#glad they both keeps throwing bombs though

[localfandomenthusiast]

I just KNOW DP!Charles would be so annoyed DBD!Charles didn't change his cricket bat to a baseball bat when he was in good ol' 'Murica

God, I so need a crossover where the Agencies interact with each others. I feel like they'd absolutely hate each others' guts at first.

Send headcanons y'all

[plussizeficchick]

The Weekend | Eren x Chubby!Reader

Summary; Eren and Mikasa have been “dating” and while reader originally had no interest in him, the way Mikasa’s been acting sure does make him look more appealing ;)

Warnings; Smut, “cheating”(they’re not explicitly boyfriend and girlfriend), College AU! P in V, cunnilingus, cum eating, slight breeding kink, Mikasa and Historia are pick me’s and terrible friends lol. Loosely based on the song by SZA(might make a part 2 idkk, not proofread) PART 2

It was a bit difficult making friends at your University. For the most part, everyone had their set friend group so you knew it wouldn’t be easy finding people to hang out with during this new semester. 

That’s why you were glad to meet Mikasa and Historia. 

They were both in your Sociology class at Eldia University and they were having a bit of trouble when you offered help. They were nice, though they could be a bit catty. They introduced you to their other friends so you thought they were nice enough, but you noticed a change when they were around the guys. 

They would make offhand comments about your figure, your outfits, sometimes your attitude. It was off putting, to put it lightly. So, you’re thicker than the two of them, so what? It shouldn’t affect them. And while they may be comfortable suffering in silence, you were definitely going to speak up when you felt like it.

You were certain it was jealousy. The way they spluttered when you asked them to elaborate, the way they flustered when you mentioned that maybe they just couldn’t pull off plus-sized the way you could, had you feeling vindicated. And the way the boys always seemed to laugh at your jokes had them blatantly envious.

It was a bit pathetic to witness sometimes, the way guys would defend you from their “playful jabs” had thinly veiled sneers etching onto their faces.

— —

It was clear to everyone Mikasa had a thing for Eren and while you thought he was attractive, you could see him being more suited for her. And if the way he casually draped his arm around her shoulder meant anything, you’d say he thought the same. You were sure that she was his type, so she didn’t have anything to worry about.

That’s why it was such a shock when Historia told you she’d slept with him.

“I mean, if he really wanted her, they’d be together already, y’know.” She casually dropped the bomb when it was just the two of you. She was so blasé about it, applying her lipgloss as she made you promise not to say anything, throwing in a thinly veiled threat, “I mean, it’s not like anyone would believe you anyway. Plus, you don’t want to be by yourself, right?” 

It wasn’t so much the threat that made you keep your mouth closed, honestly, you had more morals than that, it was more so Mikasa’s attitude toward the hypothetical.

Throughout your entire “friendship” with the two girls, they’d always seen you as a non-factor. When you’d go to parties, they’d flirt with whomever showed even the slightest bit of interest in you and whenever you’d bring it up, they’d just gaslight you. “If he was really interested, then he wouldn’t have gotten distracted, would he?” And for the longest time, you had explained away their behavior because, yeah, you don’t want a guy that’ll easily stray, but, fuck. If it didn’t piss you off.

You’d originally wanted to tell her in a roundabout way, asking how she would feel if one of her friends were interested in Eren. Her answer, however, caused an unfamiliar feeling in your stomach. “Like who? Historia doesn’t see him like that and no offense, but you know Eren wouldn’t like someone like you.” That got you to thinking.

They think I’m a joke.

You wanted to tell Mikasa. You wanted to tell her when she spent nights crying to you and Historia about how Eren doesn’t open up to her anymore, how she felt he was slipping away.

You wanted to tell her what Eren really thought of her. The way he spent some nights ranting about how he felt obligated to date her, that sometimes he thinks of her as a fucking nuisance, like a snake that keeps coiling around his neck, suffocating. The times he’d wished she’d just take a fucking hint and get that he didn’t see a future with her.

You wanted to tell her about all the times Eren flirted with you, told you not to listen to any of her comments because, yeah, she could never pull off looking as good as you do. The times when he’d purposefully walk behind you, gripping at your soft waist and brushing his clothed cock against your ass, making sure you can really feel the length of him.

You wanted to tell her that even though she might be “dating” him, he was always coming back to your dorm late at night, hiking up his shirt around your waist and pressing his face into your chubby pussy, tonguing at your walls and pulling wave after wave of pleasure from you. That even though Historia may have had him that one time, he’s with you damn near every weekend, playing house.

— —

You’re on all fours, your back arched perfectly to make the glide of Eren’s cock in your sopping cunt that much easier. “Fuck, baby. You’re g’nna make me cum.” He grits out, teeth clenched. You’re squeezing him like a vice, your pussy creaming around his dick so deliciously he can taste the orgasm on his tongue.

He’ll never get tired of this, he’ll never get over how perfect your pussy molds for his cock, the velvety feeling of your cunt clenching around him. He’s panting, sweat dripping from his forehead before landing on the deep arch in your back, trickling down. Fuck, he just wants to devour you all over again.

“‘Ren, g’nna cum.” You moan for him, fuck, your voice is so fucking cute, the way your voice gets all high and whiny, has his cock throbbing inside you. “Cum f’me, pretty. Make a mess f’me.” He groans out. 

It’s embarrassing, the way your pussy squelches as he fucks into you. He fashions your hair into a makeshift ponytail before pulling, bringing your back flush against his chest. His hands are everywhere, groping and pawing at your soft flesh. 

He picks up the tempo of his thrusts, cock slamming into your warm, gushy center. He’s whining in your ear about how good you feel, how perfect you are for him, but it’s not until you hear him mumble about fucking a baby into you that you cum around his cock for the nth time that day. Your orgasm triggers his and before long his cock is pulsing as he fills you full of him.

You’re both panting as you slowly come down from your highs, Eren slowly removing his cock from your abused cunt and the sight of your poor battered pussy has Eren feeling a bit.. peckish.

You’re too busy catching your breath to notice Eren kissing along your spent body, only letting out a surprised yelp when you feel his hands spreading your cheeks and licking a bold stripe up your center. 

You gasp as he eats you out like a man starved, slurping up your combined essence before sucking on your clit. His hands grope the flesh of your ass, occasionally leaving a bruising spank to each side. 

He’s practically making out your cunt, tonguing at the soft flesh and pressing wet kisses to your clit before lapping at the bundle of nerves.

It doesn’t take long before another orgasm washes over you, soaking Eren’s face in your arousal. When he finally comes up for air, he’s pulling you into a wet kiss, the taste of you dancing on his tongue.

He pulls back slightly, pressing a quick peck to your cheek before getting up, moving to get the necessary items for aftercare. He cleans you up, dresses you in one of his favorite shirts and slides on a pair of boxers for himself before sidling next to you. He pulls you flush against his chest, pressing sweet kisses to your forehead as he traces shapes down your back.

This is why you always feel slightly bad for Mikasa. You know she craves for this level of intimacy with Eren and you know that her heart will break when he breaks the news of your relationship to her on Monday.

*sigh* If only she didn’t feel like a 9-5.

— —

Taglist: @xogabbiexo @kinq-sleazee @dabilovesme @blkchxrryblyss @tenyaiidasslut @luna-indigoduh @bookwormsenpai @bl--ankhaeji @thicksimpx @namjoonswifeyy @nasty-quillz @haikyutiehoe @musicisme333 @unsatisfiedanddisappointed @celi-xxmoon

[joaniscruzing]

stars between us ch.2 : h.c

Hey you guys!! here's chapter two! I'll do everything I can to have chapter three tomorrow. I'm looking to have 8-9 chapters total of this series. COMMENT on this post if you'd like to be added to this taglist.

Summary: You and Hazel spend the first night of the camping trip together

Contains: fluff, hand-holding, one-bed trope, teasing friends, slight angst, hazel talking about the pep rally, hazel talking abt toxic friends, awkward!hazel, nerd!reader

“So, that leaves you and Hazel,” Isabel had pointed out. 

You and Hazel look at each other and smile. Of course you two were fine with sharing a bed. You two got along well anyway. The two of you leave your things on the bed and then go outside to a nearby picnic table. It wasn’t too late in the day, as there was still light outside. The sky was only now just getting darker. The two of you begin to continue your conversation from the bus, picking up exactly where you left off.

“Okay,” you say, “enough about me. Where in the actual universe are you getting bombs?”

“Where else? You really think I’m going to like some deep, dark alleyway to find supplies? I usually just go to Home Depot and grab my supplies.”

“Really?” you ask surprisedly, raising an eyebrow.

“I’m not joking. I’ll take you one day if you’d like.”

“Wow Hazel, stringing your new friend into your bomb-making endeavors.” To this comment, Hazel giggles and plays with the rings on her fingers. She looked absolutely adorable doing this.

“I’d never let you get in trouble for it though,” Hazel adds quickly, “I don’t like throwing people under the bus.”

“Sure you don’t,” you quip teasingly, “If you don’t, then what was that with PJ during the last pep rally?”

“Now that’s a different story. PJ, umm, made me feel, unloved? The fight club has been a safe space for me during my mom’s midlife crisis. I guess when PJ kind of summed up for me that I had no friends, and, um, had a skank as a mom, I wanted to defend myself. Also, they said I was fighting PJ.”

“Well, you have me, so you have friends. And uh, I don’t know about the mom stuff, but she definitely didn’t raise a skank, so that must say something.” Hazel smiles, glad that you at least understood her. She holds your hands, which had been resting on the table.

“I’m really glad we’ve started getting to know each other. It’s nice to talk with someone who’s like me in some ways.”

“Yeah. Even though I’m friends with like Isabel and Brittany and those people, I feel like they don’t understand. Like half of those people don’t even read. Like, the school took away the books and they just don’t care.” Hazel looks at you as you continue rambling, a concentrated, attentive look in her eyes. She seems dazed almost.

“Hazel?”

“Yeah?” she says, shaking out of her daze.

“You good? It seemed like you phased out for a moment.”

“No, I’m just tired. I didn’t sleep well yesterday.” You look up at the sky, which has gone basically dark. 

“Should we go sleep?”

“Oh, we don’t have to. We can keep talking if you want.”

“No no, I’m tired too. Plus, we have a long day tomorrow doing the trash and stuff.”

“Okay! As long as you’re okay with it. I don’t want to force you to do something just because I am.”

“You’re not. Don’t worry about it, Haze.” You hold out your arm, and she links it in yours. The two of you laugh and talk your whole way back to the cabin. She sees PJ and Josie looking at her with teasing looks, lips puckered up. She quickly turns her head away to see you curled up on the corner of the bed, book in hand. It’s an astronomy book about constellations and the stories behind them.

Hazel looks at you as she climbs into bed.

“Whatcha reading?”

“Oh, just a book about the stories between different constellations.”

“OH! We didn’t get to look at the stars like we said.”

“Whatever. We’re both tired, and I’m sure we’ll have even more fun tomorrow doing so. I bet since we’ll spend the whole day together, we’re going to have a great time.”

“Don’t let me forget tomorrow. I’ll feel horrible if you don’t get to look at the stars at least once before the trip is over.”

“Don’t worry Haze, I won’t.” Hazel’s cheeks turn pink at the nickname, but she brushes it off and lies down. PJ and Josie ask everyone if it’s okay to turn off the lights, making you close your book and lie down as well. You assume that Brittany and Isabel are off with the other cheerleaders and that they’ll come back soon. You feel Hazel shudder when the lights turn off in the cabin.

“Hey, Haze, what’s wrong?” you whisper, turning to her under the covers.

“Nothing. Um, it’s just that I, um, kind of, always use a night light? I don’t like the pitch black.”

“Is there anything I can do to help?”

“I don’t know.” Hazel turns around to face you. Just then, your hands bump under the covers. You don’t know what overcomes you, but you decide to hold Hazel’s hand.

“Is that okay?” you ask. You hear Hazel’s breathing slow down to its relaxed pace.

“Yeah. Much better. Are YOU okay with that though?” she asks, concerned that maybe you would feel weird holding her hand.

“No, of course not. I want you to sleep well.” You two are facing each other in the bed, only barely able to see the traces of each other’s face.

“As long as you’re okay with it, I am too.”

“Goodnight Haze.” The two of you fall asleep facing each other, and holding hands, and wake up like that the next morning.

taglist: @at1nyzen

[lightwing-s]

hii love your work!! you're one of mu favorite blogs atm :D

can i request trying to study late at night, only for jason in his red hood suit to come bother u??

thanks 🥰✨

omg i’m so glad you’ve been liking my stuff, hope me taking this long hasnt made you hate me lol i’m so sorry. but here it is, hope you enjoy 🩷🩷

Exam season was driving you crazy. Exams, essays, projects, all stacked up and taking 100% of your time. And for this, you were wake at 3am on your 100th pomodoro session of the night, fighting a battle with your own body to keep yourself awake.

