#gettin him booted out of places a lot

[hoggleswart]

LOCATION:      to  be  decided    /    open  for  interpretation. STATUS:      open      (    @startertms    )

"      yeah,    alright,    alright.    i’m  goin’.      "      hand  waves  dismissively  at  the  unfortunate  bar  -  workers  tasked  with  the  challenge  of  escorting  ezekiel  off  the  premises.    there’s  no  real  force  involved  in  their  removal;      just  stern      (    and  possibly  slightly  weary    )      expressions  that  look  more  hopeful  than  threatening,    as  if  they’re  silently  pleading  with  him  to  please  go  quietly    /    they  aren’t  paid  enough  to  take  on  retired  hit  wizards.    he  does.    his  ejection  is  his  own  fault  after  all.    that’s  what  he  gets  for  interfering  in  an  altercation  instead  of  minding  his  own  business;      how  quick  peacekeeper  becomes  troublemaker  when  shoved.    he  can  almost  hear  his  mother’s  disapproving  tuts  of  temper,  temper.    now  there’s  a  light  bruising  forming  on  knuckles,    and  another  temporary  pub  ban  against  the  burke  name.    hand  pushes  thick  hair  away  face,    thumb  swiping  at  split  lip  while  eyes  settle  on  another  figure  present  outside.      "      i’d  say  you  should  see  the  other  guy,    but  that’s  a  little  cliche.      "

[evanescencelovrr]

Part 8 college!simon x reader. Reader works her first shift at the bar and meets team 141 🙊 feel free to like comment & reblog!

Masterlist here ✉️

First shift. You muttered to yourself, buckling your black belt in your jeans. All black outfit, perfect for waitressing. Your hair was tucked in a bun to keep it neat, some strands fallen. Closing shut your mirror, you eyed your dorm room, taking off the lights before leaving with your bag.

“I wonder what that crew is like…apparently they must mean a lot to him.” You said, under your breath as you walked to the main street. The bar was located behind Campus apparently and took about 15 minutes to reach. It wasn’t horrible—you saw shitty motel buildings and broken neon lights along the way.

Cars passed by every now and then. Your mind drifted back to Simon. Maybe that was where he got those eyebags from—working all these night shifts.

The bell rings as you enter and of course, you hear an electric guitar strumming over the speakers. Glasses clink and the displays are showing a football match. You nervously approach the counter and soon a man comes in—mohawk, beard and sharp eyes. Tanned. Tall, muscular and a rag thrown over his shoulder.

What you didn’t expect what his strong scottish accent. “Aye, y’er ere’ fa’ the job, lass?”

“Yes—“ You furrowed your brows, slowly comprehending it to which he barked out a laugh. You weren’t sure you heard him right and the words just spilled out your mouth.

His shiny teeth glittered in the lights. “C’mon, love, no reason t’ be scared. Names Johnny.”

“Of course sir—“

“Johnny.” He said firmly, eyes cutting a glance at you as he began cleaning the glasses with his rag.

You nodded and bit your lip—first mistake. You then made your way behind the counter, boots thudding against the ground. You always wore your lil platform combat boots—added a nice touch.

“Lieutenants got a hold on’ ya?” Johnny said suddenly, eyeing you. Confused, you turn to look at him and you shake your heard, lips tugging down a bit.

“I wouldn’t—“

“Damned man. Cannae help it, you’re a pretty one.” Johnny smiled, rolling his eyes and grinning.

You stare mildly shocked at his carefree attitude, not knowing what exactly to say—or how Simon would respond to this.

After a pause, you then say, “Show me around, yeah?”

“Look at er’ givin’ me orders.” Johnny teased and then got to work, dropping his causal persona. He led you gently to the kitchen, showing you where to restock the fruits. Oranges went in one crate.

Apples in another.

Lemons to the side.

You nodded.

He then showed you how to clean the damn ice maker, which took a good portion of training. He even had you do it, watching you. A half hour at least passed.

“Y’er gettin’ it.” Johnny said, pleased. He patted your back hefty, and you nearly groaned at each pat. He was heavy handed.

You scoff a bit and smile, slowly getting comfortable. After that, was washing and soaking the glasses in lukewarm water to get stains out and debris. And then drying them. And then placing them on the hanging racks by the bar counter for use.

Just then, the door rung and Simon walked in, ready for his shift. When he rounded the counter and saw you, back facing him and drying a glass, he froze momentarily. He then slid his hands into the dark wash of his jeans, black button up wrinkling.

“See ya’ made it in one piece.” A gruff voice said from behind you. You recognized it.

You turned around and grinned, brow raising slightly at his appearance. He sure cleaned up nicely, although his stubble remained rough, hair uncombed. It looked like he ran his fingers through it multiple times.

“Johnny over there s’been keeping me alive. Does he always have a knack for teasin’?”

“Shit, shoulda mentioned that to ya. Don’ let em’ talk his way in y’er panties.” Simon said gruffly, although eyes flashing in amusement. His heavy lidded eyes raised and you found yourself staring a bit longer than necessary, and then turned around. Carefully rearranging the glasses so they stood upside down—the wet ones draining.

“Would be funny all he found were a pair of balls. Steel ones.”

With that, Simon let out a small laugh. A choked out chuckle, shoulders jerking up and grin stretching wide. The curve of his nose wrinkled, eyes flashing down to undo his cuffs to raise his sleeves over his hair forearms.

“Steel ones you said? Quite the image.” And with that, leaving you dazed and flustered, he went off to the kitchen.

——

As Simon approached the kitchen to begin slicing the oranges, and lemons, Johnny appeared.

“Ya’ got a lass under ya now?”

“Shut it, before I stuff Price’s unwashed sock in y’er mouth.” Simon is at it, gruff and glaring. Brows pinched together, big hands cradling the lemon. He tosses it up, then catches it, giving a sharp glance to Johnny who grins mischievously.

“I ain’t signin’ myself up fa’ tha’.” Johnny winced playfully and moved back, to which Simon found it pleasing. Even at work, he was still regarded as Lieutenant—which should still be. Regardless of being at base or not. His position would remain.

He then glanced at you, who leaned against the counter and spoke to a customer. Your grin, although some strands fell delicately, most was tucked away neatly. You shook the drink, mixing and poured it over.

You seemed to be adjusting pretty well.

‘’Aye, lass, come work the back, yea?’’ Johnny called out, from the kitchen. You moved swiftly on your feet, after given the man his drink to which he dropped tips on the counter.

‘’Ya forgot—‘’ Simon started when you breezed past him, sighing through his nose. He walked up, cleaning his scarred hands with the rag, and then slid the tips over.

‘’For that girl.’’ said the man, drinking his mojito and eyeing Simon. He didn’t like this fella. Something itched at him. Maybe it was the sly twinkle in the mans eye, the slight lift of his lip. Bushy eyebrows peeked out.

“Didn’t need ta’ explain yourself.” Simon muttered, stuffing the tips in his pockets, although in his left, making sure to keep his tips separate from yours. Seems you still had some learning to do.

The man returned to his drink, although occasionally eyeing Simons back who now worked the front of the bar. He used the calculator to punch in numbers. Just then, a crowd of people came in—as usual. Night settled now and chatter arose in the bar.

Barstools shook as people sat, slamming hands and cheering. Simon approached and leaned his hands on the edge, eyeing them. “What ave’ we got?”

“Whiskey, neat.”

“Same here.”

“Gimme a scotch, good man.”

Behind, you worked cutting the oranges skin off. Stealthy hands worked and even Johnny let out a whistle. “Things ya’ canna do with those hands.”

You found your breath catching and you shifted on your boots, leaned over the table. You pinched your brows. “You woke up cheery today.”

Johnny laughed and sautéed the vegetables, steam rising. A crackle sound rung in the air, then hissing as he mixed in steak. About halfway, he flipped it expertly. “Jus’ focus on makin’ them hands work, yea?”

“You got it, Johnny.” You quirked, releasing some of your rigidity. He grinned, eyeing you for a second appreciating your tenacity. Slowly, you were getting used to this work environment. It appeared to be smooth, occasionally filled with teasing and banter. Maybe this wasn’t so bad—you thought.

Simon didn’t like as soon as you arrived—new recruit—you’d gotten stares. What he didn’t like were the usual assholes that crept up here every night. He figured he should give you a heads up, although maybe you knew. He wasn’t sure.

And he also wouldn’t lie, you were a pretty thing. He stilled himself once he realized his train of thought, then went back to shaking the drink harder. Almost as if threatening the damn drink. Brows pinched in semi focus— and a hint of irritation at himself. He then removed the shaker and poured smoothly the drink into the glass, pushing it towards the rugged man.

Just then, he spotted Price who arrived. He took his jacket off, resting it on the hook in the small closet next to yours. The man didn’t take long to realize what had changed. ‘’We got a new one?’’

“Aye, shes in the back.” Simon responded, voice lowered.

“She?”

“Got a problem?”

“Nah, just thought you’d bring in a little lad, is all.” Price grinned widely, small eyes crinkling. His mustache brushed his lips.

Price earned a look from Simon. His usual stoic, and cold demeanor not wavering. As Simon leaned against the soda machine, he then perked up when a woman approached the bar, lipstick smudged and hair a wavy mess. Price took this to his advantage and moved to the back.

“Gimme—“

“Gimme a…Malibu mixed with pineapple and cranberry.” She mumbled, grasping the counter and smiling at Simon.

Price then saw you, peeling away at the oranges skillfully. Beside you were a whole basket—unpeeled. And another—ready to go. Price grabbed his apron and tied it round’ his waist, chin tilted down, eyes not leaving you. “Recruit, see ya’ made it to the team.”

You jumped as you were stuck in focus and the man smiled, one corner lifting up. He looked like a millennial dad, you thought. Shifting on your boots, you watched as deft fingers made a skill-full knot behind his back and then he moved to the table beside you.

He grasped at the large knife, as it shined in the overhead light.

“Names y/n.” You said, Johnny taking a long glance over at the scene as Price began slicing smoothly at the chicken.

“You up for waiting tables?” Price said gruffly.

“You got it, sir.”

And at that, Price gave you a smug smile, eyes flashing over you. Johnny then prepared a plate, handing it to you. His tall form towered over you for a moment before going back to prepare another round.

“That ones’ fa’ table five, love.” Johnny said and your eyes peeked up at the nickname. Honestly it seemed casual for him—maybe there was no meaning behind it.

Nodding, you grasped the plate and then caught eyes with Price. He was busy slicing the flesh clean.

Wasn’t so bad for my first shift, you thought.

[carvedtits]

𝔤𝔯𝔬𝔴𝔦𝔫𝔤 𝔭𝔞𝔦𝔫𝔰 | 𝔞 𝔱𝔯𝔞𝔤𝔦𝔠 𝔩𝔬𝔳𝔢 𝔰𝔱𝔬𝔯𝔶

“but you say i won’t be here forever,

and you’ll wait as long as it takes…”

contains descriptions of gore !!

the wind whistles through the brittle trees, the barn doors shivering along with the animals inside. it was a cold fall, transitioning into an even colder winter. the crops lie shriveled and dried, intensely devoid of life.

“ma, i think we need to reinforce the barn. not much crops left, we can’t afford to lose cattle too,” the girl sighs, staring solemnly at the dilapidated red and white structure through the glass.

“better run along and ask the neighbors for some planks then, we’re all out,” the wrinkled woman waves the girl along, the fading wedding band tan line prominent on her calloused finger.

the girl exits her home, shrugging on her leather coat as she trudges out into the brisk woods. it was late in the day, the sun lacking the warmth she once carried across the fields.

trudging against the frigid wind made the distance between her home and the neighbors’ feel like an eternity, the thick shadows of the trees causing her to hug her own warmth closer. she avoids eye contact with the small wooden structure haphazardly placed in the ground, the constant reminder that this land would never be as it once was.

“what are you doin’ over here girl? it’s freezin’!”, mr. bouvier squints from his porch as the girl approaches.

“my ma sent me over to ask if you had any spare planks, sir. we ran out and our barn is in bad shape,” she shivers as she stills at the bottom of the steps.

“course i got some to spare for you, y/n. come inside first, get ya warmed up,” he waves her inside, a welcoming smile slightly blanketed by his greying mustache.

she hums, nodding frigidly as her boots clack against the thick wood. relief washes over her as he closes the door behind her, rustling clearly being heard from the dining room.

“we’re just gettin’ dinner started, you’re more than welcome to join us. matthew’s been talkin’ an awful lot about you,” he mutters with a grin as he guides her to the spacious kitchen.

a blush creeps on her face while she follows close behind as he navigates his way through the house. their home looked like a mansion in comparison to hers, an awful indication that they were just barely getting by without a stronger set of hands.

“you sure mrs. bouvier wont mind? i’d hate to take any food off your plate,” y/n smiles, the warmth emanating through the home heating her chilled bones.

“you’re welcome anytime, y/n. the wife loves you, thinks you’re a good influence on our matthew,” he winks as we enter the room.

