablos.” She gestured to the sign on the blacked out window.

You nodded, showing her the photographic evidence on your phone. “There's an imprint on the victim's neck that we found under UV light. Killer must've worn some kind of bracelet when he strangled the security guard. Cross look familiar?” You then pointed to a bike, the same symbol on it.

Natasha grinned. “Well, what do you know? Our suspect awaits.” 

You had to be careful in a bar like this - most of the bikers were grown men, save a few women, and all of them looked like they knew how to throw a punch - and you definitely didn’t want to turn it into a fight.

But Natasha didn’t care.

Grumbling came from the annoyed bikers as their music turned off, which was Natasha’s doing by pulling out the plug. She then climbed onto the bar, most of the men looking almost predatorily at her assets. “Excuse me! Pardon the intrusion, you Village People rejects, but one of you has stolen something that belongs to me. So please identify yourself, so I can punish you accordingly.” 

“I thought we were past you thinking you're invincible.” You huffed at her. 

“I really want to find my stuff.” She remarked at you. 

“What the hell did you just say? Hmm? Hermione Granger?” 

“Mess him up, Renny!” A cheer came from the crowd, a few supportive cheers added. 

Natasha jumped down easily. “Well, since you're obviously lower on the human evolutionary chain, perhaps your hearing hasn't developed as well as it should, so I'll repeat myself. Who... stole... my... property?” 

As Renny took a swing at Natasha, you grabbed his elbow and shoulder and swung him onto the ground, putting your knee on his back. “Everybody back the hell off or you're going to jail.” You threatened.

Natasha kinda wanted to see that happen. 

A whistle grabbed your attention, as intended, and you saw a man walk easily between the crowd like Noah. “Pardon my boys. They don't always have the best, uh, people skills. Take a breather, Renny. Now!”

You moved off of Renny and he walked away, albeit annoyed that a woman of your height had been able to get him to the ground. 

“Hank Cutter. I'm in charge here.” He introduced himself to Natasha, eying her valuable suit and rings. “Oh, a Mrs. Police. How are you?”

Surprisingly, you didn’t take his comment offensively. Whilst he was dressed as a biker, he had the aura of a father - one that was kind, but could be firm, as previously demonstrated. 

“Why don't we chat in my office, okay? Follow me.”

After you closed the door of his office, adorned with guitars and posters of Los Diablos, you began your interrogation. “We heard that you control the docks, and if anything goes down, Los Diablos are in on it.” 

“Really? We're just a riding club, okay?” Cutter chuckled. 

“Whose members have been arrested for guns, drugs, murder.” 

“A few bad apples shouldn't paint us all in a bad light, now should it, ma'am?” 

“But it does paint you as suspects.” 

“Hey, look, just because we have a reputation as outlaws doesn't mean we had anything to do with a murder.” 

“You like being considered a criminal, don't you?” Natasha asked, and you immediately saw her mojo working as Cutter’s pupils dilated. “Yeah, you do. What else do you want?” 

Cutter chuckled, almost giggled in fact. “To own a clothing line.”

“Clothing line? I-I did not see that one coming.” You stammered. 

“Yes, managing bikers must be so exhausting. All that brawling and pillaging.” Natasha sighed sympathetically.

“I'm 54.” Cutter shrugged. “I'd rather be in my hammock playing my Stratocaster. All this motorcycle riding enlarged my prostate. It's unpleasant.” 

“That's an unfortunate occupational hazard.” Natasha looked down at herself and you immediately looked away. 

“Tell me about it. Look, we've trademarked our name. We're selling T-shirts and jackets, and we're gonna re-brand and go legit.” He grinned proudly.

“There's a lot of money in the apparel industry.” You interjected. 

“All the more reason to keep our noses clean. See, we used to cover the docks, not anymore. I specifically ordered them off-limits.” 

“Maybe someone missed the re-branding memo. Killer wore a bracelet with an iron cross. Left an imprint on the dead security guard at the warehouse.” You showed Cutter the photo, to which he scoffed. 

“Look, uh, a lot of bikers wear iron crosses.” 

“Yeah, well, I'm interested in your guys who have iron crosses.” 

“Hey, look, I've told you everything I know. If you have any more questions, feel free to contact my attorney.” Cutter’s tone signalled the end of the conversation.

“But we're not finished yet.” Natasha grinned, only for your hand to fall onto her bicep. 

“Yeah, we're done. Thank you, Cutter.” You muttered after closing the door.

As soon as you stepped outside, Natasha complained. “Why are we leaving? He's hiding something. It's obvious. We need to force it out of him.” 

You faced her. “We have this little thing called due process. We can't just force things out of people. Besides, there's an easier way to get our bad guy.”

As you got into the car, Natasha followed before hearing the locks click whilst you placed the keys in the centre console. “Did you see the look on Cutter's face when he saw that photo? He knows exactly who robbed the docks. He's gonna need to deal with this immediately.” 