Concentrated on your text book, you were unaware of your surroundings, of the window slowly being open, and of the giant creeping into your bedroom. It wasn’t until you felt a strong presence at your side, heart speeding up in fear as you slowly turned your head, that you saw the bright red skull of your boyfriend and let out a loud scream in fear.

“Relax, it’s just me” he told you through a laugh, closing your mouth with his large hands. In return, you repeatedly slapped his chest, hardly causing any pain, as Jason’s laugh continued.

“D’you wanna fucking kill me?” you whisper-screamed while he removed his helmet.

“Sorry, you just looked cute, all concentrated and shit.” you rolled your eyes at his compliment, caving in to his sweetness and pecking his lips. “Just this?” Jason complained.

“I have to study.” you explained, but he still threw at you his big puppy eyes. To counter him, you pouted your lips, which he kissed away swiftly and moved to sit behind you on his bed.

“Fine.” he still sounded upset, but he left you to study with a smile planted on your face. Or so you thought, as minutes later you felt something hit your shoulder, and then another.

“Really, Jason?” you turned around to see him pretending to be asleep in your bed, the large smile on his face giving him away. Turning back to your studies, it wasn’t long till you felt him throw something at you again, and again, and again, not caving in to his incessant tries to get your attention.

Suddenly, though, you were being pulled from your desk with your chair and placed between his legs as sat on your bed. “You really can’t be serious about ignoring me.”

“I have to studyyy! I’m so full of stuff, Jay, you can’t even imagine how…”

“I know!” he cut you off, hands holding onto your waist. “But you also need to rest, it helps with retaining information. And you also need to give your boyfriend some attention too, or he’s gonna get upset and go punch bad guys on the streets. You really don’t want to be responsible for that, do you?”

You couldn’t help but laugh at his silliness, but there was still so much to do. “I just have two chapters left.” you stared at him innocently. He huffed and spun you back to your desk, kissing your head while complaining.

“Whatever, I’ll just go to sleep.” You watched through the mirror on your wall as Jason stripped down to just his underwear, throwing his pants on your head and going under the blankets, looking all warm and hugging your stuffed frog, Mr. Lollihops.

You tried to focus on your book again, but the sight of your boyfriend all wrapped around your childhood toy was too much to handle. So you fixed your desk, turned off the lights and headed to his arms that he had spread out for you.

“I knew you couldn’t resist me.” he said as you snuggled into his chest.

“If I get a bad grade on the test it’ll be your fault.”

“You’re too smart, you’ll do great.” he kissed your forehead, fixing the blankets around you both. “Besides, the Red Hood can always threaten your professor to give you a better grade.”

Laying there on his chest, eyelids heavy with sleep, his fingers caressing at the nape of your neck, you allowed yourself to forget school, forget the world, and just melt into your boyfriend for the comfort you so wanted that night.

.

a/n: i’m writing this after spending all night awake and bombing my test today. all i wanted was sweet giant jason to hug me to sleep tonight and pretend i don’t have any school work to do.

send me a word or prompt and I'll write you a 200 words blurb x

[ruified]

i just finished osamu dazai’s entrance exam and it was SO GOOD??????? in no way did the anime do it an ounce of justice

anyways, just like last time, here are some quotes and my thoughts

i love love love the way we get to really explore kunikida and dazai’s dynamic as partners in this light novel, it really helps the reader understand how they work together so well

"I'm impressed, Kunikida. Nothing gets by you, does it? Incredible." His smile is cold, inhuman. "I'm so glad you were my partner."

"What do you want?! Why did you threaten the detective agency?! What was the point of killing the missing people and setting the bomb?! You... You were..."

You were so talented.

I couldn't have asked for a better partner.

they drive me crazy i love them so much </3 in this scene kunikida is questioning dazai and threatening his life on the suspicions of dazai being the azure apostle, it’s the way that even though they had only spent so little time working together that they both felt they were good partners

i love how in the ln it’s actively a mystery for those who don’t know what’s going on, even as someone who watched the anime, dazai being setup was pretty convincing

the speech given at the end of it all by dazai to kunikida on the risks of following one’s ideals also carries a bigger impact than what was provided in the anime, it makes more sense

the way that sasaki is also a genuine love interest of kunikida’s is also so heart wrenching, her last words really just hit hard

here’s something i found so sweet

"Hello, little one. Can you hear me?" Dazai takes over the call.

"We here are airplane experts. There's nothing to worry about anymore. We're going to fix the plane. What's your name, little miss?"

"Ch-Chiyo..."

"Chiyo, everything's going to be okay. Got any snacks with you?"

"Mommy gave me this piece of candy..."

"Candy, huh? I love candy, too. It's so sweet, and it really helps you relax, doesn't it?"

"Dazai—"

"I've got this... Chiyo, first, I want you to really take your time enjoying that piece of candy. After that, I'm going to need you to take that device you're talking into and bring it to the captain's room. Do you know where the captain's room is?" Chiyo nods, wiping the tears from her eyes.

"Don't worry. There's nobody screaming in there, and I bet your mommy will be feeling better in no time."

"B-but I... I can't go alone. I can't leave Mommy behind..."

"Your mommy's gonna be just fine. The pilot will make things all better. So I'm going to need you to take that device to their room and give it to them, okay?"

"Well, this is just no good. I'm quite weak, you see. A big guy like yourself would snap me right in two... But I promised Chiyo I would save her."

THE WAY HE TALKS TO THE LITTLE GIRL WARMS MY HEART AND MAKES IT ACHE AT THE SAME TIME HE HANDLES IT SO WELL AND THE WAY HE WANTS TO KEEP HIS PROMISE UEUEUE

I tear the stitches off my hip pocket and pull out a sheet of paper.

"...I always have a spare page with me for emergencies."

I unfold the paper and write with my own blood.

"The Matchless Poet: Release Key!"

here’s kunikida just being cool i love him sm i love my wife

here’s some silly ones

"It's this incredibly rare book called The Complete Suicide. I've been searching all over for it, and I just noticed it on display in the used bookstore back there — Ah! I have to go back and buy it before someone else does."

Nobody asked.

"Tsk... Guess I'll just have to come up with another way to use you as bait. I bet the criminal targets tourists. All right, Kunikida, slip on your rubber boots, throw on your backpack, put on your red-and-green-striped shirt, and start walking the town in your knickerbockers. Make sure to bring a giant camera with you to take pictures of everyone who walks by and say 'eh' at the end of every sentence."

"Like hell I will!"

""Like hell I will, eh!'"

"You call that a strategy? That's a terri-"

"A terrible idea, eh?'"

"Stop guessing what I'm going to say!"

"Hmm? In that case, how about you get naked, put on a top

you like?"

hat, and ride around on a unicycle screaming what kind of girls

"We're not even talking about the same thing anymore!"

all in all i highly suggest you read osamu dazai’s entrance exam i promise it is so worth it <3

[v3nusxsky]

Hello!! Hope you’re doing well.

Hoping to request a Larissa or lady lesso x little!reader fic! Larissa or Lesso finish their day and when they retire to their shared place they find it a mess. At first they’re worried some students pulled a prank but then they finds reader curled up in a ball and when they ask what’s wrong, readers regressed and stressed because she can’t find her comfort blankie but turns out they just put it to wash.

Feel free to put your own twist if you’d like!

It’s gones!| Agere

*Authors note~ in massive need of writing these kind of fics so I'm so glad to receive this prompt*

Trigger warning~ age registration (little r cg Larissa) upset little comfort bear momma Isa

Prompt~see ask^^^^^^

☁︎☁︎☁︎☁︎☁︎☁︎☁︎☁︎☁︎☁︎☁︎☁︎☁︎☁︎☁︎☁︎☁︎☁︎☁︎☁︎☁︎☁︎☁︎

Larissa had just finished for the day, rather later than normal but she had some urgent emails that needed to be tended to before she could even consider joining you in your shared quarters. You'd swung by earlier for her to suggest you go and have a nice bath and destress from your tough day. A bath did sound tempting so you gave her a sweet kiss before going on your way. You'd seemed in a good headspace at the time.

Maybe that's why she was so concerned to see the door slightly ajar and what sounded like crying. With  caution she peaked her head round the door and was shocked to see the state of the room. It truly looked as though a bomb had hit. Immediately, her mind began to race on what could've happened here. It wasn't April fools but maybe some of the more challenging students had decided to pull a prank? A list of potential suspects flashed through your mind. But none of them beheld the truth.

Inside the room, you were running around as if you were a mini tornado. Your frantic actions indicating your upset state. You were looking for something. That much was clear. And your little outbursts of tears or the way you balled your firsts up to hit the floor in rage.  You made your way to what felt safe, you found your corner in the bedroom, sitting and balling at the situation. You couldn't find it and you needed it. And that's where Larissa found you. "Oh darling, are we feeling like mommas baby?" She murmured taking in the sight that lay before her. All you could do was nod as your cried, "mommas bikie! It gones!"

"Oh my little bug it's okay, momma will help you look okay? We can't just throw things around the room darling" she whispered coming to wipe your falling tears with the pads of her thumbs, "where have you looked baby?" Your eyes flickered all around the room, "evryweres! It gon! No binki" you whined. Truly, it was upsetting for you not to have your blanket, she knew that.  All she wanted to do was reassure you that it was all okay, and knowing that you were in your headspace meant that she needed to be extra careful with how she approached this.

Together, you both worked through tidying the bedroom until you got upset once more over not finding it. "Little one it's okay" she whispered before wrapping you in her arms and dropping kisses to your head, "we will find the binki baby I promise. You know momma keeps her promises to her princess."

You worked all the way through your living space, no binki to be found, you broke down. Your little mind struggling to comprehend what was happening. "Baby, hush darling it's okay. Momma has an idea okay?" "Momma Ida?" You hiccuped watching as she picked you up effortlessly and took you to the the drying rack. There lay your beloved binki as your eyes lit up and you squealed, "binki! Momma! Binki!"

"I know baby" she started but got cut off as you reached for your binki, "baby no love, you need to leave binki to dry darling." You frowned at your momma, "binki wet?" She giggled at your confusion, "yes baby remember you but binki in the wash." She watched as your little brain puzzled all the pieces together, "ohhhhhhhhs! I member!" You giggled excitedly clapping your hands before throwing yourself at the older woman. "No more tears my baby. When binki is all nice and dry we can get it and go snuggle in bed with some snacks, we can even watch baby shark. I just need you to be brave me little one, can you do that?" With a small frown you thought over the deal, "momma cuddl?" "Yes baby momma will cuddle you" she reassured and you nodded accepting her proposal.

While your binki was drying Larissa came to cuddle with you in the living room before preparing you both some dinner. And then as soon as it was dry you both got all settled into bed and finally you felt at peace. You had mommy and your binki and everything felt okay again.

Word count~ 840

[sesshy380]

For the gift thing, how about something casteshipping with eggnog for a prompt?

I was going to wait another week before posting any of my Holiday Prompts, but this one has been done for a few weeks now, so I'm throwing it out into the wild.

This ended up as an Office Party AU. Enjoy!

Atem sipped the hot cocoa in his hands, subtly listening to the conversations being carried on by the people around him and eyeing others as they celebrated the holiday festivities. He was glad to see that everyone was enjoying the party he’d set up for them.

Most of the people that attended these things worked in one of the offices or cubicles of the building, so seeing one of the janitorial staff was a bit surprising. Though, given who this particular janitor was…he shouldn’t have been.

He’d seen the white haired man a few times, and had even spoken to him on occasion. The man made it clear how he felt about the higher-ups, apparently not realizing Atem’s role in the company.

He had to admit, he liked how refreshing it was to have someone that was straightforward and honest with him, instead of kissing ass in an attempt to get into his good graces. He’d thought about revealing his position to the janitor a few times, but decided to wait until the right opportunity presented itself.

Right now, the man was getting a lot of annoyed glares. The fact that he kept walking up to everyone and slinging an arm around peoples shoulders like they were all close friends probably didn’t help.

Every group he approached treated him the same: Shrugging off the arm, rolling their eyes (sometimes with an arrogant scoff), and the group walking away to be somewhere else. He didn’t seem to be too put out though, as he’d just shrug and move onto the next group.

After massively failing to be included with any of the groups, the man finally made his way over to where Atem had been casually observing the room.

“What a snore-fest,” the man commented as he leaned on the wall and turned a scar-stitched eye towards him. “I always hear how wild these things can get. I have to say, I feel really let down.”

