#flirty with flashlights

[ckret2]

So y'all know the Gravity Falls production bible that leaked three weeks ago. Someone in one of my discord servers pointed this out:

And, naturally, that spawned an entire AU.

AU Concept: Ford was kicked out instead of Stan and takes a job as a trucker to makes ends meet since he couldn't go to college, while still studying the weird and anomalous however he can.

Ford driving around from quirky small town to quirky small town, drifting through the liminal spaces of truck stops, meeting odd people in isolated diners, seeing strange things out on the road—a deer with too many eyes bounding across a two-lane highway, a flirty woman at a rest stop who doesn't blink or breathe, mysterious lights in the sky at night, inhuman growls on the CB or 50-year-old broadcasts on the radio—and taking notes when he stops for gas or food.

Aside from having gotten kicked out before graduating high school, Ford's the same person he is in canon.

He's still an ambitious guy, and here "ambitious" means working hard and saving as much money as he can—so, a long haul owner-operator who spends weeks at a time on the road. (He goes through a LOT of educational audiobooks.) Plus, this is the easiest way for him to get to travel the country; and since it looks like his "travel the world" dreams with Stan are dead, he'll take what he can get.

Since he's never in the same spot long and carries his life in a truck, almost all of Ford's research is in his journal. His bag of investigation supplies has an instant camera, a portable tape recorder, a thermometer, a flashlight, rubber gloves, and a few zip lock bags—and that's about it. It has to share space with all his clothes, toiletries, and nonperishable food when he's on the road. He doesn't have much opportunity to closely examine anything odd he finds, unless he's lucky enough to run into something when he can stop for the night. He has to cram his paranormal research around the side of his full-time job.

He doesn't live in Gravity Falls, but he knows it exists. Every time he moves—to Chicago, to Nebraska, to California—he seems to inch closer. He currently lives in Portland and usually hauls loads between the Pacific Northwest and Chicago or New York. He stops at the truck stop outside Gravity Falls when he can and has gone fishing in town a few times. He doesn't have the benefit of extensive research to know that this is the weirdest town in the world; but it seems pretty weird to him, there are local rumors about the town, and he's had some weird experiences in the area.

Plus, he can't explain it, but it's like the town's calling to him. He wants to move there, but it'd put him over an hour outside of Portland where the nearest jobs are. Maybe if somebody chucked him like $100k to build a cabin in the woods; but what are the odds of that?

He does know Fiddleford. Truck broke down somewhere and Fiddleford kindly pulled over to fix it on the fly. They looked at each other, had mutual knee-jerk "dumb trucker/hillbilly" reactions, and within ten minutes both went "oh wait you're the most brilliant genius i've ever met." Fiddleford's living the same life he was in canon before Ford called him to Gravity Falls—with his family in California, trying to start a computer company out of his garage—but they make friends and keep in contact.

One time Ford stops at a kitschy roadside knickknack store that also sells new agey magic things—crystals, tarot cards, incense, etc. He bought a "lucky" rearview mirror ornament that looks like an Eye of Providence in a top hat and hung it from his cab fan, and ever since then he's had weird dreams whenever he sleeps in his truck.

Things I don't know yet: what Stan's up to; or why Ford's the one who got kicked out. I tend to believe that in canon Stan wasn't just kicked out because he ruined Ford's college prospects, but rather because the family thought he deliberately sabotaged Ford; so in this AU, Ford would've been kicked out over a proportionate crime.

[emilys-bangs]

invisible string | e.p

Tags: emt!reader, meet cute(?) - def a bloody one lol, blood and injury, car accident, flirty emily, flustered reader (who gives in once cause who wouldn’t), no use of yn

Summary: Emily gets into an accident. Could anyone fault her for flirting with her EMT?

Word count: 2.6k

For my fave loser girl @notaboypossiblyagenius because we’re spiritually connected <3

Car accidents can be no big deal, or they can be catastrophic. 

This one seems to be somewhere in between. The roads are icy tonight; you were expecting something of this measure since last week, and your predictions were right—this is the third accident you’ve been called to in the past six days. 

The hood of the SUV is bent around a pole. It seems to be a mild crash, no other cars around, but you’re still preparing yourself for anything as you carefully assess the stability of the pole before approaching the passenger’s side, your coworker going over to the driver.

When you peer through the window, you find a dark-haired woman. Her head is on the headrest and her eyes are closed, a crimson line of blood cutting down the paleness of her cheek. You lightly tap on the frosted glass. 

She opens her eyes. After blinking repeatedly, she lowers the window. 

You crane your neck into the car, checking the backseats and subtly trying to assess the damage. “Hi there.” You give her a smile, your eyes briefly flitting to her equally dark-haired companion in the driver’s seat.

The woman blinks at you sluggishly.

“…Hey.” She slurs.

It’s more of a question. That could definitely mean a concussion, you think, what with her head wound. You reach into your belt for your flashlight, clicking it open and shining it into the car. The woman squints. 

“You’re gonna be okay, we’ll get you out of here in a sec. Can you tell me your name?”

She pauses a little when your eyes meet. You hold your breath, the blankness of her gaze stirring up dread in the pit of your stomach. But then she blinks and it clears a fraction.

“Emily.” She mumbles, slowly. Her brows furrow and she stares at you intently, as if you might have the answer. In the darkness, you don’t know if you’re looking into pupil or iris. “...Prentiss.”

Some of the tightness in your gut loosens. You give her another smile, careful not to let your concern peek through. “How are you doing, Emily? Does anything hurt?” You run the flashlight up and down her body, your eyes sharp for any more serious looking injuries. Her coat seems to have protected her from the seatbelt, but when the light passes over her wrist, you spot some discoloration around it.

“Uhh…” she reaches for her seatbelt. “My—”

“Please don’t move.” Your hand shoots through the window, stilling hers on the buckle. She frowns confusedly. “Sorry, I just need to properly asses your injuries first. We’ll get you out of here in no time, I promise.” You say, your voice slipping into that firm but soothing tone you’ve learned to develop. Emily nods and you give her another reassuring smile as you open the car door. “You were saying something?”

“M’head,” she mumbles. You nod as you check her over, eventually clicking your flashlight closed and sliding it into your belt. Again you spot the discoloration on her wrist.

“Anything else?”

She seems to consider it for a moment, but then she shakes her head. You’ll deal with that later, then.

“Any trouble breathing?” You ask, leaning over her to unbuckle her seat belt. The scent of blood is thick; you try to take a closer look at the gash on her forehead, but it’s dark and her hair is in the way.

“No.”

Still, you check her airway, gently asking and prodding until you’re satisfied there’s nothing more critical needing your attention. When you’re done you instinctively place your hand on her knee and squeeze lightly—a habit of the job.

“Okay honey, I’m gonna get you out now. Let me know if anything hurts, okay?”

A faint pink spreads across her cheeks. “’Kay,” she mumbles, throwing a furtive look to the driver’s seat. Her companion is long gone, helped out of the car by your coworker; you can distantly hear them at the ambulance.

With the ice, it takes a bit of work, but once you safely get her out of the car, you also help Emily to the ambulance. She’s stiff, not really allowing herself to lean on you even though she sways a little. You’ve dealt with plenty of people like this before, so you don’t try to force her closer, just keeping your arm steady around her in case she slips. Some of the tension in her body loosens when she spots her friend on the ledge of the ambulance.

“They got ya too, Hot—Hey,” Emily cuts herself off, a deep v creasing between her brows, “you said you weren’t hurt.” 

Her tone is accusatory. Which is fair, given the bruising on the man’s cheek and the stilted way his jacket lays on one shoulder, very obviously dislocated. His eyes trail over her, down the blood on her forehead and your steadying arm around her waist.

“So did you.”

Her lips purse. “I’m fine. I jus’ have a headache—”

“A very bloody one.”

“—not a goddamn dislocated shoulder!” She protests, concern taking over her features. Her voice, so far having been fluid and slurry, hardens to steel. “We’re going to the hospital.”

“Not just for him,” you say. “That head wound might cause a concussion, we need to get you a CT scan.”

Emily turns to you and frowns, as if you’re being unreasonable. “It’s just a headache.” She sulks.

“Headaches are a common symptom of concussions after blunt force trauma.”

“But—”

“We’re all going to the hospital, Emily.” The man sighs, his lips pressing together into a thin line when your coworker comes back with his kit. “Just get in so we can get this over with.”

He must be some kind of boss—or at least some years older—because the fight leaks out of her shoulders, despite the firm set to her brows. She resignedly accepts as you get her into the ambulance and on the cot, her eyes squinting as she adjusts to the bright light.

“I’m just gonna check your vitals first.” You tell her. The words are instinctive to you; most patients you deal with are confused and in pain, still in shock from their accidents, and you’ve found that explaining what you’re about to do makes your job a lot easier.

You checked her breathing in the car but you do it again, just to be sure. Emily stays quiet as you do. She blinks rapidly and keeps her eyes down, still adjusting to the lights of the ambulance as you try your best to move quickly. Her blood pressure is next, which she also accepts without complaint. 

When you pick up her right hand, you find reddish discoloration circling her wrist. Her hand trembles in your grip, shaking almost imperceptibly. 

“Do you feel any pain here?” You ask, gently smoothing your thumb over the cold inner skin of her wrist. 

Emily shakes her head.

You frown a little as you gently prod the area. She yelps suddenly, half pulling her hand back into her chest. You drop it, guilt swirling in your gut at the way she grimaces. “Sorry.” You apologize thickly. “It might be sprained, you’ll need an X-ray to make sure.” 

Emily bites her lip and nods, not looking at you as you carefully take the pulse in her left wrist instead. It jumps beneath your fingertips, quicker than normal but still within the range of acceptable; you let go of her hand and grab an instant ice pack from your kit, popping it so it freezes over.

“Hold this to your wrist.” 

She does it silently. Her head is bent, the dark strands of her hair absorbing the fluorescent lights. The outline of her shoulders shivers faintly; you press your fingertips to her coat. “Hey. Are you doing alright?” You ask gently.

It sounds a stupid question even to your ears, especially when she looks up and you see the blood dripping down the sharp line of her jaw, onto the collar of her coat. There’s a small furrow between her brows when your eyes meet, but it loosens a little as she gives you a small smile.

“Yeah, ’m good.” She says. There’s a heaviness to her voice, despite the dimple in her cheek. 

Now that you’re beneath the light and she’s properly looking you in the eye, you’re suddenly aware of her striking beauty. Fluorescent lights and the blood dripping down her cheek hardly diminish her sharp features. Shiny dark bangs dip between her brows, just the same bitter coffee shade of her eyes. Those are ringed with equally dark lashes, and in her pale, bloodless face, the shocking collision has the same effect of a black hole.

You blink, the sightly ragged sound of her breathing snapping you back to the present.

Oh, god, had you been staring? 

Heat bursts through your cheeks as you clear your throat, desperately attempting to be casual. You reach for your penlight, bending your head to be more level with hers. “Keep your eyes open, please.” You instruct as you shine the light into her eyes. 

Her pupils are blown; wide, uneven pools of black that push her dark brown irises to thin rings. They’re almost as dark as her pupils, you note, and not for the first time.

Focus.

“Yep,” you mutter, giving her a small, sad smile as you straighten. “Definitely a concussion.”

“They’re not that big of a deal.” She says flippantly, waving her hand in a dismissive gesture.

A frown draws your brows together. “You have a history of concussions?” That could definitely be a problem, you think as you click the penlight closed.

“I’m a federal agent.” Emily says, as if that explains it. She squints as she tips her chin further up, gravity dragging her bangs over her brows. The darkness of her eyes freezes you in place. “You’re…really beautiful.” She murmurs. 

You suck in a surprised breath. The back of your throat goes dry, aided by the piercing intensity of her gaze. She blinks a few times and leans in closer, dark, spidery lashes kissing her bloody cheek.

“Excuse me?”

 “You’re a little blurry, though.”

“That’s—”

“Too pretty for a job like this.” Emily muses. Her eyes drag over you; the scrutiny makes your heart kick.

She’s your patient.

Trying to move on, you place the back of your hand to her cheek. Emily’s brows shoot up in surprise, not recognizing what you’re doing as you check the temperature of her skin. You shouldn’t rise to her flirtations, you know that. She’s not even fully lucid.

But your mouth moves before you can stop it.

“Well, you’re too pretty to be a federal agent,” you say softly, your voice low as you gauge her skin. Cold, pale. “I bet you get banged up all the time, right? That’s a shame.” You turn to grab a shock blanket. You unfold it, wrap it around her shoulders above her coat. Her dark hair is trapped under it; you resist the urge to pull it out. 

A blush has spread across her cheeks. Shocking red, a close shade to the blood traveling down the length of her face. “We—uh…we jus’ wanted to get food for our team.” She sucks in a breath, “Why’d you put this on me?”  

“You’re pale, looks like you might be in shock.”

“That’s just my natural color,” Emily protests as you reach for a pair of gloves and slip them over your unsteady hands. “Right, Hotch?” She calls out, loud enough for him to hear.

“Keep the shock blanket, Emily.”

“It’s cold out,” you say apologetically. For some reason, you don’t want to gain her displeasure, though—in a situation like this, at least—she seems easily displeased. “And you lost a lot of blood.”

Her whole demeanor shifts. Suddenly a dimple winks at you, its sly curve in her cheek matching the curve of her lips. “You could just warm me up.” Emily suggests, her light tone masking her exhaustion. 

What? “I…uh.” Fuck, your whole body is on fire. You’re sure you’re gaping at her, but she looks entirely serious. 

This is what you get for flirting back. 

“I have to clean your wound.” You blurt out.

“That’s okay, you can sit on my lap and do it.” Her teeth flash as she grins up at you. Dimples. Two. She laughs at the dumbfounded look on your face, the sound gritty and soft. “Hey, c’mon, I’m a big girl, I can handle it. Super strong FBI agent, y’know? I won’t let you fall.” She says earnestly.

“Ma’am—”

“Emily.” The man calls out.

Emily blows a raspberry.

“Buzzkill,” she mutters. Her eyes leave you to glare daggers at his back, and that’s when you finally regain your composure. Taking in a quiet, deep breath, you firmly push away the butterflies climbing up your stomach and grab an alcohol pad from your kit, getting to work on her forehead. The latex of your gloves sticks to your sweat-slick palms.

Stay professional, you tell yourself as you inhale quietly, trying to cool the heat in your body. She’s a patient.

Emily’s eyes are once again on your face, turning your skin to fire. “Do you have a boss like that, too? Bit of a hardass?” She lowers her voice theatrically, the whisper of it echoing in the space between your bodies. “We like him, don’t worry, but he can be a bit uptight.”

You don’t answer, biting your tongue because obviously you can’t be trusted to keep it to yourself. Instead you focus on swiping the alcohol pad over her cheek, gently scrubbing until the blood gives way to pale skin. Few freckles peek up at you as you continue moving your way up to the gash. The blood has stopped, but it’s still thick over the wound.

“What’s your name?” She asks softly. There’s a rasp to her voice, threading through her words, and you wonder if you should give her a bottle of water.

This question is harmless, so you answer it. 

“Pretty,” Emily says, her tone wistful. “Everythin’ about you is.”

Your inhale is audible in the minimal space. You avoid Emily’s eyes as you reach for a square of gauze and press it to her forehead; she takes in a quick breath of her own. 

The gauze quickly soaks through, and you replace it with a fresh one.

“Am I making you uncomfortable?” Her voice is small, thready.

Your heart is in your throat. “No,” you say. Just nervous.

“I’m sorry,” she says, her tone sincere. “I’m not usually like this.”

You gather no one would be themselves after they’d gotten into a car accident, obtained a concussion, and lost a significant amount of their blood volume from a bash to the head. But something tells you this enigma of a woman is different.

“I told you I’m not uncomfortable.” Roundabout way of saying you’re basking in her attention. You clear your throat, “It’s good that you’re talking—helps me know you’re conscious.”

Gently, you swipe her matted bangs to the side and try to get a look at her wound. It’s shallow, but nothing you can treat on your own. As you’re bandaging it, you hear her mutter a curse.

You look down at her, irrational guilt settling in your stomach. “Are you in pain? Do you want some Tylenol?”

Emily blinks dazedly, a small smile pulling at the corners of her mouth. She tilts her head, “If I say yes, will you give me your number?”

“Emily.” Her boss sighs.

She grins.

You blush.

taglist: @suckerforcate @sickoherd @lextism @catssluvr @i-lovefandom @haiklya @justhereforthosefics @storiesofsvu@ashluvscaterina @basicallyvivi

[winchester-24]

Imagine calling Dean for help

The werewolf was a lot harder to deal with than you thought. While solo hunting wasn’t the best thing a hunter could do, you’ve managed to get by with minimal damage until now. The werewolf was dead but left a nasty gash on your side. Silent tears fell as the pain pulsated from your side. With shaky hands, you reached for your phone in your back pocket, praying it still worked. You whimper as you adjust to get the phone from your pocket. Pulling it out, you see the screen flash with a picture of you and another hunter. More tears fall as you dial what could be your last call.

You just needed to hear his voice.

“Hey, sweetheart.” The gruff voice came from the other side of the phone. By the sound of it, you woke him up.

“Dean.” You manage to whimper out, your voice a little shaky. Whatever sleep Dean still had is now gone.

“Darling, what’s wrong?” Fully alert, you can hear him gathering clothes to put on and Sam asking what was wrong in the background.

“You remember that hunt I told you I was going on?” The blood from your side is pooling around you; you stay looking at the sky for a sense of ignorance that you might come out of this alive.

“Yeah, the werewolf, the one I told you not to go on alone. What happened?” Dean replied quickly while also yelling at Sam to hurry up for something.

“I got ‘em, baby.” You said, tears streaming down your face. “He got me too though.” You finally let out a sob. You continue.

“I’m sure you know where I am, you always do. If you don’t make it here to save me, I just wanted to hear your voice.”

“Don’t you dare say that, Y/N; I will be there in time, and your ass is never going hunting alone again.” You smile through the tears.

“You’ve always been my knight in leather armor.” You sigh.

“Dean, I'm getting tired.” You admit wanting hard to fight, but the feeling quickly overwhelms you.

“Do not fucking fall asleep, you hear me? Stay talking to me, baby, about anything.” You hear the worry in his voice and the roar of the Impala going faster.

“Do you remember the first time we met?” You ask softly.

“Of course, I remember, sweetheart; if I had known Bobby was having other hunters come around, especially you, I would have visited him more often.” You smile and remember how your parents knew Bobby; you kept in touch with him after they died. You needed help on a case and went to him after you tried researching everything. To Bobby's surprise, the brothers happened to be showing up that day, and you and the older Winchester had a flirty fling for a while until he finally found the courage and made you two officially a couple.

“You were something else, Dean Winchester.”

“Are, baby. You're not going anywhere to need to use past tense.” You hear the Impala stop. Dean speaks again. “Okay, baby. We are parked right by your car. Where are you?” Your head was fogging, and you felt numb. It was hard to concentrate.

“Sweetheart, I need you to tell me,” Dean says frantically.

“Go straight in the direction my car is pointing, and you’ll start to see tree limbs falling as he was running around. I’m somewhere around there.” You whisper, barely able to keep your eyes open. You see lights going back and forth, like flashlights. “I think I see you, Dean; go straight.” You saw the lights stay constantly straight towards you,

And then, blackness.

The beeping sound was annoying. You tried to drift back off, but it was too constant. You groaned and fluttered your eyes open. You were in a hospital room. You didn’t feel any pain, meaning the medicine they gave you must work great. You see Sam sleeping on a chair in the corner of the room and Dean right beside you, head on your bed but holding your hand, hunched over from his chair. You smile softly at the boys—your heroes. You squeeze Dean’s hand enough for him to wake up, shooting straight up in the bed to look at you.

He took in your face, your eyes, the color back in your cheeks, and how he initially found you two days ago—lifeless, limp, and bleeding. Yelling at Sam to speed faster to the hospital, screaming at the doctors to save his girlfriend, yelling at the nurses when they wouldn’t give him an update, and while not yelling, sternly talking to your sleeping figure about how going on that hunting solo was dumb. He should have followed you even though you told him no. You will never go on a solo hunt again, and he doesn’t care how mad it makes you, how he cannot lose you because you are now the only constant thing in his messed-up world other than Sam.

“Hey, baby.” That is all you manage to get out. Voice hoarse from no liquid. Dean reaches to the side table and hands you a cup of water. You take it and sip from it, appreciating the fluid running down your throat. He watches you, so glad you’re awake, moving, just alive. You give him back the cup. He places it down and then stands up to lean to you over the bed. He kisses your forehead, then your cheeks, and finally your lips. It was the softest kiss you have felt in a while from the older brother. It felt like those kisses that you might break if he pressed any harder. He leans away and sits back down in his chair. He looks at you, relieved, but you can still see the worry in his eyes.

“You are never going to hunt alone again.” He speaks. You smile at your boyfriend, squeezing his hand once more.

“I know.”

[fallingfor-fics]

Jewels: Melissa Schemmenti x reader

this is so rushed and not proofread

warnings: no smut :( ,a man hits on you:(( ,teasin n kissin n grindin :)))

word count: 4.5k

summary: you loose an earring before a wedding you have to attend, you and melissa are flirty all night and you put a little fit on for her.