“Or it puts his plan to re-brand in jeopardy.” Natasha concluded, which you nodded at. 

“Defying his orders, it's a huge challenge to his authority. He's not gonna want to deal with this in public. Bet you the first person he goes to see is the owner of that bracelet.” 

“What, so your strategy is just to sit here, paralysed, hoping that Cutter leads us to the suspect? What a terrible idea.” She scoffed.

“Hmm, you think so?” You hummed, ignoring her mostly. 

“I do, I mean, for one, even though Cutter's no brain surgeon, surely he wouldn't just…” She trailed off and you grinned at the sight of an angry Cutter on the phone. 

“Wouldn't what?” You remarked. 

“Well done, Detective.”

“Oh, don’t act so smug.” You sneered playfully as you started up the car just as Cutter pulled out of the bar. 

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“This is the longest I've sat in a parked car and not had sex.”

“Ew.” You grumbled at Natasha.

The car was not as comfortable as a cinema lounge chair, but it wasn’t too bad. You were still hungry from not having had lunch, or dinner for that matter since it was already late.

“You can't enjoy this. This… sitting around endlessly, waiting for something to happen.” She huffed.

“You know, if sitting here not being entertained is so terrible, then maybe it's a sign you should be somewhere else.” You scowled, deciding to not look at her anymore.

“Have I done something to offend you?” 

“Only every time I see you.” 

“Ha, ha, ha. No, this is different.” She waited for you to turn and face her.

“Y/N. Look at me.”

Oh, how quickly your decisions cave when she speaks. 

You sighed, turning to face her. “For the first time, I don't think you're being honest with me. You have this mysterious container that was stolen that someone was willing to kill for, you make shady deals with shady people, you're violent, your personal records only go back five years, and the books from Lux are way too clean.”

She raised an eyebrow at you and you looked down at your hands, fidgeting with the only ring on them that you still hadn’t taken off. “I had Steve go and check it out.” You murmured.

“You had Steve deal with Wanda? Alone? Oh, dear. For the first time, I actually feel sorry for Detective Douche.” She snickered.

“It all points to you being a criminal.” 

“So what's the big deal? What if I am a criminal?” 

“I'd have to arrest you.” 

“Ooh, whip out the cuffs, then. Why shy away from a little bondage fun?” She grinned.

You shook your head in dismay, not seeing her frown as you turned away, tracing your nail against the condensating window. “You know, Natasha, this is serious. And despite all your weirdness I… I actually really like working with you.”

“I like working with you too, malyshka.” She murmured.

You looked down as her hand twitched, almost like she wanted to reach out and take yours. But that gentle facade quickly faded as her infamous smirk came to her lips. “What a momentous revelation, Detective Valeria. We should celebrate.” 

“You can celebrate from jail when it turns out I'm right about you.” You rolled your eyes.

Her hand engulfed yours. “I have never lied to you. And I will never lie to you.”

Warmth. Kindness. Why did it have to be like this? Why couldn’t she just be kind all the time instead of being an asshole?

“What was in the container?” You asked.

She took a breath, never breaking eye contact with you. “Russian dolls.” 

“Russian dolls?” You asked again, to which she gave you a single, slow nod. 

The sound of a motorcycle engine broke your eye contact, your hand slipping out of hers. “Here we go.” 

The conversation had already started out badly, but you didn’t expect Renny to pull out a gun and shoot Cutter. “This is Unit 831. Shots fired at 21st and Lewis. We need backup and an ambo, now.”

You jumped out of the car and raced over to Cutter, applying pressure to his chest. “Mrs. Police. Didn’t expect to… see you so soon.” He coughed. 

“Save your air, Cutter. We might just need your statement.” You smirked, looking down at your jacket.

“Oh, screw it. You owe me a leather jacket.” You used yours to slow the bleeding, his hand coming to your wrist.

“Thank you.” 

“Don’t worry about it. Just keep your breathing slow and steady.” 

You waited until paramedics arrived before getting into a squad car, inputting your car’s licence plate to find Natasha at a warehouse. You didn’t wait for the uniformed officer, instead racing in with your gun in hand to hear chatter echoing from above.

“Natasha!” You yelled out, but your voice fell on deaf ears.

You got to the door just as Renny leapt off of the side of the building, too far for Natasha to grab and save him. You blocked your ears from the deadly thud before the frozen statue of Natasha turned to face you.

“I couldn't stop him.” 

You waited on the side of the curb as paramedics arrived, collecting Renny’s body whilst Cutter sat in another EMT. He silently held out his jacket to you, which you gratefully took in your shivering form, before he too went to the hospital.

The sight of Natasha’s stare into oblivion made you walk up to her, a pair of bolt cutters in hand that you let lean against your leg. “Hey, are you okay?” 

She didn’t answer.

“Looks like Cutter's gonna make it. He just gave a statement.” 