This prompted a smile and a small laugh out of Atem. “I suppose their boss being in the room keeps them on their best behavior.”

“Pffft, who cares,” the man said dismissively. “You can’t tell me he set out alcoholic eggnog with the expectations of his underlings being on their best behavior. No, this man wanted to see them loosen up.”

Atem glanced at the cup in the man’s hand. “I see you had no problem giving it a taste-test.”

The man took a large drink from the cup, making it obvious he enjoyed it.

“Best I’ve tasted. My guess is this shit is made from scratch with some top shelf booze. None of that cheap store-bought crap spiked with something just as cheap. Honestly…” He motioned towards everyone else in the room. “...those stuck-up assholes don’t know what they’re missing out on.”

Atem peaked a curious brow. “It’s that good?”

“Fuck yeah,” the man said casually. “Here, you should try some,” he said while holding the cup out towards Atem.

Atem took the cup from him, then gave him a sly glance. “Before I go drinking out of the same cup as you, can I get a name? You seem to have a bad habit of keeping your badge hidden when working.”

The man chuckled. “That’s because it keeps getting caught on everything when I’m cleaning up after these slobs…not that they care to know the name of the person that has to plunge the toilets after them. Seriously, that guy over there, he should lay off on Mexican food. I’m this close to calling a bomb squad each time I see him walk into the mens room.”

Atem couldn’t help but laugh loudly at that remark, and the man joined him, earning them quite a few stares.

“The name’s Bakhure,” the man stated once both he and Atem had subsided from their laughter.

“Well, Bakhure,” Atem said while raising the glass in his hand. “It’s nice to know that you enjoy my personal recipe.” He took a swallow and handed it back to Bakhure, who seemed to be suddenly piecing things together.

“Oh shit…you’re the boss…like…the Big Boss…”

“Hmm, I don’t know if I like ‘Big Boss’,” Atem said while pretending to think. “I think ‘Corporate Asshole who doesn’t have a clue what it’s like having to come to work sick because they can’t afford the day off’ was much more creative. Sadly, no one has been able to tell me if the ‘lowly peons’ like being able to accrue paid sick leave regardless if they are part or full time.”

Atem waited to see Bakhure’s reaction, feeling amused as it was obvious that more things were beginning to fall into place for the man.

“Okay…I gotta admit, that was a real breath of fresh air. We don’t spread whatever one of us has through the ranks now, because we can actually stay home and rest instead of coming in with a fever.”

He looked warily at Atem. “How come you never told me you were the one running things?”

Atem quietly laughed. “And ruin the opportunity to hear an honest review about myself and how I’m running things? Why would I have wanted to do that?”

“Okay, let me rephrase the question. Why tell me now?” Bakhure asked earnestly.

Atem sighed, keeping a pleasant smile on his face. “Because I’ve been curious for a while now as to whether you genuinely didn’t know, or if you just didn’t care who I was. I’ve also been curious if you’d be like everyone else and just start backpedaling and trying to kiss ass.”

Bakhure snorted. “I only kiss ass in the bedroom…and occasionally bite.”

Atem gave him a curious glance. “How much eggnog have you had?”

Bakhure grinned. “Not nearly enough.”

“So…does that mean…?” Atem asked, giving Bakhura a knowing look.

“Depends. Will sleeping with the boss get me a raise?”

Atem laughed again. “I was planning on giving you one anyways…but it would mean having to take on a new position.”

Bakhure gave him a playful look. “I like new positions.”

“I meant within the company,” Atem clarified, trying to keep his face from betraying his other thoughts to the rest of the room.

Bakhure’s playful look turned to disappointment. “Oh…”

“Though,” Atem began, his voice low and seductive, hoping no one would overhear what he said next. “If you wanted, we could go up to my office and ‘discuss’ the new position in more detail. Maybe grab some more eggnog on our way out? I’m certain you are more than qualified for multiple ‘positions’.”

Bakhure raised his cup in a toast to the air before downing the rest, licking his lips after.

“I assure you, I am very qualified…and I won’t leave you disappointed.”

Atem gestured for Bakhure to take his leave first, both stopping by the bowl of eggnog before heading towards the room’s exit.

[lemmilemura]

Okay this isn't perfect but it's good enough for me

All kept gender-neutral

Based on the show

When a friend of a friend of a friend of a friend of a friend throws a party and invites your friend of a friend of a- ya know what, you get it, you end up being invited too. You knew absolutely nobody there, but you found that a good thing. New people to meet, no way of destroying existing friendships, the chance of finally landing a decent guy. And, very luckily, you find one fast. You find a guy kn the kitchen who looks mighty fine, and when you enter he isn't immediately trying to get you in bed. He's witty and smart, plus not bad looking. You hit it off like a bomb, and you're really glad you came to this party.

Long story short you end up going to one of the many many rooms of the house, probably Guest Bedroom Nr. 27 if you had to guess, and 'spending some quality time together' that you will definitely not soon forget. You honestly don't know how long you were in there, but it was oh so worth it. While you didn't know much about him, you knew his name was Simon and that he was amazing in bed.

You do end up exchanging numbers and social media, after all neither of you wanted this to be a one time thing, but also weren't quite exclusive yet. You keep talking for the next couple days, learning more about eachother besides just your prefrences in bed. And if you were honest, he wasn't that bad a guy, more ways than one.

Your parents randomly decide that your current school isn't good enough, too mich drama or something, so they send you to another one, closer to where you live.

So, the coming schoolyear, you go to Bayview, knowing nobody. Just like the party, it was really only good. You went your first couple hours mostly in solitude, yes you did meet a few people, but none were in more than 1 of your classes. Lunch was when it got interesting.

You sit down at an empty table with your lunch, really just looking around at the other students, seeing a shit ton that were also at the party, atleast the ones you could recognize from the shitty lighting there was. 'Dude must be popular' you think to yourself. "Excuse me, is there space for 3 more?" You hear beside you, and see a girl you don't know yet. "Sure. Be my guest" you reply. "Thanks. They're still gettikg their food. I'm Maeve by the way. Maeve Rojas" she introduces herself.

You shake her hand and say your name. Her eyes get bigger when you say it. "Wait, you're (Y/N) (Y/L/N)? Really?" She seems giddy with excitement. "Yeeeees? Why, do we know eachother?" Surely you would remember her. Maeve takes out her phone and types a message to someone, then turns to face the queue of people waiting for food.

In line, a girl takes out her phone, so you assume she's who Maeve texted. She seems to get excited too, but not quite as much as Maeve. She starts shaking a guy next to her who you can't quite see because he's facung away, then when he looks at her she points over at you.

The guy who turns around is none other than the guy you slept with like a week ago, Simon. You're both surprised, him more than you by only a little. You wave at him, and he waves back. "Sooooooo" Maeve starts, leaning her elbows on the table and getting closer. "You're new here, right?" She has a grin on her face. "I am. Moved here about a month ago." You reply. "Cooool. Do you know anyone here?" She asks.

"Well, considering you're making that face and you immediately pointed me out to your friends, you know that I know Simon." You respond. The look on her face is one of 'shit I got caught'. "What do you know about me?" You ask. "Where to start... Ooh! Simon said you were probably the best se-" she gets whacked in the head by Simon, which shuts her up. "Don't you fucking dare." He threatens.

"Ow you dick!" You and the second girl laugh. She sits down next to Maeve and Simon sits next to you. "What did she tell you?" He asks, staring daggers at Maeve. "Nothing. Was just about to though, before you gave her a concussion." You joked. "He's like that. Don't mind him." The new girl says. "I'm Janae" "(Y/N), though I suspect you already know that." She just nods.

"What are you doing here?" Simon asks. "Oh I don't know, I think I'm about to explode." You say nonchalantly. "You fit right in." Janae says. "So, why Simon?" She asks. You raise a brow. "Why Simon what?" "Why'd you fuck him?" Simon, who was just taking a gulp of his drink, almost spits it back out. "Janae I swear to god." He coughs. "What? I'm genuinely curious!"

"Well for one he wasn't being a total creep or asshole, he's not stupid and also not bad on the eyes, luckily with and without clothes." You're once again very nonchalant, which is throwing Maeve and Janae off, how can you say something like that with a straught face? "Okay that's enough" Simon stands up and grabs you by the arm, pulling you up out of your seat, through the cafeteria and outside, to the back side of the building.

"They seem nice." You come to a quite forceful stop when he shoves you against the wall, hands on both sides of your head, effectively trapping you there. "You just waltz in here as if it's nothing, immediately talk to my friends and then say something like that? Just how bood are you?" He looks and sounds like he's about to break.

"Bold? You're the bold one, pulling me away like this. Just think about what they're probably imagining is happening right now." You wrap your arms around his neck fro added effect, and it works. "Just shut up." He says, then leans in and kisses you. God how you missed that. After that party there were countless nights where you longed for him, for his lips, his touch, his taste.

~Taglist~

@eamons-redguitar @pine-ferret

[i-sveikata]

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-

You have no idea how immersed I was in this chapter. I'm still slightly shaking from all the emotions- just finished reading.

Even though I knew what should happen I still was so anxious about every next sentence!! I love you so much for keeping those scenes that most of us fell in love with in the series! Exact scenes and lines 🖤 The pool scene!!! (Although I'm so thankful that you left out "I'm hungry" 😂)

Really, reading Vegas's misery after only seeing adds up to a whole miserable image. Why can't these unhinged bastards have any peace for a moment!? I cried again reading how Pete had broken down so bad - I would too.

I did notice you left out the L-bomb Vegas said originally and I was secretly waiting for Pete to say that 👀 But ok, I can wait. They can do it in their own time not pressured by the necessity of events happening around them.

And the cliffhanger!! I knew there would be one but this kind? 🥲

I'm still thankful it's over now. The tension is not gone but bearable.

Chan ❤️ His death is what I couldn't forgive in the series so I'm glad he is ok.

And the ring!!! Omg! I really hope it stays on him or I will throw my hands on who may take it away!! It's almost like proposing 😅

I really loved how you managed to sneak so many fond and hot interactions between them while the world seemed to be on fire. But it works so well for them ❤️‍🔥

Anyway, I'm dead.

Thank you so much for this! Love you 🥺

omg i cant believe it made you feel that much thats insane and makes me so happy to hear! lol yeah i did keep a lot of the core from the show and some of the translated lines but yeah the hungry part did not fit for the vibe of this fic because i never went into the pet/master version of the story because that really didnt interest me tbh.

oh yeah that was also intentional!! i wanted it to be in a less high stakes moment especially because most of the time the both of them are arguing/trying to leverage the other person's feelings and attractions against the other during the fight. like throwing in a love bomb in there would have felt too disingenuous (and im so sure that pete wouldnt have fully trusted it if vegas had)

yeah im sorry about that one i couldnt resist!!! just felt so funny to me the idea that pete spends his whole time worried about vegas- so hyped up on adrenaline that he doesnt even realise he himself has been shot. but i promise he'll be okay!! he'll totally recover faster than vegas thats for sure.

omg hahahaha yeah i literally noped out of that plot point. dead chan? never heard of the concept.

yessssss the ring!!! so much of vegas staking his claim on pete in really obvious ways- he is not holding back at all now that he's noticed pete's actions changing towards him. and its going to be really interesting when the other realise that pete is wearing the ring.

hahahahahahaha LITERALLY but like was so fun and amusing at the same time somehow? like i guess murder and the world being on fire makes them horny gahefjagkhflgsghj

ahhh youre so welcome! love you right back :)

[cosmos-coma]

Prey of the Hunt- Chapter 8

A/N: wow its been a hot minute since the last chapter, huh? I hope you all enjoy this chapter as wont lie, I cried a lil when I was writing it.

Pairing: Eskel x Reader

Words: 1.5k

Warning: this will include some spoilers about who is involved in the Battle of Kaer Morhen from TW3, this is also kind of a depressing chapter.

Summary: It’s time to prepare for the final battle. The long hours and endless preparation begin to wear on you, and so do the endless questions. Will spring come for you and Eskel?

Chapter 9

______________

The next day had everyone immediately working on their assignments; Geralt and Yennefer left before most people awoke, trying to get a jumpstart on recruitment. You barely saw anyone that day besides Vesemir, catching people here and there as they stopped by to grab a quick lunch before getting back to it. Even Eskel you only saw in passing, brushing knuckles as you walked by, or quick touches when he came to run something past Vesemir. But you wouldn’t ever be upset about it, not when you knew it was for the good of a member of the Keep.

It went on for long, seemingly endless days like that, though some of the pressure slid away once reinforcements started to arrive.

