#he would do things like weigh himself holding a candy bar to see if he could eat it and still make weight

[mollywog]

Here is me everlark-ing that time I passed out and took a nose dive into some dude lap at a blood drive (there was no cute banter or romance in my case - only embarrassment)

I used this as an exercise in not overthinking… It didn’t really work; but I tried not to let myself linger…

Ao3 link

“I’m sorry. You don’t meet our minimum weight requirement, you won’t be able to donate today”, Nurse Sae turns the digital monitor towards her to inspect the number. Her shoulders slump.

One pound!

She won't be able to donate blood today over one measly pound! “I weighed myself at home this morning and I had two pounds to spare,” she pleads. She hates the sight of blood, but ever since her sister had received a lifesaving transfusion when she was eight, Katniss has been dead set on donating.

Nurse Sae frowns sympatheticly, “Different scales, different precision.” She gives Katniss another quick once over before sighing, “tell you what: why don’t you go and eat something; See if you can get another couple ounces to stick to your bones and I’ll weigh you again?”

Katniss perks up, “really?” If there’s one thing she can do, it’s eat.

Sae nods before busying herself organizing her stand. She continues casually, “If you really want to know the art of the weigh in you should talk to one of the wrestlers. The things those boys will do to make weight.” She shakes her head, “on second thought, don’t do that; they're not good examples,” she waves her hands in the direction of the offending group.

Katniss looks over to find a pair of blue eyes fixed on her, before flitting away.

Peeta Mellark.

Her stomach swoops. They’ve never really spoken, but this isn’t the first time she’s noticed him looking. He’s seated at the cookie table chatting with some other guys from the team. They’ve already donated and are waiting their required fifteen minutes.

She thanks the nurse and grabs her backpack moving in their direction towards the exit when her feet falter. Leevy, a girl from her neighborhood is giving blood and seemingly not doing well. She looks pale and her breathing is labored. The nurse has taken note as well, reclining her seat and fanning her as she checks the bag volume.

It’s too hot, Katniss realizes, though she was comfortable only moments ago. She’s sweating and pulls at the chest of her shirt for relief. Her breathing is short and shallow and she feels dizzy.

She needs to get out of here.

She stares at the door with renewed determination and urges herself towards it.

She’s not going to make it.

She doesn’t know what will happen next, but her vision is narrowing. New plan: she needs to sit down, preferably on a chair. She knows she must be close to the snack table. Her hands reach out searching until they hit something solid and she clings to it before her knees give out and the darkness closes in around her vision.

…………

She floats to consciousness feeling relaxed and more rested than she remembers feeling in years. The lights behind her lids indicate sun pouring through her bedroom window: it’s late. She can’t believe she’s slept in, she only ever does that when she’s sick. Her head is cradled in her mother’s lap as she strokes her hair. Katniss flexes her fingers and the hand in her hair ceases its motion. She whimpers in protest. A voice close to her ear says her name, but it’s not her mother’s soft tones. Instead a deep rumble, laced with concern.

She knows that voice. Her eyes flutter open and she’s met with Peeta’s concerned stare. He releases a breath and smiles, “good to see your eyes again.”

Her lips quirk involuntarily but then the memories creep in. She must have passed out; How embarrassing! She moves to sit up, but her head swims and she lays back taking the opportunity to inspect her surroundings. She’s been moved behind a privacy curtain and Nurse Sae is busy beside her, checking her blood pressure, asking questions, and gently testing her limbs. Her initial euphoria has worn off to a giddy embarrassment. She’s clammy and chilled, but physically no worse for the wear.

“It’s a good thing you caught her,” The nurse finally proclaims, patting Peeta on the shoulder, “Could have twisted an ankle or gotten a bump on the head.”

“It was nothing, right time, right place.”

‘Mm-hmm’ Sae hums with a sly grin.

Katniss notices Peeta’s blush, though she’s not sure why he’s embarrassed, “well regardless, thank you.”

“Now, I want you to sit here a bit and don’t you dare leave before you finish these,” she places a juice box and 2 cookies next to her. “Unfortunately after that excitement, no donating for you today. If you’re alright here, I’ll leave her in your care.”

Katniss opens her mouth to protest, but Peeta answers first, “don’t worry: our patient is in good hands.”

“I bet she is,” Sae winks.

Katniss waits until the nurse is out of earshot, covering her face before speaking, “I’m so sorry, I can’t believe I did that. I swear I’ve never done that before.”

“It’s alright, really. You’ve actually fulfilled my white knight fantasies. What little boy hasn’t dreamed of rescuing a fair maiden?”

She bites back a smile; she can’t imagine anyone considering her a damsel in distress. More like a feral cat. “Come on, this isn’t your first rescue. What about that time Glimmer Rogers thought she twisted her ankle and asked you to carry her to the nurse’s office?”

“You remember that?” His lips twitch in amusement, “We were in like what… 5th grade? And besides, I think she faked it on a dare.”

It’s a silly thing to remember, but if she really thinks about it, she has plenty of memories of this boy’s kindness, as if she’s been watching and cataloging them for years. She masks this revelation with the last bite of cookie, “well I’m glad to relieve you of your duties Sir Peeta. I’ve got it from here.”

“I don’t know. I take this responsibility very seriously. How chivalrous would it be for me to just abandon you now?”

She rolls her eyes, “What are you going to do? Escort me to fourth period and sit behind me in case I faint again? Abernathy will love that.”

He scrunches his nose, “maybe not.” He pauses, “okay, here’s the deal; you’ll let me walk you to class and then maybe you could offer me a token of your favour.”

“What?”

“Come on, haven’t you been paying attention in History class?”

She hasn’t. They’ve been watching a costume drama about Henry VIII under the guise of learning in Mr. Plutarch’s history class. She vaugly rememebers a jousting scene where the ladies had given the jousters ribbons as good luck charms before their turn. “So you want my hair tie or something?” She laughs.

“That’s one option. Or… you could give me your number instead? That way I can check in on you later… make sure you’re recovering well.” He fidgets with his backpack straps. If she didn’t know better she’d think he was nervous. “If you’ll allow it,” he adds, averting his eyes.

Coming from anyone else she would think it was a line, but Peeta’s a genuinely nice guy. He’s only asking to be kind and she wouldn’t want him to worry if a quick text is all he’s asking. “Okay, I’ll allow it,” she says, extending her phone towards him.

This time when their eyes meet, his don’t flit away and the smile he gives her is so genuinely sweet with just the right touch of shyness, that she can’t help returning it.

[the-down-upside-finch]

Trick or treat!

Hello hello!! I shall give you... a treat! 🍭

Here’s a random "snippet" from my WIP, Stained Integrity! I decided to drop a pretty long bit (a king-sized candy bar, if you will), so I'll put it under the cut.

(For one of the many Trick or Treat events!)

(CW: minor violence, mention of blood, mention of death)

“Whatever.” Fluke turned to face Blight. “So, what now? You gonna teach us how’da kill?”

“No.” Blight widened his stance, purposefully putting more weight on his right foot. “We are going to see how long it takes each of you to disarm me.”

“Oh, how fun!” Firetail clapped his hands together, his voice oozing with sarcasm. “And here I was, thinking we were done playing around!”

“You may go first, if you’re so excited,” Blight dryly responded, unsheathing his practice sword and gesturing at the selection of practice weapons that the newcomers could choose from.

“No rules?” Firetail raised an eyebrow.

“You may do anything non-lethal that will not draw blood or render me unconscious.”

“Lovely.” Firetail’s eyes flashed another smirk.

Much to Blight’s surprise, the Morunton selected the rapier.

“You’re a lefty,” Blight observed.

“And what of it?” Firetail coolly responded.

“I also favor my left hand,” Blight said. “But I’ve been equally trained in both, so sometimes I hardly notice which hand I’m using.”

“Fascinating.” Firetail restlessly weighed the sword in his hand.

Blight didn’t bother giving a signal. The trial had already taught the newcomers their first lesson—that no one in the real world waited for a signal.

Firetail immediately went for Blight’s right side, falling for the trap that Blight had set up to take advantage of the Morunton’s observant nature. He was ready for the attack, neatly dodging—and then barely catching himself as he felt something—most likely a foot—connect with the back of his left knee.

He knew the obvious thing to do would be to throw his weight backwards, since he had stumbled forward—so he feinted to the right and then recovered his balance just in time to block Firetail’s grab.

The scuffle lasted longer than Blight would have liked—especially since Firetail’s bladework was frustratingly clean and well-practiced. He should have been able to easily disarm Blight in only a few steps, but it took him nearly five minutes.

But the Elmalian knew exactly what the Morunton was doing.

“I suppose that could have been worse,” Blight remarked, reminding himself to hold his tongue. “Your turn, Ardalian.”

Fluke stepped forward, having chosen a practice dirk as his weapon.

“Bringing a knife to a sword fight, are you?” Firetail chuckled.

“Aye—better watch and learn, foxer.” Fluke sneered.

Blight was more comfortable fighting against daggers than he wanted to admit, thanks to the fact that most outlaws favored smaller weapons and often had at least three in their possession at all times.

Just like Doom had said, Fluke was a dirty fighter. He toyed with Blight for a moment or two before he disarmed him. The fight barely lasted a minute.

“See?” Fluke tossed Blight’s practice sword at his feet. “Told’ja he’s all talk,” he said, jerking his head towards the Morunton.

“Me—all talk!” Firetail threw back his head and laughed. “Tell me, Fluke—do you like to gamble?”

“What’re you on about?” Fluke growled.

“How much shall we bet that I can disarm you in under ten seconds?” Firetail’s eyes flashed with glee.

Fluke glanced at Blight.

