#for those that don't know that was the tag I would use for posts relaying info for people waiting to watch the episodes in order

[howmanyepsofmlseason6areleft]

I forget if you said you watch episodes as they air, but if you have watched Illustrhater, would you say it's safe to watch without watching the first episode for those who are concerned about chronological order?

I do watch them as they air! As per your question, it's a little hard to say- to be honest watching the episode I forgot until more than halfway through that this wasn't the first episode chronologically, since it seemed to be setting things up great in conjunction to where we left off last season.

However, they do reference akumatizations I assume were shown in episode one, and obviously there were probably some things built on from the first episode I wouldn't know about/ didn't take note of. Overall though, I would say it's a pretty safe bet to watch the episode! Nothing crazy is referenced, it works great as a first episode imo, and honestly the only way I can imagine it taking away from your first episode viewing experience is if there's any crazy conflict introduced that episode, you would already know it works out having seen episode 2, but I doubt anything like that happens tbh.

Obviously watch at your own risk, but I'd say ur totally good to go!

[blank-slate-jay]

Shared Warmth

Joel Miller x Male!Reader

Word Count: 6.8k

Summary: Joel brings reader to an abandon home, that he wants to call home for the two of you. Something erotic in Joel ensues seeing you in just your underwear.

Tags: Smut (18+), Anal, Fingering, Dirty Talk, Pet Names, Dom!Joel, Fluff, Established Relationship, no use of (y/n)

A/N: Longest fic I've ever written so far. I don't know how I managed to conjure this! Could've split this into two parts, but decided this is better as one post to make this more cohesive. Enjoy!

AO3! | Reposts are much appreciated!

——————————————————

"You'll see," is what you had received.

A response with very little context, a saying with many different meanings.

You didn't know what to make of this, sitting behind him on the horse with your arms around his waist, you genuinely felt left in the dark. It was very much like Joel to leave you questioning the tones under his voice. Most of the time it was just Joel being Joel, being the closed off man that he was. But the man was in a very good mood, deliberately mocking your naivety with a chuckle.

You sighed, "where are you taking me", saying it more toward yourself than to Joel. Being nearly a day away from Jackson, the question was a reasonable one. After all, what purpose was there to go beyond Jackson for? A gated community was a blessing in times like these, and yet strangely for you, something felt off. Living there has made you feel out of place, made your relationship with Ellie and Joel seemly less meaningful. Perhaps being in a safe haven, with so many people, wasn't truly what you sought.

Bizarre for sure that if you say it out loud, you knew people would call you crazy. You yourself felt you might’ve lost your mind. However, you can’t deny your feelings. Those days, weeks, and months traveling with Joel and Ellie across the country - those were some of the best times you've had even with the looming danger around every corner.

Regardless of what was going through your head, you weren't complaining, being back out into the world. The orange glow of the sun only served to emphasize this notion, piercing through the branches just above your head. It created this relaxing setting, one you can bask in for an unhealthy amount of hours.

"Do you have an idea of where we might be goin'," Joel asked.

Cruel. Just damn cruel, asking you a question you knew he'd leave open ended. Still, you played along.

"I’m assuming it’s pretty big,” after relaying that the man hums finally providing you with a clue, even if its unspecified. “…and that you aren’t playing some trick on me. So, a mall?”

“Try again.”

“A museum?”

“Nope…”

You let out a frustrated grunt, wishing the ladder were true. “Lake?”

Joel took longer to respond, “Mmm,” the man thought about it. “Not quite, it’s close by, but not important.”

You scoffed, placing your head on his shoulder, unsure of what he has disclosed so far is true or not, "Should I already know what it is?" Maybe that'll give you the upper hand.

"I doubt you'd guess this," Joel responses.

"So I'm guessing that a no then?"

The older man nods, turning his head to you before replying with a, 'Yeah'. There was no use in trying by that point. The constant persistence wasn't doing you both any favors. Joel probably had a reason to keep it secretive, so why spoil it? Knowing ahead would've made the trip less intriguing, if not boring. And on the bright side, what'll come will actually be a surprise.

Rather than playing into Joel's trickery you let it go, lifting your head back up, "Alright you won, I forfeit."

"Finally givin' up."

You reply, “I think I have too. I’ve ran out of ideas,” you lied just exhausted by the mind tricks, “Unless you want me to keep going?”

Joel partly wanted you to continue, to get back at you for all the times you fucked with him. He was starting to understand the fun in it now and why you did it to him. He settled for one more jab at you, “Will you get it a right this time?”

"Shut it" you giggle, bumping the man's thighs with your legs. Your comment did do the trick, as Joel fell silent after your remark. You could tell the man was smiling though; his rising cheek gave it away. Some of you was certainly rubbing off onto him, to know the man was now more comfortable with you was flattering.

Joel then reaches down for your leg, placing his hand right over your kneecap, caressing it like it was precious. “Don’t worry now, sugar. We’ll be there shortly.”

His considerate touch, that softness in his voice. Those two components together were enough to send a warm feeling throughout your body. How easy Joel could just captivate you by his touch alone, you guessed that was just how love worked.

You nodded your head as if he could see you, humming to acknowledge his words. Again you laid your head against him, face now between the back of his bare neck and the collar of his blue shirt. Closing your eyes, you let yourself listen to the sounds of nature around you to pass the time.

---

Sometime later, you found yourself opening your eyes to the sound of Joel's voice. Your vision, well adjusted to the growing darkness of dusk, focused on the dirt path some feet away.

"We're here," Joel says, spiking your interest enough to get your full attention. You lean back from the man's frame, hands rubbing the bags under your eyes.

Taking a look at the dirt path, you gaze in both direction. One leading deeper into the forest and the other extended out into a clearing. You confusingly study the area, unable to spot anything of interest. No water, no structure, not even a tree with any unique properties. You couldn't help feeling a bit bewildered, some of that feeling escaping through your lips with a quick 'Umm'. Stealing a glance at Joel's side profile, you tried reading what little you could see of his face.

He nods, "Good. You're awake. It's just this way," he explains, spurring the horse to get them moving in the direction of the dirt path.

Huffing in relief you spoke, "Phew, not gonna lie you almost got me there," thinking Joel might've been toying with you still. He turns his head to you, claiming that he wasn't going to bring you out there for nothing. If the man had told you that some time ago, you would have a hard time believing him.

Trotting forward, the horse comes into close proximity of the tree lines. Just on the other side you could barely see something faint between the leaves; a building of sorts. By what you could see the distance made it difficult to tell with the addition of nature covering your view. The universe really made things difficult for you. For what what it was worth, you were sure Joel didn't want you to see it until you stepped out into the open field. Still, the suspense was killing you.

This wasn't going to last any longer as Joel turns the horse right into the clearing. The tree's now finally out of view, you were hit with the red beam from the sun, blinded by your curiosity and in exchange being blinded by the sun in return.

You squint some, grunting as your gaze trailed around the perimeter. There was lots of tall grass, a noticeable transition compared to the on's just behind them. It stretched far beyond what your eyes could already see. Of course your mind was then caught up by the building some distance away.

There was a house. Someone's house. A house, that looked to be in good conditions. Surprisingly the lone tree just beside it has yet to infect the home with any vines. It made you believe that someone had to have lived here not too long ago. That person was one lucky bastard to have that home to themselves, you thought, imagining how nice the interior had looked.

"Ain't that something", Joel spoke, pretending as if it was his first time being there.

You comment, "Looks lively." A good point compared to everything the two of you had seen on the way there.

But Joel corrected you, "It's empty actually, has been for awhile". You let out a quick 'Huh', taking in his words, further scanning the house. The sidings are a tinted white, slightly scrapped on some parts of the wall. The dark colored roof, contrasting with the siding, made the home brighter than it already seemed. The house stood tall, two stories at most based off the windows, with the first floor being linked with the porch.

It was both funny and disheartening how attached you felt to this home already compared to the one you, Joel, and Ellie shared in Jackson. You kill to live in a home like this, not that you hated your existing home, just this one felt...right to you. Exterior alone, it reminded you of your old house pre-outbreak.

"Can we go in," you asked. A silly question, like you needed Joel's permission to enter the desolate property.

Joel responded sarcastically, dragging out the phrase "Nooo", with his gruffy voice. You knew he was only kidding and was now becoming intrigued by what was inside. Even so, the invasive feeling creeping up your stomach didn't go away yet. You looked around, taking in a full scope of the area. You trusted Joel of course, something that had improved since you first met. But your vigilant, alert mind hadn't shifted in the slightest; only improved thanks to being with Joel.

You turn your head around, looking behind you and at the edges of the tree lines to ensure that no one was following or coming. Like it even mattered, Joel had already assured your safety. You guessed it was better safe than sorry.

With your head now facing to the left, you gaze over to the far side of the field. So far that walking there would be ineffective. The field, a tad bit sloped, dragged on into the distance stretching too far for you to even consider. The sun made the entire sight something you'd see only from a painting or photograph. Sure enough, Joel wasn't lying from earlier when he confirmed there was a lake, just far off at the ends of the slope.

Joel steady the horse, grabbing the reins tightly to slow her down to a halt. "Alright," the man sighed. You let go of his waist as he began to move, his boots shaking the stirrups while he steps down from the horse. He then reaches his hand up to you. You gladly took it, allowing the man to pull you down.

You thanked him, a small smile stretching across the side of your face as you looked at the older man. He reciprocated your gesture with a smile of his own, one that made the wrinkles near his eyes stand out. He didn't have to mutter a word for you to know that he heeds your words.

The man turned his attention then to the horse, letting go of your hand in the process. He grabbed the reins and moved the horse over to tie it up to on of the porch's pillars. While he does so, you made your way up the few stairs, the wood creaking beneath your shoes.

Your hands trailed along the rails, rough and also smooth against your skin. Your eyes darting up and down the walls. Closely the walls looked more worn down, not too badly but could use some improvement.

You turned to look back at Joel who was slinging his bag over his shoulder. The man brushes his hand by your arm and passes by you. He walked up to the door before pushing it open. He moves his back agains the open frame, "Come".

Peaking inside for a moment, there was no way the house was empty like Joel had inferred. "Empty, huh. Doesn't look the way to me.", you look at the man with a snarky look on your face.

He looked unfazed by your humor, the man's face falling a bit flat. It reminded you of the times he'd looked at you after having to endure some of your playful banter. Those times were fun back when you traveled the country together with Ellie.

"Get in" he insisted, sounding annoyed but also seconds away from chuckling.

You don't push your luck and brush by the man still with that look on your face as you pass by him. To wipe that look off your face, Joel smacks your backside causing you to yelp; biting his lips in sync. It was a bastard move, but you weren't complaining. Looking back at him was either rewarding or a mistake cause he was making the face you familiarizes yourself with, best described as hunger. God. Choosing your next action carefully was smart cause anything that insight him to grab and kiss you, would lead to something more...erotic.

Not giving into temptation, you turn your attention to the living space ahead, balling your hand into a fist and squeezing it with the other hand. "This is...quite the place," you stated, stepping further into the home. You weren't kidding. The place had an aura very reminiscent of a cabin, the amount of woodwork around the living room alone gave you that impression. However, the house looked and felt homey all the same.

You walked up to a small craved out sculpture, shaped like a bull, placed above the small fire place. While inspecting it's form you brought up a question, "How'd you find all this?"

"Me and Tommy we're riding out", he started as the man trailed over to the wall to place his bag down, "And I wanted to do some more exploring but Tommy wanted to go back. So I let him and luck would have you..," the man finishes by raising his arms up some like he was revealing something grand, "...got my hands on this."

You nod, looking away from him to fiddle with the small bull, "Cool, it's like a comfy outpost. I like it". You then used the bull like a pointer, motioning it in the man's direction, "You weren't gonna hold out on us were you?"

Joel shook his head, making his way over to you. "Firstly this isn't a toy," he says, grabbing the small figure out of your hand. He places it back into its original spot before resuming, "And secondly, I was going to tell you, specifically just you about this place."

He was? You raised an eyebrow in question, wondering what significance a place like this would even have. It wasn't somewhere you'd visited with Joel before, nor was it a house that held any meaning to you prior to arriving. So what gives? "Just me", you muttered.

The man smirked some, finding it adorable how dumbfounded you appeared. He stepped closer to you, close enough to where you could feel the warm heat from his nostrils flaring against your face. “Yeah, just you”, he repeated, his voice now closer to a whisper. 

You could feel his hand grasping at yours as you kept your eyes locked with his. “I’m sorry, I feel I’m missing something here”. The man, obviously still listening, lifts your hand up to his own face, gently rubbing it against his cheek. His scruffy beard, pricked your palm as you cupped the man’s face. 

The man wondered if he should even answer. Your palm, tender against his rough skin nearly made him forget how to speak. Made him almost forget what you had even asked. He had held it longer than he should've, feeling slightly guilty for holding something like this off from you. He felt you inquired more than enough today. 

With your palm, slowly being squished between the man's hand and cheek he explains, "I got this for us. At Tommy's...I know things have been different between us since we got there. We, spend a lot of time outside of town, sometimes don't even spend time with each other much anymore. I thought it'd be nice to have our own space again, you know away from...everything. When I found this it just clicked for me. Felt like we could call this place home."

Your face was at ease, hearing him say what had been on your mind, spiked your attraction to the man further than you thought was possible. Every word, every sentence hit the mark for you. For a moment, you could swear he had to have read your mind at some-point. Either that or being with you had made it easy to determine what was bothering you. Regardless, having a place faraway for yourselves sounded too good to deny, especially when it was exactly what you wanted.

You couldn't quite put your thoughts into words, simply letting out a confused giggle, unsure of how to follow up on Joel's reveal.

Joel takes notice of this, captivated once more by your expression. He then breaks the silence, "You've asked a whole of questions. Now let me ask you this, how do you feel about living here with me, sunshine."

You nodded immediately, maybe a bit too quickly and possibly too eagerly. "I'd...love to," the words finally falling out of your mouth.

The man response, turning his head some to kiss your palm between an utter, "Good." His lips softly trailed down, like he was following the curved lines on your hand. Each kiss felt delicate, purposeful, each with some kind of meaning supposedly. That was just within Joel's transcended mind, he couldn't help himself, he got lost quickly whenever he'd feel your touch.

You leaned yourself forward, pulling your hand away from his mouth to wrap it around the back of his neck. Tugging him forward you embrace him, finding his hips as a comfortable spot to rest your free hand. No surprise, Joel indulged, pulling you into his arms too.

The two of you stood for some time, merely appreciating and savoring the moment of intimacy. You didn't think any words could pinpoint how much you loved Joel. Not even the word ‘loved’ felt like it was doing him justice. It was beyond that.

“What did I do to deserve you," he mutters above your ear.

“Luck," you say.

He hums, knowing it to be true but hating the notion of life without you, fighting for you made it all worth something, made it mean something. He made small circles around your back, just being grateful he had you now, thankful that you made it to this point to be there in his arms.

"I'm making dinner," Joel says, catching you off guard for a moment. "Got the ingredients for your favorite."

You knew what he was talking about, it was meal you'd two shared before and you couldn't keep quiet about your enjoyment of the dish, even while eating the damn thing.

Luck would have you, again, you were about to experience that meal again.

---

You turned the running faucet of the soothing shower off, grabbing the towel just off the shower's hinges to wrap yourself in its warmth. Stepping out the tub, you began to dry yourself, wiping away all the sweat you'd built up after leaving Jackson. Once knowing this new place had running water, you were quick to jump for the shower, never skipping the opportunity to get yourself clean.

Joel was just downstairs prepping dinner for the two of you. You wondered if it was already finished since you spent way too long wandering the upstairs plane; checking the available rooms before finding the shower. You were sure it wasn't even done yet since Joel would've called out for your name by that point.

Wiping away the last remnants of water, you threw on some spare clothing, a shirt and just your underwear, from your backpack before stepping out the restroom. The cooler air hit your body, nothing you wouldn't accept since the season was a lot warmer; spring.

You made your way into the master bedroom. In this case, your shared room with Joel. Not much was in it. Compared to the other bedroom, which hosted nothing at all, this one at least had a bed and a few dressers. You weren't complaining since the room felt less compacted and more freeing.

Walking into the room you toss your towel onto the bed, taking in the open space, a stark contrast to your room back in Jackson. The thought of what you could implement to this room had your mind racing momentarily. Like what you could put within the corners or whether you should put any entertaining devices in the room. Maybe not the last part probably cause Joel would advise keeping those contained to the living room.

It got you pretty thrilled thinking about what you could do in general now that you weren't limited to a communities resources. This of course meant you didn't have as much to work with, but everything you gathered would or could be used to further improve your new home.

You started comparing your home back in Jackson to the one you have here. Down to it's interior, format, and spacing. You thought about the kitchen, dinning area, your shared room, Ellie's room. Ellie. Again you thought about her, a realization hitting you in the process. 'Fuck' you sighed under your breath. So caught up and enthralled by a nice change of environment, you hadn't even thought about her wellbeing.

At the moment, she was at Tommy and Maria's place, likely giving them a hard time as you'd expect. The usual for Ellie. But being so far away from her, not being there for her made you somewhat fazed; a pinch of disgrace too. That girl was tough and she needed to grow up around people to understand what it's like to live. But on the other hand, she'd follow you and Joel to the ends of the earth, she said it herself.

Throughout the wave of thoughts, washing within your head, you were by the window now. Hands perched up on the dresser just below the glass's border. The spot made for a great place to reflect. Perhaps this would be a good position to do it, overlooking the grassy plains, it gave your head a hub place to ponder.

If it weren't for you being lost in your thoughts, you would've been aware of the man standing by the door frame watching you; completely out of eyesight. Joel, leaning up on the frame with his arm, exhales an exaggerated sigh to catch your attention.

You turn, startled by the sudden noise. Realizing it was just Joel you relaxed. "You almost gave me a heart attack," you joked.

His presence definitely lightened you up, giving you something to distract yourself from any thoughts running in your head. You'd talk out how to settle Ellie's situation with Joel, it'll work out; you knew it would with Joel by your side.

"Sorry" he started, his eyes gazing upon your exposed legs. "Dinner's ready."

You nod, "Alright. I'll be down in a bit."

You thought after relaying this to Joel, that he'd leave and wait for you downstairs. But he didn't move, his figure remaining still as his eyes stayed focus on you. He nods too, but it seemed more that he did it subconsciously since his eyes weren't locked with yours.

The look was back and more prominent than ever. The dark look that you avoided earlier, was calling out for you to let him have you. Mixed with the half smile across his face made for a deadly combo.

You tried being clever, looking about the room to see if your bag was in sight. It wasn't, but you were sure it was still in the restroom after changing out your clothes. "I'm gonna grab my pants, really quick-"

"You don't have to" Joel says, his fingers playing with his nails. "I think you look fine already."

Failed, you tried getting to see if the man would hold off, tried keeping him at bay at least until you both were in bed. But no, you only drew more attention to your undergarments. To make matters even worse, Joel's gruff voice had caused a twitch between your legs. A slight growth a hardness, noticeable by both of you.

Joel bit his lips, taking his weight off of the door, "You're not too hungry, right?"

This was the one time where choosing your words carefully would be wise at the moment. However, you felt there was no turning back now. He wanted you, now. And you wanted him more. You sheepishly shook your head, "Not really", finally falling for the man's glare.

While you spoke, Joel already had closed the gap between you too, looking into your eyes for a moment. He hooks the front of your trousers with his finger, pulling you closer to him until his lips were locked with yours. You inhaled deeply, feeling a tingle shake your spine.

He cups the sides of your face, passionately parting his lips to slide his tongue inside. Fast as Joel was to get things going, you accepted. The warmth elevated by the mixing of each others taste made the tightness in your underwear uncomfortable.

Joel's huffs deeply into the kiss, his grip, grew stronger with each passing second. His weight started to shift your stance, causing you to back up until you hit the dresser behind you. You grunted against his mouth, not letting the movement stop you from continuing to brush your tongue against his.

Both moaning and breathing heavily, you grab at his collar shirt, playing with one of the buttons to get it open. You tried getting him to undress, a chance taken from you when he grabs your wrist tightly. The man wanted nothing but to feel your skin against his own. He wanted to savior the moment. He liked the build up, he loved the anticipation.

His hands were free from your face, but they soon started invading your shirt. He rampaged through it, running them around your shirt before sticking them in by your sides. You tremble at his touch. His hand created a warm sensation on your skin, reminding you of the times he’d draw circles on your back whenever you’d lay in bed together.

For you, gripping his jawline pulled you two closer, crotches colliding too. It peaked Joel’s interest, his eyebrows raising between the groans against your lips. Joel’s jeans made it difficult to tell, but it was clear you were hard, just as hard as he was. That got him to smile into the kiss, proud he could get you really erect quickly.

You parted your lips from his, only a few inches apart. You used the moment to catch some air, something you knew you wouldn't be granted later the further you proceed.

You questioned his smile, "What?" "Nothing," he says, his accent rolling off the tip of his tongue. "Just you". He waits a moment before throwing himself back into the fray, wanting your lips to be sealed with his.

Aggressive, he pushes you harder against the dresser, unintentionally crushing you moments before dipping down to grab your legs and halting you onto the wooded surface. The dresser creaked, not adapted to a person being onto but that didn't concern either of you. The man caress your thigh, slow and aimlessly, while his other hand yanked at the front of your underwear once more.

He wanted you to take them off so badly and you didn't waste a moment. You shook yourself, getting enough room under you to slip them off. Joel helped, his steaming breath hitting your slowly exposing skin made you pick the pace up. He help fully get them off, letting the cloth hit the ground. His gaze fixed on your now exposed erection made him forget to breathe.

