#have y'all seen brother bear. he needs a brother bear moment

[intrigd-voyagr]

sonny will always be at odds with himself as long as he sees himself still as a human first and foremost, and his ursine instincts as sonething he can ignore

for example, sonny disavows killing and eating someone not because he finds it morally wrong to do (he couldn't care less!) but because as a human he finds eating raw meat - especially if it's still-living tissue - extremely unappealing, just like anyone else. Between the texture, smell, and associated health risks, it's just not something he's ever wanted to do.

Even if he tried to make it more palatable to his human standards through cooking, it would just end up not meeting his animalistic side's standards of tearing into something bloody and fresh and that just puts him right back at square one...

[crimsonbastard]

My thoughts on Episode 4:

Aegon finally snapping after realising that everyone only sees him as nothing more than a puppet king was satisfying. The desperate need to prove himself, to his mother, his brother and the council by going to war himself, to show that he's good at something was so good to see. However I'm still bummed out that he wasn't actually part of the plan. Him leading his army head on as Cole gives that rallying speech was one of my favourite moments in the book. Too bad that it was changed to him appearing unannounced prompting Cole to give that last minute impromptu speech.

Aemond speaking High Valyrian and regaining some ground over his brother after that brothel incident. We've seen Team Black saying that Alicent's children aren't true Targaryens. Well we can put that claim to rest after seeing Aemond practically take his brother down a peg in High Valyrian. Something even Jace Could not master.

The Alicent Plan B scene. Honestly, after years of being used as a broodmare, I understand why Alicent resorted to using moon tea. Although she has a consensual sexual relationship with Cole where she gets to regain some semblance of that autonomy that she couldn't get because of Viserys, getting pregnant again and going through another painful, life threatening child birth is simply a big "no" for her. Irrespective of her finally being able to explore her sexuality, bearing a child again is still something very traumatic for her that she still closely associates to Viserys and the neglect she was dealt whilst she was at her most vulnerable.

The Criston Cole glazing. I love how almost every council member of Team Black acknowledges Criston as a force to be reckoned with, which he is. It sheds light on the fact that he's more than some brute who acts on Alicent's Whims. He's an experienced Commander and he truly shines when he finally gets to be in his element. I've seen several reactors begurdingly admit that Cole's strategy was sound, despite clearly hating him and it was so satisfying.

Jacaereys and Baela taking Rhaenyra's stead whilst she was away and doing their best in putting out the fires in the Council Room was a delight to see. Jace being eager to join the battle and help his mother save her crown was refreshing and we got a good character moment from him.

The Rhaenys and Alyn scene was.....meh considering the fact that she was harsher in the books. I was expecting her to lash out at Corlys with her barbs but again, she was just mum about it, it feels like the writers forgot to give her some agency when it comes to how she acts around her Husband. And the fact that people are comparing her to Catelyn Stark and tearing the latter down is annoying. Can y'all stop with the Catelyn Hate? It's been decades.

Rooks Rest was amazing in the beggining. We've got Gwayne's inexperienced ass doubting Criston at every step until he gets silenced. The plan was perfect with Cole and Aemond using Vaghar as a trump card in case any of Team Black's dragons come knocking. But that is where my appreciation for that battle ends. We've Sunfyre being absolutely butchered all though he puts up a decent fight in the books. Where the fuck is Rhaenys charging at both Aemond and Aegon with a glad cry? Where is Rhaenys having a "dragon rider's" death that Team Black likes to harp about. The Aemond scene where he blasts at both rider's was dumb and pointless, a cheap attempt at creating some conflict between the brothers when we had the Brothel scene just the episode before. This would've been a wonderful opportunity for them to show how despite hating eachother's guts the brothers will still die for eachother. But alas, I guess only Team Black can have good familial relationships.

Sunfyre being the goodest boy xD

[fivenightsatnatemares]

Mangled #1

First part of a twoshot I'm writing for the beginning of the actual story (woohoo!)

It's not my favorite work but it is.. Acceptable. I hope y'all enjoy it. And I hope y'all will find as much love for these characters as we have.

Best to listen to Mangled while reading this story, considering music guides our adventure here 🎶

As always thank you to my lovely friend Boop for being my beta reader 🐰 - Beep

Wordcount: 1.3k

TW: Strong language

It had been years. Years of silence in the place where Mare Wily used to be the nightguard. At least when the children left and the lights went out.

Mare didn't remember exactly how it had happened. One day his brother that owned this pizzeria asked him to do a job for him, just keeping tabs on the security cams, the next he was growing deformities and feeling... Strange.

He had learned to adapt, he had taught himself how to survive amongst the animatronics that came to life at night, even befriending them.

Things changed when fresh blood entered the hallowed halls.

A new nightguard. A young girl, couldn't have been more than 24. Brunette, pretty short. The moment Mare laid eyes on her from within the shadows, he knew she was done for.

It started simple. She did her job, the animatronics came to life, she was terrified. Mare had experienced it all himself. No big deal.

But there was a change. Maybe Mare wanted to scare her off, tell her to never come back. Maybe he just did it for the thrills. Either way, he decided he wanted to involve himself in this little game the animatronics were playing.

It started with changing things on the camera's when he thought she wasn't looking. Moving an endoskeleton that had been dormant even before he was there, opening a pizza box that was previously closed. Little things, just to make her feel like this place was truly haunted... As if the evidence wasn't staring her right in the face in the shape of a giant animatronic bear.

It eventually evolved into banging on the walls and doors, turning off the lights and then turning them back on, and even breaking some of the camera's. Anything to make her feel like she wasn't welcome.

These nights kept going for weeks, until there was a certain night, a night where the young nightguard had been a little too vigilant, the night where she spotted him.

He assumed she had seen him on the camera's initially, as her next course of action was to poke her head out of the security doors and start yelling for 'the guy with long black hair'. No response. Mare wasn't going to go up and talk to her, he needed her out, not up in his business.

She was here every night, and every single night it drove Mare more to the brink of insanity. Why wouldn't she leave, why did she keep calling out to him, why did she care?

It was funny at first, imagining her going crazy thinking there was another human being in here with her. Pfft,as if. Human was far from what Mare would describe himself as nowadays. He was the one who told his animatronic friends about the best ways to go after her. Sure, he made sure they wouldn't actually get her, but what kind of person sticks murderous mascots on someone?

So he stayed away. Partially because he didn't feel like explaining himself. Partially because he thought he might hurt her.

He was a monster, after all.

Another night rolled around, this time the girl had learned something new. Over the weeks she had been clever enough to find out some things, like that she could wander around with a Freddy mask on and the animatronics mostly wouldn't notice her. But this night, she had found the speaker system. Now she was able to broadcast messages throughout the entire pizzeria.

It was getting on Mare's nerves.

"Hey!" He heard her voice loud and.. Well, not clear. But definitely loud. "I know you're in here. I don't know what happened to you, but I want to help."

Mare rolled his eyes. Why would this random girl who was probably gonna end up just like him if she kept coming in, be able to help someone like him? He had been messing with her on purpose, why couldn't she just see-

He groaned, mentally cutting his own ramblings off. She wasn't worth it. All of this wasn't worth it. He made his way over to her. She would have to find out the hard way he wasn't here to make friends.

So now here they were. Mare with his arms crossed, leaning against the wall in the hall across from her little saferoom. She had closed the door when she heard footsteps, just as a precaution, and was now staring at him through the little window.

"Who are you?"

A curious tone, riddled with caution. Mare smiled to himself.

"Nobody important."

The girl's brows furrowed in frustration. She seemed to hesitate.

"Can I open this door or will you kill me?"

Her voice came out stronger than he expected. Maybe this girl wasn't as scared of him as he thought she was.

He shrugged, "Can't promise I won't."

After another moment of hesitation, the girl stepped back, and to his surprise, the door was opened right in front of him.

Gone were the walls keeping them apart. She had put her trust in him.

Mare adjusted, pushing himself from the wall and taking a step closer, his arms still crossed. He raised an eyebrow.

"Are you stupid?" He asked, looking down at the girl in front of him.

"Are you bad?" She retorted, not answering his obvious jab. She still seemed cautious, but there was no sign of her stepping back.

He chuckled. "I suggest you leave this place unless you want the metal assholes to get you. Or worse, end up like me."

The girl frowned, crossing her arms in defiance. "I'm not leaving. Not until I find out whatever the hell is going on here, and until I find a way to help you."

Mare's face contorted into an expression of annoyance. He sighed and shook his head as he ran a hand through his messy hair.

"I don't need help."

She immediately shook her head, a solemn look on her face.

"You're obviously never leaving this place. Tell me why. Tell me it isn't cause you're somehow stuck here. I've felt it too, y'know. I've felt the pull to come back here every night. I've felt something drawing me to this place." The nightguard glanced around the room, vaguely gesturing towards the office before turning back to the man in front of her. "Hell, I'm here every day of the week just to figure out what's going on in this place. It's been months. I'm not stupid, no, far from it. I know something is going on here and I know you have something to do with it."

At those words, something lashed out in Mare. Anger built up rapidly as he snapped his gaze towards her. He felt the blue streaks on his face burn. Before he could even register what he was doing, he had grabbed the girl by her wrist and pressed her against the wall with his arm up to her throat.

"You have so much to say, huh? For someone who doesn't know shit. I have something to do with it? You act like we're to blame, but last I checked it was you wearing a damn mask and coming back every time." He barked at her, pushing her back as he let her go and stepped away. "Why are you even here anyway? Hasn't been a nightguard here in years."

She looked at him with this dumbfounded stare, as if she didn't know what to say for once. She brought her hand up to her throat and soothed the sore skin, her other hand reaching up to hug herself.

"My brother.. He.. He co-owns this place." She sighed. "He wanted to help me get back on my feet after I lost my previous job."

Mare's head snapped back up. Co-owns? He was talking to the goddamn sister of Seán Light? No wonder she was such a pain in the ass.

"Your brother, Seán?" Mare asked.

She nodded.

He visibly clenched his jaw, shook his head and turned to leave. Was this some sort of sick joke? He had finally accepted his fate, and now there was some sister who felt the need to waltz in here. Nah. Not his problem. If she died, that was not on him.

[gina103]

First Meeting Part Two!

This is a continuation of the last one! Warning, Ember is not having a good time. Also, I'm planning on having Ember meet the rest of the roommates, but I haven't quite figured out how yet. If anyone has any ideas for that, y'all are welcome to let me know!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ember was in so much pain.

Even though the adrenaline coursing through her body numbed her ankle a bit, it was still extremely difficult to limp her way back home.

She was sure her ankle was badly sprained, and that honestly scared her a little more than being seen.

Since she was on her own, with no family or support system to help her, she had to provide for herself, by herself. Meaning, if she was severely injured or sick, she had nobody to help her, nobody could go borrowing for her. How was she supposed to provide for herself if she couldn’t even walk? She would suffer all alone, and most likely starve since an injury like hers would render her out of commission for weeks.

As she arrived back at her home, she tried not to let the monumental consequences of everything that just happened overwhelm her. But it was too late, her thoughts felt so loud in her head, and everything was just too much. Her families’ absence was felt. All she wanted was her mother to kiss her on the forehead and tell her everything would be ok. She wanted her father to give her one of his big bear hugs that would always make her feel so safe and protected. She wanted her brother to crack a joke, which he always did in moments of stress to make her feel better. All of a sudden, Ember could not catch her breath no matter how hard she tried, her heart was pounding, her hands were trembling, she felt like she was being smothered by the air around her. In her state, she put her back against the wall, and slid down into a seated position. With her ankle causing her so much pain still, she waited for her breathing to slow down, and for her heart to stop pounding. When she was finally able to control her breathing again, all she could do was keep sitting on the floor, doing her best to process the day’s events, and her next course of action.

Jamie still didn’t know whether he was hallucinating or not.

Ever since he saw that miniscule girl hanging from the kitchen cabinets, his mind has not known peace. In the days following that encounter, he found himself unable to have a single thought that was not about her or related to her. He found himself zoning out during his classes, daydreaming about seeing her again. He zoned out during conversations with others, unable to focus on their words. The truth was, Jamie now found everything un-interesting. How could he possibly think about statistics homework when he had seen something that he believed to be impossible? How was he supposed to live normally when he couldn’t tell anyone else about the girl who occupied his thoughts constantly? Sleeping was even harder than usual, he was even trying to go to bed earlier, but all he did was toss and turn, thinking about her.

What was she doing?

What was she thinking?

Who is she?

What is she?

Where was she now?

Will I ever see her again?

These were all thoughts which permanently occupied his brain in the days following the encounter. It was insane to Jamie how such a quick moment left such a humongous impact on him. He couldn’t help but be afraid, what if he never saw her again? What if he was cursed to forever think about her? Forced to know about her existence, and carry her with him in his memories, yet never be able to do anything about it, spending sleepless nights thinking of her forever, driving himself insane. Jamie got chills just thinking about it.

Overthinking was Jamie’s specialty as if it wasn’t obvious enough.

But one thing was for sure, he needed to see her again.

Ember was not having a great time.

With only one ankle fully functional, just maneuvering around her own home was a challenge. She had tried to keep it elevated as much as possible, but her ankle was still quite swollen and purple.

It wasn’t all bad however, she remembered the time when her big brother also hurt his ankle. Her father, being the caring father he was, carved her brother his own crutch to use out of a piece of wood. Ember had managed to find this handmade crutch in her home’s storage, among the many other wood carvings her father had made. Her mobility vastly improved using the crutch, she didn’t have to hobble around on one leg anymore.

With this improvement brightening her mood, Ember could sort of go back to borrowing again. She had enough food stored to last around a week, but since her injury, it had dwindled quickly, meaning it was time to get back out there.

She could manage to gather small amounts of food, but climbing and descending ropes was basically impossible for her.

A particular issue was also arising.

She began to notice small piles of broken chips sprinkled by the entrance behind the microwave. She knew immediately who was behind it, it had to be the human who saw her, Jamie. She would take the food, the human already knew of her existence, and he hadn’t done anything to try and uncover her location so far. No pest control was called, no traps were set, the human seemed to be trying to leave her alone mostly, or Ember was just incredibly lucky.

Ember’s luck would not last.

While she could manage to gather food with her injury affecting her, getting water was an entirely different story. Her only water source was the kitchen sink, and she needed to fill up her cannister of water every week.

One night, a week after her initial injury, Ember had to once again perform her weekly task. It was around five in the morning, and everyone in the dorm had been asleep since two. She exited the wall using the entrance by the microwave. With her empty cannister in one arm, and her crutch in the other, she slowly stepped onto the skinny border that separated the two sections of the sink. Then, she placed down her cannister so that it was lined up directly under the faucet. With extreme caution, she moved back off the border and turned the faucet on so it would drip the water right into her cannister. When the container was full, she turned off the faucet, it was now time for the tricky part. She moved back onto the border to go get the full container, inching along with her crutch under her arm. Just as she could almost reach her water, her luck decided that now was the perfect time to run out.

Ember’s crutch slipped.

She did her best to recover her balance, but it wasn’t enough, and Ember went tumbling backwards into the sink, landing with a thud on her back. As she lay sprawled out at the bottom of the sink, her crutch beside her, a painful bruise forming on her back and tailbone, she knew it was over.

There was no escaping.

No way out.

She had no climbing gear, and even if she did, it would be impossible to climb out due to her stupid ankle, which still had the audacity to throb like there was no tomorrow. Never in her life did she feel so weak and useless. Couldn’t even get water by herself. Her water cannister was still sitting up on the border of the sink, she felt like it was laughing at her.

Tears sprang to Ember’s eyes, all she could do was lay there and wait for the humans to eventually discover her, she would be fully at their mercy, and all she could do was wait.

Jamie couldn’t sleep.

He was once again, awake and staring at the ceiling, listening to the sounds of his roommate, Jesus, snoring.

Deciding that he needed a drink of water, Jamie got up out of his bed and shuffled into the kitchen. When he got there, he turned on the light that lit up the countertop space only, he grabbed a cup, and just as he was going to turn the faucet on, he saw it.

He saw her.

All Jamie could do was freeze in absolute shock as he laid eyes on the girl in the sink. It was the same miniscule girl he had seen a few days before, but something was different about her.

He remembered when he first saw her, how wide and scared her dark brown eyes were. He put down the cup, and as he looked down at her small form, those same eyes had something worse than fear, it was pure and utter defeat. His heart broke in that moment, she had utterly given up. She hadn’t moved an inch when their eyes met, all she did was let out a deep sigh. He saw the tiny handmade crutch lying beside her and he saw that she was injured. Guilt flooded through him as he realized she was injured trying to escape him.

Ember was done.

The last couple of days had been so miserable for her, she had officially given up as she lay at the bottom of the sink, staring up into the human, Jamie’s eyes.

“Just get it over with,” she said miserably. She shut her eyes and waited.

“Um,” She heard, “I’m sorry, but I don’t know what you mean.”

Ember opened her eyes to look up at him. His eyes were pouring with concern and sympathy.

“Do you need any help?” Jamie asked.

Ember was very confused, this human looked genuinely sincere. It didn’t line up with the stories she grew up hearing.

Blinking in bewilderment, Ember slowly nodded to his question.

“Ok, I’ll have to pick you up, is that ok?” He inquired.

This confused her even more; he was asking for her permission? She nodded again. At her response, Jamie reached towards her. Ember watched his car-sized hand creep closer and closer, until she felt his fingers gently wrap around her waist. It was an incredibly strange feeling, her life was in his hands, literally. She felt herself being lifted up out of the sink, she observed that Jamie’s face looked so focused and concentrated, like he was lifting a precious gem out of its case. He set her down by the edge of the sink.

“Oh!” he grabbed her crutch too, holding it between two fingers out for her to take, “I’m guessing this is yours?”

“Y-yes,” she replied weakly. She took her crutch back from his massive fingers.

“And this?” He effortlessly picked up her water cannister.

She nodded; his arm extended above her as he set the container down close to the entrance behind the microwave.

“T-thank you,” Ember uttered, not really knowing what to think.

“You’re welcome,” Jamie said softly with a gentle smile on his face, “What’s your name?”

“Ember,” She felt her face warming, why was he looking at her like that?

“That’s a pretty name,” Jamie observed, he was now leaning in closer, “My name’s Jamie, and if you ever need any help with anything at all, don’t be afraid to ask, ok?”

“Ok,” Ember found herself a bit lost, he was looking at her with such gentle kindness that she felt the fear almost melt off of her. Slowly, she walked back towards her entrance, now reunited with her crutch. After she entered the wall, she had to take a minute to process how she was certain that her life was going to end, and now she wasn’t sure what to think at all.

It was certainly an eventful day.

Jamie was ecstatic.

It seemed the universe or whatever higher power had listened to his wish to see her again.

It hurt his heart the way she must have expected him to do something horrible to her, but the way her little body felt in his hands was one of the most electric sensations he’d ever felt. He tried to be as gentle as possible, he could feel her little heartbeat pounding when he held her. His heart almost melted completely when he saw her blushing a little, and even in the darkness, he could tell she was just as pretty as when he first saw her. Even her name, Ember, was pretty. He felt like a giddy schoolgirl as he walked back to his bed, the sound of Jesus’ snores once again, becoming the ambience.

He got back under the covers with a dumb smile on his face, completely forgetting what he went to the kitchen for in the first place.

[aestariiwilderness]

SPOILERS

Bad Batch Season 3 Episode 5(?) (I think?) Thoughts

Well, one big one:

HAHAHAhahahahaHHAHAHAHAHA

And the little ones:

I have been waiting for Omega to pull the age card since season 1 -- actually since before I really knew what the newest Star Wars Baby's name actually was. This was great and I want Hunter to realize it's coming for him next

I haven't stopped laughing about the "moment of silence for our fallen brother" since I saw it. Someone: *mentions Tech* Every single clone in the room: *pledge of Allegiance moment*

WHY IS CROSSHAIR STILL WEARING THE JACKET

WHY IS HE STILL WEARING THE JACKET ON A BEACH IN FULL SUNLIGHT

Crosshair is 100% the angsty sullen goth vampire hissing like he's been hit with holy water in Hawaiian environments with kind people chasing after him bearing fruit and love that I knew he would be

Crosshair: spends like two weeks on Pabu Crosshair: I can't take it anymore! UGH SUNLIGHT *drags the entire Batch to freaking Barton IV* ah, home sweet murder home. the last place I had a really good angst before my older sister found me and dragged me home by the ear. fond memories

Echo, you're a disgrace but also somehow still the only sane one here

Do datapads just not need to ever charge in Star Wars??

Omega: oh yah I have a sister did you know Echo: okay, we don't have time to unpack all that

Where is the heck is Phee? Is she just...off dismembering Cid or something?