Letho was the first, much to the dismay of later visitors, but he was a welcome guest when it came to preparing bombs. A few members of the lodge were next, Phillipa, Keira, and Triss, each of them finding their own usefulness here and there, whether it be traps, planning, or otherwise. Zoltan, Roche, and Ves were next, the latter two vowing to help only as long as they could stay far from Letho in the process. Even a small group of druids showed up in the later days, intent to join in the plight.

Within hardly any time, facets of the plan begin getting laid out; traps were finished and set up around the perimeter, swords and armor were sharpened and mended, and just about everyone was getting a refresher on the Wild Hunt and how best to fight them. Everyone except you and Eskel that is.

The two of you were holed up in the workshop on one last late shift preparing potions. You had promised Ciri and Geralt to give Eskel the same briefing as long as he could be the one to help you- and with how much the worry and late nights had begun to show on you physically, you were glad they allowed you that much.

“How much longer on the White Raffard in cauldron three?” you asked as you stirred a completely different brew and tried to keep track of about six others.

“10 minutes… Hey, Y/n-“ he started, only to get cut off by your hyper-focused mumbling.

You could feel the glaze of lost sleep over your eyes as you drifted about the room, making notes, and checking bottles. “Okay, that’s 10 minutes on that, 18 minutes for the full moon potion, 27 for the-“

“Dear.” Eskel’s arm came out to snag your waist as you moved past, tugging you into his embrace. “Take a minute to breathe… You hold your stress in your shoulders you know. We both do,” He said, biting back a grin and he repeated your own words back to you.

Strong arms wrapped securely around you as you leaned into him, resting your head in the cradle of his neck. Your hands dropped the notes you had been taking and wound their way around his torso, closing your fists around his tunic. As your sigh escaped you some of the tension did too, your fists loosened and your shoulders came to rest a little closer to their natural state.

“You’ve been throwing yourself into this work so much lately…”

“But I need to. When the Hunt comes- “ you started, your mind already drifting back to work and the battle that inevitably lay ahead.

“-But you need a few minutes before you go back. Just exist with me for a few minutes....” His voice rumbled quietly through his chest and into yours, enticing you to hug him that much closer.

“You’re right, you’re right…” you relented, “I know everyone is just here to help, and a few of them have been very nice… but I can’t wait for it to be quiet again.” You laughed out, Eskel’s own laugh following yours.

“The path is going to feel like a lazy afternoon once we get through all this, not that I’m complaining.” Eskel already couldn’t wait for the cold season to end, let alone the confrontation with the Wild Hunt. Even if it meant the end of a guaranteed bed for some time, he wanted to show you the world in a far better light than the Wild Hunt had left it. He wanted to see the way your face lit up when you came across the various festivals, the joy and relief when you two got a hot plate of food at an inn after days of camping outside, and the pride of you getting your first monster. The best part of the path surely would be sharing it all with you.

“Where will we go when we set out in spring?”

“Wherever you want to go, dear. Wherever you lead us I will follow.” Eskel’s easy smile pulled at the notch in his lip, revealing just a window into what bigger expressions you may pull from him yet.

 Your heart fluttered in your chest, “Really? Even if I wanted to go someplace far like Skellige or Toussiant..?” you pulled back from his arms to look up at him, did he really mean anywhere?

And yet without hesitation, he nodded in agreement, “I’m sure we could find a boat to the isles in Novigrad, and it may take a little while but we could make our way down to Toussiant as well. Wherever you want to go this year we can do, And then next season we can find some other places to visit or we can just do it all again.”

You couldn’t even muster a verbal reply, all you could manage to do was to throw your arms around his neck and bring him close once more. “You’re too good to me…” You mumbled into his neck.

Another laugh bubbled up from his throat as he rubbed your back, “I’ll always do my best. And as much as I never want this moment to end, I think the potion is done…” With a kiss to your temple, he pulled his arms back to let you go.

“10 minutes already? It usually feels like they can’t brew fast enough.” You began doling the potion out into bottles, while Eskel cleaned up the spills and put them away.

You could hear the shuffling of many feet outside the door as those getting briefed made their way back to their rooms to get some sleep. You and Eskel still had some time yet to stay awake, the whole keep taking the day in shifts so there’s always at least one person with eyes open to watch for the Hunt. Phillipa was also on the late shift with the both of you, everyone has joked that she was a literal ‘night owl’, but you hadn’t known her long enough to understand or feel like you wouldn’t get an eye poked out for asking.

When you two were finally done with your shift in the early hours of the morning you made your way back to the room. The only thing left to do now was get some sleep and wait for the Hunt to finally arrive; Everyone knew where they were expected to be when the alarm rang, if they had a task at a certain time, or if they were expected to be in one spot. However, you knew that for most of you your job would doing anything and everything you could to either kill them or make sure they didn’t kill you.

No one wanted to say it out loud, but there was one thing weighing on every mind tonight and as you and Eskel lay in each other’s arms it weighed heavily on you too.

Who would be left alive when the battle ended?

Who would die on the field surrounded by their friends and foes?

Would anyone but those gathered here remember the ones who died and what they died for?

Tears threatened your eyes as you dwelled on whether you would live to see the next few days, or even what you would do if Eskel happened to perish. That last thought no matter how quickly you tried to pass over it in your mind succeeded in pulling tears from your eyes that quickly slid down onto Eskel’s chest.

Your beloved witcher said nothing as his hand came to wipe the streaks from your cheeks, no words could help right now. You both knew it.

By the grace of some god you two were able to find sleep, despite the tossing and turning. Your bodies stay locked in an embrace, your legs intertwined as even your subconscious minds held on to what was dear.

It wasn’t until late the next morning when you two were roused from sleep by the furious ringing of a bell.

CLANG CLANG CLANG

Adrenaline went through you like a gunshot, as you and Eskel both woke with a start, glancing to each other knowingly.

The Hunt has arrived.

___________________

Taglist: @writingmysanity @open--till--midnight @dark-academia-slut @madamemelancholysstuff @weaponizedvirtue

Wanna be added/taken off the taglist? just DM or ask!

[kylesvariouslistsandstuff]

The Next Animated Blockbuster Heavies

In my 6-part series - of sorts - on animated movie blockbusters and how the Top 10 highest-earning animated movies of all-time changed rapidly over the course of 25+ years... I asked... What's next, then?

What cracks the Top 10 again?

Last year's MINIONS: THE RISE OF GRU came close with over $930m, which was down from what the first MINIONS spin-off of the DESPICABLE ME movies made in 2015, in a pre-COVID world. Families have certainly become choosier with these movies, as not all of them can - nor should - be box office smashes. I'm glad that movies like THE BAD GUYS can make about $250m worldwide and be considered a success, not something to throw away.

In fact, we're seeing similar movement on the live-action front of things now that the Marvel Cinematic Universe behemoths are starting to dry up (note the abysmal legs on films like DOCTOR STRANGE AND THE MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS, and ANT-MAN AND THE WASP: QUANTUMANIA), and there's value seen in small endeavors - many of which in the horror genre - such as BARBARIAN, SMILE, TICKET TO PARADISE, THE MENU, VIOLENT NIGHT, M3GAN, and COCAINE BEAR. Smaller series, like the CREED films, keep that train chugging. It's like we're in the '90s and early '00s again, seeing these little bread-n-butter movies being the real success stories.

Animated movies, depending on the budget, are in a similar frame. Universal has been smart with budgets: DreamWorks no longer spends more than $90m on what they make, Illumination has always kept costs below $100m, and yet their movies still look pretty darn cinematic-level. Sony Animation has done the same, along with Warner Animation Group and now Paramount. Most of the films coming out are doing fun things without a Disney or Pixar-sized budget, and it's no surprise that a lot of the profitable films are the likes of THE BAD GUYS and DC LEAGUE OF SUPER-PETS. All sub-$300m grossing movies that are still fine because they didn't cost so goddamn much...

Disney Animation and Pixar, in addition to misjudged release strategies under the stewardship of former CEO Bob Chapek, have yet to see a genuine animated success I feel. SOUL, LUCA, and TURNING RED all went straight to Disney+. SOUL made sense because no vaccine was out in late 2020, and even LUCA made sense because mid-2021 was before the Delta and Omicron variants, and many kids still weren't vaccinated. TURNING RED... Even then... TURNING RED I still feel would've made BAD GUYS numbers at best. $250m worldwide against the typical Pixar $150m+ budget would've been a massive bomb. Again, that family hesitancy and peoples' money being very tight. Ditto the Disney Animation movies. RAYA AND THE LAST DRAGON did the day-and-date thing; theaters for those who were willing to go, Disney+ $30 digital file (until it was free **three** months later). A company spat with Cinemark kept the film from playing everywhere across the country, so RAYA didn't do adequately as a theatrical title. I mean, it did fine for a film playing amidst an ongoing pandemic and the vaccines not being entirely out yet, but it was still a financial loss. ENCANTO made little more than $250m worldwide, not at all great against the budget. Huge hit on Disney+, though. Then they treated STRANGE WORLD, a movie that tested poorly (for whatever reason, be it the sci-fi story being too out of reach or the gay son) well before release, like an unwanted stepchild. Huge flop, but it managed to do okay enough on Disney+ from what I've seen.

It's telling that Chapek was booted right after that film came out, and soon thereafter, the returning Bob Iger drastically restructured the movie release strategy. The heavy pivot to streaming was viewed as a mistake. Many observers feel that future Disney animated releases, both from Pixar and WDAS, are cursed now. Disney+ is one of the most subscribed-to streaming services, movie trips cost a fortune for families and many others, and the release strategies for the last six or so animated movies conditioned families to just wait for a hassle-free movie night in the living room...

Maybe?

Universal is the opposite. They didn't pivot as heavily to streaming as Disney did, and it also helps that Peacock doesn't have as many subscribers. How many average Americans even know that there *is* Peacock? Disney and Disney+, far more recognizable as a brand I'd argue... Universal delayed movies, and sacrificed a few to streaming, but also experimented. TROLLS WORLD TOUR went straight to PVOD, but THE CROODS: A NEW AGE was given a theatrical-only rollout with a PVOD release down the line, and it paid off nicely. It also helped that the movie cost $65m to make! Delaying MINIONS Deux twice, SING 2 opened amidst Omicron and became the first pandemic-era animated movie to pass $100m at the domestic box office, beating RAYA, CROODS Two, ADDAMS FAMILY 2, ENCANTO, and hybrid TOM & JERRY. MINIONS Deux finally came out and made nearly a billion, despite the previous film being 7 years old at that point. Maybe the first DESPICABLE ME being a 12-year-old movie helped? Nostalgia, maybe? The suit memes? Whatever happened, something *worked*. Then there's PUSS IN BOOTS: THE LAST WISH, which has almost relied entirely on its ludicrously strong word-of-mouth and record-breaking multiplier...

So that leads me to ask...

What are the next titan-sized animated movie blockbusters?

Currently, the top 10 looks like this.

1) THE LION KING (2019) - $1,657m

2) FROZEN II - $1,450m

3) FROZEN - $1,280m

4) INCREDIBLES 2 - $1,243m

5) MINIONS - $1,159m

6) TOY STORY 4 - $1,073m

7) TOY STORY 3 - $1,067m

8) DESPICABLE ME 3 - $1,034m

9) FINDING DORY - $1,028m

10) ZOOTOPIA - $1,023m

It's no surprise that... A LION KING prequel, FROZEN III, DESPICABLE ME 4, TOY STORY 5, and ZOOTOPIA 2 are on the horizon. Money talks, ya know. You'll likely see a third INCREDIBLES at some point, too, and a third FINDING Somebody movie as well. As such, I think all of those are definitely contenders for the Top 10.

So far... We have quite a few animated movies on the horizon... Here are the ones that I think have a shot...

THE SUPER MARIO BROS. MOVIE (Universal - 4/5/2023) - It seems obvious at this point. Mario is *the* video game, one of the most iconic, the video game industry is largely where it is today because of his success, cross-generational appeal going all the way back to people who first played DONKEY KONG in arcades in 1981... If SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 2 could take in $405m worldwide, this all-animated picture should easily make double that. Domestic projections alone are through the roof, the marketing has been great, the hype is all over... I think it could challenge the billion and maybe even make it into the Top 10. (6/11/2023 NOTE: Grossed $1.3b... Put up a good fight!)