“...I’ll allow it,” Blight said, deciding he’d rather test his theory without needing a second fight against Firetail.

“Brill.” Fluke smugly grinned. “Shall we bet your marble?”

Blight almost intervened, but Firetail just laughed.

“And what do I get if I win?” he cheekily asked.

“You’re not gonna ask for my liver?”

“Ardalian livers are too toxic for my taste,” Firetail dismissively said. “I’d rather have some of your energy.”

“Deal.” Fluke stuck out his hand.

Firetail paused, then he politely shook Fluke’s hand—and courteously released his grip before he lunged.

Blight flinched as Fluke hit the floor with a sickening THUD.

“Shall we do best two out of three?” Firetail said.

Fluke went down again in less than three seconds.

Blight uneasily regarded the Morunton, both pleased and disgusted by Firetail’s mind games. He had concealed his true abilities during his fight with Blight, using it as an opportunity to get a reading on his technique. Clearly, he had gotten a decent reading during Fluke’s short fight, as well.

“Don’t worry,” Firetail drawled, putting two fingers under Fluke’s chin. “I’ll wait until after the lesson to claim my reward.”

Fluke jerked away, muttering a string of curse words under his breath.

Enjoy the treat!! 🍭

(Invoking the tag list in case you guys wanna read a really long snippet: @athenswrites, @my-cursed-prince)

[atsoraasayoma]

Guess that Digidestined Part Three!

Next on our list we have the stoic Iori. At first I considered him just a background character to just kind of fill in a slot. He just seemed to exist there to playoff the strengths of the other Digidestined. He exacerbates the loudness of Daisuke with his calm logic. He appears dull in light of Miyako’s outgoing personality. And yet he gives me Takeru vibes-like a younger Takeru vibe- just more mature.

At first I never really cared for Iori-like at all. There was just no enduring outstanding trait about him. I get how reliable and curious/wise he is because of his dad’s career path influence being a police officer and his grandfather and really taking things to heart. In truth the way I looked at him was really at a surface level.

What I did not see for awhile was the image of a young man trying to find his life’s purpose through the lives of others. -A young man that, much like Ken but in a quiet way was dealing with his own grief losing his father.

His character really fleshed out when I stopped comparing him to the others. I found out Iori speaks loudest with his actions. Swinging a Kendo stick, sticking up for his beliefs, putting in his two cents but all while not losing himself emotionally for the most part-

-heck even not wasting a cherry tomato because it would be wasteful- he lives by his moral compass and dies by his moral compass. He does not need praise or a pat on the back - but merely to be acknowledged and respected.

At times he seems awkward-almost out of place. But that is indeed due to his maturity. He is an only child and devoted himself to whatever he puts his mind to-and will not compromise. Yet he is not so blind that he will not take others opinions and weigh them on his scale of justice.

I would say his most defining moment was lifting the dying body of Oikawa as he desperately sought to help him fulfill his dream. Of course, he was emotional before, but this situation literally tore off the mask of justice seeing the redemption of his father’s friend and saw how even an ‘evil’ person could be redeemed. He witnessed it through Ken- but he was more emotionally invested in this redemption arc.

And that’s Iori for you. In short Iori is fair, and blameless to a fault.

Now, the moment you’ve been waiting for. In the conversation’s below who do you think Iori is speaking to?

Digidestined A: It’s nice how you hold onto the values of your grandfather. He’s pretty good at Shogi too. I wonder if we can see him again soon?

Iori: Tea and rice cakes it is then. I’ll arrange the meeting. and of course, all of you are invited as long as you mind your manners.

Digidestined B: I get what it’s like wanting to do your best having a strong sense of justice but sometimes Iori that can be a dangerous thing. You have to look at it seeing if what you’re doing ends up hurting those you care about.

Iori: I will take your words to heart, but that does not diminish my resolve. No matter what happens what’s right is right. And what’s wrong is wrong. The moment I start doubting that will be a Dark day for sure.

Digidestined C: If you condemn me Iori so be it. But like you I stand by my actions. Look at the person I am now- not the person I was before.

Iori: You can’t undo what’s been done. Your past is a part of you and is shaping your own resolve that I have borne witness to. I don’t condemn you but I caution you and warn you if you go down that path again you may not be able to come back from it this time.

Digidestined D: We’ve been friends for awhile and I can’t tell you how many times you’ve kept me fed with your mom’s cooking!

Iori. The feeling is mutual. I would have gone through at least a dozen computers had you not fixed it all those times. I am grateful.

Digidestined E: Listen. You should take a page from my book and lighten up. Get some sunshine. Have a candy bar or see a movie. You’ll feel a lot better.

Iori: …If I took a ‘page’ from your book then I would already be at the end of it. I relax from time to time but unlike you I never let my guard down.

[foilfreak]

Beauty and Her Beast: Chapter 3

Warning: This fic is rated NSFW and contains graphic depictions of things some people may find disturbing or alarming, including, but not limited to: violence, gore, unhealthy family relationships, Oedipus complexes, gratuitous amount of pornographic literature, ableist language, physical, mental, and emotional abuse, etc. If you are someone who does not enjoy fiction with these elements in them, then I suggest you refrain from reading this, because this fic will have all that, and probably a lot more. So, this is your first and final warning to turn around and go somewhere else if stuff like this just isn't your vibe, because from this point forward, your emotional wellbeing is in your own hands, and I will not be accepting blame if you disregarded my warnings and ended up reading something you didn't like. Idk why I feel compelled to write one of these despite this being Resident Evil fanfic, but I figured I'd cover my ass just in case.

(Link to ao3 version in comments below)

“Going off the information I have listed here, it appears as though you’ll be receiving subject N-45, today. She’s a healthy 22 year old female. Her short, but muscular body weighs 95lbs with a childish height of 4’10” tall. She possesses primarily Romanian and Filipino ancestry, with some Dutch or Finnish or... whatever, thrown in there as well. And according to the various items we found on her person when she was first brought in, she’s apparently a graduate student at the University of Bucharest, or, at least she was, before she drove her car into a tree while driving up the mountain and was recovered by Heisenberg” Miranda explains robotically, reading aloud from a piece of paper held inside a thick manila envelope. “Of the 4 remaining test subjects, N-45 is easily the most violent and difficult one to work with, having to be either anesthetized or restrained every time I wanted to so much as take her vitals or stabilize her condition. When given smaller doses of sedatives she-”

For the first time in his entire life, Salvatore completely ignores whatever unimportant nonsense Mother Miranda is going on about, continuing to take in and analyze the strikingly unique appearance of the young woman before him.

Upon first inspection, N-45 appeared to resemble that of a normal woman in just about every way possible. Her hair was scruffy and very short, barely long enough to reach her eyes, and a deep black color that looked so soft and luxurious that Salvatore ached to run his fingers through it. Her face was slightly round, giving the young woman a very youthful appearance, with her sharp jawline and prominent cheekbones being some of the only things keeping Salvatore from mistaking her for a child. And lastly, her... figure, if Salvatore had to put such an embarrassing idea into words, was similar to that of Mother Miranda, only shorter, more compact even. It reminded the hooded man of those small packets of candy Duke occasionally gifted him that said “fun sized” on the label, in reference to them being much smaller than the standard sized candy bars and yet somehow being… better, despite technically giving you less candy.

She was already perfect as she was, but it was not just N-45’s beautiful human features that pulled Salvatore in and refused to let him escape the stupefaction he’d been placed under, but also her mutations.

A soft royal blue coated her from head to toe, giving way only to a large patch of solid white located on her chest and stomach. Her skin catches the light in a way that reveals areas of tiny overlapping scales, glimmering like stars in the midnight sky, or freshly polished armor, perhaps, along the bony ridges and tender curves of her figure.

Small white dots distributed like paint splatters across the colored sections of her flesh give a similar visual effect as freckles, starting from her hairline and extending all the way down to the very tips of her toes. These galaxies of white were invisible only on the white patch along the front of her torso, as well as on the lighter blue hue taken on by both the palms and webbings of her hands and feet.

Long Fin-like extensions grew along both her forearms and lower back. The former extended outward and inward like a windshield wiper, likely used to decrease water resistance. The latter, however, perhaps used to increase fine motor maneuverability while swimming at greater speeds or in tighter spaces, grew straight downwards from her lower back in an overlapping fan configuration that marginally covered her rear end, though not by very much. The fins looked like a soft, delicate material that was probably very flexible but very durable, if Salvatore had to guess just from looking.

And to top everything off, N-45 even appeared to even have gills, 2 different sets by the looks of it. The first set of 3 breathing slits was located horizontally along both sides of her neck, while the second set could be found on both sides of her torso, following the downward angle of her ribs but stopping just underneath her soft, plump-looking breasts.

Salvatore feels a sudden wave of heat cascade over his body and he turns his face away in shameful embarrassment as he suddenly realizes that N-45, much like every test subject undergoing cadou treatment, was still very, very nude at the present moment.

“I can’t make any promises regarding her disposition, but physically speaking, she’s ready to be released to you whenever you’d like. I’ll have some of the villagers transport and release her into the reservoir later this week” Mother Miranda says, pressing a button to close the pod now that Salvatore was no longer staring at her.

“W-wait just a m-moment” Salvatore calls out, prompting Mother Miranda to halt the closing of the pod.

“Yes? What is it?” The woman asks curtly, clearly not wanting to stand here and watch Salvatore any longer than she has to.

Wringing his hands together nervously, Salvatore meekly asks, “C-could… could y-you wake h-her up… s-so that I can s-speak with her… j-just for a m-moment?”

Mother Miranda remains silent for a moment, blank face staring directly at Salvatore as she contemplates what to do.

