#ghb fanfic

[munchonbrows]

I made art for my little fanfic “Chase Me.”

I made a little gif as well but it kinda fucked up my colors lol

(I’m so sorry if the quality is shit I have never used procreate to try animating before)

Here’s the fic again if anyone’s interested

[yujeong]

Question from the Fanfic Writers Ask Game:

11. What’s something neat you’ve learned while doing research for something you were writing? Also, how much do you worry about doing research in general?

I'm extremaly curious to know what type of fandom research people do and learn about their discoveries.

Hiiii! Thank you for taking interest in this, I appreciate you sending me the ask ❤️ Hmm, I have a weird relationship with research: I always feel I do 1. No research at all and 2. Not enough, when I acknowledge to myself I had to look up at least SOME things for my fics. In general, I am ignorant about a LOT of stuff, so research feels daunting and scary and even when I discover what I want to, I don't know how to incorporate that into my stories or if it's even correct information. I feel super self-conscious about it, which is why I normally don't write fics that require knowledge I'm not at all familiar with. Cowardly, sure, but the potential mistakes are too many for me to take that risk. (I'm learning though! The next fic I'll post will include some Thai cultural stuff related to Dharma that I had to thoroughly study about. I can only hope I won't screw it up.) Self-deprecation aside, I'm going to share some of the stuff I had to research for my fics - posted or not - to help people understand what I mean:

1. I had to look up various medical facts about stabbing (how deadly it is, how much time someone needs to heal etc), due to a scene that involved one in The Knight's Pawn, 2. I looked up videos of Muay Thai sparring matches in order to be able to write a sparring match in The Knight's Pawn - as well as see the differences from western boxing. Muay Thai is also something I've researched for another fic and to properly understand Pete as a character, 3. I had to look up sooo many chess terms for The Knight's Pawn, specifically for the chapter titles and summaries. Fun fact, the title of the fic makes no sense in chess; I told my irl friend who plays chess as an amateur about it and he proceeded to lose his mind lmao, 4. This will sound silly probably, but I studied Bangkok's map in order to be able to figure out a driving path for a trip down memory lane. I specifically wanted to figure out the distance between the main and minor family compounds (fun fact, it's approximately 15 minutes by car and 1 hour via public transport). I also looked up Lumphini Park and it's how I found out about dragon lizards! Very cool creatures, I wouldn't go near one ever, though, 5. I don't know if this one counts, but for the things you can(not) change, I had to watch Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox around 5 times in order to be able to portray the parallels correctly haha, 6. Since just a mission was based on ApoBuild's Bvlgari event, I looked up the venue it took place in, which is Icon Siam near Chao Phraya River, one of the most famous shopping malls in Bangkok, 7. For To Consume and Be Consumed's 1st chapter I had to... um... look up if it's possible for someone to not get an erection even if both the prostate and the penis are stimulated for a long period of time. The results suggested it is, so I tried to not stress over it too much 😅 The reception of the chapter was a lot better than I anticipated too, so I was happy with it, 8. Now, to start off about the fics that haven’t been posted yet and to remain in the spirit of the horny, I've looked up about autoerotic asphyxiation, if it's safe to use ice cream during sex (it isn't), if it's safe to have sex when someone is sick (it depends), the effects of GHB and how damaging a human bite can be (a lot if it's not treated immediately due to the bacteria in our mouths), 9. In the same realm, I've done a LOT of studying about La Pietà, the famous sculpture by our boy Michelangelo, so much so that for a while I couldn't escape it - I was seeing it everywhere. I'll keep the reasons for doing such research hidden for now, but it does involve smut xoxo, 10. I've only scratched the surface for this one, but I have begun studying about chronic pain for a post-canon VP fic I want to write. It doesn't involve smut and I don't think it will, but you never know, 11. Again, idk if it counts, but I've read Uzumaki for a NonWhite/TeeWhite fic I want to write one day, in order to draw parallels and whatnot. I'm very into parallels in case you haven't noticed haha, 12. Last, but certainly not least, the most difficult thing I've been researching and will probably never stop researching is Buddhism. To truly get Pete, you need to understand even the basics of Dharma and there are just so many things I don't know about it. Baby steps, but I'm getting there.