SPIDER-MAN: ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE (Sony - 6/2/2023) - The first film, SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE, opened in December of 2018 with an okay $35m... And then it had fantastic legs, climbed like a webhead to a stellar $190m domestic gross and very solid $384m worldwide take. Nowhere near the takes of the live-action Spideys, but the animated Spider-Man movie won hearts over and lasts beyond its theatrical release. The hype for this sequel is totally there, and it promises to be huge in scope. More universes, several Spiders, higher stakes... I see this performing similarly to... TERMINATOR 2, AUSTIN POWERS IN "THE SPY WHO SHAGGED ME", SHREK 2, DESPICABLE ME 2, and INCREDIBLES 2. Films whose predecessors were either sleeper hits or quite successful films, but built massive followings after their release, whom all turned out in droves to their sequels. I think ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE is going to be just that. As for the billion, that may seem steep for an animated Marvel movie and one that isn't in an established cinematic universe (the three MCU Spider-Man movies are the only movies featuring Spider-Man to ever crack $1b), but maybe INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE's staying power could make this one a surprise. (11/20/2023 NOTE: Grossed $690 million...)

WISH (Disney - 11/22/2023) - A real wild card, given that it's a Disney release, but both this and the summer Pixar flick ELEMENTAL are going to indicate going forward how Disney will market and release their animated movies post-Chapek. I'd imagine WISH, being the centennial celebration feature for the company, and an old-fashioned princess musical picture that's all about wishing stars (of course, the very PINOCCHIO song that became Disney's whole damn anthem) presented in a hand-drawn-esque look. This could all work in its favor, and it could perform similarly to FROZEN (helps that its director Chris Buck is back at the helm for this film), maybe not but still have those usual Disney Thanksgiving legs. Again, the whole "audiences now wait for Disney+" thing is an uphill battle, and it all depends on how Disney releases and markets the thing... But if they play their cards right, it could potentially be very, very big. A 100th anniversary picture doing okay-ish would look kinda embarrassing.

KUNG FU PANDA 4 (Universal - 3/8/2024) - The biggest KUNG FU PANDA movie was the second one, making a little bit more than what the first one pulled in... Without the aid of 3D and higher ticket prices. Both grossed in the $630-670m range, so in sense, KUNG FU PANDA 2 stayed flat and didn't increase, SHREK 2-style. KUNG FU PANDA 3 was the lowest-grossing of the three... Maybe an eight-year wait will make this one significantly bigger? Maybe if it's a reinvention of the franchise like PUSS IN BOOTS: THE LAST WISH to the SHREK series, it could surprise? One of the least likely to me, but I included it anyways, because anything's possible.

SPIDER-MAN: BEYOND THE SPIDER-VERSE (Sony - 3/29/2024) - This one's performance hinges entirely on how ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE does, and what kind of a cliffhanger that one ends on. Keep in mind, this was original supposed to be a two-part film with "Part One" being in the ACROSS title for a while. Even appears that on the film's first trailer and on some merchandise. (11/20/2023 NOTE: Delayed indefinitely, but still...)

INSIDE OUT 2 (Disney - 6/14/2024) - The original made $850m+ worldwide, astounding for an original feature not based on any pre-existing IP. Usually Pixar sequels make more than their predecessors, or match the attendance of the original, making for a higher gross (such as FINDING DORY, or TOY STORY 4's gross in comparison to TOY STORY 3's)... Either way, a billion is very much in sight for this one.

DESPICABLE ME 4 (Universal - 7/3/2024) - The second MINIONS movie came close to a billion, DESPICABLE ME 3 crossed the big billion, the only DESPICABLE ME movie to miss $900m worldwide was the first one. I think the momentum is still there for this franchise, even if this one is Gru and the girls, and not those yellow tictacs.

MUFASA: THE LION KING (Disney - 7/5/2024) - This one is probably the least likely, but I included it anyways since the film this is a prequel to is the highest-grossing animated film of all time... However, this one's tricky because... THE LION KING was a remake of a beloved film that was also a record-breaking smash, and 2019 LION KING only did as well as it did because of the 1994 classically animated original directed by Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff. If this movie was made in a universe where that LION KING did not exist? Oh, Jon Favreau's film wouldn't have been anywhere near as big... Anyways, THE LION KING got a direct-to-video sequel in 1998 made by other animation divisions of the company, *not* Walt Disney Feature Animation. SIMBA'S PRIDE is not being remade, so there's no gauge there. Even if it was, it still wouldn't have the same drawing power. This is a prequel story, technically it's all-new here... And honestly? I see this one playing out similarly to ALICE THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS and MALEFICENT: MISTRESS OF EVIL. Their predecessors did well, off of the iconic originals and familiarity... but the sequels did not command the same attention. ALICE 2 outright flopped, MISTRESS OF EVIL managed to eke out an okay gross... I suspect this will be the same for MUFASA: THE LION KING. Outside of some very curious people and those who happened to like the 2019 movie, who really gives a dang? I expect great foreign numbers for this all-CG animal picture, but domestic I feel is where it sinks. (11/20/2023 NOTE: Delayed to December 20, 2024.)

SHREK 5 (Universal - 2025/26?) - Back in 2004, SHREK 2 made $919m at the worldwide box office... Without the aid of 3D, IMAX, the high ticket prices of today (and in the past decade for that matter), and a much larger international market... That's where the franchise peaked, because the domestic grosses slipped... While the foreign grosses gradually rose. SHREK FOREVER AFTER took in the biggest overseas total for the franchise back in 2010, and PUSS IN BOOTS did excellently in non-North American territories a year later... 11 years went by, PUSS IN BOOTS: THE LAST WISH legged it up something fierce here, and is doing great worldwide... SHREK also became a meme fountain this past decade, and that post-quadrilogy love remains a thing. There will definitely be a nostalgia rush for this one from people my age who saw the first SHREK in theaters, and several who grew up on the SHREK movies on home video. This will be massive, especially after the wildly cool reinvention of the franchise that we saw in THE LAST WISH... DreamWorks' first billion dollar movie, comin' up.

ZOOTOPIA 2 (Disney - 202?) - First one made a billion. Much like how INSIDE OUT made $850m+ worldwide, that's fantastic for an animated movie not based on any pre-existing IP.

TOY STORY 5 (Disney - 202?) - Given that the last two films grossed a billion, and despite the pleas of internet weirdos who insist that Pixar need not make this film (or have made TOY STORY 4 for that matter), your average joe is there for another round of the talking playthings. It only didn't work out for LIGHTYEAR, because Buzz wasn't a toy in that and that was a different iteration of the character. TOY STORY 5 is mainline, that's enough to get people coming. That is, if Woody and Buzz are back, or at least one of them.

FROZEN III (Disney - 202?) - FROZEN made a billion, FROZEN II made a billion, I think it's locked to do it. No matter how long the wait.

... and who knows, maybe a surprise or two along the way...

[macrocosmic-star]

RANDOM APPRECIATION ASK BUT GOSH KURO I LOVE YOU SO MUCH ;; lkajsfljwqklfj GOSH I DIDN'T EXPECT US TO GET SO CLOSE BUT I SURE AM GRATEFUL THAT WE HAVE. i realy enjoy talking to u and u have such amazing ideas!! ur also a really cool person to just comfortably vibe with but also have fun with !! i always look forward to when we can hang out and just chill watching videos or playing games or rping in game!!! and gosh you've been such a supportive friend as well!! and such a good person in general waaahhh. u also have such good ideas and amazing insight into ur characters. the love for meteor and popshi that u have just shines so well through all the hcs u have and all the inspirational posts u put onto ur blog. its just really wonderful seeing that when i can!! and gosh ur writing style is developing so well too!! i enjoy reading things from u bc they can be so emotional and hooking!! THANK U FOR BEING MY FRIEND IM LOOKING FORWARD TO THE FUN TIMES WE'LL HAVE IN THE NEW YEAR <33

Ummm, excuse me!? TERMI, YOU'RE LITERALLY SUCH AN AMAZING FRIEND, IDK HOW YOU KEEP UP WITH ALL OF US and still give the best you can to all of us! It's truly admirable! I myself didn't expect for someone that seemed so well-known around here to even give me the light of day, but here we are and I'm truly grateful for it, you have no idea! I have lots of fun just hearing you or talking to you, I'm so glad you cut me some slack even though I'm all over the place in FF14, lol! I have tons of fun watching videos, laughing, roleplaying and sharing about every little thing. You're truly amazing both in roleplay and out! Your ideas are BOMB and you always allow for me to share my own and even integrate my characters. I ADORE your muses and your ideas and you in general, I mean it! Meteor and Popshi are both head over heels for Allan and all of the predicaments in which they are thrown in ahaha. Thank you for indulging my weird ideas and for turning them into something amazing! Also, thank you for helping me improve my writing, it means so much to learn from someone that's so good at it and not be judged by my shortcomings! Just seeing you throw out your ideas and even share about your day ooc is so fun to me. Please, remember to take it easy, we're here to have fun and we wouldn't want you to stress over what you can or can't do! Know that we love you and support you lots! THANK YOU, AGAIN, FOR BEINGG SUCH AN AMAZING FRIEND even when I disappear or am just sporadic in activity and dedication. I don't deserve such dedication and care but I truly appreciate it with all of my heart. Thank you for helping me feel good about myself during this turbulent end of the year! HERE'S TO MORE FUN TIMES AND FRIENDSHIP ON THE NEXT YEAR! I HOPE MANY BLESSINGS AND LOVE COMES YOUR WAY, YOU DESERVE IT!

[fadebolt]

Personal room ranking:

1 - Sky Islands: C05 (9/10) 2 - Outskirts: B02 (9/10) 3 - Undergrowth: C01 (8/10) 4 - Metropolis: downwards (8/10) 5 - Subterranean: C07 (7/10) 6 - Garbage Wastes: TOWER14 (6/10) 7 - The Rot: H01 (5/10) 8 - Outer Expanse: BROKENDRAIN (5/10) 9 - Shoreline: WALL05 (4/10) 10 - The Rot: A01 (4/10)

Extra comment: Yup, I'm voting for a Sky Islands room. This one's just so neat and creative that I honestly feel like it deserves it. (Plus, look closer - how many botomless pits do you see there? The answer does indeed play a huge part in why I like this thing)

For the rooms that we'll be covering today, we've got some from our favorite plant filled regions - starting with BROKENDRAIN from OE. Well, yeeeaaahhh, this one's really nothing special. I mean, if this was the only room that had this sort of tall tower-y layout with water at the bottom, then sure, I'd value it quite a lot. But this region has a rather high number of them, and this particular one really doesn't do enough to set itself apart from the rest. It's not awful, and it does have some neat details, like the water pouring out from the entrance pipe, or the purple symbols on the side. But things like that won't carry a room, unfortunately.

However, this poll does still contain a good array of unique rooms, one of the most notable examples being C01. Honestly, I really wasn't expecting this one to perform the best, but I frankly don't mind that at all. The visual design of this thing is quite exceptional, even by Rain World standards. But the gameplay works well too, as climbing upwards is quite fun, and the Pole Plants were admittedly, a pretty smart thing to add. The original version of this room doesn't have any, so players won't be expecting them, but careful ones with keen eyes will be able to tell that "Wait a minute, those poles aren't supposed to be here!", thus they will be rewarded for consistently inspecting their surroundings, and always keeping their guards up. It's just good design, and I'm glad to see that it's getting appreciation.

Now, for the bonus rooms, we've got some pretty wild ones. The first being C10 from Subterranean.

Well what can I say, it sure is a maze-y Filtration System room. This one is sort of special thanks to its little Pole Plant/Monster Kelp section to the left, which never fails to spook a traversing Slugcat that doesn't expect enemies like this in such an area. Outside of that, it holds up fine. The spawns are generally fair, and the layout is alright as well. This one gets the 7/10 seal of approval from me.

And for last one of today, we got C05 from the Past Garbage Wastes. It's kind of funny that I missed this one, because fittingly, I don't really use it. I know many players love to go towards this direction when they start out as Artificer, and I'll never understand why. It is so obviously not where the game is wanting you to go, and it makes your route a whole lot more complicated, whereas the other way quickly gets you to Shaded Citadel, which would grant you immediate access to both The Exterior and Waterfront Facility. Eh, whatever, the room itself is decent, but I do also find it funny that it didn't get enough votes to progress. Maybe the whole 'Arti goes left' thing is just a YouTuber/Streamer/content creator obsession? (Though both Lunan and BobtheGuy has made it work in surprisingly few attempts, so I can't really blame 'em, tbh)

If we ignore all that, I do think the layout of this one is solid, it was a great background in that rightside area, and I like the color palette of this one more, than the present one's. It also gives you a great spot where you can throw bombs at the toll from, without putting yourself in danger (which I definitely didn't abuse to commit warcrimes when I needed kill points in Expedition), which ends up putting it into the lower parts of 8/10. It is a great room, I just don't think you should be using it much.