Crosshair: "I know a place" Hunter: "YOU'RE NOT TELLING US EVERYTHING ABOUT IT" Crosshair: "I ALREADY KILLED EVERYTHING DANGEROUS HERE what do you WANT FROM ME" *Dune 2021 erupts from underneath the base* Crosshair: .... Crosshair: huh. guess Mayday forgot to mention that particular natural feature. My bad y'all

GUYS. WE NEVER TURN OFF THE MYSTERIOUS PERIMETER SENSORS. IDIOTS KNOW THIS. DID WE LEARN NOTHING FROM THE KRYKNA INCIDENTS I, II, and III

Crosshair looking at Batcher: ah, the new and improved Hunter. You're my favorite. We'll try to save you Hunter but if it gets too inconvenient I'll be over there taking a nap Hunter, standing right there: hey

Congratulations Batcher I guess you're his service animal now

Hunter: *sneaks up behind Crosshair stacking random regs' helmets one by one on a crate* Hunter: *considering Crosshair's past track record with regs, the Empire, and loyalty* so, like...did he kill these guys, or...? Hunter:...do I want to know? Hunter: *does a 180* NOPE

Hunter: "dID yOu tHiNK we wErE juST gOinG tO tAkE yOu bAcK witHoUT aSkIng aNy quEsTiONs???" Hunter, you beloved moron. You DID just take him back without asking any questions. To your super secret summer home no less. And let him spend two whole weeks chilling on a beach before it occurred to you to do anything other than stare at him with complete lack of subtlety from the top of a cliff

Why were you stalking him from the top of a cliff Hunter

Crosshair, he was silhouetted against the sun like 100 feet away with an almost seven foot dude right next to him. There was no hiding going on here. At all. Detecting him is not a super sniper skill. If you HADN'T seen that, we'd have a problem

Crosshair: hey yeah guys so this is clearly a Very Important Place to me that I will proceed to tell you Absolutely Nothing About. BTW don't land there Echo, there's a corpse in the middle of the landing pad somewhere. Possibly two if they never bothered picking up Nolan Echo:... Echo, 1000000% done with this Batch's drama: at least there's no blood this time

"I've made mistakes" AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA *smash cuts to using flamethrower on civilians* *shooting Wrecker* *"aim for the kid!"* *nearly dropping Tech off an ion engine* *trying to burn them all alive in an ion engine* *shooting at them* *kidnapping Hunter* *kidnapping all of them* *getting them trapped on Kamino while it SINKS* *shooting pretty much everybody at some point* *plan 88 but no context!* AHAHAHAHAHAHA this is my new favorite line. Hunter should get him a T-shirt that says that to replace that awful hip pocket thing

Wrecker getting genre-aware

Omega: "I told you to TALK to him not ARGUE with him" Crosshair, sulkily: "He STARTED IT" EDIT: 23. IF I SEE ONE MORE ICE VULTURE IN THIS HOUSE

[luckycharms1701]

*comes into inbox driving a semi truck and starts backing it towards the Mikey Well. Once safely arriving at lip of said hole, let's out a shrill whsitle as I proceed to dumb this upon ye*

Yo Mikesters! I heard the request to think about Mikey, and I got a little something for ya!

I dug this out of my docs, it was my very first attempt of a turtle fic I scrounged up about 5 years ago. Figured y'all could use it better than having it collect dust.

All you need to know is Clay is an older sister OC who’s really close with Mikey. Warning it is a hurt/comfort with a sprinkling of soft Raph

🧡 Breaking Point 🧡

Raphael threw open the door to Michelangelo’s room with an unapologetic BANG, causing Mikey to jump slightly from where he moodily sat hunched in the corner of his bed. 

Raph was never one to give a preamble and as such marched right in like he owned the place. 

Mikey’s eyes flicked towards his brother only for a moment before chuffing dismissively and turning his shell to his brother. 

Raph narrowed his eyes at Mikey’s lack of response and respect of his oh so “overwhelming” presence. 

Something was definitely up.

Mikey’s room was his sacred place, and he didn’t let just anybody walk in. Raph was always down for a fight, always looking for one actually. That's the reason he barged into Mikey’s room in the first place. The fact that he wasn’t adamantly defending his turf put Raph on even more of an edge. 

He had to get to the bottom of this.

Raphael strode to the side of Mikey’s bed and plopped down on the corner with a slight grunt. The noise captured Mikey’s attention, and he turned to scowl at Raph over his shoulder. Raph returned the scowl with a glare of his own, folding his arms in emphasis. 

The two brother’s gazes locked in a heated staredown. It only lasted for a handful of moments, but it seemed like an eternity due to the intense silence that screamed between the two. 

Mikey was the first to look away, unable to bear the heat that was smoldering in Raph’s glare any longer. 

“What?!”  Mikey finally snapped, throwing a hand out and raising his shoulders up defensively around his head. 

Raph didn’t even blink at Mikey’s outburst, he just stared at Mikey, long and hard before unfolding his arms to jab a finger in Mikey’s direction. 

“Spill.”  He growled.

Mikey blinked at Raph incredulously, his brows creased in confusion. “Spill? What on earth are you talking about?!”  

Raph’s eyes narrowed. “ I ain’t talking about nothin’. Yous going to be the one talking.”  

Mikey scoffed, folding his arms to mirror Raph.  “Oh yeah? About what?”  

Raph threw a hand up and rolled his eyes snarkily, “Oh Idunno? Why don't you talk about what the shell happened back there in the dojo?! Or what's been up with you for the past couple of months!”  

Mikey blinked in surprise before his face hardened in a face too serious to rest comfortably on the usual happy go lucky turtle. He looked down, again shuffling away to turn his shell to Raph.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,”  he muttered darkly.

Raph’s eye twitched at Mikey's slight petulance, and let out a little growl. “Oh don't play stupid with me, little brotha. I think you do.“ 

 Raph proceeded to angrily tick off his fingers, unaware of Mikey’s sharp flinch in response to his classic less than gentle approach. 

“You train all day, and you’s up all night. You go all “beast” mode whenever we mess with the Foot, and do it all without a single cracked joke! You’s all business and no fun.

And if that ain’t weird enough then we add in that you don’t play any of your video games anymore. I haven’t seen you read a single comic in weeks! And don’t even get me started on pizza! You haven’t picked up a slice since…” 

Raph trailed off for only a second before narrowing his eyes with a small scowl and jumping right back in, “Somethings up with you, and I don’t like it.”  

Mikey rolled his eyes and flicked his hand dismissively, sassing Raph under his breath.“There’s a lot of things you don’t like, Raph. How’s this any different?”  

Raph’s eye twitched at the blatant disrespect and immediately set to ratify the perceived injustice by slugging Mikey on the shoulder. “Hey! This ain’t about me. This is about you.”

Raph barked, reaching up to poke Mikey in the forehead. Mikey’s face twisted into annoyed scowl and he irritatedly swatted Raph’s hand away. 

“Lemme alone Raph.”  

Raph let Mikey push his hand away, but he remained rooted to Mikey’s bed. 

“I ain’t leavin’ Michelangelo.”  

Raph huffed with an unyielding voice of authority, and Mikey's scowl soured further at the use of his full name. Raph noticed the dark look and simply folded his arms, leaning back against the wall nestled against Mikey’s bed as if to prove his point. 

“Not until you let out whatevers you has holed up in that big ‘ole head of yours.”  

Mikey shot Raph a sharp side glance over his shoulder, not saying anything, just boring Raph down with his baby blues. 

“I ain’t leaving,” Raph grunted again under the scrutiny, a little quieter this time but just as resolutely as before. 

Mikey’s eyes flicked to Raph’s set jaw and knew that Raph had made up his mind about this. Raph’s stubbornness was legendary in the fact that it knew no bounds. Once Raphael set his mind on something, there was no stopping him. 

Raph just sat there on the bed, waiting tensely under Mikey’s unnerving scrutiny. Mikey had something dark stuck inside him, and Raph didn’t like that. Didn’t like that at all.

For as annoying as his kid brother could be, Mikey was still his kid brother, and he was going to sit there all night if he had to, to help his little buddy out. 

Mikey stared at Raph for a couple moments more in thick and tense silence before slowly lowering his gaze from Raph’s face. Mikey bent forward, resting his elbows against his knees and intertwinning his fingers with a small defeated and weary sigh. 

Raph eyed Mikey’s abnormally solemn behavior with slight unease, his arms folded tightly against his plastron. 

Sure, he’d wait all night if he had to, but everybody knew that patience was not one of Raphael’s strong suits. Raph just silently prayed that Mikey’s chronic restlessness would snap faster than Raph’s impatience. 

It would seem however that the heavens were closed tonight, for the two turtles continued to sit in an agonizingly prolonged silence. Raph continued to sit agitatedly on the side of Mikey’s bed, waiting for him to speak. To do or say anything. 

Raph couldn’t remember a time that Mikey had been quiet or still for quite this long, and it was grating on his nerves. Heck even when he was sleeping, Mikey would fidget, snore, sleep talk or just do whatever his little energizer bunny body did when it was so called “resting”. 

This ongoing silence was going to drive Raph mad…well…madder than normal.

 Mikey finally seemed to gather his thoughts and let out a long shuddering breath. Raph almost let out a sigh himself, but refrained and just turned to his little brother expectantly. Mikey inhaled slowly and looked down at his hands for a moment.

His eyes were full of sorrow, lost and unfocused in an unnerving way as he began to absentmindedly stroke the lines in his palms with the pad of his finger before muttering in an unnatural softness, “Being the mutant heroes of the city and whatever, we see a lot of weird out on the streets.“  

Raph blinked in surprise. He wasn’t expecting that. He didn’t know what he was expecting, but that definitely was not it.  

Mikey let out a little sardonic laugh and dropping his wrists on his knees with a wry shake of his head before continuing on. “Heck, if we didn’t see something weird or out of the ordinary then that was usually a big sign something was up.”  

Raph dipped his head and lifted a shoulder in agreement, but was still confused on where this was leading. He was used to Mikey talking in circles, that wasn’t anything new. But when Raph looked up to see Mikey’s twitch up into a soft small smile, suddenly he knew exactly where this conversation was headed. 

There was only one person who could make Mikey smile like that.  

Mikey sat smiling away at his thoughts for a second and then continued. “But Clay…dude...she was weird like nobody I’d ever met. I mean who else would not scream when they saw four mutant ninja turtles in the sewer?” 

Mikey shook his head and let out a more Mikey sounding laugh at the memory. “Heck even Casey and April freaked when they first must us. But not Clay, dude. She was like totally chill.”  

Raph interjected at that moment with a smirk. “You’re forgetting that she was looking for us, man. She knew exactly what she was doin’.” 

Mikey waved Raph’s words away with a flick of his hand. “That’s besides the point, dude. Clay was different, and well...I liked her different. She was this rad mixture of like total chill and just enough quirkiness to keep things interesting” 

Mikey fell quiet at that, musing absentmindedly as he chewed on his bottom lip. His fingers twitched as he stroke his hands with some bottled up nervously energy for a moment or two as he attempted to wrangle in the rodeo that was his thought process before adding softly. 

“I liked her Raph...I liked her a lot.”  

Raph let out a snort of laughter and slugged Mikey in the shoulder with a teasing waggle of his eyebrows “ ‘Course ya did, Mikey.”  

Mikey shot him a dark look and shoved Raph to the side with an annoyed huff. “Cut it out, dude! It wasn’t like that! “ 

Raph let Mikey push his shell back against the wall with a small amused chuckle. It was good to see some fire back in Mikey’s eyes and he couldn’t help the small smirk from playing on his lips. “I know. We all liked her.”  

There was a small grunt of agreement was the only response from Mikey’s end of the bed as he slowly getting lost again in thought. “That’s just it, bro...We’re…I’m usually the first to make friends with people, but it was Clay who was the first to try and be friends with us! It was unexpected and totally out of the ordinary. Guess…I guess that’s why we got along so well.” 

The little light that had sparked into Mikey's eyes when previously mentioning Clay dimmed slightly as his smile turned sad and wrung his hands together. “Clay was the unexpected to my out of the ordinary. She was a friend to all of us, but to me she wasn’t just a friend. She was...I don’t even know… just something else man.”  

Mikey let out a breath and looked down at his hands, flexing his two fingers. Raph picked up on the nervous energy, and he could tell that Mikey was really struggling to get these words out. Mikey never struggled with words, being the friendly little extrovert that he was and it was that fact alone that made Raph hesitantly scoot in to listen just a little bit closer. 

“Clay was the first person to make me feel like I was more than just the stupid little brother.” Mikey’s brow hardened into an intense frown ,and his fingers suddenly curled inward, making a tight white knuckled fist. “I know you guys think I’m an idiot, and that I can’t take anything seriously.” 

Raph rolled his eyes and scooted closer so he could wrap an arm around Mikey’s shoulder. “ Come on Mikey. You know that ain’t true. Messing around is what big brotha’s do!”  

Mikey clenched his eyes shut and let out a low growl that was so low and full of rage that Raph had the chilling experience of feeling small in front of his kid brother for one teensy teeny tiny little second which made him completely unprepared when Mikru three Raph’s arm off from his shoulders. 

“I wish it was just messing around! But you dudes actually believe it! You dudes don’t think I can do anything!” Mikey snarled as he whirled to face Raph with a seething look.

Raph’s eyes widened in surprise at the pure ferocity that oozed out of Mikey’s voice and tense body language.

Mikey’s shoulders shook, and his hands clenched and unclenched into fists in a motion that was oh so hauntingly familiar to Raph but looked just downright unnatural when Mikey did it. Mikey continued on, his voice low and tense.

 “I’m just the kid brother who will always plays as bait because that’s all you dudes think I’m good for, and when I actually do something useful you act all surprised, like it’s a spur of the moment or whatever! You don’t think I’m actually capable of doing anything on purpose except being “annoying” do you? “  

Mikey air quoted sarcastically, and then turned to face Raph directly in the eyes, his chest heaving as he snarled into his brother’s face.

“Well do you?!“ 

Raph couldn’t believe what he was seeing right now. His kid brother who was usually the first to back down when talking to him, was now staring him down hard with absolutely no fear. Mikey held resouletely held his gaze, his jaw set as he waited for Raph’s response.

 “I… uh…” Raph stuttered and his hand came to rub the back of his neck. He didn’t know what to say. Mikey was right. They had all treated him like he was a little kid. 

Mikey continued to glare at Raph, his baby blues shockingly ice cold. The shame of being called out made it hard for Raph to meet Mikey’s eyes. Mikey turned his head sharply and looked down at the ground in disgust, “That’s what I thought.” He muttered darkly under his breath. 

Mikey raised a shaky fist, and punched it into the fabric beside him. He slowly released his fingers, digging them into the fabric with a sharp exhale. ‘

“Clay never treated me like that. She was the only one who didn’t treat me like a joke. She laughed with me. Not at me.” 

Mikey shot out before pulling his legs up into his plastron, and wrapped his arms tightly around his knees with a shaken huff.

Raph’s heart squeezed uncomfortably at the sight of his little brother curling in on himself like that. Mikey used to do that a bunch when he was scared and needed comfort as a kid. It just felt…wrong seeing the bigger-than-life turtle seem small…almost fragile all closed up like that. 

Mikey let out a long sigh and his shoulders dropped.  “We never talked like her and Donnie did…” Mikey began softly, the anger dissipating from his voice, making him seem tired and withdrawn.

 “But whenever I wanted to say something, Clay actually cared enough to listen. Even when she was arting or whatever, she’d put whatever she was doing aside and gave me her full attention.”  

Mikey tightened his hold around his legs, and plopped his head on his knees, his voice coming out in a wet croak. “She made me feel special and important. Someone worth talking to. Somebody actually cool enough to hang out with. Not just someone’s annoying responsibility.” 

His voice cracked slightly at that comment, and he cleared his throat with a sniff before continuing. “Nobody’s ever really done that before...and I guess that’s why I hung around her so often. It was nice to feel like somebody actually cared about me.” 

Mikey’s eyes got misty, a broken little smile toying at his lips as once again he wandered down a fairer memory lane. “You know, Clay had this way of making me feel like I was actually good at being a ninja, that I was a contributing and important part of this team. She believed in me in a way that you dudes never did.” 

Mikey wiped a fist across his eyes and let out a little laugh. “Shell, I don’t even think Master Splinter thinks I’ll really amount to anything, but Clay did. She saw something in me, and she made sure to let me know. But she wasn’t pushy about trying to find and train it like Leo is sometimes.” 

Raph’s brow furrowed slightly at that,  and he leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees. He let out a grunt trying to mask the chuckle that wanted to escape from his throat. Mikey had pegged the main difference between Leo and Clay head on.

Mikey didn’t notice and continued to plow on. “Clay was chill bro, but it was the kind of chill that inspired you. I wanted to do better. I wanted to be better, so I could be the Michaelangelo she believed I could be. That’s why I trained so hard when she was…” Mikey coughed and continued albeit a little quieter. “That’s why I continue to train.“  

Raph looked up at Mikey in surprise over his shoulder before quickly looking down at his hands. He knew exactly what Mikey meant. 

Clay had become something like…a big sister to all of them. She had this uncanny way of looking at all of them through their thick shells and seeing the young boys who just wanted love and acceptance. And what was crazy most about it? Is she just gave it. No rhyme, no reason, no joke, pattern or logic to how she did it. She simply just met the turtles where they were at, and loved them from there. 

Each of the brothers had his life touched by her gentle hand in some form or fashion, and all of them in their own unique way had wanted to keep her safe, keep her with them. None more so than Mikey it would appear. 

Mikey unfolded his legs and leaned forward on the bed, his head hanging dejectedly and his voice cracking with defeat. “But all that training did nothing, Raph. Nothing. When Clay really needed me… I wasn’t there. I couldn’t help her.”  

Mikey’s voice broke, and he dropped his face into his hands. “When I close my eyes… I still see her stupid smiling face as she lays there...broken on that roof. All because I was too slow! I was too slow.”  

His breath shuddered in his chest, making his shoulders tremble with the movement. Mikey ground the heel of his hand into his eyes to stop the tears that had started to fall down his face. In doing so he removed the orange mask around his eyes and Raph’s eyes widened with sickening horror as he saw the raw black circles that circled around Mikey’s bloodshot exhausted eyes.

 “I can’t sleep dude. No matter how exhausted I am after training, I can’t sleep. I still see her in my dreams and … I can’t help but think…” Mikey’s voice trembled, and he raised a shaking hand to his mouth. “That if I really was the ninja she thought I was... if I  moved just a little faster… I could have... she…she would still be here.” 

A strangled keening came from Mikey’s throat at his confession and he hunched forward, sobbing brokenly into his hands. 

The reservoir that he had so carefully built around his heart had finally broken. The pain, the memories, the aching in his heart was too raw and Mikey felt the waves of guilt and shame washed over him, threatening to drag him down to drown into the full depths of his despair. 

He felt like he couldn’t breathe, but he didn't care. He deserved this. He deserved to suffer. Clay was gone because of him! This was his fault. He wasn't enough. He was never enough and so it was ALL his fault. 

Hearing Mikey weep with no hope caused something inside of Raph to snap. He had to do something. Nobody messed with Mikey. Nobody. Not even Mikey himself. Raph’s eyes narrowed, and he turned to roughly grab Mikey by the shoulders.

“Michelangelo, stop that!  You an’ I know betta than anybody else that Clay wasn’t one to sit on the sidelines!“  Raph growled, causing Mikey to start at Raph’s sudden roughness, and stared at him with wide tearstained eyes. 

“You know she’s as self sacrificing as Leo is. When she saw somethin’, she did somethin’ ! An‘ there was nothin’ you or I could do about it.” 

Raph looked at Mikey hard in the eyes and leaned forward to poke him in the chest. “Now you listen here, Clay made her choice that night on the roof. She chose to risk her life to save you. We have to respect that she knew what she was doin’. Whether we like it or not.” 

Mikey looked away shaking his head with a frantic hiccup, and the anger deflated out of Raph like a popped balloon at the sound. Now was not the time to be rough. Mikey was hurting, and getting mad at him wasn’t going to help.

Raph let out a sigh and his fingers flexed with anxious energy where he held Mikey’s shoulder.

“I’m no good with this word stuff, Mikey, so Ima tell you a little somethin’ Clay told me cuz you know she’d say it betta.” 

Raph gave Mikey a small crooked smile before continuing. “The only reason we is good as a team is because we brothas first. An’ Mikey, we ain’t been a team since you’ve been gone.” 

Raph tightened his hold on Mikey’s shoulders, and leaned in a little closer, trying to meet Mikey’s tear stained eyes. Hisvoice was unnaturally soft as he murmured, “I know you’s hurtin’ and you have every right to be hurt right now... We all lost somethin’ special when we lost Clay. You more than anybody, but don’t you see?

That’s why we need you, Mikey.” 

Mikey blinked at that and looked up at Raph in surprise as if he wasn't sure if he heard his brother correctly. Raph gave his little brother a sad but surprisingly understanding smile before reaching up to yank Mikey into a fiercely tight hug. 

Mikey let out a squawk of surprise as he suddenly was engulfed by the giant hulking mess of his big brother, pressed tightly against his plastron. He hiccuped again, trembling slightly with unease of his big bad brother suddenly showing a very rare softer side. 

Raph took in a deep breath, not really caring about Mikey’s discomfort as only a caring big brother can do and gently rested his chin on Mikey’s shoulder. He lightly knocked his head against Mikey’s and muttered, “Clay’s right. What we have is special; you are what makes this team special. An’ it just ain’t the same without you. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve really enjoyed kicking your shell an’ helping you train, but I miss my little brotha.”  