[iwasntcreativeenoughforaname]

The grand highblood and condy in clubs that, they’re kismesis there, but has anyone considered that they’re just friends?

Not even from a shipping standpoint (Lmao I actually like them together in a weird way) but from a story/fanfic POV.

It’s a small idea of mine but I love the idea that similarly to Eri, Gam, and Fef they all knew each other early into their lifespans and became friends before HIC took the throne. And while I don’t doubt Kurloz had the gall and ability to get the position himself, maybe Condy influenced him becoming the grand highblood (assuming its always been a position and condy didn’t invent it to keep him at an arms length. The cult of the messiahs is well known in the purple caste, but it is ultimately still a cult, and I doubt every purple is part of it. So the fact that’s he’s the big shot for real is impressive)

Maybe I’m just obsessed with giving Condy substance but her only real friend being GHB who probably has a distaste for her by now is peak writing material

[birchbow]

I just started reading the fanfic and I have to ask what’s the size difference between gamzee and ghb?

Variable throughout the fic, because I'm not good at keeping set height differences in my head lol. I've been working for a long time on the theory that trolls just,,, continue to grow the whole time they're alive, albeit at a slower rate as they get older. But after hundreds of sweeps, highblood powerhouses like the GHB and Condesce have had time to get PRETTY BIG

Let's see, if I had to put approximate numbers on it....Gamzee at like 13-15 sweeps is like, the kind of guy you'd see and be like "oh damn that's a really tall guy", but still a fairly believable height. Six foot approaching seven, even without the horns (like,,,, 190 cm to 200 I guess? for the cm crowd lol). But even for highbloods, kind of a giant. Especially considering he's still in the double digits of sweeps.

Kurloz meanwhile is the kind of guy a human OR a troll would see and be like "that is not natural" lol. Closer to like 8 feet/240 cm, without the horns. Just a huge, lanky giant. They both tend to kind of stalk around hunched, but it Does Not Help lol.

You didn't ask but since they're in the picture; Karkat is like,,, stocky normal dude sized, lol. idk, like five foot five/165 cm. Just like, a pretty average height, if you're not surrounded by enormous monsters. The Condesce is built on the same general proportions as him, just Much Larger. Because: see the above theory about trolls getting bigger and bigger with time, haha.

[ioannemos]

tagged by @dangerously-human to post the last line i wrote. not from an au for once!

Ben hopes it’s just the difference in temperature between a club and outside; he can’t remember if GHB raises body temperature or not.

was reading national treasure fanfic (needs more tbh, esp gen) and someone quoted the blink-182 song ghost on the dance floor and man, the mental images it inspired. getting it onto the page has been a chore tho, as ever, so i don't suspect this one will last long. oh well

tagging... anyone wearing jeans. or who wants to use me as an excuse. i have a sinus headache and don't wanna try to remember other authors 😖

[ozarkthedog]

For the cursed asks, 8 & 14?

#8. What internet research have you had to do for a fic that's most likely to have put you on a watch list?

lmao probably researching how fast Chloroform and GHB make you pass out. 🫣

#14. Answered here

thank you for playing 💙

cursed & degraded fanfic asks

[gamzee-little-clown]

OOC #7

Working on F&S Too

Got another kurgam fic planned: Tantric Sex, inspired by these two Spanish Kurgam fics i found on FF.NET.

Gunna update my current multi chapter fics when I can

Need artist to draw content for fics as I cannot draw worth shit.

Looking for people to write fanfics with, kurgam, Marvus x gamzee, Kurloz x Marvus, GHB x gamzee, Gamzee x Gamzee, GHB x Marvus x GHB, Marvus x Karako, Karako x Gamzee, Karako x The Soliel Twins etc etc etc.

Got a big epic planned, but I am too mentally destroyed by recent extreme betrayals from people I have known, 6 to 15 years over my fucking shipping preferences to even tap at my fucking screen much rn.

[lildogie]

Man Weeps About Gamzee Makara for 11 Years: The Blog

Now with added Strider

Hello, I'm Li'l Dogie (he/him), an adult who sporadically posts art, fanfic, and fan reactions.

You must be 18+ to view.

This blog contains mature subject matter, so please proceed with caution.