“Now your turn”, you said.

Rubbing his hands down your legs, he reaches down for his zipper to unbuckled his pants. His belt clicked and his pants loosened, dropping everything done to the floor with a thud. He swiftly took his underwear off too, slipping it fully off and sliding everything off to the side with his feet.

You let out a shaky exhale, your eyes so baffled by how hard his cock was; rock solid and strictly standing upward. Your started pondering if you could even take it. Under these conditions you would have to take him raw. There had to be something to use, you thought something to make it easier for him.

“Hey”, Joel’s voice soft on your ears. He tilts your head up to hold your gaze, “Eyes on me.” He slowly caresses the features on your face, adoring just how amazing your eyes looked and how kissable your lips were. Those lips, looking at them intently he slips his thump across the bottom half. He wanted to nibble on them, gently bite to leave a mark on them; to leave evidence of his pass doings.

He used his other hand to play with your cock, making sure you were staying hard for him. You assisted him with your palm overlapping his; working in unison. It was subtle and worked to keep you both pleasured while focusing on the man.

Joel dipped his finger between your lips, “Open your mouth, baby”. Your lips separated and he slid his finger in. A bitter taste hit the roof of your mouth as he swirled his finger around. “Get it nice and wet for me. Gonna need it for the hole of yours.”

So this was the alternative. Normally you and Joel would talk about using some sort of cream for sex. With seemingly none around to use, your mouth would have to do. You started sucking on his finger for a bit, his thick finger, took up a good portion of your mouth. Not enough to suffocate like his cock, but enough to make you think about how to manage your tongue’s movement. After the first finger he switched it out for another, a small line of saliva leaking out every time he’d pull out.

Three finger were soaked now, three fingers you were sure would break you, more than his cock would. You shiver, trying to estimate the width of his fingers with that of his cock. It served no purpose other than question your capabilities. What good did that do you, especially now?

Joel releases your cock, and trails his hands down to your balls. You knew where he was headed, this wasn’t your first rodeo with Joel. You lifted your leg up, leaning back onto one elbow to keep yourself upright. Joel effortlessly threw your hovering leg over his shoulder, getting a view of what he’d been dying to see. Your hole, albeit at an angle was still visible and accessible which was the only thing that mattered to Joel.

The man, looked to your eyes for conformation, he wanted to make sure you were ready. There wasn't a hint of denial in your face, Joel loved that look.

Coming into close contact, he circles around your entrance. His rough fingers toyed with your hole, allowing the sensations to prepare you for his soon to come entry. God the feeling alone was making you wish he just put himself inside you, knowing it might hurt but still wanting him to push deep in.

No longer waiting, Joel pushes a finger inside, slowly. You narrowed your brows, the walls of your ass being breached caused a slight spark in your stomach. His finger slid relatively easily, getting your breathing to become shakier than before. It was nothing you couldn't take and his finger was satisfying, it might've been enough to make you cum. His second finger though, made itself known too, pushing in with the first.

You winced, wishing Joel had warned you. Two thick fingers inside was about right, it felt about the size of Joel's cock at it's hardest. Staying with this rhythmic push and pull inside your hole made you believe you were ready for him to fuck you. But one other finger remained, one still damp and set to go.

A yelp escaped your lips feeling the third join the other two. It hurt for sure, causing you to throw your head back as a jolt reaction. You bump the glass pane behind you, the light outside barely shining onto the side of your face. You reached up to grab at Joel's collar, the fabric bringing some level of comfort with it's pure softness.

"Relax..." the man groans.

Fuck you wanted to, but how could you when the man was expanding your ass with every thrust. It made you grip his collar tightly as you kept your eyes tight to prevent it a tear from falling. The feeling was both painful and enjoyable, the tingles running up your stomach never ceased and neither did the sting in your hole.

You started to tell, no, insist that he fuck you. It escaped your mouth through a whine, a part of you wanting him to just remove a finger or two to let you relax. You knew it had purpose, you knew why he was pushing your limits. The longer you held, the easier it would be for him to push himself inside of you. Still you begged, "Please...Joel...take me, just fuck me."

Through your closed eyelids you couldn't see the man, shamelessly smirking, "Oh yeah? Tell me how bad you want it, sugar pie."

You gasp, "Bad".

He groans, "Yeah?". He licks his lips, "Want me to go really deep in there, want to me fuck you real good."

"Uh...huh"

He pushes fingers deeper than usual "How badly?"

You gasped, "Really fucking bad. FUCK".

Joel groans, acknowledging your plead. If you wanted it that badly, he wish you told him sooner. He pulls his fingers out, the sounds of your hole getting him excited. It was wet now, just the way he liked it. In one swift motion, Joel flings your other, idle leg over his shoulder and yanks you forward until your backside was against his crotch. His cock, bumping into your balls got another sound out of you.

You relax into the dresser the best you could, letting your elbows rest and leaning your head back until it was laying against the glass again. It wasn't the most comfortable positions for your neck, you didn't pay much mind to this though as Joel began running his hands up your thighs. With your legs so close to his face, he also started leaving kisses and bite marks you knew would be visible the next day. He wasn't about to let you off without at least some marking, whether it'd be visible later or hidden by your clothes didn't concern him.

Breathing hard against your skin, his gaze turns back to his hard-on. He reaches for it, while overlooking your body. He lines it up to your hole pushing, not inside of you yet, but rather around the exterior.

Again with the teasing, you thought, wanting to roll your eyes but refusing to try. Did the man not tire of his own nonsense? You shifted your hip toward his cock, physically telling him to knock it off and shove it in you.

He locks eyes with you then, seeing your desperate and longing expression. You chewed down on your lips, seeing how the man's eyes had darken since last you laid upon them. He just smirked, looking down between your legs before pushing himself in.

It hurt but not as much as his fingers. The aftermath of those three invaders acted as a testament to how well you could still take the man in strides. For what it was worth, they did make it easier for him to slide into you.

He slipped in and out easily, smooth like butter. His thrust started methodically, getting familiar with your hole's interior again. He groaned, his cock pulsating against the edges, trying to find your sweet spot.

He wasn't able too, it wasn't that easy. You had laid there making hush moans that could only be audible for anyone within the room. It was striking and incredibly hot to Joel hearing you try to conceal your voice. It came off is if you were going to burst, like you were going to scream out his name, that was something else entirely.

Thinking about it gave him a surge, a rush that rapidly increases his pace. His hips smacking up against your ass, created a sound that vibrated your body. Each smack, was music to the man's ears, meld together now with your rising grunts. It probably was the best thing he'd ever heard.

You were losing it on the other hand. Your body trembled, your eyes became hazy, your mind completely in shambles; a mess best described it all. So much so that you had no idea what was even happening, questioning what was even real.

Were you becoming stupid with each thrust or did you completely lose your mind to him. His strides were beginning to make you see stars, more pleasing than the ones you'd see in the sky. A sudden overwhelming feeling rushes from your stomach all the way to your head, the strongest sensation you've felt all day. It made you feel light, like you had been consumed by the clouds.

This strange halt in your mind lasted for a minute before coming back from being on autopilot. You were semi-confused as your body was on a softer surface now. Your body lays flat, Joel's entire weight on top of you. Your senses were coming back to you.

The dresser was no longer your resting place but rather it was now the bed. Joel had lifted you up moments ago, still inside you, and crashed you both onto the mattress. Surprisingly that didn't snap you out of it, but what was even more confusing was the wetness near your stomach, just in between your stomach and Joel's. It was quite sticky. Wait, you stopped your mind from racing, ignoring Joel's rough groans in your ears for a second. You already came, you totally did. Your cock didn't feel restrained nor was it in any desire need to let loose any longer.

Shit, you thought, not realizing the man had satisfied you. You got lost in thought due to him hitting your sweet spot, it explained why your mind went into a frenzy. The feeling sent you over the edge again, jolting you back to reality this time; he hit it again.

You cry out as a response.

"Fuck, I'm gonna blow, I'm gonna fucking blow". Joel groaned.

You couldn't speak a word, it was too much, too much to bear. You dug your nails into the back of his shirt and pulled him closer with your legs around his waist. Your strength was dwindling, and you didn't have the voice to tell him to finish. If he kept it up any longer you were surely gonna cum again.

Joel's voice was deafening against your ears, his rhythm completely erratic and harsh against your hole. He went all out, posting himself up onto his elbows and thrusting into you like it was his last. He could feel the sharpness on his back, a deep sting from you nails pushing further into his skin. He watched as tears rolled down your face, wanting nothing but to wipe them away. He was right there, he could feel it rising up.

A few more rough thrusts did the trick. Joel grunted, holding his breath for a second as his cock convulsed before blowing. It came out fast, faster than he expected, squirting strings of cum in succession against your interior. He squinted his eyes, as he came quickly back down to your neck.

Joel's cock had settled, just as the two of you were. Exhausted beyond belief, you felt weak, one of your slipping off the man's back. You both relish in each other's touch, your breaths becoming steady at last.

The man's body shifts, causing you discomfort from still being inside of you. He reaches down to pull out, a quiet groan breaking free from your sealed lips. He used his other hand to cup and rub your cheek, his way of showing his gentleness after the affair. The man's cum oozed out, running down onto the mattress. You could feel how wet and loose it had become. Compared to the last time Joel had fucked you, you weren't as messy as you were now.

He then looked over to the side, seeing the towel you had used from earlier. He grabs it and wipes away the stains on your stomach.

You let out a sigh followed by locking eyes with Joel. They looked a lot more calmer, vibrant even just by his soothing demeanor.

As he finished wiping you clean the corner of his lips rose, "We should go eat."

Just like that, he had nothing left to say, acting as if nothing just happened. You scoffed at how quick the man could go from wanting to devour you to being a sensual man who wanted to give you the world. You weren't ready to rise from your position, not yet. You yank the towel out of his grasp before pulling him back down onto you.

Dinner can wait, just a bit longer.

[violetsiren90]

All I Haven't Said | Namjoon/Reader

Table of Contents: Chapter 1; Chapter 2; Chapter 3 (part 1), Chapter 3 (part 2)

Pairing: idol!Namjoon/f!Reader

Genre: Soulmate AU; idol AU; chapter fic; strangers to lovers; a bit of idiots to lovers, tbh; slow burn; eventual romance; eventual smut; angst (life is messy & hearts are complex); OT7 featured

Summary: You found your soulmate - or rather, he found you. Turns out he's an idol of much acclaim who needs you for very real and unglamorous reasons. What could become of two hearts so used to giving of themselves when they are confronted with needing each other?

Warnings: 18+ (minors, dni), realistic depictions of cancer and cancer treatment; mention of unfeatured character death (previous to plot); emotional health growth and development; eventual smut; feelings and dealing with feelings (no, but seriously, so many feelings)

Author's Note: First and foremost - Blame Me chapter 1 will still be tentatively dropping by the end of the week. However, this just literally wrote itself last night after a couple of drinks and several streams of Lonely 💔. It was the thing that just poured out of me and could not be stopped. It's been simmering in the back of my brain for a while, and so, now that it's out here, I'm going to be posting it in tandem with Blame Me, probably on alternate weeks (if I can manage it, 😅). I want to give credit to those whose works I have read which have come to set the stage for my concept of the soulmate au, and who are far my betters in creative artistry: Matchy, author of balls-to-the-walls masterpiece Trip No Further, Fallencairns, author of lovely work of art Turbulence, and @teenagebountyhunter , to whom I dedicate this work 💜 the author of the ineffably beautiful Namjoon soulmate fic Bloom (RUN to read this immediately) - the inspiration for what is to humbly follow below. If you're checking this out, thanks a million for reading, and please don't be shy in offering feedback should you be so inclined! (Baby fic writer here, constructive criticism always welcome!)

Without further ado, chapter one is under the cut.

P.S. Tag list is open. If you want in, let me know. 😊

P.P.S. In case no one has told you today, you're loved and worthy of love. 🧜💜

“When your hands leap towards mine, love, what do they bring me in flight? Why did they stop at my lips, so suddenly, why do I know them, as if once before, I have touched them, as if, before being, they traveled my forehead, my waist?”

~ Pablo Neruda

Chapter 1: The Cure

Diana dipped another three fries in ketchup and popped them into her mouth.

"So, what do you need to talk about that has you desperate enough to buy me lunch?" She smiled smugly and sipped and her milkshake.

You hadn't touched the burger in front of you, even if you probably should be absolutely relishing in it, considering your future prospects. You picked up a sweet potato fry and stared at it absently.

"I found my soulmate," you stated flatly.

Diana's jaw dropped mid-chew, unpleasantly framing the masticated remains of a mouthful of turkey club.

"Wait, are you serious?" she pressed, round hazel eyes wide and unblinking.

You dipped the fry down into the little cup of ranch and swirled it around slowly.

"Actually, he found me. Well, his people found me," you continued. 

"Huh? So is he some kind of a big deal - wait...they found you? What does that even mean? Wait, no - you have a soulmate?!"

You smiled ruefully. It was kind of nice to see someone else freaking out about it for a change. You had known your little sister would react strongly, which is why you had waited until now give her the news.

"Y/n, ANSWERS," Diana demanded leaning forward to flick your forehead. 

"Ow!" you protested, rubbing the throbbing spot on your brow. "Keep your pants on, geez!"

You sighed. After having relayed this story to your mom, your doctor, a specialist, legal advisory, your best friend, your brother and his wife, and your very disappointed boss, you had gotten pretty good telling it. Yet, somehow, each time the burden of it's truth felt a little heavier. You ate the fry. It was pretty good. You wished it had sucked so it wouldn't be one more edible thing you missed the prospect of.

"So apparently, a couple of years ago a university in Switzerland found a way to match soulmates using DNA testing. Don't ask me about the exact science of it - I do not understand it. What I do know is that it's illegal to use this technology to locate your soulmate in the US."

"Why?" Diana had abandoned her food and was listening with rapt attention.

"Something about privacy rights. Though they've dealt with that issue in Switzerland - people interested in finding their soulmates join a biological registry. I'm sure our government is just waiting to find a way that big pharma can exploit it before they facilitate the process. Anyway, somehow, I ended up in a foreign registry. I guess there is a black market for soulmate data..."

"Oh my god, could I be on the black market?" Diana gasped, slapping her hands over her mouth.

"I guess anyone could, provided they've ever been treated at a hospital, or given blood, or anything of the sort...but calm down! It doesn't even matter unless you have a match, which is rare."

"So he found you on the black market?! That's so fucking sketchy, Y/n."

"It was his company, actually. I got a visit from representatives of an organization called Hybe. They are some kind of South Korean entertainment conglomerate. One of their employees, a musician, is dying of cancer. Seeing if he had a soulmate was a last-ditch effort to save his life. Now everything is banking on me and my cooperation."

You flicked your eyes up to your sister. Her expression had morphed into something far more somber.

"Heavy..." she whispered.

You nodded.

"What are you gonna do?"

You took a bite of your burger. She wasn't going to like your answer. Diana's face changed again, this time registering alarm and indignation.

"No," she murmured, "No, Y/n. You're just gonna do it, aren't you? You're gonna go be the fucking hero! You're going to traipse off to Korea and save his sketchy, ungrateful ass!"

She stood up, her chair screeching back over the concrete and drawing the attention of other diners on the patio. You glanced around apologetically.

"Diana, sit down! And how do you know if he's grateful or not?!" you hissed.

"No!" she countered defiantly, yanking her hand away from where you had reached for it. "You always do this! You never, ever think of yourself. And now you'll be gone forever...is this even safe?"

Tears had started to well up in her eyes, and the glances around you had turned into stares and whispers. You stood up and pulled her into a hug.

"Hey, hey, it's okay! Lets get out of here and I can answer all of your questions, alright?"

She sniffled.

"Okay. But you're not leaving me."

You smiled and huffed out a laugh pulling her toward the parking lot.

You had anticipated that Diana would disapprove of your decision, and it being as difficult a situation as it was, you had decided to make all the arrangements and choices necessary before telling her. She loved you so fiercely, she would have watched the world burn before letting you break a nail, if she could help it.

After your father's death nearly twenty years ago, you had become protector and provider to Diana and your younger brother Henry, three years her senior, in ways your sensitive and unworldly mother seemed unequipped to shoulder. If they had both not been so established and secure in the trajectory of their adult lives, you would have made it clear to Hybe that you regrettably had nonnegotiable responsibilities right where you were. But Henry was settled into a suburb with a lovely wife and year-old daughter, Diana was set to finish undergrad and head off to nursing school, and the deal with Hybe had actually allowed you to leverage for your Mom's retirement, so you were boarding a flight to Korea next week to take on a new set of cares and concerns.

You tossed your keys on the table on your way into your apartment and collapsed onto your comfy red couch. While Diana rooted around your fridge and loudly complained about the lack of hard seltzer, you sorted through the mail and made a mental note to add a forwarding address on a few of your accounts and subscriptions, including the one supplying you with Nightwing comics. You set the mail aside and took a moment to look around you.

You loved your little apartment. The kitchen was small, but the big window with the spider plant hanging in it made it one of your favorite rooms - the herb garden on the counter and the fully stocked bar above the fridge did nothing to make you like it any less. The earthy brown walls of the living space were littered with shelves full of candles and living plants and quirky curios, and in and amongst them hung framed watercolors of flowers and herbs that you had painted yourself. The record player sat at the ready in the corner by the wall dedicated almost exclusively to books and vinyl. There was a small tv over the stone-lined fireplace. Over your shoulder your soft, queen sized bed with sheer canopy cozily called your named from the single bedroom. 

The whole place smelled like citrus and cinnamon. In every corner, there was you. It was going to be hard to leave the hobbit hole you had so lovingly curated for yourself over the last half-a-decade...especially since you wouldn't be going "there and back again", but just...there.

Diana plopped down next to you,  breaking your reverie.

"So, you're NOT going, but tell me about the huge mistake you ALMOST made," Diana prompted as she side-eyed you, taking a sip of the wine she had poured herself.

You set the comic book you had been thumbing through aside and drew your knees up to your chest as you swiveled to face her impatient stare.

"Last week, these three people showed up at my door, two men and a woman, and they said they were from a company called Hybe based in South Korea. One of their employees, a singer named Kim Namjoon, has stage 4 liver cancer. I guess they caught it pretty late in the game, so even the most aggressive treatments aren't doing much good. Back in April the doctor gave him two months to live."

"Damn," Diana interjected softly.

"Yeah, that's why all of this is happening so fast. He needs me as soon as I can get there."

"We need you, too," she whispered, reaching out to loop her finger into the top of your sock. You smiled affectionately.

"I know, Di, but you're a grown woman now and you can take care of yourself. You're going to have to and I know you can. Life really won't be that different - you'll be off to school in San Diego anyway! Most of our hangouts were going to be over Facetime...now you'll just have an excuse for a little international travel."

She heaved a stuttering sigh.

"Speaking of travel...Johnny broke up with me," she mumbled.

Your mouth hung open in shock.

"Oh my god, Di, I'm so sorry! Why didn't you tell me?"

She downed her remaining wine and stared into the empty glass, twirling it between her fingers.

"I was gonna, but when I told mom last week she said to wait to talk to you about it because you were dealing with something stressful. Now I know what she meant."

You shook your head.

"Ugh, Mom..."

Your sweet, nonconfrontational mother, while you loved her deeply, was a horrible communicator. Whenever she got involved things like this always ended up worse. You looked at your sister twiddling with her wine glass. She looked so small. And Diana, while she exuded many things, very rarely seemed diminutive. You grabbed her and pulled her to you, and she instantly snuggled into your chest.

"I'm sorry you've had to hold that in all this time," You said softly, stroking her hair, "You really could have told me. How are you doing? Was it bad?"

She shook her head against you.

"Nah, it wasn't so bad. He's going to travel before starting grad school and wants to 'sow some wild oats'," she answered, flashing air quotes.

You couldn't see her face, but the acerbic nature of her tone told you just exactly what she thought of that concept. You snickered. Atta' girl. You'd never liked that guy much, anyway.

"What an asshole," you remarked.

"Yeah, he better not hit me up in a couple of months when he's done fucking his way through Europe."

"Fuuuuuck that," you commiserated. 

"Yeah, so I thought this summer would be our last hurrah. You know, no guys, just you and me...like old times" Diana mumbled in a voice that was all sulking and bottom lip. 

"Ahhh," you said with a smile, "So that's why you are so disappointed. Well, we still have a few days - we can make the most of them!"

Diana lifted her head from your chest and glared up at you.

"Boys ruin everything!" She whined.

You smirked softly.

"Usually I would agree with you, but the one I'm leaving for seems kind of decent, actually."

Diana frowned.

"How do you know? Did he call you or something? Wait, you never finished telling me your story!"

You hummed in assent.

"I mean, there's not much more to tell. I agreed to move out there to bond with him and begin treatment. I signed a really basic contract that will be revised when he is well enough to think about the future - or in a year, whichever comes first. They were pretty quick to meet my terms, I guess they didn't really have much choice since I was the one holding the all the cards."

"What does any of that have to do with him being a good guy?"

"Oh," you blinked, "It doesn't. You see, when they met with me they talked a lot about him. It was almost like a job interview or something. They talked about his accomplishments, his net worth, the importance of his work, and his worthiness as a person. One of the guys was actually one of his bandmates, and he had come specifically as a character reference. They had initially wanted me to sign the contract right there and then - and let me tell you, that kid they brought with them almost convinced me with his giant puppy eyes alone - but in the end I had asked for forty-eight hours to consult legal advisory and think it over. The first thing I did when they left was look him up. You actually probably already know who he is - I think I might have been the only person in the world who didn't. Have you ever heard of BTS?"

Diana jumped back like she'd been stung, clutching her chest.