Mikey went still in Raph’s arms as he tried to grasp his head around what Raph had just said. His tired brain couldn't seem to hold onto any thread of thought as one tiny, foolish spark of hope ignited in his heart. He wasn't…Raph didn't mean…

When it finally sunk in, when he realized what Raph was really tryin to say, Mikey couldn’t hold back the tears any longer. He let out a small wail and buried his face in his brother’s shoulder, his fingers coming to claw onto his brother's rough and scared shell, clinging on to Raph’s hug for dear life. 

Mikey wept, letting months of built up anguish finally be felt as tears poured like rain down his face onto Raph’s shoulder. Just simply crying as a boy who mourns for the loss of his best friend.

Raph’s face winced in pain as he heard Mikey continue to cry, but he knew that Mikey needed to get this out if he was ever going to get any better. So Raph just tightened his hold around his little brother, one of his hands coming to gently cup the back of Mikey’s neck to pull him more securely into the protection of his arms.

They just sat there together for a little while, Raph waiting for Mikey’s sobs to quiet down before quietly whispering in Mikey’s ear, “We’re not askin’ you to stop hurtin’, Mikey. Alls we is askin’ is to let us help you bear this pain.”  

Raph pulled back to look Mikey in the straight in the eyes and tightly squeezed his shoulder to let Mikey know that he meant what he said.

“As a team.”  

Raph lowered his head and rested his forehead against Mikey’s with a determined whisper. 

“As brotha’s.”

oh anon-chan, this is so good!! my heart, poor mikey 😭😭😭

@justalotoffanfiction you were looking for mikey inspo, the people have provided!!

[myckicade]

I should have been in bed nearly two hours ago, but this thing is haunting me.

I'm going to repeat some points I've already posted, but some things bear repeating.

That was the worst series finale I have ever seen. I thought the finale of Preacher was an ugly little fiasco. My word. It will be hard to top this one! Holy frickle-dickles.

(The X-Files, Supernatural, Fullmetal Alchemist... I'm used to pain, but this tempted me to break out the Jack Daniels).

So, yeah. Ding-dong, the cunt bag... -s are all dead? What was the fucking point of that? EZ, completely expected, especially when it was said, 'We've all been talking'. It was a bit of a push for the poetic, that EZ would pull a Mark Antony quote, then get Julius Caesared. (I feel like I made a comment about that last season, but it might have been a verbal conversation). Anywho. I just don't understand the point of the rest. (After a few hours of sleep, I might be able to gather what they were going for, but we shall see). Taking out Bottles, of all people...

I see some fix-it fics in my future. Some out of spite.

I liked Potter in Sons. I did. He was responsible for his share of shit, but his character was well-written. They ruined him in Mayans, so hard. He's come across half-crazed, and tipping off his axis. I'm so disgusted that he's still walking around, King of the Fucking Hill. If ANYONE needed to catch a bullet - aside from EZ - it was old Pot-Ash.

*ahems*

I'm actually really mad that Emily got her way, too. Not just because of Miguel, but because of the utterly simplistic way it went down. (Let's face it, that wasn't a terribly inventive plot she cooked up). Killing Miguel was just the quick way to tie up another useless loose end, leaving the Gallindo family no different than the rest of the story.

Fucking. Pointless.

List of Other Pointless Things Bugging Me:

* Letty's rage. Don't get me wrong, I'm over the damned moon that she and Sally are in the clear. But, that Letty found Sally, and the bloody trailer, and just... abandoned everything? C'mon.

* Bringing Taza back. Again, y'all know I was ELATED to see the bastard, but not to get him on-screen again?? I find solace in the fact that I didn't have to watch him die.

* Angel spotting the pictures and letters in Miguel's hand during Felipe's funeral. I had hope, and it went NOWHERE. As expected. As usual.

* Sofia's pregnancy, and death. I assume the pregnancy was to make her pointless death more tragic, but it was still a waste of time. (Bitch is no Cleopatra). If EZ had found out? Yeah, maybe. I know the broad was a loose end, too. No question. Had to eradicate (nearly) all that was EZ's. It was just the same writing as the rest of the season:

Sloppy, and lazy.

* The war. That wasn't a war. That was a bunch of kids taking turns beating each other up on their way home from school.

* The pipeline. There was no fixing that shit, and we spent the bulk of the FINAL MOTHERFUCKING SEASON on it.

There's more, but my brain aches for rest.

A Couple of Things I Enjoyed:

* Marcus getting the chance to be a good father. It was nice, given his relationship with Jax Teller. He saw a father lose it all, and now he's getting to have it all. Bonus Dad Points for doing the skin-to-skin contact with the baby. That was just beautiful. ❤️.

- It was also a reminder to keep at the birth control. 🤣. When Marcus started talking about not getting to see his son's children, I got to thinking about how the guy I'm seeing is two-and-a-half decades older than me, and... Yeah. Math, indeed. You didn't need to know that, but there it is!

* That was a nice chat on the bridge. It was. Brought me back to my own childhood, and moments where I had to stay strong to protect my own brother. Solid, believable stuff, right there.

Dude. Was that really all that I enjoyed?

Fuck the J.D. It's time for the Jose Cuervo.

Catch y'all on the fic side.

-Mycki

[witchofthescions]

It had been a while since they'd last seen little Ga Bu. It broke Erna's heart to see the poor kobold still so unresponsive, even as she picked him up and cradled him like the child he was. He leaned against her, but she couldn't tell if he was responding to her touch or if it was simply the influence of physics.

Alisaie watched her as she stroked the tiny child's back. He was smaller than the adults they were used to, but in Erna's arms he looked even smaller. Even more fragile.

They heard the rain falling on the ground behind them, just outside the entrance to the Maelstrom's headquarters. Other adventurers came and went, occasionally sparing the trio a curious glance, but otherwise giving them their space. It was its own sort of loneliness.

"You know," Alisaie said, "with the three of us like this, does it not remind you of that night? Of the stars beyond count, twinkling in the heavens?"

Erna cast a glance towards the overcast sky, raising an eyebrow. Alisaie followed her gaze and let out an awkward chuckle.

"Well, obviously it's not exactly like that night. The time of day and the weather are not exactly cooperative right now."

Alisaie fell quiet for another moment, as the two of them watched the rain falling outside.

"I was feeling pretty low back then," she quietly continued. "Powerless. But I knew that my brother was close by if I needed him. And that the others would be waiting for me back at the Rising Stones."

"Not like now," the two of them muttered. Alisaie's eyes widened as she turned to Erna. She was at just the right angle to see the pensive look on her friend's face. To see her exhaustion as she stared out into the rain.

Seeing the woman she looked up to so... defeated was difficult for Alisaie to bear.

"Eh? What's with the long faces?"

The two of them turned to see a Roegadyn woman with tanned skin and well-muscled arms approaching them. She had long red hair tied up in a bun, and dirty overalls that had seen their fair share of wear and tear. Her second most striking feature was her mismatched eyes—one red, one gold. Her most striking feature was how strongly her daughter Ernastral resembled her.

"Ma!" Erna exclaimed, looking genuinely surprised to see her. Her mother grinned back, before snatching Erna's hat right off her head and affectionately ruffling her short hair. "Wh-hey! Cut that out!"

"What, suddenly yer too grown for yer dear ol' ma?" Erna pouted until her mother placed her hat back on her head. "Yeah, alright, yer too tall for that. But that's the only thing protectin' ya now."

Erna stuck her tongue out at her mother, prompting a suppressed giggle from Alisaie. Her mother grinned, looking proud of her handiwork.

"Now, what's got y'all lookin' so down?"

The girls exchanged a look, before Alisaie decided to launch into an explanation of recent events. She focused mostly on the Scions; a simple farm woman like her wouldn't be too interested in global goings-on in far-flung locations, after all. She listened intently, gaze drifting between the two girls, until Alisaie finished.

"...Struck down all at once, huh?" she remarked softly. "No wonder y'all looked so down."

She placed a hand on Erna's shoulder, and another on top of Alisaie's head. For a moment Alisaie rankled at the gesture, feeling a bit patronized. Until the woman spoke again.

"But you've still got each other, don'tcha?"

The girls' eyes widened. Erna's mother smiled at them both.

"And y'all still have the rest of the Scions, right? It's a big organization, if'n I recall correctly."

"It is," Alisaie said, smiling a little. "And we've many friends and allies besides."

"Good," she nodded decisively. "Remember: it ain't over 'til it's over. Even if it takes a while to see any progress, even if today looks pretty bleak." She nodded towards the rain outside. "It may be rainin' right now, but it'll pass eventually. Just need yourselves an umbrella or two."

"Thanks, ma."

Erna's mother smiled at her, then turned serious for a moment. "By the way, y'all have an umbrella on ya, right?"

"Uh..."

Judging from the expressions on both of their faces, and the lingering dampness of their clothes, the answer was a resounding no. Erna's mother gave them both the sort of disappointed look that only a mother could give.

"Girls..."

"We'll... pick one up at the market later," Alisaie sheepishly promised.

"You'd better!" She ruffled Alisaie's hair with the same level of affection as she'd done for Erna. "Last thing yer friends're gonna want to see when they wake up is you two sick in bed 'cause you went runnin' through the rain without any sorta cover!"

"Lenar would never let me hear the end of it," Erna remarked.

"Neither would Y'shtola," Alisaie said. "Gods, I can just imagine the disappointed look on her face..."

"She ain't even a mother and she's got that look down pat."

The actual mother present burst out laughing. "Oh, I've got to see that! So you'd better hurry up and help yer friends."

"We will," Alisaie said, grinning again. "We absolutely will."

[ladyanidala]

Goodie, I get to talk about TBB and y'all get to suffer :D

I got into the show bc it was the next thing Star Wars released, lol. I watched the final two episodes of TCW and didn't want to let the show go, and so I started up with TBB when it released.

Crosshair, because he's such a complex character. I've always liked him, and it made me so happy to get much more screentime with him this past season!

No, I've liked all the members for their quirks.

My favorite non-Batch character from the show would have to be Phee. I have to admit, I really didn't like her at first, but she's grown on me tremendously. Love you, Phee!

Out of all the characters, I relate to Crosshair the most. I may not have tried to kill my family, but the guilt he carries from his actions? The way he tries to sacrifice himself in a way to atone for his mistakes? That I can relate to.

Favorite villain? Ventress. Granted, she's not totally a villain, but I've grown to love her character, especially since starting Dark Disciple.

Crosshair. Without a doubt, Crosshair.

I can see Echo and Hunter trading off movie night, or picking up slack where the other accidentally drops it. Mom and Dad of the Batch, respectively.

Something I didn't notice? It wasn't until I saw a tweet on here from the lighting guy (Joel Aron, I think???) that I noticed the foreshadowing and connection to the plot that the lighting has on the show. Absolutely incredible making that connection and then seeing it play out!!

One uncommon headcanon I have that I haven't seen anywhere else is that Hunter will absolutely go somewhere with a guitar for several hours and just jam out. It gives him space that he needs from his family, it gives him the ability to choose the stimulation he can handle, and he gets to sing. What a win for my man.

One character moment that I see unappreciated in the show is the one where Hunter yells Tech's name when the ship is impounded after he ran outside Cut's house. The animation is just so great with Hunter's body language, and ok yes, maybe it looks a little attractive, sue me.

s3, ep5 lives in my head rent free. Give me all the emotional angst and resolution, I neeeeeed ittttttttt

My favorite way to participate in the fandom is lurk. Ofc, I do exchanges and stuff, which is so much fun(!!!), but I love to see what others come up with! It's truly a blessing to see what our love for this show brings forth!

Omega, with Wrecker a close second. Omega has the shrillness to pierce the ears of everyone around her, hahaha.

Hunter, Wrecker, Tech, Crosshair. Ofc, if I'm adding in Echo and Omega, then Echo, Hunter, Wrecker, Tech, Crosshair, and Omega. You'll have to pry my Tech/Crosshair twin headcanon from my cold, dead hands.

My favorite episode from the show would have to be either s3 ep5 or the one where Hunter and Wrecker go to space Louisiana. Bros are fighting for their lives, and Crosshair and Omega get to chill, what a great time XD

My least favorite episode is the s2 finale for multiple reasons almost all relating to Tech. I refuse to watch it ever again. I was nauseous for a good 30 minutes after watching it once, and I will never do it again.

Honestly, the best memory I have associated with the show is staying up until 3 AM when the episodes for s3 would drop so I could facetime @aknightreaderr after so we could screech about what we'd just seen, lololol. Great stuff, I loved it.

Brother Bear, they'd 100% love Brother Bear.

My favorite thing about the fandom is how wild we can get, and how often we can come to the same conclusion independently of each other (like how Tech is alive).

Bonus question - Yes, 1000% committed voter fraud and I have 0 regrets. 99% sure my prompts sandwiched the rankings for the first 26 prompts too, which makes it all worth it, lol

Tagging: @aknightreaderr @callmevexx @ahsokathegray and anyone else who wants to join!

BAD BATCH 20 QUESTIONS

Get to know your fellow Bad Batch fandom community! Answer the following 20 questions! (Thanks to everyone who submitted questions for this Ask Game!)

Answer the questions and tag whoever you'd like to see their answers too 🥰

When/How did you get into the show?

Who is your favorite character from the show and why?

Was there a member of the Bad Batch you didn't like at first? If so, why? Has your view changed?

Who is your favorite non-Batch character?

Which character from the show do you most relate to?

Who is your favorite villain/antagonist from the show?

If you needed a Bad Batcher to help you commit a crime, who would it be?

Which Bad Batcher would be in charge (or take charge) of movie night?

What's something you didn't notice the first time watching the Bad Batch? (Or...what's something you didn't notice until someone else in the fandom pointed it out)

What is one strange head canon you have about any of the Bad Batchers that you haven't seen anywhere else?

What is a character quote/moment that is under appreciated from the show?

What scene/moment from the show lives in your head rent free?

What's your favorite way to participate in the Bad Batch Fandom?

Which Bad Batcher would scream the loudest on a rollercoaster?

Based on vibes alone, what is the "birth order" of the Batch? (Oldest, middle, youngest)

What's your favorite episode from the show and why?

What's your least favorite episode from the show and why?

Do you have any fun memories associated with the show?

What family movie would the Cadet Batch watch on repeat?

What is your favorite thing about being part of the Bad Batch fandom?

BONUS QUESTION

Did you commit voter fraud during prompt voting for @summer-of-bad-batch? 😂 (I have a google sheet that I'll share screenshots of at the end of the challenge with PROOF of the insanity of Summer of Bad Batch voter fraud...peak insanity, peak hilarity, loved every moment of it!)

No Pressure Tags: (all the Summer of Bad Batch community...I'd tag y'all, but that tag list would get insanely long...you know who you are 😘)

[bumblesimagines]