Higher-frequency multi-fandom reblog chaos with high cat content at Reblog-Corral.

Tag list below the cut.

Categories: ◆ Fanfic (Pre-2020 on AO3) ◆ Art ◆ Comics ◆Rough sketches ◆ Text posts ◆ Other people's art ◆ Homestuck meta

Series (Posts in Chronological Order) ◆ Better Hives ◆ Vermis Mater ◆ Court of Rage ◆ Valve ◆ Inktober

Fandoms ◆ Homestuck (Untagged) ◆ Hiveswap ◆ Q-Force ◆ Promare ◆ Helluva Boss

Some Ships ◆ GamKar ◆ SolKat ◆ GamKarSol ◆ GamSol ◆ GHBGam ◆ Xefros/Gamzee ◆ Dadbert/Gamzee ◆ GHBXef ◆ HalDirk ◆ Equius/Dirk ◆ Equius/Hal/Dirk ◆ Kurloz/Dirk ◆ Dirk/Gamzee ◆ Alpha Dave/Bro ◆ Alpha Dave/Dirk Characters

Beta Trolls ◆ Gamzee ◆ Karkat ◆ Sollux ◆ Eridan ◆ Tavros ◆ Equius ◆ Kanaya ◆ Nepeta ◆ Aradia

Dancestors ◆ Horuss ◆ Kankri ◆ GHB ◆ Kurloz

Hiveswap/Friendsim ◆ Xefros ◆ Chahut ◆ Marvus ◆ Barzum & Baizli ◆ Karako ◆ Tagora ◆ Lanque ◆ Tegiri

Humans ◆ Bro ◆ Dirk ◆ Hal ◆ Roxy ◆ Dave ◆ Alpha Dave ◆ Rose ◆ Alpha Rose ◆ Dad

[theharrowing]

You have mentioned this before, but I am dying to know about question 8. What topics have gotten you put onto a watchlist? - 🗡️

DAGGER, HI HI HI!!!!

okay, whew. let me pull up my master lists and really see what i can extract from what i have written. (i have an ao3 pseud on which i write even darker stuff, so there may be things on this list that you do not recognize, dear readers.)

i am going to tuck this under a cut because some of these topics on their own are pretty wild/can be potentially triggering to unsuspecting readers, and i wanna make sure everyone takes care of themselves! i am also not going to tag the fics because it's a lot, but if anyone is curious about any of the topics (to read or to avoid, feel free to ask!!!)

thank you so much dagger! it's always a joy to hear from you!

send me some cursed/deranged fanfic asks 💌

now................🚪🚶‍♀️ step into my office.

the obviously egregious topics:

types of cameras that can easily be hidden and how their monitoring apps work

cell phone spyware

ghb and other roofie-type drugs

ways hypnotism has been used in media to override and influence memories (since that's not way it works in real life)

amnesia, and how trauma can cause it

waterboarding

whether cattle prods can actually kill someone

places people can be shot (on their torso/upper body) without eminent death, and what healing from those wounds looks like (twice: once for a wound near the hip and once for a wound in the shoulder)

how "bulletproof" various vest and glass are, including watching a lot of videos of a lot of things being shot with several different types of bullets/guns

comas, recovering from them, and how the human body functions while in one

various types of poisons, how they dissolve into beverages, whether they are detectable, how fast they take to work

the effectiveness (and potential damage) of chloroform versus choking someone out, which led me down a rabbit hole because it's not at all what the movies make it seem lmao

general situations of being drugged, how certain things effect people

stockholm syndrome

what it feels like to be stabbed with a blade

how it feels when the body begins to die

topics that on their own might seem innocuous, but along with everything else, might raise some eyebrows:

images of people stuck in things in a bent over position (for the sake of description but also because stuck porn is kind of funny to me if you take out the non-con factor, since it's all acting anyway)

whenever i write anything related to the church or religion, i have to do some heavy googling, and it feels like something that might make the fbi agent watching me think "wtf is this person into???"

various types of sensory depravation

general curiosities about cctv and how much certain cities use it verses others

love bombing

...this was a lot. 😅😅😅 what a career i have had.

[sedatedwrites]

Intro Post!

Hey, I'm SedatedWrites! I'm a twenty-three (23) year old nonbinary (he/they/she) writer who's been writing fanfic since they were thirteen (13)!