“saw y/n outside when i was checking the mail, thought she’d just stay over for dinner,” he announces as he goes to take a seat at the table, flipping yesterdays newspaper open.

“how are you, y/n, dear? it’s been ages! how’s your mama?”, mrs. bouvier smiles brightly as she continues on the stove.

“she’s been okay,” she nods, “got a few new cattle in so we’re doin’ better.”

mrs. bouvier hums, nodding as she turns the burners off.

the girl notices an empty seat at the table, but before she can question it, as if right on queue, matthew walks into the room.

“hey, matt,” she waves shyly as he takes the seat beside her.

“been a while, y/n, how are you?”, matt asks, scooting closer to the table.

“i’ve been better, probably just the winter blues,” she mutters, quietly enough to go unnoticed by his parents, “you?”

“same here, been reading a lot. you like to read?”, he adjusts the utensils in front of him.

“‘m more into writing..mostly ‘cause i don’t have many books to read,” she chuckles sheepishly, fiddling with a loose thread on her overalls.

“i’ll lend you some of mine, i have a few i know you’ll like,” matt offers, interest piqued by her, once again.

“you sure? it’s cold out, you might get bored one day and want to read one of ‘em,” she says, a slight lilt in her voice.

“then i’ll come over and talk to you about it,” a handsome and inviting grin on his lips as mrs. bouvier begins distributing dinner.

“matthew will ride you back home, i threw in two stacks of hay for the cattle just in case. that there should be enough planks to keep everything nice and warm for ‘em,” mr. bouvier nods with a pat on the horses rear.

“thank you kindly, mr. bouvier. my mama’ll be awful gracious,” y/n nods, their breaths visible and mingling in the icy breeze.

“course, y/n. stop by to see us again soon, we love your company,” he pats her back before heading back to the house.

“get back quick, matthew! think there’s gonna be a storm!”, he hollers back.

“yes, sir!”, matt nods before turning his attention back to her.

“here, i’ll help you up,” he smiles, offering her his hand.

she hums, her cheeks warming up as she tucks her foot into the hook before kicking her other leg over.

“thanks,” she mutters, watching as he effortlessly climbs in front of her.

matt nods before grabbing the reins, leading them towards the woods once again. her arms shakily wrap around his waist as she leans her head against his back. he smells of pine and warmth, a fire in the midst of a blizzard. the kind of fuzzy feeling that revives the rot pooling in your belly and tugging at your heart strings.

“why haven’t i seen you in church?”, matt says over the howling wind, flurries starting to flutter around us.

“haven’t had a way of getting there,” she shrugs, a pang of guilt striking her as her fingers find the cross sitting snugly on her neck.

“your reins broken? we’ve got plent-“

“she passed,” y/n shakes her head, biting back the tremble in her lips as she cuts him off.

“oh…’m so sorry, y/n i- when? if you don’t mind my askin’”, he stiffens at the news, his spine straight as a pencil.

“about two months ago, broken leg. i had to shoot her, she was in so much pain…killed me to see her that way,” her grip on his waist loosens as they approach the dull building. there were no lights on inside, a lack of homeliness, of warmth.

they come to a halt, matt slowly climbs off, his boots hitting the dried leaves with a loud crunch. he silently helps her off, both of her hands in his as he guides her to his level. the moment her shoes hit the ground, his arms are wrapping securely around her figure. he brings her head into his chest, enveloping her in his heat.

“you okay?”, he mutters into her hair, her hands quivering as they find his back.

“she didn’t even help me bury her, matt,” she whimpers into his chest, a rapture of tears flooding her waterline at his concern.

he tightens his grip around her, leaving a gentle kiss on her head as she shakes in his grasp.

“i’m so sorry, bug,” matt cradles her, at a loss for words as she quietly sobs.

“stay the night. i’ll leave this inside the barn and you can ride back with me,” he mutters, gently stroking her hair.

“i don’t wanna impose i-“

“i want you there, y/n,” he shakes his head, leaving a kiss on her temple as he unravels himself from her before guiding the horse to the barn.

as silent as a mouse, she trails behind him, his footsteps leaving just barely visible marks in the damp, white ground. grunts leave his lips as he heaves the hay bales in a tucked away pile just beside the entry way.

“here..let me help,” she offers, a solemn grin on his face as she grabs one end of the pile, him at the other end as they fit the wood through the door like a puzzle piece.

the wind is fierce and unrelenting as they trudge back, the trees catching the buildup of white crystals.

“almost there, you okay?”, matt nearly screams over the angry precipitation.

“‘m alright,” she nods against his back, tucking her head into the thick material of his coat.

it’s a short, but rough ride before they finally tuck the horse back into the barn. their skin burns as the warm air from inside hits them, finally getting out of the harsh storm that was filtering in.

“come on, bug. let’s get you changed,” matt whispers, reaching for her hand as they tiptoe up the freshly refinished stairs.

once in his bedroom, y/n stands awkwardly at the now closed door, not quite sure what to do with herself. she watches matt’s arms stretch, his pale skin doing little to hide the prominent bulging veins as he reaches to grab a plain white shirt.

“here, should fit like a gown on ya,” he grins, sitting the shirt on his freshly made bed.

“thanks,” she says bashfully, looking up into his curious blue eyes.

for just a brief moment, time seems to stop. it was as if nothing mattered. not y/n’s mother, not the dying farm, or the maggots that had surely made a home out of her dear companion, nor the insatiable appetite that she’d grown to have.

matt had a way of bringing the better part of her out. she wasn’t so angry when he was around. that feeling of guilt that gnaws at her lungs, that’d left her gasping so many nights dwindling by the second, so long as his warmth surrounded her. he washed her filth away and reorganized her muddled organs.

“i’ll uh..i’ll leave you to it,” he clears his throat, respectfully turning to gently place his palm on the brass knob.

“wait!”, she says a little louder than she’d liked.

“s-stay..please? could you just…just turn around?”, she mutters, heat rushing to her cheeks as she looks away from his startled gaze.

“yeah…okay, i’ll change too then,” he nods with a small, reassuring smile.

she mutters a quiet ‘thank you’, turning away from him just as he does the same. in a very pure, innocent manner, they shed their clothing, taking extra care not to look in the others direction. it was quiet, sweet. like being in grade school and receiving a love letter from a “secret admirer,” it was a gentle gesture of admiration.

“let me know when you’re done,” she mutters, fiddling with her cuticles as she stands in his baggy shirt.

“done,” he clears his throat, slowly, cautiously turning around to face her.

matt bites back a small smile, her figure blanketed in the t-shirt that would now only be worn by her.

“i’ll sleep on the floor..you can have the bed,” he nods, walking over to his closet to grab a spare blanket.

y/n quietly walks toward him, gently grasping his forearm. as he turns to face her, she smiles bashfully, silently walking into him. she lies her head on his chest, listening to the life inside of him. the blood rushing through his veins, his heart beating so rhythmically, his lungs inflating before he exhales, and his ribs expanding with them.

his arms wrap securely around her body, a sudden need to shield her from something overcoming him as their hearts sync. quietly, he guides her to the bed, sitting himself down first before tugging her beside him. never leaving her grasp, he pulls the wool blanket over each of their bodies, taking extra care to navigate around her limbs.

matt pulls her closer, his warmth enveloping her completely.

“where’d you go all those weeks?”, he whispers into her hair, his thumb caressing her hip.

they sit in silence for a moment, y/n trying to come up with an answer, matt anxiously awaiting it.

“didn’t wanna bring you down with me,” she says, muffled against the fabric of his shirt.

“i’d drown in you and die happy, bug,” his eyebrows furrow, gently kissing her hair as he cradles her closer.

she tries so hard to bite back the quiet sob that stabs and claws at the back of her throat, but it comes spewing out. tears staining his skin as she tries to catch her breath.

“hey, talk to me. let me in,” matt mutters into her slightly damp skin, his lips being placed against her cheek as he moves down to her eye level.

“why are you so warm?”, she whispers, shaking her head as she looks at him with tear-filled eyes.

“god…you’re so warm and you make me want to be better. but i’m horrible, matt,” she sobs, breaking eye contact, “i’m terrible and you deserve better, but i’m selfish. i can’t stay away from you.”

he gently kisses her forehead, allowing her to continue.

“you’re so gentle…too gentle. too kind. it feels so strange, matt,” she whimpers, an urge to pull away, to run makes her head pound. she should leave.

“i feel filthy and undeserving and you make me believe in something beyond this place, this land…but i’m tethered to it and you’re not. you’ll leave me, one day…and i’ll grow old here..die here because there’s no place else that’ll have me. you’ll have a life and a family and a wife and you’ll forget about me,” she rambles, “and all i’ll have is that godforsaken house with my mothers ashes in it,” she whispers, shaking her head.

“i can get us away from here. we don’t ever have to come back…we can go upstate and i’ll-“

“matt,” she shakes her head, “you can’t, you-“

“no, i will,” he mutters, slightly frantic as he kisses her forehead, “i will. just give me until the spring! i’ll go make some extra money in town and save up and we can-“

y/n swiftly places her lips on his, muffling his choked back tears as she gently runs her fingers through his hair. swallowing each others sobs as they frantically grab onto one another, a feeble attempt at trying to preserve this moment, to save each other from inevitably drifting.

she trails kisses to his neck, his hands grasping at her shirt as he silently cries, her touch keeping him just slightly grounded. tears fall from her eyes as his scent infiltrates her senses, she’s drunk on him as she tries to get closer to him. she gently lifts his shirt up, briefly disconnecting her from his skin before she feverishly reattaches her lips to the skin of his chest and he’s so warm. he’s so full of life and so gentle and so soft and she’s so sorry.

“i’m sorry,” she whispers in a dazed state, her movements growing in aggression as she moves back up to his neck, tears streaming down her cheeks.

“i’m so sorry,” she sobs against his lips, their tears seeping into his pillow case as she tries to pull herself away, to save him. but it’s been so long and she’s so hungry and he’s all she’s ever needed.

and then there’s that rush. a giddiness, an insatiable hunger that’s been eating away at her the moment she saw him and she can’t hold it off anymore.

“i love you,” she whispers, the whites of his eyes now full of bulging veins, “i love you,” she repeats.

“i love you,” he kisses her lips so softly and with so much care that it shatters her heart to do what she’s about to do.

for just a brief moment, she pretends that things are better. that after this they’ll see each other everyday, talk for hours about his books, that they’ll save up, and carelessly run off. get married, have children, maybe a boy and a girl with his eyes instead of her dirt brown ones and she’ll get to cook him his favorite dinner and he’ll cradle her tightly one last time as they drift off together.

pine fills her senses as that warm feeling bubbles in her stomach, she lovingly caresses his soft skin. her lips leave his to trail just below his jawline, the sight of his adam’s apple bobbing in anticipation causes her lips to latch onto his pulse point.

she mutters a last ‘i’m sorry,” tears stinging her eyes before she sinks her teeth into his skin. a choked groan leaves his lips as he gently caresses her hair, egging her on as she gets lost in him. his blood pools beneath them as she tugs chunks of flesh from his body.

this was it for her. as close as she could get to him.

the house is blanketed in silence, a loud squelching is all that can be heard as she consumes him. and she’s sobbing as she does so and he’s even warmer inside and his eyes grow heavy as she gnaws at the pink in between his ribs.

she knew, somewhere deep inside her muddled mind, that what she’d down was irreversible. that his parents would never know what exactly happened to their son. and it makes her sob louder because she didn’t mean to. and she only did it because she loved him too. their only son, carried away by her tidal wave, by her greed.

and by the time she’s done all that’s left is his once white shirt and his favorite striped pajama pants, now soaked entirely in his blood. she cries as she removes the shirt he gave her, slipping his shirt and pants on like a second skin. she pulls his boots on over her ankles before quietly walking toward the window. she tugs it open, the draft instantly blowing into the greying room as she climbs out of the window.

the drop to the ground knocked the wind out of her as she lands on her back. the wind is unforgiving and angry as she trudges through the woods. she goes deeper and deeper, further away from the crime scene where her lover once resided. she comes across the hidden lake, the one they’d spent so many days at, bathing in the sun together until nightfall. snowflakes have now piled up along her lash line and in her blood-slick hair.

she slips her feet into the freezing water, slowly submerging her body as her breath quickens. hypothermia begins to take over, her body going into a state of shock as she struggles to hold her breath. her lungs fill with murky ice water, garbled gasps leaving her mouth as her vision starts to blur. his face flashes in her mind as she begins to drift off, the cold turning into an irreversible numbness. she sees him smiling, blush running to the tips of his ears after their first kiss. and when he’d look at her with so much love and so many unspoken words that she’d bursted into tears. and he’s so concerned as he pulls her into his tight embrace, his warmth enveloping her entirely.

and as her throat restricts one last time, she can just barely hear his voice, the taste of him swirling around in her mouth with the earthy water as she returns to the land from which she came. and she found solace in knowing that they’d never be apart again.