The Sun and Moon

Part 8

Request: Yes or No

Almost at double digits y'all! This one is a little short

~~~

"You have the chance to best him!" Eloise exclaimed, eagerly watching as Kate got into position. Her ball had perfectly aligned with Anthonys'. Something that had both Kate and Eloise grinning from ear to ear. 

"That wouldn't be very sportsmanlike, now would it?" Colin called as everyone gathered to watch Kate. (Y/N) stood beside Benedict, muscles aching and crying, letting (Y/N) know he needed to bow out before he awoke with soreness the next morning. 

"I was told unsportsmanlike conduct was a requirement for this game," Kate said and looked back at Daphne with a cheeky smile. 

With a soft chuckle, Daphne nodded, "A fast learner you are indeed, Miss Sharma." 

"What do you say, My Lord?" Kate asked, tilting her body toward Anthony. The Viscount lifted his gaze away from the two balls, addressing Kate with a curious look. "Are you in a losing mood?"

"My mood shall remain unchanged, regardless of your choice," Anthony responded cooly, resting his fist against his hip. His rather forced smile, however, told otherwise.

"Ah, is that so? You would bravely bear the crushing shame of defeat?" Her words made Edwina's eyes widen, her sisters' competitiveness and cockiness seeming to surprise her. Perhaps she'd never seen this side of Kate, or maybe she just hadn't expected it to come out in front of Anthony.

"Play pleasant, Didi," Edwina whispered with a frown.

"Not to worry, Miss Edwina," Anthony assured the younger woman, leaning in slightly as he spoke, a hint of sarcasm dripping from his next sentence. "In light of my brothers' and sisters' tactics, Miss Sharma conducts herself with much grace indeed."

"Ah." Clicking her tongue, Kate cocked her head. "Then you shall not mind this." Rearing up, she swung her mallet and sent Anthonys' ball flying through the air, disappearing behind some bushes. 

"Well done!" Daphne laughed, clapping her hands. Anthony clenched his jaw, inhaling deeply through his nose before tucking his mallet under his armpit and clapping along as well, another forced smile appearing on his face. 

"Miss Edwina!" Benedict called, tapping the ground with his mallet. "I believe it is your turn." 

However, Edwina seemed less than thrilled, clutching her mallet and approaching her ball. She aligned her mallet with it and after a second, she gave it a hit. The sound of two balls colliding echoed and (Y/N) hummed, watching his dark green ball disappear, followed by Edwinas' blue one.

"Apologies, Mr. Granville! I didn't mean to-"

"It's quite alright, Miss Edwina." (Y/N) brushed her off with a smile and shake of his head. While Edwina seemed far from convinced, shown through her sad doe eyes, she nodded and turned to face the others. 

"I think I shall cut out." She announced, giving Daphne a curtsy before walking past everyone, and heading back to the mansion. Anthony acted quickly, almost stumbling over his feet as he jogged to catch up with her. 

"Will you be joining Miss Edwina, (Y/N)? If not, you better go fetch your ball." Benedict said, glancing back at Anthony as he rejoined them. "You as well, Brother."

"Up for a walk, Anthony?" (Y/N) questioned with a grin, beginning his trek toward the small forested area. 

"Of course." Anthony quickened his face, gently bumping shoulders with him as he fell into pace with him. 

With a twinkle in his eyes, (Y/N) tilted his head. "Bet I can find mine before yours!" He called before darting off. Anthony paused for a moment, blinking after the painter before a grin broke out on his face and he geared up, racing after the man with a laugh. The two pushed through the brush, frantically looking for a shine of pink or dark green whilst giggling like schoolboys. 

"Oh. Dash it!" Lifting his head, (Y/N) looked over at Anthony, noticing him staring off into the distance, (Y/N) straightened up and walked over, ducking over a low-hanging branch and peering over his shoulder. Then, he spotted them. In the mud. 

"What are we waiting for, then?" (Y/N) asked, brushing past Anthony and moving around the muddy ground until he found a small opening without grass covering it. Anthony stood beside him and poked at the mud with his mallet, cringing at the squelching sound it made. Without a second thought, (Y/N) moved, walking through the mud until he reached his ball, water lightly splashing around, disturbed by his footsteps. 

Inhaling, (Y/N) aligned his mallet with the ball, taking a moment to glance at Anthony, only to pause when he noticed his expression. Anthonys' jaw had quite literally dropped. Chuckling softly, (Y/N) hit his ball, hard enough to get it out of the mud but light enough that it wouldn't go flying more than a few feet. 

"I'm a painter, Anthony. I get dirty all the time." (Y/N) reminded him, motioning for Anthony to retrieve his ball. 

"Right, of course," Anthony muttered, stepping into the brown mush and walking forward, almost stumbling when his foot abruptly sank deeper than expected. (Y/N) snorted at the sight, reaching out to steady Anthony before watching him hit his ball, the now speckled pink ball landing near (Y/N)s'. 

"Not so hard, was it?" (Y/N) smiled and took a step forward, only to feel his foot slip out of his boot. The loss of weight holding him down unbalanced him and he fell forward with a squeak, effectively covering his chest and arms in mud. The air remained silent for a moment, apart from the chirping of birds and crickets, before Anthony broke out into a fit of laughter. (Y/N) soon joined him, laughing as he rolled over and sat up, shaking his hands and flinging mud at the ground. 

"Come on! Don't stand there and laugh at me!" (Y/N) laughed and raised his hand, bending his knees and rearing himself up to stand. Anthony snickered softly and grabbed his outstretched hand, digging his heels into the mud and pulling. But it appeared karma would take swift action against Anthony. He lost grip due to the mud on (Y/N)s hand and tumbled backward, landing on the mud with a squelch. (Y/N) didn't waste time laughing at his misfortune and the dumbfounded look on his face, feeling tears prickle at his eyes from the hilarity of it all. 

"That makes us even, then!" He giggled and took his forgotten mallet, using it as a cane of sorts to push himself up. Steadying himself, he collected his boot and slipped it on before leaning over to grasp Anthonys' arms and pull him upward. The two stumbled once more but Anthony quickly rooted himself into the mud, arms wrapping around (Y/N) before he could fall again. 

"I suspect we'll have a lot of explaining to do." (Y/N) giggled, still holding onto his arms. A soft breathy sigh escaped him and he noticed Anthonys' silence, tilting his head upward in the slightest and realizing once again the lack of space between them. Anthonys' breath fanned gently against his face and he watched Anthonys' eyes lower onto his lips, the grip around his waist tightening.

"Anthony, we should get back." He meant to speak cooly but the words came out breathless and quiet. Neither of them moved, remaining pressed against each other with their noses nearly touching. Anthony swallowed and his lips parted. He leaned forward in the slightest, gaze flickering up to meet (Y/N)s' before they moved to look at something behind (Y/N). 

"Anthony?" (Y/N) frowned, noticing the way Anthony tensed and his features hardened. He turned his head to look over his shoulder, only being able to spot a bench and a tree. The sound of Daphnes' voice seemed to pull Anthony back to reality, arms releasing (Y/N) and dropping to his sides. His gaze fell onto the ground and he cleared his throat.

"We should go." Anthony agreed and turned around, carefully getting back to solid ground before offering (Y/N) his hand, clutching it tightly as (Y/N) awkwardly stumbled out of the mud.

"A-Are you alright?" (Y/N) asked as he regained his footing, glancing back toward the tree but Anthony wordlessly began the trek back to the others. The painter frowned, watching Anthony disappear through the brush and he turned toward the tree. Nothing looked off about it. Perhaps it held childhood memories? (Y/N) didn't wish to pry but the way Anthonys' whole demeanor changed struck him as odd so he began walking toward it, brushing mud off himself as he reached the tree and rounded a corner. He spotted it immediately.

A gravestone with a name carved in. Edmund Bridgerton. 

               ꕤ         ꕤ       ꕤ       ꕤ       ꕤ       ꕤ

"If it is a clear mind you seek, Brother, I may know how to help," Colin revealed, swirling the tea one final time before setting it down. "Worldly travelers use it as a way to open their minds and transcend ordinary anxieties." He explained, sprinkling a pinch of the powder into the tea as Benedict snatched the pouch from him and gave it a whiff. He immediately cringed and held back the urge to cough, offering it to the painter sitting beside him. 

"Have a whiff at that,

" Benedict muttered in disgust but (Y/N) made no movement to take the pouch. Looking away from his brother, Benedict nudged him with his elbow and furrowed his brows when (Y/N) snapped his head up to look at him. "You alright?"

"Yes, quite alright." (Y/N) answered and nodded, carefully taking the pouch and holding it up to his nose, only to instantly regret inhaling. If anything, it reminded him of horse manure. Grunting softly, (Y/N) set it on the table and shook his head, a chuckle leaving Colin before he offered Benedict the cup.

"It only takes the smallest of doses to feel the effects." Benedict took the cup from him, sighing softly before he took a sip. Smacking his lips a bit, he shrugged his shoulders. 

"Whatever's the point? I hardly think a tea will distract me from the momentous decision the proctors at the Royal Schools are making at this very moment." Benedict set the cup down at the table, raising his thumb to his lips and anxiously biting at his nail. 

"Or perhaps, it will allow you to escape the thoughts that have been plaguing your mind. The doubts, the questions that seem to linger no matter how far you go to escape them." Looking at Colin, (Y/N) could easily deduce the Bridgerton had no longer been speaking about his brother, and instead about himself. 

"Are you quite well, Brother?" Benedict questioned.

"You will see. This tea is quite the elixir." Colin looked back at his brother. "On one occasion, in Paxos, I found myself meditating for hours upon a single blade of glass." 

"Seems like quite...." (Y/N) trailed off as Benedict retrieved the pouch and proceeded to dump all of its contents inside his tea, frantically mixing it before bringing it up to his lips and gulping it all down. Colin and (Y/N) remained silent as they stared at Benedict in shock, slowly turning to look at each other with wide, concerned eyes.

"Nobody's ever died from this, right?"

"No, I don't think so..." Colin responded, looking back at Benedict who held a hand to his mouth as if it'd prevent the drink from rising back up.

"I suppose we'll see how strong it truly is." (Y/N) muttered, pulling the cup away from Benedict and inspecting the inside. He had indeed drank it all, specks of the purple powder coating the top. If it didn't kill Benedict within the hour, then surely he'd be alright. Hopefully.

"Tell me, (Y/N), why did you leave the academy?" Benedict asked again, licking his lips and cringing when his tongue picked up more of the powder. 

"You left? Why so? You enjoy painting, do you not?" Colin shifted in his chair, picking up his own cup of tea, though his had no powder mixed in. 

"It's... Well, it's nothing exciting. There was no drama, I just..." Chuckling softly, (Y/N) picked up his cup as well and stared down at the light brown liquid, feeling the warmth of it passing through the cup and heating his fingers. "I realized I just didn't belong there. I was more content at home, selling art to anyone who knew of me. I liked being home with my family, rather than away with strangers. I've always been alone and to suddenly not be... It wasn't what I wanted." 

"Truly?" Benedict asked, more softly and quietly.

"Perhaps heartbreak had something to do with it." (Y/N) revealed with a sad chuckle, raising the cup to his lips and taking a large sip. Setting his cup down and straightening up in his chair, he leaned against the armrest and sighed.

"Heartbreak?" Benedict questioned.

"It was silly. Nothing exciting, as I said." (Y/N) smiled at the two brothers. "Just loved someone who ended up with someone else." 

"Sorry to hear," Colin muttered, eyes falling down onto the table. "If you don't mind me asking... If you could speak to her once more, would you?" 

"Brother-"

"Perhaps, I'd think so." (Y/N) nodded. Colins' head snapped up to look at him. It seemed Miss Thompson still plagued his mind, even after the betrayal and her marriage to someone else. 

"I'd like to know what life is like for them... Are they happy? Are there regrets? Guilt?" (Y/N) could tell Colin had similar questions, questions he knew all too well. 

"But, there is as well, the fact that sometimes the truth will hurt us more than the pain of losing them." He added softly. "Some things are better left undisturbed in the past so they don't haunt us in the future."

"Sometimes I wonder if you're actually centuries-old... maybe you drink blood to replenish this youthful look."  

"Are you calling me a vampire, Benedict?"

"Perhaps."

               ꕤ         ꕤ       ꕤ       ꕤ       ꕤ       ꕤ

(Y/N) tightly held onto his cup of wine, biting down on the inside of his cheek in an attempt to hold back the urge to laugh at Benedict. The tea hadn't killed him, though from the stare Violet gave her son, perhaps it would've been better if it had. He took a small sip and set the cup back down, making eye contact with Colin and feeling his lips stretch into an amused grin.

"Why don't you eat, Benedict?" (Y/N) quietly encouraged, letting a soft giggle slip as Benedict shoved a piece of bread into his mouth. He turned his head away from the intoxicated Bridgerton and looked down the table, making eye contact with Anthony. The memory of the previous day replayed in his mind and he could tell Anthony had been thinking about it too. Nevertheless, Anthony offered him a smile, and (Y/N) returned it. He looked back at Benedict when he groaned, watching him reach for his cup only to knock it over, spilling the wine inside. The sound made Kate and Eloise flinch and in turn, Benedict covered his face sheepishly.

"It's alright, Ben." (Y/N) muttered with a chuckle, picking the cup back up, the wine having stained the white tablecloth underneath. 

"Benedict, dear, you alarm our guests." Violet voiced her displeasure, eyeing her grinning son.

"It's truly all right, Lady Bridgerton," Kate assured her with an amused smile.

"Perhaps," Lady Danbury picked up her cup and a fork, gently tapping the two together to silence everyone and pull the attention toward her. "It is time for a toast."

"To cheer our guests." Violet nodded in agreement. 

"Or to tend to other pressing matters." Lady Danbury added, turning to look at Anthony. (Y/N) felt the amusement of the night slip away and he turned to look at Anthony as well. He felt a prickle in his gut, like the tip of a knife getting ready to plunge in, but he simply took his cup and held it in his hand.

"A toast, right." Anthony rose up from his seat, clearing his throat and wiping his hands. "My sincere gratitude to the Sharmas for joining us, and to Mr. Granville for joining us last minute as well. It has been splendid having you here to witness what is now my second annual loss at pall-mall. Not to be repeated, I assure you. And my special gratitude to Miss Edwina. It was certainly been a privilege to truly make your acquaintance these past days. In fact, I believe there is a question I would like to ask you." 

The silence that fell over the room had been deafening. Edwinas' breathing had quickened and she stared at Anthony with hopeful eyes. He looked away from her, gaze drifting over everyone's face before he finally looked at (Y/N). The painter looked down at his lap as soon as their eyes made contact and Anthony felt his heart squeeze. "I should like to, uh..." Taking another deep breath, he smiled at her. "I should like to ask you to please refrain from telling anyone back in London about yesterday's loss. I fear the harm to my reputation would simply be too great." 

And with that, the prickle went away and (Y/N) felt confusion settle in instead, looking back up at Anthony. "To the pleasant days ahead!" He raised his cup and (Y/N) lifted his for a moment before gulping down the remains, unable to look at Edwina nor any of the Sharmas. Anthony had his chance to propose to Edwina. Why hadn't he? 

With dinner over, Kate and Edwina took their leave, heading to their shared bedroom as Violet and Lady Danbury pulled Mary aside to speak with her. The rest of the Bridgertons, whilst confused, headed off to their bedrooms. However, Benedict grabbed (Y/N)s' hand and pulled him along to the room they'd been in earlier. 

"Benedict, what-" Benedict pressed his finger against (Y/N)s' lips, effectively shushing him and he instead took out a canvas, taking some paints out, and shedding his coat. Pulling up his sleeves, he dipped his fingers in the paint and began painting, almost hypnotized by the canvas. (Y/N) stared at his friend and sighed, bringing a hand up to his temple.

"You Bridgertons are so confusing." He muttered, plopping down on a nearby chair and watching Benedict paint to his hearts content, only looking away when Colin peered into the room, raising a brow. 

"You two are still up?" Colin questioned, stepping further into the room. Benedict grabbed Colins' face and messily kissed his cheek, arms wrapping around his neck afterward.

"It's magical, Brother. You were right. I've allowed my doubts to plague me for too long. The Royal Academy Schools are not arbiters of taste. The world is!" Benedict exclaimed, a twinkle in his eye as he took in his painting. Eloise entered the room with a letter in hand and (Y/N) stood up, standing beside Benedict as Eloise handed it to him. Benedict unfolded it and read the letter, slowly looking up at the three.

"I have a place." He muttered before chuckling. "The Royals Schools have accepted me as a student. I got in!" Benedict whirled around, wrapping his arms around (Y/N) and sloppily kissing his cheek as well before stumbling toward the window and thrusting it open.

"Benedict, get away from the window before you fall!" (Y/N) called, following after the Bridgerton as he screamed into the night. Grabbing the waistline of his pants, he pulled him back inside and got him seated. "Fresh air would do you some good, but please don't fall."

"I got in," Benedict whispered, staring out into the dark abyss of the night. 

Smiling softly, (Y/N) ran his hand through Benedicts' hair, nodding along. "I knew you'd get in, Benedict. You've got the talent for it." He cooed, feeling Benedict lean over and rest his head against (Y/N)s leg. He looked back toward Colin and Eloise, motioning for Colin to get Benedict. The Bridgerton sighed and walked over, coaxing his brother to stand.

"Let's get you bathed and ready for bed before Mother sees you like this, Brother," Colin said, pulling Benedicts' arm around his shoulder and dragging him out of the room.

"Well, I suppose I should head to bed," Eloise said, turning towards the doorway. "Good night, Brother." She grinned over her shoulder before leaving the room. 

Letting out a soft chuckle, (Y/N) sat on the windowsill, feeling the cool night air envelop him. He sighed and ran a hand over his face. So much had happened over the course of two days. What more could occur before the ton even arrived? Right, the ton. His parents would join them soon, and his father would no doubt have a million questions. And (Y/N) would have to lie to him. To tell him nothing happened, that everything was perfectly fine when it wasn't.

               ꕤ         ꕤ       ꕤ       ꕤ       ꕤ       ꕤ

Carefully plucking the flowers, (Y/N) raised one of them and inhaled, smiling at the smell. He reached for another one, plucking it as a shadow cast over him, blocking the sun. He rose up and sighed, studying the flowers for a moment. Red and pink camellias. They'd be lovely to paint and if the painting turned out well enough, he could gift it to Violet. She'd always seem fond of flowers.

"Miss Edwina is no doubt hurt by what occurred yesterday." He spoke first, listening to Anthony sigh.

"It was not my intent. I... I was unprepared and-"

"Lady Danbury shouldn't have sprung it up on you. I understand they're eager for a wedding, but she should've let you decide when and where." (Y/N) continued and looked at him, giving his friend a soft smile. Anthony released the breath he'd been holding, relieved to see the painter hadn't been angry at him.

"If you wish to marry Miss Edwina... You must propose soon. With the ton arriving, there will be other gentlemen who'll take the lack of proposal as disinterest and they'll wish to pursue her." (Y/N) reminded him, hearing the gentle buzzing of a bee nearby, probably looking to settle on one of the flowers in his hand. "And-"

"Do not move."

"What-" Anthony suddenly grasped (Y/N)s' arms to keep him still, wide eyes focused on (Y/N)s' wrist. Looking down, (Y/N) noticed the small bee walking along his clothed wrist, headed towards the flowers. He shook his hand and the bee flung upward, landing on his neck and giving it a little sting before (Y/N) brushed it off with a small pout. 

"(Y/N), a-are you alright? Can you breathe?!" His eyes darted to Anthony upon hearing his panicked voice, noticing his erratic breathing and fearful eyes. 

"It was a bee, Anthony-" Despite his words, Anthony only seemed to grow more fearful. Releasing the flowers, (Y/N) raised his hands to cup Anthonys' face, forcing the Viscount to look him in the eye. "Anthony, take a deep breath. Anthony-" The Bridgertons' eyes began to water and he stumbled over his words, incoherently speaking until (Y/N) pressed his lips against his, silencing him. The action made Anthony tense and (Y/N) pulled back, dropping his hands from Anthonys' face. 

"I... I only meant to distract you, my apolo-" It was (Y/N)s' turn to be interrupted with a kiss, Anthony's hands gently gripping his arms. He only released him at the sound of a horse in the distance, realizing how out in the open they were. Anthony took a step back and swallowed. 

"I-I must help Mother with preparations." He excused himself, turning around and quickly walking away, almost breaking out into a jog. (Y/N) watched him disappear around the corner, raising a hand to his face, dragging a finger over his lips. Had that truly happened? His gaze lowered onto the grass and he crouched down, collecting the flowers one by one until he noticed color in the corner of his eye. Turning his head, he felt a sudden wave of dizziness at the sight of the shocked figure.

"Kate..."

[rayslittlekitten]

Peeping Benny

A/N: I just wanted to write a fic getting railed by the Miller brothers. This is the longest one shot I've ever written by far. I wanted to tell this mostly from Benny's POV but it is written in second person and changes a bit between Benny and reader.

Thanks to @leannawithacapitala and @spanishmossmagnolia for looking at this for me and also the discord crew for being so supportive and helping me out with this! Y'all are the best!

Also, while writing this, it reminded me of this masterpiece "Captain on the Team" by @writefightandflightclub. It is my ABSOLUTELY favorite way I've seen Will written as a dom ever yet. It's a long fic, but I promise you it is completely worth it.

Rating: E (18+ ONLY)

Word Count: ~5.8k

Pairing: Dommy!Will "Ironhead" Miller x Alpha Sub! F!reader x Subby!Benny Miller (NO incest)

Plot: Benny's secret gets revealed and puts him in a position he could never even dream of.

WARNINGS: D/s dynamics, dubcon-ish?, light exhibitionism, voyeurism, both unprotected and protected P in V sex, oral sex (both F and M receiving), face fucking, threesome, poly vibes, light choking, face slapping, masturbation, titty slapping, nipple twisting, praising, spitting in mouth, hair pulling, degradation/humiliation (name calling), aftercare

You and Will took advantage that you got a night to yourselves. Benny is working late so he won’t be home most of the night. The Miller brothers share a cozy two-bedroom apartment that their humble incomes can afford. They spend so much time together, they might as well live together. However, sexy times can be challenging when one lives with a roommate, especially if it’s their sibling. 

You and Will try to be respectful and keep it as quiet as you can when Benny is around, but right now you two are having loud sex without any limitations. With you on top of Will, the shrieking squeaks of the springs and thumping against the wall are joined by your moans, slaps, whimpers and name calling.

"Fuck, that feels so good," you moan as you're riding Will.

A thin beam of light slices down one of Benny's blue eyes in the dark hallway as he carefully peers through the open slit between the ajar door and the frame, watching your tits bounce as you grind on Will. You throw your head back as you enjoy the feeling of Will punching up into you. Benny licks his lips as he focuses on your smooth stretched out neck, then wanders down to your breasts. They look like the softest pillows he wants to lay his head on. His own hand wanders down to the inside of his shorts and palms his semi-erection, massaging it while he watches you.

Benny has always had a thing for you since he met you, but he would never openly admit it. He thinks he’s so slick about hiding it, but it's an open secret. The guys poke fun at him for it from time to time but he denies it. Will had mentioned it to you before, but you already knew. He's so obvious. You've caught him looking at you one too many times. Benny is not a shy person, especially around women, but he is around you. Will jokes that Benny is like a whole different person around you. Benny usually loves to run his mouth and be the center of attention, but the moment you're around, it's like he suddenly has laryngitis.