I am a May Taurus, with an INFP-t personality type.

I'm mainly into Cillian Murphy-centric fandoms. Peaky Blinders, Oppenheimer, In Time, Inception, 28 Days Later, ect.

I dabble in the more Loki side of Marvel. Mainly early 2010s Tom Hiddleston Loki, rather than the comics (I've never read them) or the recent show Loki (I watched it once, never again).

I'm WAY into astrology and astronomy, as well as archeology and music. In fact, my username is based on a Hozier song lolz.

Anyway, I write canon x OC. I've got a single OC I use for most fandoms and I've got a few OC's tailored to certain fandoms, like HOTD.

My ships!

Now, I'm a product of the early 2010s fandom surge. Hetalia, Homestuck, Harry Potter, Invader Zim, etc. I'm a shipper by heart; call me Nepeta. I'll ship almost anything!

ZaDr, LanceLot (Lotor x Lance, preferably the VLD version), Drarry, Hermarry, Ronarry, Ginmione, Sirmione, WolfStar, Alphard Black x Me (:3), Tomione, NevLuna, PansBlaize, BillDip, FordDip, StarLlama, GerIta, Franada, RusAme, BeluUkra, PrusHung, SebaCiel & AloClaude.

Daemyra, Helaemond, Saehaerys, Aegon I /og Rhaenys/og Visenya, Jonaerys & Robaerys, some Targ OC x OC pairs, SanSan, MargSan, JonSatin, AryaJon, Maxley, Nny x Devi, TaGr, StrangeIron, ThorJane, Loki x Me (:3), HawkWidow, HulkWidow, Stucky, Maximof Twincest, Wincest, Destiel, Samriel, TenRose, Ghoulcy, Rorty, MaeMag (Maedhros x Maglor), Angbang, Thrangolas, BilboLeg, BilboThran, BilboThorin, FrodoSam.

EriKat, DaveTav, SolAra, KanRose, CroKan, Mitula, PorMeen, MewKur, GHB x HIC, Dualscar x Me (:3), JohnDad, DaveBro, RoseMom, DirkJake, Damaranea, GamDave, Scourge Sisters (both <> & <3), Fluttercord, RariDash, TwiPie, AppleMac.

And many more!

Obviously, I support 🍉 and BLM. If you don't, leave. Like, right now.

I won't suffer any Anti's of any kind on my page or askbox.

No transphobia, homophobia, Islamaphobia, racism/sexism, anti-semitism of any kind!

Now, excuse me before I acrobatic fucking pirouette off the handle :D

[munchonbrows]

I wrote some things. It’s just how GHB met Signless, at least in one of my little AUs. (I love a tragic love story I can’t help it)

[dalishthunder]

A DUALSCAR/READER AND A GHB/READER IN ONE??? im not a huge black romance reader but for them? combined? yes. i. would. you should drop that first chapter maybe 👀 no pressure though

Yes sorry, I had to find it, it was on me lappy top

Here is a portion of the first chapter:

“Well, look way down the river, what do you think I see?”

You beat out a rhythm in time with the tune of your cellmate’s voice as you watched the guards exchange words in their guttural language; faces shrouded in the dimly lit corridor, helmets hiding their unearthly golden eyes.

Ghoulish grey skin and black hair, clad head to toe in black armor bearing a crimson insignia on their shoulder. Their orange horns the only thing that mismatched the aesthetic. Candy corn gradient, darkest, almost red, at the base fading to saffron at the tip. If it weren’t for the fact that you had seen their wretched, crocodile smiles as they had cut down those fleeing around you could have found the aesthetic just a touch silly.

“I see a band of angels and they're coming after me”

Your eyes had adjusted fairly well to the perpetual darkness of their ship. In the constant oppressive gloom, days had begun to blur together. The only thing that marked its passage was your ever growing hair and nails and the daily dose of mush they considered... nourishment. It certainly wasn’t palatable enough to be called food.

How long had it been since you’d had a proper meal now? How long had it been since you’d breathed fresh air, or since the sun had kissed your skin? As the drum of your palms rang out from their pounding against the smooth floor below,

“Ain’t no grave can hold my body down,”

You knew it was an eternity.