“No, Moreau,” she says finally. “I’ve had a very busy day today and I'm quite tired. N-45 is a menace that I struggle to deal with even on my best days. The last thing I need is something going wrong and her getting out and causing all sorts of chaos.”

Salvatore’s shoulders slump in disappointment, but he makes no further attempts to argue.

Mother Miranda rolls her eyes at the incredibly childish display, walking over to place a gentle hand on Salvatore’s head. “Would it make you feel better if I agreed to have N-45 be the first of the subjects to be dropped off? It’ll be more difficult than my original plan, but I suppose it was a bit unfair that you were the only one who didn’t get to “pick” their gift.”

“Yes, M-Mother Miranda… I-I’d like th-that very… very m-much” Salvatore says, leaning into the touch as Mother Miranda begins guiding him back toward the hallway leading to the exit door.

It wasn’t until after Miranda had exited the lab and begun walking down the long hallway toward the exit that Salvatore dared cast another glance back at the pod that contained N-45, wistfully thinking of how amazing her hand had felt in his, and how much he wanted to speak to her.

Just as the disfigured man was about to turn back and follow Miranda out of the laboratory, a flash of movement out of the corner of his eye caught his attention, prompting Salvatore to tense and snap toward the 4 pods, frantically trying to figure out what it was he saw. A few seconds of stillness pass before Salvatore sees movement again, not freely moving about the room like he originally expected, but from within one of the 4 pods, his pod to be exact.

His curiosity momentarily outweighing his nerves, Salvatore slowly approaches the metal capsule, trying to get a look through the small pane of glass that allows visual access into the holding pod.

Another flash of movement has Salvatore flinching, jumping back as though he’d been advanced upon. After several seconds of stillness, however, the hooded man regains his confidence and once again inches his way toward the capsule, moving his head up and down to try and get one more glimpse at N-45 before he has to leave. One last look before she lays eyes upon his vile and disgusting body for the first time, screaming and calling him a monster as she runs away, leaving him alone and without anyone to call his own. Just like always.

“ Hello ?”

Salvatore froze dead in his tracks, his heart pounding and his lungs refusing to take in air, as a soft, muffled, questioning voice reaches the deformed man’s ears, followed by two golden orbs with narrow black slits running vertically through the center, that slowly peek into view from the bottom of the glass window. Salvatore’s eyes widen in shock as he quickly realizes that the orbs of gold are not, in fact, just spheres of color, but rather a pair of eyes, staring intently at him from inside the pod.

“Uuuuuh… u-u-uuum… I-i… I w-was just…” the disfigured man stuttered as he struggled to move his body, seemingly paralyzed by the bewitching gaze currently locked onto him, looking at him with an intensity that makes Salvatore wonder if this is what it feels like to be a cell put under a microscope.

It isn’t until Salvatore notices the golden orbs moving and shifting from one corner of the window pane to the other that the hooded man realizes, to his immediate horror, that he might not be the only one trying to get a better look at the figure located on the other side of the pod door. Panic and fear immediately fill Salvatore from deep within, growing strong enough to allow him to finally overcome his temporary paralysis and skitter away from view. Pulling his hood even further over his petrifyingly grotesque face in shame of himself, Salvatore flees the laboratory as quickly as his hobbled limp would allow.

His heart pounds to the beat of the soft, but desperate pleas of protest coming from N-45’s pod in response to Salvatore’s rapidly retreating form, yet the hooded man cannot bring himself to believe what he hears as true. Perhaps believing that the siren-like voice he hears echoing off the metal laboratory walls to be nothing more than a trick of his sick and lonely mind, Salvatore does not stop, nor does he turn back around until he’s met up with Mother Miranda at the exit to the surface, lungs burning and legs aching from running for so far and long.

“Oh, there you are, Moreau,” Mother Miranda says suddenly, stopping just before they are about to exit the laboratory. “I’m glad you chose this time to finally catch up, because I just realized a second ago that I’d forgotten to give you N-45’s previous name. You can name her something else if you’d prefer, of course, but I offered the information to your siblings so I suppose I should offer it to you as well. Would you still like to know N-45’s name, or would you rather abandon her given name for one of your own choosing?”

After a few seconds of silent contemplation, Salvatore lifts his head, “I… I-i would like to k-know… her n-name… please...” the mutant man says softly.

Mother Miranda briefly raises a questioning eyebrow at Salvatore’s nervous body language, but ultimately rolls her eyes and shrugs her shoulders, all but tossing the Manila envelope containing N-45’s information at the hooded man before disappearing out the large metal door.

“If you’re going to read that now, feel free, but return to the meeting room once you're done. And be sure to lock the door to my laboratory behind you” Miranda commands, her voice having grown echoey due to how far away she now was.

“Yes, M-Mother” Salvatore calls after her as he scrambles to catch the thrown file and prevent any loose papers from falling out. Once he’s got a solid handle on the thick envelope, he opens it, casting a quick glance back in the direction of the pod room, where Nadine and the other 3 gifts were being held for the time being.

Returning to the file, Salvatore frantically flips through every page, trying to find the one that held N-45’s personal background information.

After several minutes of desperate flipping back and forth, Salvatore finally focuses on one particular piece of paper that looked to have been in the file for the longest. Pulling out the particular page he’d found, the disfigured man drops the rest of the folder onto the ground and begins rapidly skimming through the information printed on the page, his hungry eyes refusing to stop until they finally zeroed in on the information he’d been looking for.

Project: E.V.A. Resurrection

Subject: N-45

Parasite Administered: Cadou (Series- N; Strain- 45)

Family Name: Bogdan

Given Name: Nadine

“N… Nadine” Salvatore said slowly, feeling slightly lightheaded and out of breath as each individual letter of the young woman’s name rolled off his tongue like Camembert cheese; smooth, creamy, decedent, and likely to keep him up all night with an upset stomach and a racing heartbeat.

Nadine. Nadine. Nadine. Nadine. Nadine. Nadine. Nadine. Nadine. Nadine. Nadine. Nadine.

The name quickly became a broken loop played over and over and over again inside Salvatore’s head, his mind unable, or rather unwilling, to think of anything else as he read, reread, and then re-reread Nadine’s name at least 100 times, before finally setting the piece of paper down.

“Nadine...” Salvatore breathes the name once again, his voice carrying a wistful tone. “E-even your n-name is wonderful...”

An already beautiful woman, made even more perfect through the power of science and Mother Miranda’s grace, only for all that potential to end up wasted in the hands of a desperately lonely and horrifically mangled fish mutant, who was more likely to accidentally dissolve her in stomach acid than woo her like some kind of aquatic Prince Charming.

“Y-ya right... e-e-even with a-another mutant… I’m s-still so disgusting a-an… and horrifying in comparison… n-not even my o-own kind can b-bring thems-themselves to love me f-for who I a-am… not th-that there’s much of m-me that’s worth l-loving to begin w-with” Moreau laments to himself, wondering if it was even worth holding out hope that things with Nadine could go his way. As if one look at his monstrous form wouldn’t be enough to ruin everything Salvatore already has an agonizingly low chance of ever having with that magnificent specimen of a woman.

Even with Nadine’s own external mutations making it clear that she was no longer fully human, her form had still retained such a beautifully strong, yet womanly shape to it, and her face still looked so young and innocent despite everything that she’s been through. Someone as beautiful as her was far too good and pure to be tainted by his filthy hands.

‘Maybe I should just kill her when the villagers arrive with her at the gate? At least then... I could say I put her out of her misery before she had to experience it for herself…’ Salvatore sulks mentally.

However, despite the self degrading thoughts running through his mind, the memory of the curious look Nadine’s shockingly bright and mesmerizing golden eyes held when trying to look at Salvatore through the pod window made the hooded man shiver, having never been looked upon in such an innocently curious manner before. Most people who got that close to Salvatore didn’t even need to see his face in order to start screaming and running away in terror. However, if the deformed man allowed himself a brief moment to believe that it was indeed her who’d been calling him to come back and show himself, then from the tone and rushed quality of her voice, it would seem as though Nadine was unsatisfied with the fact that she hadn’t seen all of Salvatore’s face and body, not terrified.

How strange...

How very strange indeed…

[aneenasevla]

Heavy Bakery - Chapter 2

MasterList / Kanami’s Profile/ Previous Chapter

Chapter 2 - No One Messes With My Family!

“Come on, Mrs Oomori, you won’t want your house invaded, would ya?”

That's what they said to her mother, when they were looking for money. Her father was a common salaryman, and was out at work, and it was just at these times that they always arrived, and she had to hide herself to not be seen.

“I already paid this month, sir”, she said back to the Yakuza, “don't you think it's a little too much?”

“Oh, but it's just that our gang has been having some problems, you know. Bullies are running left and right in this district, and being so close to the “Inside”, the streets are a hot mess, ya know.… I guess thirty thousand yens is enough, and in turn we'll stop bothering you for a while, whaddya think?

“I can’t afford that!”, she retorted firmly, “we give when we have, don’t you agree?”

“Oh well, so do we. Take that TV” he says to a henchman, pointing to the stand where the valuable possession was, while holding a baseball bat. The mother's eyes widened, that's exactly where Kanami was hiding.

“N-no, don’t you dare!… - her voice cracks. She was almost unsheathing the knife she had in a coldre behind her back.

“Oh? So you have the cash?”

“No, but–”

“No “but’s”, ma’am, those under protection have to pay…” he points again and the henchman turns back to take the TV. 

Barbara had to think of something. If they knew they had a child at home, the price would skyrocket… 

Kanami held her breath when she saw exactly the same kind of people, fifteen years later, entering the front door, with that goddamn pose of someone who owns the place. And, as if things couldn’t get worse, this kind never walked alone, so three more were behind them. They all wore leather jackets with the painting of a carp pierced by a spear on their backs.