Pick Your Favorite Rain World Room, Day 213 R2

This is not single elimination! Every room with at least 15.0% vote will move on to the next round.

There is a hidden slugcat in one of the rooms (they can be in any color). If u can see it comment or reblog with where they are and if u are first, u get a cookie!

Credit for game screenshots goes to: Rain World Interactive Map, Rain World Wiki and me

Congratulations for day 212 winners!

[dreamescapeswriting]

Curiosity Killed The Cat ~ LMH & LF [M] [Request]

WORD COUNT: 4.9K

PAIRING: Minho x Fem!Reader x Felix

GENRE: consensual smut, Hitman au, mentions of death, assisnation, bombings, blood, face riding, oral, threesome, M/F/M, after care, no protection

A/N: Please I had so much fun with this! I love writing AU’s so much!!! 🥺🥰💗 Hope this is okay for you my lovely little anon!

"If you don't stop tapping that pen I'm going to shove it so far down your neck you'll whistle when you breathe," Minho growled in Felix's direction as they sat together in an old beat-up car. All Felix had done for the last four hours was tap and click the pen over and over again deciding that he was single-handedly going to be the one driving force that made Minho want to quit his job.

"I don't see anything else to do," Felix countered as he stared back at his partner who simply glared at him before looking out of the window again. It was a stupid idea to stake out a university it looked suspicious that two men were waiting in a car outside but it was the bosses orders. Stake out the school and wait for the suspect to come out but it felt creepy. Although it was a university and most of the students were their age it was strange to them both.

"Have we actually seen him go in?" The truth was no one had seen the guy that they were after in almost seven months, he was good at hiding which was why he was nicknamed "The Chameleon," something Minho hated. Why give the bad guy a name it was only going to boost the ego even more. 

"He's supposedly acting as a student," Minho handed the folder over to Felix keeping his eyes on the door, the Chameleon could walk out right under your nose and no one would have an idea it was him. 

"Why a student? Surely it would be feeling for him to be a teacher," Felix flicked through the folder the guy was a serial bomber that his company had been after for years. He'd killed almost over 100 people with no remorse whatsoever. It was as if the guy was a robot, he didn't care who he hurt as long as he got what he wanted, not that anyone knew what that was. His clues were always so vague. One thing for sure, it wasn't money that he was after. 

The government had tried to pay him to stop the needless killings only for the guy to blow the bag up in the middle of the street. 

"Easier to hide...Won't be so obvious when things go missing around the school...The student we're looking at fits his usual MO." Minho sighed taking a deep breath and looking at Felix for the first time in an hour. It was beginning to worry him the closer the two of them got to catching the guy. Their job wasn't a simple catch him and arrest him, no, they were the last resort. Kill him on sight as soon as they know, without a shadow of a doubt that it's him. Assassins or as they were better known as now, Hitmen. 

"Transfers in the middle of the year, things from the science department go missing and then there's the-" Right as Minho was about to explain that there were constant fire drills the alarm began to blare out through the school. 

"Those," He mumbled staring back over at the double-doored exit from the school. There was no use sitting at the entrance when they knew he liked to hide from everyone, if he was the one doing this they needed to find him and quickly before anyone else got hurt. 

"Another drill?" You mumbled looking to your left to see your best friend Mina smirking at you, you rolled your eyes knowing why she was so happy. Thanks to the fire alarm she was going to get out of her final exam and pass it no matter what, 

"It wouldn't surprise me if you were the one pulling them," You mumbled sarcastically as you pulled your satchel over your shoulder, looking around for her so-called boyfriend. 

"What did you do? Get Farara to pull it?" You teased as you jabbed your elbow into her side, walking out into the courtyard and taking in a deep breath, 

"You need to relax, we've just finished exams and you're still studying," Mina rolled her eyes at you, it was always the same with her. She wanted you to let your hair down and relax while you wanted to focus on things that were important to you, like actually passing your course. 

"I have another two years to go, you're done. I'm just getting started." You reminded her as you looked around, you loved Mina with all of your heart but since meeting Farara she seemed to be getting in trouble more. Not only with the university but with the police. Just last week you'd been called down to the station to bail her out because she was caught driving around in a stolen car with enough products to set a whole house on fire. 

"Take a year off, come with me and Farara to England. He's going to take me away and spend time with his family." The more you heard about the guy the more worry began to grow inside of you. She'd hardly known him and yet she was planning to run away to a different country with him,

"What does he even do for a living? To get all of this money?" You questioned hoping she wouldn't get too annoyed with you asking her about him. It seemed as though whenever you asked questions she would get pissed at you, claiming that you were just trying to poke holes in their "relationship,"

"What does it matter?" She stared at you with a disgusted look on her face, 

"Hey, baby!" A voice cried out as a pair of strong-looking arms wrapped around Mina.

"Snuckums!" She practically squealed making you jump as she turned around and began making out with him grotesquely in front of everyone. 

"That's my cue to leave," You said loud enough for them to hear, turning to head home to your dorms when Mina grabbed your arm. 

"Party tonight. Come with us," She begged looking at you with pleading eyes, as you were about to decline Farara scoffed at the thought of it. 

"Y/n? At a party, don't make me laugh. She's the party pooper baby, she doesn't know how to have fun." For some reason, the anger bubbled up inside of you and it seemed to annoy you more. If Mina had been the one to say it it wouldn't have bothered you as much but from him, you wanted to prove him wrong. 

"I'll be there. Text me the details," You smiled smugly in his direction but he just seemed to smirk, it made you feel uneasy to see him smirking at you like that. 

"This will be great! A going-away party right baby!?" Mina squealed before making out with him once again.

After spending almost four hours trying to pick something to wear you finally felt ready to go and headed straight to the party. It was at the frat house Farara had been living in since he got to the university. The whole walk over from your dorms you could have sworn someone was following you along. 

"Glad you could join us, take this." Mina handed you a drink and then laid a flower necklace around you before disappearing into the house leaving you alone. 

The whole house seemed to be partying hard, loud music was blaring for different speakers each of which was playing a different song. People were already yelling and dancing drunkenly along the floor and not to mention someone throwing up in a flower pot. 

"You came pretty late, didn't think you were going to show," Farara smirked once he caught sight of you in the kitchen. You hummed before putting down the cup Mina had given to you, there was no way you were going to drink that night. Not unless it was water at least. You didn't know anyone besides Mina and she was clearly preoccupied with other things.

"We have juice boxes in the basement," Farara joked earning a laugh from someone else in the kitchen but Mina pushed him softly. 

"Leave Y/n alone, she came and that's all that matters. Come on, let's go dance." She pulled you straight into the living room without giving you a chance to answer her. 

"Isn't this fun?! I'm so sad you never got to have parties all year," She pouted at you, wrapping her arms around your waist as she swayed in time to whatever song she heard first. The mixture of the songs and stench alcohol all starting to hurt your head the longer that you stood there but you were at least going to wait an hour before heading home. 

"What the fuck are we doing?" Minho mumbled as he stared down at the jeans and shirt he was wearing, Felix had dressed in the same outfit only a different coloured shirt. When Felix suggested going to the party Minho didn't think he meant actually attending it.

"We're blending in." He chuckled laying one of the flower necklaces around Minho's neck who stared at him with a filthy look the moment it touched his chest. 

"What better way to find out information than going to the people that know the guy." It still didn't make Minho feel any better about being at some kind of dumb University frat party. Everyone was drunk and drooling over one another except for the girl that they had followed over, you. 

"Look," Minho nudged Felix and nodded in your direction as they watched you heading for the bathroom alone. You stood out amongst the rest, instead of dancing or drinking you were simply looking for a bathroom and keeping your head down. They only knew about the party because they'd overheard you and Mina talking about it earlier that day. 

"She looks like she could be here to help, we saw them speaking with one another earlier," Minho reminded Felix but he shook his head,

"She does look like she wants to be here, they didn't look like they liked one another." Minho shrugged his shoulders as he thought back on it, 

"All good acting," The two of them weren't sure if Farara had a partner this time but in all of his other bombings, he had someone. Someone who would take the fall for him, usually the good girl gone bad once they met him and fell for his traps. Promising them a life of happiness in another country, planning everything out so it would seem as though he truly loved and cared for them when he didn't. 

"I'm just saying we find The Chemelon, take care of business and leave," Felix whispered as they made their way through to the kitchen when they saw him. A loud laugh spread through the air that physically sent shivers down their spines, watching as he left out of the kitchen door and down the back garden. 

"Follow him," They said in unison as they headed out of the same door, keeping their heads down as they tried to see what it was he was doing. 

Stepping out onto the back porch you took in a long deep breath of the cold air, it felt nice to have it circulating through you instead of the stuffy air from inside. Mina had begged you to stay once she caught you trying to leave, making you promise her that you wouldn't go anywhere until she found Farara who had run off leaving her in charge of the party. In your mind, he was out fucking someone else since he seemed like a player but you weren't about to tell one of your best friends that. 

The longer you stood there the more you wanted to go home but as you looked down at the end of the garden you frowned. Inside the small shed, there was a flashing light coming through the window and you could have sworn you heard someone grunting. 

"I swear to god if this is Farara I'll murder him," You mumbled to yourself as you began to walk towards the building. All you were going to do was look through the window, if it was him you'd find Mina and tell her. If it wasn't him you'd just act as though you hadn't seen anything but the closer you got the more uneasy you began to grow. Something inside of you was telling you to turn back but you weren't about to let your friend get cheated on by some good for nothing low-life.

"Tell us what you're planning and maybe we'll let you off easy," Felix whispered in Farara's ear from behind him. They'd followed him out and found him packing up a suitcase which meant the bombing was sooner than expected from him. 

"I don't know what you're talking about," The boy stuttered as he stared between the two men in front of him, both of them had guns on display to intimidate him into speaking. As if being strapped into a chair with garden rope wasn't scary enough for him.

"Look, we know who you are. Just tell us where the bomb is," As soon as the word bomb left Minho's mouth he heard a gasp and branch snap from outside the shed. His eyes met with Felix and he nodded over to the side door where Felix could easily get out without being seen. 

Stepping back from the building you tried to move out of the way but ended up backing into someone who pushed you back to the window. Forcing you to stare through it as the man inside shot Farara in the chair he was strapped to. There was no sound from the gun you just saw a blur before Farara dropped forward, lifeless in the chair as blood pooled from the small entrance wound in his head. A small scream was building up in your throat but before you could say a word a hand was covering your mouth and you were ushered into the shed. 

"Clean up to Agents 322 and 366," The man who had killed Farara said down a small earpiece looking over at you with a small smirk on his face, 

"What a curious little kitten," Felix purred in your ear as he ran his fingers up and down your cheek making you shiver, 

“Curiosity Killed The Cat you know,” Minho chuckled as he looked over at you from his phone.

 "I'll ask you once, and only once." Minho lowered himself to your level, looking you in the eyes. 

"Do you know who he's working with? Your friend maybe? Could she have known what he was planning?" Bile rose up in your throat as you watched the blood pooling onto the floor, running along to Mino's shoes as he stood there. 

"Mina. S-She wouldn't have know...I don't think," You looked back at Minho, the gut feeling inside of you seemed to subside as you looked at him and Felix who was now standing in front of you. 

"You don't seem scared that we just killed your friend?" Felix questioned looking from the body and back to you, your eyes get dancing to and from Farara, half expecting him to jump up and have this be some kind of joke. 

"A friend? I didn't know him and he did nothing but belittle me...What was it you said about a bomb?" Curiosity began to build in Minho as he watched you, there wasn't even an ounce of fear towards them from you. 

"Have you heard of the Chameleon?" The realization hit you as you stared at Farara. 

"He fits the MO." You mumbled shocking Felix who just seemed to stare at you in disbelief. 

"You're training to be in the forces?" Minho asked as he laid a garden sheet over the body, your eyes staring back at him this time. 

"My father was an FBI agent, I know some things...I know you're not FBI." A smirk plastered across Felix's lips as he watched you and Minho interacting the way you were. It was the first time he'd ever seen Minho act so casually with someone in months, not to mention he seemed laid back. 

"How do you know that?" Felix quizzed looking over at you as he folded his arms over his chest. 

"For starters, neither of you have a badge otherwise you would have shown me by now, your guns aren't standard issue for agents...So you're hitmen...That or random psychopaths." Minho blinked at you before standing up straight when he heard a knock on the door. 

"Clean up crew," Minho pulled the door open and ushered you out with Felix on your other side. 

"Do you need help with her?" A female voice asked as you turned your whole body to see a female staring at you. 

"No thanks, you go and clean up. We'll take her home." Your eyes shot up to the one with the deep voice, Felix, and you frowned. 