They’d tried to silence you, prodded you with pokers that zapped and stung. But if there was one thing humans had in spades, it was Community. The ability to relate to and pack bond with almost anything… especially other humans.

There were a dozen cells in this tiny room, each housing two of you; and no doubt dozens of rooms just like this one all along the ship. They couldn’t silence you all.

Your voice blended with your cellmates’ as you sang out with them, voices blending as one.

A curse. A promise.

“There ain’t no grave can hold my body down.”

They had come in the night. Their craft touching down in the city square, raining fire and brimstone from above.

No one had seen it coming.

For all of the movies and stories about aliens conquering the earth, for all of the tin foil hats and UFO fests, it amounted to little more than a game. A thought experiment. Something fun to fantasize about and thrill each other with. Implausibly hilarious. Like cryptozoology or Tommy Wiseau winning an oscar.

Although if you had had to put money on it, you supposed alien invasion was slightly more plausible than the latter.

“Well, look down yonder Gabriel, put your feet on the land and see,”

God, you had had a zombie plan. A nuclear winter plan. A plan for if the central power grid was taken out. So many apocalypse plans… most of which included migrating out to the middle of nowhere, starting a small farm, and building a community up with the knowledge you had gained over the years… finally putting that degree in botany to good use. Living modestly with hard work, but the satisfaction of knowing that humanity would continue. It would survive.

“But Gabriel don't you blow your trumpet 'til you hear it from me,”

You would write down your memoirs in a journal, chronicle your life as little by little you slowly succumbed to madness.

But this situation…. Holed up in a tiny prison on an alien ship?

You didn’t have a plan for this.

“There ain’t no grave can hold my body down.”

Veronica was the name of the woman you were trapped with. Twenty eight, married… had two kids, ages five and three, and an acute fondness for Johnny Cash. She was in the grocery store with you when they had begun their raid, just ahead of you in line. She’d made a late night run for bread and eggs, just put the kids to bed for the night after a long shift.

She had cried on and off the first few days you’d been packed in here. She still cried, but the fire in her heart never stopped burning.

You remember reading once when you were young, in a book about clans of warrior cats, the most profound statement about the love of a mother; It was not soft and gentle, but powerful, fierce, overwhelming in its intensity.

You could see that in Veronica as she sang in resistance, hurling her words like spears against the bars of your prison.

“Ain’t no grave can hold my body down.”

When the starship had finally docked, you were all bound ankle to ankle and shoved out in a line like animals out of the arc. Closely watched by your captors, you all shuffled down the hall, and although you were loathe to follow their orders, the thought of being off that ship and under the open sky was thrilling beyond belief.

The crisp smell of air hit your nostrils like a drug… briny, salty.

You’d never been much of a runner but the sound of waves lapping against the shore beckoned you like the sweet song of a siren. Your muscles ached with longing. The dim lights of the ship gave way to the grey of twilight. On one side a sea, on the other, clusters of home. A troll city if the mingling of bodies with candy corn horns, golden eyes leering at your procession, was anything to go by.

You breathed deep, savoring the mingling aromas of the outside world after having spent god knows how long in that tiny cell.

Behind you Vanessa sniffed, no doubt stifling her tears. You had made a pact together; No matter what came, you would never give them the satisfaction of seeing you cry. They led you to large metal cages covered in a thick, fraying fabric, shoving you in ten people to each one. Their fangs glinted in the starlight as they spoke to one another. What you wouldn’t give to understand what they were saying.

The smaller of the two laughed, eyeing your cage up and giving what looked like a noncommital gesture. Your lips curled into a snarl.

They just laughed harder.

“Easy there, tiger.” Vanessa murmured putting her hand on your shoulder, attempting to pull you back. “It’s not worth it.”

The taller troll stepped closer, placing a large hand on the bars of the cage, grinning down at you. And she spoke. Clipped, thick, heavy words tumbling from her throat.

“Someone’s going to enjoy breaking you.”

She turned to address all of the cages. “Human worms, tomorrow you will behave yourselves…. You will be serving new masters, and if you continue to behave, you may even survive.” Her cruel smile widened. “Rest up.”