.

“Shit”, she whispered, “Hiro, you know what to do”

“I do”, he nods back, taking cover immediately.

“Gooood Daaay!”The gangster shouted, announcing to everyone his presence, “Hello, my eye candy, nice place you have here…”

“Good eyes you have, thanks” she scoffs, not intimidated, “Spit it out, sweetie.”

‘Let’s see…” He gets near the cakes’ display “I have a special request, do you take commissions?”

“It depends on what you want”, she answers in the same tone.

“Hundred grand yens, whaddya think?”

“Hell no. Get the hell outta here, we don’t need your ‘protection fee’. We’re in Tokyo Downtown, for fuck’s sake…”

“Exactly, miss, It's inside downtown where the worst rats hide. The bigger fish are here, you know…” 

“I’m not a rat and I’m not a fish, so suck it”

“Even worse, this little point of yours… oomph… easy target for thievery…”

“Like you?”, she cocks an eyebrow, while uncrossing her arms.

The gangster frowns for a moment, then smiles “Ahhh, me? Not me, girl, don’t say that... I'm just a savior, don't mix the balls…”

“Ohma… don't you think we should…?” Kazuo muttered.

“No, she got this.” Ohma said calmly, biting the last piece of his bread.

“But, but she is a lady…”

“So what? She got this.”

Just as he said that, a gangster weighing about eighty kilos flew by and landed as delicately as a rhino on their neighboring table, shattering it with a crash. Kazuo almost yeeted himself to the opposite direction of impact, in fright. Eyes wide and squeaking in surprise.

“Told ya” Ohma half grinned “It’s alright”

“How can you be so calm?! This is clearly a bar fight!”, he trembles when another guy goes to defend his boss with a shout. The woman quickly jumps from the counter where she was and without wasting time, she gives a flying kick with both feet in the guy's face, landing on the floor on top of the gangster, now disjointed and unconscious.

“Hey, didn't it say "Heavy Bakery" on the sign? I'm getting exactly the service I’m paying for”, Ohma smiles more widely, now turning his eyes to watch the fight.

The other two remaining gangsters stared in amazement at Kanami, who was assuming a battle stance. The footwork, the breathing… that was clearly boxing, Kazuo thought. Kickboxing actually, American, seeing the woman gave another kick to the big man's face. One could see clearly his screwed up face, she knocked him down immediately.

– Uh… oh… She’s an amateur, but a good one - Kazuo comments, softly.

Ohma seemed to be enjoying himself, watching attently as he drank the last of his milkshake, as if he was seeing a spectacle.

– So, darling - Kanami teases, looking at the last man standing - Are you going to stay there or do you want some of my kneading fists too?

The gangster started to invest, when he looked to the side and quickly raised his hands and left, even dropping the knife he was carrying. Kanami got surprised and looked to the side, and almost frightened when the big guy got up, calmly getting off the couch.

“O-Ohma, what you’re going to do?” Kazuo inquired.

Ohma raises an eyebrow “Uh, I need to pay for the food”.

Kanami and Kazuo sigh at the same time, relieved

.Ohma rolls his eyes and goes to the cashier “hey, you okay there?” 

Hiro looks up from where he's been hiding and quickly gets up “Oh yeah, I'm much better now, thanks…”

“Hey”’ Kanami calls Ohma “I could have knocked that guy down, why did you interfere?”

Ohma looks at the woman. She was clearly eight inches shorter than he was, her medium brown hair once pulled back in a bun that had now been loosened into a ponytail from the sudden movements. In fact, what he had seen before about her having potential might actually be completely true. His hunch was right.

“It was starting to get dangerous”, he says while handing the money to Hiro, “if you were going to hit the guy with your right leg, as you were going to do, the man would fall right on Yamashitakazuo”, he nods to the old man.

Her eyes widen, did he foresee what she was going to do? This guy was clearly not normal.

"Oh…" was all she managed to say. She frowns, shaking her head. “Sorry for the confusion too” She assumes posture and bends over a little, “that doesn't happen often…”

“That’s a shame”, he takes the change coins, “it was really fun to watch”, then he smiles, “Yamashitakazuo, let’s go.”

“Ah, ah, yes… eh… you fought well… do you need help getting these delinquents out of here…?”

“Oh no, it's not necessary. Hiro already called the police, didn't he?”

“Yeah!” Hiro shows his smartphone, “we can handle it, sir, thanks!”

“Oh, okay, farewell”, he was turning around, when Tomori, the cook, calls from behind.

“Oh, sir! Your takeout order!”, she arrives with the packages, “I tried to pack them just before the cashier so they would stay warm.”

“Oooh, yes, yes, thank you”, he takes the boxes and bows, “see you, miss”.

Kanami merely nods a little as the two leave. And stares at the door. Dead silence followed for a few seconds, everyone processing what the hell had just happened.

“OH MY GAAAAWWWD” Hiro breaks the silence, making everyone freak out “My saint Lady Gaga, what a huge beefcake that was, oooh” he fakes a theatrical swoon.

“Bitch, did you see the muscles of that fella?” Tomori answers in the same tone “that guy is definitely a fighter, and a badass one!”

“Girl, that hunk could carry both of us like potato sacks and he wouldn’t even break a sweat!”, they share a high-five, “That hair needs a little bit of shampoo, but I’d take that, uh-huunnn…”

“Hey hey, aren't you paying attention to what's going on? There are three guys passed out on the floor!”

“Ah, Tomoyo, you're still new here, at least twice a year there are some cheesies like these to annoy us, but Kanny her knocks them all down!” Tomori assumes a boxing pose and imitates some punches “Nobody messes with our boss!”

“Ah, It’s not that often at all…” Kana blushes, massaging her hands, “but Tomoyo is right, guys, we have to at least take out this trash and clean the tables” she looks at some corner in the background “PAIKON! Get your ass here!”

Paikon, the janitor, wakes up in a hurry “ahh, yes, yes, cleaning…” He gets up and widens his eyes when he sees the mess “Oh my goodness, what happened here?!”

“Gangsters, Kanami defeated them all!” Tomori summarizes, raising her hands, like the fanatical supporter she was.

“Dammit, again?”, he scratches the back of his head, “you have to be careful, Miss Oomori, they always remember…”

“I know, Paikon. But I couldn't sit still… I'll never let my family be messed with again.”

“We love you too, Kanny” Hiro makes a little heart with his fingers, “but how about a round of sake to celebrate? Thanks to that hunk gobbler, we have this one and next week quotas guaranteed!”

A squeal of satisfaction echoes from the four employees, only Tomoyo refused the alcohol. In addition to still being a minor, she had classes after work.

“Yamashitakazuo” Ohma says, as they went back to the office.

“Yeah?”

“I liked that bakery. Should we go back there with the other guys when we get together again?”

“Uhh, you mean Koga and the others? Of course, why not…?

“Great” he still had the same expression as always, hands in his pockets, walking peacefully, but there was a slight smile in the corner of his mouth  “Heh, Heavy Bakery, huh…”

NEXT CHAPTER HERE

[stop-breaking-my-heart-telltale]

Top 5 Reasons Lee was the Best

Lee Everett is one of my favorite playable protagonists in any game I’ve played. Weirdly enough, I feel like he is somehow super loved yet under appreciated?? because sure, everyone says that they love Lee and talk about how he was just the best but like.... most times, they rarely go into details of why they love him and think he’s the best. 

Well, with today’s list, I wanna go into details about why I think Lee was the best. I tried to stick to more non-determinant things, but plenty slipped through, soo... it’s fine. I just wanna talk about Lee and why I like him so much.  

Also just wanna say thanks to @pi-creates​ for helping me out with these Top 5′s once again! We discussed a lot of these points and it was a huge help! :D

5. Lee is just... so funny sometimes. 

Not gonna spend too much time on this one because it’s more of a minor reason why I think he’s the best compared to the others but...

Lee is hilarious.

Like, even from the beginning, Lee knows how to make me laugh with his little “I’d fill that teacup with some bourbon if I could�� line, and the fact that he is constantly falling down. The poor guy has to have at least three concussions by the end of ep1 alone. 

Also, his flirting skills...? Amazing. I’ll never get over, “You’re small.” 

He just has such a strange sense of humor about him that feels very dad-like... which makes perfect sense, but y’know. But even when he isn’t even trying, he still manages to get a laugh outta me for being such a weirdo.

Who goes up to a fence, looks at it, and is just like, “Hmmmm. Pointy.” 

Even after he’s bit, he manages to get a few painful laughs outta me when talking with Ben... though that laughter quickly dies when we reach then end of ep5 but..... y’know. 

4. His willingness to help those who have wronged him. 

Larry is a garbage man-- I think the mass majority of us would agree to that. From the moment we meet him, he’s all huffy and puffy, accusing Duck of being bitten and wanting to throw him out while taunting Kenny. 

But, no matter what, Lee is always the one to help Lilly break into the pharmacy to get Larry his medication. Because really, Lee could’ve said “Nope, not doin’ any of this, someone else help the asshole,” but he doesn’t. 

This is just a bigger example of Lee going out of his way to help people, even if they shitheads like Larry. Hell, even after Lee gets them the pills, Larry gives him a big thank you by punching him in the face and leaving him for death. Lee can hold a grudge about this, or he can let it go and do his best to get along with Larry for the better of the group. 

Another example with trying to help Larry despite him being the worst is, of course-- the meat locker. Now, this is determinant, but I feel bringing it up is important. 

Lee choosing to help Larry, even though Larry was just taunting him minutes before and Kenny’s being a real shitbird, says a lot about him as a person. 