There have been many nights he's fantasized about you while jerking off. It’s even better when you’re over trying to have quiet sex with Will. With the thin walls, it feels like he’s right there with you. Every single mewl and whimper that escapes you drives Benny wild and makes it easier for him to imagine he’s the one pleasuring you but today he doesn’t need to use much of his imagination when he can actually see you riding Will. Your back arches as you move your hips faster. Benny fists his painfully hard cock and matches his rhythm to yours. He tries to control his breathing through his nose to keep quiet.

Will's hands grip your hips, helping you move on him as you bear down. Suddenly, Will flips you over and folds you in half, pinning your legs back. You yelp as he starts drilling into you, feeling him poking at your g-spot. His thrusts nudge you closer to the edge of the bed until your head hangs from it. Benny can see your face again and his breath hitches seeing you in the throes of passion, wishing he was the Miller buried inside you instead.

"Jesus Christ, you're so fucking deep!" you bark out as you push your hands against his abs. It feels like he's punching your cervix. That will definitely leave a bruise tomorrow.

"Yeah? You like that, don't you, you slut?" Will pins your wrists on either side of your head and tries to push even deeper inside of you. Your back arches off the bed and you cry out.

Benny’s a bit ashamed to admit this, but the degradation turns him on. There are times where you and Will make sweet, gentle love to each other but most of the time, Will refers to you with all sorts of unsavory names in bed. He was very surprised considering how reserved Will is. Outside the bedroom, you and Will are very polite and seemingly normal. Also, Will would always be so protective and adoring to you to the point Benny wouldn’t even think Will could hurt a strand of hair on your head. However, what surprised Benny even more is how much he enjoyed it himself. 

It was a bit jarring the first time Benny witnessed it as he’s not really someone who’s comfortable with using those words, especially not on you. He admires you and respects you too much. He practically puts you on a pedestal and would rather get topped by you, but seeing you this way, so freely and unabashedly expressing your sexuality by being Will’s “whore” makes his dick twitch.

You're all sprawled out with your legs perched on Will’s shoulders and you're getting closer and closer to another orgasm. You stopped counting after three, but Will always makes a mental note so next time he can try to beat his own personal best.

Benny paces himself to align his own release about the same time as yours. By now he recognizes the tell tale signs and sounds you make when you're approaching your peak. If you're on top, you brace yourself on Will's shoulders and rock yourself hard and fast until you come undone. If you're on your back, you arch yourself up as you fist the bedsheets and flex your toes forward. You always go silent for just a moment with your jaw wide open right before you find your voice again as your orgasm comes crashing down. It’s a literal crying out. He knows you’re having multiple orgasms when your wails sound like you're crying and laughing at the same time.

Benny continues to pump himself as he’s watching you, waiting for you to cum, but he's not sure if he can hold off much longer. Benny moves in closer and closer as you're nearing the end, yanking and breathing harder. Suddenly, both you and Will jerk apart and cover yourselves when you hear the door creak. 

“Fuck!” Benny mutters under his breath.

You and Will look over to see Benny standing in the hallway with a foot in the door and his dick in his hand. The rim of his cap betrayed him when he leaned too far in and pushed the door open even further and blew his cover. He usually wears his cap backwards but of all times, he chose the worst time to wear it forward. You and Will must have not heard Benny coming in through the front door. Not surprising, considering how vocal you both have been.

Benny is frozen in place with his shorts and boxers pulled down and his hard cock standing proud above his waistband. Embarrassed, he scrambles to pull his bottoms up. He avoids eye contact and tries to think of an excuse.

“I uh… “ Benny rubs the back of his neck while using his other hand to cover the front of his shorts.

“Hiiiiii, Benny boy,” you smirk and throw a small wave at him while still hanging upside down. "You could have just knocked.“

“Um, I'm-I’m sorry…” Benny swallows hard and glances over at you for a second but shifts his eyes away. His face is getting redder by the second.

You turn over and lay on your belly to get a better look at him.

“We would have let you watch if you just asked. You want me to suck your dick?” You ask with your chin propped up on your fists, dick drunk and unfazed by his sudden presence.

“Whoa, whoa, wait a minute--“ Will jumps.

“Oh! I’m sorry." You crane your head to face Will. "Can I suck Benny’s dick? Pretty please?” you ask with wide eyes and a lazy pout.

Will's eyes dart between yours and Benny until he finally nods.

“Alright, but only if he wants it too.”

You turn to face Benny again with a look of excitement, like a kid in a candy store and today you want to try a new lollipop flavor. Benny’s eyes go wide as he looks back at you, still rendered speechless. His mouth opens and closes like a guppy. He glances over at Will then back over to you again.

“It’s okay,” Will tells his brother. “She can suck your dick if you want her to. She’s really good at it.” He gently pets your hair before grabbing a handful and yanking it back, looking down at you.

“Isn’t that right, you slut?” Will leans down and growls into your ear.

You bite your lower lip and hum.

“Yes I am,” you agree and Will releases your hair.

“Come here, Benny boy.” You curl a finger up to signal him. “Don’t be shy.”

Benny is still unmoved as he’s trying to process what is happening right now.

“Maybe he just wants to watch,” Will leans down and starts kissing your neck and shoulders before pulling your hips back so you’re on your knees with your back arching down. Will then slips himself back inside you. You moan and make eye contact with Benny as Will pounds into you.

Benny just stares at you as you’re blissfully getting fucked. You can see his breathing getting heavy and his hand twitching over his crotch.

“Mm, Benny boy. You want some of this, don’t you?” You moan while feeling Will hitting you in all the right places. “You wanna fuck me the way your brother is? We know you like to watch and listen to us fucking.”

“Maybe I’ll let you fuck her tight pussy too,” Will grunts to Benny as he pumps away.

“Really?” you look back at Will. "Can he, please?"

“Now, now. Don’t be so greedy.” Will lands a smack on your ass.

Benny just continues to watch, still lost for words. After a few moments, Will pauses the thrusting.

"Okay, this is clearly making him uncomfortable." Will pulls out of you and sits back, covering himself.

Benny wasn’t fazed or weirded by seeing his brother naked. That didn't bother him. Growing up with Will, they used to do the stupid pranks like pantsing each other. While in the service and working missions together, they've both seen each other and other fellow soldiers naked plenty of times, especially when showering. He's even seen his brother tenting while he's asleep. It happens to most guys. 

"Do you just want to watch us while you jerk off?" you ask Benny.

"Uh..." Benny starts. “Wait, what?”

"Hey, if you're not into this, it's fine. Sorry for putting you in this position, but I'd like to finish fucking my girlfriend. So if you don't mind, close the door behind you on the way out," Will tells Benny.

"Will!" You turn around to face him again.

"What? This is awkward," he replies. “My dick’s getting soft.”

You turn facing forwards again to Benny, suddenly serious. "Do you wanna stay? There's no pressure."

Benny thinks about it for a moment and then nods oh so subtly.

"Use your words," you encourage him as you slowly slip out of bed.

"I don't think--" Will cuts in.

"Y-yes," Benny mumbles, interrupting Will. "I... I wanna stay."

Will's eyebrows shoot up to his hairline, surprised at Benny's answer. The corners of your lips curl up. You walk up to Benny and he glances down at your chest.

“You wanna touch them?” You ask him.

His eyes shoot back up to yours and he swallows.

"Yes." Benny licks his lips. " C-can I?"

“Of course you can,” you encourage him. "You've been such a good boy so far," you praise him.

Benny looks over at Will and then back at you.

“Go ahead,” Will jerks his chin, pointing to you. "Honestly, you aren't the first nor would you be the last person to touch her other than myself."

Swingers maybe? Another thing Benny didn't anticipate is his brother sharing you with others. Does it mean he also has other partners? Do you share him too? Has he shared you with the other guys? He has so many questions, but not sure if he’s ready for the answers.

Benny and Will have shared a lot since they were kids. They’ve shared parents, toys, clothes, bedrooms, moments, experiences and secrets, but one thing he never once saw coming was sharing a partner. He would never even dream of it. With all the partners that he knows Will has had though, he’s so glad it’s you that he’s being generous with. Benny doesn't know if he's more embarrassed that he got caught or that you knew all this time.

Benny's thoughts get interrupted when he feels your hands grasping his, pulling them away from his now semi-limp cock. You bring his hands up to your breasts and place them over you, squeezing them a little. He groans and in your peripheral vision, you see his cock twitching in his shorts. You glance down and then back up at him.

"Can I touch your cock?" you ask Benny.

Benny has turned into a guppy again, nodding slightly.

"I need verbal confirmation," you remind him.

"Ye-yes, please," Benny clears his throat.

You remove your hands from his and reach down, hook your fingers onto the waistband of his shorts and drag him into the bedroom. Benny follows you and when you reach the front of the bed, you slip your hand inside his boxers, running your fingers through his tiny hairs and then start stroking Benny. He sighs and his hips jerk. He quickly becomes hard in your hand as you gently pump your fist up and down his shaft. Benny feels just as wide as Will.

"Does that feel good, Benny boy?" you ask.

Benny can only nod. His tongue betrays him again, feeling your soft hand jerking him. You pull his boxers and shorts down with the other hand and then spit into it to start stroking him with both hands. You start lowering yourself and kneel in front of him, keeping eye contact as you do. You lick the bottom of his shaft to the pink tip.

Meanwhile, Will starts stroking himself while watching his little lamb let her inner wolf out. He sometimes lets you hold the leash when another person is participating. Benny hisses when you tease the head of his cock with the tip of your tongue, running around the rim of it. You slip your mouth over him and get in as much as you can.

“Holy shit,” Benny groans, looking down at your beautiful face full of his cock. He’d love nothing more than to just grab the back of your head and shove himself down your throat but he doesn’t feel like he’s earned the privilege yet.

Your fingertips tickle his balls, gently caressing the sensitive sac. Benny grunts and leans down, bracing himself on your shoulders, almost falling over. You can feel him shaking as you deep throat him. His pants are getting louder and more frequent. 

“Oh, fuck,” Benny closes his eyes and throws his head back.

You stroke him and suck him harder and faster but then without warning, you stop, pulling him out of your mouth with a pop. Benny’s eyes burst open and he finds you back on your feet. You turn around to walk back to the bed and then sit on the edge of it with your legs propped open.

“Now it’s your turn,” you smile at him. 

Benny takes in a sharp breath seeing you spread out for him. He swallows and looks over at Will, as if asking for his approval.

“You heard her,” Will says, then leans in to kiss your neck.

Benny starts pulling his bottoms back up, but stops midway when you stop him.

“Take all your clothes off,” you command him. 

Benny toes off his sneakers and then pulls down his shorts and boxers, kicking them aside. He then reaches back to grab the top of his t-shirt and pulls it over his head, taking his cap along with him. He adds them to the pile next to his feet, and then starts to walk over to you.

“Get on your knees.”

Benny abides and kneels before you in front of the bed, like a worshiper idolizing their god - or in this case, goddess. He wraps a hand around one of your ankles and places butterfly kisses up your legs, pushing them apart to get to your puffy pussy, ready to eat you out, but you place a foot on his shoulder and you push him back down. He looks back at you, waiting.

“Stay…” you tell him.

“Baby, he’s not a dog,” Will chuckles. He finds it adorable when you think you're in charge.

Honestly though, Benny would gladly be your lap dog any day. He’s already quiet and well-behaved around you. He will sit and stay at your command if that’s what you want. 

“I know,” you tilt your head to the side, amused by how still and obedient Benny is being. His blue puppy eyes really add to the imagery.

Without warning, you hook your feet around the back of Benny’s neck and pull his face inches away in front of your hot core. He glances up, waiting for permission.

“You hungry, Benny boy?”

Benny nods. “I’m starving.”

“Bon appetit!” 

Benny gently runs the flat of his tongue against your pussy, looking up to watch your reaction as he tests the waters. You taste a little salty, a little musky, a little sweet, a little tangy. Your juices are probably mixed in with Will’s but he pushes that thought out of his mind because right now the only thing he cares about is pleasuring you. 

Benny puts his whole mouth over you when you react positively to his tongue. Your legs twitch when you feel him latching on to your clit. You lean back against Will who is kissing and sucking on your face, neck and shoulders, leaving some red and purple marks on the way.

As Benny is devouring you, he slips a finger inside your drenched opening. You grind against his face and he slides another finger in, moving in and out of you as he continues to pull on your swollen bud between his lips. His fingertips curl up, looking for that spongy spot and he knows he’s got it when he feels you clench down around his long thick fingers. He rubs his fingertips over and over on that spot, sucking even harder on your clit. He wants to coax an orgasm out of you.

You throw your head back on to Will’s shoulder, feeling the coil in your gut tightening. Will grabs your face, turns it towards him and smashes his lips against yours. While you’re making out with Will, Benny is licking and sucking on your other set of lips, taking notice of every sound and movement you make, pushing you closer toward his goal. 

You pull away from Will and look down at Benny lapping up every inch of you. Your thighs suddenly clamp around Benny’s head and your toes curl. He knows he’s almost there, so he works his fingers and mouth quicker and more vigorously, up until the point Will interrupts him.

“Stop.”

Confused, Benny looks up and pauses his movements, causing you to whimper. He suddenly feels dejected. Was he not doing something right? He looks up at you, searching for an answer.

“You did so good,” you praise him.

“Then why’d you stop me?” Benny asks, wiping his mouth.

“Because I said so,” Will tells him.

Benny pulls back a bit and sits back on his heels.

“I-Is there something wrong? Did I do something I wasn’t supposed to?” Benny looks at the both of you. 

Since he was a kid, Benny has always looked up to Will and has always wanted to be as great as he sees him. He’s constantly seeked approval from his older brother, whether he realizes it or not. As strange and unconventional this situation may be, this is no exception. He wants to be as good of a lover to you as Will is.

“Don’t want the power to go to her little head. Isn’t that right, baby?” Will brushes his lips against your temple and you hum, leaning into him.

“Only I get to decide when she can cum.” Will grips your face and smashes his lips against your cheek. 

“You want Benny to fuck you?” He whispers against your ear. You nod. Will lightly smacks your face and Benny flinches. 

“Tell me.” 

“I want Benny to fuck me,” you tell him.

“You fuckin’ slut,” Will smacks your face again. You hum and flash a lazy smile at him.

Hearing you being treated this way is one thing, but actually witnessing it with his own eyes so up close at just how blissed out you are, Benny is mentally storing this in his spank bank. You being in this euphoric subspace is just as hot as when you pulled on his leash, so to speak. Hell, you’re just hot all around. Even in your current messy state, you are still a goddess to him.

Will then looks over at his brother.

“You want in on this pussy?”

Benny just looks up at the both of you, still kneeling before you. As Benny licks his lips and runs a hand through his dirty blonde hair, Will reaches behind him for something. He turns back forward and tosses it to Benny. Benny catches it and sees that it’s a wrapped condom. He raises a brow.

“Safety first,” Will says.

That’s something Benny has heard from Will more times than he can count, especially on missions and his pre-fight pep talks. 

“You can have her for a little bit,” Will shrugs.

“C’mere, Benny boy,” you slur, glancing over at him with hooded eyes.

Benny quickly tears the condom open and rolls it down his cock. He gets to his feet and steps up to the edge of the bed. Will backs up and lays you down, leaving your head in his lap. Benny leans over you and slowly slides into you, testing how well your pussy would take him. 

“Fuck, that’s tight,” Benny groans.

Your hips buck feeling your walls stretching. Benny grabs each side of your hips and starts thrusting away, gently at first and going deeper each time.

“Keep it real slow and steady,” Will tells Benny.

Benny keeps up with the pacing, watching your body and face twist and turn at the sensations he’s bringing upon on your pussy.

“You’re doing so well, baby.” Will praises, almost in a whisper, while lightly caressing your cheek with the back of his knuckles. You whimper at the slow torture. 

“I know, I know.” Will reaches a hand down one of your breasts and gently kneads it. You moan as you feel him pinching your nipple between his calloused fingers.

“I promise I’ll take good care of you.” He leans down and plants a kiss on your forehead.

There is an astonishing tenderness to Will’s touch and words while praising you, coaching you. Quite the complete opposite of what he was just doing to you merely minutes before. Benny almost feels like he’s intruding in a very private and intimate moment between the two of you, feeling more like an observer than a participant despite being balls deep inside you.

Benny then watches Will’s hand go high up in the air and quickly falls right back down, landing hard on your tit. He feels like he spoke too soon. You yelp out and clench around Benny. He grunts and his hips stutter.

“Keep it steady,” Will reminds him.

Will slaps your other nipple and you arch up. Benny winces. He’s used to getting beat up and watching other guys get their ass kicked as well, but this is different. Will pinches your nipple between his thumb and forefinger and twists it before pulling up. You squeal and arch your back again, feeling the pain go straight below to where Benny is currently stimulating.

Benny wants to look away at the pain getting inflicted on you but seeing you squirming in ecstasy is the payoff. You rock your hips against Benny’s, needing more and Benny gives it to you. He wants to be the one to make you feel that good as well. His thumbs lightly caress your hips as he’s holding on to them, soothing you. He punches his hips harder and faster. He can feel you getting wetter for him. You move with Benny as Will continues to play with your nipples.

“Ooh, Benny boy, you feel so good,” you coo while eyeing him. “I’m so close,” you whine.

That encourages Benny to up his pacing, until yet again he’s stopped by Will.

“Not close enough,” Will smirks. “She’s had enough of that. It’s my turn.”

Benny makes eye contact with Will, again making sure his performance was on par.

“You did well. I mean, look at her,” Will shrugs. Benny does and you are still grinding against him, wanting your release.

You whimper when you feel Benny pull out of you, leaving you feeling robbed and empty. Will then spins you on your back 90 degrees to pull you towards him. He climbs over you and cradles your face, looking straight into your glassy eyes.

“How you doing, baby? You wanna keep going?” Will asks, intently watching your reaction.

“Mm hm.” A wide smile spreads across your face as you look up at him and nod. 

“My sweet girl.” Will leans down and places tiny kisses all over your breasts and softly kneads them, taking his time to soothe the parts he pinched and slapped before bringing his face back up to yours to kiss you. As he pulls away, you try to sit up and follow him, wanting to continue to make out with him, but you feel his hand on your throat, shoving you back down against the bed. He puts gentle pressure on the sides of your neck and pushes your legs open with his knees, then slides his cock into you.

You moan, feeling Will filling you up to the hilt.

“Hold your legs back,” Will commands you.

You do as you’re told, hooking your arms around the back of your knees and pulling them back as far as you can. Will pushes in deeper, your pussy accommodating his length. You feel pressure on your cervix and you shriek, feeling Will trying to fit more of himself inside you. He puts his weight down on you, pushing your legs back even further. Will’s never gotten all of him inside you before but he sure as hell tries to bury himself in there every time. 

Will pulls back and slams his hips into you, going in as deep as you would take him, his hip bones digging into your inner thighs. You’re pretty sure you feel him in your gut. You cry out as Will again, moves back and punches back into you, driving himself right into your g-spot. You’re seeing stars with each impact.

"You wanna be my good girl? My pretty little whore?" Will asks, gripping your face as he fucks you. You nod and Will brings his fingers over your mouth and slips them inside it, hooking them to your bottom teeth and pulling your mouth down to unhinge your jaw. He hovers above you and spits into your mouth.

"Go suck Benny's dick." Will smacks your face and nudges you back with his hips until your head hangs off the bed.

Will looks over at Benny and he nods his head, signally Benny to where your head is hanging. As Benny walks over, you let go of your legs, letting them sit on Will’s arms and shoulder. He still has you folded in half pinned down while he smashes into you. You reach up to grasp Benny's hips, pulling him in closer to you. You softly nip at his balls before sliding your mouth over his cock. Benny shudders. As Will continues to pound into you with your legs spread wide, he runs his palm over your stretched out neck.

"Fuck her," Will tells Benny.

It throws Benny off, but he looks at Will for confirmation, to make sure he heard right.

"Go ahead. Fuck her face. She loves it. Isn't that right, sweetheart?" Will's thumb lightly teases the front of your throat.

"Mm hm," you moan with a mouth still full of cock.

You pull him out and lift him to dip his balls into your mouth. Benny's breath hitches and he drops forward, bracing himself on the bed with his hands on each side of your shoulders. You carefully lick and suck on his balls.

"Oh, baby, you fucking whore. I can feel you clenching," Will grunts.

Benny looks down at you, at your pretty mouth and lightly brushes his thumb across your chin. He starts slowly thrusting into you. Short gentle strokes. You reach behind Benny to grab his bare ass and pull him closer to you. You try to deep throat him and Benny hisses. You feel Will’s thumb graze the front of your throat again.

“Good girl,” you hear Will praising you as he slows down his hips for a moment.

Benny reaches for the back of your head and starts fucking your mouth.

“Mind her neck,” Will throws out as he supervises Benny manhandling you. 

“Safety first,” Benny nods. 

Benny cradles the back of your head and carefully pushes into your wet, warm mouth. Your tongue swirls around him and grunts. You stick your tongue out and open wider for him. He plunges his cock in and out of your mouth. You can feel him hit the back of your throat as Will is punching your g-spot again.

Will adjusts his position sitting up on his knees and plants his hands right under the back of your bent knees and pushes down on them. He then drives into you as hard and fast as his body would allow. He knows you’re very close.

“Shit,” Benny grunts. Even with the condom on, he can still feel how soft your mouth is. Will ramming into you is making your body including your head jerk towards Benny. He adjusts his rhythm, concentrating on his own release.

“Baby, I know you’re there. Cum all over my cock, sweetheart. I know it’s a big one,” Will says, reaching down where the two of you meet to run his thumb over your swollen bud while still zeroing in on that tender spot inside you.

You hum against Benny, feeling your orgasm rapidly approaching. Both Benny and Will’s shallow breathing, your slurping and skin on skin slapping echoes around the room. All of a sudden, Benny feels you going still and quiet around his cock for a moment and then your loud muffled moans and whimpers reach the corners of the room. Your feet flex forward and lift your hips up off the bed, using Will’s shoulders as leverage. You feel your walls contracting and clamping down hard on Will’s dick. Your cries multiply and increase as another orgasm rolls through before the previous one can end. You are in ecstasy as they hit you in waves.

“There you go. I told you I’d take care of you, baby,” Will continues to roll his hips against you, pulling as many orgasms as he can out of you.

“Oh, god!” Benny’s movements stutter. He closes his eyes and braces himself on the edge of the bed as he succumbs to his release.

Will finally chases after his own and groans as he paints your insides white. You ride out your last orgasm as Will slows down.

Benny removes his sheathed semi-limp cock out of you and pulls off the spent condom.

“Hey, baby,” Will coos as he cradles your neck and the back of your head. He lifts your head up so he can see your face. Your eyes are closed as you’re catching your breath. 