"We'll make sure you get home safe," Minho added when he could see how confused you were. 

Leading you over to their car you stared at it, it was the same car that had been following you earlier. 

"You followed me here," The back door opened and you crawled inside, looking around at all of the empty food packets. 

"Ignore the mess, we were on a stakeout," Felix chuckled as he got into the front passenger seat and glanced back at you. 

"I'm Felix and this is Minho," He shook your hand and you felt a spark ignite inside of you. The way his hand fit around yours made you shiver a little, 

"Look at that, someone liked your touch Lix." Your eyes shot to Minho started up the car and smirked at you through the small review mirror. 

"Give us your address kitten," The small nickname made you clench your thighs as you could feel an aerosol building. After giving them your dorm address you began trying to pull yourself back together, you'd just watch them kill someone and yet you were getting wet at the thought of them calling you kitten. It didn't help that they were insanely attractive, Felix's muscles could be seen through the thin white shirt he was wearing and Minho's ass looked like he worked out an awful lot. You blinked, ignoring the growing wetness that was pooling between your legs. 

"Look at that, we haven't said one suggestive comment and you're squeezing your little thighs together," Minho chuckled as he reached a red light, turning to look at you from the front seat and licking his lips at the sight of you. Completely innocent and sitting there rubbing your legs together as if that was going to give you any kind of satisfaction that you were desperately craving. 

"My guess is she's going to go home and touch herself to the thought of us," Minho teased as he began to drive once again, watching Felix as he turned to look at you. His eyes locking with you as he reached behind to rub your knee softly. 

"I mean she doesn't have to think of us, we could do it for you princess." The car stopped outside your dorm but you made no attempt to move as the car was shut off. 

"Would you like that?" Minho questioned turning his body to look at you. The need to press your thighs together built up but Felix kept them apart, licking his lips as he waited for you to answer the question. A finger trailed up and down your knee and you shuddered, 

"Yes! Yes...Yes, I would like that," You spoke loudly as you stared at both of them, the two exchanged a smirk with one another before climbing out of the car and holding your door open.

"Then who are we to let a pretty little kitten go home needy," Felix growled in your ear, holding your arm as you all walked in the direction of your dorm room.

Neither of them wasted time when they got into your room, attaching their lips to either side of your neck as you let out small whimpers of pleasure. You could already feel each of them smirking against your skin, Felix's hands around your waist while Minho kept his on your breasts, massaging them softly with his hands whenever you would whimper. 

"Here we thought you were the good girl," Minho whispered making you jerk away from him, 

"I'm not. I'm sick of people saying that to me," You spat at him your eyes locking with his as he tilted his head to the side, a smug look on his face. 

"Prove it to me," Without another word you pushed him down onto your bed sinking to your knees in front of him. You pulled down the jeans he was wearing discarding them behind you, forgetting about Felix behind you until he laid down on the floor. 

"Up," He ordered, you rose to your knees and he slid under you so his breath was right against your core. 

"Looks pretty," He whispered referencing the bright pink thong you had worn under your dress that night, 

"But it needs to go." One snapping sound later and you felt a cool breeze on your core,

"Dripping wet Minho, you should see her." A finger began to trace along your folds making your hips jolt forward, 

"So wet, pretty and-" A small kiss was placed on your clit and your eyes widened, 

"Tastes define." Felix moaned out in a deep voice, you whimpered looking at Minho. 

"The confidence seems to have faded from you kitten," You ignored him pulling his cock free from his boxer and smirking at the length. He was larger than you expected but you slowly pumped him in one hand, looking up at him smugly as he jerked. Minho shifted a little, leaning back against the bed letting his elbow prop him up. Running your fingers over the indent under the head of his cock your smirk grew wider as he moaned out.

"Good girl," He breathed out as your tongue began to caress him, swirling around the head of his cock before you took him into your warm mouth pumping your head back and forth while your other hand rested on his thigh. 

"My turn," Felix whispered pulling you to sit down on his face as you let out a moan around Minho's cock who seemed to moan out in pleasure. Hollowing out your cheeks you ran your tongue over the indent you'd found earlier and he cried out gripping onto the sheets around him. 

"Oh shit!" You moaned out as you could feel Felix's tongue running through your folds while he worked two fingers in and out of you, curling them up to meet your g-spot making you cry out again. 

Minho thrust up into your mouth as you took him back, moving your head faster this time setting his whole body aflame. Each thrust of your head caused his whole body to stiffen and he looked at you, holding your face as he began to thrust a little more. You smirked around him nodding at him to let him know it was okay and he slowly began to thrust into your mouth. 

"S-Shit she likes that Hyung, clenching around my tongue." Felix chuckled as he continued to eat you out aggressively as you rode his face, your hips bucking little by little as you felt an orgasm beginning to build up inside of you. Minho thrust up once more before his whole body shook and he let out a moan of your name, cumming into your mouth as he rolled his head back. You swallowed every last drop and focused on the pleasure Felix was giving to you, gripping onto the bed as you rocked your hips in time with his licks. 

"So pretty when your face contorts like that," Minho chuckled as he began kissing you softly, holding your neck in his hand lightly as he forced you to look at him, 

"Do you like this? Two strangers fucking you?" You nodded as you let out a choked moan, pulsating around Felix's fingers as he continued to thrust them into you at a rough pace. 

"Cumming!" You screamed out as your hips continued to buck as your orgasm ripped through you, your legs shaking as you tried to stay upright on your knees instead of falling to the floor the way you wanted to. 

"Y/n?" Felix whispered as he pulled himself into a sitting position, watching you as you ripped your dress off from your body, you were ready and you needed one of them inside of you. Now.

Lips met yours over and over again as Minho pulled you up onto the bed, sitting back against the headboard as you straddled his lap. Kissing him wherever you could, lips, neck, collarbone, anywhere you could get your lips on him. Felix sat behind you naked, his cock pressed against your ass as you let out a whine. 

"Still so wet," Felix chuckled as he teased your entrance with two fingers, meanwhile Minho had worked his fingers down to your clit circling slowly. 

"Holy fuck," You breathed out as your head fell forward to rest on top of Minho's. Your brain was in a fog as they continued to tease you with their fingers until Felix sank two inside of you and Minho applied the pressure that made you cry out pushing your hips back into Felix. 

A third finger was added and your whole body felt as though it was on fire, your fingernails dug into Minho's arms as you cried out a mixture of both of their names. 

"Someone is ready for us," Minho chuckled as they removed their fingers making you whimper at the sudden lack of touch from either of them. Felix moved to the edge of the bed and sat in the same position Minho had before. 

"On the floor kitten," He whispered as you got onto your knees in front of him, this time Minho sat behind you with his cock at your entrance causing you to clench around nothing. 

"You sure?" You ignored the stupid question as you sank down onto Minho's cock crying out as you adjusted to the size of him. 

"That..Oh shit...That's a yes Felix," Minho moaned out as he held onto your thighs, grunting at the tight feeling as you wrapped around his cock. Smirking to yourself you looked up at Felix, taking him into your mouth and began to bob your head as you had done with Minho. The two men moaning out in pleasure as you controlled them, moving your hips up and down at a slow pace just to torture Minho that little bit more. 

"Fuck," Minho's hands gripped onto your waist and he thrust up harder and faster into you, his breathing jagged as he moaned out your name. Felix's cock twitched into your mouth as you began to roll your tongue around the head of his cock, reaching your hand down between your thighs to circle your clit. 

Fire was beginning to build in your stomach with both moans from men titling you over the edge. 

"Just like that," Felix cried out as you moved your head in time with Minho's fast thrust. The room filled with wet sounds and slapping skin as you cried out around Felix's length. Felix's hand rested on your cheek as he began to thrust into your mouth, grunting as he came down your throat holding you around him until his hips stopped jerking. 

"M-Minho! I-I’m cumming! I-I’m cumming!" You screamed out as he continued his sinfully fast thrusts until he came into you touching you deeply as your head rolled back against his chest. Clenching onto anything you could get your hands on, screaming out his name. Cumming around him as you pulsated in pure bliss, your whole body felt as though it was shaking. 

Minho smirked as you slept in his shirt, they'd managed to clean you up with a warm wet cloth and got you into bed. 

"Poor thing must be exhausted," He smirked running his fingers over your face as your frowned in deep slumber. 

"That was a nice reward though for finishing our job," Felix laughed as he looked at your body, you were curled up in a small clutching onto the sheets and he smiled. 

"We should get going, paperwork to report and all that," Minho mumbled grabbing a hoodie from your wardrobe as he turned to leave.

The morning you woke up images of what had happened flashed before you and if it hadn't been for the achiness between your thighs. You would have thought it a dream and yet, you were laying there in a shirt that wasn't yours and a note beside your bed,

Until next time Curious Kitten x 

Written at the bottom of the note were two numbers with the boy's initials by the side of them, you clutched the note against your chest as you laid back. Enjoying the memories of the night before. 

Tagline: @minholuvs​ @taestannie​ @sw33tnight​ @acciocriativity​ @mwitsmejk​ @taeechwitaa​ @justbangtanthingz​ @stillwithlix​ 

[jennsterjay]

Wake up! 