Another example of Lee willing to help others he may not get along with would be Kenny, depending on your choices. When Kenny’s going through the hardest day of his life, Lee can take it upon himself to take care of Duck and comfort Kenny. 

Shit, what about Lilly? After she kills Carley/Doug right in front of everyone, he can still take pity on her and not leave her at the side of the road. 

I think because I have a really hard time helping those who have wronged me, I can look at this as an admirable trait that I wish came easier to me, y’know? 

3. Mourning the deaths of people he barely knew/didn’t know at all. 

This is an interesting one that Pi brought up, but there are several points within S1 where Lee will take small moments to mourn the deaths of those he either barely knew, or didn’t know at all, showing he has it in him to be really empathetic to other people's struggles and sufferings. 

Like, think about the woman at the motor-inn, the one you can give the gun to. Lee will stay behind no matter what to be with her, and you can see it on his face. He didn’t know her, didn’t get her name or anything. 

In Jolene’s camp in ep2, when Lee looks into the tent, he can find a stuffed animal and a picture of Jolene and her daughter and again, you can see it all on his face. He gives a sigh, and a moment of silence for them. 

Oh, the woman that Kenny wants to leave alone while they’re on a run to the drug store? This one is determinant, but if Lee chooses to shoot her, he does so to put her out of her misery-- he doesn’t want her to suffer anymore than she has to just so that they can grab an extra candy bar or two. 

Another big one would be the boy in the attic. Y’know, that chilling scene of the boy who starved to death/died of dehydration, became a walker, and then couldn’t even walk because he was so weak? Yeah, that one-- Lee carries that boy out to the yard and gives him a proper burial. He didn’t have to, but he did. 

Hell, he even mourns Brie when talking to Vernon in ep4, and that Anna woman that you see on the tapes after it’s revealed that she’s pregnant and has to give up her baby. 

Oh, and Chuck in the sewers? That one you can’t skip, and no matter what, Lee will stop and tell Chuck that he deserved better. 

Last example, but the dead couple in ep5-- this is one that everyone stands around in silence because it really is a chilling sight. 

This to me just shows a lot about Lee, especially in a setting where it’s easy for these characters to gloss over the deaths of those they didn’t know or to let others hurt for their benefit [y’know... Kenny with the bitten woman]. I’m sure there are even more examples, but I do have three other things to cover.

2. Taking responsibility for Clementine.

Okay, these last two are to be expected, but we’re gonna talk about them anyway. 

Listen, when Lee found Clementine alone at her house after she saved him from walker Sandra, he didn’t have to take her with him. He could’ve left her behind so that she didn’t “weigh him down” or “become a burden” since y’know, having a child in your care isn’t easy. 

But Lee didn’t do that. She saved his life, and he knows her parents are dead and not coming back. There wasn’t even a doubt in his mind-- he was taking this girl with him to ensure her safety. If he hadn’t, she could’ve ended up just like the boy in the attic, or worse. 

I also love that moment when they’re leaving the house and Clementine takes his hand. It’s sweet and shows us that they’re in this together now, and when Clementine shares her fears of leaving, he reassures her that he won’t leave her alone. 

Lee does his absolute best to care for her and give her what she needs. Hell, you can play as Scumbag Lee and most times, that doesn’t even matter-- he still expresses his care for her. 

Like... I don’t think game would work if the relationship between Lee and Clementine didn’t work, y’know? It’s strong and one of my favorite parts of S1 when I go back to it. I love seeing them grow from Lee being Clementine’s protector to Lee teaching her to survive and protect herself. 

Again, he didn’t have to do any of that. He could’ve pawned her off onto to anyone at the motor inn and called it a day, but he didn’t, and I love that about him. 

Lee goes through so much for a child that isn’t even his blood, but considers family nonetheless... which brings us to #1... 

1. Saving Clementine from the Stranger despite being bitten by a walker. 

Sigh.

Okay. I’m sure you’re tired of me saying this but... after Clementine is kidnapped by the Stranger and bitten by a walker, he could’ve given up. He didn’t have to go after Clementine-- he’s bit, he’s dying... he’s not gonna survive this, so why bother?

Because even though Lee knows he’s not going to survive the bite, he’s going to use the last of his time and energy to ensure that Clementine is safe. He’s gonna do whatever it takes to get Clementine the away from that madman who took her, make sure she remembers everything he taught her, make sure she’s armed, and make sure she knows where to go after he dies. 

Again, Lee didn’t have to go through this. He fought like hell and suffered plenty in making it to her. His last moments were agony for him, I’m sure. 

But he did it and you can tell he has no regrets because Clementine’s alive and going to make it. 

And y’know... that last damn scene in ep5 is just... a lot. 

I love it but I also hate it, and I believe I’ve mentioned this before but I’ve come to really love the ending where Clementine leaves Lee to turn. I know everyone gets upset because that means Lee will become a walker and [?] Everyone HATED that... but, I dunno... it shows something about Lee when you pick that choice. He’s more concerned about her than himself, y’know? Don’t waste the bullet, don’t risk the noise, don’t force her to physically kill him, let her walk away so she can remember her for what he was and not what he’s going to turn into... it’s reeeeal bittersweet. 

Then, of course, you can do the other choice and have Clementine shoot Lee which is just as great at making me cry, soo... thanks. 

Lee just goes through so much during this game-- he gets a second chance and everything he did, he did to ensure Clementine and his group’s survival and just... what a man. 

Lee Everett, you are the best and I love you. 

---

Honorable Mentions

-Not dropping Ben. Again, determinant, but I love a Lee who doesn’t drop children to their death because the mustache said so.  -Struggles with doors. Relatable.  -Is voiced by Dave Fennoy who gives a fantastic performance.  -Awkward flirt. Again, relatable. 

---

So what do you think? Do you agree with these reasons, or do you have any to add? Lemme know, it’s always fun to have character discussions. 

Have any suggestions for future T5F’s? Feel free to send ‘em in! :D

Next week’s T5F Top 5 GOOD Things About Season Two

[lisinfleur]

Santa’s Roots

The request:

Author’s Notes | Some historians claim that Santa Claus’ figure was inspired by Odin. What if it was true? For a certain Modern Viking, it is! Inspired by Harbard’s interaction with young Ivar in the series. I hope you’ll like it! Universe | Vikings Pairing | Ivar x Reader Info | Modern AU, made for Patron’s Holiday Event Words | 1092 ⁑ Warnings: Religious re-readings, unconfirmed comparisons, and sources.

"Why do we have to make this stupid trip?"

Of course, he was annoyed. Even more, because he was planning a trip with Y/N to spend the Christian Christmas in a tropical country enjoying the heat; and now he was forced to drag his limp pained leg through the snow of the Santa Claus Village in Rovaniemi.

Yeah. Lapland.

In the fucking FREEZING FINLAND!

"It's Yule and Christmas and no matter how you look at it, Ivar, it's a family holiday and we'll spend it together."

He loved his beautiful mother, but sometimes that need she had for them to be all together all the time was suffocating. After growing older, he was starting to understand his father's constant trips and to wish Aslaug would do something like fulfilling Sigurd's emptiness and his lack of motherly attention.

But this time, not even Sigurd had escaped that torture. And for the first time, they were both grumpy and moody at the same time.

At least, Y/N had come with him. Sigurd's girl was waiting for him with her family at the beach they had planned to go to together and that trip had forced him to delay. Ubbe as well was grumpy: dating Björn's ex-wife, he saw his hopes to send Torvi's children with Björn that year going down the drain. After all, what kid would want to exchange Santa Claus' village for a trip to the boring Mediterranean with daddy's brand-new chick?

Hvitserk was the only one having fun along with Y/N and the children - the bastard was finding every source of food, candies, and delights through their ways, putting so many smiles on Y/N's face that Ivar was asking all the gods to get his brother fat at the end of that cursed trip. Or at least some good, long and intense diarrhea, so he would have something to laugh at in the middle of all that red, black, gold, and white mess.

"Sorry!" A gods damn dwarf?

Gnome?

Grinch... No. Elf! A gods damn elf stumbled on his crutch, almost taking Ivar's balance, forcing him to stop his already slow steps to straighten the damn titanium braces under the trousers with a loud grunt of anger.

Because of course, his day wasn't doomed enough. No. The pain of that cold shitty place wasn't enough. Nor the elves everywhere, nor the repetitive music, nor the children's noises, fake gift boxes, bells... Not even the irritant bells weren't enough! Someone had to fucking misplace his braces to get him left behind by his whole family...

Kinda his fault: Ivar had walked slower than them all the whole time, trying to get himself distant and leave clear he wasn't happy. Even Y/N had started walking with Hvitserk since his mood was so terrible that not even her was able to hold it this time. He couldn't blame them for avoiding his presence enough not to notice he had to stop...

But where were they after all?

They wouldn't just disappear like that in a matter of minutes.

Ivar had just lowered himself for a moment to straighten the braces... How come they had managed to disappear in the middle of that fucking colored place?

For a moment, Ivar's heart filled with a cold sensation that spread all over this spine. He searched his pockets. Of course, his cellphone hadn't a single bar of signal in that place. His blues ran around searching for his brothers, the noisy children, his mom, Y/N.

And then it was when he realized...

There was no one to be seen.

The noisy children had gone. The elves were gone... Everything was, all of a sudden, silent, except for those bells.

With his crutch, Ivar walked around some steps, trying not to get lost in whatever the fuck was happening around him. But with a few steps forward, as if everything wasn't strange enough, a thick fog started to move around his legs, covering the place, flying ghostly through the gift boxes and colored trees.

Ivar felt the urge to get the heck out of that place. With some effort, he started walking at a quicker pace not observing when the decorations around him started changing from the usual plastic balls and ribbons to colored flowers, painted pine cones, straw animals... His eyes betrayed him, but his ears weren't failing: the bells were becoming higher. And higher...