“Talk to me, sweetheart.” Will gently massages one side of your jaw with his thumb.

You open your eyes wide enough to be able to see Will hovering above yours and manage to make a garbled sound that sounds like a positive confirmation. 

“Yeah, you’re good?” Will chuckles.

“Uh-huh.” You mumble as you look back at Will. “That was so fun!”

“Yeah? You had a fun time, sweetheart?” Will’s thumb caresses your burning cheek. You happily nod and then Will leans down to plant a tender kiss on your forehead. 

“You’re so precious.” Will leans in and presses his lips against yours for a moment. “You did so good, baby.” 

Benny’s back to feeling like the third wheel. Will pulls out of you and his seed seeps out of you.

“Oh, look. You made a mess. Let’s go clean you up.” Will scoots out of bed.

“Y-you want me to help?” Benny jumps in, standing there naked with the exception of his hands over his crotch, suddenly feeling as vulnerable as he did when he accidentally revealed his secret.

“Nah, I got this. It’s kinda our thing,” Will replies.

“Oh, okay. Uh, so… “ Benny brings a hand to the back of his neck and rubs it.

“You’ve never done this before, have you?” Will asks.

“No,” Benny shakes his head.

“Listen, don’t think too much about it. Sleep on it and think about it tomorrow when you have a clearer head,” Will says. “Did you have a good time?” 

Benny nods.

“Good. I did too,” Will nods. “And she most certainly had the best time.” He looks over at you, completely spent, your limp body sprawled out on bed. 

“Next time, just knock,” Will smirks.

“Next time?” Benny’s eyes practically pop out from his head.

“Sleep on it,” Will laughs.

You make an indiscernible sound and they both look over at you.

“I gotta go take care of her now. She’s gone through a lot tonight.” Will nods his head towards you.

“Okay,” Benny nods. “Have a good night.”

“Good night, bro,” Will nods back.

Benny goes to gather his clothes and heads back to his bedroom.

You groan, stretching out your muscles. Will turns his attention back to you.

“Hey, baby.” Will peppers kisses all over your face. “Come on. Let’s get you all cleaned up and we can cuddle, okay?”

You nod.

“I love you.” Will gives you the tenderest kiss and then scoops you up in his arms to bring you to the bathroom to draw you a bath.

[diegos-butt]

Unnoticed (chapter one)

Summary: He had watch her grown up. He had seen her transform into a beautiful woman, with a strong will but insecurities. Despite being away from time to time, he had fallen for her, hard. She on the other hand, had seen him become a big, strong man. But deep down she knew he had a soft side. She had fallen, hard, for him too. Another thing they have in common? The believe that the other will never feel the same. Will their feelings for each other always stay unnoticed?

Captain Daniel Syverson x Kathy Davis (plus size/curvy/thick OFC)

Warnings: none. bad writing maybe. mention of beer?

Wordcount: 5.4k 👀

A/N: I tried something here so bear with me. Honestly curious of what y'all think.

•••

I was walking to my brother Tim’s house as the sun was settling down. He was throwing a barbeque for his best friend’s return, Captain Daniel – Dan – Syverson, or just Sy, as we usually called him. I smiled as I thought of him. I had known him for so long. He and my brother had been friends since I was born. So, I grew up with them, teasing me but when someone bullied me, they were there faster than the blink of an eye, ready to knock the bully down.

They always stood up for me, even though they knew I could take care of it myself. But they insisted. Every time. And that was nice, to know they would. To know I always had someone who would be there for me.

As we got older, our groups of friends intertwined, and we became one larger group of close friends. Me, Tim, Sy, Holly, Shane, Benjamin, and Brianna. We all lived in this town, went to the same high school. Some of us even went to college together. Now we were all working in this town as well, except for the captain. He was away from time to time. And I would never admit it, but I missed him so much while he was gone. My brother’s house came into my sight, and my heart skipped a beat. After all these months, I was finally seeing him again.

When I fell for him? I can’t even remember; it is like I have always been. However, I have always tried to hide it, so he doesn’t know. At least, that’s what I think. If he does, he’s being a good friend and doesn’t treat me any differently.

What our friendship is like? Teasing, and full of sarcastic comments. Unlike everyone else, he calls me Kat instead of Kathy. I’d never want to change that, so I will not ruin that by confessing my feelings. What’s the point? He does not and never will feel the same. Right?

I took a deep breath and opened the door of my brother’s house, hoping Sy would already be there. I walked through the hallway and living room until the garden came into my sight. Sy just disappeared into the shed, so I walked through the doors outside, and said hello to my brother.

“Hey sis,” he welcomed me and gave me a hug. “He’s already here you know. I’m sure he showed up early for you.”

“Oh, shut up! That’s not true, he is just happy to see his best friend again,” I laughed and slapped Tim on his arm.

“You might be able to fool him, but I can see the nerves in your eyes Kathy. Just admit you’re happy he’s back,” Tim teased. I wanted to smack him when we heard noises coming from the shed. Sy walked out carrying two lawn chairs.

Tim released me from his hug. “Go say hi to him,” he whispered. I took a step towards Sy, and felt my heartbeat increasing. He dropped the lawn chairs and proceeded to walk to me. Our steps became faster, and quickly he was close enough to wrap me in his arms. He lifted me up and I wrapped my arms around his neck, letting out a little squeal. He smelled good, manly, but so good. His buzzcut was starting to grow out, and I couldn’t help myself but to stroke his head. He buried his face in my neck, and I giggled. He was home.

“You’re back,” I said softly, the butterflies in my stomach going crazy. Contain yourself, he doesn’t need to know you missed him that much.

“Otherwise I wouldn’t be standing here darlin’,” he answered, and I could see in his eyes that he was happy to be home again.

“Welcome home you big idiot,” I grinned, I loved teasing him.

After squeezing me tight one more time, he’d put me down again. Suddenly I realized the sounds that disappeared when my eyes met his for the first time in so long had come back. The sound of the flock of birds came back, just as the noises Tim was making while meddling with the barbeque.

“Oh, that’s how ya welcome me back home?” Sy said. I laughed and walked past him, while picking up one of the lawn chairs.

When he’d lifted me up, it was just me and him. He always does that when he comes back from a tour. I don’t even know how it started, but it had become a thing. He knows I like that, that I love that. He is the only one I trust enough for that, because I know he will never let me fall. I did fall though, but in a different way.

“I could also have started by saying you should trim your beard. It looks like shit right now,” I mocked, and walked past him. He’d placed his hand on his chest and pretended I had hurt him. His chest though, how on earth did he get even bigger? Quickly, I moved towards the sitting area, and placed the lawn chair down. He followed close behind, and when I looked around, I saw his eyes moving up. Was he looking at my bum? Why? I tried to not look puzzled, but I felt like I was failing hard.

“Ya know, being disrespectful in the army can get you in a lot of trouble,” he said and handed me a beer. His hand touched mine slightly, and I pulled my hand away quickly.

“Really? You’re going to punish me then?” I raised an eyebrow at him. You can punish me in a couple ways captain. No Kathy, he is your friend. He is just your friend.

“Who knows.” He cocked an eyebrow at me and finished his beer. I nearly chocked on mine, and thankfully Shane and Benjamin busted through the door and stepped outside onto the terrace, preventing the continuation of the conversation between me and Sy. They were cheering loudly, screaming Sy’s name, and hugging him. I chuckled and took a few more sips of my beer.

I watched as Shane and Benjamin tried to tackle Sy, they obviously failed. To be fair, Shane and Benjamin weren’t small guys either, but Sy was definitely bigger. I took a sip of my beer and watched as my brother joined them.

While watching the boys I noticed Sy’s physique, he looked even more broad than before. I had no idea that was possible. He currently had Shane in a headlock, flexing his bicep. I wanted to crawl under that arm myself, not in that headlock, but still. He could choke me though.

I was rudely awakened out of my daydreaming when Holly and Brianna suddenly stood next to me. The two girls tried to hug me at the same time, which failed due to their hight difference. Me and Brianna were both quite tall, while Holly was smaller.

“Kathy! Let me guess, the captain has already said hello to you?” Holly said and wiggled her eyebrows. Trying to hide the fact I had a thing for the captain from them was useless, these girls knew me better than I knew myself.

“Did he do that cute hug yet were he lifts you up?” Brianna added while hooking her arm through mine.

“Hello to you too, and yes he said hello to me, and yes he did that hug thing. Don’t make it look like it’s a big deal!” I said and took the last sip of my beer.

“No, did I miss it? That is my favourite part of Sy’s return!” Holly pouted. The brunette took the beer bottle out of my hand and placed it on the table. “Sy! Aren’t you going to say hello to us or what?” she shouted. The boys stopped talking and closed the gap between our groups.

“Hi girls.” Sy opened his arms for Holly and Brianna and gave them both a hug. The chatter immediately started, everyone asking Sy questions about how he was doing, and how happy he was to be back.

“Stop! Everyone, stop talking for a minute!” Brianna shouted. “Since Holly and I were a bit late, we missed the famous welcome back hug between Sy and Kathy.”

“I was there,” Tim laughed. “Maybe you should’ve known they would both be here early.”

“We were planning on being early, but sweet Holly over here was being incredible slow,” Brianna said and gave Holly a death glare which turned into a little smile.

“I think they should do it again,” Holly grinned. Oh no.

“I think they should too, apparently we all, except Tim, missed the highlight of Sy’s return. We should not be robbed of that moment,” Shane agreed, and a playful smile appeared on his face.

“Oh, come on guys!” I said. “The man has just gotten home! Give him a break.” If he lifts me up again, I might faint. This actually made them cheer even louder.

“C’mere darlin’. Let’s give the audience what they want.” He gave his beer to Benjamin and winked at me.

He caged me in his strong arms again, lifting me up, effortlessly. I threw my arms around his neck, and I heard everyone around us cheer. This was my happy place. I don’t know if it is the being lifted part, of just being held by his strong arms.

Far too soon for my liking, he had put me down on my feet again. His eyes locked with mine, and I nearly drowned. The blue in his eyes looked even brighter than ever before.

I was rudely pulled away by Shane, who cheered loudly while putting his arm around my shoulder. Everyone was laughing and cheering. Benjamin walked inside to grab the speaker, and a few seconds later music mixed with our noises in the garden.

“Hey guys, who wants to eat?” Tim shouted.

“Better give me a sausage, I’m in the mood for some meat,” Holly answered with a mischievous grin. I laughed at her; she was never afraid to speak her mind.

After we had finished eating, we all sat around the firepit. The sun was already gone, and the moon and stars shone above us. While we were eating Sy wanted to know what we had been up to. We were all doing great, we had jobs and nothing major had happened. Unlike last time, no pregnancy scare for Holly. Me and Brianna did start our own business, after our last employer went bankrupt. We were now the proud owners of our own interior design business.

After we were done telling Sy about the last months, Brianna had asked Sy about his. I saw the look in his eyes change, he looked down at the glass in his hand, and avoided the question. I knew he didn’t want to talk about it. Thankfully, Benjamin understood it as well.

“Sy, a toast to you!” Benjamin said, and raised his glass. “Welcome home man.” We all raised our glasses as well.

“Thank ya Ben, it’s good to be back. And I’d like to thank y’all for writing me those letters. They mean a lot to me,” Sy said. I thought about the letters I’d send him. There were many, so many. A few years ago, I had no idea what to write, but eventually I figured I would write what I wish I could tell him. I wished I could talk to him about my day, about things that bothered me, about things that made me happy.

Quickly I learned he liked it. When he got home the first time I did that, he had thanked me in private. He had told me it helped him get through tough days, that it made him feel like he was home. In that moment, I was so close of telling him how I felt. Yet I couldn’t. I couldn’t risk losing him as a friend.

He did write me back, but his letters weren’t as long as mine. They were usually a paragraph or two. He wasn’t that much of a talker, I knew that, but it didn’t stop me from teasing him.

“Well, next time you could try and write longer ones back you know,” I began. “I have put so much effort into my pages long letters, and all I get back is a paragraph from you just thanking me.” I attempted to pout but started laughing. “Nah, just kidding. We know it means a lot, so we’re happy to write them.”

I smiled at him. The letters kept him sane, and I was happy to send them. Just like the others. I looked at Sy, he sat opposite of me, and I wished he’d sat beside me. His body radiated a warmth that was always welcome, even if he just sat a meter away from me. But from this distance, I could not feel it.

“Don’t be funny darlin’. Might not answer yours next time,” he joked and pulled me out of my thoughts.

“Like you would ignore her Sy,” Shane mocked. Wait, what? What is that supposed to mean. Everybody started laughing, while I was starting to freak out. I had no idea what that was supposed to mean, but the conversation around me continued, and the moment to ask a question about it was gone. My mind was going crazy, and I pretended to listen to the conversation, but I didn’t hear a thing. I know he wouldn’t ignore me, but why did Shane say it like that? And why did Sy suddenly look so awkward?

The fire slowly went out, and that was our cue to head home. We all stood up, and helped Tim clean the mess we made.

“Guys, why don’t you all just go home. I’ll help Tim clean up the rest!” Brianna suggested. I knew she had a thing for my brother, and this was her way of getting close to him. Of being alone with him.

Everyone laughed but agreed. A very nice thing of living close to each other, was that we were all able to walk home. Holly, Shane, and Benjamin walked home together, and Sy suggested he’d walk with me, since we both had to go in a different direction than the others. I walked inside to grab my cardigan, while Sy lifted two lawn chairs back to the shed. When we were out of reach, the others started talking.

“Are they seriously never going to notice they like each other? Or is it just obvious to me?” Shane said.

“Oh dear, it is painfully obvious,” Brianna added.

“I think we need to help them a little. They need a little push,” Holly suggested. They all agreed, but they couldn’t continue discussing their little plan because Sy and I appeared again. Completely unaware of the conversation that just happened.

We said goodbye to Tim and Brianna, and walked home. Holly, Shane, and Benjamin took a left, and Sy and I took a right. It was just us, walking next to each other. It felt nice to be in his presence again, and because I was so close to him, I could finally feel his warmth again. We spend the way walking to my home talking, he wanted to know everything about the business I started with Brianna and how my family was.

Far too soon, we reached my home. We stopped in front of the house, a small 2-bedroom home. But it was nice, and cosy. I liked it there, but I was ready for the next step. To settle down with someone. With him, but I knew that wasn’t going to happen.

We faced each other, and fell silent. I looked at him, the moonlight highlighted his face, and I spotted some new scars. I wanted to trace them with my fingers, but I restrained myself.

“Alright, well, it is so nice to have you back Sy,” I said.

“It is nice to be back here,” he smiled. We fell silent again, and I smiled back at him.

“I should go inside,” I spoke softly, and opened my arms to hug him.

He hummed and wrapped his arms around me. He squeezed me tightly, and I nuzzled my face in his neck. He smelled so good; I loved his cologne. We broke up the hug, but he kept me close and pressed a soft kiss to my cheek. My heart was beating fast, and my breathing started to get heavier.

“Goodnight darlin’,” he said and winked, or at least he tried to.

“Goodnight captain,” I answered, and gave him a smile. He laughed, and started to walk away backwards, and watched me until I was inside. I waved at him before I closed the door and saw how he waved back and turned around to walk home.

I leant with my back to the front door and sighed. Will he for always not notice my feelings for him?

I watched Tim as he prepared the barbeque. The soft rays of sunlight spreading through the garden. The sunlight reminded me of her, Kathy, or Kat as I liked to call her. Especially the last time I saw her before my deployment. The sun shone on her face, and lit up her hair, making her look like a goddess. I almost broke my promise to myself and told her how I felt. I could never tell her; I didn’t want to ruin our friendship.

The teasing, the banter, the sarcastic comments. Even though I pretended she annoyed me sometimes, I missed her and our dynamic the most while I was away. She kept me sharp, a goal to come back to. Thanks to her I got through those months. Especially her letters. Those long letters.

She was actually the reason I had shown up early at Tim’s house. I was hoping she would be here early too, so we’d have a little moment of privacy. Well, Tim was there, but he knew how I felt. He had known for a long time. I had always seen Kat as Tim’s little sister, but the moment she started to become a woman, that changed. I had always fancied her presence, her humour and we got along very well. But ever since she had grown into a beautiful woman, it had been different. I wanted more, but I knew that would never happen. Nevertheless, I settled for being her friend because I could not bear not having her in my life.

I grabbed a beer and opened it, quickly taking a few sips. Too caught up in my own thoughts, I nearly missed Tim asking me to grab a few more lawn chairs from the shed at the end of the garden. I set my beer down of the table, nodded at him and walked to the shed.

The shed was dark, but I spotted the lawn chairs without any problems. Those nights in the dark desert had increased my night vision. I was about to step outside when I heard it. A laugh, but not just a laugh. Her laugh. It was like music to my ears. She was here, finally. Kat.

Hastily, I stepped outside, and my gaze immediately fell on her. She hugged her brother as they laughed. When Tim let her out of his embrace, her eyes locked with mine. Completely forgotten about the lawn chairs, I dropped them and started to walk towards her. Her feet moved as well, making their way to me, speeding up a little.

Before I knew it, she was in arms reach, and I wrapped my arms around her waist, lifting her up. She wrapped her arms around my neck and squealed. One of her hands stroked my hair that was starting to grow out, and she nuzzled her face in my neck while I smelled the rose scent of her hair. Even though she might not be the smallest, I could lift her up effortlessly and I loved reminding her of that. I could think of another few ways of throwing you around darlin’.

“You’re back,” she said softly.

“Otherwise I wouldn’t be standing here darlin’,” I smiled. She removed her face from my neck and looked at me. She looked even prettier than I remember. I had no idea that was even possible. Don’t get mushy man, damn.

“Welcome home you big idiot,” she grinned at me, and I put her back down on her feet. Uh, not even back for a minute and she’s already teasing me.

“Oh, that’s how ya welcome me back home?” She walked past me and started laughing. She picked up one of the lawn chairs.

“I could also have started by saying you should trim your beard. It looks like shit right now,” she mocked as she walked past me. I placed my hand on my heart, pretending she’d hurt me.

Shaking my head, I picked up the other lawn chair and followed close behind her. She looked good, really good. The jeans she wore hugged her in all the right places. She placed the lawn chair down and looked at me. My eyes immediately left her behind, and I placed the lawn chair I was carrying down as well. She better not be standing with her ass towards me again, or I will smack it.

“Ya know, being disrespectful in the army can get ya in a lot of trouble,” I said and grabbed a beer for her. I handed it to her, our hands lightly touching. Quickly, I grabbed my own beer from the table.

“Really? You’re going to punish me then?” The sunlight caught her face, making her look like an angel. She tried not so smile, but the glistering in her eyes gave her away.

“Who knows.” I chugged the rest of my beer and cocked my eyebrow. I know a few ways I’d like to punish ya darlin’.

Before our conversation could continue, the door to the terrace busted open, and Shane and Benjamin stepped outside. Cheering loudly, chanting my name. They walked over to me and threw their arms around me. They tried to tackle me, but even though they were strong, I was the strongest one of the group. Tim joined us, and they let me go so we could talk.

“Welcome back man,” Benjamin said and slapped me on my back. “We missed ya.”

“I understand, my presence is gift. Y’all should be glad I’m back,” I declared.

“Whatever Sy. Don’t get too cocky,” Tim said, he stood beside me and lifted his arm to smack me on the back of my head. I simply shot him a look, and his arm fell down next to his body again. I chuckled, and from the corner of my eye I saw Holly and Brianna had also arrived. I liked the girls, they were nice and sweet, but most of all good friends.

“Sy! Aren’t you going to say hello to us or what?” Holly shouted. I walked over to them, the other men following close behind.

“Hi girls,” I said and opened my arms for them. I gave them a hug, and everyone started asking me questions. I tried to answer them, when suddenly Brianna yelled.

“Stop! Everyone, stop talking for a minute!” she shouted. “Since Holly and I were a bit late, we missed the famous welcome back hug between Sy and Kathy.” Might have been a reason I was here early.

“I was there,” Tim laughed. “Maybe you should’ve known they would both be here early.”

“We were planning on being early, but sweet Holly over here was being incredible slow,” Brianna said, and I noticed how she looked at Holly like she would kill her. Soon the look turned into a smile nonetheless. Thank you, Holly.

“I think they should do it again,” Holly grinned. I had to try not to grin too much. Being close to her, felt so good. I would love nothing more than to hug her more often, or to cuddle up on the couch together. The chances of that happening, were very slim, and my heart sunk a little in my chest.

“I think they should too, apparently we all, except Tim, missed the highlight of Sy’s return. We should not be robbed of that moment,” Shane agreed, and a smile appeared on his face.

“Oh, come on guys!” Kat said. “The man has just gotten home! Give him a break.” Her comment made them cheer even louder. Doesn’t she want me to hug her again? Well, that’s not my problem ‘cause I’d hug her anytime if it were up to me.

“C’mere darlin’. Let’s give the audience what they want.” I closed the gap between us and wrapped my arms around her. I could smell her perfume, and I didn’t know what kind of scent it was, it just smelled like her. It smelled like home.

Every time I hugged her, there was just one thing I was afraid of. That I would not let her go again, because that’s where she belonged. She belonged in my arms, and I wished she would realize that one day. But I had to let her go again. Shane immediately wrapped an arm around her, while everyone cheered. Soon I noticed someone had put on some music.

“Hey guys, who wants to eat?” Tim shouted. I’m starving but not for that kind of meat.

“Better give me a sausage, I’m in the mood for some meat,” Holly answered with a mischievous grin. She was a sweet girl, always joking around, but don’t you dare mess with her. Don’t you dare mess with Brianna or Kat either, they will make you regret it. I liked that about them, that they were strong women.

An hour later we had finished eating, and we sat around the firepit in Tim’s garden. The sun long gone, the moon and stars providing us some light. The last hour I had mostly asked them how they’ve been, and it did me good to hear everything was going well. Tim’s construction company, where Shane and Benjamin also worked, was doing great. They were happy I would soon be joining them again. Holly’s clothing store has made a big profit in the last month.

I was happy to hear that Kat and Brianna started their own interior design business after the company they worked for went bankrupt. Kat’s eyes lit up when she spoke about it, and I loved seeing her with this passion.

After they were done talking about what they’ve been up to, it was my turn. I told them quickly a few things I could tell them. That I wanted to tell them. Thankfully, none of them asked anymore questions. They knew I preferred to not talk about it.

“Sy, a toast to you!” Benjamin said, and raised his glass. “Welcome home man.” Me and everyone else raised their glasses as well.