"Are you about to tell me that your soulmate is a member of the biggest band in the world?" she whispered, her eyes impossibly wide.

You smirked. 

"Not just a member, Di...their leader." Diana shrieked, leaping up off the couch.

"RM??? Your soulmate is RM???" 

Your sister stared at you, agape, while you threw your hands up in indignation.

"I was the only person!"

"Oh my god..." Diana staggered back, demeanor having deviated sharply from disapproval to elation, "My roommate is obsessed with them! She has all these posters - but her favorite, I'm sorry, her bias, is Suga...holy shit, I can't WAIT to tell her she's gonna-"

"Diana," you interrupted her firmly, and her eyes shot up to you.

"Yeah?"

"You can't tell anyone."

Her face fell as she leaned back against the wall beside the fireplace. Clearly this was going to be even more of an emotional roller-coaster for her than it was for you, you thought in amusement. Typical.

"Everyone who I tell has to sign a gag order. You included."

Diana slid down the wall into a slump and knocked her head back.

"This situation keeps harshing my vibes, dude," she whined.

"Well, I'm exceedingly sorry about your vibes, but I'm sure they'll recover," you rejoined sardonically.

"But woah, Y/n, your boyfriend is hot. And rich. And super famous. Your wedding is going to be fucking LIT..." 

"Woah, Nellie!" You cut her off, waving your hands as if you usher her train of thought into the landing strip of sanity.  "Slow. Down. Wedding?? What happened to 'sketchy, ungrateful ass'?! He is NOT my boyfriend. He's supposedly my soulmate. According to some Swiss pseudoscience. We haven't even bonded yet. And if we do in fact bond, that doesn't mean we're a couple."

Diana popped her head up and fixed you with the most incredulous of stares.

"Um, excuse me...soulmates have to touch each other to survive. And I heard that the soulmate connection is better than sex. You're telling me you have the opportunity, nay, the duty, to be up in the business of one of the sexiest men alive, and you're just gonna platonically kick it for the next seventy years?"

You rolled your eyes.

"I mean, if that's what he wants - if that's what I want. Soulmates doesn't automatically equate��lovers. I've been reading about people's experiences and there are some soulmates who bond platonically. Some people are already with romantic partners when they meet. Some don't share a sexual orientation that makes them compatible as lovers..."

"Oh my god, Y/n, could you please not kill the sexy by going all nerd on this?" She asked you in exasperation as her finger swiped at her phone screen.

Suddenly she shoved the phone out toward you, while tapping frantically with a neon yellow acrylic nail on the image she had summoned. She was saying something humorous and complaintive but you weren't listening. You were looking at the man in the photo.

You hadn't seen this one in your superficial search-engine dives. It was a headshot. His hair was a light brown, full at the top and styled away from his face. His skin was darker than in many of the other images you had seen, emanating a beautiful golden glow. He was smiling just enough for his right dimple to softly grace his cheek. His features were strong, masculine, and incredibly handsome. All of that was already striking, but his eyes, oh, his eyes - they were staring directly at the camera, irises only half visible under his lidded gaze, warm and sincere, so incredibly intense.

The hair stood up on the back of your neck and your breath caught in your chest in spite of you. You closed your eyes and sucked in a breath. You needed to calm down. He was just a person. Good looking? Yes. Charismatic? Obviously. But you had a job to do, and no time to screw around with schoolgirl daydreams. He probably had a girlfriend. No, definitely, he definitely had one. And hey, he was just a person, like you. No need to be star struck.

Diana had been continuing her rant, completely unaware of being ignored, when she had let out a high pitched squeal of laughter.

"Oh my god...oh my god!" She shrieked.

"What?" You snapped, your hormone-wrestling train of thought cut off abruptly.

She stared at you, lips pressed together as if she was trying to contain more loud giggles.

"What??" You demanded impatiently, your limit for her antics very swiftly approaching.

"RM. K-pop superstar, probably one of the coolest people ever born, gets YOUR dorky ass as a soulmate, HAH!"

"Hey!" you deflated, unimpressed with what she considered to be so vastly comical.

"Oh that poor man!" she pushed dramatically, "That poor, poor man. You're the least graceful, geekiest person in the western hemisphere. What will you even talk about? Good thing you don't speak Korean, you'd probably bore him to death! Shit, at least you're pretty..."

You folded your arms over your chest defensively.

"Hilarious. But actually, he's fluent in English. And I read somewhere that he likes art..."

"Y/n, he's rich," she interrupted condescendingly, "All rich people like art. It's a huge flex to own an original. If I was a billionaire I'd 'like art' too. Oh my god, I just can't believe this is happening. Like he's crazy famous..."

"And very, very sick," you reminded her softly.

Her expression fell into something contrite.

"Oh, shit, I forgot," she murmured.

"I'm glad you're excited for me, Di. It really made me feel a lot better about the whole situation seeing you get some kind of joy out of it. But I can't stress enough that this isn't a fairytale. Who knows how he feels about resorting to this. I guarantee you this is as hard for him as it is for me."

Diana crossed over to the couch and skooched in next to you.

"All jokes aside, he's lucky to have you, Y/n. You love at a thousand percent. Even if you guys just end up being soul-buddies, or whatever, he hit the jackpot," she smiled at you, that sweet smile that made you rethink everything for one split second.

Now it was your turn to try to hold back tears.

"I'm gonna miss you," she murmured, "But I respect what you're doing."

"Now that he's famous?" You prodded with a teasing smile.

"Yeah, now that he's famous," she conceded. 

You pulled her into a hug. The silence that hung around you was pregnant but comfortable. Diana finally broke it with a soft question.

"So you're really going to give your whole life away for a total stranger next week?" she whispered.

"Mmhm," you hummed somberly into her hair.

"Why you always gotta be like Dad?"

A familiar lump began to form in your throat, but you swallowed it back. You always did. And Diana fell asleep in your lap one last time. You stroked her hair as you thought back, rather emotionally exhausted, over your conversation. It seemed like people thought of the soulmate connection as some kind of miracle. You didn't believe in those. People made choices, and those choices governed reality. You had just made the biggest choice of your life, and if it was like any of the other roads you had taken, it would require much of you. 

The following day was your last at work. Your coworkers had greeted you with pizza, cake, flowers, and hugs. It was touching to realize how much you would be missed. Your boss, Shauna, hovered as you gathered you belongings from your desk. 

"Damn it to hell, I'm gonna miss you!" She mourned for the umpteenth time.

You smiled as you tucked your little philodendron into the box, placing it next to the canvas speckled with daisies that read "You Matter" in curly green letters. 

"You have an amazing team here, you guys will do great," you insisted, patting her hand where she leaned on your desk.

"Um, a great team of people you trained!" she said, consoling herself with a swipe of frosting from what had once been a beautiful red velvet cake with white buttercream.

You leaned beside her on the desk, joining her in sadly picking at the dessert remains.

After you had graduated with your degree in social work, you had landed an internship in a program which Shauna was running. The two of you quickly discovered you had similar passions and community goals, and the following year had left the program to start Magnolia Village, a one-stop shop for women's services sadly unprecedented in your area. While the startup had been rough, your passionate duo had believed in the need and refused to say die, and from your mutual blood, sweat, and tears had blossomed a cornerstone of the local community. Over the years it had grown and extended its reach to thousands in need of support. Many of the staff were women who had first come through the door seeking services, and were now your partners in providing the aid they had found empowering in their hour of need.

You were immensely proud of what the two of you had built, but leaving the Village was bittersweet, as you were more confident than ever that it had grown into a well-oiled machine powered by lovely, capable people who could keep it going at full tilt without you.

"This place basically built itself, we just propped up the scaffolding," you remarked, glancing around the building fondly - what had once been a residential fixer-upper was now a cozy space of offices, a nurse's station, six emergency beds, sanitation services, and a food pantry

"Bitch, you know very well that I am the bulldozer and you are the heart and soul of this place. We are going to feel it when you leave. You better come back and visit us. Mirabell is going to do a good job filling your shoes, though. Watching her step up to the plate has been something else." 

"It has," you nodded, "She's going to kick ass. You might just forget I was ever here by the end of next week."

Shauna turned uncharacteristically tearful eyes toward you.

"I will never forget you," she choked.

Then suddenly you were being crushed in a bear hug. You returned her embrace until you thought you might actually pass out from lack of oxygen.

"Okay, I love you, but I'm about to asphyxiate!" you wheezed, slapping her on the shoulder.

She let you go, but grabbed your arm and looked at you seriously.

"I want you to promise me one thing," she said, holding your gaze.

You cocked your head to the side. Shauna released your arm to clasp both your hands in hers.

"I want you to promise me that when you get to Korea, you find something that you're gonna do for yourself."

You started to respond but she stopped you.

"Something for yourself. It doesn't matter what it is, but it can't be for your soulmate, or your family, or anyone else however deserving...just you, okay?"

You looked at her quizzically.

"I do stuff for me..." 

"Don't get swallowed up, baby girl. Find someone to ground you, to remind you that you're worth more than what you have to offer."

You scoffed.

"I'd like to see someone try and swallow me..."

"Y/n,"

"What?"

"Promise me."

"Okay," you nodded, "I promise."

Shauna squeezed your hands, then went back to chipping away at the mass of red crumbs and buttercream.

A little twinge of worry twisted in the pit of your stomach. You were strong. Resilient. No one could bounce back like you, could survive like you. People knew this - they had been telling you so since you were ten years old. So why was everyone acting like you were being cast out to sea without a life preserver? 

You had spent the weekend with your family. Henry and Mercedes had even driven down, Elena in tow, to have one last Sunday dinner and see you off to the airport. Hugs and tears and small parting gifts had made leaving even harder than you had imagined.

When you finally boarded the plane your eyes were red and your head was throbbing. After the plane had gained enough altitude to allow you to unfasten your seat-belt, you had slipped into the restroom to rinse your face. You returned, plopping down next to the man who would accompany you during your first few days of transition.

"I'm getting booze when they wheel it by, Matt, so don't try to stop me," you huffed, gesticulating in mild threat with the book you had extracted from your carry-on at the suited figure sitting in the window seat.

The handsome older gentleman smiled, not lifting his eyes from the copy of the Korean Herald in his hands.

"Wouldn't dream of it," he responded, flipping a large, thin page.

Matt Anders had been many things to you in life. Before you were born, he had been your father's best friend. He had been the best man at your parent's wedding. He and his wife, Rebecca, had cared for you and your siblings during your mother's sanitarium stay. He had tutored you for the SAT score that had earned you a full ride to the university that had saddled you with a BS in social work and minor in English literature. Today, he was your attorney. Matt, who had an IQ of 146, had learned basic Korean so that he could translate for you and make sure that your interests were looked after as you settled in. Having him there made you feel one hundred percent more secure about the process. He, for instance, had been the one in negotiations to ask for the very cush business-class fight accommodations you were new settling into.

"Whatever you would do for him, you'll do for her. I want an equality of treatment clause added with no addendums."

You smiled to yourself as you remembered his exchange with the Hybe's representation. He had asked for things you would have never asked for yourself, and you felt better having access to them knowing that he felt you were deserving.

The flight attendant sweetly asked if you would require any refreshments. You asked for two whiskey and cokes, and handed one over to the man beside you. You took a long, refreshing sip.

"Damn it, I wish I had appreciated food more," you sighed, looking ruefully at your glass.

"What are you going to miss the most?" Matt asked before sampling his own beverage.

"Cheese. I can't believe I'm saying that, but in the end I just love cheese. And there are so many kinds I haven't tried. Do you know there's this Italian cheese that comes in the shape of a pear? It's super expensive because of the breed of cow the milk is sourced from. It's supposedly suuuuper creamy. But, hey, now I'll never know if it's as rich and complex as they say..."

You took another sip of your drink.

"Caciocavallo Podolico," Matt remarked casually, returning to his newspaper.

"Excuse me?"

"The cheese you described, it's called Caciocavallo Podolico," he reiterated.

"You know, I should be used to it now, but I'm not. Don't think I'll ever be. How on earth do you know this stuff?" you insisted incredulously.

"Read it once," he shrugged, "And it's actually pretty famous as far as cheeses go."

"Catch-a-vayo Picadillo..." you murmured.

"No," Matt interjected succinctly. "Anything you want to go over again? We have the time, Lord knows."

You sighed.

"Can't think of anything right now. What did you think of the list of questions I sent you?" 

"Very good," he nodded, "I'll be adding a few of my own, that I think should come from me, if you don't mind."

You swirled the ice in your plastic cup.

"Of course not. Thanks again for coming with me, I'd be pretty lost without you."

Matt smiled at you again, reaching over to squeeze your arm.

"You'd do just fine. But you would be flying coach."

You smirked and cracked open your book. As you flipped to your marked page, a colorful, sturdy rectangle of paper fluttered to the ground at Matt's feet. He reached down and picked it up, regarding it with a curious eye before you could snatch it quickly away and tuck it back between the pages of My Antonia.

"New bookmark?" he queried.

"Something like that," you murmured.

You thought he might press you further about the Hangul characters he had surely noted on the back, but just then the captain's voice crackled over the intercom reiterating the weather conditions in Seoul and you took the opportunity to bury your nose back between the pages. You glanced clandestinely over at Matt, who had settled back into the Korean Herald, before pulling the little watercolor card from between the pages where it had been hurriedly concealed. Your eyes traced over the purple clematis trailing elegantly across the illustration as you wondered if 12 hours was, in fact, a millisecond or an eternity.

-End Ch. 1-

[agoodfictitle-shadowban]

From Vormir, With Love - Part 3

Part 1

Part 2

Tags: strangers to lovers, love in space angst on earth, slavery mention, alien abduction, post Endgame, will add as we go on

Summary: As you're being chased you crash on Vormir. So far, so bad. But things take a turn when you come face to face with a marooned Black Widow.

Word count: 2.9k

A/n: i don't remember which gifs i used already fkdoslzkz anyway, enjoy guys lmao

You awake in a silent room, everyone sleeping. Or almost. It's scary how quickly you notice Natasha's absence in the bunks or on the ground within the improvised beds. With a low groan, you sit up and look around to find her. And you do, she's sitting at the helm, one leg against her torso that she holds with her connected hands, her eyes fixated on the space advancing at speed around her. The colorful tapestry reflects against her like water navigating her skin, and you realize you could look at her forever. This too scares you. So you decide to face your fears head on and stand up to go talk to her.

"I'd prefer if you didn't put your boots on the seats," you whisper as to not awake anyone else. She looks up at you with those blue eyes and you feel your heart skip a beat. She offers a mischievous smile to you, before she puts her leg down.

"Stick in the mud."

"Better than mud on this… I want to say leather, but I have no idea if I'm honest." Her throaty laugh makes you smile and you hide it by looking at the console. You were doing good time, all things considered.

"I'll keep that in mind for the future."

Her teasing makes you escalate the situation. You refuse to back down now that you set up that boundary.

"You better remember."

"Or what?"

"Or I'll have to come for you," you threaten, leaning closer to her before you think better of it. There is a tension there, but you can't quite put your finger on it until she leans up, her eyes searching yours.

"We wouldn't want that," she says in… is that a flirty tone? No. No way. You were imagining things.

Things like a future after you're back on Earth, a very unlikely one, where she comes to visit you, or you go back in space together. Maybe you could be friends, or maybe… you stop your gay brain. 

Yes, Natasha Romanoff is a very attractive woman, but one who would never be interested in you. And she is an Avenger, an incredible human being, a hero - no matter if they never came to save you right now. It's crazy how much you already want more from her despite barely knowing her, which is why you decide to simply shelve these budding attractions that you can't call feelings yet. It's better that way.

You just need to get further away from her face. And you did. Very slowly.

"I'm glad we agree," you say, your throat suddenly very dry.

You hear a beep coming from the side and take a look at the controls. Apparently you just made it to the Universal Neural Teleportation Network. You look at the empty space before you, and give a look to Natasha.

"We need to wake up everyone to secure them for the jump." You stand up and start to shake a few of your passengers awake, ordering them around with Natasha. When everyone is secure, you sit back at your seat and send the signal to open the door to the network and go through. You feel the sudden speed pull at your inside uncomfortably and before you know it you're far from Vormir.

-

A few hours go by before you are able to see the outpost orbiting a gaseous planet. You slowly approach until you receive a transmission.

"Outpost Theta-3, decline your identity."

The voice sounds frantic, and you quickly notice you were far from the only ship approaching the outpost. Probably an after effect of half the galaxy appearing back suddenly.

"We're mercenaries, in need of a place to board."

"Alright. Bay E-12 starboard."

"Thank you."

You fly and park next to the platform you were given access to, quickly feeling the gravity dampener relaying your ship's thrusters. It was bumpy with all the ships coming and going right next to you, but it was still a success. You let out a sigh of relief, glad to be able to get out of the ship. After staying in for so long, you're starting to feel cooped up. Still, you let everyone know they can leave safely, and wait for the cleaning crew to go first. When you leave your seat and look behind you, Natasha and June are still there, waiting for you to get out of the cockpit. There are no words exchanged, and no need for them, but you're thankful they waited for you. You join them towards the open door and before the three of you come out, you hand Natasha a small chip.

"Universal translator. So far we all had one, but we might come across people who don't so…"

"Alright," she nods. "Can you…?"

"Ah, yes, let me…" you come closer to her and gently move her hair out of the way, your fingertips caressing her skin so you can attach the chip right behind her ear. She let out a breath, now noticing she held it in at your proximity.

You offer her a shy smile before turning back to the door and going through it, only to see your new friends were under the threat of weapons. Some of them are pointed your way once you go through the door. You quickly put your hands up and someone comes to you to get your weapons, including those Natasha have.

"You're under arrest for being a part of the Grafd Syndicate. Charges include theft, attack against the Nova Empire, slavery, and numerous other crimes," one of them say as he steps forward.

"I'm so glad I can understand them," she seethe with a look your way. Did she think you…? No, she has to know.

"Wow. Wait, no. We're not– we stole the ship, remember. We stole it to escape them," you address the man in front of you, as much as Natasha. You can't see if she believes you or not, too worried by the scan they submit you to. It isn't the first time something like that happens, but every time it puts you on edge.

The man who scans you reports the results to his superior, who examines them for a minute. Tension feels your back, and you want to flee but you know better. They'd shot you down in an instant. Luckily it doesn't come to that. With a gesture everyone brings their weapons down. You take a deep breath, relief washing over you.

"We understand your situation, we will keep you among the other refugees until we know where to send you." The man starts to leave and you take a step further.

"That usually doesn't go so well," you whisper to yourself before you decide to plead more of your case. "Wait, actually we need you to contact someone and we can be out of your hair in no time."

He considers your words carefully.

"Lieutenant Krio, please see to them," he says without answering you directly. The Lieutenant in question, an alien with green skin but otherwise an humanoïd appearance, nods before she takes a step towards you.

"Please follow me, any of your needs will be covered once you get settled. Including your requests," she adds when she sees you're about to interrupt again. You abdicate for now and agree to simply follow her. You could almost smell Earth, you just needed to be patient a little bit longer.

After traveling through some hallways, you arrive at their mess hall. It's a long room, with a high ceiling, white walls and no windows but a skylight that gives directly into space, and more room than needed most of the time you imagine. But not today. Today, it's full of people. You guess most of them are past victims of the Snap, judging by how lost most of them look. There were at least a hundred people packed in the room, and your group just added to that number. When your guide finally stops it's to show you a small space delimited only by some holographic tape, with barely enough space for all of you to lay down, some sleeping bags and blankets stocked in a corner.

"Wait, we can just stay in our ship if you don't have the space," you offer upon observing your new quarters.

"Sorry, but we have to follow regulations."

"Regulations say we have to be parked like animals in a room?" You ask, your tone bordering on anger.

"That's how it is. No one likes it but we can't do anything about it. We need to secure your ship and it might take some time with the current influx of people."

You're about to protest some more when a hand grabs yours, and you immediately calm down at the cold coming from it. You give a pout to Natasha at her clear message. Calm down. We won't be there long.

"Okay, okay… can you at least try to contact the person I need you to?"

"Sure, do you have an ID number for them?"

"No, just a name." You turn to Natasha and let her give it, ignoring the annoyance on the face of your interlocutor.

"Carol Danvers, also known as Captain Marvel."

Recognition crosses the face of the Lieutenant and she nods. "We can try to contact her, but don't expect much. She rarely answers."

"Simply tell her it's from Natasha Romanoff."

"We will. Now if you'll excuse me…" she looks at your new quarters, then to your group. "I have more work to do. Someone will bring you food and more sleeping arrangements."

"Thank you," you answer very briefly and walk into your small corner. There was barely any space to move around and once everyone was sitting down, it felt even worse, especially with your bags thrown on the ground.

-

You discard your empty food tray when a soldier walks the imaginary hallways with a trolley to recover all the discarded dishes. After that, you sit next to June, who is now sleeping directly on the cold hard ground, and face Natasha, talking a few words in hushed tones to her.

"So, how do you know this Captain Marvel?" When you were taken from Earth, she wasn't yet a big name. You briefly wonder if you should have kept this question to yourself when you see the haunted look in her blue-green eyes, but she still answers.

"It was shortly after the Snap. We were still counting our losses. So many people…" you can see her eyes glimmer with unshed tears, and you wonder how many people close to her she lost. You guess a few. You yourself wondered sometimes if upon returning on Earth you would find the empty house of your parents, or if they would be there still.

"Anyone you knew?" You ask before thinking.

"Friends. My sister, too."

Slowly you move next to her and put your hand on her cold one, before you squeeze it gently. She looks so vulnerable, so far from the image you had of Earth's mightiest heroes. You truly hope your warmth can reach her somehow.