"I don't know what kind of stupid prank is this! But I don't like it! I didn't pay for this package! I want this to stop right now!" he yelled.

Just to almost lose his balance once again when a horse exhaled behind his back, forcing him to turn around in a quick movement that cost him a grunt of pain, bending Ivar's body over itself when his hand touched the knee of his right leg. The braces had made a loud sound indicating it was a forced movement and now his knee was horribly aching once again.

However, the pain was something usual for him. Unusual was to see Santa Claus not dressed in the traditional red clothes... Unusual was to watch the old man coming down from a horse... Wait. How many legs did that fucking horse have?

And how the fuck did he have a horse? Shouldn't it be reindeers?

And a sled?

"What in..." Ivar started, swallowing dry and lifting his face to see the man in front of him was smiling.

A visible and open smile in the middle of the big and voluminous white beard covering his jaw and cascading down to his belly.

"Hello, Ivar," the man said with a surprisingly cozy voice, causing Ivar's face to twist in a frown of pure surprise, full of wrinkles on his forehead that earned one of the usual laughs from the white-bearded man.

"What the heck?" Ivar said, straightening himself even with pain on his leg. "Who told you my name? And why the fuck are we alone in this place?"

The man continued calm and smiley despite Ivar's clear annoyance.

"I know many names, boy. And I know you, since you were, in fact, a boy," the man said, looking down to Ivar's legs. "They still ache a lot, I can see."

Ivar's frown gained two more wrinkles on his forehead.

"What? Where do you know me? Who are you, man?" he asked, fully annoyed by what he was sure was a ridiculous prank his mother had paid for him to fall on, in the hope he would, somehow, like that trip into the middle of the freezing nowhere.

But the man just laughed once again, touching Ivar with a gentle pat that soon became a heavy hand weighing on Ivar's shoulder, forcing his whole attention to detail he wasn't able to notice before but now was clear like crystal in front of his eyes.

That man... That strange Santa Claus...

He clearly didn't have one of his eyes.

Ivar's blues were somehow attracted into the emptiness of that missing eye. And he swore he could hear the bells stopping, and crows cawing. The fog became stronger, but Ivar couldn't stop looking at that empty hole on that man's face until something formed into the dark.

Something that made Ivar's blues large when the voice of that man sounded once again, rumbling into Ivar's chest like a clap of thunder.

"I know everyone that was and everyone that will be. I'm the one who was and remains. And after you're gone, I'll still be here, until the wolf comes to swallow me whole. But before you go, I can still grant you a gift, son. Let us say you were good this year," the old man joked.

His words filling Ivar's ears while his eyes were locked at the image into that man's empty eye-hole.

"Yggdrasil..." Ivar mumbled.

And his eyes blinked, seeing the whole man once again in front of him, smiling.

"Odin?" he asked.

Receiving nothing but a new pat on his shoulder and once again, the traditional giggle that came along the whole noisy environment around, all at once invading Ivar's ears like a wave of noise and mess once again.

"Ho ho ho... Merry Christmas!"

Standing in front of him was nothing but an actor, fully dressed like the old Santa. Nothing different from the usual along with the fake gift boxes and all the rest Ivar could see when he turned his head, confused, searching for that whole illusion he was thrown into one second ago.

Was that a delirium? Was that somehow real?

"What's wrong, Ivar?" Y/N's voice woke him up and called his attention causing Ivar to once again turn himself too quick to look at her.

Another clang from his braces. Ivar waited for the wave of pain...

But it never came.

"Are your legs ok? Are you in pain, love?" she asked, fully worried.

But Ivar looked shocked down to his legs, feeling nothing. Absolutely no pain. Like one of his best-bones' days...

The days he used to say were gifts from the gods into his life.

"I... I... I think I... I'm fine I just... For a moment..." Ivar gasped with the words.

His eyes were still searching around for that image so vivid of Odin he had seen. He was sure he had seen! It was real!

And he took his pain away for a day...

"You see? The cold is starting to freeze Ivar's brain! Can we go home or at least somewhere warm now?" Sigurd complained.

The kids coming closer to Ubbe with their hands full of candy canes from Hvitserk's bag.

Everyone was so close... They didn't have disappeared.

But Ivar was sure he was the only one who saw that man.

"Are you ok, Ivar?" Y/N asked again and Ivar finally focused his eyes on her.

"I am. I'm just... I think I just need some warm chocolate and we can stay a little longer... For the kids, I mean."

"What?" Sigurd complained immediately. "See? Frozen brains!" he said, pointing Ivar's head.

But Ivar just approached Y/N's, speaking low, almost like a secret.

"Do you believe this thing about... Santa and Odin... Being the same person and stuff?" he asked, causing Y/N to smile.

"Oh, this is why you're so bothered, isn't it? Babe, don't be like this, uh? Some historians say that our Santa is somehow inspired by Odin with his eight-legged horse, granting gifts to his followers and knowing who was acting bad or good along his way. If it makes you feel more comfortable then think about this place as Odin's village!" she joked.

Getting a small curve from Ivar's lips.

"Come, let's get you that hot chocolate, uh?" she said, enlacing his arm with her own and starting to walk at his pace towards the coffee shop Hvitserk was already entering for what? The third time?

Ivar's eyes looked back at that man dressed as Santa Claus, complimenting everyone. His steps showing him his legs weren't aching at all anymore. Whoever it was, Santa Claus, Odin... It had really granted him a gift for that day.

The Santa turned looking at him once again.

And Ivar could swear that one-eyed man winked at him before it was nothing but the actor once again.

"Ho ho ho! Merry Christmas!" the man yelled.

Santa Claus' Village... Odin's place... It wasn't that bad to make that trip after all.

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[keanureevesisbae]

Mister Cavill, your dog is kinda fat - Chapter 4

Summary: Veterinarian Olivia Tran has zero time for bullshit. After becoming a mom at age twenty three, the one thing she wants is a good life for her daughter Vanessa. Her ex didn’t want anything to do with her nor the baby and she decided that man are officially banned out of her life. But then she meets Henry Cavill at her clinic and her ban slowly starts to crumble apart. Henry on the other hand is looking for one thing: a family. And when he meets Olivia Tran, he finds just that.

Henry Cavill x Olivia Tran (ofc)

Warnings: None

Wordcount: 3.3k

Masterlist // Previous chapter // Next chapter

Three weeks pass by. Three whole weeks of Henry hoping he bumps into his favorite pair again, but no luck. After that time he saw Olivia and Vanessa on the curb and the four of them went to the park, was also the last time he saw them.

He seriously regrets not asking Olivia for her number, so he could arrange more of those kinds of “dates”.  He already has an excuse: “Kal needs to be around kids more and since Vanessa doesn’t have a dog, it’s a win-win situation, honestly”.

After Vanessa fell face first into the mud, the two of them left, because she was in need of a bath and Kal was too, because he thought it would be funny to roll into the dirt as well.

These weeks passed agonizingly slowly. The fact that he wasn’t working, isn’t helping at all.

It did gave him the time to realize one thing though: he is falling for someone he barely knows. Google searches for Olivia Tran didn’t bring him a lot, except one of the things he already knew: she’s a veterinarian at Animal Clinic Westside. No social media whatsoever, something that he finds pretty rare and unique.

But finally the day he has been looking forward to has arrived. He is sitting in the waiting room of his favorite animal clinic. He hasn’t seen her yet and he sure hopes that she’s even working today and if so, that she is going to help him out. If she isn’t helping him and Kal, then it’s the universe telling him she is not the one for him.

If she does help them, he needs to ask her out, because he doesn’t know if he can’t endure time apart from her again.

While he is waiting with Kal, Henry looks around at the other animals, even the creepy bird who hasn’t stopped staring at him. For a second Henry is afraid that the bird will recognize him, but he shakes off that thought before he can think about it even more.

A door opens and he hears: ‘Kal?’

He noticed how in this clinic (and maybe elsewhere too, he doesn’t know), they call in the patients by the names of the animals, instead of the owners. He is eternally grateful, not wanting to draw attention that he is in fact Henry Cavill.

He looks up and sees his favorite vet standing in a doorway. He can’t help but smile. He notices a bright grin on her face and from that alone, this day can’t be ruined if it’s up to him.

Besides, he needs to ask her out now.

Henry stands up, tugs Kal’s leash and walks over to the doctor. Olivia steps to the side, letting him and Kal go into the room first. he smells great, he thinks to himself. Like lavender, he didn’t notice that before.

‘We should weigh him first,’ she says, placing her clipboard to the side. ‘He does look slimmer already.’

‘I’ve been restraining myself,’ he laughs. ‘It’s just really hard to say no to this face.’

‘Weak,’ she comments, chuckling in the process. Henry knew he missed her, but after that comment left her lips, he didn’t realized how much he missed her. ‘Come on, Kal, get your fat ass on the scale.’

Henry places his hand over his mouth, but a loud laugh leaves his lips anyways, especially when Olivia looks at him with a playful look on her face. She checks the screen and claps her hands when she hears a soft beep, indicating the scale is done measuring Kal’s weight. ‘Good boy, Kal, you lost three whole kilos already.’ She presses a kiss on top of his head and looks up at Henry. ‘You’re not as weak as I expected you to be, mister Cavill.’

Henry smiles, as he’s taking in her appearance. Those two times he saw her, she was already breathtaking, but there is something different about her today. Is she wearing lipstick? He notices her hair isn’t in the usual bun. Her wavy locks frame her face and when she runs her fingers through it, he has to look the other way, because damn, she is beautiful and this isn’t the time to faint.