Melissa was going to be arriving any minute to pick you up for the wedding you two were going to tonight. However, your getting ready was forced into a screeching halt when you went to put your earrings on and the tiny silver backing fell from your hands and rolled into your closet. Your jaw dropped and your eyebrows scrunched together. 

“NO. fuck, fuck, no no please be here please.” you exclaimed as you got on your hands and knees to search the floor for the small piece of silver. Normally it wouldn't be this huge a deal and you would grab another pair, but these earrings were given to you by Melissa and were very special. They were your most treasured pair that you only wore on special occasions or for good luck. The backs were very specific and didn’t fit with any other earrings so not finding the back wasn't an option.

After five minutes of crawling around, moving furniture, and using a flashlight the guilt and added pressure of needing time to finish getting ready caused your cheeks to turn red and a lump form in your throat. This was an important night and you needed to make a good impression on some of Melissa's family that you haven't met yet. You kept searching the floor of your closet as your vision grew slightly blurry from the frustration, pressure, and worry taking form as tears that slowly dripped down your cheeks. Unbeknownst to you Melissa had already arrived and let herself in since she got there a little early. She had sat her stuff down and made her way upstairs to find you, stopping at a mirror in the hallway to check herself before going to your bedroom. 

“Hey hon, I got here a little early, how's it going?” Melissa called as she entered your room and frowned when she didn't see you. She heard sniffling from your closet and furrowed her brows as she walked over. 

“You okay baby?” She peeked in slowly and saw you on the ground with a flashlight, your hair done and draping elegantly over your shoulders, your makeup clearly started but threatening to run down your face if it weren't for you using the sleeves of your silk robe to catch your tears. She knelt down and laid a hand on your arm rubbing it up and down to comfort you. 

“What happened?” she asked and you let out a sigh. 

“I lost the back of my earring.” you said not looking up at her. 

“Oh, sweetie, you had me scared to death. It's fine we can get you a new pair of earrings.” she said softly, humor laced in her words. You shook your head and opened your shaking hand to reveal the earrings, showing her why you were so upset.

“Oh. Hon it's not that big a deal, it happens. We can keep looking later or I will get you a new pair dont even worry about it. Come on, you gotta finish getting ready.” You shook your head and moved to keep looking. 

“No you don't understand. I have to find it. I have to wear these tonight for..” You paused and froze before clearing your throat and continuing your search.

“For what?” she inquired and you could practically hear her smiling through her tone.

“Nothing. They are just my favorite pair and they mean a lot to me.”

“I understand honey, but I think you'll be okay not wearing them tonight, the world won't end.”

You closed your eyes and let your head drop before accepting defeat and getting up off the floor, meeting Melissa's eyes as she stood leaning against the door frame.

“Ok fine.” you said and she smiled. You finally took in her appearance and your cheeks grew pink as you stood admiring her. She had her hair curled and it hung gloriously around her face and drove your eyes to her chest. The dark green dress she wore hugged her in all the right places, her cleavage slightly exposed and the fabric taut against her hips before flowing down to her ankles, gold heels shining below to match the gold accents within the dresses fabric. The colors complimented her skin tone and hair color so well, and her green eyes were sparkling amongst it all. 

“What, are you going to stand there gawking at me for the rest of the night, sweets?” she laughed, straightening up and getting slightly flustered by your relentless gaze.

“I can't help it. You are… beautiful.” You let out softly, still unable to get the starstruck look off your face. 

“Well try, you have to finish gettin ready.” She said moving past you into your closet to look through your dresses. You follow her and point to the one you planned on wearing.

“I don't know, babe this might be cutting it close, it's got a lot of white in it.” She frowned, handing it to you and reaching for another.

“What? I cleared it with so many of my friends they all said it was fine!” you said panicked, brushing through your other options.

“What about this one?” You turn to Melissa and your cheeks burn and eyes widen at the sight. Melissa is holding up a one piece lingerie that she bought for you. It was light pink with lace and bows. You hadn't put that on in awhile and you snatched it from her hands, throwing it back on the rack with a smile.

“Focus Melissa.” You said trying to contain your flattered giggles. 

“Go finish your makeup and ill bring you a dress.” she laughed and you nodded, turning to leave your closet. You paused and turned around walking over to Melissa and wrapping your arms around her waist from behind. You nuzzled your nose to her cheek gently with a hum and her hands came to rest on your arms. 

“Thank you my love.” you said softly, pressing a light kiss to her cheek before pulling away and heading to your vanity, Melissa placing a smack to your bum as you walked out. 

--

You were finally ready and Melissa had gone to get the car ready while you put your shoes on and locked up. You grabbed your purse and keys before walking out the door locking it behind you. Melissa was waiting outside her car for you and a bright and genuine smile graced her face upon seeing you and your face grew red. 

“My god, darling you look stunning.” she said, walking over to cup your cheek and place a kiss to the other. You thanked her and she opened the passenger door for you, admiring your frame as you stepped in. 

The wedding was a forty-five minute drive from your house, the venue being a large fancy hotel that was out in the middle of nowhere and it was an outdoor ceremony. The couple was one of Melissa's cousins and her soon to be husband. You watched as the sky grew orange and you passed through the trees causing the hue from the sky to flicker along your faces. You smiled to yourself when you remembered a surprise you had for Melissa and she saw you grinning from her peripheral. 

“Whats got you so giddy?” she asked, her hand moving from the wheel to your leg, gently squeezing your thigh. 

“Nothing.” you said calmly and resisted the urge to push your thighs together in response to her touch. You contemplated telling, or rather showing her now, but you knew if you did that you would end up pulling over and then would be late and disheveled at the wedding. 

“You look hot driving in those heels babe.” you quipped, allowing your eyes to meet hers with a small smile. She sucked her teeth with a brow raised and then looked back to the road.

“Oh yeah?” she said not taking her eyes off the road and you hummed in response, turning your thighs towards her and leaning on the center console to face her.

“Yup, It's going to be a looong night.” you whined resting your head on your hand. She finally looked at you and you smiled, her lips moved to hover over yours. 

“Watch it.” was all she said before pulling away and looking back at the road. 

--

You were able to get good parking but there weren't many people around since most were already inside. As you collected your things, and checked yourself in the car mirror, Melissa came around to open your door. You smiled up at her and one of her eyebrows raised slightly. 

“I have something for you.” you said softly as you grabbed her hand and stepped out of the car, brushing over your dress that complimented Melissa's tremendously. Your deep plum dress hugged your curves and was elegant yet sexy and reflected off Melissas, the deep jewel tones causing a rather luxurious appearance on the pair of you. 

“Oh?” she said, grabbing your hand to link through her arm as you walked towards the hotel. You nodded but didn't say anything else and went to hold the door open for her. 

“So that's how it's going to be huh?” she scoffed and you pressed a kiss to her cheek.

“Patience, love.” you said coyly and she rolled her eyes.

The ceremony started right as the sun started setting and it was in the hotel courtyard, there were flowers and a beautiful orange glow from the sun, illuminating the environment and creating a truly magical scene. You weren't one for outdoor weddings, but this one did everything right. You and Melissa sat towards the back and while the couple read their vows, you looked at Melissa, sitting back in your chair so she couldn't see you admiring her. You noticed her eyes tearing up but she blinked them away before they got a chance to fall. You furrowed your brows slightly, surprised by her reaction. You placed your hand on her lap and she looked down at it, not turning away from the couple but placing hers on yours.

By the time it was over and the reception started it was night and the sky was full of stars, you could see them through the glass dome that encapsulated the reception room, which was a large ballroom with tables and chairs sat around a quartet that played in the middle, with room to dance around them as well. The only light was from the moon and stars, and the fairy lights and candles expertly placed around the room. Your jaw dropped upon seeing it all and Melissa took notice of your twinkling eyes that gazed around the room, gawking at the scene. 

You went and sat at a table towards the back while Melissa went to talk to her cousin. You managed to get two glasses of champagne from a waiter and sat patiently, admiring all the decor. Melissa came back and sat next to you, grabbing the glass you handed to her. 

“This place is crazy beautiful.” you said in shock and she nodded.

“I knowww, I don't know how they pulled it off.” she laughed. 

“Would you want an indoor or outdoor wedding?” you asked her as you sipped your champagne and she thought for a moment, looking at you with suspicion. 

“If I ever decide to get married again, I will do whatever she wants.” she smiled and you blushed looking down.

“Good answer. Would you wear white?” 

“Yeah, unless I decided to not wear a dress, then maybe black or whatever the theme is. What's with these questions?” she asked and you shrugged. 

“I dunno. Being here makes me wonder things.” you muttered and she smiled.

After an hour, you and Melissa had found the bar and ordered quite a few cocktails. Well you definitely did, Melissa was pacing herself so she could drive home, you on the other hand were having a good time. You made it back to your table after a bathroom break and You sipped on champagne and water as you watched Melissa mingling with some of her family. You had already made your rotation of introductions and small-talk so you waited for her to finish. When she came back you smiled up at her with a lovestruck glance and she smiled back with a laugh. 

“Uh oh I know that look.” she shook her head and you laughed. 

“I'm fine, I'm barely tipsy.” you said truthfully and took a sip of your water. You leaned back in the chair, lifting a leg to rest over Melissa's lap. Your eyes locked on hers and her hand rested on your knee, She gently stroked her hand over your leg and you didn't tear your eyes away as you took a sip of champagne. 

“You want your surprise?” you asked softly and she rolled her eyes playfully and nodded. Her hand is still moving up and down, running down to your ankle then back up your shin then to your knee. You placed your hand on hers and looked around making sure no one was paying any mind, but the large round table hid you from any wandering eyes. You slowly took her hand and guided it up your thigh, pulling your dress up with it and her eyes turned soft and seductive as she realized. When you got to your upper thigh you let her hand go and she traced over your hip feeling the soft lace beneath her hand before moving it  back down your thigh, pulling your dress back down with it. She looked into your eyes with a smile and you chewed on your lip with a bashful grin. 

“Is that..?” she started with shock before reaching to your shoulder to move your dress strap to reveal the light pink strap of the lingerie she had whipped out earlier. She quickly moved your strap back into place and shook her head with a smile. 

“Damn hon, why didn't you tell me sooner? I've done my talking we can go home now.” she spoke with her velvety voice in your ear. You didn't argue and quickly got up, stopping to go use the restroom before heading out. Melissa waited out front for you and you touched up your hair and makeup in the mirror before leaving. On your way out you bumped into a man that was coming out of the men's room and you stumbled slightly. He grabbed your arms to stabilize you and you smiled awkwardly. 

“Oh my god, that's my bad.” you said politely and he slowly pulled his arms away, looking you up and down. 

“No it was my fault. Can I just say you are stunning.” he said rather confidently and you squinted your eyes for a second. 

“Oh. em thank you, have a good night.” you said moving to walk but he gently grabbed your hand and you looked down at it. Slinking your wrist from his grasp you looked at him and he smiled, stepping closer. 

“Look I don't normally do this but, you're beautiful, and hey what are weddings for right?” he said with a smile and then a wink.

“Oh nooo…” your voice faded out as you shook your head. “No sir I am not-” He stepped closer reaching up to brush your cheek and you caught his hand before he touched you. 

“Seriously you're being weird.” you said plainly, all kindness and manners out the door as you dropped his hand.

“Come on I'm sorry I don't mean to be, but a gorgeous girl like you cant be going home alone now.” he flashed a cocky smile and you opened your mouth to speak but another beat you to it.

“Who uh said she was going home alone?” Melissa asked from behind you, walking up next to you and resting her hand on the small of your back, her thumb brushing it lovingly. You blushed and looked down at your feet to hide your smile and spare yourself the secondhand embarrassment that this man was about to feel. 

“Oh I meant, ya know taking her out.” he said with a wink to Melissa, clearly oblivious to our relationship. 

“I know what you meant. I stand by what I said” she said casually, “Have some class and get the fuck out of our faces ‘kay?” she whispered swiftly and he stared at her in shock, the pieces connecting in his small brain. He laughed it off and put his hands up in defense before backing away and taking off. Melissa rolled her eyes and didn't say a word as you walked to her car. As soon as Melissa got in and shut her door you reached over to her, cupping your hand to her cheek, the other stroking her jaw as you pulled her in for a kiss. Your ribs pushed against the center console as you grabbed at her with passion. Her tongue entered your mouth and you let out a moan. You pulled back with red lips and breathing heavy, you reached your thumb to brush some of her lipstick that smudged with a smile. 

“God you are so attractive when you get jealous like that.” you said before pulling her in for another kiss, this time you were slower and softer. You pulled away and smiled.

“Get us the fuck home.” you said out of breath and she smiled, starting the car and pulling out to drive home. You were ten minutes into the drive home and you ached for Melissa. You wanted her in a way you couldn't put into words so you just sat there staring at her as she drove. Your breathing ragged as your throat grew dry. Your core ached and you turned to move one of the vents to cool you down. 

“Patience, love.” Melissa mocked with a cackle and you shook your head. 

“You know what, just for that-” you paused to take off your seatbelt so you could unzip your dress and take it off, leaving you in nothing but the pink lacey garment and your heels. “That’s much better.” Melissa's jaw hung open and she reached for your dress and threw it over you. 

“You little brat. Put that back on, don't be such a slut.” she hissed sharply but with velvety seduction lacing her words. You pressed your thighs together at the words and leaned back, pushing your dress to the floor. Your thighs drifted apart and you looked at Melissa with a mischievous grin. 

“Don't even think about it.” she said and you furrowed your brows. 

“Drive faster then, baby. I can't wait much longer.” you whined, grabbing one of her hands and bringing it to your mouth. You placed soft kisses to her palm and then moved it down to your throat and then along your chest, you felt her take control and she looked over at you as she allowed her hand to graze over your breasts and down you stomach, and just before she reached your center she stopped. She moved her hand to rest on your thigh and turned back to the road. 

“Jesus christ you are amazing.” she spoke to herself, her raspy voice caused the compliment to roll down your spine and you felt your cheeks flush. “We are almost home hon, I'm already almost twenty over. I don't need to be getting pulled over with you in the front seat like this now.” she laughed and you smirked, leaning your head back and closing your eyes.

You felt your chest tingle at the sight of your neighborhood and you moved to put your dress back on. Melissa stopped you and you looked at her confused. 

‘Oh no. You are going to walk inside looking just like this. That's what you get for taking it off.” You looked at her in shock as she pulled into the driveway. 

“What? but my neighbors?” you stammered and she shut off the car.

“Its late. Now come on.” she smiled disregarding your protests and pressing a kiss to your cheek. She grabbed your dress and purse for you then came around to open your door and your cheeks burned from heat as you looked around before stepping out of the car. You walked in front of Melissa to your door and she admired your body as you got up to the door. She was right it was pitch black, and almost one in the morning so the chances of being seen were low. That still didn't stop the nerves as you hurried to enter the code and unlock the door. You stepped inside, Melissa closed behind and you went to take off your shoes. 

“Leave em’ and head upstairs ill meet you up there.” was all she said and you obeyed, rushing to get upstairs. You checked yourself in the mirror and put a record on while you waited. You heard her coming upstairs and you stood with your back to your bedroom door. Her heels clicked on the wooden floors and you placed your leg up on the ottoman at the end of the bed. Your bare leg glowed in the warmth of the lamplight, your heels clashing beautifully and causing your leg to flex gloriously on display for her. She came up behind you and snaked her arms around your waist, you let your head rest back on her shoulder and one of her hands moved to gently stroke your leg. 

“I'm so sorry darling. I forgot to say thank you for coming with me tonight and wearing this pretty little number.” she said softly in your ear and she placed a kiss on you jaw and went to bite a spot on your neck gently.

“That's okay.” you hummed and her hands gripped your hips tightly, “just do one thing for me.”

“What's that?” she said, placing kisses along your neck and her hand stroking your thigh. You put your leg down and turned to look at her, your arms going to drape over her shoulders. 

“Take your dress off and then take me to bed.” you said firmly but a hint of innocence pried at the surface of your voice. Melissa didn't say a word and just took her dress off, tossing it aside and moving to take off her heels, you shook your head and she smiled in response. 

“We look like we are about to film a porno babe.” she joked, poking at the undergarments and heels combo you had going on. Your outfit and Melissa's matching dark red set did make for a rather delightfully risque scene. You smiled at her and your hands went for her waist, pulling her closer to you. Your mouth hovered over hers and she smiled with lust as she looked over your face. 

“Well let's give em a show.” you muttered in response and she shoved her mouth to yours instantly, her hands running through your hair and gripping your face to deepen her kiss. Her tongue weaved around yours and you felt heat growing in your core. Your thighs pressed together and your muscles tightened. Melissa pushed your hips back til you were up against the bed, she pushed you down slowly and you gently laid on the bed and Melissa crawled on top of you. She straddled your hips and you looked up at her in amazement. She was glowing, the dim light and strong tension made her irresistible and your breath caught in your chest as you hands moved along her thighs and to her hips. She started grinding against you slowly, a cocky smirk on her face as her hand ran up and down your chest and stomach. At this point you were scared for her to touch you in fear you would break down at the contact. She was a goddess and you worshiped her, you wanted to be good for her in any way you can so you let her do as she pleased. 

“Fuck Melissa.” was all you could get out and she laughed, you looked at her with such genuine love and sparkling eyes that her smile faded and her eyes went softer as she stopped her hips, “You’re everything I ever dreamed of in a woman.” you hoped your sincerity was getting across and she knew you didn't just mean in the bedroom. You grew anxious when she didn't say anything and opened your mouth to speak but instead she smiled softly and moved her hands to tuck your hair behind your ear and cup your cheeks lovingly. She moved to kiss you gently, her lips resting on yours as you kissed her back. You moved your own hands to rest on her lower back, and as she deepend the kiss and moaned into you, you moved your hands to rest on her ass and you felt her smile into the kiss. She pulled away to breath and kissed down your neck, you moaned and pushed your chest against hers. You opened your eyes and you saw something reflecting back at you on the floor, you furrowed your brows and squinted to see what it was. When it clicked in your brain you gasped which caused Melissa to pull away. 

“What's wrong?” she questioned and you shook your head laughing. 

“Nothing, nothing hold on one sec.” you said before gently moving Melissa off you to get up and walk over to a corner outside your closet. You bent over and picked up the little silver backing to your earring. “No fucking way.” you said and turned to show Melissa. 

“That's great, babe. Get your little ass over here.” she said laying back on the bed and spreading her legs apart. You giggled as you put the backing on your dresser and walked over to the bed. As soon as you got over you were on top of each other and she broke away from a kiss to see you grinning. 

“What's so funny?” she asked, looking at you with eyes full of want.

“Well it was important I wore those earrings tonight because they are my good luck charms. Looks like I got lucky either way.” you said smirking and she shook her head as she let out her contagious sweet laugh.

“Oh no that was so bad”

 “I'm so sorry that came out way cheesier than I thought it would.” you laughed and buried your head in her chest as she calmed back down and moved to kiss you deeply. You spent the rest of the night tangled up with her and dreaming of your future with her.

-----

well let me know how that was and be honest. and lmk if you want morreeee.

[icycoldninja]

Angsty Astarion headcannons

A/N: Ok, so way back in December of '23, I went through a short Astarion phase because I never went through a Twilight phase as a teen, and during the heat of said phase, I wrote this, and since I'm quite proud of how it turned out, I've decided to post it--but this is a one time only thing, it doesn't mean I write for Astarion or any BG3 characters, at least, not anymore.

Tw: Dark, dark, angsty themes that might make ya cry, proceed with caution.

-Severely claustrophobic and nyctophobic as a result of the underground confinement Cazador had sentenced him to.

-Refuses to go into tiny spaces; his bedroll must be spread out wide like a mat, and his tent must be roomy and airy.

-Sleeps/Meditates/whatever with candles lit. (with a nightlight in a modern AU)

-If the power goes out/wind blows his candles out and he can't light new ones for whatever reason, he will panic. Unless he can go outside and relish in the light of the fire or celestial bodies, or unless you have a flashlight, he will curl up into a little ball and cry softly until either the situation blows over or if you come to help him.

-Despite how much he loves you, there is a tiny part of him that is still afraid you will use him for his body and leave him to die, used up and dry.

-Trust is hard to build with him because of all that's happened, but stay persistent and he'll let his walls down.

-Has night terrors almost every night but is too scared to go to you (or anyone) for help for fear of being found and kidnapped by Cazador somehow--the only exception being very terrifying nightmares that have him screaming.

-Touch starved beyond comprehension.

-Desperately needs someone to hold him at night, or just to hold him in general. It doesn't matter how long, if someone would just give him a hug, it'd make his day.

-Sometimes he worries that you'll leave him because of his heavy emotional baggage.

-Gets crazy jealous and will turn into a bat to spy on you if he suspects anything.

-As time progresses, his negativity and jealousy starts to build up and soon expresses itself through violence. If you two don't do something about it, he could end up hurting you.

-He'd never kill you, but rage clouds the mind. Astarion could hurt you pretty badly, especially with that knife of his, and if he ever did so for whatever reason, he would regret it for the rest of his life.

-Puts on a brave, flirty, sassy face in public, but cries a lot in private. Like a lot.

-Does his best to cry as quietly as he can; an old habit from his time with Cazador. He bites a pillow or clamps his hand over his mouth to muffle the noise, careful to breathe through his nose and limit the noises he makes.

-All he really wants is someone to snuggle his fears away and just be there for him, however possible.