𓆡 ⭒ㅤ𓈒ㅤׂ 🫧 taglist : @sirenedeslily

mimi speaks ❥ this is the first thing i’ve finished in months omg. i promise not everything is gonna be angst but ethel cain and bones and all are all i can think about rn so this is what ur getting. lysm ty for reading 💋

© carvedtits

[southerngothicchic]

Promises in the Dark

18+

Your eyes linger on the dingy neon lettering that read 'Prairie Inn,' on the faded sign. The equally dingy 'Vacancy' right below it seemed extra depressing tonight, just taunting you with the false prospect of actually having guests check in. You didn't know why you had to sit perched behind the dusty front desk, surrounded by so much wood paneling every night, when it would all prove to be done in vain.

You tried to convince your parents to sell the place and move away, to literally anywhere else, other than middle of nowhere North Dakota. They always refused, since it was a family business and they wanted it to stay 'in the family.'

Despite what they envisioned, this wasn't how your future was going to play out. Once you had enough saved up, you were getting out and possibly not looking back, at least not for a while.

Other than them, you didn't really have anything keeping you here...unless you counted a certain sheriff's deputy that had a crush on you.

You knew you never should've humored him, but you could only resist his dreamy brown eyes for so long.

You'd drag him into the back office for heated make outs, with him whining how you should just open up one of the rooms so you could have some real fun. You told him no, several times, out of some looming fear that you'd get caught. Which, he always tried to persuade you otherwise, but you didn't waver.

That was, until tonight.

You sit, with a huff, behind the front desk, already over everything while your shift had just started. You then pull your phone from your back pocket and begin endlessly scrolling.

For such a mind-numbing activity, it did make the time pass quicker, as it was soon 11 P.M.

You know he should be here soon, as he always stops by during his patrols of the area. Antipation courses through you as you've missed him more than you thought you would. You find yourself actually missing that stupid vape that seemed to be attached to his hand. He's so irritatingly cute, sometimes you couldn't stand it.

You turn your attention back to your phone, getting lost in scrolling once again, when you hear the ancient door creak open and the footfalls from heavy boots. You glance up to see him blow a cloud of vapor in front of him, as he approaches you. You roll your eyes, not wanting him to see how much you missed him.

"Evenin' gorgeous," he greets, leaning against the desk. "How's your night been?"

"Oh, you know, another thrilling night at the Bates Motel," you snark, gesturing to your surroundings.

You each share a laugh, as he nervously shifts his gaze from yours.

"I have to say, I don't like you being here all alone," he begins, "there's a lot of bad people out there that could take advantage of a pretty thing like you."

"So you tell me, literally every time I see you," you dismiss, with another laugh. "I think if some horrible thing was meant to happen to me, it would've by now."

"Hard to say, the world's just gettin' worse and people are gettin' crazier," he counters, "who knows what could happen on any given night."

"Are you trying to scare me, Tillman?"

He bristles at you using his last name.

"Just stating what could happen is all," he defends, glancing at you with those eyes.

"Well, I really shouldn't have anything to worry about because you'll be here to protect me, right?"

He smirks while you playfully bat your eyes at him.

"That's right, honey, nothing's gonna happen to you with me here," he says proudly.

"I'm so lucky to have such a big, strong man looking out for me," you then tease, knowing it really gets him going.

It's his turn to roll his eyes, before he leans closer to you.

"Make fun all you want, but I'm gonna show you just how big and strong I am," he breathes, his voice low.

"Oh really?"

He nods. "Now, c'mere, I've been dying to kiss ya all day."

He reaches for you and places his hand on the back of your neck, pulling you to him.

You let him, as you've been wanting the same thing.

His lips are surprisingly soft as he kisses you slowly. The tiniest moan escapes his lips when you deepen the kiss. The chill of the night is soon forgotten as he's consumed with the warmth radiating from you.

"I knew you missed me," he whispers, as he nose presses against your cheek.

"I did," you breathe, ghosting your lips over his.

"You wanna get us one of those rooms tonight, honey?"

"Gator..." you whine.

"Please, honey? Just think how good I can make you feel..." he continues, as he presses kisses to your cheek.

His kisses are dangerous, as you're considering giving in.

"You're the worst," you say, after breaking the kiss and pulling away.

His smirk returns as he watches you take the master room key out of a drawer. You slide it into one of your back pockets, followed by slipping your phone in the other.

"Lets go, loverboy," you say, as you take his hand and lead him out of the office.

You forget how cold it was as you hurry out into the night. Gator quickly pulls you to him, trying to shield you from the bitter wind. You each walk through the half melted snow, to the nicest room in the motel.

A half faded, gold 5 marks the door as you slide the key card in the lock. It clicks open and you eagerly pull him inside, wanting to get out the cold.

The room itself is almost as cold and dark when you feel him press your back against the door. His lips are on yours again, this time kissing you hungrily. You wrap your arms around his neck, pulling him even closer.

"I knew you wanted this too," he breathes, as his lips move to your neck. "Fuck, I've wanted you for so long, baby."

You just whimper at his words as you feel his teeth scrape against your skin. He plans on leaving a sizable hickey, so everyone will know you're his.

Your hands are already clawing at his bulky vest, the feeling of him suckling on your skin almost too much.

"Tell me you want me, too," he then breathily commands, with his eyes meeting yours.

"I want you," you breathe, gazing at him helplessly.

With that, he lifts you up, into his arms and carries you to the bed. He gently lays you down before beginning to take off his clothes.

The faint light from the neon sign shines through the thin curtain, illuminating him as you watch him undress. His movements entrance you, until he reminds you that you should be taking off your clothes as well.

Blushing, you quickly pull your sweater over your head, revealing a black bra. You then lean over to take off your boots, before emptying your pockets, on the nearby nightstand. You slide your jeans down your legs then discard them, on the floor.

You lay back against the pillows, waiting for him to pounce.

He stands, just in his boxers, as he looks at you.

"So pretty..." he breathes, taking them off and climbing onto the bed.

He presses his lips to your ankle, then alternates between each leg, as he kisses his way up to your thighs. He smiles as you writhe underneath him.

The sensual way he's kissing you is a welcome surprise. Knowing that he possesses such tenderness makes you weak.

You whimper as he nips at your thighs, unable to keep from squirming. He then presses his mouth to your panties, pressing his tongue against the fabric.

"I bet you taste just as good as you smell," he says, looking up at you.

You throw your head back against the pillow, before he rips your panties from your body.

He wastes no time tasting you, as his tongue laps at you, feverishly. Your hands are immediately grasping and pulling at his slicked back hair, while moaning his name.

"You taste so fuckin' good, baby, better than I dreamed," he pants, as he devours you.

You close your eyes, as your legs begin to tremble, only for them to reopen as you whine when he pulls away.

He slithers up your body and hovers his face over yours.

"What's the matter, baby?" He asks, his voice dripping with condescension. "Do you need more?"

You let out a frustrated sigh, before pulling him into a kiss. He smiles before licking his way into your mouth, wanting you to taste yourself. The kiss becomes messier as your desire intensifies.

"You don't know how many nights I've dreamed about this..." he breathes. "And how you were dripping on my tongue..."

He pauses to kiss you again, with his tongue easily parting your lips. A low moan rumbles from his throat, before he continues, "You're the perfect girl, and you deserve to be fucked like one."

You actually gasp, against his lips, while he grins. He glances down as you instinctively spread your legs. You each moan as he eases himself inside you.

"Gator, I-its-" you breathe, arching your back.

"You can take it, honey, I know ya can," he assures, as he pushes all the way in.

You dramatically exhale when you feel his hips against yours.

"Fuck, you're so tight..." he grunts, "don't know how long I'm gonna last."

You move your hips, urging him to move, as your hands grip his shoulders.

"I'll just fuck ya nice and slow," he says, pulling halfway out, before sinking back in.

You're already back to moaning his name, which he can't get enough of.

"How's that, baby? Good?" He asks, loving how you're already this blissed out.

"So good, don't stop..." you answer, as he leans in for a kiss.

He moans into it when he feels you wrap your legs around his waist.

"You've wanted this as much as I have, huh?" He adds, with his lips trailing kisses down your neck.

"Y-Yes, oh God..." you sigh, as he fucks you deeper.

"I can tell from how you're squeezin' me, fuck..." he breathes, fully burying his face in your neck. "I wanna fuck you all the time, after this...you're mine now...all mine."

"Gator..." you whine, meant to be a form of protest, but too lost in pleasure.

"Say it," he commands, before biting the top of your shoulder.

"I'm yours!" You then yelp, your nails clawing at his back.

"Promise me..." he breathes, as he pushes your bra strap down, his lips mouthing along your skin. "Promise me that you'll always be mine..."

Your mind is almost too hazy to comprehend what he's saying, too far gone to form words. All you can really do is whimper as he places wet kisses across the top of your breast.

"Don't go all quiet on me now. I thought you liked me..." he says, looking up at you.

"I do-"

"Don't ya want to be with me?" He asks, kissing his way up your neck.

You whine his name again as he sighs.

"That's not a real answer, honey," he scolds, nuzzling his nose against your jaw.

"Yes, I want to be with you," you reply, exasperation evident in your voice.

He smiles, his eyes meeting yours, even in the darkened room.

"Then ya better fuckin' scream for me," he whispers, before roughly thrusting into you.

His abrupt change of pace makes you gasp and cling to him even tighter as he presses a sloppy kiss to your lips.

Sweat drips from his forehead onto your lips, when he pulls away. He watches as you then swipe your tongue across your lip, before smiling. He moans and fucks into you even harder, making you finally come undone around him.

His hips stutter, for a moment, as you cry his name, with your nails digging into his skin.

"Fuck...you're so beautiful baby...I'm gonna-"

A loud, obnoxious moan reverberates through him as he spills inside you. You're both moaning as he fills you so full, you can feel some of it seeping out.

He collapses onto you, engulfing your body with his. He's panting, harder than before while you lightly scratch his back.

"Holy shit..." he breathes, raising his head to meet your gaze.

You then pull him into a kiss, not wanting him to say something stupid and ruin the moment.

He eagerly reciprocates your kiss and you just lazily make out. He does eventually pull away and say, "I meant everything I said, I want you to be my girlfriend."

"We shouldn't, though. What about your dad-?"

"I don't care about what he thinks," he replies, his hand cupping your cheek. "I just know I wanna be with you. Like, show you off around town and take you on dates and stuff."

You smile. "I guess being your girlfriend wouldn't be so bad..."

"I'll be the best boyfriend you've ever had," he grins, "and you already know that the sex will be good."

"True," you laugh.

He kisses you again before you say, "I hate to do this, but I need to get back to the office."

"Its ok, I should go, too," he replies, giving you one last kiss before sitting up.

You both have dumb smiles on your lips as you redress. He slips his hand into yours as you walk to his patrol car. He pulls you into a tight hug, as he feels you shivering.

"I don't wanna leave you," he pouts, as you pull away to look at him.

"Why don't you come back in a few hours and we go get breakfast?"

A smile instantly forms on his lips.

"Ok, so like a date, then?"

"Yes, like a date," you say, playfully rolling your eyes, before smiling in return.

"See ya later," he breathes, pulling you back to him for a lingering kiss.

"See ya," you echo, against his lips.

You watch, still with a smile, as he leaves the desolate parking lot, before hurrying back inside the motel office.

You resume your place behind the desk, this time with a dreamy look in your eyes. You check your phone, and relief washes over you as there's no missed calls or concerned texts from your parents. You sigh, leaning back in the equally ancient chair, unashamedly excited for breakfast with your boyfriend.

[cupidscrule]

BLACK CAT

Leon X Fem! reader

P in V, smut

[ no tw, vanillaish idk ]

1.2k wrd

”Woah, woah, slow down” Leon chuckled as you started explaining another cool story to him.

Your relationship was like the definition of a black cat and a golden retriever. You always have so much energy and are nice to almost everyone. Leon on the other hand is a tough agent who doesn’t really enjoy showing much emotion. He’s pretty stern towards others— but his softspot for you is clear.

”Okay, i’m listening. Tell me” He said while you were walking together with your fingers interlocked.

"okay okay! So THEN after Fluttershy wrote an entire song, rainbow dash just decides to throw it out? Ugh she's such a bitch. Don't you agree? I mean her friend went through all the trouble to try and get them to win the battle of the bands but she's so selfish.." you said, going on about a children's movie. You loved cute things, hello kitty, my little pony, really anything a 12 year old girl would be obsessed with, wearing cute little outfits and rambling about pointless stuff. But hey it made you happy and Leon thought it was adorable

"Mhm, yeah, so selfish" Leon couldn’t help but chuckle a little about how into the movie she was. by now he knew EVERYTHING about these stupid colourful horses, rainbowdash, fluttershy, twilight, pinkie, apple jack, list goes on. Honestly from what he knew rarity seemed like the best- I mean she was a boss bitch.

He found the whole thing pretty amusing, you were just so excited about it and he’s glad you have stuff you're so.. passionate about

"I mean, it would probably get annoying if her friend just wasted all that effort right? " He said trying to show his interest in her story.