The canvas covering was pulled over the cages, obscuring the outside world once more in near complete darkness. You could hear the sounds of people crying all around you, and Vanessa clutched you close. “There’s a difference between being brave and being stupid, tiger, and you’re really toeing the damn line ain’t you.…”

Your jaw clenched involuntarily. “I know.” You wanted to say, but the words tangled in your throat and all that came out was a shaky laugh.

“Look I know you’re scared, but you’re no use to anyone if you’re dead. Got it?”

You nodded, sighing and sitting down. She was right… you couldn’t do anything if you died.

There was a tiny tear in the tarp they had over your enclosure, just large enough that you could look outside, the ocean stretching out to meet the horizon. The smell of salt was almost enough to mask the stench of fear.

[cyanideoreo]

Finished this bit from the Tooth Brushing Scene from @tarn-liberated 's fantastic fic Road Trip to Ruin

[yanyan-stuck]

Yandere Grand High Blood headcanons? Maybe some NSFW as well if you’re okay with it? Thank you!

Gotta appease the clown fuckers. NSFW below the cut.

Yandere GHB Headcanons

-He's a sadistic and possessive yandere. He has no problems with hurting you, so long as it keeps you near him and away from everyone else. He's a yandere who would be fine with killing you if he got to keep you to himself.

-If anyone else tries to hurt you, they'll die. Plain and simple. He'll leave the corpse in the room you're in, and still expect you to love him and be grateful.

-He'll take you to the room where he performs his executions and makes you sit on his lap. Every time you try to get away from him, he'll wrap his arms around you, tell you in detail how he killed one of the trolls, and then threaten to do it to you.

-If you keep trying to leave, he'll hold you in place and leave a long, deep scratch on your chest. He'll do that every time you try to escape while in that room.

-The only other place he'll let you go is in his personal quarters. You have an uncomfortable wooden chair in the corner of the room, which is where he ties you to.

-He'll occasionally let you sleep next to him. He's confident enough in his strength that you won't be able to escape, and he's right. He'll put one of his claws on your throat, and press down just enough so that if you move, it'll cut you.

N/S/F/W

-He'll force himself on you whenever he feels like it, and you get absolutely no say in the matter.

-He won't do it unless he's the one who wants to, so if you want to and he doesn't, it's not happening. He won't let you masturbate either, so that you have to rely on him.

-He'll hold you down while doing it, not seeing a need for you to be restrained by anything but his hands as he furiously pounds into you.

-He's very rough, and it will be very painful the whole time. If you start to cry, he'll go even rougher, as a punishment.

-He has really good stamina from his highblood status, and will fuck you until and long after you pass out from exhaustion.

[harlequinmistress]

Chapters: 2/2 Fandom: Homestuck Rating: Explicit Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Darkleer/Grand Highblood (Homestuck), Grand Highblood (Homestuck) & Original Character(s) Characters: Darkleer (Homestuck), Grand Highblood (Homestuck), Original Troll Character(s) (Homestuck), Background & Cameo Characters, Doc Scratch Additional Tags: Angst, Cult of the Mirthful Messiahs, Time Loop, Caliginous Romance | Kismesis, Flushed Romance | Matesprits, Pale Romance | Moirallegiance, Chatlogs, Past Infidelity, Nook Fingering (Homestuck), Nook Eating (Homestuck), Literal Sleeping Together, oh he got it bad, BDSM, Degradation, Rough Sex, Bad Jokes Series: Part 8 of getting off your high horse Summary:

The Grand Highblood comes to terms with where he is at on Alternia's timeline.

Featuring a repetitive sort of morning, highly questionable poetry, and the appearance of a cue ball.

[builder051]

Whumptober day 21: Laced drink

Nat on Fire

_____

Nat hooks the heels of her stilettos on the low rung of the bar stool and swirls the ice cubes at the bottom of her drink. It’s laced, and she knows it, but she still lifts it to her perfectly red painted lips and gulps it practically dry.

Her target is sitting two tables diagonally behind her to the left, enjoying dinner with his wife. Well, one of them. The secret one he keeps squirreled away here in Milan.

That alone makes him disgusting and worth taking out, Nat thinks, but that’s not what was on the orders she signed this morning, He’s some kind of sleazy politician fucking things up with the UN or something or other. Nat can’t quite remember, as her mind drifts pleasantly into the soft haze of GHB.