"I'm sure she's back like everyone else."

She smiles at you, just from the corner of her lips but it's enough for you. Your eyes meet briefly before she looks down, and you think you can see a bit of red on her cheeks. Somehow it makes your heart skip a bit.

"Yeah, she's probably fine. I just hope she'll be okay until I come home."

"Hey, if we're lucky we won't take 5 years now that we have your friend." Your joke makes her chuckle.

"Anyway… she appeared not long after the Snap, looking for Fury. He was part of the casualties so from then on we started working together," she finishes.

The haunted look made you think that this short explanation left out the weight of the numerous years spent feeling these losses. Her sister, her friends, whoever this Fury guy was. It was a lot when you also had the weight of half the world disappearing on your shoulders too. The grief must have been agonizing.

"That's quite the story. I guess that's all it takes for superheroes to start working together."

She hums, and after a lull in the conversation, she leans against you. It takes you by surprise, your breath catching in your throat. You swallow hard and turn your head to look at her. She's looking back at you with her sea-side eyes, and her face is so close you can feel her breath on your skin.

"I'm not bothering you, am I?" She asks in the same whispery tone you've been using for your conversation, but suddenly it feels so much more intimate. "You're just warm."

"No, it's no problem." Your answer it's a bit louder than you intended, and a small smirk finds its place on Natasha's lips. You blush in embarrassment.

"I'm going to take a nap then. Wake me up if anything happens."

You nod, she closes her eyes, and your throat is the driest it's ever been.

-

"Wake up," you urgently move Natasha away from you. "I think something is happening."

When she opens her eyes, she takes a deep breath and your scent immediately invades her senses. She'd had the best sleep she had in a while, and awakening is now harder than she expected it would be. But, contrary to her spirit, her body is ready to fight. Instinctively she reaches for her weapon. She still had two full magazines but it won't be enough if they're under attack. Maybe she can nick a weapon, but first, she has to assess the situation. She looks around, seeing everyone is agitated and some of the guards are running in the hallways. The floor is slightly shaking, too, a clear indication of something happening.

"Any idea what's happening?" She asks, crouching instead of simply sitting to get ready to act. You're already doing the same, a knee still on the ground to check on your own weapon and make sure the coils are in good shape.

"Not really. The station has been moving for a few minutes now -" explained the shaking "- but no one told us anything." As you are checking your weapon, Natasha notices your fingers are unsteady. It's the first time she sees something worry you since you met to the point of making you tremble.

"Y/n, are you okay?"

You nod at first, then shake your head, your breath shallow. "I just… What if it's the Grafd? What if we endangered everyone by coming here? When it's just us, it's fine, but there are so many people here!"

Natasha frowns. She's worried about your sudden panic, but also focuses on the fact you mentioned that you are being pursued by some people - the people you escaped from, she guessed now - but why would they still be after you? Yes, you took a ship from them, but it had been five years. It makes Natasha wonder if something else happened that they were so hell-bent in finding you again. She would need to bring the subject again later. For now, she decides to simply comfort you. You seem on the verge of a panic attack.

"Hey, it's probably nothing. See, Lieutenant Krio is here." She gently rubs your back, and you take a deep breath to relax slowly as you listen to the Nova Corps agents.

"Please, everyone calm down. The station moved through an asteroid field, we're in stable space again."

You let out a deep, shaky breath, and Natasha has you sit back down. Gently she pries your weapon from your fingers and puts it down on one of your packs.

"Those guys really scares you, huh?" She asks a rhetorical question. You know it's useless to deny it, no matter the bravado you show more often than not. Usually, there isn't a station full of innocent people around you. Usually.

"I guess. It's just… it happened once. People got caught in the crossfire." You swallow with difficulty. You remember the screams and the fire and the smell of burned corpses. After that you avoided places that were isolated, and you kept as low a profile as possible. You only scavenged in hope of getting out of this whole mess.

Natasha knew the feeling too well. For her, it was Dreykov's daughter, the people of New York during the battle who didn't make it. She knew what dreams haunted her friends too. It was the price of that life after all.

"Does it get better?" You ask when you see in her eyes what you see in yours when you look in the mirror.

"It does. Bit by bit. But never fully." It's hard for her to tell you the truth but she knows it's what you want. You nod. "It helps to have people you can count on." She looks towards the now awake June, and Tim. You barely know the guy but he'd been there for you so far - a bit out of paranoia but still it counts for something. "And to have people to talk with."

She smiles at you and takes your hand, lacing your fingers together. The gesture is firm but she offers you the possibility to take your hand away. You choose to leave it there.

It's a peaceful moment, and a peaceful feeling that she brings to you. But it barely lasts, when a soldier comes to your group. You let go of her hand, almost like a shy highschooler who doesn't want their parents to know about their girlfriend. A blast to the past.

"We got an answer," he says shortly. "Says she'll be here soon."

Natasha straightens her back. "Perfect."

It sounds like you were soon going to be home.

[dearweirdme]

Hi Jkk anon!

I admire your dedication, that was a long ass ask you sent me. I'm not gonna post it, because even though you seem to think I know nothing about what Jkkrs believe... I actually do and what you have sent me was nothing new to me. You can actually go through my blog and look at all the asks on this topic... your side has sent me a lot.

What you have sent me is proof of Jm and Jk's close bond and I never said that they aren’t close. They're best friends who have spent a huge part of their lives together, more than best friends do on a regular base. To me, that is the perfect explanation of why Jm and Jk interact the way they do.

You take issue with me saying Jkkrs rely on the "grand moments". I'm not sure what you want from me, I'm really not going to apologize for that. I do actually think that those big moments (Rose Bowl, GCF Tokyo, the bite) are the pillars of your believes. I have no problem with Atomix possibly being a group visit, it would change nothing about what I believe in general. Your side however holds on strongly to those moments, they come back in every argument. You even use them yourself, while trying to tell me it's much more than those moments. I am well aware of all the things you all have decided is proof. But Jkkrs agreeing with Jkkrs doesn't really do much for me. I don't care how big those accounts you sent me are.. to me they're still fanaccounts. Someone with only ten followers might just as well be right as someone with thousands.

I've thought about what it is exactly that makes all of you see this wrongly... and I think I've landed on the unwillingness to place Jm and Jk and Tae into a bigger context. It's as though you pic Jm and Jk and try to make them fit the mold of a regular romantic couple. They never do quite fit the mold though.. and that's when you all start to insert your own ideas. Jm, Jk and Tae are part of a bigger picture though. You have to place them and their behaviors into the context of society, business strategies, group behavior, etc... and all of you don't do that. The biggest thing Jkkrs don't seem to be able to grasp, is that we are not looking at a regular couple in love. The openness and obviousness you all talk about.. is the obviousness of friendship. In SK an in-band-same-sex-idol-couple would never be highlighted the way Jm and JK are. It is just not possible. GCF Tokyo would never have been released if it had been about their romantic relationship. They would never have entered the military together if they were actually together. BH would have tried to hide them (to protect them and their business) not showcase them. So while you think everything you have seen of them is a sign of them being together, I know.. that cannot be true. They're not fake, their bond isn't fanservice.. but their bond is a safe bet for BH. It is risk-free. If you were to take a close look at Tae and Jk (and to me it is obvious you have not, otherwise you would not have sent me some of the JKk examples you have) you would maybe (no probably not.. you seem quite stubborn) see that their relationship actually would fit that of a closeted idol couple. You make fun of our "focus on eye contact, looks, taekook sitting so close to each other lol, or them knowing details about each other" but that is a huge part of how one would recognize two people in love... especially when that couple cannot act on their love publicly.

If you really want me to relay every point you made in your long ask... go through my straws and ship analysis tag... I'm convinced you will find everything there already.

[hanafubukki]

Hello hello I just saw that you answered my ask about royalty!Yuu x Lilia (I was distracted by fields of mistria and delico's nursery) and I'm surprised that not only you but a lot of other people liked it 🥹

I saw someone talking in the tags and wanna add on some extra stuff:

-Even if Malmal becomes king Lilia still outranks him because Lilia is now emperor consort akskshddhsjn

-Yuu's world has magic, the magic however relies less on tools and more on biology and training (sorta like bending in avatar) it also has magical creatures (dragons, kelpies,harpies,etc)

-Succession depends on if the young monarch is capable of taming said creatures or not, if they pass the test only then can they start taking classes for subjects that will help them run the empire

-The moment the worlds merged all Yuu's friends started interrogating them about their past and status and Yuu is looking at them like that one hamster meme with the sad violin

"you've been royalty this whole time and never made a fuss about the way you're being treated in that dorm?"

"I didn't think it'd matter since this is a different world 🥺"

-I HC that since the world of twst has many monarchies and a nobility system it also has special laws for how students with royal status must be treated to enable both respect and neutrality

-The moment Yuu's status was publicly shared both sides of the the worlds went insane because on Yuu's side it was believed that Yuu, the people's monarch, was kidnapped but now there's an announcement for their upcoming engagement????? That will be followed by a wedding then coronation???? And on the twst side there's this new empire that has tamed dragons and other beasts that LITERALLY CAME OUT OF NOWHERE and has foreign magic right next door, but don't worry because apparently the monarch is going to marry some Fae???? so everything is fine

"there goes my freedom.."

"Dude- uh.. your highness, with all due respect, shouldn't you worry more about your side starting a war if you don't set the record straight? They seem very on edge."

"It's fine just call me Yuu as you always have, Ace. No there won't be a war, I already sent a message so a small delegation will arrive and I'll explain to them"

"does that mean we won't see you anymore?"

"of course not Deuce, I'll still be here and I'll fight to finish my studies... I just need to prepare what I'll tell them. I can't let them know about- oh my goodness! Lilia! I can never let them know about him as is!"

"why not?"

"From what I've seen this world believes in true love... My family does not and never will. Lilia could make a good marriage candidate because he's a retired general, but I can never let them know that he courted me. My family holds the sentiment that love clouds judgement and if you try to rule your empire with rose tinted glasses you'll be blind to any faults your partner would make at the expense of the people."

"I see, then Ace and I as well as our friends can help you guys out! We'll relay they message to Cater so he can tell Lilia and be on watch for any posts that could out you guys. You can count on us!"

"You guys would do that? Thank you so much. We just have to keep it up until the wedding because royal marriages are difficult to annul so it can't be contested, And seeing how I'm drowning in letters, they probably will speed through the wedding to get to the coronation "

"we'll let them know"

"wait if you guys got married does that make silver a prince?"

"Ace!"

"okay okay! I'm coming! Yeesh"

"Can't believe you're relying on those idiots"

"Be nice Grim. If they do as they say you'll be the ring bearer aaand you'll have more tuna than you could ever dream of"

"oooh I'm sold! Wait if I'm the ring guy then who's the flower person?"

"that'll be Sebek"

"oh you're mean hehehe"

Aaaaa this was an ooc mess but I really wanted to infodump

[referring to this ask]

Hello Empress Anonie 💚🌺💕

I'm happy many other's enjoyed your ask 💕💚 It's so cute. Also, Yessss another one who love's Delico Nursery 🥰💕 I haven't played fields of mistra but have friends who love it.

Going to call you empress anonie 💕💚

Yuu: My status means nothing, treat me the same.

Also Yuu: Shit, my love life needs to be a secret.

😂😂😂 Sebek is the flower boy is so cute. I can imagine him not knowing how to treat yuu either after the revelation too.

Silver is a prince....well, everyone thought he was always princely lolol

[hot-take-tournament]

HOT TAKE TOURNAMENT

PRE-PRELIMINARY #63

"Prev tags" should never have become a thing.

[JUSTIFICATION UNDER THE CUT]

Pre-preliminaries will be used to determine what qualifies as a hot take. Propaganda is encouraged!

Also, remember to reblog your favourite polls for exposure! (exposure like when you’re exposed to the fact that the KISS Scooby Doo crossover does actually exist, scarring you for life)

"Prev tags" is just annoying, inefficient, only works sometimes, and just dumb as fuck. Like, if someone tells you a funny story, and you wanna relay it to someone else, you're gonna be like "Hey, this person told me a funny story! I'm gonna relay it to you." You WOULDN'T go up to someone and be like "GO FIND THIS PERSON WHO TOLD ME A FUNNY STORY." Like, holy shit that's just dumb. The scavenger hunt aspect simply is not worth it. In my experience, it NEVER is worth it. It just puts me in a bad mood. Plus, what if it's a long post? You want people to have to scroll up and down and up and down just to get to those tags? Holy shit, no! That's just irritating!

And people like to claim 'Oh, prev tags is an INTEGRAL feature to the site!" NO IT IS NOT. It started popping up in 2021. The first time I remember seeing it, it was a text post, and everyone was going "prev" and the OP's tags were just a "spike trap" joke, where it told people to prev tags them. THAT IS THE ORIGIN. Prev tags isn't an ancient feature from the era of SuperWhoLock that we cannot leave behind- in fact, in posts FROM that era, people would copy-paste or screenshot tags and commonly be like "Why would you leave this in the tags?" Prev tags can't do that!! We steal tags here, sir! Posting someone else's tags in the body of the post has been part of the site's culture for AGES!

Not to mention- prev tags has really bad archival issues. Say you're on a post, and there's something in the tags you consider a great addition, so you go "prev" along with the rest of your tags for posts like these. A month later, the person you "prev"d has deactivated for whatever reason, or maybe they've deleted the post. Those tags are gone. They are just GONE. You can't get them back, you can't view them again, the tags are completely gone. Meanwhile, screenshotting or copy-pasting the tags preserves them.

(This is, to a lesser extent, worse for me, since I have ADHD, which negatively impacts my memory. So no, I do not automatically remember my hilarious tags.)

Many people like to claim "Oh, that's not the point of it, prev tags is for privately telling the person who left the tags you appreciate them!" Which, first of all if they don't like prev tags, that'll just tick them off. But second of all... If you wanna tell them you liked their tags, message them??? A friendship of mine started and persists because my friend messages me posts I've tagged like "Good tags" or smth like that. That would not have happened if I'd just been "prev tags"d.

And if anything, prev tags decreases communication between us. That friend of mine and I have commonly had conversations about those tags, since they're most often related to blorbos. And our friendship is stronger because of that! If they'd just been like "prev" that wouldn't have happened. I wouldn't have had all those great conversations. I wouldn't have that friend. I know, messaging people scary, but I highly doubt people are gonna find being messaged about how awesome their tags were irritating. Please, just actually talk to EACH OTHER instead of talking in the tags! Subject yourself to the mortifying ideal of being known, it will reward you!

I'll die on this fucking hill. Out of any hill, I will die here.

[laughroditee]

COD Fanfic Collab Feeler Post (Poll at bottom)

Hello, my lovelies! I am thinking about hosting a fic event built around the idea of "exquisite corpse," where everyone writes a little bit, but no one knows what anyone else is writing until the very end, and the result is a finished piece of bizarre fiction.

🚨SOME GROUND RULES🚨 (I may add more if more come up. Yes, I am a hag.)

There will be a central theme to unify everyone's pieces, though the end result will still be weird AF, like a glitch in the Matrix. There may also be a tone as well, but I'm still deciding on that.

In total, this would be a month-long event, with a maximum number of participants equal to the number of days in that month. So if we do October (which is what I hope to do, but we'll see), a maximum of 31 participants. For November: 30. You get the picture. If the event does not gain enough participants to max out, whoever has joined by the cutoff will just go again, and we'll cycle through until the end.

This would run a bit like a baton relay since each person's contribution builds on the previous installment. For example, I'll start the fic as number one (because it's my event), then send the last sentence to number two. Number two sends their last sentence to number three, and so on. Due to this, TIMING IS SO IMPORTANT! We want to be able to get through everyone's posts in a timely manner since we're not all writing at the same time; we're doing it in a chain.

For that reason, WRITING would take place the month before, and each writer would schedule their post for their assigned day at noon during the event month. So, if we really are going to be doing a Halloween fic, then writing would take place in September, with each post being scheduled for the writer's assigned day in October.

If this is a thing that will happen, I will be making everyone a shitty event banner to place at the top of their post with the event and their entry number so people know this is a chain of fics, and appropriate links to the beginning, previous entry, and next entry should be included in your post to support your fellow creators and help readers navigate the bullshit of this thing we're building together. (I understand that some links won't be able to be added until the posts are public.)

A common event tag should also be used but I haven't decided what it is yet. Probably "#cod exquisite corpse" to keep it simple.

Everyone gets a word count CAP of 500 words. So LESS THAN 500 words is ideal! If you go over 500, those extra words will be cut off, and whatever is left in that truncated sentence is what will get sent to the next person to finish and build on as their prompt (so be kind to the person after you and don't go over).

Smut is okay (tag your post with appropriate warnings - I will say no CNC or non-con for this, sorry), but I will challenge everyone to use gender-neutral!Reader and/or canon x canon to keep everyone on the same page and to let as many people have a good time here. If that doesn't sound like a good time to you, you don't have to participate. If you need tips on writing gender-neutral smut, please leave a comment, and I'm sure our lovely community can give some tips.

Please also watch for POC-inclusive writing, as not every skin tone blushes, not everyone wants/can have fingers running through their hair, etc. Again, if you need help with this, there have been MANY posts floating around in the community if you've missed them. You can also leave a comment, and we'll see if we can get some tips together.

Please be inclusive about body size, in both height and weight, so that our tall and fat Readers can get some love too. As such, there will be no size difference kinks for this event. I realize that making a "perfectly neutral Reader" may be challenging (and "perfect" is a loaded term), but I know it's doable, as I've seen people do it. If you don't want to do that, no one is forcing you to participate.

No killing characters since that's a major continuity issue lol. 💀 There will already be enough continuity issues with people fucking every other chapter with zero further mention of it, but that's beside the point.

And finally, keep it light, keep it fun, AND BE KIND. Fandom is supposed to be silly-funny, so let's get along and make our dolls kiss everyone.

I realize this is a lot, and honestly, this event may not pan out. It may be a lot more like herding cats than anything else. I'm just making this post to preemptively determine how much interest there is before I go making event banners and stuff and wasting my time.

So finally...

[the-ikran-man]

Peace of Mind

Posting our most recent piece of fan fiction since it's short.

Summary:

Quaritch and Sully bury a part of their past.

Teen And Up Audiences

Archive Warning:

Categories:

Gen

M/M

Fandom:

Avatar (Cameron Movies)

Relationships:

Miles Quaritch/Jake Sully

Eywa & Recombinant Miles Quaritch

Characters:

Recombinant Miles Quaritch

Jake Sully

Eywa | The Great Mother [Mentioned]

Additional Tags:

Burial

Former Lives

Late Night Conversations

Moving On

Published: 2023-05-22 Words: 820

It started as a quiet affair.

Traveling to the shack.

The night is buzzing softly with its life, the plants glowing in an array of colors around the clearing edges.

The AMP sticking out like a sore thumb, cold and robotically lifeless.

Upon a closer look there's the faint presence of vines growing into the cockpit.

"She sure tried, didn't she?" Miles comments.

"You coming back and disturbing it probably didn't help," Jake replies, gesturing to the neck of the corpse, where its skull had been removed.

"Your kids tell you about that?"

"Yeah."

"Think us moving it is gonna make it any better?"

"If Eywa decides she wants him, then she'll take him, we're just making it a little easier," Jake says before he reaches into the AMP, carefully removing some of the bones, the hands and arms, along with some scraps of clothes, "I'll find him a good spot, so come on."

Miles grabs some bones as well, the ribcage and spine.

He trails after Jake as he wanders into the forest, searching for a spot.

"You don't think he could tell us if he has a preference?"

"How dare you try to make such a serious moment, laughable, Miles fucking Quaritch," Jake scolds, though Miles can hear the humor in his voice.

"Sorry, sorry."

"I can't believe you."

Miles can't help the grin that comes to his face, as he chuckles softly.

The pair keep waking for a while, till they find a spot that's not absolutely choked with flora.

Jake crouches, carefully clearing some that were still in the way before he starts digging, Miles coming down to help him.

"I'll go get the rest of the bones," he says once they've got a reasonably sized grave.

"Alright," Jake says, starting to set the bones they had down into the hole, placing them carefully so they would look like the skeleton was laying on its side once it was complete, the scraps of clothes being draped over them.

Or about as complete as it could be while missing a skull.

Miles comes back with more of the bones, needing to take a third trip back for the last bits.

Jake continues to relay the bones down.

"Hey, I found this," Miles says as he comes back again.

Jake hears the jiggle of dog tags before he even turns his head to look.

"He'll probably want to be buried with those, unless we want to give them to Spider someday."

"They're not his," Miles says, Jake reaching to take them so he could have a look.

"I know Lyle or somebody took his, pocketed them so..."

"These are mine," Jake mutters.

"How'd he get them?"

"You should know."

"Tell me anyways."

"Gave them to him at some point, don't know why. It's really a stupid gesture, giving another person your dog tags in a supposedly hostile environment."

"But you trusted him."

"Guess I did. I didn't know he held onto them. He said I betrayed him, why keep something from me if he felt that way?"

"Maybe he was stupid too," Miles says, placing the last bones in their spots.

Jake laughs, "Yeah, maybe he was."

He gets to his feet, "We need one more thing, then we can cover him up. I'll be right back, hopefully I can find one."

If Eywa lets him, he'd find one, he's sure.

---

He doesn't find one. Or well he does, but he can't catch them, the atokirina, woodsprites floating just out of his reach. Guess even Eywa had her limits.

Jake understands.

He goes back to Miles empty handed, and kneels back down next to him to start scooping dirt back into the hole.

Miles brushes dirt off his hands when they finish, "Think we should mark it?"