"exactly! Ugh finally you get it" you said smiling up to him, leaning closer into his side as you two walked down back home, it was a long day. Like REALLY long, you took Leon shopping, got your nails done, bought some new skirts, and a new album. All that sort of stuff, but y'know dragging Leon aside you cause someone had to carry the shit, you were gettin really close to the outside of your house, skipping beside Leon holding hands. Life was like a dream.

But the long day out had Leon pretty tired— he had to drag a lot of your stuff around and you insisted they go to multiple stores (you tried to be nice and let him pick something out but he was too tired and grumpy, I know right such a dick head?)

When you were about to arrive home, he looked at you as you skipped around excitedly and smiled softly. Despite what he’s put through, he can’t deny that he finds your behavior adorable.

He squeezed your hand and chuckled a little before you guys got in front of your door.

"Oo Leon tomorrow we should watch rainbow rocks, then you'll understand what I'm talking about better" you say giggling as you step into your house, taking off your little boots and walking away from Leon plopping your ass on the leather sofa, even if you were like if you gave a six year old crack mixed with sour gummy worms even you could get kinda tired. Right, ain't that surprising? Little princess bitch face getting tired, after crawling over Leon like a little kid and skipping everywhere, runnin, jumping, god doing everything known to fucken man kind

“don’t know if we’ll have the time because of..” Leon muttered under his breath, he didn’t want to upset you and ruin your mood when you’re so excited.

He walked over to the couch and sat beside you silently and just observed you as you started talking about the movie. He placed a hand over your thigh, brushing up and down just silently smiling hearing you decribe your weird ass fictional horse people argue with other creatures from mythology, honestly sometimes he wondered if you needed to be checked into a mental hospital. Little grippy sock princess

“Wellll, maybe we can watch it tomorrow..” He shrugged. “I mean, i’ll do anything you want” Leon chuckled looking over at you.

He wrapped his arm around you and pulled you closer to him, his body was pretty warm given how hot the day was and his arm was pretty comfortable.

He kissed you forehead before wrapping his other arm around you, squeezing you a little. You loved when he was affectionate, but not in a creepy way, a cute way. But after a long day a girl can get a bit needy, like sue me but when you have a hot ass man cradling you and taking you everywhere, GOD it's like an angel is sent from heaven to fuck you. But fuck you in a good homemade porno way, not one of thoes shitty ones with a whole plotline. Just straight raw fucking

You turn around, breaking his grip on you before climbing onto his lap, placing yourself onto his thigh "Woah Woah, calm down- y'know I'm tire-" he was trying to speak, silly men. You land a big fat kiss on his lips to shut him up, slowly moving yourself on his thigh, pulling away from him getting a breath, saliva dripping down your face like an animal, staring at him in the eyes, his face slightly shocked you made the first move. But you felt something perk up, bingo. Always know what can make your man want ya

"God I can't just stare at your handsome face and do nothing-" you mutter under your breath, pushing yourself closer into him, kissing his face like a big ol' dog, your free hand finding its way to his jean zipper, undoing it his fat dick springing up, he grabs you by your hips, pulling your panties aside, slapping you onto his cock, a groan coming from his lips, honestly didn't expect the day to end like this, went from talkin ponies to getting your brains fucked out. Like a good girl you ride him, his hands are placed on your hips moving you at a decent pase, bit fast but he did do A LOT of work today, guess he deserves it. Nothing else in the world matters right now, euphoric feeling, he thrusted up into you, taking one hand off your hip and grabbing your face, making you look at him, god his eyes make you MELT. He could take care of you, he was real nice with it. He groped your tits sometimes in public, but just made you love him more.

You're at your high, he knows that. Few more thrusts and you whine, feeling your body melt like butter, your weight collapses onto him, but he's not done practically druling on him, limp body he keeps fucken like a doll, if you still have a tight pussy thats all that matters, few moments and he finishes, pressing you down onto him, filling your cervix, still collapsed on him both of you breathen all heavy. "So babydoll, what happened next?" He groaned, a sly ass smirk on his face. "Mm that cunt rainbow got put in her place and they play fluttershys song" you mutter, pushing on his fat chest, rollin off him like a little kid, pussy dripping. His pants stained with you, and a heavy chest.

"I wanna-"

"No"

"Pleaseee"

[sweetiewrites]

𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙞'𝙫𝙚 𝙝𝙪𝙧𝙩 𝙗𝙚𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚'𝙨 𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙖 𝙝𝙤𝙡𝙚

𝙎𝙔𝙉𝙊𝙋𝙎𝙄𝙎: hobie's significant other has a chronic illness that always seems to flare up at the worse times

𝙒𝘼𝙍𝙉𝙄𝙉𝙂: gender neutral reader !!! a bit of angst !! vague chronic illnesses !!! some pain !!! hurt and lots of comfort

𝙒𝙊𝙍𝘿 𝘾𝙊𝙐𝙉𝙏: 348

𝘼𝙐𝙏𝙃𝙊𝙍𝙎 𝙉𝙊𝙏𝙀: i apologise for neglecting this blog. i have chronic illnesses and some weeks are better than others, but i hope to post more consistently (have a lot of good asks too (っ╹ᆺ╹)っ ) this blurb was made while i was struggling in bed

you weren't quite sure how long you had been in this position for.

your back pressed against the wall, your knees pulled up to your chest and trying desperately to steady yourself against the rocking current of the boat. you swear you had been sat here for hours but in reality it was probably only thirty minutes.

every single time you tried to lift yourself up and go back to bed a burst of pain bursts through your body and radiates down leaving you in the exact same position you were in before.

a few moments (that felt like hours) went by before you heard a soft click at the door and it being pulled open. boots were heavy on the hardwood and you could feel large hands wrap around your shoulder.

"oi, you should've asked me to stay home."

a twinge of guilt radiated throughout your body coinciding with the pain. you looked up to see hobies' eyebrows knitting together as if watching you in pain pained him. he rubbed your shoulders and kissed your temple, encouraging you to speak. "i didn't want to bother you. i know you have to be spiderman and plus i am always in pain today is just a little bit worse."

a loud sigh left his lips, he stood to his full height, lifting you up and carrying you over to the couch. he took your folded up limbs and placed them into his lap. "don't give me that, please. i would much rather be taking care of you than out there gettin my ass handed to me that's for sure."

"but hobie,"

"don't but me. isn't that why we have phones? so you can call me? i don't like seeing you like this."

"it's not like there's anything you can do to help me. i just have to wait it out." when you said that his arms wrapped around you and his lips traced kisses all around your face, pushing you deeper into his chest.

"really? i thought my kisses were magical. are you trying to tell me they aren't?"

[lazyneonrabbitt]

Daryl came home from a run.

And he was happy to be doing so, unlike some tine before where he preffered to stay outside of the Alexandria walls where his inner animal could run wild and he didn't have to pretend to be a human only to stay within the community.

His life within the walls was better nowadays. Two loving partners and no fear of being thrown out of the community for being a monster.

He had found some small trinkets to take home on top of the needed items he had listed when he set off and he couldn't wait to show them his finds.

When he entered the livingroom his girls were already in high spirits, tidying up the place and singing along to one of the records from their collection. Sherry busied herself putting the blankets back over the couch cushions as Tabby put away the dishes.

They noticed him almost immediately and dropped their items to go greet him with a joined hug and lots of welcome home kisses were shared.

Quiestions of "how did it go?" "What did you find?" and "Did you get hurt?" Were thrown at him before he even had a chance to take off his boots but he didn't mind it. Making it home in one piece made him feel like the luckiest man alive.

"M'fine. Ain't gettin' hurt on a two-day supply run." He reassured them by punctuating each sentence with eskimo kisses.

"Did find a lil' somethin' for ya." The girls quickly let go in anticipation. He could see in their eyes they were wondering what he had brought, so he fished for the box in his pocket and took it out. It wasn't much, all dusty and damaged but it still did its job of protecting what's inside.

He held out the little box and let the girls open it, revealing a set of four-leaf clover charms on golden chains. Daryl handed the box over and fished out one of the necklaces.

"Yer part Irish, so ya gotta have one a'these." Daryl fumbled with the delicate closing of the necklace and carefully went to put it around Tabby's neck. "Looks pretty on ya. Like it's supposed ta be there." His hands found her cheeks as he admired his partner, leaning in for a love filled kiss.

He moved to take another one.

"Ya said yer birthday's on St. Patty's day, s'got them clovers all over it." His hands wrapped around her to clasp the necklace around her as she nodded. "Yeah. I did say that." She felt loved by the fact that he remembered that from mentioning it only once, leaning in for a kiss as soon as she felt the chain rest comfortably on her skin.

"N'this," He took the third one from the box to put around his own neck. "This one's ta show e'ryone how damn lucky I got with y'all."

"There's one left, one for Dog?" Daryl only chuckled at rhe redhead's comment.

"Nah, s'fer our kid." He paused for a moment. "If ya want one, tha' is. Ain't gon' forca ya."

The two girls gave each other a look, one that spoke a million words that only they understood. Daryl hated when they did that because it always meant something was about to go horribly sideways.

Except this time it didn't.

It was Sherry who fished out something from her pocket. "We got someting for you too, big guy." The nerves had her shaking with her hand still in her pocket so Tabby leaned in for help, one arm wrapped around her partner while the other one led the hand holding Daryl's gift out of her pocket.

They held out the small piece of plastic as Tabby happily spoke for the other. "Won't have to wait much longer for that!" She shimmied up against Sherry's side to comfort. "We found out this morning, she wasn't feeling well and we hadn't really been careful.." Daryl joined in then, grabbing both his girls in a giant bear hug. "S'amazing."

He could feel Sherry's nerves not settling at all so he made sure to give her all the reasuurance she needed. "Ya know we're gon' be takin'care of ya real good, righ'?" Tabby agreed with a rub on her shoulder, and got a quiet but smiling nod in return, letting them know she just needed a moment to let it all settle.

"M'so lucky I found ya girls. Wouldn't want it any other way."

🍀 🍀 🍀 🍀

Sherry is mine

Tabby is @celtic-crossbow 's

[megatrons-husband]

Hello, I just saw this in the tags and wanted to add my own input. I am an abuse survivor and also a megastar shipper. Megastar is one of my tops, and that’s because they are both abuse victims and I see myself through both of them. When I ship them, I generally ship them as healing past the abuse and trauma they’ve both been through and make them happy, and able to heal and grow together, I always felt that if I was able to see those two heal and be happy, and being victims of abuse (megatron abused thru slavery, starscream abused thru megatron) then I would be able to heal myself. Being able to portray megatron and starscream break the cycle of abuse makes me happy in a way and even tho we don’t get it canonically, I try and portray it with what I write. 

I do agree a lot of depictions of megastar are extremely abusive, esp tfp depictions. I myself don’t really interact with fandom content that makes them out to be abusive. I do admit that there are a lot of people who glorify the abuse in the ship and that was a reason I just, didn’t interact with the fan version of it. At the end of the day, each to their own but I resonate with this answer. 

I agree with everything you said and I think you offered a very kind and nuanced answer. 

That said, at the end of the day I think that most all transformers ships have the ability to be priorship or abusive and it always irks me or at least, saddens me when people just go after megastar shippers. I mean, despite being an abuse survivor myself and going out of my way to portray the ship in a unique way to me, Ive had people tell me to kill myself. I remember there was a megastar story board artist who worked on Earthspark, and people were telling her to kill herself and to get hit by a bus. Ive realized that in the tf fandom it’s like ‘okay’ to harass megastar shippers even this elf us who don’t ship the ship in an abusive way, but other shippers tend to be exempt from this,.

lIKE I also like MegaOP, but MegaOp also has incredibly abusive foundations too. Especially TFP MegaOP, where Megatron quite literally took advantage of Optimus when he had no memories and just in general, some of the things he’s done to Optimus, short of torturing him and even killing and hurting his friends just o hurt him, are abusive and reminds me of things that happened to me. And people tend to romanticize that, and call them like ‘crazy husbands’ or exes or something like that, and I realize that it’s so common to romanticize the abuse in MegaOP, just like proshippers do, but its’ almost never called out the same way megastar is. Hell, some of the people bashing Megastar are the same people who think it’s romantic when Optimus is gettin beat and nearly killed by Megatron, or when Megatron kills and hurts those close to Optimus.

I don’t mean to rant to you, I just noticed how ship hate and suicide baiting is so acceptable to do to megastar shippers. It’s so common, even if we *don’t* ship the ship in an abusive way. And there aren’t that many megastar shippers compared to others. It’s a very isolating experience because I realize this fandom is ‘friendly’ until people have double standards over a ship you like. Like i said, I'm an actual abuse survivor, and in a place where I still have to live with my abuser, so writing megatron and starscream working thru their own traumas and loving one another is kinda healing to me. BUT being told to kill myself over it, sometimes by popular bloggers in the TF fandom, and then seeing them glorify abuse in other ships is not fun.