SA2 Re:verse- The Last Scene

This is the last scene in my Sonic Adventure 2 Alternate Universe, titled SA2 Re:verse. This story follows the plot of Sonic Adventure 2, but with a focus on Knuckles the Echidna as the Ultimate Lifeform and Shadow the Hedgehog as the Last Guardian of the Master Emerald. Prologue: Shadow was raised by his uncle who was the last echidna and guardian of the Master Emerald. After befriending Sonic two years ago when he helped retrieve the master emerald from Eggman, he learned that he can rely on others and doesn't have to face his challenges alone. 50 years ago, Dr. Gerald Robotnik created Project Terra also known as Project Flora. From this, the Ultimate Lifeform Knuckles was created using Echidna and Black Doom's DNA. Knuckles honed his skills in controlling natural elements such as earth, plants, water, and other natural elements, as well as manipulating chaos energy. His most notable skill being the ability to heal others, which Gerald used and researched to help his granddaughter Maria from a rare and incurable illness. Aboard the Space Colony Ark, he found family in Gerald, Maria, and Rouge the Bat who was a former jewel thief turned G.U.N. scientist (with a focus on gem properties and flora and fauna studies) as well as a combat specialist. When the Space Colony Ark is raided when word gets out on Gerald's Experiments, Gerald is captured, telling the three to escape. Rouge, running behind Knuckles and Maria, chooses to face the guards head on so the other two can escape. Rouge is cornered and escapes through a cryogenic pod which freezes her in time as she lands on earth. Knuckles and Maria make it to two escape pods, but Maria is shot by a G.U.N soldier and Maria launches Knuckles pod before he has a chance to help her, and he hurtles towards Earth alone. Present: 50 years later Knuckles is woken up from his pod by Eggman who tells him Gerald was his great grandfather. He says he knows of Rouge's whereabouts and will help Knuckles achieve revenge for the Space Colony Ark's erasure from history. Sonic and Shadow especially are chased by GUN when word gets out that there is an Echidna wrecking havoc in the city and at different military bases. With GUN thinking that this is a coup planned by Shadow, Sonic and his friends are now thought to be ex-government criminals. Sonic follows a lead on a mysterious Bat girl who keeps stealing the Chaos Emeralds, and Shadow comes face to face with Knuckles. Shadow is stunned, telling Knuckles that all of the Echidna's are gone and that he is the last. He asks where he has been all this time, and offers to help him. Knuckles is distraught, saying he couldn't be the last and that by Shadow being the guardian of the master emerald, that he is an imposter and a faker. Shadow throughout the game, learns more about Knuckles through their fights, and tries to convince him to start healing from his past and that he can offer him a new future. After many side-battles, Rouge has taken most of the Chaos Emeralds, so Knuckles goes right to Angel Island to take the Master Emerald from Shadow. Its a close and intense battle, but Knuckles wins and tells Shadow to give up being a guardian because he was never strong enough to be, and if he pursues him it'll be over for him. Shadow refuses to accept this and tells Knuckles he wont give up, and despite everything he wont give up on Knuckles either. Sonic and the gang get to the Space Colony Ark and Shadow tells Sonic to get the Master Emerald from Rouge who is guarding it. Shadow is the one who will face Knuckles alone, because he feels he is the only one to understand him and get through to him. Sonic goes to Rouge and they battle. Sonic asks Rouge if this is really how her family wanted to be remembered and if this is what you really want for Knuckles? Rouge after a lot of back and forth, and Sonic saving her from falling off a ledge tells Sonic to protect her jewels (Knuckles and the Master Emerald). Sonic Promises. Elsewhere, Shadow skates down a long corridor until he reaches Knuckles, who seemed to be waiting for him. Shadow tells Knuckles being a guardian is who I am, and protecting the earth and all of it's creatures is what he does, and that if he doesn't believe his words, then he'll show with his actions that "I Am All of Me". Knuckles and him fight and Knuckles fights dirty and at one point throws him into a pod with a fake emerald, leading Shadow to his demise as he hurtles towards earth....or so he thought. Shadow uses Chaos Control using the fake emerald and reappears on the battle field with Knuckles. This pisses Knuckles off and they fight again all while Shadow convinces him that he can heal from his past and doesn't have to face the world alone. Shadow is about to lose the fight despite his best efforts, but right before Knuckles is about to end him, Shadow says even though Maria's not here anymore, she wanted him to be. And even if the world feels like your enemy, I am glad you exist, and you are here now with me. Knuckles punches the ground near Shadow's head and finally gives up, cries in Shadows' arms, and heals him. Later, Knuckles apologizes to Rouge and then they all get an announcement that the Space Colony Ark is going to hurtle towards the earth. They retrieve the Master Emerald and the Chaos Emeralds and Knuckles transforms into Hyper Knuckles, while Sonic and Shadow transform into Super Sonic and Super Shadow. Knuckles and Shadow Fight the Biolizard, while Sonic tries to slow the Ark's descent by pushing it back. Knuckles and Shadow are about to deal the final blow, but the Biolizard rapidly creates what appears to be a massive chaos energy spirit bomb aimed right at Knuckles and Shadow. With no time to run or react, Knuckles and Shadow are toast until Sonic jumps in the way to shield them both and take the hit. Sonic is de-supered and hurtles towards the Earth. At the last minute, Rouge flies out there and catches him and thanks him for keeping his promise. Sonic makes a joke and laughs. Finally Knuckles and Shadow give the Biolizard the final blow, and with low energy they struggle to stop the space colony ark from entering Earth's gravitational pull. They both know this is the moment where they might not make it unless someone sacrifices themselves. Shadow is about to do it but Knuckles tells Shadow thank you for not giving up, the world needs a guardian, and to take care of Rouge for me. He pushes Shadow out of the way, and blasts the ark back all on his own, then de-hypers and falls, hurtling towards the Earth. Shadow uses his last remaining energy to catch him, tells him "I promised you a future, so for you to throw it all away, that's not gonna happen", and heals Knuckles all the way until Knuckles is back in his hyper form. Shadow hurtles towards the earth, and Knuckles catches him saying expletives and starts to panic. He tells Rouge to gather the Chaos Emeralds and Master Emerald because Shadow isn't moving. He flies all the way to the space colony ark from earth's atmosphere and rushes through the gates and chaos controls until he gets to the main hub where everyone is waiting and worried. He sets Shadow down carefully near the abundance of Chaos Energy around him. Rouge listens to Shadow's heart and looks concerned back at Knuckles. Knuckles looks back at Shadow who has his eyes closed, looking like the most at peace person in the entire room and Knuckles refuses to let this be the end for him. He carefully picks Shadow up in his arms, and has a flashback of an old memory of watching Disney's 1959 animated movie, Sleeping Beauty. Maria was watching it with him and told him one day she wishes to find someone who makes her feel special, and one day she hopes Knuckles finds someone who makes him feel special too. Knuckles holds Shadow's face in his hand, with his other hand on Shadow's back. And Knuckles says: "You saved me, your friends, and the entire Earth, and you barely even know me. I don't think it's fair to take a nap when all your friends are waiting...and I'm waiting. I guess you could say, I've been waiting for someone like you this entire time. So sorry, if this is forward Shadow, but I'm not letting you die without me" Then Knuckles kisses Shadow and heals him, and slowly Shadow takes in all the chaos energy, and his fur and quills turn golden once again. Shadow wakes up and looks into Knuckles eyes. "Did we win?" Shadow asks. Knuckles laughs and tears up. "Yeah, we won" Knuckles smiles. Everyone cheers and hugs Shadow, and Knuckles too, and celebrates living another day in a limitless future, where even the hardest memories can become treasured things, and your present can be what you make it to be. Sonic Adventure 2: Re:verse -------------------------------- Artist/Author Notes: -Knuckles outfit is based on his SA2 Goth Alternate outfit, the same is for Rouge -The red streaks on Shadow's quills are echidna war paint

[foli-vora]

there she goes

A/N: Soft boi has arrived! Literally only watched his episodes of the Mentalist because Patrick Jane, quite frankly, annoys/bores the absolute shit out of me.

Pairing: Marcus Pike/f!reader

Word count: 1.7k

Warnings: none that I can see but please let me know if you think something should be added!

+++

Standing in line at your favourite little café, you watch the rain pelt against the glass panels of the shop with disdain, cursing the bright sunny morning that tricked you into leaving your umbrella and jacket at home. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky when you woke and left for work this morning, and now it seemed like the dark grey clouds delivering the onslaught of rain stretched from horizon to horizon with no signs of a break any time soon. Typical, you thought to yourself. Like your day hadn’t been bad enough already.

Your landlord had dropped the bomb of a rent increase, your car had a flat, you had missed the bus and had to take a cab, your desk chair decided to die – leaving you practically on the floor trying to answer calls and use your computer and the office printer refused to print anything, no matter how many times you called it a piece of junk and kicked it. Suffice to say, you were more than ready for a strong hit of caffeine.

You’re dragged out of your inner grumbling when a finger gently taps your shoulder and you whirl to face the tapper immediately, sharp words of irritation dying on your tongue the second you meet their gaze.

Brown eyes, you notice instantly. Soft, soulful brown eyes. He was… nice. Understatement. He was gorgeous, with neatly trimmed facial hair and windswept dark hair falling just above his eyes.

He gestures towards the counter with a polite half smile, “Uh, you’re next.”

You blink in confusion before glancing at the young girl behind the register, seemingly waiting for you to step forward and order, and quickly apologise to them both. She smiles, making quick work of your regular order and then you’re stepping aside, throwing another apology towards the stranger before finding a seat and sitting with a deep exhale.

The rain comes down harder because of course it does. You mentally add embarrassing yourself in front of the first decent looking guy you’ve seen in a while to your list with a quiet groan. Melting back into the chair, you take a moment to fully bask in your somewhat dry clothes and shoes before inevitably having to end up running through the torrential downpour back to the office.

A to-go cup is placed gently in front of you, your name scrawled across the side, and you blink dumbly at it before following up along the arm until you’re looking at the man from the line. He’s smiling again, his own coffee in hand and the other now buried in his pants pocket.

“Someone’s away with the fairies today.” He notes light-heartedly, and then gestures over his shoulder. “They called your name – I hope it’s okay that I bought it over.”

You blink again, and only when his brow quirks ever so slightly do you snap out of your reverie. 

“Oh God, I’m sorry. I’m not usually this spacey.”

His face softens, lips quirking into a sympathetic smile. “Bad day?”

“Yeah, you could say that.” You reply dryly, eyeing the rain as you stand. “Thanks for bringing my coffee over. It probably would’ve been stone cold by the time I came back to Earth.”

You’re rewarded with a deep chuckle and it sends a little flutter through your chest. You made the pretty stranger laugh – not a total loss of a day, after all.

“I could try and make it better, if you want.”

You raise a brow, smiling shyly. “Oh yeah?”

He nods with a small smile, “Yeah.” He looks over his shoulders and shrugs lightly. “I could get you a slice of banana bread, a muffin, maybe… a gingerbread man? He has mini marshmallows as buttons.” His voice is light, playful, and when his grin widens, you find yourself unable to resist returning it.

You hum in thought, “Sounds like you’re a big fan.”

He chuckles, looking down as he nods. “Yeah look, I may eat colourfully decorated marshmallow buttoned gingerbread men more than a fully functioning adult of my age should.” He admits, grinning as you chuckle. “We could grab a table... maybe talk for a bit?” He watches you check your watch, hope growing in his chest at the thought of getting to know the pretty distracted stranger a little better over coffee.

“As tempting as that sounds, my break is almost over and I’m pushing it for time.” His face falls a little and you mirror his disappointment, briefly wondering if your boss would let you off if you tell her all about the pretty stranger at the coffee shop. “Thank you for the offer, though…”

“Marcus,” he smiles, shaking your hand firmly. The encasing warmth of his hand is enough to send a thrill through you, and your heart flutters in nervous excitement. The feeling doubles as he murmurs your name, pointing to your cup before you could ask how he knows.

You duck your head, smiling warmly at him before turning to the door and bracing for the wet chill that’s about to take hold. A warm hand softly pulls your arm back, and you turn back to him in question. He’s looking at your empty hands with a frown.

“Don’t you have an umbrella? Or a jacket at least?” Marcus asks, frown deepening when you shake your head.

“No, it was sunny when I left this morning – bad day.” You explain, a smile still tugging at your lips despite the downpour bombarding the street. There was something about this kind and pretty stranger that had you unable to stop smiling, and your cheeks were starting to pay the price with a lingering ache.

“Well, you can’t go out there without one, here – have mine.” He reaches past you and grabs the dripping umbrella propped up by the door, holding it out to you expectantly.

You recoil instantly, “What? No!”

“Please. It’s bad out there!”

As if to cement his argument, a snap of thunder crackles overhead, the rain increasing, and you cringe instantly.

Still, you shake your head and push his hand away, “I can’t take your umbrella! What about you?”

“I drove here – my car’s around the corner. Please, take it.”

You weigh up your options, not wanting to leave the handsome stranger with nothing to keep himself dry, but ultimately, it’s his pleading puppy eyes that completely win you over and then you’re reaching out, taking the umbrella softly and desperately trying to get a hold of your rapid heartbeat.

“Thank you, Marcus.”

He shrugs, an easy grin stretching his features and your eyes fall to glance over it appreciatively. He had a damn good smile. “Don’t mention it.”

“My knight in shining suit.” You coo, chuckling at the flush of faint pink that washes across his cheeks. “I can’t tell you how much this has turned my day around.”

“I’m glad to hear it.” And he truly is.

You linger a moment longer, grinning as he turns slightly bashful under your heavy scrutiny. “It was really nice to meet you, Marcus.”

He beams, “You, too.”

With a small wave, you disappear into the rain and Marcus sighs softly, watching you go with a small flicker of regret at the missed opportunity. Umbrella and your number next time, Pike, he scolds himself solemnly.

His nose curls as he watches the rain for a moment and then sighs deeply, reaching for the lapel of his jacket. He pulls it over his head and briefly thinks about his car, still parked in the nice and dry parking garage back at the bureau. He’s not at all sorry for telling you a little white lie to get you to take his umbrella, you needed something in this weather and it was his absolute pleasure to provide. Knight in shining suit. It had him smiling to himself the entire run back to the office, despite the downpour that had him saturated in the first two minutes.

He keeps an eye out over the next few days, intentionally going for lunch at the same time as that rainy day in hopes he’d see you again. Every day, he was left walking back with a feeling of disappointment, but not letting it crush his hope for the next day.

It’s not until over a week later when he’s standing in line, the café busier than usual, when he hears a familiar voice pipe up from behind him.

“I’ve heard the gingerbread men here are pretty good.”

You’re already smiling when he turns to face you, a grin of his own creasing his cheeks.

“I’ve been keeping an eye out for you.” He admits, nodding when you tilt your head with a curious oh? “Just making sure you’re not holding up any more lines – people need their coffee, after all. Can’t be waiting around all day.” He teases, laughing when you softly shove him playfully.

Shaking your head, you step up next to him and lean in to his side, “So guess what?”

He chuckles softly to himself, looking at you expectantly. “What?”

“I took a long lunch. Well, actually, I’ve been taking long lunches all week hoping to see you.” You admit, somewhat shyly. Were you coming on too strong? You hope not. It’s only been a week and you had missed him like you had known him longer than five minutes. You weren’t sure whether to be slightly concerned that a literal stranger had you so caught up in a whirl or thrilled that you had finally met someone who seemed genuinely decent.

He smiles softly, relieved that this little thing between you both wasn’t one sided. “I’ve been hoping to see you, too. I actually –”

“Hey, move it along!”

You startle, turning to frown at the irritated man behind you when Marcus chuckles and offers a small apology over his shoulder, before reaching for your hand and gently pulling you the short distance to the counter to order. You barely take notice of him and the barista talking, instead focusing on your hand now wrapped up in his, his thumb rubbing softly across your knuckles, and how it’s making your body thrum with electricity. You smile to yourself, eyes flicking back up to his face to find him looking at you expectantly, brow firmly raised with a small smirk.

You blink. “What?”