"No, better for it to just disappear eventually."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, there's no reason to cling to it. Beside if I really feel like reminiscing, I have these," Jake raises the dog tags.

"You gonna wear them? Isn't there some law about not doing that?"

Jake unclasps the tags, "It's about using metals from the ground, but I feel this is different enough." He struggles a little clasping it back around his neck, and Miles moves to help him.

"I'm sure someone will tell me to take it off at some point, which in that case, I have you," he adds, patting Miles on the shoulder before he gets up.

"That's true, I certainly beat the original."

"Don't think too highly of yourself, your ego's big enough."

Miles laughs, "Says Toruk Makto. You got a ego boost large enough from that to rival mine."

"I don't know what you're talking about, I'm very humble about that," Jake says, with a scoff as he starts to walk off.

Miles follows him, fall into step beside him easily, their hands brushing.

Jake hooks pinkies with Miles.

They walk together, quietly, back towards home.

[quickstappen]

track 003: twisting stories, all because you're jealous

A/N: i am back at it guys, sorry for the angst? i hate the written section of this with burning fashion, i think i rewrote it like 20 times (that's why it took so long to post) but i can't get it to be where i want it to be so fuck it we ball.

also, some additional warnings here: nothing specific but mostly crude language, swearing and touching a bit on sexual harassment (not exactly, just don't know how to explain the rumors spread about paola in warnings, english is not my first language)

masterlist | previous next

liked by jensonbutton, oscarpiastri and others

paola_sainz road crimes were definitely committed, but at least we got the band back together ;) featuring Jenson the taxi driver

tagged: oscarpiastri, logansargeant, arthur_leclerc, frederikvestiofficial, paularon_, liamlawson30, jensonbutton

see all comments...

jensonbutton I knew that's all I was to you, a glorified taxi driver

↳ paola_sainz don't take it personally ❤️

shithappens the prema (+liam) band is back!!! the world is healing

elmatadorf1 get away from them! leave the drivers alone, i can't believe she's still trying to leech off of them 🐍💀

F4ST_C4R did you race? if so who won???

logansargeant hate to break it to you, but you were the main instigator of those crimes Lola 🙄

↳ paola_sainz so not true! oscarpiastri tell him!

↳ oscarpiastri it's all Arthur's fault

↳ mcwilliams not Arthur catching strays 👀

cuddlyxricc will you comment on the paddock ban or ignore it like everything else?? 😒

redleclerc we need to know who won!! 👀

4ND1 what i would give to go karting with all of them 😭

↳ lightning_enjyr right?? it looks like so much fun

lewibear did you win?

hammertime_1 i bet she destroyed them

charles_leclerc I think my invitation got lost somewhere?

↳ arthur_leclerc Find your own friends Charles 🙄

frederikvestiofficial We need to do this more often!

hamilteaa how is it that she posted this man so many times and we still don't have any characteristic feature?? it could literally be any brunette 😭

arthur_leclerc For everyone asking, I won 😎

↳ oscarpiastri That's not true

↳ paularon_ No you didn't Arthur

↳ logansargeant mate, you came last

oscarpiastri Always a pleasure to race alongside you 😉

↳ paola_sainz even when I get super competitive?

↳ oscarpiastri Especially then

↳ paola_sainz 🧡😉

catstri mister piastri, she is taken 😳

view more...

oscarpiastri posted new instagram stories!

caption: even when arthur_leclerc attempted 'the ichident' reprise on the main straight, paola_sainz still won

⟶ paola_sainz replied to your story!

paola_sainz aw osc, you're making me blush ☺️

⟶ arthur_leclerc replied to your story!

arthur_leclerc Only because she cheated!

oscarpiastri Excuse you, my girlfriend does not cheat

AUSTRIA 2024

paola_sainz posted new instagram stories!

caption 1: bit of a chill evening today, can't say I'm used to this during race weekends lol

⟶ oscarpiastri replied to your story!

oscarpiastri I really wish you were here baby, you have no idea 🧡

paola_sainz me too Osc, but dw you'll do great

caption 2: keeping up with Redbull Ring from my bed, let's go boys!

caption 3: we all knew max was gonna win (congrats by the way maxverstappen1) but HELL YEAHHH OSC! THAT'S P2 MATEEE 🧡

⟶ maxverstappen1 replied to your story!

maxverstappen1 Thanks Paola 🎉

⟶ oscarpiastri replied to your story!

oscarpiastri mate?

paola_sainz isn't that how you aussies relay affection?

oscarpiastri 🖕

paola_sainz 🧡

GREAT BRITAIN 2024

liked by logansargeant, oscarpiastri and others

paola_sainz british grand prix? don't know her. this week is for miss America and miss America only. welcome to the 4th of July bash at Jenson's house ;)

tagged: logansargeant, jensonbutton, oscarpiastri, alex_albon, arthur_leclerc, danielricciardo

see all comments...

hamilteaa they celebrated 4th of July with Logan 😭😭 no one speak to me

danielricciardo As a honorary American I approve, the free alcohol was a big plus👌🤠 Jenson should invite us over more often

↳ jensonbutton I was not aware of this happening until it was too late

↳ paola_sainz you love us ;)

↳ jensonbutton Unfortunately 🙄

srgashley logan with the flag 😂 he's so american i can't

XGEORG1NA man, I'd kill for some ribs with mac'&cheese rn 😩

oscarpiastri Is this what it feels like to attend a frat party?

↳ logansargeant this was definitely better

↳ paola_sainz how can you know, you've never actually been to a frat party Logan

↳ oscarpiastri Don't expose him for being fake American

↳ logansargeant Jeez, ganging up on me on July 4th, so not cool 😔

elmatadorf1 god, this is just so cringe 💀

shithappens oh my god those cowboy hats are so cute!

predestined55 why do they even hang out with her? she's acting like she's clinically insane 🙄

charles_leclerc Again, where was the invitation?

↳ paola_sainz Charles, you're not even American? You're Monegasque

↳ charles_leclerc That's clearly doesn't matter?? Only one of you is American!

↳ arthur_leclerc I could be American

↳ paola_sainz Arthur, you can't claim to be French AND American 🙄

↳ charles_leclerc Arthur, we are NOT FRENCH

isawthesainz we will never forget what you did to Carlos! 🐍

↳ prplsector she literally didn't do anything to him???

redleclerc charles loosing his mind in the comments is sending me 💀

↳ 4ND1 poor him, he will never understand Paola's and Arthur's banter lol

logansargeant Again, thank you guys for this. Bringing home a little closer to me for a while ❤️🇺🇲 Happy 4th of July everyone

↳ paola_sainz we're all American for 4th of July

↳ oscarpiastri It's mostly all about the food

sheilaxtay is she even American?

↳ lightning_enjyr she's Spanish

↳ sheilaxtay ??? what the hell

↳ lightning_enjyr Logan is the only American on the grid, she's always celebrated with him so he's not alone

↳ STARG3N i don't understand how can people not like her, she's so sweet 😭

view more...

⟶ POST RACE INTERVIEW WITH OSCAR PIASTRI AND CARLOS SAINZ! PLAY | IGNORE

paola's messages:

HUNGARY 2024

paola's messages:

screamingmeals posted new instagram stories!

caption: Let's go Hungary! Join us on twitch to watch the race with us and our special guest paola_sainz!

paola_sainz posted new instagram stories!

caption 1: come listen to our nonsense commentary of the Hungarian gp on the screamingmeals twitch chanel ;)

caption 2: OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD???! WHAT THE FUCKKKK

caption 3: ¡Vamos Ozzie! you deserve this so much oh my god this is absolutely glorious! I am so proud oscarpiastri

⟶ charles_leclerc replied to your story!

charles_leclerc Oh my god you are SO whipped

paola_sainz I am so telling Alex you said that 🙄

charles_leclerc No please

❝¡Vamos, vamos! Oscar, come on! Oh my God! I think I'm gonna faint," she hid her face in her shaking hands, "tell me when it's over. God I haven't been this stressed since it was me in the car I think."

Next to her James and Clement exchanged looks laughing quietly.

"Don't worry," the Formula 2 driver ruffled her hair, "we'll let you know when he rounds the last corner so you don't miss it."

"Gracias," Paola rolled her eyes and pushed his hands away. "Mate stop, you're messing it up."

"Aw, don't be like that," Clement reached his hands out again, trying to mess with her hair more, but Paola dodged his attempts. The two started pushing each other off the couch until James stepped in and sat inbetween them.

"Also, for everyone watching us here on twitch, she's a dirty liar," Clem said, peaking out from where he sat behind James, after they both calmed down a little.

"I am not mate, what the hell?" Paola exclaimed, obviously appalled. "When have I lied?"

"Just now actually," the driver smirked.

"I might have to agree with Clem here," James looked between the two with amusement. "You? Stressed in a car? Never."

"Yeah, so don't go saying that this is almost as stressful now," Clem showed her from behind James, causing the man in the middle to look into the camera with a pained expression. All while mouthing 'just like children' to the great amusement of the fans watching the interaction. "Actually, I don't think I've ever seen you this stressed before."

"Maybe," Paola's cheeks quickly started resembling the famous Rosso Corsa. "But it's Oscar," she said after few seconds.

"Yeah, it's Oscar," James smiled softly at her, some of the amusement still twinkling in his eyes.

"And he's taking that Mclaren to the top step of the podium! The Australian driver advances all the way to that checkqyerd flag, Oscar Piastri wins for the first time in Formula One! It's a Mclaren 1-2-"

Paola couldn't hear anything thing else, the commentator's voice slowly fading into blissful silence while she watched Oscar cross the finish line in firs place. Right next to her Clement and James were cheering and jumping around but she paid them no mind for the time being. She could've been crying for all she knew, but it didn't matter. None of it mattered. Oscar was a Formula 1 race winner.

"Dios mío," she said quietly into her hands, eyes locked in on the car number 81, she couldn't miss even a second of this.

Paola always knew Oscar would win. He was born a winner, it was only a matter of time before he took the Formula 1 world by storm. She had no doubts that he'd stand among the World Champions one day, right there in the spotlight where he belongs. She just... Well, at a time she was also convinced she'd be standing right there with him. Over the years the vision changed. Oscar was always meant for greatness, but her? She was forced to step into the shadows, take the reality head on and manage her expectations accordingly. So that's exactly what she did. In her mind, it was no longer her and Oscar standing on the top steps together, but she was always there. Looking up at him with tears of joy in her eyes. And that's how it was supposed to be.

She was supposed to be there.

But now she wasn't.

It was Oscar's, Oscar's, first win and she... She wasn't there. Instead she was in the UK, with Clement and James livestreaming from her living room. It's not that she didn't like the guys, they were amazing and watching the race with them was actually fun, but-

She was supposed to be with Oscar.

"Excuse me for a minute guys," she laughed weakly, despair flowing through her like a raging river, leaking out of her along with the tears falling steadily from her eyes. "I'll be right back, just need to catch my breath and make a quick phone call."

As she left the room the cheers form the dingy laptop speakers only seemed to grow louder.

It must've been time for the podium celebrations. ❞

liked by oscarpiastri, jensonbutton and others

paola_sainz oh my god??? someone better tell this guy that I used to drive circles around on track that he's a damn formula 1 race winner now what the hell??

no, in all seriousness now, Oscar, I am so proud of you! From the moment I saw you on that track at 11 years old, I knew you were destined for greatness. It was like there was a sign hanging over your head - "watch out for me, I am the future" - and since that day, you prove that I was right every single day. Everyone knows now that someday you WILL stand among the greatest. I just hope that when you do, I'll be there to cheer you on and ugly cry with your mom. Enjoy this one Osc, you 100% deserved it!

see all comments...

charles_leclerc I did not get a post like that for my first Ferrari win, favouritism at it's best

↳ paola_sainz yeah well, I was also there when you got your first win in rosso corsa, you got the live version 🙄

shithappens i am sobbing on my bedroom floor what the fuck

prema_team Our Oscar is a Formula 1 race winner!

↳ paola_sainz hell yeah he is admin

prplsector this is too much i can't- 😭

cuddlyxricc this just feels condescending?? wym "the guy i used to drive circles around on track", it's just mean?

barbiegirl mate, it's clearly a joke?? did you not see the whole fucking paragraph underneath?

oui_lyanne i am starting to see your point jordie lightning_enjyr

↳ lightning_enjyr i TOLD you, this is like way above friendship level

fastkiwi oh my god i am so mad that she couldn't attend the race 😭 fia when i catch you

lightning_enjyr it's just so devastating that she missed his first win because of some petty drama her own brother is trying to cause

catstri oh my god those pictures 💀

oscarpiastri I am not going anywhere without you, the top step doesn't feel as high when I look down and you're not there

↳ L3CH41R oh that is bold statement my man

↳ 4ND1 this on main? damn

↳ papayamonique didn't he just confirm that he has a girlfriend? this seems not cool, I'd definitely be jealous if I was her

↳ L3CH41R mate c'mon 😶

jensonbutton Celebratory dinner at our place when you get back oscarpiastri you deserve it man, congratulations

↳ oscarpiastri Thank you Jenson, it means a lot

↳ paola_sainz 🧡

view more...

paola's messages:

madi's radio: if the end feels rushed, it's because me and the 30 photo limit do not like each other and i greatly underestimated how long this part was gonna be (and i already had to cut it into two)

click here to be added to the hiding in the seams taglist!

taglist: @blushmimi @Ale-522 @joalslibrary @jaydaaasworld @vroomvroommuppett @sugarhoneylemons @formulaonebuff @clove0 @rockyhayzkid @glitzyditzy @coriyaps @irishmanwhore @gr3yhues @kikiki04 @fall-bambi @nichmeddar @sunfairyy @formulaal @marauders-wife @theseus-jpg @heavy-vettel @anxxiousaries @linaversion @gloriousmoneyrascalbiscuit @d3kstar @camelliaflow3r @delululeclerc @lesliiieeeee @gaviymarcsbride @solidalibi @fernandoswarcrimes @asteriajaye @spilled-coffee-cup @ouiouibaguettei @Scott-McCall-could-lift-mjolnir @lady-bennet @kittylolly4 @ST4RSHINE @warrensluvr @asparklysoul @sharllleclerc @charllleclerc @sheridamn @thewannabewriter @justjessieslife @back-on-my-bullsh @Scarlettwidow3000 @Idkiwantchocolatee @olivyamarvelgirl @antrenix

xxx - couldn't tag you 

DISCLAIMER: i do not know anything about this people, this is not real life, this is just something for fun, i do not know anythings about their life or personalities!

[fadinggalaxysalad]

(thank you previous reblogger for the original tags, you're fantastic) Because I'm currently in Death Defying brain rot, I'm going with Dick for clone daddy. Either he really is a playboy or the persona makes whoever snagged his material think he won't keep close watch for the odd surprise baby coming out of the woodwork until they did whatever evil plots they had for said clone. Maybe pull a Connor used as a weapon against their original, maybe its Court of Owls funded, leaving it to people with more knowledge for a deeper plot. How do they find out? We can do cop out of Oracle with Tim as backup because I have zero patience and want to get to the meat of it. Or pull from the original tags and Jason spots them shopping because depending on how friendly Jason is with the family, how does he approach this? Does he know? Was he involved in the original raid? Minimal angst me is going yes, fringes but he was there picking fleeing scientists off with his non fatal rounds so he's in the know. Follows them until they hit the cereal aisle just to give himself time and as soon as the tiny clone (seeing Dickiebird that smol is kicking up major cute aggression) picking several boxes of cereal with all the seriousness of choosing a college squashed any doubts. Hears Danny calling the clone Castor and relaying everything he can to the rest of the Bats while trying not to give himself away. (Castor is the second-brightest object in the zodiac constellation of Gemini. With the fandom calling clones mirror twins in a lot of fics, I thought this was a fitting name for the teensy batling)

Danny clocked Jason of course, you don't get your instincts riled to pick up your surprise adoption kid only to go back to normal after. Hypervigilance especially when the bond is still fresh is necessary. Plus you can only be so stealthy in a brightly lit super mart with a cart that has a rattly wheel. Dude better back off before he leaves an eggplant among the vegetable peelers as a warning. Now to run off the tag that really pushed me to picking Dick is Damian attempting to honor his favorite brother by challenging Danny to clone offspring rights. Tiny stabby baby is looking all cute its enough to make Danny coo. If we're rooting around in omegaverse, maybe Damian still has that pup smell because he's young? Let's say 10ish. Danny's post-heat brain is still a little clingy and hey, free real estate someone let this whole ass child out unattended. Kitten scruffed and to the nest we go.

Now for my blurb, I'm thinking taller Danny, not full on Jacks height but close with Maddie's more willowy build. Insult to Damian, how dare he house such strength looking like a riverbank reed? And refuses to be properly stabbed! His father shall hear about this and oh..is this a nest? It's....soft like Alfred the cats fur. And warm. And there's purring? All his weapons have been taken by the cheating clone thief anyways, won't give them back after he somehow sucked them in? It would be smart to stay put and wait for backup at this point, the comms will pick up relevant information. Just wait for Richard to find both him and the clone. Who doesn't seem to be preparing for an attack holding that blobby looking plush (space squad boulder moon squishmallow!). And slowly falling asleep, foolish when an enemy is in their safe space. No matter, he shall remain observant even with those soft back rubs, oddly soothing when curled up against the purring chest. He can be vigilant through half closed eyes, the better to fool the others of course. Not sleeping, just lowering their guard. Naturally he's passed out along with Castor when Nightwing creeps in and all hell breaks loose.

Halloween prompts year 2 day 10

Danny groaned, blearily raising his head from the nest of blankets and pillows he had made in his apartment. He had smelled something strange.

Something strong enough to wake him from his sleep. Danny got up and stumbled to the front door, cursing his luck for getting a fever so soon into his interdimentional road trip.

Peering out of his open doorway he saw a little kid shivering in the cold, badly hidden behind two trash cans in the mouth of an alley. Danny didn't think twice. In fact he didn't think at all. It wasn't uncommon for an Omega to smell a child who didn't have the scent of another Omega on them and immediately claim that child as thier own, and seeing as his home dimension had exclusively Omegas...let's just say there's a lot of drama in family court and a lot of laws pertaining to this.

So of course the next thing Danny knows is that the kid was bundled up inside his very soft and comfy makeshift nest before Danny passed out.

For the next week Danny had this mysterious fever and he acted like a parent on autopilot, barely conscious as he instinctually cared for the little boy. He made them food and cut them up into tiny bits to feed his baby and if it was handfoods like pizza rolls or sandwich triangles, Danny would hold him in his arms and rock his back and forth, humming softly as his child ate.

Eventually his heat ended (note that omegas from his world don't have heats, they don't have alphas and so they don't even know what a heat is) and Danny was very surprised he has a child in his house. But he and the baby are very emotionally attached to one another. When Danny asked what the little kids name was (and man this kid was little) the kid stared at him in the way little kids do before muttering the world "Clone" followed by what sounded suspiciously like a serial number.

Danny decided, nah. His kid now. Sucks to be the bioparent cause Danny doesn't wanna share.

Somewhere in the city, the bats were freaking out. They had raided a lab and discovered not only had one of them been cloned, but the clone had escaped and no one knew where it was. Cue panicked parental frenzy.

[teaberrii]

Chapter 10: Why I Like You (My Worst Enemy is a Cat)

Human by day. Cat by night. That’s how Scaramouche lived until you came back into his life.

Scaramouche/You

Notes: Cross-posted on Ao3. If you want me to add you to the tag list, visit the tag list post for the blog.

The master list for the other chapters is at the end of chapter one.

You immediately sit up, unknowingly taking the blanket with you. Scaramouche grabs it to prevent you from exposing his lower half. When he sits up beside you, you instinctively back against the wall.

Speechless is an understatement. Your mind starts racing with all sorts of possibilities… from the ridiculous to the weird. None of which you want to entertain. But the first question you want to know is why he’s naked and beside you, and… then, it hits you. Where is Prince?

As if reading your mind, Scaramouche says, “I am Prince.”

And you thought your assumptions of him being a closet pervert or secretly a serial killer was farfetched. But even those are more plausible than what he just told you. You grab your pillow as if it'll defend you from anything. "What are you doing in my house and"—you look at the blanket covering his lower half—"Why the hell are you naked?"

How in the world is he going to explain this to you? Great. Is this the end? Scaramouche looks at you seriously. "I know it's hard to believe, and it sounds ridiculous"—he moves slightly closer to you, but you raise the pillow, and he instantly backs off—"I'm telling the truth. I wouldn't lie to you."

His earnest reply has you lower your guard but not enough to let go of your cushy weapon. "...Do you think we're in a Disney movie? How the heck did you get in?"

"You let me in."

You let Prince in. All of your windows and doors are locked from the inside. You keep thinking of any possible scenario that Scaramouche could've gotten into your apartment. But none of them make any logical sense, which leaves room to explore the weird and ridiculous possibilities... including Scaramouche turning into a cat.

"If you're telling the truth, do you remember what he did for me? What happened… in my house?"

“One of our old friends confessed to you,” Scaramouche begins calmly. Your eyes widen as he details what happened that night. Oh, my God. No. Wait. He must’ve been close by. “I asked you about that photo you had of us… the one where you beat me at the relay.” Your heart stops. “Before we started dating, you asked if you were a backup for my ex.” This sounds like something out of a horror movie. “...Should I go on?”

The horrified look on your face makes his palms sweat. Great. Now, he’s going to be known as Stalkermouche instead.

“...Then, can you change into him right now?”

“I can’t right now, but I’ll show you tonight.”

You cautiously look at him up and down. "Have you been leaving through the bathroom windows every night then?"