“Cutter?” She asked, dazed slightly.

“The guy Renny shot. Renny was pissed about the direction of the club, he thought they were selling out. So he went out on his own, robbed the warehouse and killed the security guard. We got justice for Erwin Scovell.” You lightly patted her shoulder.

“Wonderful.” She murmured.

You gently nodded, leaning against her as the warmth radiated through the chilly evening. “And they've recovered one container belonging to… Natasha Romanoff.” 

She immediately looked down at you. “Where?” 

“Inside.” 

“You didn't take a sneaky peek before telling me?” 

You looked up at her, and she felt like you were staring at her damned soul. “You'd never lie to me, right?” 

She laughed wryly. “You're gonna watch me open it.” 

You picked up the bolt cutters, handing them over as you stepped away from her. “You're damn right.”

You followed her into the warehouse, the container no longer covered by a sheet since it lay on the ground, and Natasha cut the lock off. She wrenched open the doors, lights turning on inside, with an ancient-looking box resting in the centre.

Natasha took your hand and rested it on one of the padlocks, putting her own on the other before you both lifted to find…

Nine sets of Russian dolls resting on top of straw.

“I told you.” Natasha remarked.

“Why go to all this trouble for dolls?” You asked, rummaging around below the straw to find nothing else.

“Dumayu, mozhno skazat', chto eto chast' moyego naslediya. I guess you could say it's a bit of my heritage.” She translated, smirking all the while.

Your eyes widened. “Since when did you speak Russian?”

“Always, malyshka.” She winked at you.

You rolled your eyes before you hugged her side. “Enjoy your dolls.” 

“I most certainly will.” She murmured against your forehead before you left.

Leaving her to search the rest of the container, finding nothing.

“They're gone.” 

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“I'm glad you came back.” Kate smiled warmly as she opened her door to the sight of Natasha.

“Well, I needed to get my parking validated.” The redhead remarked as she sat down.

“So your items were never recovered?” 

“No.” 

“Earlier, you said that the items weren't that important. Yet now, you seem very upset that they're gone.” 

“Well, I'm a walking paradox. What can I say?” 

Kate sighed. “Sometimes we need to lose something before we can understand its value.”

“I didn't lose anything.” Natasha scoffed.

“No. No, you were a victim of a crime. It's only natural that you would feel violated. And often, our feelings of loss connect to how we feel... about who we are.” 

The redhead raised an eyebrow, but her lips were flat, unlike when she would be playful with you. No, Natasha was hurting.

Maybe she shouldn’t have come to see Kate at this hour. “Oh, right. So we're back on that, are we? You want to talk about my identity.” 

“Yes, because you're the Devil. You told me your names. But you left out a few others. Abaddon. Belial. Princess of Darkness…” 

“Someone's been brushing up on their Sunday school.” 

“Yes. But before you fell, you were known as Natalia. The Lightbringer.” Kate emphasised the final name.

“I don't go by that name anymore.” Natasha grumbled.

“That was a name that connotated your father's love for you.” 

“Right. Was casting his child into Hell also an expression of his love?” 

“Oh, God didn't cast you out of Heaven because he was angry with you.” Kate shook her head.

Natasha guffawed at her statement. “How can you presume to know God's intentions? You’ve never spent a minute with the man.” 

“Oh, I haven’t. And I don’t presume.” 

“Then maybe stick within the limits of your intellectual capacity.” 

“Or maybe my simplicity offers me a different perspective. God cast you out because He needed you to do the most difficult of jobs. It was a gift.” 

“Gift?” She growled, surprising Kate. 

“He shunned me. He vilified me, he made me a torturer! Can you even begin to fathom what it was like? Eons spent providing a place for dead mortals to punish themselves? I mean, why do they blame me for all their little failings? As if I'd spent my days, sitting on their shoulder, forcing them to commit acts they'd otherwise find repulsive. ‘Oh, the Devil made me do it’! I have never made any one of them do anything. Never.” 

“What happened to you is unfair.” Kate tried to calm her down but she wasn’t having it.

“Unfair? This is unjust. For all eternity, my true nature will be invoked to represent all their depravity. That is the gift that my father gave me.” She spat.

“It was an act of love.” 

“How do you know?” 

“Because you are his favourite child, Natalia.” 

“Do not call me that, please!” Natasha stood.

Kate took a facade of charge. “You are his fallen angel. But here's the thing: When angels fall, they also rise. All you have to do is embrace all that you are.” 

“I can't.” 

“Yes, you can. You just have to be open to the process-”

“You don't understand. I can't!”

“But why?” 

Natasha took control. 

“BECAUSE THEY STOLE THEM FROM ME!” She roared, slamming her fist through the wall behind the couch.

Without a moment’s notice, she left, her phone to her ear as she muttered two sentences.

“Someone’s got them, Wanda. Someone’s got my wings.”