‘Anyways,’ she says, a blush appearing on her cheeks, probably because Henry kept gawking at her, ‘this big boy needs to get his shots today.’

‘I do have to tell you, he isn’t the greatest with needles,’ Henry warns her.

She nods. ‘Aren’t you projecting your own fears on your dog?’ she jokingly asks him.

He wonders if she’s like this with other clients or if she strictly reserves this for him. He sure hopes it’s the latter, though he feels a bit attacked, because it may be true, that thing she said about projecting his own fears on his dog. ‘No, he really doesn’t like them,’ he says nonetheless.

Olivia prepares two shots for the big canine, who keeps staring at her, but letting out a small whimper. ‘I know, baby,’ she says to Kal in a higher voice, ‘it may be scary, but it’s over before you know it.’

She sits next to him, pats his head, while Henry crouches down near the dog as well. He can’t help but stare at her. She is so pretty and the way she is comforting the dog, he falls even more in love with her.

When she grabs the syringe, Henry swallows hard, while Kal’s entire body shakes with excitement.

Olivia glances at him, before she sticks the needle into Kal’s thigh. He doesn’t even whine, but Henry rubs his own face. ‘Are you okay, Henry?’ she asks, but he doesn’t hear what she says anymore, because he passes out.

≫≫≪≪

Henry wakes up in the corner of a room, his back pressed against the wall and his legs sprawled out in front of him. Kal is no where near him, while Henry swore they were together before he fell asleep.

He had a nice dream, of the beautiful doctor at the animal clinic. He dreamed that they were sitting in the park, her head against his shoulder, as they watched Vanessa and Kal play. It was nice to dream about her like that, just like he did that in those three weeks he didn’t see her.

He tries to remember where he is and when he looks around, he sees he is at the animal clinic. The examination table, his own dog sitting next to doctor Olivia Tran, who walks up to him and crouches down in front of him. ‘You’re up,’ she says with a chuckle. ‘For such a big guy, I never assumed you’d pass out like that, simply because I was giving your dog a shot.’

‘Oh fuck,’ he mumbles, rubbing his face, a sad attempt to cover his flushed cheeks. ‘I’m so sorry.’

‘No need to, it was kind of funny, especially when I had to drag you around this examination room and had to explain to the assistant that the loud thud she heard, was the owner that collapsed and not the overweight dog,’ she laughs, handing him a paper cup filled with some water. ‘Here, drink this.’

He takes a tiny sip, still embarrassed of what happened to him. God, did he really just pass out in the examination room because his dog was getting a shot? ‘This is really painful,’ he chuckles, hoping it helps him not to feel the shame he is feeling right now, but it’s not working at all.

She places a slender hand on his calve, causing him to hold his breath because of the sudden touch. Him passing out like that, does have his perks come to think of it. ‘Listen, it happens to the best of us. The first time I had to help deliver a lamb, I threw up and passed out in my own vomit, in front of the entire class, so honestly: it’s okay.’

Olivia stands up again and holds out a hand. He carefully places his in hers and she pulls him up, though he mostly pushes himself up, because he is afraid he’ll drag her down. Not that he would compla—

No, he can’t think like that, not when his jeans is already this tight. Later tonight he can think about the possibilities that came with her pulling him up.

‘Thanks, Olivia,’ he says.

‘Are you feeling okay? You want something sweet to eat, before you hit the road again?’

That is so thoughtful of her. ‘Maybe some sugar would be of help,’ he says.

‘Perks of having a six year old,’ Olivia says, rummaging through her purse, ‘I’m always prepared for emergencies.’ She hands him over two candy bars. ‘You can have those, Vanessa doesn’t like them anyways.’

‘How is Vanessa doing, by the way?’

Henry might not know Olivia very well, but what he does know, is that something happened.

‘Is everything okay?’ he asks.

‘Yeah, it’s just that her teacher continues to pester me about how Vanessa should change her work ethic, which I think is too much to ask of a six year old and… I’m sorry, I shouldn’t bother you with this. You probably don’t even care.’

‘No, I do care,’ he quickly says. Way too quickly.

Olivia sighs deeply. ‘I’m just worried about my girl sometimes. Comes with becoming a parent I guess.’

He wishes he could agree. ‘Listen, it might be extremely inappropriate, but I have to ask.’ He can hear the wise words his common sense is screaming. Abort mission. Don’t do it, Cavill. For the love of God, don’t ask the gorgeous doctor out on a date. ‘Would you like to go out with me? Like… Tonight? For dinner?’

Olivia crosses her arms in front of her chest. Why isn’t she saying anything? ‘As in a date or as a thank you for saving your dog?’

She is not making it easy for him and he has to give her props for that. That’ll teach him from asking cute women out, who just smiled at him and were nice to his dog. ‘A date,’ he says, all of the sudden not too sure about this action anymore. ‘I know it might be weird, because of what you do for a living and how we met, but I… I’m really interested in you.’

‘In me as a person or what’s in my pants?’

Well both, but he can’t say that, without looking like an absolute creep. ‘In you as a person, what kind of man do you think I am?’

She chuckles. ‘A man who is afraid of needles and can’t say no to his dog,’ she tells him. ‘I’ll go out with you tonight. Can you remember my number or do you want to put it in your phone?’

≫≫≪≪

It took Henry about three hours to go through his entire closet, just to find the perfect outfit for tonight. He didn’t want to look like such a try hard, but he also didn’t want to look like a slob. He eventually opts for a simple black sweater with some fitted jeans and his Chelsea boots. It’s casual, yet it has a fancy streak to it. He grabs the grey blazer from the hanger and while he checks the pockets, he hears Kal whimper, who lays flat on his bed. ‘We’re going out tonight, bud,’ he tells the large canine. ‘You are going to keep Vanessa and her babysitter company, while I’m going out on a date with Olivia.’

He still can’t believe this is happening. He asked the doctor out on a date and the most bizarre thing of it all, was that she said yes.

Olivia Tran said yes to him.

He would lie if he said that he wasn’t nervous. In all honesty, he is about to die from his nerves.

He checks the clock and realizes he should leave his place now. He clicks his tongue, causing Kal to follow Henry downstairs. He puts on Kal’s leash and when he closed off his place, the two of them get in the car. He hums along with the song on the radio, as he drives to her house.

In the past he went on tons of dates. He likes dates, getting to know someone and finding out whether or not they are compatible. But there is something different about this date. He wants to get to know more about Olivia, but he is afraid that once she gets to know him, she’s not interested in him anymore.

He parks his car in front of her house and he takes a deep breath, trying to procrastinate the moment that he has to walk up to the door. Kal whines, as if he knows where they are and he sees that as a moment to get out of the car. The two of them walk up to the door and he rings the doorbell.

‘Mommy,’ Vanessa says from the other side of the door, ‘Henry is here.’

‘Do not open the door!’

‘But mom…’

‘Sweetheart, what if it’s not Henry, but a pervert?’ Olivia asks.

‘Oh my God, Olivia, the person on the other side of the door can hear you!’ he hears a different female voice scream and he can’t help but chuckle. He wondered what kind of household Olivia would have and somehow this situation seems fitting.  

‘Mom, what’s a pervert?’ Vanessa asks.

‘A disgusting human being,’ Olivia explains.

‘Is Henry a pervert? I thought he was Superman?’

‘Olivia, I mean it,’ the other woman says, ‘people on the other side of the door can hear you two.’

The door finally opens and he sees both Vanessa and Olivia standing in the doorway. ‘Hi Henry,’ his already favorite duo say in unison.

‘Hi there,’ he says with a smile. It’s six in the evening and Vanessa is already in her pajama. From the looks of it, it’s light pink with bears on it.

Kal pushes past him, to give the little girl a lick on her cheek, causing her to giggle.

As endearing as that sight may be, he can’t help but look at Olivia, who wears a grey plaid pants paired with a black shirt that hugs her upper body. The outfit shows off her godly proportions. He even sees a hint of tattoos on her arms, but she grabs a coat and it covers them up before he can see them properly.

But if he saw it correctly and she does have tattoos… That’s almost unfair. She is already beautiful, but add tattoos in the mix and that gives him enough to dream about tonight.

Another woman appears in the doorway and she hums in approval. ‘It’s such a shame that I wasn’t on call when your dog started to throw up,’ she says with a smile. She extends her hand and says: ‘Hi, I’m Belle.’

He saw her earlier today. She is another vet and when he was paying for the appointment, she bumped her hip against Olivia’s and they shared a look, one that best friends share. Guess Belle is the certified baby sitter. He quickly shakes her hand. ‘Nice to meet you, I’m Henry.’

‘God, you were right, Olivia,’ Belle says, ‘he is even more handsome in real life.’

Henry detects a fire red blush on Olivia’s cheeks, but she looks down and slips on a pair of boots that have a heel, something he hasn’t seen her wear before. He wants to take in her entire appearances, glancing her over more than once, but he restrains himself, since he doesn’t want to look overly eager.

‘That must be a sign that we need to go,’ Olivia says, before she pinches her friend in her side. She leans down, to give Vanessa a kiss. ‘Be nice to auntie Belle and Kal, okay?’

‘Okay, mommy,’ Vanessa says. ‘Can Kal sleep in my room tonight?’

‘He can,’ Olivia says.

The little girl smiles and looks up at Henry. ‘Is that okay with you too, mister Henry?’ she asks. ‘Kal is your dog.’

‘He can sleep in your room,’ Henry says, touched by the fact that she actually thought she should ask him about this. Olivia is raising such a lovely and polite girl. He truly admires her.

While Olivia rummages through her purse, Belle crouches down and whispers something in Vanessa’s ear.

‘Okay, I’m ready to go,’ Olivia says with a smile.