“...Yeah. I always leave in the middle of the night.”

“Then what happened this time? Do you want to give me a heart attack?”

Scaramouche reaches toward you. You don't reject, but the frown on your face makes him drop his hand. "I… I don't know. Really. I changed back earlier than I expected." Even though your blinds are closed, you know it's still dark outside. "I'm sorry. I know I should've told you earlier. I didn't mean to scare you."

You feel his sincerity which makes you lower the pillow. But then, you look at him skeptically. “And when did you plan on telling me?”

Scaramouche awkwardly scratches his head. “I don’t know,” he says honestly. “I was just waiting for the right time… but”—he sighs—“I know I should’ve told you earlier… or show you, I suppose.”

Scaramouche felt like his body was on fire. His breathing became ragged. His knees were starting to give, and he had to find something to support himself before his body collapsed onto the floor.

His heart was beating faster and faster. Then, it beat so loud that it made his head hurt. Scaramouche closed his eyes and took deep breaths, praying that this strange pain would pass. But it didn’t. Instead, it took over his consciousness.

When Scaramouche finally opened his eyes again, his head was pounding. As he slowly got to his feet, it took him a moment to realize that everything seemed strangely bigger.

Hold up. He took a step forward… and another one… why did it seem like he was walking on all fours? He lifted his hand but found a paw. Then, Scaramouche immediately ran to his room and saw himself as a black cat.

What. Just. Happened.

The first thing he did was slap himself. This had to be some crazy fever dream. But, he had to admit that he looked adorable. Scaramouche blinked once… twice… Why was nothing happening? Oh, my God. The longer he waited, the deeper the realization sank. He had mysteriously transformed into a cat.

Inside he was screaming. But all that came out was a helpless meow.

You have so many questions that you don't know where to start. Eventually, you settle for, “...This just started randomly?"

“It started not long after I met you.”

“Me? You’re kidding, right?”

He frowns. “Why would I lie?”

“So… you just endured it until now?”

“I couldn’t stop it. If I could, I would’ve.”

“You never figured out the reason why?” 

Scaramouche moves closer to you, and you shrink back against the wall. “As I said, you were the only difference in my life.”

You look away. “...Why are you making it seem like I cursed you or something?”

“You’re overthinking.” Are you? Are you really? “I doubt you’re capable of cursing people.” Scaramouche looks at you skeptically. “...Right?”

You give him a deadpan look. “Oh, I’m sorry. I forgot to tell you that I come from a line of witches that curse people into cats.”

“Well, as long as I’m special, I don’t mind.” You smack his leg. “Would’ve been better without the pain, though.” You frown. “But, now that I think about it, there’s something else.” Uh oh. Does it also have something to do with you? “I changed back earlier than expected… This is the first time this has happened.” A pause. “Not long after we got together.” Then, Scaramouche leans closer to you. He puts one hand on the wall beside your head. “Are you sure you have nothing to do with it?”

“I’m sure,” you say flatly.

Scaramouche kisses your head. “...I was just teasing.”

Is it just you, or can you feel his body heat? “So, about your clothes… Do you need me to get them for you?”

You can hear your heart thumping in the silence as you stare at each other. “...Am I forgiven?”

Suddenly, Scaramouche’s lying on his back with you straddling him. His eyes widen as you say, “No.”

While he sounded like a stalker, a serial killer, it's now you who looks like you're going to suffocate him with the pillow in your hands. "Should I be fighting for my life right now?"

You put the longer side of the pillow down on his stomach and put your elbows on the pillow. “How will you make it up to me?”

Scaramouche’s gaze darkens. “I thought you were the one who did this to me, hm?”

“Innocent ‘til proven guilty.”

Scaramouche instantly sits up and captures your mouth in a hot kiss. You immediately welcome him into the warmth of your mouth. Your legs move on either side of him as he kisses you harder and deeper while his body pushes the pillow into you. When your back gently hits the wall, Scaramouche grabs the pillow and throws it aside. Your bodies fit together like two puzzle pieces. No one can make you feel like he does… the adrenaline rush from something unexpected into a warm, safe hug on a winter day.

When he breaks away, your bodies rise and fall in sync. Your foreheads are pressed against each other; the sound of your heart pounding fills the silence. He kisses you, slow and sensual as if giving you time to catch your breath. Then, when his lips leave yours again, he says, "...Now is the time to stop if you want me to."

If you weren't blushing before, you are now. You feel the heat creep all the way to your ears. His eyes tell you everything you need to know. He wants you, and he's doing everything in his power to control his desire. You kiss him, but you break it before he can deepen it and take off your night dress.

Scaramouche swallows thickly. He doesn't want to stare, but he can't help his gaze from wandering down your body. But his gaze doesn't linger long before it returns to your eyes. His ears turn red just as you tease him with your soft-lipped kisses. Finally, you take his hand and let it wander up the curve of your waist to your chest. His hand is slightly shaking, and if you weren't looking at his eyes, you wouldn't be sure if it's out of embarrassment or if he's holding back. But you know he's holding back, and your body heats up at the possibilities.

Your forehead is against his as you say breathlessly, "I want all of you." His hand cups your breast, and his gentle but hungry touch makes you arch your body forward. When his mouth finds yours, a moan reverberates from your throat. His touches get eager… faster… until with every breath you take comes a moan that gets louder… and louder…

Suddenly, a loud ring echoes in your room. At first, both of you ignore it. But, just before Scaramouche’s mouth replaces his hand, the ringing comes again.

As if it dawns on both of you simultaneously, you pull away from each other.

"Why are you nervous? It's not like you haven't met them before." You and Scaramouche were sitting on his couch. Your legs were draped over his, and your elbow was on the back of the sofa. You held his hand. "They'll love you. Don't worry."

Scaramouche held your hand tightly. “Isn’t that what all girlfriends say before their boyfriend meets their parents?”

You kissed his cheek. “They remember you… as the person I sent to the hospital.”

“Sounds like the start to a great love story.”

Unbeknownst to you and Scaramouche, Aether and Lumine are already in the lobby. You hear someone buzz for your apartment number, and you and Scaramouche turn to each other with wide eyes. In an instant, you’re already putting on your clothes. When your phone rings again, you quickly pick it up.

“Hey, we’re here! Are you home?”

What. What. You'd never been so frantic to hear your sister's voice. "Sorry, I—uh"—you look at Scaramouche, who has a towel around his waist and turning a little pale—"I was caught up with something."

“Hey!” This time, it’s Aether. “Are you going to let us in?”

“...Is mom and dad with you?”

“They’re coming in like… thirty minutes?”

Okay. Maybe this won't be as bad… maybe. "I'll call you back. Just give me a minute." Scaramouche stands, and you put your hands on his shoulders. "Aether and Lumine are downstairs. My parents are coming later."

“...You sound like you have a plan.”

You take a small breath. “...It’s worth a shot.” Then, you take out your phone and text your parents.

You arrive at the lobby and greet your siblings. “Hey, what’s going on?” Aether asks.

Before Lumine can ask a follow-up question, you wrap an arm on their shoulders. “We’re going shopping… for a little bit.”

“Huh? Why?”

“Mom and dad will be here soon," Lumine says.

“I know,” you mutter. “That’s why we have to go. Now.”

Back in your apartment, Duke is sitting on top of the cat tree, watching Scaramouche walk towards your bathroom. But, before he enters, Scaramouche gives Duke a deadpan look. "I never thought I wish I was in your shoes right now." Duke meows and Scaramouche sighs as he goes to take a shower.

You've just explained your sticky situation on the way to the nearest clothing store. You're not surprised by the confused looks on your siblings' faces. They knew you were dating Scaramouche; you told them a few days ago over video chat, and Lumine practically squealed. Aether had slow-clapped as if knowing it was inevitable.

But, they never expected you to say that Scaramouche is naked in your apartment without clothes on the day he's officially meeting your family. Of course, you didn't put it exactly like that. But, the point got across. And, of course, you left out the cat bits. Things are crazy enough already. But, you know, that raises another very suspicious question… a question that none of your siblings ask… thank goodness.

Being the good brother, Aether helps you pick out clothes that he thinks would make a good impression. Once you're back in the car, your look at your watch. Fifteen minutes. At least, that's what you thought… until your phone rings.

“We’re here!”

Your face pales. “What? I… I thought I said to come later.”

“We were already in the area,” your father says. “You didn’t see your mother’s text?”

You look at your siblings, whose worried expression probably mimics yours. "...I didn't."

“Oh, well, we’re already here. We have the spare key. Should we—”

"Wait, wait!" From the looks on your siblings' faces, they also do not like where this is going. You quickly start the car. "My apartment's a mess right now with all the cat stuff. So, please just wait until I get back, okay?"

Lumine takes the phone from you, and you quickly drive back as she keeps your parents on the line, ensuring they stay in the lobby. As soon as you return, you dash for your apartment as your siblings keep your parents as far back as possible.

You open the door, and Scaramouche, sitting on the edge of your bed with Duke on his lap, immediately looks up. You swing the door shut and quickly give him the bag of clothes while stopping him from leaving your room.

"My parents are here," you whisper. Scaramouche's eyes widen. As the front door opens again, you quickly close your bedroom door.

As your parents look around your apartment, you give your siblings a subtle nod. “Well, it’s not as messy as you said it would be,” your mother says. “It’s quite clean.”

Now that she mentioned it, it is much cleaner than you remember. Did Scaramouche clean up while you were gone?

When you get back with drinks, your father looks at the cat tree and says, "So… where is your little rascal?"

Then, your bedroom door opens.

“Right here.”

With Duke in his arms, Scaramouche comes out dressed in a dark striped, long-sleeved shirt, light gray pants, and a black belt. “Oh! You were already here?” your mother asks. She turns to you. “Why didn’t you tell us?”

You and Scaramouche glance at each other. “We wanted to clean up the place before you got here,” Scaramouche says.

"...Don't tell me you two are living together already? Of course, you are adults, but isn't that a little fast?"

"It's not like that." First, you and Scaramouche look at each other at the same time. Then, you say, "...I think both of us still want to live separately for now."

Scaramouche nods. If your parents are suspicious of him staying the night, they don't ask. Instead, your father gestures for him to sit on the couch. Duke jumps from Scaramouche's arms and into his cat tree. You and Scaramouche sit next to each other. You glance at him and see a calm and collected look.

“I know both of you work at the same company,” your father says. “I guess that’s how you got reacquainted?”

“Sounds like something out of a drama,” Aether says.

You give him a deadpan look, and your brother looks away. “It was quite a surprise,” Scaramouche answers.

“...Her last boyfriend proposed to her, but she declined,” your mother says. “Now, don’t get me wrong… I don’t want to rush you. But, I do want to know your intentions with each other.”

This takes you a little by surprise. "We—" You and Scaramouche glance at each other. Then, he says, "...I was young back then and didn't know how to express how I felt." Then, with an earnest look, "But I'm serious about this."

Scaramouche's heart fluttered when he saw you from afar. It's been so long, but his heart never forgot. He never imagined your paths would cross again after you went abroad. He thought that was it. The end of a romance before it even began. But, here you were. Back in the city where you met.  Why were you back? Do you remember him? He hoped you did… because he definitely remembered you. And this time, he wasn't going to let you go.

“I was never fooling around," Scaramouche continues.

“...And what do you like about her? It’s been so long.”

You and Scaramouche look at each other again. There's a short silence. But then he says, "On the surface, she only seems to care about her own interests. But, she's actually a softhearted person."

After Scaramouche wrapped his jacket around your waist, you looked at him. “Well, you stopped crying.”

Scaramouche frowned. “It took you that long to realize?”

“Well, how am I supposed to know? You kept walking away from me.”

“Why are you here, anyway? To rub in my face that you beat me?”

You crossed your arms. “...If I wanted to do that, I would’ve done so by now.” Scaramouche eyed you skeptically. "I'm here because you were crying, idiot."

Scaramouche slightly smiles. "She's proud of her accomplishments and doesn't let anyone say she doesn't deserve what she earned."

Scaramouche was about to enter the classroom when he heard your voice and two other classmates. He quietly slid the door ajar and saw you at the chalkboard with a boy and a girl.

“You cheated, didn’t you?” the boy asked.

“...Excuse me?”

“You don’t deserve to be class president.”

You scoffed. “If you say I cheated, show me the evidence.”

The boy points to his girlfriend. “Everyone knew that she was going to win. So, how did a nerd like you get elected?”

You put your hand on top of a pile of books at the front desk. "Fine. She wants to be class president? Care to put in the responsibility that comes with that title? You can start tomorrow, where you'll be leading the meeting to brainstorm ideas for our next school event." The girl looked away. "Or, maybe you'd like to skip class like you always do."

“You—”

Scaramouche slid the door open, and the boy instantly backed off. “Sounds like a party in here. What am I missing?”

“She doesn’t like being told she can’t do something,” Scaramouche continues. “...She’ll never admit it, but she always figures it out.”

“You never baked in your life, haven’t you?”

You stiffened and looked at your boyfriend, who was smiling mischievously at you. “I have.”

“Oh, really? Because it seemed like you thought ‘proof’ in this context meant something else entirely.”

“I know what it means.”

Scaramouche hugged you from behind. "Okay. Tell me what it means, and I'll give you a kiss if you're right."

“I can get kisses from Duke instead.”

Scaramouche let you go and rolled up his sleeves. "Why don't you sit with him, and I'll bake something for you instead?"

You took the bowl from him. “I bet I can make something better than you.”

“Oh, really? Wanna bet? Just so you know, I learned from the best.”

“...Well, I also have a few tricks up my sleeve.”

Scaramouche suddenly kissed your lips. “Stop lying.”

“I’m not!"

Scaramouche glances at you. "She's terrible at taking care of herself."

When Scaramouche walked by your office, your head was in your hands. But your eyes remained glued to your computer screen. He knew you were focusing on finishing that report. He also knew it was driving you crazy. When he returned with hot tea, your head was buried in your arms on your table. Scaramouche quietly put the cup down, took your jacket off the hanger, and gently draped it around you. Then, he saved your work, turned off the light, and sighed softly.

Scaramouche looks at your mother. "You asked me what I like about her." Then, with a slight smile, he says, "I like her because of how special she is."

The silence that follows is broken by Lumine hitting her brother’s leg. “Ow, stop hitting me!” When you look over, even your sister is blushing.

Your mother looks at you. “...And what about you?”

You take a small breath and press your lips together. Then, you say, “...When I’m with him, I can be myself. He’s always there… celebrating with me through the good times and cheering me up with I’m sad.”

You were walking home from school when you felt someone grab your hat from behind. You were not in a good mood from your feedback on your essay today, and you didn't need someone to add to your bad day.

Just as you spun around, you saw Scaramouche, who put on your hat. “I have the exact same hat. So… you have good taste.”

You angrily walked up to him and tried to grab your hat back. But, he dodged your attempts with ease. “Give it back, you jerk.”

Upon hearing how annoyed you looked and sounded, he gave it back. “...Why the long face?”

You put on your hat and walked away, but not without Scaramouche walking a few steps behind. When you turned the corner, you thought he wouldn't be following you anymore as his house was in the other direction. But you were wrong.

You spun around. “Why are you following me?”

Scaramouche stopped. “...Thought you could use some company.”

You looked away. “Well, I don’t.”

Then, Scaramouche took something out of his bag. You weren't sure what it was until he walked up to you. He grabbed your wrist and placed a plushie of your favourite game character in your hand.

"Your birthday was yesterday. I wanted to give this to you. But… you kept avoiding me. Probably because our marks were released." Yeah. And he had beaten you again. That, plus the essay you got back today, just dampened your mood. Scaramouche took the plushie and lifted it to his face when you said nothing. First, he said your name. Then, in an exaggerated and high-pitched voice, he said, "Don't be sad. Or, you'll make me sad."

You forced back a smile. "He does not sound like that!”

Scaramouche peeked out from behind. "Well, to me, he does."

“You’re ruining his charisma.”

Scaramouche gave the toy a deadpan look. “Wow. I never knew a toy could have charisma.”

You took the plushie from him. “...Thanks.”

“You could at least smile.”

"Now, I don't want to."

“Why are you so stubborn?” he asks.

“Am not.”

“Am too.”

Scaramouche poked your cheek. “Well, that didn’t take long.”

You smiled and didn’t even know it.

“He was the one I competed with the most," you continue. "But, I never worried that he would hurt me. Even now.”

You were just about to reach the workplace lounge when you heard Scaramouche and a co-worker talking.

The co-worker said your name and then, "You two are dating?"

"Is our personal business any of yours?"

You peeked behind the corner just in time to see your co-worker shrug. "It's a good opportunity, don't you think? Someone's probably getting a promotion at the end of the year... you could weed her out now."

Scaramouche put his cup down and glared at him. "Are you fucking serious?"

"It's cutthroat out here. I'm only trying to—"

"Maybe that's why you've never got a promotion in the last ten years you were here." Scaramouche scoffed. "Stop gossiping about others and focus on yourself, hm?" Scaramouche picked up his cup and walked past him. Then, he turned around. "By the way... if anyone deserves that promotion, it's her."

“...He has a hard time expressing his feelings," you continue. "But, I can feel his sincerity through his actions." You slightly smile. "He makes me want to become better." You and Scaramouche look at each other. "We're serious."

“I think I hear something,” Aether says. “Is that… Is that wedding bells I hear?” Lumine slaps your brother’s arm. “What? I bet you hear it too!”

“Yeah, after he gets a ring.”

Your mother takes a breath and gives you and Scaramouche a smile. “Perhaps it's fate that you two met again.”

You groan. “Oh, mom, not this talk.”

“I think so, too.”

You give Scaramouche an incredulous look. “Not you, too.”

“Why not?” Then, he quickly pecks your cheek, and Lumine almost squeals.

Duke jumps from his cat tree into your father’s arms. Your father gently pets the cat and says, “You’re in good hands.” Duke meows happily at him.

◆◆◆

That night, you're reading a book on the couch while Scaramouche and Duke are wrestling on the floor. Scaramouche had done his magical girl transformation into Prince, though it took a lot longer than usual, so he claims.

You couldn't believe your eyes, but it's much better than your boyfriend being a closet pervert or a serial killer. When you look at your two cats, Scaramouche sits on top of Duke as if victorious over his win. But from how he's sitting, you know he's barely putting any weight on the kitten.

“Really? You couldn’t pretend to let him win?” you ask, deadpan.

Scaramouche meows. Then, he gets off Duke, who rolls over, and starts clawing at Scaramouche. The two go at it again, and you close your book and go to take a shower instead.

You're sitting on your bed with your book when Scaramouche suddenly pokes his head from underneath. Then, he crawls out until you can't see the pages of your book anymore. His front paws are on your chest, and he suddenly kneads them and purrs gently.

“I would find this cute if you were an actual cat,” you say. He looks at you with large innocent eyes, and you sigh softly. You pick him up. “Pervert.” Scaramouche meows. “...But you’re my pervert.”

When you put him down, he instantly curls up next to you. Next, you lean over to look at Duke in the living room, who's passed out in the cat tree. Then, you turn off the light… hoping there won't be any interruptions tomorrow morning.

Chapter Eleven

End Notes:

Stalkermouche...Pizzamouche...Minimouche... there are endless possibilities for his name. XD. I did not expect this chapter to be so long @_@. Also, that last bed scene with Kittymouche was inspired by a TikTok an anon sent me on Tumblr XD.

There are only 1-2 chapters left for this story... and I'm kind of sad about it. I knew from the beginning that this story wouldn't be very long. But still. (Ｔ▽Ｔ)

Tag List: @suoshiii @lordbugs @feverish-dove @126dvtn @one-offmind @sweet-almonds @pooonyo @n8mareee @killuixz @w9vyy @124eve @dameofthorns (I think you were mxrossweisse? She was on the tag list before) @genderfluid-insomniac @goodthingimsam @thenightsflower @yo4loer @lxry-chxn @leon-to-sayaka @melodyyamino @meowlumi @beriiov @garbageandhot @kuni-k @elentari-celestaire

[fitblrgames-2023]

Official Rules Post!

This is it!! The rules you have all been waiting for!

Team work is key! As a team, you can complete some INSANE feats! How do I know?? Because we absolutely shook it up in the Fitblr Games 2018, and by golly we can do it again!

Work with your team to complete the Challenge Tasks posted each Monday. If I say 400 squats, it is not 400 by yourself. It is a total as a TEAM of SIX over the course of seven days. Break down those rep together and crush the challenges. To coordinate you will need to elect your Team Captains!

Each team will report their reps to their Team Captains. Those captains will relay the info to me, the Games Master. Team captains, once you are elected, send me a DM!

The captains will be there to tally up the numbers and as soon as your team is done for the week. Scoring is based on how early in the week all of the challenge tasks completed by each team. First team does each week will receive the highest points.

But wait, you want another way to score points too??? I can work with that. Enter the Solo Challenges. Each Wednesday your team will have the opportunity for a representative to face off head to head to gain bonus points and a Power Up. That right, a this is your chance to cause chaos!!! The power up will be announced along with the Solo Challenge winners, you never know what could be waiting on the other side of victory.

You know how I said Challenge Tasks would be posted each Monday? Well, those reps have an ultimate due date of 11:59PM (CST) each Sunday! All teams completing the challenge tasks by then will recieve point, but late scores will not be counted.

Each Tuesday you will be able to see your team's updated score and rankings posted on this blog, @fitblrgames-2023. The Team Captains will be tagged each week, don't forget to relay info to teammates and to follow this page!

Tomorrow 2/5/2023 the team lists will be released and you will be able to elect your captains. Welcome to the games!

Vocabulary:

Challenge Tasks: Posted each Monday. Complete these as a team as soon as possible.