“Thanks Ben, it’s good to be back. And I’d like to thank y’all for writing me those letters. They mean a lot to me,” I said. It was true, getting letters while being far away from home, is the best feeling ever. Especially her letters, she had written me long letters, talking about the little things in life. She’d wrote about the weather or an awful client at work. She would just write about her day-to-day life, like she would if I were there. I had kept every single one of her letters, safely stored away in a box that was now underneath my bed.

“Well, next time you could try and write longer ones back you know,” Kat spoke. “I have put so much effort into my pages long letters, and all I get back is a paragraph from you just thanking me.” She pouted, and looked incredible cute, but started laughing. “Nah, just kidding. We know it means a lot, so we’re happy to write them.” She gave me a smile, and I wished she sat closer to me. Instead, she sat across the firepit from me.

“Don’t be funny darlin’. Might not answer yours next time,” I joked.

“Like you would ignore her Sy,” Shane mocked. Shut up Shane. Everyone but her started laughing. Oh no, what is she thinking? Kat looked confused, and I knew she wanted Shane’s comment to be explained. Thankfully, Holly started telling a story about a client in her store, so the moment to address the comment was over. Thank god.

Soon, the fire went out and that was the universal sign for us to go home. We stood up, and started helping Tim clean the plates, cups, and cutlery. I looked at Kat, I liked watching her move. The way her hips swayed when she walked, was one of my favourite parts about her.

“Guys, why don’t you all just go home. I’ll help Tim clean up the rest!” Brianna suggested. I chuckled. Smooth Brianna. I had known for a while she had a thing for Tim, and I knew he felt the same. We all laughed and agreed with her plan. Holly, Shane, and Benjamin walked home together since they lived close to each other. Kat and I had to go the other way.

“I’ll walk you home darlin’,” I said to Kat, and she nodded in response.

“I’m going to grab my cardigan from inside, and then I’m ready to go,” she added, and quickly walked inside. I noticed the lawn chairs still had to be carried back to the shed, so I lifted two up and walked to the end of the garden. I heard the others talk behind me, almost whispering, but I didn’t pay any attention to it.

When I came back, the conversation between them stopped immediately. What were they talking about?

We said goodbye to each other, leaving Tim and Brianna behind. Holly, Shane, and Benjamin went to the left, while me and Kat started walking to the right. It was nice, to be alone with her. Calmness washed over me, while at the same time a fire inside me burned.

During our little walk, we talked. I wanted to know everything about her business, and she happily answered my questions. I watched her from the corner of my eye, when she talked, she uses her hands to gesture around, and it was an adorable sight.

Way too soon we reached her house. We stopped in front of it, and we fell silent. The moon provided a little light, bringing out the beautiful features of her face. I wanted to cup her cheeks and kiss her. Sy, dude, get yourself together. She is a friend. A. friend. You don’t kiss friends like that. Right?

“Alright, well, it is so nice to have you back Sy,” Kat said.

“It is nice to be back here,” I smiled. We fell silent again.

“I should go inside,” she spoke softly, and opened her arms for a hug. I could also go inside with you.

I let out a hum and wrapped my arms around her thick waist. I squeezed her tight, and she nuzzled her face in my neck. I loved it that she wasn’t fragile, and that I could just hug her like I wanted to.

We broke up the hug. I did not let her go yet, I wanted to kiss those soft lips so bad, but I settled for kissing her cheek instead. I hoped she did not hear my heart beating fast, or my sinful thoughts. She let out a little whimper, and I knew I had to let her go before I would drag her into her bedroom.

“Goodnight darlin’,” I said and winked. Shit, forgot I can’t wink.

“Goodnight captain,” she said and laughed at my attempt to wink. I shook my head and took a few steps backwards. I watched her go inside and waved before she closed the door.

I turned around and starting walking to my parents’ house. A few years ago, we had built a cabin at the end of our property. While I was serving, I lived there at the times I was back home. I was now back for good, but I still had to tell Kat, and my friends. It was time to come home, I was ready. I was ready to settle down. With her preferably, but I knew that would never happen.

I sighed, and dropped my head. Why won’t she notice me the way I notice her?

•••

> chapter two

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[blorbosondeck]

fic rec masterlist

canon divergent/finale fix its

Anamnesis

THIS! FIC! this fic lives in my head rent FREE it is so good and it makes so much sense in the narrative that the shitty finale concocted, as to why they wouldn't mention cas or anyone else and its just. so good and they write chuck in the most villainous way that i love!!!

"Chuck is depowered, Jack is the new god, and the world is free. Dean and Sam get into the Impala and chase down the miles on an endless highway, and their story is finally, finally their own to follow. At least, that's what Dean tells himself. But the diners and motels and painted interstate lines are blurring together and the smallest details keep catching at his brain like tiny fishhooks and he can't quite shake the feeling that not everything is exactly as it should be. Fix-it/alternate series finale. Canon-compliant through the end of 15.19."

Sunset Sound: Stairway to Heaven by @adhdeancas

GOD FUCKING CHRIST this is so good and sweet and im such a sucker for team ups and reunions!!! its 3:30 am rn and i just finished it and i love it SO much it made me laugh a lot and the last few chapters i had the stupidest grin just plastered to my face

The Closer the Star, the Greater the Parallax by @rocksalts​

repressed bastard dean submits to the mortifying ordeal of being known and receives the rewards of being loved but only after some miscommunication i LOVE this i read it last night and it’s a fast favorite. my interests have overlapped and i am INTO it

“When Dean sits down to watch some bullcrap Discovery Channel episode with Cas, he doesn’t expect to actually learn anything. Except, with Cas explaining, he makes an effort to connect the dots.”

Don't We All Deserve To Be Happy?

VERY sweet and a VERY good pick me up. all around feel good fic!!! 

"Post-canon fix-it, divergent from 15x19 where Jack stays and Dean doesn't die and Cas comes back and everyone is happy. Take a shot every time I'm salty about the finale."

Keep Your Love Alive

okay. okay okay okay this may be my favorite finale fix it just because of how well reasoned it is. like this feels what should have happened i love it SO much

"Dean gets to spend eternity sharing beers with Bobby on the Roadhouse porch and riding around in his Baby with Sam. He’s at peace… or he feels like he should be. But a few things nag at him: Where is Cas, and everybody else Dean had been hoping to see in Heaven? Why does he feel like he’s stuck in a loop, reliving the same memories over and over again? And who are the strangers wearing Sam’s and Bobby’s faces?"

The GoldenRod Revisions by @aethylas​

this is one of the most well written things ive ever read. the script format DID make it feel more real and honestly? this is better writing than this show deserves. the finale that could have been ♥️

“A rewrite of Supernatural’s final two episodes, expanded into a five episode arc - in which Chuck needs to be defeated, Castiel deserves to be saved, and the characters in this story get a very different ending.“

Ascend by @wanderingcas​ 

THEE finale fix it fic!!! written by the AMAZINGLY skilled and talented @wanderingcas !!! it’s 50k of angst and hurt/comfort and pure bliss

“Something in the world is wrong.

Demon activity is rising where mysterious black substance oozes and unusual ecological events are shaking the world. Dean, grief hanging on his shoulders, restlessly searches for answers that might lead him to the Empty… and to Cas.

But what Chuck wrote can’t be undone. The narrative thread pulls Dean along, forcing him to comply. Because once a story already has an ending, it can’t be rewritten.

Or can it?”

Things Happen (They Do, And They Do, And They Do) by THEE @sobsicles

i KNOW everyone has already recommended this and likely you’ve all already read it. but it has to go here bc REPRESSIOOOOOOOOON i LOVE this so much it is one of the most perfect things i’ve read. are you bisexual? did you have a kind of weird relationship with your best friend and not realize that how you felt about them wasn’t necessarily how other people felt about them and you were maybe a little bit in love with them but were too repressed to realize it? you’ll feel seen. maybe a little too seen

Closer (isn't close enough)

are you a sweet and sappy yet horny bastard? do you like cas exploding light bulbs? you will like this.

“the one where they finally talk about what cas said before the empty took him”

You and Your Husband

it is exTRMELY sweet!!! repression dean strikes again <3

"Five times Dean corrects someone about his relationship with Cas, and one time he realizes he doesn't need to."

Tall Grass

miscommunication and a slowburn! despite being written in 2017 and finished in 2018, it feels like a fix it. ft. plant obsessed cas <3 

Invictus

a LOVELY and short (relatively) finale fix it

“They saved the world. They're free. It's done.

Except it's not, and carrying on is the last thing any of them are thinking about.

They still have someone they need to save.”

Unchained Link

post finale- it’s a great case fic and i am compelled i want more!!!

"It's after the end of things. Life continues on while Dean is "livin it up" in heaven. But it's never that simple, is it? A freak occurrence sends Dean into another time stranded back on Earth. And he thought his hunting days were over. But, no worries. His knight in shining armor comes to the rescue. Hijinks, therefore, ensue."

fun and time unspecified

Ladies and Gentlemen, This is Love Potion No. 5

very funny and sweet! miscommunication at its finest ♥️

"Cas gets drenched with a mystery potion from the ‘love spell’ shelf and... Dean has a sneaking suspicion, angel or no— the spell may have taken effect. And Cas might be in love with Sam."

The Way We Were

Y'all. It is so good its a great mix of funny and serious- extremely fun to see dean as like a base bisexual

"Dean and Castiel pose as a couple to gain access to a gated community known as 'The Glen', a pleasant if secretive location that the boys believe might be linked to several dead bodies showing up over the years bearing signs of ritualistic sacrifice. All seems well until Dean's memory is affected from an incident during a solo exploration, leaving Dean convinced that their cover story is true. Castiel is left trying to resolve their case without taking advantage of an increasingly enthusiastic Dean"

While You Were Sleeping

this is basically just the movie but replacing sandra bullock with cas. this is my comfort movie and imo, one of the most perfect rom coms. the fic isn’t finished but i still have the tab open on my phone and i will straight up go back and re read it when i need a pick me up. 

aus/rewrites

The Harvelle Gospels: Offscript

i know everyone ever ( @jewishcharliebradbury ) has recommended this fic. and for good reason go fucking read it

“The Apocalypse is averted, the angels are in Heaven, and Jo is free from the threat of possession. Somehow it couldn't be farther from a happy ending.“

absolute riots

An Ineffably Profound Bond

i honestly would have put this in the finale fix it section! look. i know. i know you've been burned by crossover fics before. but this is Thee good omens/spn fic you want. its funny as hell and immensely satisfying. im weak for everyone working together tropes and that is this

"After Chuck sets 'The End' in motion, the remaining members of TFW make a miraculous escape. Not willing to waste any time, Castiel comes up with a plan to travel to one of the other worlds to try and get help from the angels there, but after a fight with Dean, it's the hunter who gets sent into an alternate universe,with seemingly no hope of return.

When a mysterious human with a heavenly weapon shows up in Aziraphale's shop, he and Crowley learn that their world is not the only one. Now it is up to them to decide whether or not they want to join forces with the human and help him save his world or simply find a way to send him home."

Somebody Up There Likes Me by @lafilleredige

cas is hit with a spell that turns his vessel into a woman, hijinks and sexuality crises ensue etc etc sam is a supportive and bitchy little brother and its all SO fucking funny and also. horny as hell i love it i love it i LOVE it

“’Dean doesn’t want to talk about your breasts, it’s making him uncomfortable because he hasn’t acknowledged the complex fluidity of human sexuality.’“

Stray Cat Strut

a long crack fic that IS one of the funniest things i’ve ever read and i can’t explain why. it’s so ooc but its so funny that i don’t care. if you need a laugh you gotta read this

"Sam and Cas are immediately in love with the adorable kitty they find outside the bunker door, and occupy their time planning how to convince Dean--who they believe is off sulking after a botched hunt--to let them keep their cat. Along the way, Dean learns to use a litter box and hears some confessions he maybe wasn’t supposed to hear, all while realizing just how much he loves Castiel.

Now all Dean has to do is convince Cas and Sam their new pet cat is actually him before they do something crazy--like neuter him!"

canon compliant or slight canon divergence

Give

by @doublestuffedimpala post season 7 episode 7, kind of ambiguous ending but truly a cas is happy to bleed for the winchesters fic

Punch Like Bones 

short, post 5x04 homoerotic moment that i wish we’d gotten

[ascalonianpicnic]

Hey! Y’all want a salty essay about the bullshit treatment Caithe gets from the fandom at large that compares Rytlock and Caithe’s characters? Cause I wrote one!

Warning: this essay is incredibly bitter and salty, and that bitterness and salt is directed at people who hate Caithe. I swear in it. I’m mean to Rytlock in it. I heavily imply people who hate Caithe are sexist in it. This was written in the middle of the champions releases, but doesn’t focus on s5 or past pof in general.

A morally grey assassin, jaded from a traumatic past who thinks they have to do everything themself to ensure it's done right. They had to kill someone close to them for the greater good, were deeply hurt by a former partner, no longer work with their old crew due to a tragedy they could not prevent and blame themself for. The two people they care about are their brother whom they love and understand despite his quirks and oddities, and their new young mentee who they have mixed feelings about and who they don't want to admit they care for for fear of losing them. They have a blood soaked past and make mistakes, but they're learning and growing thanks to their young mentee and the hard work they're putting in at reflecting on their past actions and accepting they don't have to bear the weight of the world alone.

Y'all would like Caithe if she was a man. She's built on several tropes so commonly seen in male protagonists and mentor figures. Mistakes she's made that people claim are unforgivable are made by other, less apologetic, male characters who are forgiven and still held in high regard. And I know these archetypes are popular among the guild wars 2 fandom, considering the high crossover with dragon age fans, and how many dragon age fans love Zevran the assassin who regularly hides his true feelings and bears so much guilt, and Duncan the former thief who sees little crime in what he views as rightful murders and views death as an acceptable cost to protect some secrets for the safety of the world. The guild wars 2 fandom in general would love Caithe so much more if she wasn't a woman. 

But because she's a woman, killing Wynne, killing a few courtiers during personal story, keeping the secret of the sylvari to protect her people from a massacre at the hands of the other races, and taking the egg to ensure it wouldn't fall into the wrong hands are all seen as unforgivable sins. She's learning and growing every step of the way. She's taken the time to look back on what she's done. She's apologized for not trusting and betraying the commander (who she has a complicated relationship with regardless of race, that person stole her wyld hunt because she was somehow not good enough to kill a dragon alone), she's learned she can rely on others to have her back and doesn't have to do everything alone, she's realized bloodshed isn't always the answer. She's come a long way, learned to let herself trust again, and is working so hard to grow. Yet loads of y'all still hate her for her past mistakes, and some of y'all think it's okay to wish death on her fucking openly with no warning. 

And yet, so many people who hate Caithe and wish death on her, citing her actions during Living World Season 2 and Heart of Thorns as the reason why, will in the same breath mention that Rytlock is one of their favorite characters in the game. As I said, y'all would like Caithe if she was a man. 

Rytlock has made the exact same mistakes as Caithe during the story. Alright maybe not exactly the same, but his mistakes parallel hers very cleanly. He isn't an assassin, but he is a born and raised soldier who has killed countless people in his rise to the rank of Tribune. He didn't steal an egg, but he did jump into the mists and free a clearly powerful and dangerous figure for the sake of getting his sword back. He didn't keep the secret of the sylvari, but he did, in fact, keep the secret of Balthazar. And he had his own mentee who he had a fraught relationship with. Let's take this one by one. 

If you play through the blood legion story on a charr, you probably remember overthrowing the legionnaire of your warband and taking over. In this segment, Rytlock not only encourages you to challenge your Legionnaire, he forces Urvan Steelbane to fight you. Then, at the end of the fight, he gives you the option to kill your superior. Rising through the ranks in charr society is a mixture of proving yourself a reliable soldier and proving yourself superior to your superiors through combat so you can take their place. As a tribune, Rytlock has risen high through the legion, spilling lots of blood and putting those around him at risk. It is noted that prior to his promotion to tribune, Rytlock got in serious trouble more than once for risking missions and endangering his own warband for the sake of his own fame and glory. While not an assassin, much like Caithe he has a very bloody history and a habit of trying to do everything himself  

One of the biggest events held against Caithe is when she steals Aurene's egg from the dying Master of Peace as he tries to give it to the commander. While especially true for the sylvari commander, Caithe has a lot of her own reasons for not trusting this incredibly important egg in the hands of the commander. At the same time, her calling as one of Aurene's guardians, her wyld hunt to protect this egg, and the poundings at her mind of mordremoth are all overwhelming her and leaving her confused. Feeling she has to do everything herself, as she often struggles with, Caithe takes the egg to protect it from falling in the wrong hands. She later admits this was the wrong move that put people around her in grave danger and risked the world and apologizes for it. The way Caithe acts about Aurene's egg is pretty similar to how Rytlock acts towards the sword Sohothin. The first time he sees it, he jeopardizes the mission he and Crecia are on to steal it, putting her in extreme danger and blaming her when she has to act to protect herself. Later on, when he loses the sword through a mists portal during a ritual to try and cleanse the foefire ghosts from Ascalon, he abandons the ritual, ensuring it fails, so he can pursue his sword, leaving the commander and the iron legion imperator to face the danger of Barridin's ghost army alone, much like how Caithe left the commander to face the Shadow of the Dragon while she fled with Aurene's egg. While in the mists, seeking his lost sword, Rytlock frees a very clearly powerful and dangerous figure (who we'll come back to) in order to reclaim Sohothin. Like how Caithe put the world at risk by trying to protect the egg alone, Rytlock puts the world at risk trying to reclaim his sword. 

Let's take a brief moment to talk about Caithe and Rytlock's mentees, before we get on to the biggest similarity the two share. Caithe's mentee, if she has one as it depends on the player, is the sylvari commander. The sylvari commander is a decently young sylvari, who only a few years earlier emerged with a parallel wyld hunt to Caithe herself. Caithe is a loner in general following the pains of Wynne's death, Faolain's abuse, and the breaking of Destiny's Edge. Now she's handed a youth who was created to help her with her Hunt that she was always told she had to do alone, basically saying she is no longer trusted to perform her hunt alone and now she has to train her replacement. She does seem to care for the commander, but the relationship there is always going to start off complicated, and it leads to her betraying the commander, leaving them to fight the Shadow of the Dragon, and taking the egg she doesn't trust them to handle. Later on, once she realizes her mistakes, she reaches out to the commander to apologize, and repeatedly puts her trust very clearly in them, acknowledging that she does need them and she did in the past. How that relationship ends is of course up to the player, but she makes an attempt at reconciliation after the fallout. Rytlock's mentee of note here is Rox. He takes her own as a promising young woman who he thinks would fit well in his warband and takes a hand in helping her train and find her place again in the legions. In order to join the Stone warband, Rox is given the incredibly difficult and definitely not soloable task of killing Scarlet Briar. Rox, when it comes down to it, chooses to put Braham's life and safety over dealing the killing blow to Scarlet herself, trusting the commander, whoever they are, and Kasmeer to get the job done while she stays back with Braham and Marjory. Following the victory over Scarlet, Rox is too afraid to face Rytlock. She didn't kill Scarlet herself, meaning she failed, and she's afraid Rytlock will kill her for it. This is itself a sign of a deeply unhealthy relationship between Rytlock and Rox. On top of that, Rytlock has as of yet never tried to reach out to Rox, to check up on her or apologize or do anything to repair the relationship between the two of them. (A note from replaying s2, Rox does join for the barradin keep mission with Rytlock there, but Rytlock doesn't really check up on her, and he sure as hell doesn't offer her the more than earned position on his warband despite everything.)

The last point is the one I believe I've seen held against Caithe the most. During Living World Season 2, Caithe keeps secret from the commander and from her own brother Trahearne that the Sylvari are purified minions of Mordremoth, leading to Trahearne's attack against the dragon ending in a massacre. Caithe, when she was incredibly young and impressionable, learned the truth from Wynne before having to kill her to keep Faolain from learning the truth as well. She has, for years now, been the only one to know this secret, and she believes that if it were to get out, the world would turn against the still young and fairly defenseless sylvari and slaughter them. As she sees it, she has to bear the burden of this secret alone, as she has to do everything alone. While dealing with her duties tied to Aurene's egg and struggling with the growing voice of Mordremoth as well, she may not even know of Trahearne's plans to fly an army into the jungle. She has every reason to keep this secret still, it's for the good of her own people. Yes it is a mistake, but she didn't know this at the time. She believes, as she keeps this secret, that it is the only way to prevent the sylvari from dying off as they're just coming into the world. She regrets the loss of life, but she can't go back and change it now. 

Now Rytlock also keeps a very important secret, from the commander and everyone else. He refuses to share details of what he saw and did in the mists during his hunt for Sohothin. While in the mists, Rytlock meets an old man in chains. The man, recognizing Sohothin in Rytlock's hands, unlit, says he can reignite the sword if Rytlock frees him. Rytlock accepts the deal and frees the man, returning Sohothin to its original glory and gaining access to a portal out of the mists that the old man makes. Now, Rytlock grew up while the war between humanity and the charr was still growing strong. He spent a lot of his early years in Ascalon, exploring the ruins, likely fighting humans trying to reclaim their land, and definitely fighting the ghosts of humans. That alone should have been enough for him to recognize the human god his enemies worshipped while waging war against him and his people. Beyond that, after Rytlock came into possession of Sohothin, he researched the sword's history. The sword, originally crafted and wielded by Balthazar, is one Rytlock is familiar with. It stands to reason Balthazar himself is at the very least a familiar figure to Rytlock. So when Rytlock encounters a large, powerful figure in the mists who recognizes Sohothin in a state very few have ever seen it in, and has the power to relight the flames that the god Balthazar had originally created, Rytlock has to know who he is talking to. He knows who he freed in exchange for Sohothin's flames. He may say otherwise, but there is no way he doesn't know who he freed in the mists. Even if we give him the benefit of the doubt and say he didn't know who exactly he freed, he still should have told the commander about the man with very powerful fire magic and the ability to make portals who he followed out of the mists. Rytlock caused the tragedy that is Path of Fire and almost caused the end of the world, because he decided to keep the fact that he freed Balthazar a secret from everyone until it was far too late and Elona was already burning. Caithe's secret may have resulted in the failure of the Maguuma campaign and the loss of lives of many soldiers, but Rytlock's secret resulted in the near destruction of an entire civilization and the deaths of countless innocents. 