SORRY i just wanted to send this to you because i agree with your ask. originally i was gonna respond to your post but i was anxious

Ok first i would like to say your absolutely AMAZING. You are a poet becuse this is the most accurate opinion of transformers ships ive seen in awhile, twitter users a shakering is there boots right know!! And your view of megastar is perfect and the way you described your writings of them sounds amasing and a great and healthy way to potray them, also i very glad that it helps you. : ] And just puting this out there as a abuse survivor to i get you. Id like to touch on megop to since you mentioned it! Iam not going hate anyone fore it because once again to each there own, but i hate the double stander for megstar shipers, when megop is just as bad! People really need to understand that both have the opportunity to be awful horribly portrayed ships, or beautiful heartfelt relationship with great story telling! And one last thing that i would like to add is when you said that ever transformers ship has the opportunity to be proship, and yes i agree strongly with this. the transformers fandom has a very bad problem of fetishizing relationship and just around makeing really bad and gross ships. But something id like to say is some ships will never be heathy, and cant be. There are some ships that are just gross and overall cant be labled as anything other than proship. For instance, somthing that makes me absolutely sick is people who ship overlord and Fortress Maximus, specifically there idw/mtmte portrayals. A little background if some have never read the comics, Fortress Maximus was a warden at this prison basically and overlord came a over ran the place, killing tons of bot and taking many captive. Maximus was one of said bots and overlord wanted some information that only Maximus had and for 3 and a half years torture, abused, and lobotomized him. The amont of trama that Maximus gained from that, form overlord, alone should show how awful of a ship it is to began with. There is no way that it could be written to be heathy for either bot because its shown alot just how much Maximus HATES Overlords guts. But iam a stop there, or iam a write a hole essay. Thank you for shareing your opinion on the matter! It was really well written!! Hope you have a good day or night! :]

[across-violet-skies]

LINKED COMPANY AU HAHAHHAHA

this chapter is massive. good luck.

preview under the cut!!

Time stretches, cracking his neck. The ship is quiet save for the low buzzing of machinery; early morning haze lost under the fluorescent bulbs.

He sighs, rolling his shoulders. The rest of the team is still asleep. Well… at least until Time gets up. Wild’s eyes shoot open at the noise, piercing blue staring into duller, tired blue.

‘Awake?’ Wild signs, mindful not to wake the sleeping employees. Time nods, shrugging. His footsteps are heavy, but he does his best to muffle them as he creeps over to the computer terminal. Today, moon 41-Experimentation is flooded. That’s not terrible… but maybe best not to take the newbies to a moon with weather conditions.

Time sighs. So much for keeping things familiar. There’s got to be another easy moon they can go to…

41-Experimentation (Flooded)

220-Assurance

56-Vow (Eclipsed)

Moon 56-Vow is certainly out of the picture. He wasn’t a huge fan of that place anyway, so… good reason not to take them there. That left moon 220-Assurance. Not a bad place, but certainly easier to get lost.

…But what choice did he have? Taking them to Experimentation while flooded would surely end with several drowned employees, and taking them to Vow eclipsed would… well, a lot of things could happen there. Time was willing to bet some of them wouldn’t even make it inside the facility.

Assurance it was then.

Time reroutes the ship, stumbling slightly as the world shifts beneath him. The sudden jerk disturbs both Wars and Legend’s slumber, startling them awake.

Wars yawns, sitting up and rolling his shoulders. “Where you taking us now, Old Man?” He questions.

“Moon 220-Assurance,” Time replies, no longer bothering to keep his voice down. With half the team already awake and the ship rerouted, it was probably best to just get the rest of them up and ready to go.

“Mm,” Wars hums, cracking his neck. “Experimentation too tame for you?”

The eldest employee snorts. “Not quite. It’s flooded.”

“Probably for the best,” Legend interjects, avoiding eye contact to slowly spin one of the rings on his fingers. “You make more on Assurance anyway. Experimentation barely has any scrap to take.” He pauses, gaze flickering between Time and Wars. “Personally, I think we should go to an actual decent moon. Like… Rend or Titan.”

The captain shrugs, tilting his head side-to-side in half agreement. “Well… these moons are better for new employees. We don’t want to just throw them on Titan with barely any training.” He sighs, shaking his head. “Plus, we haven’t made enough money to go there yet. Maybe if we can complete a few contracts with this team, we could scrape up enough credits to go to one of those moons.”

“Hm,” Legend huffs, turning his gaze away from the older employees. “Maybe.”

Wild, who had been listening quietly, stretches out his legs, accidentally kicking Twilight in the side. The newbie grunts, blinking sleepily. “...Huh?”

“Sorry,” Wild murmurs, pulling his legs in. “Didn’t mean to kick you.”

Twilight sits up. “Don’t worry about it,” he insists, waving a dismissive hand. “‘S probably about time for me to get up anyways.” He pauses, frowning. “...Sure is strange gettin’ up to something other than the sun.”

“You’ll adjust,” Time says, boots clanging against the metal floor of the ship. He shakes Four’s shoulder, then Sky’s, waking them up. He steps forward toward Legend and Hyrule to do the same, but Legend beats him to it. The volatile young man taps Hyrule on the arm, much more gently than his attitude would suggest. Hyrule startles, sitting up quickly with the widest brown eyes.

“It’s just me, ‘Rulie,” Legend murmurs. His voice is soft and quiet, a stark contrast to his usual bark. “Time for work. We’re on Assurance today.”

Hyrule frowns, brow creasing. Nevertheless, he nods, picking up his flashlight from where it lies beside him.

“Alright!” Wars stands up, clapping his hands together. His smile is bright and honestly, a little inappropriate considering the situation. “Today we’re going down to moon 220-Assurance! It’s a little more challenging than moon 41-Experimentation, but it shouldn’t be too much of a struggle.”

Time nods, adding on to the captain’s blurb. “We touch down in thirty.” He pauses, glancing between each employee. “After some consideration, I’ve figured out a more efficient team layout.”

Legend’s expression sours. “And who put you in charge?”

“The Company.” The eldest employee drags a calloused finger across his chest, pointing out a tag that reads “BOSS” in shiny yellow-gold letters. “I have all of our best interests in mind, Legend. I would appreciate it if you would at least hear me out.”

The young man bristles, crossing his arms. He doesn't argue.

-> read the rest on ao3!

[duothelingo]

-- Junu ootin' stars break the mold It's a cool place and they say it gets colder You're bundled up now but wait till you get older But t he meteor men beg to differ Judging by the hole in the satellite picture The ice we skate is gettin' pretty thin The water's getting warm so you might as well swim My world's on fire How 'bout yours That's the way I like it and I'll never get bored Hey, now, you're an all-star {Shouting} Get your game on, go play Hey, now You're a rock star Get the show on, get paid And all that glitters is gold Only shootin' stars break the mold {Belches} Go! Go! {Record Scratching} Go. Go.Go. Hey, now, you're an all-star Get your game on, go play Hey, now You're a rock star Get the show on, get paid And all that glitters is gold Only shootin' stars break the mold -Think it's in there? -All right. Let's get it! -Whoa. Hold on. Do you know what that thing can do to you? -Yeah, ! I'm an orge! You know. "Grab your torch and pitchforks." Doesn't that bother you? -Nope. -Really? -Really, really. -Oh. -Man, I like you. What's you name? -Uh, Shrek. -Shrek? Well, you know what I like about you, Shrek? You got that kind of I-uttons. -All right then. Who's hiding them? -Okay, I'll tell you. Do you know the muffin man? -The muffin man? -The muffin man. -Yes, I know the muffin man, who lives on Drury Lane? -Well, she's married to the muffin man. -The muffin man? -The muffin man! -She's married to the muffin man. {Door opens} -My lord! We found it. -Then what are you waiting for? Bring it in. {Man grunting} {Gasping} -Oh! -Magic mirror - - -Don't tell him a \ adas And getting caught in the rain -Princess Fiona. If you're not into yoga -She's perfect. All I have to do is just find someone who can go - - -But I probably should mention the little thing that happens at night. -I'll do it. -Yes, but after sunset - - -Silence! I will make this Princess Fiona my queen, and DuLoc will finally have the perfect king! Captain, assemble your finest men. We're going to have a tournament. -But that's it. That's it right there. That's DuLoc. I told ya I'd find it. -So, that must be Lord Farquaad's castle. -Uh-huh. \

Hi my name is Ebony Dark'ness Dementia Raven Way and I have long ebony black hair (that's how I got my name) with purple streaks and red tips that reaches my mid-back and icy blue eyes like limpid tears and a lot of people tell me I look like Amy Lee (AN: if u don't know who she is get da hell out of here!). I'm not related to Gerard Way but I wish I was because he's a major fucking hottie. I'm a vampire but my teeth are straight and white. I have pale white skin. I'm also a witch, and I go to a magic school called Hogwarts in England where I'm in the seventh year (I'm seventeen). I'm a goth (in case you couldn't tell) and I wear mostly black. I love Hot Topic and I buy all my clothes from there. For example today I was wearing a black corset with matching lace around it and a black leather miniskirt, pink fishnets and black combat boots. I was wearing black lipstick, white foundation, black eyeliner and red eye shadow. I was walking outside Hogwarts. It was snowing and raining so there was no sun, which I was very happy about. A lot of preps stared at me. I put up my middle finger at them.

"Hey Ebony!" shouted a voice. I looked up. It was... Draco Malfoy!

"What's up Draco?" I asked.

"Nothing." he said shyly.

But then, I heard my friends call me and I had to go away.

次の日、私は寝室で目覚めました。雪が降ってまた雨が降ってきました。私は棺の扉を開け、持っていた瓶から血を飲みました。私の棺は黒い黒檀で、中には端に黒いレースが付いたホットピンクのベルベッ��がありました。私は棺から出て、パジャマとして使っていた巨大なMCR Tシャツを脱ぎました。代わりに、私は黒い革のドレスを着て、五芒星のネックレス、コンバットブーツ、そして黒い網タイツを着ました。ピアスを4つつけ、髪をボサボサお団子のような形にまとめました。

私の友人のウィロー (AN: レイヴンはあなたです!) が目を覚まし、私に笑いました。彼女は腰まで届く長い漆黒の黒髪をピンクの縞模様で翻し、森のような緑色の目を開いた。彼女はマリリン・マンソンのTシャツを着て、黒のミニパンツを着て、網タイツを履いて、とがったハイヒールのブーツを履いていた。私たちは化粧をします（黒の口紅、白のファンデーション、黒のアイライ��ー）。

「OMFG、昨日あなたがドラコ・マルフォイと話しているのを見ました！」彼女は興奮して言いました。

「ええ？ それで？」私は顔を赤らめながら言いました。

「ドラコは好きですか？」私たちがスリザリンの談話室を出て大広間に入るとき、彼女は尋ねました。

fun fact i got a strike on my twitch for reading this during a stream. i got to chapter 20 something and i like to think that a member of twitch staff had to suffer through it.

[anthrofreshtodeath]

So many good prompts for rizzoli and isles and I know you'll do 'em good.

12. nervous embarrassment around them (blushing, fidgeting etc)

16. naturally gravitating closer together

Thank you for the request! I put these two together. It takes place in a gay bar because, you know, happy pride!

___

Eight minutes.

Eight minutes and fifteen seconds since, for a sting operation, Maura had kissed Jane for the first time.

Well, that wasn’t entirely true. Jane had definitely just kissed Maura first. Another gay bar - there are a lot of those in Boston - another ladies’ night, another spouse as a possible murder suspect. This time, it had been one of the very attractive go-go dancers, all oiled up and well-muscled with a way of moving his hips that Maura, once upon a time, would have drooled over. 

But he hadn’t believed the cover, that Jane and Maura were a couple, and, well, Jane never liked to be challenged. Called a liar. Even if, this time, it was a very calculated, elaborate, intentional lie.

So, eight minutes ago, Jane had scoffed at him, looked Maura in the eye, and said low enough for the music to drown out her words for everyone but Maura, “I’m gonna kiss you now, ok? And it’s gonna be good.”

Oh Jane and her infuriating arrogance. Because it was good. She issued that warning more with her breath than her voice, each word a fog settling over the wet want on Maura’s lips - Maura’d licked them in anticipation. When Maura thought about it further, she realized that she may even have licked Jane’s, too. Just an incidental little swipe, but the taste of vodka she never drank went up to her brain just before Jane short-circuited it. 

And Maura did try to curl her upper lip in a smirk, to raise an eyebrow in a sexy question, to wrap her arms around Jane’s broad shoulders, but she was unsure if any of it stuck when Jane finally pressed her mouth into Maura’s and lingered. 

It wouldn’t have altered her life so much if, when they met, let their lips slide and suck, Jane hadn’t sagged like she was home. But Maura knew the sag - saw it every time she followed Jane into her apartment and Jane finally kicked off her boots or set down the bag of groceries. The home sag. 

Maybe that was why the suspect believed it, too. “Well, fuck,” he said, all breathless laughter when it ended, and she wished he was giving them an order, rather than expressing his approval. “I can admit when I’m wrong.”

Jane had turned, looked at him, and shrugged.