Team Captain: Is elected by each team in Week 1. Reports the score to the Game Master all 8 weeks. (Choosing a second in command or co-captain is not a bad idea either).

Solo Challenge: Announced each Wednesday. Challenge varies week to week. Representatives compete individually for a chance to win their team some bonus points and a power up.

Representative: Elected by each team weekly. This member represents the team in the solo challenge.

Power up/Grenade/Boost: Used to cause Chaos. Won from solo Challenges

Games Master: The score keeper. Non-participant to keep things fair, but will be attempting the challenges each week anyway! This is who the Team Captains will report to. (It is me btw! @fitblrgames-2023 )

Count down to the games: 2 days!

[mooniefics]

— first impressions

pairing : zeke jaeger / fem reader / reiner braun

word count : 7.5k

tags : sorta fluff (i can’t help myself i love reiner), eventual smut, threesome (f/m/m), situational humiliation, one night stand, spitroasting, drunk + unsafe sex

warnings : nsfw, mild sexual coercion

summary : a chance meeting between you and reiner leaves you enjoying an evening with the warriors upon their much anticipated return from the war. but doing your new friends a favor leads to a night you'll never forget.

— originally posted 12 / 22 / 20 on ao3 —

"reiner! is that really you?!"

you stood quickly from your place at the booth, unable to stop yourself from scrambling up to the small group of soldiers, who were all looking down at you with a mixture of confusion and amusment.

"you didn't tell us you had a girlfriend back home, braun." the dark-haired woman to his right teased, earning a crossed frown from your friend.

"not my girlfriend." he muttered, ignoring their chuckles as he turned his attention back to you, "i haven't changed that much in a few months, have i?"

you sighed, a relieved grin breaking out across your face as he opened his arms to you, gratefully accepting his invitation and squeezing him tight, face pressing into his shoulder. the scent of gunpowder that usually clung to him in his uniform was absent on his civilian clothes, replaced instead with the pleasant smell of fresh linen. "a few months? felt more like a whole year to me."

you stayed cognizant of the people behind him, now exchanging curious glances at the sight of their comrade's affection, the woman who'd initially teased him whispering something to the stern looking man by her side that made his expression crack into a small grin. he pulled away from you after a moment, a soft smile warming his usually sullen features, which dampened at a hand being placed on his shoulder.

"would you care to introduce us, reiner?" a low voice asked, the speaker stepping to reiner's side to get a good look at you.

you instantly recognized the man, face flushing with embarrassment as you scrambled to find your words. "c-captain jaeger! i apologize for interrupting your evening, p-please forgive-"

"nonsense." he said, holding out his hand for you to shake, "and no need for the formalities, feel free to call me zeke."

you clasped your hands gratefully around his, shaking vibrantly much to his amusement. you exchanged names with the remaining three, the tired looking but jovial woman, pieck, insisting that you join them on their night out. seeing as you had already planned to be at the old bar for the rest of the night by yourself, you had no qualms with inviting them all to fill the remaining seats of the booth you'd been occupying before they entered.

"pock here isn't much of a talker," she said after everyone got themselves situated, poking the cheek of the man she'd been whispering to earlier, "he's a little shy, but don't hold it against him."

"i thought i told you not to call me that.." he grumbled in reply, smacking away her hand and earning a small round of laughter from everyone at the table. the freshest face among them, colt, flagged down the barmaiden that was milling about the tavern floor, ordering a beer for everyone at the table with a kind smile.

"this'll be the only one for me tonight." you told him across the table after the woman had sauntered away, "i kinda didn't budget to be drinking more than one beer tonight anyways.."

"don't worry about it." you turned at reiner's voice beside you, gaze flitting down to see him thumbing through the bills in his wallet, "i'll pay for you tonight. my treat."

"nice to see that you know how to treat a lady." zeke quipped with a grin from his place on your left, earning another unreadable frown from reiner, but you could see the flush creeping up on his cheeks as a result of the implication.

before he could dismiss his friend, the barmaiden had returned, toting six mugs filled to the brim with beer on her serving platter. everyone murmured their thanks as she passed them around the table, her eyes lingered on colt before she slipped away to attend to another awaiting party.

"look at you, colt! haven't even been here for thirty minutes and you've already got the ladies swooning." pieck drawled, taking a long sip from her mug with a smile on her lips as she watched the young man stammer out an excuse.

you couldn't help but laugh along at the display, taking a generous drink of your own as you watched the conversation pick up around you. pieck seemed to be more than comfortable with everyone at the table, fueling the majority of the discussion with her playful words. porco, as she'd said, didn't seem to be much of a talker, but nodded along to what the others said, contributing a brief input when he saw fit and staying silent for the rest of the time. colt wasn't naive, but he was easy to tease, the perfect target for little jabs here and there from around the table that drew irritated, flustered protests from him and made everyone laugh.

the dynamic that had intrigued you the most was that between zeke and reiner. they didn't speak directly to the other often, mostly relaying remarks through their responses to the others, but when they did, there seemed to be an odd sort of tension between them. not exactly rivals, but not exactly friends either. they were on the same team, but there was a clear disconnect between them despite that. you felt every slight shift that reiner made when zeke addressed him, debating on whether you should request to move from your place between them for your sake or stay as a buffer for reiner's.

everyone was on their third glass—the only exception being reiner, who was nearly through his fourth—definitely loosened up though not quite drunk yet, but before you could put much thought into how you'd go about doing that, porco spoke to you for the first time. "so, how do you even know reiner?"

"oh! i'd also like to know too!" pieck piped up between sips, downing the rest of her mug in one go and resting her chin in her hands. everyone's attention had turned to you in an instant, intently waiting for your response, making your posture stiffen as you twisted your hands in your lap.

"well, it was a few years ago, when the war with the mid-east had just started ramping up." you began, tensing up the slightest bit when you felt your hand brush reiner's under the table, "i was working at the produce shop down on kaiser lane, and one day reiner came by with his mother on one of her grocery visits, she had always spoken to me about him when i was counting up her total. i asked her if this was son she was always talking about, and she said yes and introduced us. reiner looked tired," pieck giggled at that. "so i tried to hurry it up a little for his sake, and then she paid and they both went on their way. later that day i came here, and i saw him sitting alone at the counter, so i decided to sit down next to him and see if he could put up with my insufferable small talk for a little while. we ended up talking all night, and we've been great friends since then."

"well, isn't that the sweetest thing," pieck smiled warmly at you from across the table, balancing her head on one hand so could pensively drum her fingers across the wood, "if i didn't know any better, i'd say you two made a lovely couple!"

"pieck, would you stop bothering reiner." porco chided, waving a hand at your friend, "just look at him, he looks like he's one more girlfriend comment away from popping a blood vessel."

reiner grumbled out a low 'fuck you', gulping down the rest of his beer and flagging down the barmaiden as the rest of the warriors shared a hearty laugh at his expense. you yourself were similarly blushing at their constant assertions of something more between the two of you. it's not as if you hadn't mulled the idea over in your head many times before on all the previous outings you'd been on together, and the few times the two of you had gotten drunk enough to fool around a bit before one of you came to your senses and excused yourself for the night.

there were some days where you were glad you kept a modest distance between yourselves, and there were others where you wanted to do nothing more than throw all caution to the window and just enjoy one irresponsible night of doing whatever came to mind, no doubts or worries or responsibilities to get in the way, politics and the war be damned. you started to shake away those unnecessary thoughts, but zeke did a much better job of distracting you when his arm fell around your shoulders, giving you a friendly squeeze as he spoke.

"i see that even in good company, my colleagues' manners still aren't up to par," he said, directing his words at you but talking loud enough for anyone to hear, "allow me to apologize on their behalf."

"oh hush, zeke, you're the worst out of all of us!" pieck argued through her laughter, playfully kicking his shin under the table, "you're only playing nice because she's here."

her words didn't draw his attention away from your face, gleaming grey eyes intently drinking in the emotions passing over your flushed features. you laughed nervously, turning away to face the rest of the table, sneaking a glance at reiner as the barmaiden swept by to clean up the empty glasses and replace them with filled mugs. he had an irritated frown drawn across his lips, worry lines creasing his face as he gulped down half of his mug in seconds.

"look's like you're finally not the one overdoing it, huh colt?" you heard pieck whisper into the young man's ear, snickering at him when he turned away from her and huffed.

just glancing around at them all made you forget that everyone of them were living on borrowed time, that in less than a month they would most likely be shipped out on their next assignment to defend marley against any one of the neighboring nations that were just waiting to pounce at the slightest slip up. aside from reiner, they all seemed to be forgetting that fact as well in favor of just enjoying this night while it was still young.

another banter-filled hour passed, your table not noticing how the bar had been steadily emptying as closing time drew near. zeke had kept his grasp around you for the entire time, much to reiner's dismay, which was evident on his face each time you tried to coax him back into the conversation, always faltering each time zeke peered over you to repeat your question to him with a thinly veiled haughtiness. reiner had gone through more beer than anyone at the table, his flushed face and low-lidded gaze along with his slurring words letting you know just how drunk he'd really become. but aside from his borderline unpleasant exchanges with your friend, zeke was incredibly charismatic, almost overbearingly so, your own intoxication making it easy for you give in to his infectious energy and laugh along with him and everyone else at the table.

sure, you were worried about reiner, but he knew that you would always be friends at the end of the day, and you had to make a good impression on these newly introduced people who were so kind as to invite you in on one of their rare leisurely getaways from the military barracks. so you let yourself lean into zeke's side, relishing in the warmth that you'd been craving for so long—a warmth that the alcohol only made you want more and more—the break in your routine that you'd been searching for in an evening alone turning into a night that you were sure you wouldn't forget for a long time. they didn't even seem to care that you weren't an honorary marleyan, or even that you were a lowly blue-collar worker that made a measly sum at her meaningless job on a forgettable street corner.

but alas, the blissfully ignorant fun of the table's atmosphere was dampened by the arrival of the barmaiden with your table's tab, setting it down in front of colt with a coy smile as she gathered up the rest of your empty glasses and disappeared into the back of the tavern.

"aw colt, you never made your move!" pieck chided, giggling as she dug into the pocket of her skirt to reach for her wallet just as everyone else around the table was doing.

"reiner.. are you okay?" you gently nudged his arm, looking over with concern at the sight of him. his elbow was propped on the table, forehead resting in the heel of his palm as he stared down at his lap, mouth drawn into a slight frown.

"shit, he's loaded." porco commented snarkily.

"we can't let magath see him like this!" colt said nervously, looking around at his colleagues, waiting for one of them to come up with a plan to deal with this new issue.

you glanced from colt to reiner, then up at zeke, turning back to everyone as you made an offer. "well.. i have a guest room at my house, he could stay there for the night if it makes things any easier for you all."

"oh, you're an angel!" pieck sighed, reaching across the table and clasping your hands in hers, "and if the commander asks, i could say that he decided to stay with his family!!"

"sharp as always, pieck." zeke chimed from beside you, "though, i don't think it'd be fair to make her watch him all by herself, so i think it'd be best if i help her out with him for the evening, just to be sure he doesn't cause her any trouble."

he met eyes with pieck, and for a moment you thought you saw the briefest flash of realization cross her features, the slightest smirk perking up at her lips before her face relaxed back into its natural smile and she nodded at him. "great idea." she said, tugging at porco and colt's sleeves, "i'll deal with these two, and i'll tell the commander that you had a change of heart as well. reiner, hand me your wallet if you can't count the bills."

"i've got it." he grunted, fumbling with his wallet for a few moments before slamming a fistful of bills down in front of her.

"thank you very much!" she sang happily, getting all the money in order and putting her own small tip for the barmaiden before she slapped colt's arm a few times, prompting him to start scooting out of the booth.

zeke finally retracted his arm to begin leaving the booth, standing out on the floor and offering his hand out to you. you flushed, taking it and allowing him to help you to your feet. everyone got themselves situated, stepping out of the bar and saying their goodbyes, pieck, colt, and porco turning to make their way back to the barracks, zeke slinging reiner's arm over his shoulder and following you along as you gave directions on how to get to your home.

there wasn't many words exchanged between the three of you on your short walk, only having some small talk with zeke between the bouts of comfortable silence hanging around you in the warm night air. you arrived home within minutes, wrestling the key into the old lock and holding open the door for zeke to help reiner in.

"i can walk myself, jaeger." he muttered while kicking his shoes off, earning a low chuckle from the older man.

"then why aren't you doing it right now?"

he didn't get a response as you directed them to your bedroom, hoping to settle him down as soon as you could in the hopes of him being able to get enough rest to sleep off the worst parts of his hangover. while zeke assisted him, you scampered over to the guest bedroom to get it ready for your other, less intoxicated guest. but as you opened the door to the bedroom, you were mortified at the sight of your mess upon looking into the room. in the moment of wanting to do something nice for your friends, you'd completely forget about how you'd basically turned your spare room into more of a storage closet.

looking around to try and think about where to get started, hopefully make it look like you didn't completely neglect this room for the past few months before zeke finished putting his friend to bed, you felt a hand on your shoulder, stiffening in surprise as you slowly turned to look at him.

"i-i'm really sorry, i totally wasn't expecting guests tonight, and i promise i've been meaning to move everything to the basement-"

"don't worry about it, really." he stopped you before you could continue to profusely apologize, offering you another one of those warm smiles that made your knees feel weak, "let me help you, it's the least i could do after you opened your home to a couple of irresponsible soldiers." to your surprise, he brushed past you, picking up one of the many boxes that had accumulated on the bed and floor over the months. "you said you had a basement, right? would you mind showing me where it is exactly?"

unable to find your words, you pointed halfheartedly to the door at the end of the hall, watching him carry one of the few boxes that had left you panting by the time you'd transported them across the house with ease, not even having to set it down to open the door and begin descending the steps. his quick return up the steps finally spurred you into action, hauling another box into your arms and repeating his path of depositing it down in your basement and returning to your room to grab another, making sure to take it slow on your way down the steps from how heavy the alcohol made your limbs feel.

within a few minutes, you both had everything squared away. you let yourself take a seat on the now empty bed, breathing out a sigh of relief and wiping the sweat that had begun to bead around your forehead with the back of your hand, watching as he settled down next to you. "sheesh, you made all that heavy lifting look so easy! and thank you again, for doing such a generous favor for me."

"there's no need to thank me." he replied earnestly, a hand settling on your thigh, making you suppress a small flinch, "you have a lovely home, do you really live all on your own?"

you tried to laugh off the warmth of his hand on your skin through your long skirt. "y-yeah, it's just been me for a while. sometimes friends come over for the night, but for the most part, it's just me."

zeke hummed pensively, grey eyes shining with something dangerous as he gazed down at you. "makes sense that someone such as yourself hasn't found anybody qualified enough to settle down with," he grinned at your flustered expression, openly appreciating the way your eyes widened and you breathed out a soft, indecisive 'thank you', "though, i was so sure that you and reiner had something between you.."

"n-no! it's not like that." the words spilled out of your mouth before you could even think about them, the desire to answer him overriding any clear thought that might cut through your intoxicated embarrassment, "i'm sure s-soldiers such as him and yourself don't really have time to play around with people l-like me."

you mentally slapped yourself for coming to such a conclusion, let alone allowing it to actually exit your brain and be heard by the most esteemed guest you'd probably ever have the honor of hosting.

"oh?" he peered curiously at you, thumb rubbing a slow stroke over your leg, face seeming much closer than it was a few blinks ago, "and what exactly is that supposed to mean?" you knew just how intentional his word choice was, practically setting up a verbal trap for you to fall into, but how could you not take the bait when it was marley's strongest warrior dangling it before you?

"i-i-i'm sorry, s-sir— zeke!"

you scrambled to correct yourself, looking any place except his face and wanting to do nothing more than hide away somewhere where neither him nor reiner could find you to sober yourself up before you could humiliate yourself any further. but you felt the desperation that was now gripping your pounding heart start to squeeze like a vice around it when a rough hand found your chin, gently turning your head to face him again.

"again with the apologies.. what am i going to do with you?"

your bottom lip quivered, more frantic sorries threatening to spill out, but stopped by the lack of air that you were able to take in from his proximity. you hadn't even realized you were holding your breath until you felt a tight ache seize your chest, exhaling an alarmed breath as you stared up into the glinting grey irises studying your face, mirroring their actions at the tavern but containing all of the hunger he'd been hiding in front of his comrades. the hand of your thigh slid up your leg just an inch, zeke breathing out a chuckle at the feeling of you tensing under his touch.

"if you must know," his face was so close that you could even see the pale freckles dotting across his sharp cheekbones and the bridge of his nose, the shadowed contour of his face looking even deeper in the dim light of the guest room, parted lips exhaling a warm breath that fanned across your face, the scent of alcohol still evident as he slowly spoke, "a soldier such as myself can make plenty of time to play around with someone like you."

you couldn't barely contain your awe, drawing in another shaky, shallow breath at the feeling of his lips brushing across your own, just daring you to indulge in his offer. you could barely form a cohesive thought before your brain forced a new topic into your conscious, confusion and shock and abrupt desire drowning out all the rationality that you were so desperately grasping for in this moment.

you'd just met this man tonight, it didn't matter that you'd known of his grand legacy even from when you were a young girl or felt like you'd gotten to know him quite a bit in that short amount of time, you'd only shaken his hand and drank with him and sat face-to-face with him for the first time just a few hours ago. not to mention how the person you were truly familiar with, the one who wasn't nearly a decade your senior, the one you had really been yearning for was just down the hall in your bed, only two shut doors and a few thin walls away from this spectacle. but, zeke was right in front of you, and he was offering out an opportunity that was impossible to refuse—an offer that you really, really didn't want to refuse.

so you didn't. you gave in to the sinful temptation of his warmth, his skin, his soft touches with calloused, work-roughened hands, the knowledge that this kiss was only just the beginning of something unforgettable.

in contrast to his hands, his lips were soft, ridiculously soft as they pressed over yours, the fingers at your chin unfurling to cup the length of your jaw. you leaned into his touch, earning a pleased grunt from him when your trembling hand found his hair, slowly carding through it as you focused on maintaining the easy rhythm of his kiss. you stifled a small sound when the hand on your leg smoothed up to your inner thigh, not pressing any further, just gently stroking and giving the occasional squeeze to the pliant flesh through your skirt.

you could feel the light flutter in your chest heavy and knot into something familiar, twisting deep in your stomach as he sucked at your bottom lip, nipping at it before his attention wandered across your cheek, the hand at your jaw tilting your head up to expose more of your neck to his eager mouth. faint kisses gave way to teasing bites and licks, drawing a soft whimper as he sucked with the intent to bruise where your shoulder met your neck. he seemed to appreciate the way your grasp in his hair tightened, the hand on your thigh traveling across your waist to find the knotted string holding up your skirt.

the progression of his actions felt natural, but almost too fast at the same time, your hand giving an apprehensive tug to his hair when you felt the waistline of your skirt go slack with the undoing of its lacing. he groaned lowly at the sensation, spurring you to do it again when his teeth grazed over the forming redness just right. you could feel the haze of arousal fogged your mind already, all rationale dissipating under the influence of the alcohol and the hands that were now roaming your body, searching for a moment for the top button of your shirt before they began to messily undo those as well. each brush of his fingers across your bare skin sent goosebumps across the expanse of your chest, making quick work of your blouse as he pushed it over your shoulders, guiding your arms out of the sleeves before tossing it aside in favor of working on the clasp of your bra, never pulling away from his place at your neck for more than a moment before returning the bruising attention of his mouth back over the flushed skin.

you breathed out a weak whimper at the feeling of his thumb and forefinger taking one of your nipples between them, bra forgotten somewhere on the floor with your shirt, baring the entirety of your naked torso to him. he could feel how you squirmed when another hand smoothed down your stomach, slipping beneath your skirt's waistline and settling just between your legs, only a sheer barrier provided by your thin underwear, the arousal threatening to soak through the fabric leaving it clinging to every fold. he hummed appreciatively at the welcome surprise, drawing more stifled sounds out of you when his fingers slowly stroked over your clothed cunt.

"all this just for me?" he murmured lowly in your ear, thumb pressing down on your clit, rubbing slow circles over the sensitive nub.

his touch was electrifying, almost overwhelmingly good as you arched into it, the hand at your breast now groping at the supple flesh, palm offering a much-needed friction over your nipple. you finally registered his teasing question, barely managing a disoriented 'mhm' and a small nod, unable to think of anything else besides your heartbeat pounding loud enough that you though he might be able to hear, and the fingers prodded at you and teasing your body as they pleased.

your half-lidded gaze drifted to the door, blinking away the fogginess when you realized it wasn't actually properly shut. you opened your mouth to try and murmur out your observation, but the words in your head spilled out as an incoherent moan, feeling his mouth detach from your bruised neck before he urged you down onto the mattress. but the sight of him standing above you, tugging off his shirt and revealing the impressively toned physique of his stomach and chest, made you forget the ajar door behind him entirely. your hands moved without a second thought, pushing your skirt and underwear down your legs as far as you could, kicking them the rest of the way off as he began to unbuckle his belt.

you couldn't help the way your eyes widened when he shoved down his pants and underwear in one go, unable to choose between focusing your gaze on the smug smirk drawing across his lips or his achingly hard cock, already looking like more than you could handle even at a distance. he plucked his glasses off his face, setting them on the bedside table before he moved over you in bed, your hands tugging him down into a kiss and earning a low chuckle against your lips.