[miniwheat77]

Maneater. (Captain Price and Gaz x Reader.)

!CW! NSFW, Smut, rough sex, price and Gaz having their way with reader ☺️, double penetration, unprotected sex, (sorry if I missed any.)

This was an ask, you can find it here.

You were a mechanic on the base task force 141 spent most of their time on. You worked on the Humvee’s specifically but you were trained in combat. Backup when they needed it. Having the massive garage and everything you needed to work on the vehicles was amazing, this was a massive base and it was pretty quiet usually. Just 141 and a few others at a time on it. It was only you and one other mechanic at a time but you had opposite shifts.

You were sitting up front at a desk, a computer sat atop of it. For ordering parts and other stuff. Any info you may need. “Hey Y/N.” Captain Price gathers your attention and you look up at him. You were wearing jeans and a t-shirt at first, but the summer sun beat down onto you, so you shed the t-shirt at some point. Only a tiny tank top covered you. Exposing your cleavage to anyone that dared to look. Sweat and gear oil covered you. Made your skin glisten. “Captain.” You smiled. You’d taken the cap off of your water, and both Captain Price and Gaz watch you swallow down the gulps of water, a few droplets landing on your chest before gliding down your warm skin between your breasts. “Eyes are up here boys.” You smirk. Crossing your arms. Captain Price chuckles, shaking his head. “Need to check up on the Humvee. We go out on a mission in a few days.” You nod your head. “Should be done in a couple days. One day if you work for it.” You flash them a flirty smile and Gaz laughs this time. “We’ll check back tomorrow, have a good night Y/N.”

Captain Price spins around. Gaz follows alongside him, chuckling. “Quite the lil minx ah?” Gaz laughs. “Yeah, a temptress if I do say so myself. She’s always done that to me, even before 141.” Price laughs. “Me too. But if you notice she doesn’t do it with anyone else.” Gaz furrows his brows. “Must have a thing for you and I, Garrick.” Price nudges him. Gaz laughs.

“Maybe, guess we’ll have to see.” He laughs.

—

The following night, you’re underneath the Humvee. Usually it’d be up on a lift but since you were alone, you didn’t want to risk trying to get it up onto it alone. It was grounds for a catastrophe and you liked being alive. You jump when you see feet walking passed the Humvee. When you turn your head to get a better look, there’s nothing there. Chalking it up to your imagination, you bite down on the flashlight in your mouth harder. A few minutes after, you hear the large garage door rattling to a loud shut. You groan out, sliding out from under the Humvee and standing up. “Hello?” You ask. You peek out of some of the glass on the door, not seeing anyone. “Busy?” You gasp, whipping around. You see Gaz sitting at the desk. “Jesus fuck Gaz. What the hell.” You laugh. Placing a hand over your heart. “Just came to check on the Humvee.” He laughs, standing up from the chair. “I was just finishing it up, until I was rudely interrupted.” You laugh, taking a couple steps forward. He moves closer to you. “Yeah, I’m sure you don’t mind taking a break. Just for a little?” He smiles, unzipping his vest. Your eyes widen and you swallow hard. “I.. I don’t know about that. Could get us into a lot of trouble with Ca-“ hands gliding over your hips from behind you cut you off, making you jump. Your body goes rigid. You take in a sharp breath, lips parting. His chest presses into your back. He brings his face forward, right next to your ear. “Get into trouble with who, darling?” He let’s out a deep chuckle, hand gliding up onto your lower stomach, inching lower. A whimper leaves your lips as he dips his hand into your oil covered jeans.

Gaz moves over to the Humvee. It’s empty now, enough space for the three of you to fit inside. It’d usually be full of equipment and munitions but since it’s being worked on, it’s your lucky day. “Inside sweetheart.” Captain Price guides you the open door. You climb inside, Gaz is already almost fully naked. So he distracts you until your Captain is ready too. “Such a little tease, aren’t you?” You bite your lip nervously as Gaz unbuttons your jeans. Pulling them down your legs. He sees your panties, moaning out. “Fuck.. so pretty.” He groans. He toys with your clit through them, earning a moan from you as you lay back, propping yourself up onto your elbows. “I- oh my g-“ you swallow down a cry, tipping your head back. “Kyle.” He smirks. “And John.” Your Captain finishes for him. Kyle grasps the hem of your panties, dragging them down your legs and throwing them to the side. Both of them moan when they get a good look at your pussy. They’re both deprived, ready to devour you. “Fuck.. such a pretty pussy.” Kyle toys with your folds as John moves himself up, he’s naked now. Kyle pulls his boxers down, pumping his cock. He lowers himself between your legs and John pulls you back into his chest. Pulling your tank top down and cupping your breasts with his hands. Your lips part as Kyle starts lapping at your entrance with his tongue. “Oh f-fuck!” You cry out, hips bucking up. John nips at your neck, leaving love bites and kisses along the skin. You’ve barely started and you’re already feeling overwhelmed. John pinches at your nipples, rolling them between his fingers until you’re squirming. “Think she’s ready, Gaz.” John smirks. Kyle sits up, wiping your glistening arousal from his face. “Hands and knees sweetheart.” Kyle smiles, helping you move. Ones you’re facing John, you realize what’s about to happen. You can feel Kyle lining up with your entrance and when a moan is about to leave your lips, John fills your mouth with his cock. You swirl your tongue over the tip and he moans out. When Kyle parts your folds with his cock, filling you up, you freeze. Moaning around John’s cock. He tilts his head back. “Fuck.. so good baby. M’gonna fuck that pretty little throat.” He grasps hold of your hair, beginning to rock his hips into your mouth. Kyle lines his thrusts up to be the same as John’s. Both of them thrusting in at the same time and pulling back. You’re turning into a mess at the hands of the both of them, crying out and choking as you’re being used. “Fuck.. she’s fuckin tight.” Kyle groans out. He’s got a tight grip on your hips as he fucks into you. You relax your throat, trying to pace yourself. John relaxes, letting you work on him. Bobbing your head up and down, swallow down around him. He groans out when you do, eyes widening. “So good- so fucking good.” He pants. He tries not to thrust into you too hard, not wanting to make you gag.

“Deep breathes sweetheart.” John laughs, mockingly. “Don’t want you quitting so soon.” He smirks. You draw back, rolling your eyes. “Mnot a quitter.” You swallow him back down, sucking hard around his cock. He groans out. “No, you’re a little slut.” He laughs. “Spin around sweetheart.” Kyle slaps his hand into your ass, making you jump. You do as they ask, spinning around. You look up at Kyle. That sweet innocent look in your eyes as he pushes his cock past your lips. John slides his cock into your soaking pussy, biting his lip when he feels just how tight you are. You moan around Kyle. Feeling John spread your ass, spitting in the valley. “Gonna part you open get you ready for me.” He smiles. He circles your hole, rocking his hips into yours as he slips his finger into you. Your eyes widen and you gasp around Kyle’s cock. He laughs. “You like that?” He grips your hair. Smiling down at you. John fucks you until he thinks you’re ready to take him, looking up at Kyle. “I think she’s ready, Gaz.” He smiles. He pulls you back off of him. “You ready sweetheart?” Kyle smiles, pushing you back slightly. “What?” You ask, confused. You sit up, John wrapping his arms around your stomach and pulling you into him. His cock pressing at your ass. You breathe hard as he start to sink down into you. Your mouth falls open as he stretches you open, making sure to keep you wet so that he doesn’t hurt you. When he bottoms out, a strangled cry leaves your lips. “Cmon, your turn.” He looks at Kyle and your eyes widen. “W-what?” You breathe, eyes widening as he moves closer. “What, you’ve never had two cocks at once before?” Kyle smirks. “N-no.” You pant. “It’s okay. It’s gonna feel real nice sweethearts”

Kyle lines himself up with your pussy, and slowly starts to slide into you. You cry out when he bottoms out. “Oh fuck!” You cry out again, a mewl leaving your lips as they both start to move. “Oh my god, I’m so fucking full-“ a gasp leaves. Your lips. John pulls you into his chest, wrapping an arm around you and circling a couple fingers over your clit. Kyle takes it as a sign, lowering his head to toy with your nipples. One in his mouth, fingertips stimulating the other. Every part of your body that could give you pleasure is being stimulated. You’re so full of both of them, crying out each time they thrust up into you. “Fuck- it’s so much-“ tears stream down your face. John chuckles. “Awe.. baby. You’re not crying are you? We’re just trying to make you feel real good.” His demeaning has you crying even harder. You cry out, tilting your head back into your Captain. Instead of belittling you anymore, he comforts you. Letting you rest your head in the crook of his neck as Kyle attacks your breasts. “Such a good girl for us baby. Doing so so good.” Your high is building fast, pathetically fast. “I-I’m going to-“ your eyes roll back. A moan leaves your lips, and that knot unravels in your lower stomach, tightening down around the both of them, drawing gasps from the both of them. “Jesus fuck-“ Kyle gasps. “So fucking tight.” He groans.

You’re crying because of the overstimulation but it feels so good, you don’t want to stop them. You love that they’re both using you like this. Your captain has a tight grip on your hips as he hammers his cock into your ass, Kyle fucking his cock deep into your pussy. It doesn’t take long for another high to start building. Body growing hotter by the minute. This time you toy with your own breasts, pinching your nipples and moaning out. “There you go baby. Relax into us.” Kyle smirks. You lower a hand to toy with your own sensitive bundle of nerves. “Look at me.” Kyle lifts your chin to look at him. “You like this Hm?” You nod your head, biting your lip. Your holes are getting abused, and it feels so good. “Yes. Yes!” You moan. Kyle smiles. “How about a keepsake, between the three of us?” He smirks, lifting up a black iPhone. It’s his phone. “You okay with that sweetheart?” You groan. “Yeah, just don’t stop fucking me.” You lick your lips. “Wouldn’t dream of it.” You take his phone from him, opening up the camera and move it to the side. Getting the perfect view. Kyle’s stomach is pressed against your own, your left hand wedged between the both of you to rub your clit. You can’t see it too well, but his cock is disappearing inside of you. John’s stomach is pressed against your back, hips hammering into you. You have a clear view of his cock thrusting right into your ass. You stop recording after around a minute. “Fuck- I’m gonna cum again.” You groan.

“Me too.” Kyle moans out. “Ugh- don’t fucking stop- please.” You gasp out. Rubbing fast circles against your clit. “Fuck!” You cry out. Reaching your second high. Feeling you tighten so much around him sends Kyle right into his orgasm and he pulls out just as he finishes, coating your stomach in his filth. “Fuck- fuck.” He groans. Teeth gritted as he stops jerking his cock. Your Captain has a death grip on your hips and you lean forward a little bit. “So close.. so fucking close.” He’s pounding your ass, tears filling your eyes as you choke out a sob. “That’s it sweet girl.” He smiles. “Cry for me.” He chuckles. “Mmm.. I’m gonna cum.” He moans. “Ugh!” He groans, gripping the fat of your hips with his hands, holding you as he finishes, by far the best orgasm of his life so far. He doesn’t pull out, finishing right in your ass. You collapse onto your arms, your face buried into the floor of the Humvee. You’re breathing hard, gasping out when John pulls himself out of you. You sit up, leaning up against the side. All three of you spend the next few minutes calming down. It’s silent aside from pants coming from the three of you. Gaz’s laugh breaks the silence. “Fuck. This is crazy.” He chuckles. Your cheeks redden. “Yeah it is.”

“Don’t regret anything though.” John shrugs. Over the next few minutes, you get redressed. Getting cleaned up and you’re sitting at the desk when they both return to the front. “See you around, sweetheart.” John’s hand connecting with your ass has you jumping forward, a gasp leaning your lips. “Uh.. I’ll have the Humvee ready by morning.” You mumble. “No worries sweetheart.” Kyle smiles, sending you a wink as they begin to walk away. When they disappear, you sit down, still in shock by what’s just happened to you. After a few minutes, you feel your phone vibrate, sliding it from your pocket and opening it. You see a message from Gaz, and it’s an attachment. Your face turns beat red when the video pops up. “Jesus Christ.” You mumble, shaking your head as you stand up to continue working on the Humvee.

[rollingsins]

all hers, part v

part i | part ii | part iii | part iv | part v | part vi | part vii | part viii | part ix | part x | part xi | part xii | part xiii | part xiv | part xv | part xvi | part xvii | part xviii | part xix | part xx | part xxi | part xxii | part xxiii | part xxiv | part xxv | part xxvi | epilogue

summary: Long before she was Ghostface, she was just Tara. The sweet, pretty girl from your chemistry class who brought roses to your first date and promised to love you forever. Tara and reader’s first time. Smut. 18+

warnings: smut, 18+. first-time, vaginal-fingering.

word count: 2.5k

a/n: thought we’d go back a little bit, obviously set before Tara became Ghostface. As always, thanks for all the love and support, and let me know what you want to see next! Ask is always open for suggestions.

It’s your fourth date. Officially.

You’d been going out with Tara for a few weeks now. When she’d first asked you out, all shy smiles and curious, wanting eyes, you couldn’t believe your luck that a girl so pretty wanted to be with you. To be honest, you still couldn’t believe it.

Butterflies flutter in your stomach. She’d invited you over for dinner and movies, not dissimilar to some of the other dates you’d had. Except this time her mom wasn’t home. The way she’d said it, flirty, voice sort of high at the end, has your stomach in knots.

You’d never felt like this around anyone. There had been crushes, sure. A first kiss, first girlfriend for all of three weeks when you were fourteen. But nothing serious. Nothing like this.

Tara made your heart flutter. She made it sing.

You grip your palms, nervously. Knock swiftly on the door.

Tara answers almost immediately.

Her hair is down, she’s wearing an apron. She smiles, wide, greets you with a kiss.

“Hi.”

“Hi.”

You hover in the doorway, trying to conceal the goofy smile that wants to overtake your entire face. She holds out her hand, and you take it as she leads you through the house and into the kitchen.

“I cooked for us.” She says. She looks a little bashful. It smells amazing. Sundried tomatoes and chicken, pasta simmering on the stove.

“I didn’t know you could cook.”

But of course she could. She was perfect.

“Well, my mom’s not really home that much, so I learned pretty early on.” She shrugs. She lets go of your hand to stir one of the pots. Looks over at you, coy, “Worked out well though, all the girls seem to like it.”

“All the girls, huh?” You tease. She looks back at you, her smile shy.

“Well. One girl. Hopefully.”

She tucks a strand of hair behind her ear, a small smile on her lips.

You reach into your bag, hold out a bottle of your Dad’s finest red. Stolen from his cabinet. What he didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him.

“I brought wine.”

Tara’s midway pouring out two glasses when it happens. The house creaks a gentle groan, then the lights flicker. The power’s out.

You stand a moment, blink into the darkness.

“Fuck.”

You can make out her silhouette in the darkness. She fumbles around for her phone, presses the flashlight.

“The food.”

The stovetop is out, you watch as Tara flashes the light across the chicken. Half-cooked.

“Perfect.”

“Maybe it’s the fuse?” You suggest, trying to be helpful. Tara flashes the light out the window. All the neighbors are dark too.

“Shit.”

She fumbles around the drawers, drawing out some candles. Lights a couple, illuminating the room. She looks so pretty in the candlelight, is all you can think. Mused hair, pink lips, a little flour on her cheeks from the food.

She turns back at you, chewing her lip. Her pretty brown eyes are wide, mournful.

“Well, that’s dinner gone.” She looks over to the living room, as if she’s just realizing, “And the power’s out so no movie.”

She looks upset. “I’m sorry, YN. Tonight was supposed to be perfect and now it's all ruined.”

“Hey.” You touch her arm, move a little closer, “It’s not ruined. As long as I’m with you, it’s perfect. Alright?”

She looks back at you doubtful.

“We have no food.”

‘That’s not true.” You say. Out of the corner of your eye you spot some bread on the counter. You move to it, help yourself to a couple of plates. “We’ve got bread. Do you have peanut butter? Jelly?”

She bites her lip.

“PB&J?” She asks. “That’s not very romantic.”

Butterflies flutter in your chest. She wants it to be romantic. Of course she does, idiot, you scold yourself, it’s a date. You feel your cheeks getting hot.

“But a PB&J by candlelight is very romantic.” You assure her, a little thankful she can’t see how your cheeks burn in the darkness. “With wine, don’t forget.”

A smile plays on her lips.

“Second drawer on the right.” Is all she says.

She might be a better cook than you, you reason as you slap peanut butter all over the bread, but nobody beats your PB&J’s. When you’re finished, she’s poured out two glasses of wine, gestures for you to follow her past the dining room table.

Her house is nice, much nicer than yours. All high ceilings and leather furniture. This room is maybe the most impressive room, a long, cobbled fireplace sits in its center.

“We were going to eat at the table,” She tells you, setting down the glasses. She reaches for a throw on the back of one of the sofa’s. Lays it down on the floor, right in front of the fireplace, “But this is better. Like our own little picnic.”

She takes the plates off you, lowers them to the floor.

“Here.”

She’s holding out her hand for you, helping lower you onto the floor.

“Do you know how to do that?” You ask, a little concerned with the way she fumbles with the firewood.

“Yeah. My sister taught me.” She assures. She strikes a match, drops it against the wood. It flashes alight, the immediate smell of smoky wood fills the room. She looks back at you, smiling as she settles down next to you.

You hand her the sandwich, push the edge of your crust into hers.  

“Cheers.”

You take a small bite, watches as she does the same.

Lean against your hand. She mirrors you, lets the tip of her pinky brush yours. Electricity flows through you.

The fire burns bright. You’re talking about school when she kisses you. Suddenly, out of nowhere, like she can’t control herself any longer. The surprised gasp that slips from your lips lasts only a moment, before you’re dropping your sandwich to the floor in favor of threading your fingers through her hair.

You kiss for a while, a familiar heat rising in your stomach. You’d often end up this way, making out desperately in the middle of your dates. This time feels different. It feels more urgent, feverish. You shiver as she pulls back, looks into your eyes.

The way she looks in the firelight, lips parted slightly, red and swollen. Beautiful brown eyes, wide and wanting. You want all of her. You want to give her all of you.

You swallow hard.  

“Tara-” You trail off, a little nervous. How do you tell someone you want to give them your virginity?

She leans up to you, brushes the hair off your face with her fingers. You lick your lips. She wants it too, you can see it in her eyes.

“I’ve never-” You swallow. She’s staring at your lips.

“Me either.”

“Should we-”

“Yes.”

You sigh as she crashes into you. All lips and tongue and roaming hands. She’s pressing you back into the rug. Her weight on top of you feels impossibly good. The butterflies in your stomach are gone, instead fireworks explode, electrifying every part of you. Your body thrums hot, cheeks flushed with an uncontrollable desire for her. Her hands roam down your body, a little nervous, apprehensive, like she isn’t quite sure what she’s doing.

She’s gripping the top of your jeans, with her fingers, pulling back from your lips just long enough to ask the question with her eyes.

God, yes.

You nod, and she lets out a breathy, excited little noise as she fumbles with the button of your jeans. It’s not slick at all, it takes almost twenty seconds; her hands are shaking, but the look in her eyes when she’s sliding them down your legs makes it more than worth it.

“Yours too.” You murmur, sitting up slightly to reach for the button of her pants. You’re quicker, help her out of them within seconds. She’s pressing back into your lips, climbing into your lap. The feel of your hands on her bare thighs makes your head spin, her weight in your lap makes you throb between your legs. Your kisses are getting sloppier, more feverish as you pull the rest of each other’s clothes off.

When she unclips your bra, your breasts spilling out, her pupils dilate.

“Oh my god.” She says as she reaches up to take one in her hands. Her fingers immediately find your nipples. She dips down, takes one between her lips. You moan, the sensation new, and sexy. Her mouth is hot and wanting, her tongue flicking gently against your pebbled nipples. She works them in her mouth for a few moments before you’re tugging her back with impatience, wanting your turn.

Hers are a little smaller than yours, but her nipples are just as hard. Your mouth waters as you take one between your lips, suckling gently. Her fingers thread through your hair, she lets out a tiny moan. You hold her by her hips, licking and sucking. When you trail kisses back up to her lips, she’s looking down at you with dark, hooded eyes.

The warmth of the fireplace and her body combined as you flushed red. She pushes you down onto your back, hands wandering as she kisses you.

When her fingers hook your panties, your breath catches in your throat.

She tugs them down your legs, her eyes on yours. As she tosses them away you reach for hers.

She slips her thigh between your legs, groans as her lips crash onto yours.

You gasp. Her wet heat against your thigh, yours on hers. No barriers between you anymore, just you and her, naked and entwined in each other. The lights dimmed, illuminated only by the light of the fire and the candles.

She grinds against your leg for a moment.

The sensation is unreal. Her weight, impossibly good on you, the soft heat of her bare skin. Her desperate lips pressing hot kisses to your lips. Her excitement drizzling all over your leg.

Her hands are on your thighs, prying them open. She bites her lip as she settles in between them, hands roaming from the outside of your thighs to the inside.

Your hands are around her neck, keeping her close enough to kiss.

“Can I touch you, baby?” She whispers against your lips, breathless. You nod wildly.

“Please.”  

It isn’t like when you touch yourself.

Her fingers brush across your slit, gently probing, exploring. She gathers the wetness from your entrance, rubs it down the length of you, her mouth open, eyes filled with desire.