That was eight minutes prior.

Now they waited by the bar, with the pretense of watching some of the dancers, slipping dollars into their g strings as they made their way around, and Jane had work on the mind. “Gotta lay low for a bit,” she said, leaning in close. She wrapped her big right hand over Maura’s left knee, in a more intimate gesture than she’d ever shown before - especially when, covered by the bar itself, no one could see it. “That was a bold move, and I don’t want him gettin’ spooked. We’re this close.”

Maura looked at the earpiece in Jane’s ear, and then down at her own hands. Was Jane talking to Sargeant Korsak, or her? She twirled the ring on her middle finger, and the leg under Jane’s fingers danced on the stool below. This was for show, right? Because Jane was inches from her and shucking off any decorum, undercover or not. “I…”

“Hey, you a’right?” Jane interrupted. 

“Wha-?” Maura asked, jostled out of her own thoughts. The bar pulsated in the darkness, occasional flashes of light coming down from above. House music vibrated the bones of her chest and it contributed to her confusion. Jane’s eyes searched only Maura.

“Now I know the answer is no,” laughed Jane. “Leave the half words to me.”

“I’m sorry,” Maura said, a little more like herself. She tugged on the hem of her dress, down out of habit and then up out of hope. Jane’s thumb slipped into the space between her legs. Maura wiggled her knee in overdrive. 

“No it’s uh, you’re fidgeting. You never fidget,” said Jane. “You afraid we’re gonna get hurt?”

“Are you being obtuse?” Maura asked in reply.

“Wha-?” It was Jane’s turn.

“No. I mean yes, of course, but that’s a worry of mine with every case. I mean… that, the kiss. It changed something, didn’t it? Isn’t it obvious that that’s why I’m-”

“Hey, hey oh,” Jane put her hand out, a signal for Maura to pause. She stuffed a hand into the front of her button-up shirt, and Maura assumed she’d just shut off her microphone. “This is a conversation all of BPD shouldn’t be privy to, ok?”

Maura conceded that. How embarrassing. “Yes,” she answered. “But I’m fidgeting because I’m still thinking about…”

“The kiss,” Jane finished.

Maura fingered the lapel of Jane’s fanciest blazer. One that enhanced her handsomeness and the sense of danger she carried with her everywhere, the one drawing the eyes of so many women even as they talked to one another. “The kiss,” Maura confirmed.

“I told ya it was gonna be good,” Jane replied like that might solve or nullify Maura’s current predicament.

“Does… did that mean it was also fake?” Maura chanced. Jane leaned in, unable to resist. Maura blushed immediately at the implication. She busied her fingers with the task of straightening Jane’s collar.

“Do you want it to be fake?” Jane hedged.

“Jane,” admonished Maura. 

“It was for the job,” Jane rallied. Maura watched Jane gain that metaphorical footing and shuffle away from the edge. Towards Maura. “It… I started it for the job. But when we were in it, y’know, really in it, I felt…”

“Home?” Maura supplied.

Jane blanched. Her mouth dropped open just enough to show some teeth, her upper lip rose in a wave of fear and vulnerability. Her pupils closed in tight and Maura knew the terror of having been seen. She felt that terror every day with Jane. But too much more and Jane might run. “How’d-”

“I know you,” Maura said. “I’m with you so much that I know what home feels like to you. Because it’s what it feels like to me.” Then, so as not to send Jane for the nearest exit, Maura took her trembling hand and slipped into the front of Jane’s shirt, and switched the mic dial back on. “But we’ve got a job to do, and I don’t want to jeopardize that. So maybe this is a home discussion?”

“Y-yeah,” Jane stuttered. “We’ll pick things up at home.” And then, her concentration appeared back on the murderous dancer - alleged murderous dancer - of their case. But, when she sipped her drink, knocking back most of the vodka at the bottom, she kept her hand close to the heat of Maura’s bare thighs.

[light-end-dragon]

Chapter 4

(Sound of the tavern door opening.)

Bartender: Welcome….

Men: Gyaaahha! 

Right as we opened the door, we were assaulted by the overloud guffawing from a group of men. I jumped at the unexpected sound, Bradley just wrinkling his nose.

Bradley: Ugh, look at this vulgar lot. Even Mithra has better manners than that.

Cain: True, he’d never make that much of a racket. Master Sage, don’t get separated from us.

Akira: O-okay….

Said group of men had taken up seats at the most central table in the bar, making it easy to see the source of the clamor. Their table was piled high with a lavish feast, like they were celebrating something.

However, the remains of their food was scattered everywhere, and several of them placed their muddy boots on the table. No matter how happy they seemed, just looking at it gave me an unpleasant feeling.

Akira: (If this were Shylock’s bar, he would’ve kicked them out already. I wonder why this bartender isn’t saying anything…) 

There were a number of other customers dotted along the wall, far away from the noise. They seemed to hate it too, but like the bartender, said nothing.

Bradley took a seat at the counter, leaning over it towards them.

Bradley: Yo, figured I’d stop by for a drink. Bring somethin’ good for me and this guy here, and juice for the squirt in the back.

Bartender: Most certainly. Are you travellers?

Bradley: Somethin’ along those lines. Pretty classy joint you got here, huh?

Bartender: …I am very sorry. I have already spoken to them several times, but as you can see…

The bartender’s posture crumbled, and I followed their gaze around the interior of the building. I could see things that were torn or broken all over, most likely because of this gang.

Cain: Man, these guys really are garbage….do they come here that often?

Bartender: Yes, they are my most unpleasant repeat customers. Granted, they probably only recently drifted down to these parts.

Bartender: I have no idea how they earn that amount of money, though. They’ll come here, raising a clamor for a few days, then disappear, and repeat the whole thing again.

Bartender: They themselves say they are mercenaries, but….theres no fighting here, not even conflicts between local lords. So I have no idea how on earth they’re earning anything. 

The bartender shrugged while serving us our drinks, then left to go take orders from the guests near the walls.

Cain merely took his drink, and was uncharacteristically silent as he took a swig, staring in the mens’ direction.

Cain: …Master Sage. Tell me about those guys; how they look, how many, what they’re actin’ like.

Akira: Huh? Oh, um….there’s a man with a scar on his cheek…he’s the most self-important looking, so he’s probably the leader.

Akira: If we’re going by appearance alone, he looks older than Oz or Figaro. He’s pretty tall and muscular. 

 Akira: There’s two others there about the same age as him; one of them is really well-built too, and the other is kind of unkempt-looking.

Akira: There’s one more there that’s younger than those three. He has long bangs, and the other two seem to bully him a lot. He looks a bit scared of them as well.

Cain: Okay, I’m gettin’ the picture now…thanks.

Cain: Okay, I’m gonna head over and talk with those guys a lil bit. They sound like the kinda guys who would know about some pretty awful things. 

Akira: Huh?! Wait, no, it’s dangerous!

Bradley: Whatever, just get goin’. Don’t fuck it up, got it?

Akira: Huh?!!!

Cain: Of course, of course. I’ll leave the Sage to you; come in at a good time, kay?

Without batting an eye, he clapped me on the shoulder and then headed over. Still worried, I leaned over to whisper into Bradley’s ear.

Akira: Is-is this really okay? Cain is very strong, but he’d raise a huge clamor if he drew his sword now, and he can’t use magic…

Bradley: Haha…yer real full of questions t’day, Sage. This is jus’ like what happened back when we started livin’ at the manor. 

Bradley: Picture me, the great Bradley Bain, feared bandit of the North, a terror to kids in their dreams, jus’ sitting at the table, eatin’ my food. Then, Mr. Central knight comes in.

Bradley: An’ what d’ya think he did as soon as he laid eyes on me? 

Akira: I..don’t know. What..did he do?

Bradley: Came straight over, flung an arm ‘round my shoulders, an’ said, “Yo, what’re you eatin’ there? It seems pretty good.” 

Cain: -Yo, what’re you eatin’ there? Seems pretty good.

I then heard Cain’s friendly voice, repeating almost verbatim what Bradley just said. 

He didn’t put an arm over any of their shoulders, instead leaning towards them in a familiar manner.

The men, however, grew angry at some strange young man suddenly approaching them.

Unkempt Man: Huh? The fuck are you?

Leader-like Man: You got the nerve t’ act all friendly with us??

In the sudden chaotic atmosphere, the young man with long bangs startled, his shoulders tensing up. 

However Cain, widening his eyes with surprise, just brought both his hands up in surrender.

Cain: Ah-my bad, my bad! That was pretty damn rude of me to just say hi like that. I’m sorry for interrupting your meal.

Cain: It’s just..you guys look like regulars, and you got some really fancy stuff laid out on your table, so I figured you might know what the best thing to eat here is. 

Cain: It’s my first time around these parts, and this particular tavern. If it’s okay, I’d love to hear your recommendations.

The group of hoodlums all glanced at each other, then back at Cain, who was offering them a handshake with an honest expression.

Despite being taken aback by his behavior, they still shook his hand,  glancing warily at the knight.

They did not seem to notice that Cain’s left hand rested casually on the hilt of his sword the whole time.

Bradley just shrugged as he drained his glass, standing up and stretching after putting a sizeable amount of silver coins on the counter.

Bradley: Barkeep, keep an eye on this one, will ya? Sage, you keep lookin’ too. Come over when its good.

Bartender: Thank you very much for your generosity; please leave it to me, sir.

Akira: W-wait, when you say good…..

Without stopping, Bradley just took large strides over to where Cain now was.

(Sound of fabric being grabbed.)

He then grabbed Cain by the scruff on his neck, much like he would a misbehaving puppy.

Cain: Gck-

Bradley: Oi. Ain’t I always sayin’ to stop wanderin’ off on your own and botherin’ the hell outta strangers?

Cain: Sorry, sorry, I kinda got excited. 

Bradley: Ugh. …Well, suppose it’s my bad for my partner here, he’s always like this. He’s jus’ bein’ a brat, so don’t think he’s got any ill will.

Leader-like Man: …..I guess…..

Bradley: Listen, I ain’t good with apologies so have a lil somethin’ on us.

Bradley: Though while we’re here, might as well ask for any interestin’ tales ya got of these here parts.

Bradley: We’re in the middle of travellin’ right now; any bit o’ gossip’s a help.

(Sound of a chair being dragged over.)

Pulling a chair over, Bradley flopped down on it with a heavy weight. 

At some point he must’ve taken out his magic tool, because unlike Cain and his sword, it was set down nearby as if it were a dare. 

Perhaps unconsciously, the gang of men then watched how Cain was going to respond. 

(Sound of another chair being dragged over.)

He too just pulled up a seat while giving a pleasant smile, falling in line with Bradley like they really were travellers who trusted each other.

Cain: What he said. That’s kinda also why I was askin’ for recommendations; I’d love to hear what you know.

The cheerful smile, the overbearing attitude, the innocent, endearing nature, gifts to make yourself be admired; all of it was calculated. All of it, a part of their plan. 

[yourbelgianthings]

champagne for my real friends, real pain for my sham friends

inspired by @taakosleftshoe saying "someone should write a fic where kodira convinces amber to go to therapy" (it's not literally that but you'll see where i got the idea), this takes place after cambria's call, 2k words, hurt/comfort, tw drugs (the same as in the show)

One Sunday, during brunch at the Cloaca, Amber Gris was sitting at her usual table with her usual free danishes. This was her place and her people, but the fancier pastel decor brought out for the brunch crowd almost made her look like she didn’t quite belong there. She wore an old white t-shirt with the sleeves cut off, gray-green cargo shorts, a blink shark tooth necklace, and a navy blue bandana tied under her hair to keep it back. Sitting and waiting at the table, which could seat two, she began to fidget with her necklace. Right at that moment, the door swung open, and in strode Ballaster of Defense Kodira. Despite rarely coming here, her poise and confidence naturally commanded the room. All eyes turned to her in concern, but she waved them off and casually headed over to Amber’s table, the click of her boot heels echoing slightly as she went.

“Hey, bubba, you made it!” Amber’s face lit up as she stood to pull out the other chair for her friend.

“You thought I wouldn’t?” Kodira asked, half seriously.

Amber frowned slightly. “Not because you didn’t want to, I just know things come up, with your job especially and Koda…” she trailed off but finished brightly, “Never mind I’m just glad you’re here, okay?”

The two women both relaxed from the initial tension, having their meal (black coffee and a berry danish for Kodira, mimosa and a cheese danish for Amber) and catching up since they so rarely got the opportunity.

“I’m surprised you could get some time away from your crew, Captain,” Kodira teased.

“Those two? Please,” Amber replied with a hearty chuckle. “Ol’ Joshie would probably rather not see Devo for a while after our conversations for the auction job, not that I would invite him anyway, and I honestly don’t know what Zoox is up to. But yeah, it’s nice to not be locked in the ship trying to save the city anymore, even though it was our fault by accident.”

Their eyes lingered on each other for a moment too long, and Kodira reached to squeeze Amber’s hand. The pastel streamers hanging from the rafters overhead gently rustled.