"eager little thing, aren't you?" he only pulled away for a moment to speak, knuckles dragging down the swell of your breast and curving down your waist. your legs spread in anticipation, back arching off the bed when his fingers finally trailed down between your thighs to smooth a finger down your pussy. "and so, so wet."

you squeaked at the intrusion of two thick fingers pumping into you, sliding in easily with a soft, wet sound. the rhythm of your lips faltered, whimpering as his tongue slid between your teeth, tangling with yours, mouth greedily swallowing every desperate sound you made for him. you were grateful for how he was muffling you, just barely remembering that there was another presence in your house besides you and zeke that you had to worry about, heat sparking up your spine at the feeling of his fingers curling just right inside you.

the thought of reiner finding you in here with the captain of his squad, so pathetically obedient and practically dripping from just his fingers, was horrifying and unnervingly thrilling all at once. would he be angry with you? why would he be? what did he even consider you as?

you couldn't dwell on that thought for too long, hips bucking and toes curling when his thumb rubbed firm circles over your clit, wordlessly begging for more. he seemed to be just as impatient as you were in the face of your desperation, pulling away from your lips and removing his touch from between your legs, rolling himself onto his back and tugging you on top of him in one swift motion. you flush even deeper as you watched him drink in the sight of your naked figure, large hands finding your hips, pupils blown wide enough to nearly swallow up the silvery grey of his irises as he eased you down so his cock was just at your aching cunt, offering a sliver of mercy by allowing you to seat yourself onto him as fast or slow as you'd like.

just the first few inches had you whimpering, hands settling on his chest to steady yourself, teeth worrying the skin of your bottom lip, trying to contain the borderline humiliating sounds that were making him grin so smugly up at you. you could feel tears pricking your eyes by the time you finally sank all the way down, deep, shaky breaths giving away your lack of composure even more so than the way the thighs on either side of him tremble, or the nails now digging into the toned muscles of his shoulders. he gave you just a moment of respite, letting you get used to the feeling of something so big before his grip on your hips fastened, fingers sinking into the soft flesh as he began to guide you up and down on his cock.

the low groan your motion earned from him was enough to make your already pounding heart race even faster, heat echoing through you in a way that made it impossible to silence the heated whines that were spilling out of you. the bed squeaked in protest beneath you, but you could care less as you quickened the pace he'd started you at all on your own, admiring the flush that had darkened over his handsome features and the parted lips breathing out low curses and appraising groans.

his eyes fell shut, head falling back before he forced it back up, gaze wandering across your face, then your body, then flitting elsewhere for the briefest moment before they returned to you, hips now thrusting up with even more vigor to meet your own. you moaned openly, struggling out a meaningless string of pleas, the ache beginning to burn in your legs drowned out when he reached out to rub tight, fast circles around your clit. he was grinning now, licking his lips before he spoke in a knowing slur, "you're gonna cum soon, aren't you?"

"yes, f-fuck yes..!" it took you a moment to find your words, embarrassed by how fast he'd managed to work you up to this point but unable to be dishonest in your current position.

his motions didn't falter in the slightest, only seeming to grow more and more urgent as you quivered and whined, bouncing yourself up and down on his cock like it was the last time you'll ever get the chance to do it. and while that's likely the case, you don't care to think about it, too wrapped up in the way you could feel that pressure that had been welling in your stomach finally reach a breaking point, stammered curses devolving into breathless cries as you came hard around him.

you could feel the movement of his hips slow significantly, still rocking up into you to let you ride out your high but not nearly enough for him to push himself over the edge along with you. but you're grateful for his mercy, knowing that if he'd continued at the pace he was going you probably wouldn't be able to walk the next morning. so you took it as a testament to his goodwill, falling forward onto his chest in a whimpering heap, trying to steady your breathing and calm your heart rate, remaining seated on his still hard cock.

you felt a strong arm wrap around your waist, the other resting across your shoulder so he could settle his hand on the back of your head, fingers working their way into your hair and gently carding through it. the attention was comforting, unexpected but definitely comforting as you pressed your face into the crook of his neck, still too hazy off of your post-orgasm bliss to have any shame about wanting to be close to his warmth. you didn't think about whether he was expecting you to get him off at some point, or if he was just content letting you rest on top of him like this, but you soon found that he had a much different answer—or rather, a question—that didn't at all take you into consideration.

"so, reiner, are you just going to stand there and watch all night?"

there was confusion for a brief moment, then a horrifying realization that made an ice-cold fear prick under your spine, blood draining from your face as you felt the fine hairs on the back of your neck raise, completely frozen at the knowledge that the worst of the night you had imagined had come true. zeke's hand didn't stop its slow petting across your head, arm fastening around your body, seemingly in preparation for you to start squirming or fighting to get away. but you couldn't move an inch, not even enough to turn your head and risk a glance at your friend who was apparently right at the door.

"well?" his voice rumbled low in his chest once more, dripping with arrogance, entirely absent of any shame, just tempting him to step past the unseen boundary that had kept him there for however long he'd been watching, "i know, i know, you haven't your fair share all night. it's just so, sohard to let go once you finally get your hands on her. you should know all about that feeling, right?"

"fuck you."

you felt a warm curl in your stomach at the sound of his voice, breathing short and fast as your heart skipped anxiously, but mentally almost enjoying the fact that he was feeling something for you, even if it was some sort of possessive envy. the sound of his heavy, uneven footsteps making their way towards the bed.

he clearly still sounded drunk—who wouldn't be after so many beers in one sitting—and that was probably why he didn't hesitate at all to start tugging his clothes off, the ruffle of fabric and clinking metal of a belt being unbuckled finally snapping out of your compliant state, shaky arms trying to push yourself in bed. zeke allowed you to sit up, hands dropping to your thighs as your foggy gaze wandered from his face over to reiner at the bedside, heartbeat nearly drowning out the other sounds in the room as it drummed loudly in your ears.

"you don't mind, do you?" zeke called your attention back to him, gently stroking up and down your thigh just as he had been when you'd first accepted his offer.

your mouth had gone dry, leaving you struggling to get enough saliva back for your tongue not to stick to the roof of your mouth, feeling the heat of arousal flickering back to life when his cock twitched inside of you. did you mind? well you definitely minded the humiliation, the anxiety taut within your chest that made each breath an effort, the fact that you had no idea what was going on or would happen next. but did you mind enough to force yourself off of him, to struggle to collect your clothes from the ground and stagger out of the room with shaky legs that you weren't sure were capable of doing even that right now? did you really want this?

but it seemed that the choice had already been made in both of their minds, your answer—or lack thereof— speaking for your choice in the matter as zeke's hands lifted you up off of his lap, enough for him to slip out from under you. the sudden emptiness after being so full made you whimper, falling back down onto your calves in the middle of the bed and staring down at zeke's cock, slick with your arousal and still aching to be tended to.

the sinking weight of reiner clambering onto the bed behind you made you exhale a shaky breath, still in disbelief as his hand settled on your cheek, turning your head to face over his shoulder to press his lips onto yours. his kiss was messy but familiar, his low moan making you shiver alongside the feeling of zeke's stare wandering across the display before him. your exchange didn't last long before he pulled away, gazing at you with an unreadable look in his golden eyes for a moment, hand moving to the back of your head to push you down onto your hands and knees.

you obediently complied, met with the sight of zeke's cock once more, peering up to meet his gaze, features showing a mixture of eager expectancy and relaxed pride, just knowing that you were willing to do whatever he asked of you. and he relished in the changes your expressions went through in the next few seconds, the way your eyes widened when reiner's hands grasped your soft hips, how you swallowed thickly to try and get enough saliva down your tongue to get your mouth ready, and finally your mouth falling open and face twisting when reiner eased himself entirely into you in one solid thrust, finding little resistance from how soaked you were. you whimpered out a shaky curse, fists bunching up the sheets under you as he picked up a steady rhythm from behind you, zeke's fingers tangling into your hair and guiding onto your parted lips onto his awaiting cock.

he groaned out at the wet heat of your mouth engulfing him, tongue laving up over the underside of his length as you did your best to take as much of him in as possible without gagging. you wanted to be ashamed of how much you were enjoying the feeling of being entirely overwhelming, fuller than you'd ever felt in your entire life, but you'd be lying to yourself if you said that you'd made a mistake by giving in to the lustful temptations. you could feel your eyes water as zeke hit the back of your throat, your teary gaze and muffled moans against him only seeming to enthrall him further. reiner's hands felt up your waist, one reaching down your front to pinch and roll a nipple between his fingers, driving more stifled sounds and shaky breaths through your nose out of you.

you felt yourself squeezing around his cock, earning yourself a few low, muttered curses as he began to pound even faster into you, evidently approaching his limit just as fast as you are. the hand in your hair was guiding you up and down on the cock in your mouth, the tip of your nose just brushing zeke's stomach each time you surged forward with the momentum of the thrusts from behind you. it was all far too much in the best way possible, vision going hazy at the edges from the lack of proper air you could get into your lungs, insides aching from overusing alongside the tight knotting deep in your gut that was threatening to send you over the edge.

it was zeke that came first, heat pooling over your tongue and spilling down your throat, nearly too much for you to swallow as you tried not to choke. but he kept himself in your mouth and his hand firmly grasping your hair, if not to feel the hum of your desperate whines across your skin then to admire your pathetic expression, half-lidded eyes barely able to hold themselves open enough to stare back at him as you came hard for the second time that night. you could hear reiner give a generous groan of your name, thrusting as deep as he could go just a few times more, having enough sense to not cum inside you, pulling out and making a sticky mess of your trembling thighs.

only after you'd blinked away the glossiness in your eyes did zeke pull himself out of your mouth with a wet pop, holding your head up to appreciate the way your mouth still hung open to gasp in much needed gulps of air, tears and saliva dripping down your chin, halfhearted whimpers still escaping you as you trembled.

"you have good taste, reiner." zeke said, releasing your hair and letting you rest your cheek down against the mattress under you, grabbing his glasses off the side table and putting them back onto his face.

you watched as he stepped off the bed, picking out his clothes from the messy array of garments strewn about on the floor and tugging them on. he fished a handkerchief out of the the pocket of his pants, tossing it at reiner's side and glancing over your body, offering you a lazy smile when he caught your gaze.

"clean her up," he instructed, reaching out to give one last soft touch down your back, "and don't give her anymore trouble, alright? i expect to see you bright and early tomorrow."

you assumed that reiner nodded, since zeke turned without another word and exited the bedroom, making sure to shut the door behind him. for a moment, there was uneasy silence, only occupied by your breaths and the faint sound of zeke pulling on his boots somewhere in the living room and leaving out the front door. you gave a low hiss at the feeling of the fabric smoothing down the backs of your thighs, skin far too sensitive for your liking and legs aching uncomfortably.

you lifted your head up enough to wipe your chin with the back of your hand, eyes and limbs heavy with the desire to sleep. there were no words exchanged as he helped you move to lay down on your back, his face just as tired as he'd looked at the bar, but there was something else weighing down his expression as you took his face in your hands, staring up at him with a soft look of concern.

and though he still said nothing, he kissed you, so much gentler than he'd ever kissed you, with a tenderness that made you want savor this brief moment for as long as you could. but he eventually pulled away, and the brief worry that he might leave just as his captain had minutes before, but he rested down beside you with a low sigh. he didn't protest when you curled into the warmth of his body, head finding a comfortable place on his chest, not even bothering to try and venture out onto the floor to turn off the lamp before you settled down and let your eyes fall shut.

it was easy to fall asleep after he wrapped his arms around you, firm chest rising and falling with steady breaths, heart slow in your ear. you didn't think about the fact that you'd probably wake up alone in the morning, or that walking properly would be a monumental task on its own without even considering going to work to stay on your feet for the entire day—just appreciated this night while he couldn't slip away from you like all the other times before.

[kotilae]

How has Anne Rice fanfiction been held back all these years? There's nearly 2000 works on AO3 alone 🙄

Hello lovely anon! While I personally haven't delved super deep into the issue regarding Anne Rice and the legal actions taken towards the fanfiction community (as I'm not a fanfic author, myself, and only really became active online around 2013 and into the fandom in 2016-17 after the issue had already settled), I'm going to do my best to relay the general information regarding it from what I have witnessed among discussions and was able to look up, and give my own personal input into the current situation surrounding it. Anyone who might've been around to personally experience or see the controversy when it happened, please feel free to correct any inaccuracies there might be in the notes! In the days of FFnet circa early-2000s, Anne Rice was a little picky about creations surrounding her works - specifically fanfiction. Wanting to protect her brand and honor the copyright, there were formal requests (i.e., cease and desist orders) sent out by her lawyers to the website that hosted the fics, to take down any and all titles containing the Vampire Chronicles brand (though I'm not sure if individual emails were sent to authors themselves). The tag and works were taken down, since of course the site didn't want to face financial ruin. Around the early-2010s, she finally relented on her stance regarding the works:

"I got upset about 20 years ago because I thought it would block me," [Rice] said. "However, it’s been very easy to avoid reading any, so live and let live. If I were a young writer, I’d want to own my own ideas. But maybe fan fiction is a transitional phase: whatever gets you there, gets you there."

AO3 has been a popular platform for fic creators since its founding in 2009, but I'm sure we can all agree it's really hit its peak since the 2010s and has continued going strong, which was around the same time she relented and drew back. Given Rice's eventual indifference and desire to remain blissfully unaware towards fanfic, I couldn't really be certain whether or not she even knew AO3 existed in the first place (answers we now will probably never get, unless her son Christopher might know, if it's even ever brought up) - giving writers some leeway nearly from the get-go, I'm sure. Definitely once the legal action ceased, there was an uprise in those works being posted once again. However, knowing how loyal the fanbase could be towards the creator of such influential and iconic works (or maybe and more likely, there were still people afraid that they might open their inbox to a cease and desist), I have a feeling that there is a LOT of Vampire Chronicles fanfiction that has been kept in authors' personal files, never posted or once taken down before, that have yet to be posted again since Rice's passing.

The fanfiction is there, it's always BEEN there, but there were definitely some bumps along the road that some weren't able to comfortably surpass until now. What we've seen so far is that there has indeed been fics held back due to the past legal issues having a lasting impact, that are only now being posted since the author passed, seeing as the VC tag suddenly blew up this week.

If I'm being honest, I also would have expected such an influential and beloved series to have FAR more than just a little over 2000, almost 3000 fics written for it (which is still a lot, don't get me wrong!) The VC fandom is much larger than even I thought back when I participated in it. It shocked me to see how much just wasn't there when I looked up the tag on AO3 for the first time (Of course, that number has also grown quite a bit since then, but I digress)

TL;DR, there were legal issues in the past, and that can have a lasting effect on a community of individual creators that were there the first go-around, that might've been frightened it could happen again unexpectedly. Now that Rice is no longer with us and hence not able to pursue any more legal action, those unlocked hypothetical chains are no longer threateningly dangling in the shadows, either.

[lucisfavoritedemon]

Rebellious Soul: Chapter 5

Pairing: None

Summary: Y/N is having a hard time coping with the fact that her friend is gone and now her best friend is back, but there is a new player in town. The ultimate leader of the Rebels, Commander Ruby. Will Y/N be able to defeat Eve or will she give up the fight to mourn the loss of Dean?

Warnings: Mentions of torture.

Word Count: 1324

A/N: I realised that what I had posted, and what I had written were two completely different things. So I went through an edited this chapter, along with Chapter 6. I have major plans for those two chapters, and I got away from my original thought process. Also, as you may have noticed, this is loosely based off hunger games, but it's with a twist. I hope y'all are enjoying this series so far. Thanks for the understanding and patience.

"I thought that the Colt was just a legend?" I asked looking between Gabriel and Charlie.

"Well supposedly, but there are more facts out there proving that it exists more than there is proving it doesn't. When thinking about stuff like this, I go with the facts."

"Alright then. I guess I should round up my gear and head out. The faster I can find my guy the better. I have a feeling it won't be long before Eve figures out what we're planning."

"Good idea. Why don't we head out together that way we could both hit our people and both know with having to relay the information to multiple people? That way Eve doesn't find out as quickly."

"I agree. Gather everyone interested and let's head out in ten. I have to speak with Sam before we leave."

"Sounds like a plan."

Gabe and I headed off in different directions. I hadn't seen Sam since we heard about Jessica. It was hard for him not knowing whether she's alive or not.

"Hey Sam. How's everything?"

"Better. At least getting there."

"I feel so bad for what happened to Jess. I'm sorry she got dragged into this."

"Don't be. She knew the risks just like everyone else. Trust me you didn't do anything. Ruby told me what you did for her, and that is the kindest thing anyone has ever done for me. I never expected you to give up this opportunity to get revenge on Eve for Dean."

"Did you not hear what happened? The theories at least?"

"No. I haven't really wanted to listen to what people have to say about the matter. He's gone and I can't have him back. It hurts because we were close. We grew up in this together. He was like a brother to me."

"I know Sam. I wish there was more I could do to help you cope other than the fact that we are going to get him back. I don't care what anybody says, Ruby promised a rescue and amnesty for all of them. Including Dean."

"What does everyone say happened to him exactly?"

"That Eve had taken him hostage. Tortured him in unimaginable ways. Using him as their poster child to rid the world of Rebels. She won't stop till we are all dead or worse under her spell. Killing us off is her main goal, and she has the biggest inside man we had. She has the means of destroying us if she truly wanted to."

"I know Dean is our biggest and best weapon we had against her. He was building a case file on how to kill her. Said that he was doing it for someone special. I could now only assume that's you."

"Why me though?"

"Because you would want revenge. He knew your father died. Apparently he also knew how, and it's not how you think it happened."

"I knew he was killed, but I never told anyone because no one would believe me. They all knew I hated Eve from the moment I first saw her. She is clearly nothing but evil, and I will stop at nothing to defeat her. We have everything we need except the weapon to kill the thing that can kill her."

"What is that?"

"A special gun that can kill almost anything with a single bullet. We need the gun to kill a Phoenix. It's ashes are the only thing strong enough to kill her."

"You're not talking about the Colt are you?"

"Afraid so. Do you happen to know someone who might know it's whereabouts?"

"Yeah, but I would save him as a last resort." Sam warned.

I knew perfectly well who he was talking about, but this was a chance to get the upper hand on Eve. I wasn't going to let him tell me otherwise. I couldn't risk Dean's life on a last resort situation. He was our last resort.

"I'm sorry Sam, but this is that type of situation. I'm going to do whatever it takes to get Dean back. For all of us, not just me. He meant something to everyone, which is why this betrayal is the worst we have ever seen."

"I know, it's just, he is bad news. I wouldn't go to him unless no one else truly knows the whereabouts of the Colt."

"Fine. But if no one else does, or even if they hesitate for a second we move to him, got it?"

"Yeah now go and save Dean. For all of us."

Gabe, Ed, Harry, Michael, Castiel, and I all headed out in search of our first lead given to us by Gabriel and Cas who have known this person, well rather Angel, for a long, long time.

"Balthazar. We are here for knowledge on a weapon we seek the location of!" Gabe yelled through the thick of the forest.

As I have stated before each creature lives in a designated section of the world. If ever caught out of their designated area, they were immediately killed off. This was a beautiful lush forest that looked like a Heavenly paradise Perfect for the majority of it's heavenly inhabitants.

"Ah, Gabriel and Castiel. What brings you two traders back home, and with humans too?"

"Enough Balthazar. We need to know the location of the Colt."

"Ooh, temper. I say, is this how you got daddy to give you your favorite toys? Well that tone doesn't work on me Mikey." Balthazar spat.

I had to agree with the Angel, Michael was being a little too straight forward.

"Balthazar? We seek the location of this weapon for a good reason. Please will you help us?" I asked kindly, gaining a gentle smile.

"I wish I knew, but sadly I don't. Maybe if you five hand over the girl I will suddenly remember."

"He's lying." Gabe simply stated.

"How do you know?"

"He only wants Y/n because it will earn him and the others a spot at the big kids table. He doesn't really know where the weapon is. I say we move on."

"I agree. Let's head out."

"Okay, you got me. I really don't know where the weapon is. I'm only in charge of the Angelic weapons. The rest go through Crowley. He will definitely know where this weapon you are seeking for is. I swear."

"I know. Sadly Crowley knows everything about this gun." I whispered walking away.

I knew exactly where to find Crowley. We had a few talks here and there, but I have never asked him for a favor as big as this one.

"Crowley! We need to talk! It's about the Colt."

"Hello darling. It's about time."

"I know it has been a while, but I need you to pull in that favor of mine. You know the freebie before you start charging?"

"Yes I know what freebie means. Why do you want this Colt so bad? It doesn't even do anything."

"It's important."

"You want to kill Eve don't you? Well sorry to break it to you, but sadly she is one of the four beings this won't work on. Been there, tried that."

"We know it doesn’t work on her, but it will work on the thing that can."

"Oh. Well in that case here."

Then the gun appears in his hands and he tosses it to me. I looked at the gun in awe. It was the most beautiful thing in the world. Now all we needed was to get to the Phoenix mountain without being caught by Eve and her stupid henchmen.

"One last thing. Well really two. Don't let her know I'm working alongside you and two DON’T miss your target! Kapeesh?"

"You got it. Don't let Eve know and don't miss."

"Good." As quickly as he appeared he was gone again.

Now all we needed was to find these Phoenixes and find Eve. Things were starting to go in our favor.

SPN Tag list:

@atc74 @bella-ca @canadianspnhunter @deansdirtylittlesecretsblog @ericaprice2008 @impala-dreamer @impalaimagining @katymacsupernatural @leatherwhiskeycoffeeplaid @mamaredd123 @masksandtruths @mirandaaustin93 @muchamusedaboutnothing @our-jensen-ackles-love @roxyspearing @sea040561 @snffbeebee @spnwaywardwitch-blog @squirrelnotsam @torn-and-frayed @winchesterprincessbride