She circles your clit, a little jerky. The moan that escapes your mouth is out of your control. She leans down into you, kisses you as she continues movements.

Small circles at first, warming you up. Everything feels hot: the heat of the fireplace, her swollen lips against yours, the burn of your cheeks. You clutch onto her shoulders, gasp as she dips her fingers lower, teasing your entrance.

When she hooks her finger up, slipping a single digit into your wet heat, you both moan.

Her eyebrows knit together. Your heart is thrumming, you think it might burst out of your chest. She’s knuckle deep inside you, the tip of her finger hitting your g-spot perfectly.

“You’re so tight.” She marvels with wonder. Her voice is throaty and low. “Fuck.”

She moves her hand slightly, movements a little jilted, unsure. You gasp as she hits your spot just right.

“Is this okay?” She asks, “I’m not hurting you?”

You shake your head, bite your lip.

“No.” You say, “That feels so good. More please, baby.”

She complies. Another finger sinks inside of you, stretching you out. She kisses you, tilting her fingers in and out, her pace glacial. Your fingernails sink into the bare skin of her back, trying to take her deeper. Your lips against her neck, groaning into her skin.

Her confidence is rising, the longer she’s in you. She’s paying close attention to the way you clench around her, the noises you make when she thrusts a little harder. It isn’t long before you’re rutting against her, orgasm building.

“I’m going to cum.” You gasp out, right before it happens. Your body goes stiff against her as it washes over you. You moan, low and steady, as it overtakes your entire body, from the tips of your ears to the bottom of your heels. She kisses you through it.

You slump back onto the floor. She presses a gentle kiss to your chest, slowly withdrawing her fingers. When you look up at her, she has her own fingers in her mouth, sucking off your wetness. Her eyes black with want.

You swallow. Arousal surges through you.

Before your mind can even register, you’re reaching up for her, tilting her back onto the floor. You spread her legs with your knees, only one thing on your mind.

She looks a little surprised, but her expression quickly changes to pure want the moment your fingers brush her.

Your heart is hammering again, lump in your throat. You are still so painfully turned on. Feeling her slick heat beneath your fingers only makes you want her more. You’ve done this to yourself before, so it isn’t totally new, only she feels so much better. She’s sticky, so wet, so warm. You graze your fingertips over her clit, watch the way her mouth opens, her eyes close as you tease her entrance.

When you sink inside of her for the first time, it’s like an out of body experience. Warm, wet heat encompasses you. She grips your fingers, like her pussy is trying to keep you in place, exactly where you belong. She lets out a small, breathy gasp each time you curl your fingers up into her. She looks perfect: laid out before you, nipples hard, lips swollen, pussy dripping wet under your fingers.

You tell her so, lean down to kiss her.

She sighs up into your mouth.

You build a steady pace, copy what she’d done on you. It isn’t long at all before you can feel how desperate she’s getting, clawing at you, pussy tightening around your fingers. When she cums, she groans, low, cunt squeezing your fingers, eyes pressed tightly shut.

It’s gorgeous. Beautiful.

You want to do this forever.

You kiss her through her orgasm, slow down as she breathes, her grip on you loosening. When you slip out of her, she grips onto you tight, pulls you down on top of her.

Your fingers are soaked. You bring them to your lips. Her scent is overwhelming, so good it makes your mouth water. She’s bitter, it makes your tongue sting pleasantly, watering for more.

You lean down against her chest, let her shift slightly. She cradles you against her.

Her heartbeat is slowing down. You entwine your fingers with hers, close your eyes.

You feel her lips against the top of your head.

“That was-” She trails off. Squeezes your body slightly.

“Amazing.” You finish for her. “We’re so doing that again. And again. And again.”

She chuckles. You open your eyes, watch as the fireplace flickers in front of you, burning its last log.

All you can feel is the rise and fall of her chest as she breathes against you. The smell of her skin as you breathe her in. Your eyes droop, as her fingertips rub gentle circles on her scalp.

Maybe this is what falling in love feels like.

Next part

[internet1girl]

Chapter 3: More Than Meets the Eye.

Pairing: Johnny Cage x Fem!Reader

Summary: There are so many more layers to John Carlton than he lets on, are you prepared to catch a glimpse of some of them?

Word count: 13k

Warnings/Notices: major angst, mentions of cancer, mentions of child abuse, named!reader, reader wields a bō staff, reader is rude and mean, johnny being annoying, flirty johnny, sexually suggestive, violence, gore depicted, a few curse words here and there

First Chapter / Previous part / Next part

A/N: for a bunch of text already written out, these take surprisingly long to convert into fanfiction 🤨 (that and i’m just lazy)

Johnny caught up to you, his steps quickened slightly to take a place by your side. He didn't say anything immediately, instead he looked at you for a moment, concern written on his face as he observed your sudden serious demeanour.

"What was that about?"

"Hm? What was what about?" You were now acting like your little heart-to-heart never happened, like you hadn’t even stopped off for a rest in the first place. Your pace was brisk, your steps were fast as you now try hard to not think about memories that should stay buried.

Johnny stopped you in your tracks, spinning you around by your shoulders to face him. He wasn't having it. The way you did a complete 180 with your emotions made him even more suspicious about what was bothering you.

"You know damn well what I'm talking about." His usual mocking cockiness nowhere to be seen. He actually sounded somewhat serious - which was new, weird. He was looking at you with a stern and questioning look, not willing to just drop the subject.

You both didn't appreciate Johnny's prying nor did you appreciate being halted like this. No sooner than did he stop you, your hands come up and shove him away, a little more rough than you intended to. 

He stumbled backwards. You’d caught him off guard but he quickly steadied himself, straightening up again. He crossed his arms over his chest, his expression now frustrated and annoyed as he stared down at you.

Realising what you just did, you compose yourself, taking in a deep breath and dissipating the red mist from your mind.

"That was...nothing. I just don't think we should stay in the same place for too long. It's not safe.”

Johnny huffed in annoyance, shaking his head slightly in disbelief. Again, you were avoiding his question. He really didn't like how you were acting right now, he saw clear as day how you buried your feelings by acting overly cold and hostile. It was only making him even more concerned.

"It was not nothing."

"Yes, it was. We've taken all the rest we need. We're on a mission, we need to progress.”

Johnny rolled his eyes and groaned again. His annoyance with you grew as you continue to dodge his questions. He was really started to get frustrated by your insipid avoidance. Why were you being so stubborn?

"For crying out loud! I’m just asking you a damn question! Something's bothering you, l just want to know what it is. That's all I'm asking."

He took a step closer, his form starting to tower over you.

You were, admittedly, a little taken aback by Johnny's little outburst. His usual smirk being replaced by a scowl, coupled with him stepping closer to you as he spoke, sent a pang of something through your heart. Not quite fear, but you were uneasy.

Realising this made you mad. ”How dare he try to intimidate me?!” In turn, you stood your ground. You too take a step closer to him, your hands slightly clenching into fists.

"It's none of your business, Cage. I don't have to tell you about every fucking thing that's on my mind."

You shine your flashlight in his face and look him dead in the eye, the anger within you starting to take control. His face screwed at the sudden increase of brightness, his eyes squinted near shut as he brought up a hand to shield his vision from the beam.

"We are on a mission. This isn't the time for a cushy little heart-to-heart. Cut the shit and focus on the task at hand.”

A curse slipped past his lips, his frustration starting to boil over into anger. Johnny pushed your flashlight out of his face and leaned back to look at you with a glare equally as dark as yours.

"Damn it, Jade! You are so goddamn insufferable, you know that?" A shard of concern was buried within his tone, but the frustration present was overpowering, consuming, too thick to let up.

"Yeah, we're on a mission. But why the hell do you have to be so damn cold?"

"Why do you have to be so damn annoying?” You spat back, pushing a finger into his chest. “You're a grown man, act like it!"

"Hey! I am acting like a grown-up.”

Johnny was really starting to get mad now. The small snarl on his face grew, lips parting to bare his gritted teeth. His eyes were ablaze, it was getting harder and harder for him to control himself. He was looking down at you, the sight of your equally angry expression made him tighten his grip on his own flashlight, his knuckles nearly turning white.

“You're just acting like you've got a fuckin’ stick up your ass."

Johnny took another step towards you, only a couple of inches of space now separating your bodies. His jaw was clenched tight, his brown eyes dark with anger.

You sighed. Realising what you were doing, you take a step back and put some distance between yourself and him. This was absolutely not the time to do this.

You shut your eyes and pinch your temples, trying your hardest to not snap and get into a full screaming match with this man. Taking a deep breath in, you made sure that you were thinking clearly, and your rage is at least somewhat contained before speaking to Johnny next.

"I'm not doing this with you. To get into a full blown screaming match in the middle of one of the most dangerous places in the region would be suicide. I refuse to be found and captured by Shao's men because you can't contain your emotions. We are on a mission for Liu Kang and that should be our top priority right now, not this petty argument."

You walk forward, past a Johnny who was now coming to terms with his fuck-up. Giving him a glare that showed exactly how you were feeling at the moment, you stop for a second - right by his side - to tell him something.

“You’re pathetic.” You put emphasis on the word, something that was entirely intentional. “Start acting your age.”

Johnny opened his mouth for a moment, as if to speak. But the way you looked at him, your eyes so dark, made him reconsider saying anything at all. He swallowed the lump in his throat, his gaze shamefully dropping to the floor, he began to realise how childish he was acting. Your words sunk in deep, and he knew that you were right.

"Yeah... yeah, ok. Fine."

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

You and Johnny spend the rest of the afternoon sneaking through the pyramid. Besides only speaking to each other out of necessity, not a word was uttered between the two of you. You were still pissed that he overstepped his boundaries like that, trying to force you to open up and share your problems with him, like he was some sort of therapist. To you, it didn’t matter that he doesn’t know about your family and how it’s such a sore spot for you, he should have just…minded his business. 

Speaking of, the memories that you still had of them were now subsequently running through your mind, something that made you silently fight back tears as you walked.

On the other side, Johnny was coming to terms about haw much of a dick he acted like, he was silent out of embarrassment. He was really making progress in getting you to open up, he felt guilty that he more or less reversed it all.

By now, he had put two and two together. He figured that something must've happened with you in your past, that's why you’re acting colder than usual. He came to terms with how aggressively demanding you to open up would, in-fact, result in the opposite of his desired outcome. He stayed silent as he walked, trying to cope with the fact that he let his emotions get the better of him.

Johnny's guilt only rose as time went on. He was mentally berating himself for acting so childishly and arguing with you like that when it really wasn't necessary. He was actually making some progress with you, melting the ice of your demeanour, and now he felt like he had ruined any chance of you actually opening up to him.

He knew he had messed up. He was also aware that he had unknowingly opened up one very sensitive area of your life. It was now even more obvious to him that something from your past was bothering you. He honestly wasn't really sure how to even start to try and fix the situation. His usual jokes and quips weren't suitable for this situation at all.

He would glance over at you from time to time, his expression slightly regretful as he took notice of that saddened look on your face. That frown really didn’t suit you, such an unwarranted blemish on your beautiful visage… it wasn’t right.

Unbeknownst to you, family was also somewhat of a sore spot for Johnny. There's a reason why he was never that open about his own family to the press and his fans. But… that’s not for you to know yet.

Still ever so careful as to not alert anymore of Shao's men, the two of you clung to the shadows. You both have made progress, you were now closer to the innermost chamber than this morning.

Both of your negative moods affected you two in ways that were more than just anger and sadness. It made you both a bit sloppy, careless. You weren't so focused on being quiet and sticking to the shadows, more so on just getting to the centre of the pyramid as soon as possible, so you could just leave this godforsaken place.

So it wasn't a welcome surprise to either you nor Johnny when you both turned a corner and ran smack dab into a patrol of two of Shao's men.

Ah shit. The second Johnny saw the patrol, a look of complete dread completely overtook him. Thinking quickly, he grabbed your wrist and backed away, his eyes never leaving the patrol and he pulled you back and around the corner.

"Shit! We got company!" He whisper-shouted.

"Do you think they've seen us?!” You return his frantic energy, whisper-shouting back. The adrenaline that was now coursing through your body had completely overrode your sour mood from before. Fuck your feelings, this was the present. You were now on edge, hyper-aware of her surroundings.

Maybe they didn’t see you? Yeah! Maybe they were talking to each other or something, too wrapped up in their hypothetical conversation to notice the two of you. Maybe it was dark enough that both of you weren’t even noticeable. It’ll all be fine, you haven’t been spotted…right?

Unfortunately for you both, luck wasn’t on your side this time. Your presence was indeed noticed, your bright flashlights ripping through the darkness were just impossible not to miss. The feeling of dread was like a knife to your heart as you heard them both shout and rapidly mobilise. The sound of the boots stomping on the ground came closer with every step as they closed in on you both.

Johnny's heart raced faster and faster at the sound of the rapid footsteps, they were only getting closer and closer. He was trapped in a tight, narrow hallway with a team of well trained, heavily armed soldiers on their way to kill both him and you.

"Ah shit..." He muttered, his voice low and shaky. He gripped his hands into fists, his adrenaline rising as he readied himself to face the soldiers head on.

There was no getting out of this. A fight was imminent.

The men rounded the corner, drawing their weapons and taking on a fighting stance at the sight of you both. In response, you deploy your bō staff from your hip, fully extending it out and readying yourself. Johnny balled up his fist and took on a fighting stance, swallowing the lump in his throat as he looked the soldiers up and down.

"Are you ready for this, Cage?" You ask, not daring to take your eyes off of the soldiers adjacent. The faint light of your staff dimly lit up the area surrounding the four of you, casting a green glow on all of your respective armour.

Johnny nodded quickly, his eyes too glued on the men across from him. All of his senses were on high alert. Adrenaline was coursing through his veins and he could feel his blood pumping in his ears. He was ready for a fight, he needed something to channel his frustrations into after the argument he had with you.

"Yeah. I'm ready. Let's get 'em.”

The clash was an intense one. You and Johnny fought with the pair of Shao's men, the skirmish entirely confined to the narrow passageway you were all in. The small space echoed with sharp clangs of metal and loud strikes of energy as precise hits and rapid punches flew. Green light rapidly darted across the passageway walls as you swung your staff around, evading and executing strikes.

At one point, the two of you were back-to-back, covering each other. Your backs pressed into the other’s as you both fought your respective soldier. It helped that the hallway was so narrow that the two men could only attack one at a time.

Thankfully, you both managed to prevail. In the end, your combined effort managed to best and overpower the two soldiers. Their bodies slumped down onto the floor with a loud thud, both of them unresponsive and bloodied.

You and Johnny were now catching your breath. Your previously clean uniform was now littered with splatters of blood, an unwelcome realisation that dawned upon you as you dusted herself off. You winced ever so slightly as your fingers would feel the smooth warmth of the liquid in contrast to the hard metal of your breastplate.

Johnny, meanwhile, seemingly wasn't bothered that his already bloodied uniform had more red on it. He even looked a little proud of himself as he wiped his hands down his sides, taking in the sight of his swelling knuckles with a grin on his face. He stood there, his breathing quickened as he bounced around on his feet a little, endorphins flowing through his veins. That felt good, that was fun!

He looked up, his vision settling on you trying to clean off the blood that had stained your hair and uniform. He found himself growing slightly distracted by the view before him, a smirk forming on his lips. The sight of you all disheveled like this made his cock swell ever so slightly, you were somehow even more hot when your decorum was undone.

“We showed them, didn't we?"

"Yeah…we did..." Your answer came out between breaths, your body was still in the process of recovering after the harsh switch from inactivity to hyperactivity.

Your audience was still staring at you, taking in the way how your chest rose and fell with each breath, his eyes darting to the splatters of blood that covered you as well as some other places. His smile didn’t falter, it was actually kind of hot to see you in kombat.

As his gaze stayed on you, something within reminded him of that squabble a few hours ago. He felt a pang of guilt as he remembered how much of a prick he was towards you, especially when you didn't deserve it. The way he demanded that you open up to him about what's on your mind made him retrospectively cringe a little.

An apology was in order, and Johnny realised this.

"Hey...listen, I wanna apologise. I was...kind of a dick back there, uh- a few hours ago.”

His apology admittedly caught you off guard a little. Not that it wasn't welcome, it was just unexpected. You look up at him, reading his facial expression. The fact that he was completely genuine, his face devoid of his signature smirk, honestly surprised you a little. To be honest, this wasn't exactly the right place or time, but you knew that it would be better for everyone if you both just got past this.

'...l accept your apology."

"Ah, good... um…”

He took in a deep breath, a wave of relief washing over him at the sound of your response. He was honestly expecting you to be just as harsh with him as you always were, but he didn't get that. Your verbal conformation lifted the accumulating weight off of his shoulders. He visibly relaxed a little, glad that you were willing to move past it.

Johnny scratched the back of his head, a sheepish look on his face. Now, he just felt awkward. What the hell was he supposed to say next?

Seeing him stand awkwardly stand there was actually kind of amusing. For you, at least. The way he rubbed the back of his head and shifted around on his feet a little made a small smile bloom on your face. He looked cute, near adorable, in your eyes. You couldn't help but stifle a little laugh.

He's not so bad when he's not opening his mouth.

"You're alright, Cage. It's water under the bridge."

He caught sight of the your smile and your stifled laugh, his eyes narrowing slightly as he watched your expression carefully. His heart felt like it skipped a beat once he heard your words. You weren’t upset anymore, and that was great! His thoughts, however, were consumed by how that smile looked so damn good on you.

"Water under the bridge, huh? I guess that means you're not gonna keep being a pain in the ass?" He smiled too, his lips curling upwards as he took a step closer.

This made you roll your eyes. Looks like Johnny's now back to getting on your nerves every few minutes. Yay(!)

Oh well, at least there wasn't this thick tension between the two of you anymore.

You don’t even say anything in response, only groaning and walking past him in order to go further into the pyramid. You were still on a mission, after all.

You were so quick that you didn’t even notice how Johnny’s smile turned into a sly smirk, nor did you notice the way his eyes took advantage of your temporary proximity to rake themselves all over your form. He chuckled to himself, shaking his head a little. Best believe he’s going to relish in all the upcoming chances to pester you, now that the tension between you both was gone. There was something addicting about the way that your face scrunches up when he successfully says something stupid.

"Hey, wait up, princess!" He called out, jogging after you to catch up.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

It was now night. Day was over and now, there was nothing but darkness surrounding the pyramid.

The precise hour was unknown to you both, yet the conspicuous absence of activity among the platoons of Shao's men, as well as the fact that the inside of the pyramid was somehow even darker, signalled that the day had commenced.

You and Johnny were now exhausted. Sneaking around a massive ancient structure with minimal food and water left of your bodies riddled with fatigue. What you could probably - no, definitely - use is a good night's sleep. How lucky that the both of you just happened to stumble upon an encampment that a few of Shao's men were currently occupying.

After they were dealt with, the two of you began to settle in for the night. You used what you could find around the area as makeshift beds, an ordeal that fondly reminded Johnny of all the camping he did as a kid, something that he was all too happy to yap to you about. Not that you were really listening…

Unfortunately, you both had to turn off your flashlights for the night, in order to conserve battery life. However, you did find a candle amongst one of the men's belongings. Lighting it pierced through the darkness around, creating a circle of light and warmth to rest in.

Johnny found himself lying on the floor, his hands behind his head as he stared up at the ceiling above. It wasn't exactly comfortable, but what other choice did he have? Not that he really cared, though. No, something else had captured the majority of his attention.

His eyes darted to the side to glance over at you, right across from him. He was watching your lovely self wordlessly. Certain parts of your form had his tongue instinctively dart out to moisten his dry lips.

In contrast, you weren’t laying down but you were instead sat up. Your legs were crossed and your gaze was lowered to the floor, you were lost in your own thoughts. Your hands were twitching a little as the events of today were replaying in your mind.

You missed everyone back in Sun Do, wanting nothing more than to get out of this dark pyramid and flee to safety, as well as a proper bed and a long, long shower. You allowed yourself to once again wish that Liu Kang had chosen someone else for this mission, better they meet a grim fate than you.

Your longing was interrupted when you recalled something that Johnny said earlier.

How it would be faster if the two of you just "kicked some ass" and fought your way through to the innermost chamber, sticking to the shadows be damned.

"Don't you just want to let loose a little and be a bit reckless for once?" That was part of what you remembered him saying.

It made you laugh, honest to the Gods. Your lips curled upwards and your hand raised to cover your growing smile as you started chuckling. Maybe, just maybe, he wasn't wrong.

Your audience was surprised, to say the least, when he heard the unexpected sound of you laughing. Johnny lifted his head, propping himself up on his elbows to look at you. A small smile of his own graced his lips. To see you laughing - hell, to see you show any emotion that wasn’t anger - it was weird. He never thought he’d see the day. 

His eyes were now fixed on you. He couldn't help but think that you looked even prettier when you were smiling. The sight alone was enough to make his blood start to pump a little faster.

"What're you laughing about?"

"Hm? Oh, nothing." You replied between laughs, calming yourself when you saw Johnny looking at you. Telling him what you were actually laughing about was out of the question. The man's head might explode from the ego boost.

His smile widened in reaction. He didn't believe you at all. You, chuckling like this over nothing? Pfft. Don’t play in his face.

"You're not laughing about nothin'. C'mon, don't hold out on me." He sat up further, propping himself up on his hands. His smile deepened as he got to see yours unobscured.