“Hey now,” said Amber. “I know that face, bubba. Don’t you go gettin’ all worried about me now, I can take care of myself and I’m doin’ fine.”

Kodira looked at her friend seriously, her hands deftly loosening and rebraiding her hair, and perhaps slightly betraying the worry Amber had picked up on.

“Of course I know you can, you’re the toughest person I know. But this was no ordinary job, there was a lot that came into play for you, and it would make sense to not be feeling 100 percent afterward,” she explained. Amber did not reply right away, but instead finished her food like she was worried it would be taken away from her. Then, taking a deep breath and exhaling a long, tired sigh, she said, “I appreciate your concern, but you’re in the wrong place if you wanna talk about feelings. Devo’s the one for that, not me.”

“I know you know what I mean, Amber, don’t be that way,” Kodira retorted. “I don’t want to talk about feelings in general or to your weird pilot, I want to talk to my friend Amber Gris.”

“Cool, you are, and she’s fine! Being a ballaster doesn’t work for getting whatever you want around here, so stop being such a clasper.”

Kodira rested her arms on the old wooden table and leaned in close. “Amber Gris. Are you really telling me that you not only needed help from Shret on this mission, but that ended up being taking drugs she gave you, and you have nothing to talk about?”

Amber’s eyes opened even wider than they were naturally now due to their new fishy appearance from Cambria. She knocked back the rest of her drink, got up, asked Uncle Joshie something Kodira couldn’t hear, and disappeared into the back room. The voices of the other patrons and the clink of dishes swirled around Kodira as she closed her eyes to hold back tears. Of course, she ended up pushing too hard, it was a fine line with Amber’s pride and stubbornness, but she was genuinely trying to help, not throw some kind of gotcha in her face. In a few minutes she would go check in, but giving Amber some time would probably help, so she sat and slowly finished her coffee, which had long gone cold.

The back room of the Cloaca was nearly pitch black, with just a little light creeping in from under the door frame. Amber sat on a crate, cracking her knuckles and seething. Sure, it was obvious to anyone the first part of that mission had been rough, Devo and Zoox starting a bar fight for no reason would have pissed her off anyway, but having to see Shret again, and fucking do grotto?! No shit, that was a bad day, but what good did it do her or anyone to sit around talking about it now. She was tired and just wanted to have a nice relaxing brunch with her old friend before the next job, a little break wasn’t too much to ask, right? Well, maybe it was…Amber had lived her life taking what came and dealing with it the best she could. People like her didn’t get to ask for things. At that thought, Amber suddenly choked back a sob. She had asked, no, begged Cambria for her eyes, her daddy’s eyes, back, and that had fallen on indifferent ears, so there really was no point to trying. Her thoughts were interrupted by a soft knock on the door, but she didn’t fully register it. From the outside, hearing no reply, Kodira slowly opened the door.

“Amber?” she practically whispered, “Are you in here?”

“Over here,” came the reply.

She clicked the switch of the gas lantern sitting on the floor and carried it over to Amber, setting it on the floor between them, bathing the two in a soft orange glow.

“I’m sorry I brought that up and ruined our brunch.”

Not raising her gaze, Amber muttered, “No, you were right. Like usual.” Her voice held no malice or sarcasm, just exhaustion and a weary trust in her closest friend. Kodira stood behind Amber and started trying to work some of the knots out of her muscular but tense shoulders.

“I’m just going to do this to help you relax, and if there’s anything you want to say I’ll be listening. No rush, I can send other people out on today’s jobs.”

Amber involuntarily gasped and almost felt like she was melting as Kodira released one of the worst knots. She leaned back into Kodira’s arms, resting there supported for a few moments before sitting up again and turning to face Kodira.

“Gosh, bubba, you’re like magic with those hands.” Amber cracked her neck and stretched. “I guess I really needed that, huh?” Kodira just pulled her into a tight hug, saying nothing. They stayed there as long as they could, cherishing each other’s closeness and feeling the love they never knew how to express in words. Finally, Amber pulled away, moving to sit cross legged on the floor. She opened her mouth to speak, then hesitated and closed her eyes, seeing Kimbra jump out the window again. In that memory, she was alone as the only one who really understood what was happening, and she had always been alone with that memory since. A few tears escaped from between her eyelids despite her squeezing them as tight as possible. She immediately wiped them away and glanced over to see if Kodira had noticed. Kodira sighed and sat down on the crate Amber was in front of, resting her hand on the well worn fabric of her muscle tee.

“There’s nobody else here, Amber,” Kodira reassured her. “No Zoox and Devo to lead, no blink shark to punch. You can let your guard down for a minute. We both know what it’s like always having to be on, I wouldn’t tell you it was safe if it wasn’t.”

Amber turned to look at her friend with the scared eyes of a seventeen year old girl hiding in the corner of a dark room and said quietly, “You know about Shret, but I never told you about Kimbra.” She recounted the details of that night to Kodira emotionlessly, detached from them as if they were the story of a novel she hadn’t found particularly interesting. “God, I sound like Devo or something,” she chided herself. “He’s always going on about his terrible childhood and to be honest it’s fuckin’ annoying. Sure, I don’t wanna see him sad, but nobody can fix it now and we’re adults with a job to do.”

“It’s not bad to hold pain from your past, Amber. What we’re talking about with you happened what, 33 years ago? It still hurts under all the calluses and scabs, but Devo’s still practically a kid. It’s all right there, it just happened and he’s only managed to stop the bleeding. You don’t have to like him, I think he’s an asshole too,” she laughed, “but just try to remember the difference, okay?” Amber rolled her eyes but nodded. “Seeing Shret just pissed me off beyond belief,” she practically growled. “Kimbra is dead because of her and I want nothing more than to have at her with all four of my arms! But I had to be the captain, the grownup. I could kick ass in a bar fight, and I have! We weren’t there for that though, so I just had to watch it go down before meeting with Shret and tripping on grotto.” Her shoulders slumped and her head flopped down onto her knees, now tucked into her chest, and she cried, not caring anymore that Kodira was there to see. “I’m just…just so damn tired, bubba.”

“Shh, Amber, I know. You can rest here with me.” Kodira slid down to the floor right next to Amber, and to her surprise, Amber laid her head on her shoulder, breathing slow, ragged breaths. Kodira put out the lantern with her free hand, and the all encompassing darkness felt safe, not scary. When Amber started to stir, she whispered,

“I’m sorry,” and Kodira just gently shushed her again. 

They eventually headed back out to the main bar, Amber immediately going to the bathroom to splash cold water on her face, and Kodira going to the counter to pay. When Amber emerged, she motioned for her to come out the back door.

“What’s a pretty lady like you doing in an alley like this?” Amber teased.

Kodira rolled her eyes but smiled, and pulled something out from under her long coat: a bottle of champagne. Amber’s eyes widened.

“Bubba, that’s the whole bottle!”

“Being a ballaster does have its perks,” Kodira chuckled as she handed it to Amber. Without speaking, they both knew what to do. Amber easily popped the bottle, let the foam spray, and poured some on the ground.

“For Kimbra,” she said solemnly, and then took a big drink, passing it to Kodira, who did the same. The two women parted ways without saying anything more. Amber recorked the bottle and headed back to the Coriolis. When she entered, Devo looked up from his book in surprise.

“Amber, where did you get a bottle of champagne?”

“Don’t ask stupid questions, it’s free champagne. Give some to Zoox too, if he even likes the stuff.” She set the bottle down and immediately turned to head for Amber’s Place, where she settled in for a much needed nap. As she fell asleep, she imagined handing the bottle to seventeen year old Amber to take a drink for her friend too, and they both smiled.

[dilf-din]

Yeehawgust Day 29: Mighty Fine Shootin’

TLOU (no outbreak)

WC: 950

Characters: Joel, Tess, Tommy

Rating: T

Warnings: language, alcohol mention

A/N: this is just a no outbreak meet cute featuring cocky hot girl we all love, Tess Servopolous. This is for the TessJoel truthers!!!

“Will you quit your bitchin’?” Tommy grinned pulling into the crowded parking lot.

“We get to go out once a month and you act like you’re gettin’ a tooth pulled every time.”

Joel rolled his eyes from the passenger seat. “I’d rather be at the dentist,” he deadpanned.

“Shut the fuck up,” Tommy snickered, “Do me a favor and try to have a good time, yeah?”

Once a month Sarah’s soccer team had a sleepover at Sadie’s house, and once a month, Tommy dragged Joel out to some bar or some movie or some mini golf place. Joel always acted like he didn’t want to go and then ended up having more fun than Tommy. It was all part of the bit. This week though, he really was tired. Work had been a bitch. He had a thousand things to do before Monday, and all he wanted to do was watch This Old House on his couch in his faded Simpsons pajama pants. But sitting at the bar two beers in staring down the most beautiful girl he had ever seen across the room, he forgot about his original plans.

He watched what appeared to be a bad first date unfolding. Her dirty blonde hair was pulled back halfway, revealing sharp cheekbones and a soft smile. She was politely laughing at the man whose back was to Joel. But when he made an ass out of himself trying to impress her with a trick pool shot, man, her real laugh lit the place up.

“You’re drooling.”

“Shut up.”

“Go talk to her.”

“She’s on a date.”

“Yeah a bad one, and if you go over there, it might turn into a good one.”

Joel hesitated. He wasn’t the type to step over a line like that, but when the man excused himself to the restroom, his feet started moving before his brain could talk him out of it. The girl was at the bar getting a refresh on her drink when Joel sauntered over slowly, stopping two seats down.

“He looks like a keeper?” he commented.

“Excuse me?” she asked with a bemused smile.

“Nothin’,” he shrugged, “Just looks like you aren’t having a very good time.”

“I’m not,” she admitted, casting her green eyes down at her boots, “But a coworker set me up, and I feel like I have to see it through.”

“Don’t waste your Friday night. I’m not sayin’ you have to spend it with me, but you don’t owe that guy anything.”

She looked him over like she was sizing him up, “I think I’d rather spend it with you.”

Joel almost choked on his whiskey, coughed to try to cover it up drawing a laugh from the girl. Right on cue, her date emerged from the bathroom.

“Hey, ace,” he said with a slightly too cocky head nod.

“Brian! This is my friend from college! We haven’t seen each other in a decade, can you believe it?” she batted her impossibly full eyelashes.

“Joel,” he smiled warmly, extending a hand.

“Oh, uh. Well if you two are gonna catch up, I think I might call it an early night,” he said awkwardly.

“Yeah, yeah. I’ll call you,” the girl said, extending one arm for a quick hug. And just like that, Brian was retreating, looking clearly relieved.

“What did you do to him?” Joel almost burst out laughing.

“Nothing!”

“Her ran out of here like he was terrified of you,” he kept laughing.

She leaned back against the barstool, shoulders draped loose and casual over the back.

“You don’t seem scared of me.”

“Oh, I’m quaking in my boots,” he grinned.

Grabbing their drinks, they stole a booth in the corner and people watched. Both of their bodies angled out towards the rest of the bar.

“You’re not from around here,” Joel commented on her lack of southern drawl.

“Detroit. Just got transferred at my job.”

Maybe it was the bourbon pricking at the apples of his cheeks, or the way the dim yellow light hung way too close to the table and you kind of had to duck under it, or maybe it was the crisp smell of her perfume dancing from her long neck to his nostrils, but he was starting to feel warmer and lighter. His head held a slight buzz, he could see Tommy across the way carryin’ on with the bartender, and he was glad he came out instead of wearing those purple pj pants alone.

“Table’s free,” her voice drew him out of his thoughts.

“Huh?”

“You play pool, Texas?”

“Only if I feel like winning, Detroit,” he shot back.

“Tess,” she smiled, “C’mon.”

“Tess,” he repeated quietly to himself as he shuffled off of the sticky vinyl seat after her.

They took opposite sides of the table and fished the balls out of the pockets. Tess racked them all then looked at Joel, “Flip a coin?”

“Ladies first.”

“If you say so.”

She perched at the far end of the table and lined up the break shot, easily pocketing the 9 ball into the far left corner.

“Guess I’m solids,” she shrugged. She floated around the table with ease sinking shot after shot until just the eight ball was left.

“This one’s for Brian,��� she grinned, lining up her final shot and squinting dramatically. She sunk it easily while Joel applauded loudly.

“Mighty fine shootin’,” he nodded.

“I joined a team in college,” she shrugged, “Men always assume women don’t know how to play.

“Wait a second, were you going to hustle me?” he asked with fake indignation.

“Only if you won the coin toss,” she scoffed with a grin.

[mickmundy]

Ooooh number 17 for the kisses prompt.. or 61 >:)

EEEE OMG SO FUN!! YES... both... both is good... HEHEHHE

17. underwater kiss

Summer! Such a miserable time of year! But every now and then, the mercenaries got a break: Engineer and Sniper would mercifully fire up the grills and slow-roasters and whatever else they used to make the kind of food that made living in miserable Teufort worth it. Each merc often made something of their own and brought it to share, or would have some kind of game they could all play, like volleyball, dart throwing, or...