Nat’s thigh holster itches beneath her dress. She wants to wiggle in her seat and scratch at it, but she knows better than to move. She also wants to pull out her weapon and shoot the fat, bald fucker and complete the mission before she’s too high to see straight, but she knows better than that, too. Way too many witnesses. Maybe if she catches his eye and gives her best escort’s impersonation... But no, that would take too long. She’ll be too far gone.

Nat will have to catch up with him in the morning, once she’s surpassed the hangover. She can do it. And the high will be worth it. Hell, the sleep will be worth it. So what if she takes a little longer than Fury wants? She has a room booked in this fancy hotel. Why not put it to use?

Nat takes one more sip of her ice cubes, crunching several of them between her teeth, and hops down from her seat at the bar. She slides a hundred dollar bill under her napkin and heads for the elevators, biting the inside of her cheek to force herself to focus. Heel-toe, heel-toe, Nat thinks. Ok, you can do it. The edges of her visual field sparkle slightly with distorted gold and silver starlight. She tries not to look at it, lest she fall down before she reaches her destination.

Luckily Nat has an elevator to herself, so she slips off her shoes. She holds them with two fingers and dangles them over her shoulder like a drunken bridesmaid and leans one hip against the metal wall until she reaches her floor. Nat finds herself beaming uncontrollably as she weaves down the hallway to her room.

The cell phone she left on the bed is ringing as she opens the door, and out of accidental instinct, Nat answers it.

“Hello?” She says, clearing her throat to cover the slur.

“The fuck do you think you’re doing?” Fury’s voice asks angrily. “Your target is currently on a balcony, enjoying a cigarette, alone. Where the fuck are you?”

“Upstairs,” Nat replies, trying to give as little information as possible. “I’ll catch him tomorrow.”

“You realize he could be anywhere by then, don’t you?”

“Yeah, but his wife’s with him tonight, it’d be suspicious to be seen with me—“ Nat covers her mouth to stifle a hiccup.

“Are you drunk?” Fury asks.

“No.” It’s the truth. She only had the one drink.

Fury sighs. “I’m putting a lot of faith in you, Romanov. Don’t fuck this up.”

“Sir, yes, sir,” Nat replies. She hangs up and throws the phone back onto the plush duvet cover. She sits gingerly on the edge of the bed. “Ok,” she murmurs. “Ok...”

Nat knows she has minutes left before the high hits her hard. She wants to lie back and let it wash over her, but she knows there’s business to be done first. She forces herself back to her feet and wobbles into the bathroom, shedding her dress into a puddle on the floor as she goes.

She swipes a makeup wipe over her face and another in her armpits in a quick attempt to freshen up, then Nat stumbles to the toilet. She puts up the lid and braces one hand against the wall as she shoves the other into her mouth, flattening all five fingers against her tongue until her gag reflex triggers. The taste of artificial cucumber washes down from the top as fruity alcohol and bile feed up from the bottom. She vomits hard a few times, and then suddenly she’s empty, gagging painfully and bringing up nothing.

That’s what you wanted, though, isn’t it? Nat reminds herself. The drug is already well into her system. All she needed to do was avoid a potential mess later.

Nat spits until her mouth feels clean, then brushes her teeth until her gums bleed. She can barely see around the glitter overtaking her vision, but the outline of her face and hair still show up in the mirror. Nat imagines she looks pale and zombie-esque. She wonders if every girl who’s roofied does. She wonders if that does anything to make them worth fucking.

A little chill runs down her spine as she again remembers the crimes of her target, both in the boardroom and the bedroom. The stars she sees turn shades of pink as she leaves the bathroom, and they’re a deep brick red by the time she’s turning down the duvet and sheets.

Nat slips into bed and pulls the covers up to her chin. She closes her eyes. Imprinted on the backs of her eyelids is a gun, a neat little compact 22, clutched in a hand with a neat French manicure. A long, skinny index finger pulls the trigger, and a bullet flies out in slow motion. It hits a bald man in the side of the head, making ripples in his skin before entering his skull and blowing out the other side with a spray of blood and brains.

Nat smiles to herself. She knows she’s in for a good trip.