You sighed, knowing that Johnny wouldn't stop prying until he received the truth. You’d rather not repeat a squabble like they had this afternoon.

"Something you said, earlier today. About how we should ‘kick ass’ through this pyramid instead of sneaking around. It was amusing." Your eyes narrowed, you took on a much more snarky tone before speaking next.

"I just didn't want to tell you because your ego is already far too high."

Johnny's smile widened into a cheeky grin upon your answer. That signature arrogance of his returned, just like that. That little jab at him about his ego amused him, and made his chest puff up slightly. He shifted around and crossed his legs, taking a moment to laugh before responding.

"Eh, you can insult me all you want, but I’m just bein' logical. We can't keep sneaking around and hiding. Fightin' always got the job done, especially for me."

His words held some truth to them, and you knew it. Sneaking around was good and all, but it was increasing the mission duration. If you both had done what Johnny wanted all along, you’d probably be in the carriage back to Sun Do by now.

Realising this just pissed you off. Turns out the most annoying man you know is actually not that stupid. Still, you stuck to your guns, your stubbornness unwavering.

"We can't. We don't know how many men there are in this pyramid. It's too risky."

"Oh, come on! We've handled a bunch of Shao's guys today. We can take 'em. It'd be so much easier just to punch a few things and take what we need instead of skulking around here."

"Hm." You take your eyes off of Johnny and look down to the ground. You were actually contemplating what he was saying, how ‘bout that? Maybe if you both did indeed battle your way through the pyramid, and if you were careful about it, you two could finally obtain this stone and bring it to Liu Kang. Just maybe...

A yawn broke through the silence. Your mouth stretched open, fatigue starting to overtake your being. You were so tired, all of this thinking could wait until tomorrow. You need to rest, to recharge your body.

"...I'm going to sleep." You inform Johnny, laying your weary body down on your makeshift bed as you shuffle around in an effort to get comfortable.

Johnny, of course, was watching you intently. That exhausted and fatigued look on you was admittedly something else. It weirdly made you sexier in his eyes, there was something about the way you rubbed your face in an effort to stay awake that had him fixated.

"You sure you can sleep? You seem pretty...tense. Maybe I should give you a massage? You seem like you'd be pretty responsive, darlin’.” A sly smirk found its way on his face at the poorly veiled excuse to get his hands on you.

“That’s not happening.”

Johnny let out a laugh in response. You quickly shutting down his idea like that just made him smirk grow, his expression becoming smugger.

"Aw, c'mon! It'll help you relax and fall asleep. You've been so upset all day, princess. You really think that’s a good way to end the day?" He spoke in a mock-innocence tone, his eyes still stuck on you.

"Goodnight, Cage." You shut him down again, not even bothering to sit back up.

You were way too tired to put up with his insistent flirting, the need for sleep had basically overtaken you by now.

“Hah, Alright alright..."

Johnny laid his body down fully, getting comfortable on his makeshift bed. Well, he tried to. He did wince a little as he shifted around, this wasn't exactly the best or the most comfortable spot to rest on. But, it was the only one available. What else could he do?

Not long after, you passed out. You slipped from consciousness, all your thoughts and worries from today were temporarily eased. Johnny soon followed, succumbing to his own fatigue. Your bodies lie unmoving and unresponsive on the hard floor, save for your chests slowly rising and falling with each shallow breath escaping the both of you.

As Johnny fell asleep, his head was filled with a multitude of thoughts and scenarios. One of the constant ones, though, was the image of a certain beautiful woman with beautiful long hair being very responsive to his hands being on her. A small, far from innocent smile was on his face as he settled deeper into his sleep, the image of you was still fresh in his mind.

If you were awake, you would see a bulge in the crotch of his uniform.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

It's now the afternoon. The night came and went with no hitches and it's once again bright outside, the sun’s rays trickling down onto the world. Not that any of this showed inside of the pyramid, though.

You and Johnny had long since been up, you both have now made significant progress in your advance through the pyramid. The both of you had actually reached the innermost chamber, after all this time. The two were now perched on a ledge, right above the large open space. There, the ground below could be freely observed.

The sheer number of Shao's soldiers below took you back a little. But, that feeling was nothing compared to when you finally laid your eyes on the contraption right in the centre of the chamber that the men were guarding.

A machine about the size of a truck stood, a circular platform built out of some kind of dark brick was its base. A giant vat of some type of green gas sat in the middle of this platform, emanating upwards and out of the pyramid. Upon further assessment, you were shocked to realise that all of that gas were… souls! Some sort of powerful magic had been cast, and souls were the fuel for it. They were fuelling this whole machine.

Moving downwards, the base of the machine had a circular indentation in the middle of it. A large gemstone, about the size of a fist and absolutely rife with magical energy, was housed right in the indentation. This was the stone that was depicted in the notes you had found yesterday, it looked to be powering the whole thing.

You were, admittedly, at a loss on what to do. There were way too many soldiers down there to successfully obtain the gemstone without being spotted. However, you were vastly outnumbered. To fight would seemingly be certain death. But you needed that gemstone, you can't just return back to Liu Kang empty handed. What were you to do?

“Do you see all of the men down there?" You turn to Johnny, your voice was thick with anxiety and your eyes had a sliver of fear between them.

“Yeah…” His eyes were scanning the chamber below, taking note of all the guards that were stationed there. He shared your concern, that light-hearted jovial demeanour of his was completely absent. His attention was pried off of the sight below when you tapped on his shoulder.

“That green gas, in the machine, I know what that is. It's soul magic. It fits the description of what the books back in the palace library depict. This is a massive amount of magic that's currently active, and souls are being used to fuel it all.”

Johnny was watching you intently as you rambled on. His eyes never dared to leave your face. You had a certain intensity whenever you locked in like this, and he really couldn’t deny that he found it hot when you became so passionate about something. He didn’t say anything about this, though. This was one of the rare times he chose to keep his mouth shut, the situation was that serious.

"And that's not all. See the big gemstone in the middle?" You carry on, extending your arm out to point to the gemstone at the base of the machine. "It's exactly what was described in the notes I found yesterday. It's powering the whole thing. If we can manage to retrieve it, the whole machine should cease functioning."

You paused for a bit, pondering on what to do next. Just how will you manage to obtain the gemstone undetected? Try as you might, you couldn't think of an answer.

"But how would we go about retrieving it..?"

“And that's where I come in.”

The sound of his voice cuts through your thoughts, interrupting your speculation. You turn to face Johnny, he has a mischievous smirk plastered over his face that makes your brows furrow slightly.

”I know just what to do."

"Hm? You do?"

"Why, of course I do. I have a great idea." He raised an eyebrow at you, amused by the doubt you had in him. “You're probably not gonna like it, though.”

"...Go on." You were genuinely curious on what his idea was. Any idea is better than no idea, you figured.

Johnny chuckled a little. He was actually surprised that you weren’t being as dismissive as you normally were. "You know, for someone who usually hates all of my ideas, you actually sound like you're willing to hear this one-.”

"Just spit it out, Cage."

Your impatience did nothing in making his sly smirk falter - quite the opposite, in fact. He was almost gleeful, letting out a laugh as he had to physically resist the urge to tease you for your restlessness. Nevertheless, he still carried on.

“Alright, so, you and I both know that we can't just sneak past all of them on the ground level. So... we're going to go right through them."

Right through them? Is he serious? "Right… through them? All of them?"

Your stunned expression was absolutely priceless in Johnny’s eyes, he couldn’t help but let out another small laugh at the sight. The disbelief on your face was almost funnier than your usual annoyed or angry expressions.

“Ah, I knew you wouldn't like it! And yes, princess, I mean all of them."

"Give me two good reasons why we should risk our lives like that." Skeptical would be a good word to describe how you were feeling right now. Your arms were crossed as you stared him down, awaiting an answer.

Johnny's eyes went wide for a split second, before he composed himself. He actually didn't expect you to be interested what he had to suggest, this was such a welcome surprise. The most smug of smug smiles graced his features before he spoke next.

"Well, reason number one - sneaking around isn't gonna work. They have too many people on the ground level. It'd be impossible to find a way to sneak past all of them without being spotted, especially the way the chamber's so wide open."

He was actually serious about this, thoroughly taking his time as he tried to convince you of his master plan.

"And reason number two - you saw how l handled those men yesterday when we first got here. Three versus one and I still came out on top. They're nothing! With the two of us, all those people down there wouldn't stand a chance."

You were silent for a few moments, no snarky or rude remark was to be found. You were genuinely thinking about Johnny's plan to just fight them all, how ‘bout that? Your gaze was on the floor and your chin was resting in your hand, you were deep in thought about what to do next.

And that's when you remembered what he told you, yesterday whilst the two of you were resting. How it would be faster if you both “kicked some ass" or something…

You couldn't believe how that won you over to his insane plan, much less how his plan won you over at all.

“Fine. You've convinced me." You sigh before you turn to face Johnny, a look of defeat gracing your features. It wasn’t that he had come up with an actually decent idea, it was the fact that you knew he wouldn’t shut up about this that had you mildly irked.

A large, toothy smile bloomed on his jaw, in contrast to your indifferent expression. The fact that you were actually going along with his plan, the fact that you actually listened to him, was damn near unbelievable. He stood up, his full height towering over you as he held his hand out for you to take.

"Alright, let's do this!"

You took his hand, allowing him to hoist you up. Now that you were up on your own two feet, you took some time to mentally preparing yourself for the imminent battle.

You took out your bō staff, taking a moment to appreciate its beautiful green glow. Your intent was simple, you were to throw your weapon at one of the guards down below, knocking out one of your opponents and effectively starting the fight. Two birds, one stone.

And that's exactly what you did.

The way your staff connected with one of the guard’s heads, knocking that fucker clean off of his feet, it made Johnny wish that he was recording beforehand. He had to stop himself from loudly cheering like a sports fan when he saw how he practically toppled over

The atmosphere became thick with anticipation as the other guards were all alerted of you and your companion’s presence. As soon as they saw one of their brethren being struck down by your staff, they started to mobilise.

Shouts flew through the air, grips on weapons tightened, everyone started to prepare themselves for battle as they saw you and Johnny jump down from the ledge above.

The fight started when one of the men first lunged forward, his axe raised high above his head, aiming for your own. You dodged his attack and swung your bō as a counter, striking him in the jaw with a force that straight up broke the bone there and then. From there on, it was all a blur of blows and weapon swings.

Johnny was having the time of his life. He was able to show off just how skilled of a fighter he was AND get this mission over and done with. A bright smile was firmly stuck on his face during the whole ordeal. It was great that his plan was working and all, but the fact that you were there with him, literally fighting by his side, made it all the more fun.

You and Johnny might have been outnumbered but what Shao's men made up for in manpower, they lacked in skill. Truth was that none of them knew how to properly fight. They were barbarians, not trained soldiers. All they could do is aimlessly swing around their weapons whilst the much more skilled pair of champions dodged and counter-attacked. If only you knew how easy it would've been to fight these men, you wouldn't have wasted your time sneaking around.

Blood sprayed and splattered against the stone floors as you both carved through the platoon. Your bō staff was pulsing with green energy, shattering bones and tearing through flesh. Johnny's blows were swift and precise, yet packed power behind them. One of the guards swung a massive axe, but he dodged it effortlessly, countering with a shadow kick that sent the barbarian flying. 

The pyramid's halls echoed with the sounds of grunts, yells and screams. The guards, despite their numbers and ferocity, were no match for yours and Johnny's might. One by one, they fell, their blood staining the grey floor a deep shade of crimson.

As the last guard slumped to the ground, you and Johnny stood amidst the carnage, surveying your work. You both were now completely covered in blood, from head to toe. Your once-green staff was almost glowing red and you couldn't find a spot on your uniform that was clean whilst Johnny's hair was wet with the red liquid, some follicles sticking to his forehead in strands due to all the moisture. The air was now silent, save for you two’s heavy breaths and the whirr of the machine in the background. The outcome of the battle was that not a single barbarian was left alive.

Turns out that Johnny's plan wasn't so foolish after all.

Speaking of, he craned his head to look over at you. The sight of you all disheveled, hair messy and body drenched completely in blood, had his cock pulse in his pants. Maybe it was the adrenaline coursing through him, but there was something about you like this that had something feral stir within him. He bit down his lip at the sight of you stretching your limbs out, eyeing you like a starving dog looking at a bowl full of food.

Not that you noticed any of this, though. Your heart was still racing as you were catching your breath, a little keeled over as your lungs drew in large quantities of air. It actually felt good, downright euphoric, to let loose like that, you couldn't remember the last time you did something so reckless. You were an assassin, your whole thing was stealth. To straight up engage in a massive brawl like this was a whole new world for you. It would be a lie to say that a small part of you didn’t like it.

Once your bearings were back, you turned to Johnny, watching your mission partner as he too was catching his breath. A small, triumphant smile grew on your lips as the reality that his plan actually worked set in. There was now nothing standing in the way between you and the gemstone. You couldn't believe how resourceful he had turned out to be on this mission.

Though exhausted, he made no effort to stop a wolfish smile bloom when the two of you locked eyes. His eyes ran themselves over your messy form once more, his teeth sinking down into his lower lip as his focus zeroed in on certain areas of your body.

"You know, princess, there's just something about watching a beautiful woman kick ass that makes me really-"

"Save it." You bluntly cut him off. Despite the high that you were feeling, Johnny's relentless flirting was still something that you couldn’t stand. You gave him a look as you put away your bō staff and tried your best to smooth down your now wild hair. The back of your fingers brushed the loose, wet strands out of your face as you made your way over to the machine.

Johnny just let out a small laugh in response before he walked over to you, snickering at your dismissal as he took his place just a few feet behind you. He took a minute to look around him, around at all the bodies and weapons strewn across the floor. The adrenaline from the battle had more or less dissipated now, allowing him to think clearly about the next step of the mission, now that everything was more or less complete.

"So, what next?"

"We go back to Sun Do and tell Liu Kang about all that we found. About this machine, the gemstone, Shao's men and the pyramid." You were telling Johnny as you crouched down, attempting to pry the gemstone out from the machine. "Geras is outside, waiting for us. Our mission is complete, all that's left is to turn off this contraption and pocket this stone for Liu Kang."

Removing it with a grunt, you stumbled back a little as the whole machine loudly powered down. The green glow of the soul magic ceased glowing, the machine finally going dark after Gods know how long it was active.

"Sounds good to me." He nodded at you, a confirmation of his understanding.

Using the map of the pyramid, the two of you started your journey out of the structure. Finally, the mission was over, you both could now leave this Godawful place and return home to safety. A small smile could be found on your blood stained face as you walked out of the chamber, map and gemstone in hand.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

The knowledge that Shao's men weren't indeed trained soldiers, instead just glorified barbarians, made it so that sneaking around wasn't necessary for you and Johnny. No, your fear caution of them vanished after that big fight was over. Johnny was right, these barbarians were only scary in appearance. They were nothing more than large pushovers. As such, the two of you freely walked through the pyramid, not bothering to sneak through any secret passageways or hidden tunnels to avoid guard patrols. Any of Shao's men that crossed your paths were swiftly and effortlessly dealt with.

When you both finally exited the pyramid, you were shocked to find that it was evening already. Your hands flew to shield your eyes as they adjusted to the new opacity, the sudden light change nearly blinding you. 

The heat of the desert day has given way to a cooler, more tranquil atmosphere, a nice breeze came with the new setting. The vast expanse of sand, stretching endlessly in every direction took on a soft, golden hue as the sun dipped below the horizon. Above, the sky had a gorgeous amber and topaz hue to it, the light was such a welcome change from the dusty darkness of the pyramid.

Have you really been in that pyramid for so long?

The walk back to the carriage was a relieving one. It felt amazing to finally be back in the world, and not in some dusty, decrepit temple where you couldn't see two feet in front of you. You savoured the cool, fresh air that was now gracing your skin. The sight of anything but old sandstone bricks wasn’t half bad, too.

Throughout the whole walk, Johnny was being his typical self and talking at you rather than to you. To be honest, you couldn't blame him, the man was finally on his way back to civilisation and his beloved materialistic possessions, he was basically on cloud nine right now.

Yes, he was just wrapping up a story of how he met Nicki Minaj for the first time at some event as you both neared the carriage.

“…And when I asked her for an autograph, she said-" The conclusion of his recollection was cut off when he laid his eyes on Geras’ carriage. His face lit up as he saw that he was finally here; finally ready to go home.

"There it is! Ohhh, I can't wait have a nice, hot shower when I get back..." Johnny was absolutely on a high, he was so happy to be out of the temple and even more happy to have gotten so much time to spend with your lovely self. You actually weren’t that bad, who knew?

You were walking along, your arms crossed to your chest as you were distantly listening to Johnny ramble on and on about his celebrity encounters. Your spirits were raised when the carriage came into view. Your eyes brightened a little, that small smile from before made a return.

You both approached Geras whilst he was attending to the horses that pulled the carriage. The construct took his eyes off of the steeds to find that you and Johnny were finally back, looking a lot more worse for wear than when you both first entered the pyramid.

"Jade. Johnny. Welcome back. It is good to see the two of you. I trust that the mission was a success?” If he was shocked by your messy appearances, Geras didn't let it show. The only visible reaction he had was a simple smile as he greeted you both.

"Hello, Geras." You politely greet him back with another smile, pleased to see him too. “The mission was a success."

You take out the gemstone from behind your back in order to present it to your driver, extending your arm out so he could get a better view of the artefact.

"We came across a machine, the source of the disturbance. This gemstone was powering it and-"

“After we kicked some major ass, that is. We were outnumbered but it was no problem for the two of us." Johnny cut you off before you could finish your sentence. He shot a wink your way as you gave him a small snarl.

"...Right, yes. The pyramid was crawling with General Shao's soldiers. They were both operating and guarding this machine. We don't know why, but I'm sure if we keep investigating around Outworld, we'll find answers."

Johnny just snickered in response to your adverse reaction, relishing in how easily he was able to get under your skin. That cute snarl of yours made him want to keep taunting and teasing you until you snap.

Meanwhile, Geras' eyes fell to the gemstone in your hand, a neutral expression on his face as he scanned the item intently.

"Liu Kang will be very interested to see this... and learn of your findings."

With his analysis complete, he then walked over to the carriage door, opening it and gesturing for you both to get in.

Johnny didn’t need to be told twice. As soon as he saw that door opening, he rushed to the carriage, clambering his way inside and making the whole vehicle shake wildly in the process. He was in such a hurry that he didn't even remember to dramatically help you inside, like you were some sort of Hollywood starlet. Wow, he REALLY wanted to get back home.

You, however, were a lot more hesitant. You were aware of how dirty your uniform was, you didn’t wish to muck up that lovely carriage.

"A-are you sure it's alright for us to go inside like this? We're so unclean and I-"

After watching Johnny clamber into the carriage like a feral child, Geras turned his attention to you. A kind smile was on his face, a strange affection was present in his stoic eyes.

"Of course it is, Jade. I will clean the carriage once the two of you are out. It's quite alright, I assure you."

Johnny's muffled voice could be heard from inside the carriage, calling out to you through the wooden walls.

"C'mon, Jade, get in here!"

You swallow the lump in your throat and make your way forward, into the vehicle - at a less reckless place than your partner. Despite the cold-blooded assassin that you were, you were actually somewhat of a neat freak. You hated the idea of staining such a lovely carriage with your filthy uniform.

The door closed with a loud thud. Once the two of you were inside, Geras closed the door. He made his way to the front of the carriage, sitting down and lacing the horse’s reigns through his fingers.

"When the two of you are ready, we shall depart for Sun Do." He informed you both, his voice muffled through the wooden walls of the carriage.

Realising that it was just you and him now for the entire ride back, Johnny's earlier thoughts about you started to fill his mind once again. He looked over at you, taking in just how dirty and bloody you were… and yet, you still looked unbelievably attractive.

A smirk spread across his face as an idea seemed to hit him, there was a little game he wanted to play with you on the long ride back.

"You know, princess, when we were kicking ass back in the pyramid, you looked so-"

"Geras! We're ready to leave!” You cut him off by loudly shouting to your designated driver, rapping your knuckles against the carriage wall as you look Johnny dead in the eyes.

His smirk faded into a thin line in response, annoyed that you’d already shut him down before he even got started. He just didn't get it, why did you always have to do this every time he tried to flirt with her? Was he just that insufferable?

Johnny huffed and crossed his arms, leaning back in his seat as he watched you. He had a few choice words, but he chose to keep his comments to himself.

For now.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

By now, you all were around half an hour into the ride. The trundle of the carriage, in the background, as well as the view of the setting sun, was serene to look at and listen to.

You were gazing out of the carriage window, savouring how nice it was to finally kick back and relax. You had your feet propped up on the seat across, right beside Johnny's hip. Speaking of - he was on his phone, scrolling through his social media after being offline for so long. Somehow, that device still had battery life, something that Johnny was all too happy to take advantage of.

He would look up at you every couple of minutes, not able to resist the way the sunlight made your bronze skin glow. He was also hyperaware of her feet right beside his hip, he had to fight the urge to grab them and plant them on his lap. His hand would tighten its grip on his phone as he kept looking at you. His eyes travelled all over, from your long legs to the breastplate of your uniform. From your gorgeous face to how your hair was slightly messy from the fight back at the pyramid. He just couldn't look away no matter how much he tried. If he kept staring at you like this, he'd lose his mind. You didn't notice his staring, though. You were too focused on the outside world. It was so nice to finally be out of that pyramid, and on the way back to Sun Do.