"Bobbing for apples?!" Scout wrinkled his nose and shook his head. "No way man. Nothing is worth gettin' water up my nose and in my mouth!" He shuddered. Sniper laughed, observing the large container that housed lots of delicious-looking apples of all varieties while and Engineer had a moment of downtime between cooking tasks.

"Okay, here's the rules," Engineer clapped his hands together. "Two people get as many apples out of the tub as they can without removing their hands from the edge of the bin. Harder than it sounds!" He teased, clapping Sniper on the back. "You keen to give it a go, slim?" The bushman nodded with a sheepish chuckle.

"Ah, why not. Who's gonna-"

"Me, of course!" Medic tittered as he trotted up to the tin basin and put his hands behind his back, rocking on his heels jovially. Medic was dressed in above-the-knee shorts and a short-sleeved button-down shirt, complete with socks and sandals. It was the most casual Sniper had ever seen him. Not that he'd seen much of him, but, well... He puts his hands on his hips and nodded, wondering what made the doctor volunteer. They hadn't interacted much, but hell, that didn't mean they couldn't now, right? Don't get wrapped up in it. Just have fun! "It'll be fun, ja? I know you'll be quite the worthy opponent!" He declared, baring his teeth in a wide smile.

Sniper smiled crookedly, nodding his head. He looked good. He swallowed thickly, remembering himself. "Yeah, you too mate." Sniper finally managed, watching the doctor's toothy smile twist into a smug smirk. Sniper cleared his throat, beginning to take off his hat and sunglasses. Medic stared unabashedly, appreciating how Sniper's white tanktop showed off his arms and the tender skin of his flanks just below them, how his round belly pressed against the white linen. The y-shaped scar of his own making taunted the doctor as it slithered beneath the fabric at his chest. The doctor didn't have to squint to see his nipples through the thin fabric, too. So very handsome.

Medic placed his glasses within Sniper's overturned hat just as he'd done, watching as the marksman swallowed thickly. They took their places beside one another and waited for Engineer's signal, the two of them leaned over the tub and ready to go. As their friend gave the GO!, they both hurried, remaining neck and neck as they caught apples in their teeth and spat them out into the bins beside them, held by Heavy and Demo. The mercenaries whooped and hollered, but it didn't steal their focus. Sniper was almost to the winning amount of apples, poised to take first place. As he went for the apple, he was intercepted by a gentle collision of Medic's lips against Sniper's. Underwater. Just Medic, Sniper and the apples.

Bubbles blew out of the bushman's nose as he parted his mouth, deepening the kiss, to which Medic eagerly reciprocated. Sniper's toes curled in his boots as he white-knuckled the basin. The doctor hooked his pinky finger with Sniper's, neither of their hands moving enough to disqualify them. Nobody could see it, anyway. Medic nipped at Sniper's lower lip and he wanted to moan as his legs wobbled, the sound coming up as nothing but bubbles as he sputtered, coughed, and threw his head up above water, his slippery-from-sweat hands sliding off the basin. He lost his grip, lost his footing and fell flat on his rear.

Medic grabbed the last apple he needed to win and was declared as such, though Sniper was barely paying attention. He kissed him! Whether it was because he'd really wanted to or because he wanted to win, Sniper didn't care. He liked a good dirty fight now and then, even though he hated to lose them. This time, he found himself a remarkably good sport. Two large, hairy hands extended themselves down to Sniper, helping him up. Sniper took them and grunted as he was pulled nearly flush against Medic's body. "Congratulations," Sniper heard himself say dumbly, watching Medic's face light up in a smile. "And... thanks," Was that really the best he could do?! "Thanks"?! Medic giggled, taking one of the apples out of his own tub and rolling it in his palm. The other mercenaries had since lost interest and were now egging on an axe-throwing tournament between Demoman and Scout.

"The pleasure was all mine, I assure you." Medic purred, bringing the apple to his own mouth and taking a bite, offering to hold it so that Sniper could do the same, raising his brows expectantly as he chewed. Oh, like a toast? Sniper licked his lips and eyed the apple; he could still taste the doctor on his mouth. Or like temptation? All too eagerly, Sniper sank his teeth into the fruit poised so delicately in his teammate's hand.

61. “I thought I lost you” kiss

It wasn't Medic's fault that he sometimes was guilty of bringing work home with him. Especially when Sniper was just as much of his home as he was his work. The title of greatest achievement was not one Medic regretted giving him, of course. Though, sometimes, he knew that such a title (and the falling in love with said greatest achievement) resulted in Medic... worrying a bit more about Sniper than he did the other mercenaries. Not outwardly, of course, not where anyone, Sniper included, could see.

Often times, this worry only managed to ensnare Medic when they were alone in Sniper's van, when the doctor would be curled against Sniper's side, holding his warm body flush against his own and tracing the y-shaped scar on his chest and the ones on his arm too, if Sniper's sleeping position allowed it. Everything was fine. Medic heard the glorious, glorious beating of the bushman's heart and begged himself to know peace. Listen to his breathing, how cute it is... His eyes fell closed as he made himself focus on the small chuffs and snores Sniper would make, and he couldn't help but smile. He was always so tired!

The doctor had never worried himself like this before he had fallen in love with Sniper, and most of the time he really, truly didn't worry like this. But when he did, it was like getting hit with a thick blanket of ice water and being shoved into a hot shower promptly after. It's okay, he's breathing. His heart is fine. Sleep finally took him as he rested his cheek on Sniper's breast, letting himself be lulled by the rise and fall of his chest.

Silence. Stillness. Medic's eyes shot open as he quickly sat up, banging his shoulders on the top of the loft bed's roof and running his hands over Sniper's chest, cupping the sides of his throat. Nothing. There was nothing. They weren't in his lab, he didn't have his medigun, his tools, there wasn't anything he could- He swung his leg over Sniper's waist and was getting ready to start compressions.

The marksman coughed, furrowing his brow and batting his eyes up at Medic sleepily. "Pidge? He yawned, nuzzling his face into the doctor's palm and pressing soft kisses to it. "C'mere," he sighed, leaning into one of Medic's hands and closing his eyes again. He was okay. He was okay. "What're you doing?" He heard Sniper ask. Medic thanked a God he didn't believe in and leaned down and pressed his lips to Sniper's, inhaling deeply through his nose as he felt his nerves melting away. He was okay.

"I thought I'd-" Lost you. The words died in his mouth as he pressed it against Sniper's again, feeling him reciprocate the kiss in kind. His hands rested on the doctor's thighs, stroking them in slow, even rubs. "I'm sorry my darling," he managed to keep his tone even and not raw with residual panic.

"S'okay, come to Sniper, gorgeous." He requested, and Ludwig couldn't deny him.

"No, you come to me," Medic whispered, laying back down and scooping his slightly-taller lover up in his arms. Cradling him close to him, he watched as Sniper made himself comfortable by burying his face in the dense hair between his breasts, slinging his leg over Medic's wide hips and waist. Sniper purred happily at the sleeping arrangement and yawned again, his teeth brushing against the doctor's soft chest.

"Sorry if I scared you, sometimes I hold my breath in my sleep. Waking habit, I guess..." He murmured, planting a hard kiss to the skin just over his beloved's heart. Medic let out a dismissive sound, holding Sniper close to him and burying his face in his hair. It seemed like both of their waking habits were quite troublesome ones.

[nyotasaimiri]

Arc Two 105

Oldarva hummed quietly to herself as she almost drifted through the kitchen. It was hard to move quickly when she felt so calm. She probably should not have felt calm, she realized. Nyota and Hadley were both in the med-bay again, she had gone hand to hand with actual Occasus, and they had a prisoner locked in the storage room turned brig. A few months ago, she would have been nothing but afraid.

“But a few months ago, I was still living under Big Ape’s eye,” she whispered to herself as she took the mixing bowl off the shelf. “I would have never reached the stars.”

She stopped, laughed at herself, and shook her head. She would never have talked to herself like this, either. Too dangerous. But she had stopped being afraid at some point, here. Started to really trust.

A hand knocked on the doorframe. “Someone’s feelin’ poetic,” Lumen said, stepping into the room. “Reachin’ the stars, huh? Now that’s a right purdy way to put it.”

Oldarva laughed and started looking for the flour. “It is better than how Namina would phrase it.”

Lumen hummed and crackled like a chuckling stormcloud. “Don’t ya get me started on him. Yeet at sssky, my boot. The hey’s a yeet? A yet ya stretched too long? Bloomin’ golly. And now he’s got Sonny sayin’ it.”

“Pass the eggs, please,” Oldarva said, trying to mirror that smooth way Nyota had of avoiding arguments in her kitchen. And then, because she was Oldarva and not Nyota, she added, “Does it really bother you?”

“Eh, not really.” Lumen ducked down to get a better look through the fridge. “Just does me some good to fuss ‘bout somethin’ when we got a whole lot of somethin’ I can’t do much about, y’see.” He straightened up and passed her the eggs with a thin hiss. “Hoo-ee, that half smarts, gettin’ the cold air on my brand.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t even think about that…” Oldarva paused in her work with a nervous, apologetic smile.

Lumen waved it off. “Don’t ya worry none, neither did I. I always forget about that. So, whatcha makin’? Don’t think I’ve seen ya use the oven before.”

Eldie looked down at her hands, blushing. “I thought I’d try muffins… SAIL had some useful kitchen safety tutorials, so I thought I might be able to do it by myself.”

Lumen nodded in approval. “That’s mighty wise of ya. And I’m sure the captain won’t mind ya givin’ her a break in here when she’s gotta rest. Saves some worryin’.”

“Yes, that’s what I hoped.” The blush got hotter, but she didn’t mind it too much. “But I can’t seem to find the sugar. Have you seen it?”

Lumen whistled curiously. “It ain’t in the usual place?” When she shook her head, he sighed. “Well, I can guess. Just hang on half a tick, I got ya.”  

He did not even bother looking for the sugar. Instead, he walked over to the wall, wrestled the grate off the air vent, and banged on the metal. “Hey, Ferny! I know you’re in there. Where’d ya hide it this time?”

A raspy chuckle drifted out of the vent and made Oldarva’s fur stand on end. Stars but he sounded spooky like that. Eldie took a reflexive step back and bumped into the counter as she heard something shuffling in the vents.

Namina popped his head out with a sheepish grin. “Lightss-friend has gotten clever,” he said. “Heard Floran in the air pipess?”

Lumen flicked his nose. “Didn’t need to hear ya this time,” he said, making a strange thin noise like a radio being tuned. “I hear ya scuffin’ ‘round in there all the time when I’m mindin’ the medbay. And we all know ya hide the sugar to play a joke on the Captain.”

Eldie had not actually known that, but decided that now was not the time to speak up.

The floran’s grin widened and he pulled himself out of the vent properly. “Is hidden in freezer today. She does not look in freezer much. Don’t tell. Fun can wait until Captain is done sssleeping, yes?”

“Sure, sure. Oh hold on now, don’t ya dare shake off in here,” Lumen warned as he caught Namina shifting in place. He pulled in the floran’s elbow, with absolutely no effect. “C’mon, get outta the kitchen before ya do that.”

“Floran is not dusty!” Namina protested. “Sparkss-friend cleaned those vents lassst week. Floran is curiousss.”

“Sparks? Is that what ya call Sonny now?” Lumen let go of Namina’s arm and ran his fingers through his corona, thoughtful. “It suits her. But what’s up, then?”

Namina ruffled Lumen’s corona and ducked away, chuckling, as the novakid crackled and tried to swat him. “Floran helps, yes?” he said, sidling up to Oldarva. “Floran gives sssugar, helps with the cooking.”

“Oh—” Oldarva nearly dropped her mixing bowl. He moved very fast. “Well, if you like. It’s just muffins, though. But I can always make extras if I have helpers.”

“Yay! More ssnack!” Namina pulled the sugar out of the freezer and scrambled up onto the counter to retrieve the extra flour from wherever he had hidden it.

Lumen fizzed and shook his head. “Boy howdy but I guess I better help ya too, at least to keep an eye on him. Well, not an eye… ya know what I mean.” He pulled a spare apron off the cabinet door and put it on. “We better make more’n usual anyhow. Captain said we’re visitin’ the rebels soon. They always like a good meal.”

Oldarva smiled and nodded. “They do. They more than deserve it. Let’s see… banana and nut, I think. Oh, but Commander Blake dislikes bananas. Chocolate, then?”

The novakid laughed, then sparked and jumped back. “Blazin—whoa!”

Eldie turned around just in time to catch Namina as he fell off the counter. “My goodness! Namina, you must be more careful. Don’t squish Lumen, please.”

Namina grinned and bonked his nose against hers. She blushed and dropped him in shock. He caught himself easily and presented the cocoa powder with a flourish. “Chocolate, yess! Floran helps.” He spotted the blush and his grin widened even further. “Floran keeps this up and we bake muffins on Eldie’s face, yes?”

Lumen swatted his arm. “Give the poor gal a break and go find the muffin tins.”