Yet Caithe is still hated deeply for keeping a secret that she thought was for the good of the world, while Rytlock is quickly forgiven for keeping a secret to protect his pride. Rytlock has made all the same mistakes Caithe has and has arguably handled all of them worse, yet he is still a fandom favorite while she is hated by the community. It's pretty clear that Caithe isn't hated for her actions and mistakes. That's just an excuse. 

You would like her if she was a man. 

[bright-molina]

Emergency Contact

synopsis: Sometimes it takes an accident and the revelation that Buck is Luke's emergency contact to really bring the Buckley-Mercer (et al) Family to the same page.

fandoms: Julie and the Phantoms x 911

relationships/characters: Buckley!reader (gender neutral), Alex Mercer, Evan Buckley, Luke Patterson, Athena Grant, Maddie Buckley (all relationships are familial/platonic)

word count: 2503

warnings: mentions of minor injuries (and I mean minor, sprained ankle, minor concussion is all)

a/n: @biqherosix surprise! Catch me pushing the Buckley-Mercer family agenda cause I can. For anyone wondering, we're running with the idea that they're cousins. I honestly have no idea where this came from, I wrote it at like midnight yesterday. And it only figures that the first thing I post in forever is a crossover that is mostly self-indulgent but I promise I'm trying to get the hang of things again.

For those of y'all that haven't seen 911 but still wanna read: one, I appreciate you so much oh my gosh, two, I highly recommend it and three, all you really need to know for this one is that Buck is a firefighter with the 118, Athena Grant is a police officer, and Maddie is Buck's older sister and a 911 dispatcher. If I missed anything and you wanna know feel more than free to ask!

The absolute last thing you expected was your phone ringing well past midnight.

“Don’t answer it.”

Alex’s voice sounded from beside you, muffled by the pile of blankets he was buried under. You rolled your eyes and reached for your phone only to have him snatch it out of your grip and stuff it under the blankets alongside him.

“Give it back!”

“No,” Alex crossed his arms tighter, ignoring the second ring completely. “It’s probably Buck checking to see if we’ve gone to sleep yet, if you answer he’ll know we’re still up.”

“Like Buck would voluntarily be up right now. He’s fifteen hours into a twenty four hour shift,” You leaned back against the couch, knowing there was no tearing the phone away from Alex. “Will you at least check who it is to make sure it’s not Maddie?”

Alex groaned, loud and exaggerated, before sticking his head underneath his blankets to check your phone. You were just barely able to hear his panicked ‘uh oh’ before he put on his best fake tired voice and answered, “Hello?”

“Alexander Mercer, what are you doing awake at this hour?”

“I wasn’t awake.”

“Sure you weren’t. Give the phone to y/n.”

He was handing you the phone in a flash and you could see his wide eyes in the dim blue light coming from the living room tv. “It’s Athena.”

“Thanks, I heard. And I told you so,” You smacked him with your pillow when he stuck his tongue out and he quickly ducked back under the blankets. Whether he was hiding from you or Athena was up for debate. “Hi Athena.”

“Y/N,” Uh oh was right. You recognized the tone in her voice immediately. Exasperated and tired with a little bit of worry laced through. “You wouldn’t be able to get ahold of Buck would you?”

“I could,” You sat up straighter and Alex peeked out from under the blankets again, craning his neck to listen in on the conversation. “Is something wrong? Can’t you call Captain Nash?”

“I could,” Athena echoed your words back to you and you heard muffled shouting in the back. “But Captain Nash isn’t Luke’s emergency contact.”

“His what!”

“It’s not a big deal!” Luke’s voice. It was him who had been shouting. “I’m fine!”

“The cast you’re wearing says different,” There was a click on the other end of the line and Alex tripped over the discarded blankets and pillows as he rushed to look for the car keys. “We couldn’t reach him and Maddie was his second emergency contact but May said she went home early today.”

“Yeah, uh, she -” You put on your shoes as fast as possible and reached for the nearest sweater, one you were sure wasn’t yours. “Jee’s teething so she - she’s probably busy with her. What happened? Luke -”

“Is fine. You just focus on getting to the station and bringing Buck to Med cause he’s gotta fill out some papers. I’ll stay here with him until you do.”

“Okay. Okay we’ll be there soon.”

“Y/N put me on speaker,” Athena must’ve been able to hear the panic in your voice. She knew both you and Alex well enough to know every emotion that was running through you both at that moment. “I want both of you to listen to me. Luke is okay. A little scratched up. Maybe a bruised ego. But he’s just fine, I promise you.”

If there was anybody you trusted it was Athena Grant. So you and Alex shared a look, thanked her, and sprinted out of the apartment wondering what on earth Luke had gotten himself into.

“What do you mean you don’t know!”

“Athena didn’t tell us anything!” You shouted right back at Buck despite knowing it probably wasn’t the best idea given the time or the circumstances. Alex was a few feet away, talking quietly to Chimney to have him relay a message to Maddie. She’d be less angry if the news came from him.

“I thought he went back home,” Buck shook his head before jogging down the stairs and you followed him. He all but charged to the locker room and started shoving all his things in the duffel he always carted with him from the apartment to the station and back. “I thought he was okay.”

It wasn’t until then, until you caught a glimpse of his reflection in the little mirror in his locker surrounded by pictures, that you realized something. Evan Buckley, the firefighter, your brother who always seemed so fearless, was scared.

Buck’s mind was racing at a million miles an hour. He kept going through every piece of information he could from the last two days. Luke had promised him. Sworn he was going back home to his parents. He should’ve known better. They were too much alike and he should’ve known better.

He supposed the worrying came with the territory. The anxiety and panic and not knowing were all things he didn’t like but things he would bear if it meant making sure one of his own was okay.

He had always been protective. You were the youngest Buckley and he took it upon himself to make sure you had a better life than him and Maddie had had. Alex was family and he didn’t hesitate to give him a home when he needed one, metaphorically and literally.

And somewhere along the way the Buckley-Mercer family had grown without him realizing it. Alex had brought his band, his friends, over for dinner once and from that moment on they became a fixture in his life.

Bobby, who was surprised the first time Maddie grinned and hugged him, telling him how proud she was of him. Reggie, who was the first to accept a place in their makeshift home, needing the support and love they offered more than anything. And Luke, who was stubborn and wore his heart on his sleeve and fit right in with them.

And Buck couldn’t believe he had let them down. He couldn’t believe that he tried so hard to let Luke know he was there for him and he had failed. If he had just paid a little more attention then -

“I know what you’re thinking,” Your voice cut off his thoughts and he paused for a moment before continuing.

“No you don’t.”

“You’re blaming yourself. It’s what you always do,” You watched as he pocketed his phone and zipped up the bag. “It’s what you did when I thought I could jump off the swing and ended up with a broken arm even though you couldn’t have stopped me. It’s what you did when Alex had that really bad allergic reaction even though none of us knew he was allergic in the place. It’s what you’re doing now.”

Buck slammed the locker shut without meaning to and silently wondered how you seemed to know everything about him when he seemed to know nothing about any of you, not really. He wasn’t like you or Maddie or Alex and that had never been more clear.

“I’m not blaming myself. I just -” He sighed and walked out of the locker room, past you and Alex, and around to the drivers side of the car. He didn’t get in yet. Instead he glanced between the two of you. “I’m not Maddie. I don’t know how to tell what you guys are thinking. I don’t know how to do the things she does. I can’t help how she does. But - but maybe if I could then -”

“You’re right,” You cut him off, already knowing where he was going. “You’re not Maddie. But we don’t need another Maddie, we need Buck.”

“Y/N’s right,” Alex leaned against the top of the car and gave an easy shrug. “Maddie does family dinners every week and helps us with homework and keeps superhero bandaids around for when Reg and Bobby come back from the skate park with scrapes all over them. But you host game nights and come to every one of our practices when you’re not here and tell really bad jokes when you know we need to hear them.”

“They aren’t bad -”

“Yeah they are,” Both you and Alex answered in sync, successfully pulling the faintest laugh from Buck.

“You’re Buck,” You repeated and finally opened the door of the car. “And when Luke left home he came to you. Athena said you’re his emergency contact because he trusts you more than anyone else. We all do.”

It took less than a couple seconds for Buck to nod and get in the car, the two of you following his lead. Moments later he was speeding away from the 118 and in the direction of the hospital, determined to be where he was needed.

“You’re an idiot, Luke Patterson.”

“Wow thanks,” Luke rolled his eyes from where he sat on the couch, an action that earned him a scolding from you, and kept picking at the fabric of the pillow he was holding to him.

It was nearing mid morning and you had all gotten back to Buck’s apartment only a short while ago. The combined insistence and intimidation coming from both Buck and Athena meant the doctors had no choice but to run as many tests as necessary until they were positive Luke was fine.

Your eyes scanned his face again, a habit you’d picked up from Maddie, in an attempt to assess the damage once more to be sure nothing had gone wrong in the last ten minutes.

A butterfly bandage on his forehead above his left eye. Some scrapes on his arms from the fall. The brace around his right ankle propped up on the coffee table and some pillows. A tear in his favorite flannel that you were already patching up.

“What were you thinking?” You sighed and dropped your hands, turning in your spot beside him to look at him and read all the expressions flashing across his face. “You got hit by a car, Luke.”

“I did not!” He flinched when Alex, fast asleep across the other couch, shifted a little at the noise. Buck did the same thing upstairs in the loft, though he recognized the sound of talking and opted to listen in. “I swerved out of the way. The bike lost control and I hit the pavement but I’m fine.”

“The mild concussion and sprained ankle beg to differ,” You stared again. Luke refused to meet your eyes, refused to look anywhere around the apartment that wasn’t the pillow on his lap. He’d been doing the same thing since Buck had nearly busted down the door of the room he’d been sitting in at the hospital. “What were you thinking?”

“I don’t know,” Luke finally sighed, knowing you wouldn’t let it go any time soon. “I just - I did go home. At first. And i-it was okay until my mom started doing that -that thing she does. The voice, talking down, asking when I was gonna start getting serious, telling me I should do better. I tried but she wouldn’t stop saying all of it so I -” His shoulders sank and his head hung low and you moved closer. “I left.”

“So why didn’t you come back here?” You reached out, hand on his arm in an attempt to get him to hear you. To listen to you. To talk to you. “What made you think you couldn’t?”

It took a few moments but when Luke finally looked up his eyes were watering and he looked unsure. He looked scared and he was never scared. “I didn’t want to disappoint anyone else.”

“I don’t know if you know this,” You gave a sigh and leaned against the back of the couch on one arm. “But we are, historically, a pretty messed up family.”

You successfully pulled a laugh from Luke and a muffled ‘shut up’ from Alex only made the two of you laugh more. But when the laughter faded away you were left with the ghost of those doubts. Present and needing closure. To be acknowledged and reassured.

“There is nothing you could do that would disappoint Maddie and Buck, believe me,” You gave him a faint, sad smile and for a second he wondered what memories were the source of it. “And you never have to be scared. We’re your family and we’re here for you. Me and Alex and Buck and Maddie. Athena who stayed with you until we got there and after. Chimney who’s breaking the news to Maddie to save us all. Albert. May. Bobby. Reggie. You have all of us. I hate to break it to you but you’re a part of our weird little family and we aren’t going anywhere any time soon. So please, please never feel like you have to hide from us. You’re home here, Luke.”

And he believed every word. For a moment he wondered why he ever doubted it in the first place. It was evident in the way he had a designated spot at the dining table at Maddie’s place. In the way his clothes took up a good amount of space in one of the dressers upstairs. In the pair of house keys that hung on a chain around his neck. Reggie and Bobby were also given a pair long ago.

“Does one of you want to explain to me what the hell happened!” The sound of the door being thrown open startled all of you. Alex sat up quickly and Buck came barreling down the stairs to meet Maddie at the door.

Bobby and Reggie came in after her, holding piles of various items she’d insisted on bringing with. They were followed moments later by Albert carrying bags filled with takeout and then Chimney with Jee-Yun in her car seat.

It was dead silent for a moment as Maddie looked between her siblings, her cousin, and the boy she considered one of her own. They were all her family and that was that.

Finally the silence was broken by Luke leaning over in your direction and quietly asking, “Hey, does home have a place I can hide from Maddie until she’s less mad?”

“Oh, Luke,” You offered him a smile he recognized as a slightly sympathetic yet playful one. “There is nowhere you can hide where Maddie’s anger, love, and aggressive post-injury nurturing won’t reach. Good luck.”

She sat in your spot the moment you stood up and was immediately making sure Luke was okay. Her eyes scanned each injury just as yours had and when she finally let him take a breath he looked around.

All of this, the chaos that was unpacking the various takeout boxes. Setting up a little station on the kitchen island with various medical supplies. Chasing Jee-Yun around as she crawled and wobbled all around the place. Music playing softly in the background as everyone smiled and talked and felt relieved that he was okay.

This was home. Luke was sure of it.

Taglist:

Everything: @meangirlsx @cucumbers-and-olives @dream-a-little-bigger-x @fangirlangioma @jaskiers-sweetkiss @babychickanon @goddess-of-night​ @n0wornever @calamitykaty @hellophantoms @funsizearsonist @crybabyddl​ @txrii @sunsetcurvej @willex-owns-my-heart @angryknightstatesmantrash @all-in-fangirl @reg-peters @willowsbendtothewind-blog @jatplover

shoot me an ask/message to be added/moved/removed

[fullbushfemme]

Meeting the Mayans

word count: 1,804

summary: You thought you were prepared for anything. Growing up with four brothers, you had been bitten, beaten, thrown out of trees, concussed, stabbed, practically any violent act you could possibly think of, you had endured. For a kindergarten teacher, you were tough. You had the scars to prove it. That was, of course, until the day you met the Mayans.

unnamed mayan x fem!reader

warnings: brief mentions of blood, hostage situation, and a shooting.

author's note: I've had this idea in my head for ages now and I'm tempted to make it a series. The only issue is that I can't decide which Mayan I want to star (since they aren't named in this fic). I'm tempted to use this as a jumping off point for multiple fics, writing different stories from this initial incident involving different Mayans, but I'd love to hear any thoughts y'all might have :)

-I also haven't written anything outside of academic works in years so go easy on me <3

Santo Padre Septembers were always your favorite. It was sticky and hot, enough to make anyone want to jump into a pool fully clothed, but school was back in session, which meant you got to meet a new hoard of bright-eyed, eager five year olds. You had spent the last month preparing your classroom for their arrival. Nine am to one pm every day for four weeks was dedicated to decorating your classroom, making name cards, making sure every student had all the supplies they needed. Inside every desk you placed glue and markers and pencils and workbooks and scissors...everything a little kid would need to express themselves. And all of it out of your own pocket. You took it upon yourself to spoil these kids rotten.

Two weeks into class, you already knew everyone’s names, their favorite color, their pets, and whether or not they were allowed to watch TV after six o’clock. You knew who was friends with who, who couldn’t eat peanut butter, and who was most popular. This year’s class was going to be great, you just knew it.

It was a humid Friday afternoon. The room smelled like Elmer’s glue and pencil shavings, with stray scraps of construction paper strewn about the floor after the kids decided this week’s art project was going to be making dinosaurs out of construction paper and glitter. You were staying after class to clean up and vacuum, and to take the class rabbit home with you since no one had signed up to care for him this week, when you heard a knock at your door.

You looked over to the open door, squinting into the sun, trying to make out who it was. But no one was standing in the doorway. “Forget something?” you called out, thinking that a student must’ve left a lunch box or notebook and was feeling shy.

“Not exactly,” a deep voice responded, sending a twinge of fear through your body. You knew that voice. “I was hoping my baby sister could help me with something.”

A lump had formed in your throat that you tried to swallow, to no avail. “What are you doing here?” you choked out, standing from where you were picking up paper scraps.

“I need you to help me hide. Quickly.” Your older brother stepped into the classroom, gun in hand, pupils wider than you had ever seen them. He must’ve been high, you thought, panicked. What had he gotten into now? All four of your brothers were known to be trouble-makers to varying degrees. A few had been to prison for petty crimes, but the brother that stood before you had gotten wrapped up in drug trafficking years ago. He scared you the most. They had all promised your parents that they would keep their lives separate from yours, that they would never put you in harm's way. But it didn’t last. It felt like every other week you had a bruised or beaten brother on your doorstep, begging for help or a place to stay. And today, it was to ask you to hide them.

Your eyes flitted to the large windows overlooking the grassy courtyard where a few children sat waiting for their parents to pick them up. Hide. Hide from what? Who was coming after him? Would they hurt the kids?

“N-no,” you stammered, taking a step backwards. You couldn’t risk putting any kids still on campus in danger. “You can’t hide here. You have to go. You have to go right now.” You could feel a pit in your stomach begin to form as your brother took slow, long strides toward you.

“No?” he spat, completely dumbfounded by your refusal to help him. You had never turned him down before. He was family. You never said no to family.

You swallowed hard before repeating yourself. “No,” you responded, with more conviction this time, although you knew he could see right through you.

You took another step back, but ran up against your desk. Your phone was in the top drawer. Could you reach it fast enough? If you even could, who would you call? The police? That was a good way to get murdered and leave a teacher-shaped stain on the floor for the kids to come back to on Monday. Gripping the edge of the table so hard your knuckles turned white, your brother broke the ominous silence before you could.

“I’m not asking you again, hun,” he spat, now so close you could smell him.

“I can’t,” you whispered, your eyes welling up. “The kids…”

He furrowed his brow for a moment, shocked at the idea that you could actually turn your own flesh and blood away. You had always helped him, no matter how many times your parents told you not to, no matter how many times your life was put in danger. He couldn’t grasp the idea that you would put your foot down when it came to endangering other people, when it came to endangering your kids.

“They’ll kill you, you know,” he seethed, looking back over his shoulder towards the open door. There was a low rumbling growing louder and louder, but that wasn’t to whom he was referring. He was talking about your other brothers. “I told them I’d go to my baby sister, that she’d help me. She always helps me. Why would she flip on me now? Why wouldn’t she help family?” His grip tightened around his handgun as he leaned in to threaten you. “If anything happens to me, they’ll know to come to you first. They’ll know you couldn’t protect your own family.” His breath was hot against your neck. “Now,” he sighed, “Help me hide. And tell them you haven’t seen me in months.”

“I don’t think that’s such a good idea,” a man shouted from outside, causing your brother to grab hold of your arm. Those tears you had been holding back finally fell down your cheeks as your brother pulled you in front of him, placing you between the stranger and your brother. You could barely make out any details of the man from outside because of the blinding sun, but you could tell he had a gun. And that gun was much bigger than your brother’s. As the man moved into your classroom, at least five more men appeared and followed him in, all with guns pointed at your brother.

At this point, you were frozen. The lives your parents had so desperately tried to keep apart were crashing together, their worst nightmare coming true. The two of you were stuck, with only one way out. And he knew it. He gripped your arm tighter, making sure your body could be used as an effective human shield. The barrel of his gun was shoved into your ribcage, his face buried into the back of your hair.

“See what you’ve done?” he seethed. You looked at all of the men placed around the room. Leather-clad men on top of a backdrop of crudely painted rainbows and dogs. You hadn’t brought these men here. You didn’t anger a group of gun-toting men. And yet somehow, this was your fault.

“We’re only here for you, kid,” a low, rough voice called out, a different one than before.

But he wouldn’t let them take only him. He was bringing you down with him. He was willing to sacrifice his own family to keep from going down alone.

The seconds ticking by felt like hours. Your heart pounded against your ribcage, desperately trying to break free. But you could do nothing besides stand still. All you could do is hope and pray that these men that had followed your brother here had enough decency not to kill a kindergarten teacher caught in the crossfire. But your brother refused to give them that opportunity.

“If I go,” he yelled, raising his gun to your temple, “she goes too.”

These words would haunt your every thought for the rest of your life. But in that moment, all you could think about was the weapon pressed against your skin. Your brother wasn’t just willing to bring you down with him, he was willing to kill you himself. And the thought of it made you sick. It made you want to curl up into a ball and scream on the top of your lungs. You opened your mouth to cry out, but your brother hit you across the head with the butt of his gun before you could.

The men opposing your brother yelled, harsh words were exchanged, but all you could hear was a ringing in your ears. Tensions rose. Guns were raised. Blood dripped down your face and mixed with your tears. Your senses were betraying you, one by one, blending every sensation into one incomprehensible nightmare.

And then, a single gunshot rang out, making you acutely aware of the severity of the situation once more.

A scream escaped your chest as you fell to your knees, free from your brother’s death grip. You brought your hands up to your ears and squeezed your eyes shut, hoping it would all be over.

But it wasn’t over. It wouldn’t end. No matter how hard you prayed, you were still on the floor of your kindergarten classroom. Your brother was still prepared to kill you if he felt threatened. Someone was shot...someone was shot but you couldn’t bear to look. You wanted to look, you had to look, to see if it was your brother that was shot. But before you could muster the courage to open your eyes, two arms wrapped around you and pulled you into an embrace. It couldn’t have been your brother, it was much too gentle. But if it wasn’t him, then who?

It took a moment to open your eyes, but when you did, you looked up to see who was holding you. His face was kind, with dark brown eyes filled with worry as he looked down at you. He opened his mouth to say something to you, and he probably did, but you couldn’t hear him over the pounding in your head. He was a stranger to you, and yet he clung to you to keep you from seeing the mess behind you. Like he truly cared for your wellbeing. He pulled you in closer to him, placing his chin on top of your head the way your father did when you were young. It felt...safe. And all you wanted to do was collapse into him and allow yourself to feel safe. You let your head fall into his chest. You let your head fall into this stranger’s chest. And just as you did, two white patches on his left breast caught your eye. Two patches that read: Mayans, Santo Padre.