A long shower awaited you, as well as a proper meal and a clean bed.

"You know…” The sound of his voice cut through the comfortable silence, all low and smooth. “…we could always pass this time in other ways."

"By the Gods..." You mumbled with a sigh, a little annoyed that your peace was interrupted by this man and his insatiable lust.

Johnny chuckled a little at your reaction, once again amused by how easily he was able to get under your beautiful skin. You always tried to act so calm and collected... and yet, he seemed to be able to rile you up so easily, without fail.

"Oh, c'mon princess. I'm just saying, we're all alone here, stuck in this carriage together..." He set his phone down beside him and leaned back in his seat, his arms casually behind his head as his eyes scanned your body once more.

"We aren’t alone. Geras is right outside." You took your attention away from the window and towards Johnny across from you. The fact that his wet, messy hair and blood covered uniform was somehow weirdly attractive made you a little less mad than you should be.

"Oh, whatever. Geras is too busy right now. The dude's probably more interested in keeping those horses at a good pace, anyway. You really think he's paying any attention to us?"

Johnny's relentless flirting got a scoff out of you. "Save that attitude for Kitana, I'm sure it'll be more effective." You teased, leaning back a little and crossing your arms to your chest. 

He rolled his eyes and let out a scoff of his own. "Kitana's not here, you're here. I'm stuck in a carriage with you, darlin’, and I'm bored. The least you can do is keep me company."

You watched him in amusement. He was so annoying, and you did dislike him, but there was just something about him that was just... funny to you.

"Your little tricks won't work on me."

"They won't, huh? How can you be so sure?" Johnny's smirk widened at your response. Oh, what a little challenge you were. He liked it. He loved it, actually. He was all the more determined to test your patience.

"Because I know what men like you are like." You looked him up and down a little before carrying on. "You'd flirt with a rock if it told you it was interested."

He leaned back a little in his seat, his arms still behind his head as he looked you up and down. Gods, she looked incredibly hot in this getup... He really was having a hard time controlling his urges right now.

Johnny laughed heartily at your words as he leaned back a little in his seat, his arms still behind his head as he looked you up and down. A large smile made its way onto his face at your assumption. Did you really think he was that pathetic?

"No no no, princess, you've got it all wrong. I'm a man of high standards, I’ll have you know..."

You scoffed as he went on, looking away for a moment in disbelief. He can’t be serious.

"I'm serious, sweetheart. I've got a very specific type of woman that I like. And I'm pretty sure you fit that type perfectly..." He was smirking, his eyes still fixed on you.

This, admittedly, got a little snicker out of you. You really couldn't help it. He was just so amusing to you, like some sort court jester. The way he would have that little smirk on his face after every joke just added to it. It was familiar, in a way. Yes, his demeanour actually reminded you of someone.

Your brother, Hiroshi.

The realisation that Johnny was actually kind of similar to your brother made you let go of the smile that you didn't realise you were wearing. The muscles in your face relaxed, you took your eyes off of Johnny and looked down. Your mood changed from one of amusement to one of remorse. A slight frown appeared on your lips, your eyes started to gloss over with melancholy.

Thinking of your brother opened up a whole load of painful memories for you.

Memories that were now running through her mind.

The flashy smirk on Johnny’s face faded into a thin line as he noticed the sudden shift in your expression. It was weird, one moment you were quietly laughing at his silly flirting - and the next, you looked like someone had died. Johnny’s eyes widened slightly, you staring at the floor with a look of pain on your face made him a little concerned, if he was honest.

“…You alright?” He reached out and placed a gentle hand on your knee, just to get your attention.

You didn’t react to his touch, you were lost in your painful memories by this point. You slumped down in your seat a little, your eyes started to well up slightly with tears.

Silence was thick in the air for a bit. All that could be heard was the trundle of the carriage along the ground, paired with some occasional animal noises outside. You just sat there, reminiscing about past memories whilst Johnny didn’t really know what to do but keep his hand on your knee and hope that you’d tell him what was bothering you. He really had no sense of how to deal with something like this, being around tears and a sad person was definitely not his area of expertise. A part of him wanted to say something, anything, but another part of him didn’t. He had no idea if he’d make it worse.

After a moment, you noticed how Johnny’s hand was on your knee. You looked up and saw his concerned, genuine expression. That stupid smirk was nowhere to be found. 

You blink away your forming tears and take a deep breath in. There was something about Johnny’s concerned facial expression that resonated with you. His brown eyes were shining with worry, concern. You never thought you’d see such a sight.

“Um, yes, it’s just… my brother.” You sniffled before carrying on. “…He’s on my mind.”

Johnny’s eyes widened slightly at your words. That’d definitely explain it… but he was more surprised that you’d even bother to tell him about your troubles.

“Your…brother?”

He moved his hand from your knee and sat up a little, curious about this newfound information. Johnny realised in that moment that he knew almost nothing about you, save for the time in the pyramid where you briefly mentioned that your brother is a fan of his.

"Yeah, uh..." You also sat up a little, wiping your eyes clear with your fingers. "...I never told you all there was to him." 

Seeing Johnny's genuine concern made you actually want to open up to him a little. There was more to him that met your eye. Maybe, just maybe, he could understand your struggles.

“No, you didn’t…” Johnny was truly surprised. He had caught you in a moment of emotional weakness, you were behaving so unlike the woman he knew. Of course, he didn't really know you, and he was just now realising that there were so much more layers to you as a person. A part of him found it slightly endearing getting a more personal look at you, the feeling only increased when he realised that you were seemingly opening up to him, of all people. He was the last person he assumed she would ever open up to.

“…Do you want to tell me now?” 

You take a deep breath in, clearing some of your mental fog as you prepare yourself to speak next. You couldn’t believe that you were really about to open up to Johnny Cage of all people, to tell him of your troubles. Emotions are a crazy thing, aren't they?

"My parents are dead." You bluntly state, looking him dead in the eyes as you did so. If you were going to do this, you might as well be quick with it and cut to the chase. "They passed when I was a teenager."

“They-…damn. I’m… sorry, princess…” Johnny didn’t know what to say, eyes widening at your confession. He’d expected something a little more lighthearted, but he knew that was a stupid assumption.

"Ever since, my younger brother - Hiroshi - has been the only family I've had." You carry on, finding it surprisingly not as hard to tell Johnny about your emotional baggage. You’d been carrying all of this for years, the weight damn near crushing. It actually felt really good, so freeing, to release the stress like this.

"I cared for him above all else. I looked out for him, I raised him. I wasn't just his elder sister, I was his guardian. I provided for him throughout the years, he was all I had left." You carry on, the memories of your brother making you tear up once again. You blink away the forming tears, though. If there's something you weren’t going to do, it was cry in front of Johnny.

Speaking of, he was leaning back in his seat, listening intently to your words. Images of you caring for and practically raising your brother from a young age flashed through his mind. He could hear the love in your voice just by the way you spoke of Hiroshi. The way you described him being all you had made his heart quiver. Part of him really wanted to get up and give you some sort of comforting touch, but he refrained out of fear of another negative reaction.

"Gods above, I even killed for him..." You raise your hand to your face, your palm covering your now quivering lip. Opening up like this really hurt, it was like tearing open old wounds. This is why you constantly bottle up your feelings.

That revelation stunned him slightly. Johnny actually respected that, in a way. He’d give anything to have someone that dedicated to him. He could sense her pain, in the way her voice faltered as she spoke and how her face strained to maintain its stoic expression. He actually felt that.

"He was everything to me, my reason for waking up every morning. I worked so hard to raise him, to keep a roof over our heads. I was sacrificing my life for him, so that I could give him the childhood that was torn away from me.”

You pause for a moment, pinching the bridge of your nose to stop any tears from slipping past the seams of your eyes. Your heart stung and your breaths were shaky as you desperately clung to the last of your composure.

"...And then, despite everything that I did, something happened between us." You kept what went down between you and Hiroshi purposely vague, both because you weren’t comfortable really opening up to Johnny like that and because you truly despise thinking about that fateful day that tore you both apart.

"We got into an argument, a bad one. That was the last I saw of him. We never spoke again afterwards, he… ran away somewhere. It's been years, I've been alone since.” Your hand wiped away the tear that was now rolling down your cheek. Talking about this was so hard, but it really did feel a little better now that you had got some of your burdens off of your chest.

Johnny kept a steady look at his face as you spoke, paying close attention to you and you only. Part of him still wanted to reach out and place a hand on your shoulder, but he wasn’t sure if that would upset you further. So, he opted to sit there and listen to you pour your heart out.

“…I’m sorry that this happened to you.” His voice was very soft as he spoke, completely clear and serious.

You were now looking at him instead of the carriage floor. The fact that he hadn't made some dumb joke by now actually surprised you a little. He was really, wholeheartedly listening to you. You honestly never knew he had this side to him.

"...When we were in the pyramid, and I told you that Hiroshi is a fan of yours, all the memories came flooding back. That's why I switched like that. The reason why I pretended that it was nothing afterwards is because I didn't want to relive all of those painful memories."

You exhaled, letting go of the breath that you didn't realise you were holding in. There it was, you had fully laid out your bearings for him. It was painful to talk about, but it felt liberating. None of the other boys knew this much about your past - nobody did, really.

Johnny's expression softened. This conversation was revealing a lot about you, details that he never knew before. He understood your reasoning completely. His past was actually similarly as heavy as yours, and you were about to find that out right now.

“I don't talk to my brother too."

This caught you off guard a little, the remorseful expression you wore now had a twist of shock added to it. You never knew he had a brother? Was this even public knowledge? The answer was no. Johnny had his own skeletons in his closet, too.

"You have a brother?"

Johnny chuckled slightly at your reaction. It was an expression he knew all too well. His public image was very much the one of a single, free man. This was purposeful, he wanted to create a certain image that would give him success and fame. His family was just never something he publicly spoke about.

"No one knows, honestly. Save for a few of my close friends. My past isn't all glitz and glamour, princess. I've got my own fair share of baggage, too."

Now, you were a mix of remorseful, shocked and intrigued. The fact that Johnny Cage of all people could relate to your family struggles was baffling, near incomprehensible to you. Truly, there was more to him that met the eye.

"...You said that you and him don't speak?" Now you were the one being careful with your words. You were looking at him with sympathy, watching how his expression morphed from one of concern to one of repentance.

Johnny gave a quiet sigh, leaning against the wall of the wagon in a defeated manner. There was no joke or smirk to be seen on his face, only a somber expression as he met your gaze. Memories of his past started to return. Bad recollections of his childhood flashed through his mind, much to his dismay.

"No... our relationship is pretty much shattered, honestly. It was never really good to begin with. We haven't seen each other in years."

Wow, this was sad to hear. You never knew any of this. Your sympathetic expression only deepened as he went on.

Johnny took another moment to let his thoughts run through his head. This was something he rarely talked about with anyone. But, he felt compelled to share his past with you. You had opened up to him, it was only fair that he opened up to you in return.

"We've always hated each other. We've never really gotten along or seen eye-to-eye since our younger years. He blamed me for a bunch of stuff when we were younger. It wasn't ever pretty."

He took a deep breath in before continuing. No one, apart from his therapist, knew the full extent of his upbringing. He tried so hard to avoid his past, but the memories still lingered.

"My dad was a piece of shit, too. He would hit me, slap me around and shit like that..."

"I'm sorry that you experienced such a thing.” You were genuine. It was saddening to hear that Johnny grew up being abused. From how confident he always was, you never would've guessed that he was hiding all of this. You couldn't relate, but you could still empathise.

Through his hurt, Johnny could see your compassionate expression. The look of sympathy your eyes were giving him was something that he wasn’t used to. It would be a lie to say that it was unwelcome, though. He found it oddly refreshing to have someone look at him like that. It was nice, heartwarming.

"It's okay, it's in the past now." He gave a light sigh and leaned his head against the carriage wall. Though he wore a small smile, his eyes shone with pain as he looked up at you.

Your heart ached. It was always horrible to hear that someone grew up being abused, no matter who it was. You empathetically looked over at Johnny as he slumped down in his seat a little.

"I was never good or tough enough for my old man.” He gave a humourless scoff as he continued, looking down at his lap and fidgeting with his fingers. “He would compare me to my brother a lot. He would go on about how I wasn't ‘a real man’ like them and stuff..."

Johnny's breath caught in his throat slightly, he was fighting back tears by this point. “And… um… my mom died too."

This only served to shock you further. A small gasp came from you when he revealed this very unexpected, very tragic information. You would never of guessed that he was living with all of this pain.

“I’m very sorry to hear that, Johnny."

He gave a shaky sigh at that, his whole body tensing for a moment there. It hurt to talk about this stuff, his vision was slightly blurry and his eyes were burning with tears threatening to fall. But, for the first time in a long time, he wanted to open up to someone about it. A part of him wanted to be vulnerable and let you see who he really was.

"She... she, uh...got cancer when I was pretty young. It was real hard, honestly. Watching her struggle like that."

Hearing that Johnny's mother passed away from such a horror had your heart twitch in despair. Without thinking, you leaned forward and gently placed your hand on his knee, as a way of consoling him. Your light touch startled him a little, but it also gave him the strength he didn’t know he needed in the moment.

"And ever since then, your father has raised you?"

He nodded, a shaky exhale escaping his lips. He found it hard to be so raw, but he felt compelled to continue opening up to you, to show you the real him and not the persona he put on for the public.

"Yeah... he raised my siblings and I by himself after she passed… it wasn't great."

"Siblings?" Yet another piece of Johnny's lore that took you by surprise. He had more family?

He nodded again, his eyes prying themselves off of the floor and back onto you. There was something about your comfort that was so soothing for him, your palm on his knee had his stomach doing flips in the best way possible.

"I, uh… yeah. I have a younger sister."

"Do you at least get along with her?" You were silently hoping for a positive answer as your hand withdrew from his knee. You were hoping that he didn’t share the same burden of being a lone person in this world.

Another humourless scoff escaping him as he thought about your question. Johnny and his sister were actually close, but they grew farther and farther apart as they got older, even more so when he started to become famous and grow as an actor.

His sister was the favourite of their father. She received the princess treatment from the man, leaving Johnny alone on the back burner. It hurt to think of it like that. A part of him resented his sister for getting all their father’s praise and love whilst he got none.

"Yeah, we were close when we were younger. My favourite sibling, I always called her."

Hearing this drew a small smile out of you, raising the somber mood of the carriage a little. A tiny smile appeared on your melancholy face. Finally, something to his childhood that wasn't totally depressing.

"Is that so?"

The sight of your brightening face had Johnny feel… something. A weird type of happiness, it was nice to hear your voice sound less somber. A small smile of his own appeared on his face, one to match yours.

"Yeah, it is. I was very protective of her, actually."

Your smile turned into a laugh at his words, the sweet sound music to his ears.

"I was the same with Hiroshi." You smiled, leaning back against the carriage wall. "Your sister, what's her name?"

"Rebecca... that's her name." He flashed you a bright smile. Some of that Cage charm shined through his demeanour, like the sun after a storm.

"That's a lovely name." You said brightly, finally letting up your melancholy mood.

Johnny chuckled, this time his laughter was real and authentic. It was weird to be talking to you of all people like this, letting you see more of his past than just the facade that he showed the rest of the world. Today was just full of surprises.

"She always called me Johnny, she couldn't say my full name properly for the longest. That's one of the reasons why I chose Johnny Cage as my stage name." 

You were actually enjoying hearing Johnny open up like this. The two of you were actually bonding about your shared experiences. This was something none of them ever foresaw happening.

"When Hiroshi was young, and he was just starting to speak..." You started, smiling as you reminisced about positive memories for once. "...he couldn't pronounce the 'D' in my name, so he just called me Jay."

"Oh? 'Jay’, huh? Cute." Another bright smile graced his features, his own depression letting up too.

You laughed at this, your sorrow now long gone. “Gods above, it was so tasteless. I think he was around eight when he finally started to call me Jade...?"

“Eight? Geez, did he do it on purpose or something?"

"Oh no, he definitely did. He did it just to get on my nerves." You looked down to your hands, fiddling with your fingers a bit whilst snickering at the memories of your beloved brother. "So dumb..."

Johnny chuckled at that. “Yeah, siblings are dumb. No matter what you do or say, they're always gonna be a pain in the ass, right?"

You take your attention off of your hands and back towards Johnny. This man talking about people being a pain in the ass was just so ironic, you couldn't help but stifle a laugh.

"The fact that that's coming from you of all people is hilarious."

Johnny feigned surprise, holding a hand against his chest in mock offence at your words. Yet, there was still a cocky smile shining through as he pretended to be insulted.

"Me? Pain in the ass? I'll have you know I'm a delight to be around, sweetheart."

"Ha! Yeah, right!” You laughed again, not believing any of his words for a second. His dumb arrogance was actually starting to grow on you, in a weird way.

The two of you sat in silence for a few moments, processing all that had been told. It felt good, both for you and Johnny to get some of this weight off of your psyches. The fact that you both could somewhat relate to each other in this manner was a pleasant surprise. Who knew that you and Johnny Cage were actually kind of similar in this way? Whatever minuscule respect you both had for each other had now subsequently increased, it wouldn’t be incorrect to say that you two disliked each other a little less.

After a few minutes, you broke the silence. Your arms folded to your chest, your voice had your usual snark to it as you spoke up.

“I hope you know that just because we opened up to each other like this, it doesn't mean that I'll start falling for you."

A scoff came from Johnny at that. He knew you weren’t going to jump into his lap because of everything he had told you. He just couldn't help himself, though. He needed to try and get under your skin a bit more, to make your beautiful face screw up in irritation like it always did.

"Aw, damn... And here I was hoping you were gonna throw your arms around my neck and confess your undying love for me."

“Ha! Not a chance in all the realms, Cage."

Johnny laughed, leaning back against his seat and placing his hands on his thighs with a cocky smirk still on his face. This kind of banter wasn't anything new, but now that you both knew a bit more about one another, something about it felt different now than it did before.

"Not even for my good looks? Come on, don't pretend like you don't wanna just grab me and have some fun, babe.”

You slowly shake your head at this man and his ridiculousness. Even though you now got to see a more vulnerable and raw side of Johnny, changing your view of him for the better, you still think of him as an annoying prick. Oh well, some things can never change.

A/N: once again, thank you for reading!! this was the biggest one yet, i wanted to get this pyramid arc over and done with. another thank you to @criminalmutantsins for heavily inspiring my view of johnny’s childhood. the next chapters will be shorter, i promise. 

when i tell y’all I can’t wait for you to read chapter 4- 🤭

[sunlightmurdock]

that dilfy picture of bradley and the reblogs awoke something in me and that something is older mechanic bradley

imagine you're having car troubles so you go to his shop and then he teaches you everything about your "car" 🌚

nononono bc imagine he’s just some guy you see every now and again at your local bar who’s always flirty with you but you’re never really brave enough to take him home, and one day you’re having bad car troubles so you take it into the garage… and who do you find there?

A dirtier, more grease-covered version of the handsome guy always offering to buy your drinks for you, with his overalls tied around his waist and his shoulders stretching out the formerly white t-shirt he’s wearing, with a big ol’ smile on his face

And he just knows that a pretty thing like you is going to get charged a premium in a place like this, so he takes care of it himself, out of hours. You’re his little assistant too, holding the flashlight over the engine as he inspects it disapprovingly.

“The hell have you been doin’ to this poor thing? — Drag racing?” His scoffs, shooting a lock across at you and catching you checking him out. He just smiles and goes back to his work.

And of course, he fixes it for dirt cheap. Then, afterwards, he asks for your number. Y’know, to keep up with… regular maintenance. So, with the shop being long empty by now, there’s no harm in you sinking to your knees to offer him a little tip for his services.

[pleadformynumber]

Your ruler, Vincent Roux

Ability: Follow the light

With his multipurpose pen or any flashlight (light source). he can hypnotize people by the mere look at it.They won't notice that they're hypnotized. The victim will feel calm.

Age: 38

Birthday: November 1st

Height: 5'5

Likes: ASMR, Pepsi, his work, soft silks

Dislikes: Liars, rebels, ramen.

RULES

-> No NSFW ask (flirty ones are fine though)

-> In character I use "quotation marks"

-> Out of character I don't use quotation marks or I use ooc:

-> This is a bsd account

-> Same owner as @paintedgrilledcheese

[gvfgal]

Barbarian. Biker!Jake

Prologue: Once A Barbarian, Always A Barbarian.

STRICTLY 18+, minors beat it

A/n: Welcome! I’m excited about this one, and I hope you guys are too. First chapter will be out in the next few days, this is just to get a good introduction to what you’re getting yourself into. Fair warning, there are a lot of dark themes to this story (we’re talking biker gangs). It’s a little raunchy, a little raw, but overall, I think we’ll all enjoy. As usual, I’ll place content warnings at the beginning of each chapter, and if you’d like to be added to the taglist, let me know <3 Without further ado…

Content Warnings: Death of a family member, explicit language, sexual themes, alcohol consumption, smoking, violence, blood, asshole Jake (gotta love him though). Reader is not included in this part of the story!!!

Word Count: 2.9k

The sweltering Arizona sun caused beads of sweat to roll down Jake’s temple as he inspected beneath the hood of an old Corolla. The woman who brought it in was complaining of an odd noise, and insisted that Jake be the one to inspect it. He wasn’t surprised by this, the same woman had been in several times over the course of the last few months, each time wearing less and less.

It could’ve very well been due to the rapidly approaching summer, but Jake suspected it had to do with something else.

He could feel her watching him intently as he moved his flashlight around, but decided to pay her no mind. Sure, she was a conventially attractive woman, but cougars weren’t exactly his type.

“So what’s the diagnosis, doc?” she asked, tone sultry as she leaned against the side of her slightly rusted car. Jake retreated from under the hood, shoving the small flashlight into his jeans pocket and using his forearm to wip the sweat from his brow.

Her eyes were raking over him shamelessly, a hungry look in her eyes as she admired the way his muscle shirt clung to his torso. Jake’s own eyes fell to her overly exposed chest, on display and practically spilling over the thin spaghetti strapped tank top she was wearing. When he realized the staring could probably continue for a lot longer, he shifted his gaze towards the waiting car, jerking his head in it’s direction.

“Your suspension components are fried. When’s the last time you had those things replaced?”

“God, I don’t know,” she sighed, “my husband was usually the one who kept up with that,” a flirty smirk played on her lips as she took a step closer to Jake, “we’re divorced now.”

He watched with little intrigue as her tongue appeared to swipe across her bottom lip that was coated in fuchsia lipstick.

“Good to know.” He began searching his pockets for a lighter while retrieving the cigarette that was tucked behind his ear.

“What does somethin’ like that cost anyway?” she feigned exasperation. Internally rolling his eyes, Jake brought the cigarette to his mouth and flicked the lighter to life. He knew well where this conversation was going, and out of sheer boredom, he decided to entertain it. He figured the best that could come from it was a quick blowjob in the back office on his lunch break.

Once his cigarette was burning steadily, he tucked his lighter away and dropped the hood of the car shut to lean against it. “Well,” a cloud of smoke appeared over his head as he freed his mouth to speak, “for the parts, we’re looking at about eight fifty. Including labor, about twelve hundred.”

She didn’t appear to be phased by the large total as she moved to step into Jake’s space, trapping him between her arms with a hand on either side of him against the warm hood of the car. “Any special discounts?”

Jake smirked at her as he brought his cigarette to hover in front of his mouth, “I think I can come up with something.”

Before she had a chance to reply, Jake’s boss came barreling out the back door, not angry by any means, just simply by his nature. “Jake,” his voice boomed, “there’s someone out front for you.”

The woman’s eyes stayed fixed on Jake’s face as he turned to look at his boss, sending him a quick nod, “be right there, Hank.”

He took a moment to assess the unique position that Jake was in before shaking his head and dissapearing back inside.

Jake was wearing a smile as he retuned his attention to the overly eager woman, “what did you say your name was again, sweetheart?”

“Candice,” floated past her lips as if it felt good to say.

“Well, Candice,” he pointed over to where one of his coworkers was unloading boxes from a delivery truck, “go talk to my man Drew over there. He’ll get you all taken care of.”

He tapped her bare thigh, and she immediately stepped aside, slightly dumbfounded at how quickly he’d changed his mind. Little did she know, he was hardly interested to begin with.

“Wait, but-”

He was entering the shop before she had a chance to continue, nodding his head at some of the men inside as he continued to smoke. The AC was a nice break before he was once again thrusted outside, squinting his eyes to see who his mystery visitor was.

At first, he didn’t recognize the man. But when he glanced over at what he assumed to be his motorcycle , the metal plate plastered on the front was unmistakable. Two heavy axes crossed at the handle, written underneath it in old English font, ‘Barbarians’. As Jake drew closer, the man’s smiling face became more familiar, and his heartbeat grew quicker in excitement and confusion.

“Ace?” he put his cigarette out on the hood of one of the scrap cars and tucked it back behind his ear as he picked up his pace. He didn’t wait for a response, throwing his arms around the man’s large frame. Ace immediately returned the gesture, grabbing Jake up like the son he’d always been to him.

“It’s good to see you kid,” Ace chuckled as he patted him roughly on the back.

It had been almost ten years since the two had last seen each other, Ace’s face being one of the last Jake saw as he drove his Harley out of Nevada, swearing he’d never return.

“What are you doing here? Ho-how’d you find me?” he stepped back to look at Ace again, noting the way his age had begun to show on his face.

“Wasn’t easy. Tried tracking you down myself, but ended up having to call your mom in the end,” he scoffed, “she hasn’t changed much.”

The shared a quick laugh before Ace went serious, looking down at the gravel beneath his feet, “it’s uh, it’s your dad, Jake.”

Jake was silent and unwavering, his facial features not giving away the intense anxiety that began coursing through his veins. When he didn’t answer, Ace looked back at him in disappointment, “he passed away back on Friday.”

Anyone in their right mind would’ve broken down at the news, drowned in a pool of their own tears, but Jake could do no such thing, not after the hell his father put him through for eighteen years. All he could do was blink as the stark reality set in.

“How?” he finally managed to produce as he looked into Ace’s sorrowful eyes. Ace and his father had been friends years before Jake came along, and through the brotherhood of the Barbarians, their relationship only grew stronger. Jake knew he must’ve been taking it hard, but was doing his best not to show it.

“Acute liver failure. By the time the ambulance got there, it was too late.”

“Oh,” Jake nodded. A moment of silence stretched on between them as Ace appeared reminiscent.

“He said something to me, Jake, before he… went.” Jake waited for him to continue, “he asked me to bring you back. Back to Genoa, so you could be a part of the Barbarians again. The right way.”

How he hadn’t seen that coming, he had no idea. And the fact that he hadn’t, only served to make him angrier when it was spoken aloud.

He scoffed bitterly, “not a fucking chance.”

“Jake, wait,” Ace called out as Jake turned to storm back inside, “wait!”

“Wait for fucking what, Ace?” Jake spat as he stopped to face him again. “You know more than anyone else what that motherfucker put me through. He cared more about the Barbarians than he did his own son!” The two were standing chest to chest now, Jake not feeling the least bit uneasy at Ace’s menacing frame. He knew he’d never lay a hand on him and vice versa. This was all a display of male testosterone at it’s finest.

“You know growing up, all I ever heard was how much he wanted me to take over the gang. And I told him that as long as he was alive…” his words trailed off as reality once again struck him. His entire body deflated, backing down from Ace as he casted his eyes away.

Ace gave him a moment to process before he opened his mouth again, “exactly. Things have changed. And you’re right, I do know better than anyone what you’ve been through, but I also know how much the Barbarians used to mean to you, too.”

Jake looked back at him, his face still contorted in anger.

“And when you left, I let you. I knew it was for the best and for ten years I let you be. But regardless of that, you’re still one of us, Jake. You were born to be a Barbarian, it’s in your blood. And now that he’s gone, it’s time for you to take your place.”

Jake’s refusal to respond caused Ace to slap a rough hand on his shoulder, calling his attention back to him.

“I’m not asking you to take things over,” he spoke up again, more empathetically this time, “just to fill an empty space. The guys, they’re… kinda lost. Rex’s hard work is what kept us afloat all these years. And without him…” he trailed off, leaving Jake to fill in the blank on his own.

Jake shook his head. If his dad was half as good of a parent as he was a gang leader, maybe his feelings would be different. But as of right now, he remained sturdy in his rage.

“Just think about it, Jake,” Ace sighed, giving up the battle. “His service is this Friday, we’d like for you to come speak.”

When he as aware that Jake no longer had anything to say, he sent him another pat on the shoulder, something he had been doing since Jake was little.

“It was good seeing you again, kid.” Ace gave him one last look before mounting his bike. He cranked it to life and tugged his helmet on before pulling out of the dirt driveway. Jake watched as he rode off into the distance, the larger Barbarins emblem planted on the back of his leather jacket becoming smaller and smaller the further he traveled. When he was gone, Jake turned to go back to work, his once chipper mood now soured.

The rest of his day dragged on slowly, his mind still processing the fact that his father was really dead. They hadn’t spoken in years, and the fact that they never would again was a concept that was hard to grasp. Something deep down inside of him hoped that they’d be able to make amends, that they’d work through all their differences and become a proper father son duo. That part of him mourned the loss. But another part of him was relived. With the all too real possibility that things could never be fixed, he felt like his death was saving him from disappointment.

But that was only part of the dilemma.

Going back to Nevada, to the shit hole called Genoa, to be a Barbarian again, that was a different story. Ace was right, the Barbarians did mean a lot to Jake, but that was before he left. The longer he stayed away, the more he saw it for what it really was. Growing up, Jake had a first hand look into what being a Barbarian brought. Sure, it brought brotherhood that was stronger than blood, something most men never experienced in their lifetime. But it also brought about the type of turmoil that every man hoped they’d never have to face.

The specter of morality forever loomed, a constant companion shadowing every breath. In it’s chilling embrace, one’s innocence withered, like petals scorched by an unforgiving flame. The relentless grip of fate coerced them down a treacherous path, where the weight of sins they never sought haunted their every step, etching deep scars into their souls that would never fade.

And with how deep in his father was, he was surprised he didn’t meet a worse fate.

Jake couldn’t escape the recollection of the the time when he, rather eagerly, invited the shadowy presence into his life. But now, it’s allure had waned, losing it’s once in enticing grip. He yearned for more— more than the transient pleasure veiled in darkness. He hadn’t seen it yet, nor felt it, but he knew it was out there.

By the time he made it home, it was pitch black outside to match his mood. He could’ve burned the house down form the heat he was emitting. Kira was sitting on his couch when he got inside, and for some reason, that angered him even more. They’d only been seeing each other for about two weeks, and the majority of those days were spent drinking, smoking, and fucking. When people asked, Kira said she was Jake’s girlfriend, when the same question was bestowed upon him, his only response was, “something to do.”

Jake pinched the bridge of his nose, “Kira, get out, please.”

She’d hardly noticed his presence at first, too engulfed in whatever was playing on the Tv. But when she heard his tone, and the words that accompanied it, she turned to him.

“What?”

“Get out. I need to be alone.”

“Jake what—”

“Kira, get the fuck out!”

She scrambled to her feet, quickly gathering her belongings into her bag as she shimmied her feet into her shoes. She eyed Jake as she passed him, but the look on his face dared her to not say a word. He heard the door shut behind him, signaling him to untense his body. He shuffled his way into the kitchen and grabbed up a half empty bottle of Johnny Walker and plopped down on the couch, turning the tv off.

There he sat with his thoughts as he drained the bottle sip by sip. Thoughts of his father, the good and the bad. The joys of riding on the back of his bike before he had one to call his own. Joking and laughing together until the sun came up, sometimes wit the entire gang. The nights of arguing so loudly that his voice was hoarse the next morning. The fists thrown in anger. The reconciliation.

He thought about the Barbarians. The community. The family. The funerals, the violence, the heartache. Surely, he could never go back to that. But even still, he had a duty. A duty that that was sealed by the shedding of his blood some eleven years ago.

Jake’s face was bloodied and bruised, having reached the end of his Barbarians initiation. The gang was in an uproar, drunk out of their minds and shouting like a pack of wild men, thrilled for the acceptance of one of their newest and youngest member. The son of their leader, only eighteen years old, but sure to make an impact on the gang in the way that his father had.

Once the men finished the job, Rex emerged from the crowd, his face turned up into a scowl. It was the face of a ruthless gang leader, not the face of a father.

“It is a Barbarians sworn duty to always serve this family. You have a duty to live and die by the Code of the Barbarians,” he barked as Jake struggled to catch his breath. “It is your duty to lay down your life, if need be, for the good of this family. Do you understand?”

“Yes,” Jake choked out as he spit a mouthful of blood onto the dirt.

“I said do you understand, probee?!”

Jake stood taller, summoning his last bit of strength, “yes!”

Rex smirked, “boys, I think he’s ready.”

Two other Barbarians, Steeljaw (a nickname gained after a horrific motorcycle accident that left him with a reconstructed jaw made of steel), and Madcap (an even longer, crazier story), approached Jake from behind, each holding the sleeve of an official Barbarians jacket. Before they could place it on his shoulder, Jake’s dad raised a hand to stop them, looking directly into Jake’s eyes, one swollen almost shut.

“Say it.”

“Once a Barbarian, always a Barbarian.”

“Once a Barbarian, always a Barbarian!” his dad shouted, turning to the other men in the gang.

They repeated the phrase back to him in unison, and began cheering as the men helped Jake into the jacket.

The celebration commenced, and Rex grabbed Jake up into a tight hug. He winced at the pressure on his sore rib, believing that it was more than likely broken.

“I’m proud of you, kid.” His dad muttered into his ear.

Jake hugged him back to the best of his ability. Half way happy that he was finally a part of something his father loved so much, and halfway feeling like he signed his own death certificate.

Now beyond drunk, Jake stumbled his way into his bedroom. He flung the door of the closet open, pushing all of his clothes to the side to reveal that very jacket he’d received that night. It had since collected a thin layer of dust, but the large Barbarian logo plastered on the back seemed unscathed. It was as bright and clear as ever, some kind of sign, Jake was sure.

“Fuck,” he cursed as he yanked the jacket from its hanger, pulling it onto his body like he swore he’d never do again. The feeling of it’s aged leather on his body was familiar yet foreign. Comforting yet menacing.

He turned to face the mirror, taking in the way the jacket still fit him like a glove, like he was made to wear it.

Once a Barbarian, always a Barbarian.

1. Homeward Bound

[emma-is-swaggy-and-epic]

Felt like making an MLP next gen lol (something something, inner child or whatever)

[[Link to the base i used]]

SHIPS AND LORE UNDER THE CUT!!!

Characters from left to right

Daisy bell - fluttershy x tree hugger

....yeah, i know that you were probably expecting a different ship considering neither fluttershy OR tree hugger have curly hair. I gave daisy curly hair because tree hugger's design makes it look like she has wicks or some other black hairstyle and that leads me to believe she may be black. Anyway...daisy's special talent is grooming animals and i imagine she probably smokes weed in her spare time

Hailey - applejack x rainbow dash

In all honesty, i'm not really too invested in shipping in the MLP fandom though considering how it's implied RD and AJ got married in the series finale i decided to keep that with my next gen because i feel it makes sense. I chose the name "hailey" for this character for a multitude of reasons: 1. That's the name i chose for ALL my rainbow dash next gen kids ever since i was twelve, 2. It's a pun on "hail" as in the weather condition and 3. "Hailey" just SOUNDS like it could be a farm girl name. Basically hailey's thing is that she earned her cutie mark after getting bit by a vampire fruit bat as a child and therefore has a pair of bat wings. Personality-wise she's pretty much your typical "manic pixie dream girl" type (ramona flowers from scott pilgrim immediantly comes to mind, i've never read those books and i'm just going off of what i've heard)

Pastel dream - twilight sparkle x flash sentry

I admit this is a bit of a generic choice but tbh this was one of the first ships i EVER had so i feel it deserves a place in my next gen. Basically twilight and flash got married though their marriage didn't last very long and they got divorced a few years after pastel was born and twilight eventually got with big mac, pastel was very fucking angsty about having a new stepdad and only really calmed down after her little sister lavender was born. She's emo and also believes in aliens, her special talent is interpreting dreams (also, yes i know she doesn't really look THAT much like her parents. I'm just kinda tired of people ALWAYS making their flashlight fankids straight up just twilight but orange and i wanted to do something different)

Lavender web - twilight sparkle x big mac

Yeah i only really put this ship here because of the semi-infamous fanfic "the spiderses" and her personality is no different, this lass just LOVES her some spiders.

Rosemary - rarity x braeburn

This was actually the very first MLP ship i ever got into! At the time, i hadn't watched the episode braeburn was in and didn't know he was basically male applejack. 8-year-old me just saw him in the gameloft app and thought "wow that's one handsome horse! I must ship him with rarity because she's my favorite character!" So i put the ship into my next gen because of how much sentimental value i have for it. Anyways....i imagine rose to be somewhat of a "southern belle" type, her special talent is writing romance fiction and she's got the flirty nature to match! She's slightly inspired by blanche from the golden girls, i do admit.

Chocomint ice - pinkie pie x minty

To be honest....i only really added this ship in because of how often they're shipped in G3. I don't really have much to say about her other than she's based on the song "aoi-chan is going to eat chocomint no matter what" (bit of a mouthful of a song title but y'know...it's a japanese song so it's probably much shorter in the original language lol) also her bangs are modeled after the titular aoi-chan in the song's music video

I don't know if i'm going to do anything with this AU, but if i do: i'll probably include celestia x mirror!sombra and luna x discord

[xinamie]

— kung lao thoughts !

just saw someone on another platform say that kung lao is not complex and lemme just. ok hold on. he's more than a cocky, food loving man.

i'm gonna focus on mk1 for now, but hear me outtttt !!! mk1 story spoilers ahead, you've been warned!

kung lao, a humble farmer, who is the descendant of the Great kung lao (lord liu kang's champion in the past iirc and like they were CLOSE bcs remember the scene with the jade statue? anyway off topic).

of course with family honor like that, lao would have this confidence, this arrogance, this ego that everyone groans about. he has this reputation to uphold - this legacy. he wants to be as great as his ancestor!

in the beginning, you find out that he isn't satisfied with the farm life like raiden is. he's the first to jump and react when liu kang tells them all about earthrealm after the test with the lin kuei. he craves adventure, glory, and a sense of just ... achievement.

he loses the title of champion to raiden, but sucks it up and congratulates him. he supports him along the way - bragging about raiden to general shao and cheering for raiden through the outworld matches. even if he was upset that he wasn't the chosen one (re: liu kang hitting him with that one line 'if you trained harder, you would have been champion' LIKE OW DAMN ok) - he still honors raiden and accepts the outcome.

let's talk about his story ending, kung lao messed up with shujinko! shujinko went haywire and it was because he didn't learn humility because kung lao couldn't teach it to him!! lao had always been so confident that he didn't put that into lessons for his student which led to liu kang and raiden stepping in. in this moment, i like to believe that lao learns how important humility is. not through himself directly, but seeing what had happened to shujinko.

omg what about the funny little lines about acting? how johnny offered them movie roles in the end and when raiden politely declined, lao whined. maybe he's intrigued about being able to work on a movie, to get out there and experience the world than just that farm life he knew.

kung lao didn't get to be champion, but he was able to go on missions in outworld and i like to think that he thrived. he got a taste of that adventure, that journey, you know?

kung lao is playful - those lines about wanting to spook raiden's sister with syzoth or how he whined to kuai liang(? i think or tomas?) about how he wanted to test raiden's sister too. how he flashed johnny with the flashlight LMAO. how he gets scolded by madam bo for making excuses sometimes.

LASTLY and also something i think people forget here and there, kung lao is ALSO respectful to some degrees omg. remember when johnny pulled that ripley line and kung lao was like bro??? that plus how he stood up for raiden as mentioned before, he literally becomes a shaolin master ... he may not be a saint, but i don't think he'd be treating people horribly or the type to be flirty every single time.

all in all, there are many sides to kung lao and i think there's a lot to be explored here. i'm down for the silly fandom lao moments, but also serious lao, conflicted lao, focused lao, etc etc. he's a champion to me.

[ashintheairlikesnow]

BBU Community Days

@bbu-on-the-side * {Day 8} Barcode

-

CW: Police harassment, derogatory/demeaning language, prostitution, implied dubcon

The asshole officer shines a flashlight right in his face, half-blinding him, and he winces and turns his face away. "What the fuck-"

"I said turn it over. Show me."

"Show you what?"

The officer sighs, sounding wearied, and the runaway pet wants to punch him in his stupid smug face. He thinks he's tired? He didn't spend the last day hiding from pouring rain that has streets flooded and people in rain boots half-wading when they have to go out. "You know what. Turn your wrist over and show me your barcode."

"I don't have to do anything." The pet's chin juts out, eyes narrowed to slits against the glare of light still aimed right at him. "Come back with a fucking warrant."

"Okay, I would, but you aren't in a house. You aren't even inside. This is an alley. This is public space and you are causing discomfort to the people who actually do live here. Come on, Boxie, wrist out. Let me see it."

"I don't have a fucking barcode. What, is it illegal to sit now? I'm just sitting. I'm not harming anyone."

The officer looks like he might just sigh so heavily with irritation that he blacks out. The pet waits, a little hopeful, but it doesn't happen. "Listen. Look. You get up and walk away, I'll pretend I never saw you. Nice people in this neighborhood, they don't want you whoring around for your dinner, got it?"

His heart stops - for just a second - before it beats again. He swallows, hard. Some of his defiance has faded before he finds a retort. "What-... What makes you think-"

"I've seen you before, buddy. Down by the warehouse district."

"Why not arrest my John?"

"Your John?"

"Well, how the hell did you think I got here from the warehouse district in the first place, numbnuts? We were having a good time til his fucking girlfriend called."

"... Jesus. Come on. Up you go, get outta here and I won't even look. Just get."

He doesn't have a choice. The runaway pushes himself uneasily to his feet, watching as the cop backs up to give him some space. There's that, at least.

His stomach growls.

When did he eat last? Shit. A day ago? Two?

The flashlight is pointed down, now, and he can see the cop's face. Honestly, he's seen worse. The guy looks pretty fit, too. And Jesus, he's so hungry...

"I don't suppose you'd give me a ride," He says, cocking his head to the side. Defiance slips into practiced seduction with only a shiver of self-loathing down his spine. "I can pay for it."

"Don't bribe me. You don't have a fucking cent or you wouldn't be a whore, Boxie."

"I didn't say I'd pay with money." He smiles, like this is a silly flirty joke between them. "Trust me, I'm good at this. I'm so good. Don't you ever wonder what fucking a Romantic is like? Like a Lamborghini with spread legs, yeah? You drive me back to the warehouse district, you don't check my barcode, and I make this the best shift you've worked in days..."

The cop thinks, jaw working, looking off to one side and then the other. The pet watches him take off his wedding ring and slip it into his pocket with a mix of triumph and hatred.

"Right. Yeah. Get in the back. We'll find a place to park."

His heart thumps and his wrist itches under the ink as he slides into the back of the squad car, with doors that don't open from the inside and a screen he can't break through. Maybe he'll be murdered and dumped in a ditch somewhere. Maybe the cop will just take him to jail.

Or maybe he really will drive him back.

It's always a roll of the dice when he offers himself for a ride.

Sooner or later he'll run out of luck.

[patiencepleaseyouwillbeonhold]

Dr. Vincent Roux

Ability: Follow the light

With his multipurpose pen or any flashlight, he can hypnotize people by the mere look at it. They won't notice that they're hypnotized. The victim will feel calm.

Age: 38

Birthday: November 1st

Height: 5'5

Likes: ASMR, white noise, calm patients, Mochi, his multipurpose pen, lamps, silk.

Dislikes: Liars, people who make his job difficult, describing things, rules.

RULES

-> No NSFW ask (flirty ones are fine though)

-> In character I use "quotation marks"

-> Out of character I don't use quotation marks or I use ooc:

-> This is a Bungo Stray Dogs oc account

-> Drawing my OC is allowed BUT DO NOT whatsoever draw them in lewd scenarios NSFW

-> NOTE: I'm not a actual therapist irl so I have no clue what I'm talking about. So don't actually come here for real therapy.

-> NOTE: PLEASE DO NOT VENT TO ME! Just because I play as some silly therapist for rp does NOT give you permission at all to just dump your trauma or vents on me.

-> More Rules

-> Same owner as @paintedgrilledcheese

Extra stuff/Master lists

(Short stories)

(Notes 1)

(Therapy Schedule)

[eleni-cherie]

among thieves ✨ || bts • pjm

- chapter 1.8

"what even am I to you? your rival, your lover, an obstacle or am I supposed to be your coffin?"

about two thieves who can't live with nor without each other. and a joint past that comes back to threaten them.

© 2023 | eleni_cherie

»»»

masterlist: here

— genre: thief au, gangster comedy, adventure, romcom, humour, angst, fluff, very flirty jimin, friends/rivals/exes to lovers (it's complicated, ok?!) f2l e2l ex2l all members play a role in this story!

ALTERNATIVE UNIVERSE. CHARACTERS NOT NECESSARILY LIKE THE REAL PERSONS. ALSO VERY UNREALISTIC PLOT LOL - JUST PRETEND READING A MANGA/COMIC OR WATCHING A FILM, REALLY.

SUGGESTIVE THEMES. MENTIONS OF VIOLENCE & BLOOD (BUT NOTHING TOO GRAPHIC, IT'S STILL A COMEDY!)

»»»

The gang didn't waste any time. Climbing down the rock, they made their way around the bay to the old pirate ship. From up closer the signs of the timeson it being even clearer. It had surely lost the shiny glory it once had hundreds of years ago, it was only part of their imagination now. The ship's back was partially underwater while a big whole on the side was gracing the front part of it.

After a short dip in the water, they eventually reached it. The gigantic whole providing them with a good spot to climb up and get inside where everything was inclined due to the ship's prone posture, making navigating through the old wooden space rather difficult.

"Alright, where's the treasure now?" "Let's simply devide since it's such a big ship. And whoever finds it, calls the others." They nodded, everyone going seperate ways. Jimin went to the ship's bow towards crew's quaters, Arabella went to the back to the officer's quaters, Yoongi upstairs to the main deck and Taehyung decided to go downstairs to the supply decks.

Shoving some wooden boxes aside, Arabella opened the door to what looked like a small bedroom. Most furniture was decaying and covered by a thick layer of dust and dirt. She entered with help of her flashlight. The floor underneath her creaked with every step she took while scanning over the shelves and drawers when a wooden box on the desk caught her interest. She opened it carefully, afraid it might crumble into dust at a wrong move. Her eyes widening when seeing its content, beaming with joy. Inside was a pearl necklace with a golden pedant. The pedant itself decorated with countless tiny diamonds. She couldn't help but squeal happily, taking the necklace and putting it around her neck, covering it under her jacket. After roaming around the rest of the place, not able finding anything else of value she sighed and stood up straight. Brushing off the dust from over her clothes when suddenly hearing the clicking of a gun getting cocked behind.

"Not so fast, Arabella."

The blood in her vessels froze when hearing that voice again. It had been years. Over a decade actually, but even so she'd never forget it. She hadn't been able to, as much as she'd wished to.

"How did you even find this place?" She did her best in looking as unfazed as possible as her hands rose, although internally she was boiling with rage.

"It wasn't too hard," Kir smirked while pointing her gun at her, "While searching up the forest, we found the entrance to a tunnel. We simply followed your tracks, as you had also figured out the traps for us. So really, it wasn't hard to find this place." Arabella pressed her jaw together. Yeah, 'searching up'. Rather blowing up everything until randomly finding something. She began weighing out her options then. Concluding she needed some kind of distraction to be able reaching for her berretta. "I wonder if my men took care of your friends yet.." the older women wondered our loud then, "They surely did."

Arabella's face remained stern, no sign of emotions. She knew she had to keep her cool and stay focused if she wanted to get out there alive. Not exposing any weaknesses or letting her mind get clouded in any way. And she tried her best not to think about the possibility that Kir's men did 'take care' of the guys. Of course Jimin, Taehyung and Yoongi were skilled, she knew first hand, but Kir's men were in the majority. However, she needed to suppress these kind of thoughts. She couldn't allow herself to think of Jimin and the possibility of him - "Anyway," Kir interrupted her thoughts and much to her surprise, lowered her gun. "I actually got a proposal for you."

Arabella arched a brow at her. "I doubt a good one," she snorted.

"Oh, I think it's a pretty good one," Kir smirks, "I don't think you'll be able refusing it." "Try me." Clicking her tongue, the older woman shrugged non-chalantly. "What about you rejoining us? Would make all of our lives easier, don't you think? No hunting you anymore, no attempts of eliminating you.. Doesn't that sound tempting?" "It'd be a cold day in hell if that ever happened." Kir shook her head disappointedly. Humming then. "Not even if we told you your real name?" She saw a small sparkle in her eyes, taking it as a hint to continue. "Tell you all about your parents. Their names and where they live.. How about that?" A smile filled with insincere sympathy spread over her thin lips. "It sounds nice, doesn't it? To finally know where you come from. Your origin. I know first hand how much you've always wanted that."

For a moment, Arabella's mind went blank. It was true after all, she'd wished for an opportunity like this for all her life. Having forgotten everything about her past life and identity almost killing her at times. With the only remaining memory of her parents being the silver bracelet around her wrist and her name on it. There had indeed been a time where she would've done anything to gain her memory and past life back. However, she knew it was too late now. Having this information would be useless now. She could never go back to that short-lived life she once had. It'd be impossible to ever go back to that, especially if the price for the information was to rejoin the organisation that made her lose this life in the first place. The cause of her getting ripped out of it. Perhaps it was better this way. Arabella Valentine had now become her true self. Her true identity. The one she'd carried for most part of her life. "No, thanks," she eventually replied with a bored yawn then. Catching the older woman off-guard. Her gun raising again. "Well, then. How about I don't kill your friends instead if you return? Think about it. Either all of you die or you all stay alive. And all you gotta do is join the organisation again." "You know what, you must think I'm pretty dumb for believing anything that comes from your mouth," Arabella retorted then, getting fed up with her lies. She knew Kir would kill them either way, no matter her choice. Only giving her false promises and hope. "There's only one person in this world I trust and it sure as hell ain't you. So go ahead, shoot me! Let's get over with this. Because I'd rather die than having to work for you ever again."

The sudden tremor of a loud explosion caused the ship to quake in that moment. Kir losing her balance, which Arabella immediately took advantage of. With a highkick she threw her opponent's gun into a corner. However, Kir wasn't just anyone. The two started physically fighting without their weapons. And although Arabella had been trained by these people, Kir managed to pin her down after all. Reaching for her gun. "Silly girl. You should've taken the offer." And with that she pointed at Arabella underneath her foot whp struggling freeing herself. "Y-you can't kill me. Isn't that why you ordered Jimin to do it?" Kir shrugged, her lips tucking into a devilish grin. "And who'd snitch me? You? You'll be de-" Another commotion. Smoke entering the room as shouts and yells echoed from upstairs. "Fck, what's going on?" Kir muttered through gritted teeth, taking a glance behind her. In that moment, Arabella raised her legs and twisted them around her, toppling her and snatching the gun away in a swift move. "Gun powder, you idiot," Arabella said then and got up taking out her berretta as well. Both guns aiming at Kir as she started walking backwards towards the door. "The ship must still be full of it." She shot a few times, purposely missing her and ran off while Kir took cover. Disappearing into the smoke.

Unknown sillouettes were running through the corridors and she pressed herself against the wall to stay unnoticed. It was obviously Kir's men. They were shouting and yelling. The word 'fire' having fallen as they panickedly hurried upstairs.

A fire, of course, Arabella thought and coughed. Cautiously making her way to the deck. Some of her idiot men must've shot, igniting the gun powder that was spread all over the place.

As she reached the main deck, she heard another smaller explosion from the bow and the ship trembled underneath her. Kir's men were jumping off the burning wreck, one after another into the water in an attempt to escape. Arabella looked around then, not able spotting anything but flames in the further back. She bit her lip as a gleam of fear washed over her before she shook her head. Running her hands through her orangy-dyed hair. Pull yourself together, she ordered herself and she made her way to the rear despite the fire. Seeing a big hole in the wooden ground, her eyes caught something shiny down there behind the curtain of smoke. Taking a deep breath she jumped down, coughing when the smoke hit her lungs. It being must stronger down there. And she covered her lips with her hand, taking a look around. Not able containing her awe at the sight of the objects around her.

There it was. The treasure.

The thing that brought them there in the first place. The thing that had caused all this. The whole ship's hold filled with golden objects, artefacts, coins and jewels. And despite this having been the main reason for all this journey - from the document to the sapphire to the organisation hunting them again, the puzzles, Jimin getting shot, abducted and conditioned to kill her and them crossing the whole globe in search for it - depite all they had gone through, her heart sank when seeing it all now. Because right in that moment, she couldn't care less for all this gold.

Another cough escaped her lips and she began making her way deeper inside, through the piles of treasures, broken boxes and cannons. Small fires burning in between of gold. Eventually she reached a big door with ornaments blocking her way and she tried kicking it open, even more smoke hitting her then. "Guys?" she called out, waving with her hands to get the smoke out of her face. The room contained even more treasures and was decorated with golden statues, shining dully behind the smoke. Something cold prickled her side for a second when she heard Jimin's voice and her heart eased. "Bella?" The metallic tip instantly disappeared, Taehyung stepping out from the smoke. "Fck, Arabella. I almost shot you," he sighed and slid his gun back into its holster. "Nice way of welcoming your rescuer," she huffed to which he rolled his eyes. "Thought you were one of these jerks," he shrugged then. Yoongi appearing beside him then. "Yeah, they tied us up and locked us in here." "Bella, are you alright?" Jimin asked worried, shoving his friends aside to see her from close up, making them frown. He grabbed her shoulders as his eyes were looking at her concerned. Making sure she wasn't injured. "I'm fine, I'm fine," she calmed him with a smile, "But we should leave. The whole place will explode any minute."

They followed her out. Another concussion swaying them to the side and they hit some of the golden objects. More smoke clouding their vision than before now and they crouched to avoid breathing in too much. Yoongi cut some boxes that had turned and blocked their way. Suddenly gunshots were fired through the smoke. Everyone crouching behind the mountains of gold.

"I know you're somewhere here, Arabella!" Kir's yells echoed from inside the grey fume, followed by some gunshots. "Come out, come out, wherever you are!" "This maniac will blow us all up," Yoongi muttered quietly, glancing at Arabella behind him. "She's too obsessed with you." her jaw clenched as her glance fell to the ground and she frowned. "You're right," she said then and took a deep breath, making a move to stand up. "I'll try destracting her and buy you guys some ti-" "The hell are you talking about!" Jimin hissed and grabbed her arm, pulling her back down. "Don't you dare get out there!" More gunshots were heard along with a small explosion going off near them. "She won't let us go," she argued, pulling her arm out of his grip, "I am the reason she's still here and hasn't fled like the rest of them. This ship will explode any minute, Jimin, either we all die or you let me buy you som-" "Bella, no! You know I won't let you, that'd be pure suicide." Her eyes were holding some kind of sorrow as she bent forward, placing a kiss on his cheek. It was one of those moments again. Those inescapable moments where they reached a standoff and the possibility of them not making it was high. Not all of them at least. And Arabella knew this, even if Jimin was still in denial. Her lips curled up into a smirk then as she pulled back. ' "Call it devotion." And with that she grabbed her berretta and ran out, disappearing into the smoke before Jimin could even react. His hands failing in catching her.

"She has the guts, I'll admit that," Yoongi said in an almost admiring tone, making Jimin frown. "That's not having guts, that's being irrational!" he yelled frustrated and pulled his walter ppk out. "I'll go after her, you two leave." "You know we won't do that," Taehyung said sternly. "Besides one against four is better than only two." Jimin wasn't able arguing with that. But he had to. Giving his friends a sad look. "No, you gotta make it back safely to Cassandra." Taehyung's lips parted for a moment. A scowl spreading on his features then and he shook his head. "No. She wouldn't deserve a coward." After all, she was someone who always put others before herself and helped anyone in need. How would he be able to ever look her in the eyes again if he bailed on his friends in a moment like this. "Look, this is something between me, her and that damn organisation. You two have nothing to do with it and just got sucked into it." "Cut it out already," Yoongi scoffed and got up. The grip around his sword firmer. "We won't leave, whether you like it or not. We chose to get sucked into it. So let's not waste any more time!" Jimin was about to object when another gunshot was heard, making him instantly jump up. His heart racing fast as he looked at the direction the woman he loved had disappeared to. Praying she had been the one firing that shot. "Come, let's save your girl," Taehyung smiled and patted his shoulder. A firm grip around his magnum. And Jimin simply nodded with a determined look. Gripping his gun tighter as they ran into the thick smoke as well.

Their vision got clearer as they went further due to the light peeking from the hole above them and they eventually spotted Arabella in a close scuffle with Kir. Pushing away Kir's hand from her as the other was trying to shoot. Instead hitting the wooden ceiling. Provoking another fire to break out. The ship beginning shifting again and the two women slipped to the side. Hitting a pile of coins. Jimin's eyes quickly wandered around, catching a net full of gold dangling close above them. Only held by a thin rope. "I got a plan," he said then, glancing over his shoulder to the other two, "When they get under that net, I'll push Bella away and in that moment you'll cut the rope." Their glance followed the direction of his eyes, seeing the construction and they nodded. Jimin saw Arabella holding her head as she got up, probably having hit it. She was walking in the direction her gun had fallen to, not noticing Kir behind her also getting up while holding her gun and heaving it towards her. His eyes widening in panic and without thinking much, he started running and pushed Arabella away. Landing on the ground with her in the same moment that Yoongi cut the rope. And the net filled with precious golded objects dropped right on Kir, crushing her.

Arabella felt her head spinning, confused of what had just happened. Her eyes slowly blinking open then, growing round when seeing Jimin on top of her, shielding her body. Their noses touching. He didn't say anything. He was just silently looked at her with an intense glare while propping his arms on each side of her face. As if his eyes urged her to never do something as dumb as this ever again. And she swallowed while they remained like this for a second more, just holding each other's gaze. Slowly, he began to lift himself and got up, his eyes never leaving hers. Holding his hand out for her, which she took without saying a word. Arabella faced Yoongi and Taehyung then, giving them a small nod. "Thanks." They gave her a small nod back. Nothing more being needed to say.

She took a last glance on the inanimate Kir underneath the gold, an overwhelming feeling of liberation and devastation flowing in her chest before she turned her back to her. And they made their way upstairs onto the main deck.

Yoongi was the first one climbing onto the ship's railing. "God, I hate getting wet," he whined and squeezed his eyes shut before taking a deep breath. Eventually letting himself fall into the cold water with a splash. Taehyung following behind, seemingly less hesitating. Landing right next to him. And the two began swimming towards the cave's opening. Jimin and Arabella climped the railing up as well. Standing there and watching them for a moment when Arabella suddenly took his hand. Squeezing it firmly, catching him off-guard. And he looked at her with raised brows. "If we actually make it out alive.." she began and her eyes found his. ".. and we reach a point when we can't do this kind of job anymore.. let's give it another shot." "You mean.." He couldn't finish his sentence, being too taken aback by her unexpected offer. She simply nodded. And he smiled, squeezing her hand back and guiding it to his lips. Kissing it. "I promise."

And they jumped. Diving into the cold sea water.

They swam out of the cave, reaching the rocky shore where the other two were already waiting for them. Leaving the cave behind them as they walked out into the setting sun. Kir's men, or at least the ones who had managed escaping, were nowhere to be seen. Probably having left already, not minding whatever happened to their boss.

By now all four were quite exhausted, however, they couldn't just rest now. They needed to get back to their car and get the hell out of nowhere and back to the city.

As they returned to the forest and they stamped through and they chopped their way through the undergrowth, the sound of a detonation in the distance caught their attention. It must've been a big one to be heard all the way from the cave. And they were even able to sense a slight vibration in the air. A swarm of flushed birds flying out of the trees. It was most likely the ship, getting wrecked completely now and leaving it undiscovered for some more decades or even centuries.

Taehyung's hand slid into his pocket then, taking out a golden coin and holding it against the light. "Got myself a small souvenire," he chuckled proudly and observed it from all sides. The engravings dating it to 1708. "Oh, same," Yoongi said, revealing a gold coin as well, "So this whole adventure wasn't totally for nothing." Jimin laughed out loudly, revealing a third gold coin. "I like how your minds work!" The three snickering happily over the coincidence, making Arabella roll her eyes. "Noobs," she said and zipped her jacked down. Revealing the pearl necklace she had got herself. Causing their laughter to abrubtly die down. And they stared at her bewildered before Taehyung snorted. "Of course, why am I not surprise." "When did you even.." She shook her head at them disappointedly and giggled. "Noobs."

After awhile they eventually reached their jeep, exhaling in relief since they wouldn't have to search for it in the dark and they opened its doors when the clicking of unlocking guns behind them was heard. "Hands up, you're under arr- What the fck happened to you?"

Jimin groaned, turning around with his hands up. Seeing none other than Seokjin, Jungkook, Skylar and some other officers there. "Seriously, pops? Very bad timing." "No really, what happened to you? You look -" "Like crap?" Taehyung finished, glancing at his partners. Bruises, cuts, scratches and dirt covering their bodies and clothes, "Yeah, we also feel like that." Jungkook couldn't help but stifle a laugh at this, to which Seokjin only coughed annoyed. "I wanted to say 'beaten up' but I assume 'crap' also fits." "Oh, you know.. some traps here, some exploding pirate ship there.." Jimin shrugged. "So I assume those guys we caught earlier weren't total lunatics then," Jungkook mumbled, peeking at Seokjin for confirmation. "Yeah, seems so.." The four exchanged a look. "You caught some guys?" The older agent nodded as he put handcuffs on Jimin. "Yeah, we were here since city residants reported explosions and smoke across this area to local police. And we knew you guys had something to do with this. And then we saw those suspicious vehicles racing through the forest. So we obviously stopped them." "And arrested those men," Skylar added as she handcuffed Arabella. Seemingly enjoying it a little as she was smiling while doing so. In a way it was her revenge for Mexico City.

"Good. You know these guys were from -" "That ominous crime organisation?" Seokjin laughed out. "Yeah, we figured that out. Kim and Jung from special victims and organised crime are taking care of them, while we take care of you guys. And Valentine? The two would also like to ask you some questions." Arabella just mumbled a 'whatever' as Skylar lightly pushed her to the direction of the van, the rest following behind.

"Seriously, pops.." Jimin sighed then as Seokjin led him to the van, "You know we'll just escape anyway. Why not skipping the whole 'arresting' part?" "Oh, c'mon. What kind of interpol agent would I be if I'd make it so easy for you guys? I gotta do my job, too, after all." "Today was really tiring though. Just make an exception." "Oh don't worry, you can rest as much as you want in your detention cells." "Will we at least get some food?" Yoongi asked then, feeling his stomach growling, "I'm starving." "Yeah, yeah. You'll also get food. Don't worry," Seokjin ensured him as they got pushed inside the van and closed the doors.

And the four sat there, exchanging glances as the vehicle began moving.

And they laughed.

What an ironically lame ending to such an adventure.

However, the next one was right around the corner, waiting for them already.

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next chapter: epilogue here