‘Enjoy your night,’ Vanessa says to the both of them, as Olivia steps out of the doorway. ‘And you two shouldn’t have too much fun.’

Henry nearly chokes on his own spit. ‘Belle, I swear to—’ Olivia wants to say something, but swallows the words before she can express her true feelings. ‘I love you, Vanessa,’ Olivia says to her daughter.

‘I love you too,’ she says to her mother. ‘Will you give me a kiss when you get back?’

‘Of course, angel.’

Vanessa smiles. ‘Bye, mister Henry,’ she says to him.

‘Bye sunshine,’ he says to the young girl, who starts to beam with happiness when she hears her new nickname. He doesn’t know where “sunshine” came from, it just slipped out.

Olivia and Henry walk to his car, but he can’t help but notice how she keeps looking up to him. He opens the door for her and he watches her get in. He waves to the two—three, if you include Kal—in the doorway, before he gets in himself.

‘I’m sorry,’ Olivia says, the second the door closes.

‘No need to,’ Henry laughs, starting his car. ‘It was funny.’

She snorts, while she waves to Belle, Kal and her daughter as he drives off. ‘Well, leave it to Belle to embarrass me.’

‘She a close friend?’

Olivia nods. ‘Very close friend. When I found out I was pregnant with Vanessa, she was there for me when no one else was. She forced me to live in her house for a while, even after Vanessa was born.’

Henry frowns. ‘I thought it was just your ex who wasn’t there for you.’

She sighs. ‘Well, my parents and two brothers weren’t too keen on me having a kid out of wedlock. My mom kicked me out seven years ago and since that moment, no one has tried to contact me. I haven’t seen them ever since.’

This is un-fucking-believable. He knows for sure that, had this happened within his family, his brothers would be over the moon to be an uncle of yet another kid and his parents would love another addition to the family.

And her family just kicks her out?

‘I’m sorry to hear that,’ he says and he means it from the bottom of his heart. ‘Were you close with your family?’

She shrugs. ‘Growing up I was. Not really with my mom, but with my father and brothers I was super close. I thought that they would love it, a little bean added to the family. Guess I was wrong. But you know, I have Belle, so that’s enough for me right now.’

Right now. That means the door is open for someone else, right? Or is he trying to read something that isn’t there?

‘By the way,’ she says, ‘how did you come up with “sunshine”?’

Why does Henry feels like he just got caught? ‘Just slipped, I guess. I’m so—’

‘Don’t you dare apologize, Cavill,’ she interrupts him. ‘I love the nickname and did you see Vanessa’s face?’

He does actually. He recalls the way her face lit up with happiness and pride.

Olivia looks to the side and when he stops for the traffic lights, he meets her gaze. She smiles. ‘I’m really happy we’re on this date,’ she says. ‘And maybe I’m a bit rusty in the whole dating department and is what I’m about to say way too blunt, but I need to tell you that you look really handsome tonight.’

Maybe that is too blunt, but Henry doesn’t mind. He doesn’t mind at all. His hands get a bit clammy. ‘Thank you, Olivia. Allow me to be just as blunt.’

‘Surprise me.’

‘You look stunning and I’m really happy that you agreed on going out with me.’

A/N: Don’t worry, the next chapter will cover their date 😉

Taglist: @thelastsock​ // @flhorah​ // @sausagefest1996​ // @laufeysodinson​ // @xxxkatxo​ // @memoriesat30​ // @henrythickcavill​ // @crimsonrae​ // @henryobsessed // @madbaddic7ed​ // @summersong69​ // @lyrafraiser​ // @peakygroupie​ // @coldmuffinbanditshoe​ // @mary-ann84​ // @thereisa8ella​ //@crazyandanonymous4u // @xuxszx​ // @emmaofgreengabbles​ // @jimmypagesandbrianmayshair​ // @onlyhenrys

[tweetracer]

Paul with an so who likes to take control decides she wants to be dominated that night

(NSFW) PAUL (LOST BOYS) x FEM! S/O WHO GIVES UP CONTROL

Paul has never been picky about who’s doing what when it came to things getting hot and heavy. Whether he’s pleasing you or getting pleased doesn’t really matter so long as the two of you are getting off.

So you like to take control most of the time? Fuck yeah, dude- he’ll just hold on for the ride and roll with the punches. After all, that excited energy was always put to good use when you gave him some direction.

Just tell him what to do and he’ll go at it a hundred and ten percent, no holds barred.

Most of the time two of you would wander around the boardwalk, causing trouble (and consequentially getting out of it) till you’d end up back at the cave to listen to music or even go to your place to watch TV.

But on those evenings where things were getting a little hotter, your kisses lasting a bit too long, your hands wandering a bit too much..

On those nights you’d go straight back to your place, clothes abandoned in the hall as you’d stumble your way to your bed- pushing the blonde roughly onto the mattress where he’d wait with that excited, shit-eating grin you loved so much.

If this were one of those nights you’d already be straddling him, pressing needy kisses down his neck and bare chest while you removed any clothing that wasn’t already banished to the floor.

However

This was not one of those nights.

He knew tonight was different the second you stumbled into your apartment. The kisses were less hungry and demanding and more playful, almost coquettish in nature. Paul’s hands wandered over your sides, brows raised.

“Doll? What’s the deal? We waitin’ for somethin’?” his palms ran down your back eagerly, pulling you closer while he waited for you to rip off his clothes.

You leaned back, considering him before explaining that... you know... he’s allowed to take the reigns if he wants...

....

You have never seen someone’s eyes go so wide.

He doesn’t have to be told twice- it’s not that he doesn’t love you leading things- it’s just he’s always lived his (more or less immortal) life in the fast lane. And while he was willing to let you set the pace- giving him free reign was like a kid in a candy store.

NSFW

No time is wasted when he ripped off whatever remaining clothes were still on your body with one hand. He leaned down to press commandeering kisses to your mouth- all sharp teeth and tongue as you’re ushered till the back of your knees hit the bed.

He pushed you down with a low groan, the gears in his brain practically visible as he strips. Every kiss he laid across your bare collar bone was accompanied by sharp teeth. Every touch boarded by claws that span out across your skin and sent shivers down your spine.

When you go to grab him, to pull his face back to yours he growled. Not the low playful kind that sometimes reminds you of a puppy- no- this is a threat. A warning so clear and erotic your whole body freezes up, instinctively telling you to either hold still or run run run run-

Paul is the type of person who can show up covered in blood and bits of gore and still manage to look like a messy retriever. He’s hardly ever come off as threatening even when you knew what he was...

But right now?

His teeth tugged softly at the smooth skin of your inner thigh

You were keenly aware of how dangerous he is.

And it was

so

hot.

A hand, calloused from playing his guitar, snuck its way into your panties; shredding them right down the middle with a deft tug. Without warning he pressed a finger inside of you, curling it up to press tantalizingly at your sweet spot before pulling back out.

“You like that, doll?” he purred, nipping at the soft skin behind your knee.

Even when he was in the lead

He still liked the praise

When you let out a breathy moan and nodded the vamp smiled- sharp fang poking almost comically from his lips. Before you could comment on how genuinely adorable he was, however, he dipped his fingers back into you- nipping and licking at the inside of your thigh.

Paul was never very patient in the bedroom, even when you were in control he was constantly picking up the pace- pushing his limits and egging you on to go faster, harder, rougher.

So it was no surprise when he began to forcefully fuck you with his hand.

His fingers curled and thrust inside of you at a relentless pace, each move knocking a throaty gasp from your lips as he leaned down to lick at you hungrily. 

You screwed your eyes shut, feeling that low hot-iron heat of arousal peaking in your stomach. Your body felt like a tightened coil ready to snap and you had only just started-

His movements were brutal and unforgiving as you came close- and when you canted your hips forwards in search of more stimulation you were rewarded with a heavy palm pressing hard against your hip. He forced you into the mattress and held you still, his breathing hot and strained as he looked down at you.

“Babydoll” he teased, pressing a too-chaste kiss to your knee. “You said it was my turn, right, gorgeous?” your nod was feeble and made your head spin, another wet moan escaping you when he curled his fingers just right.

“Well then that means you’re gonna sit right here and look pretty while I fuck you, okay sweet thing?”

You were given no time to respond before he retrieved his hands, licking up your wetness from his fingers with a contented hum while he pulled himself out from his boxers.

Your whole body arched when you felt him lay his dick across your abdomen, watching you with a shit-eating grin and a pleasantly flushed face. You knew he was dragging this out to mess with you and that it was probably killing him . Paul was a lot of things but patient was not one of them- he was just having his fun before he dug into the meal and you wouldn’t have to wait very long.

You also knew that at the slightest word he’d bow back down to your will.

And frankly?

You were having plenty of fun as is.

His hand found yours, giving it a gentle squeeze as you threaded your fingers together. It was a silent request of permission as he waited there, lined up and ready for the go-ahead.

When you nodded he let out an audible sigh of relief. Using your joined hands he pulled you close- burying himself inside you to the hilt in one hard thrust that made you see stars.

Paul waited there, a low keen in the back of his throat as he forced himself to remain still while you adjusted. His brows were knitted together as he watched you, taking in the way you looked beneath him. Where you belonged, with him- only with him...

Content that you were ready enough, he set a brutal pace. Sharp claws dug into the meat of your thigh as he rammed himself into you with a low breathy moan.

His face was almost entirely vamped out; his eyes yellow and fangs bared as he pressed his hand against your abdomen to hold you still.

“Fuck- doll. You look so fucking good like this. God, so fuckin’ good for me. You like being good for me?” His dirty talk was an endless ramble as he chased his orgasm, shifting his hips to drive right into that bundle of nerves.

Your moans pitched up impossibly higher- body tensing as he slammed into it with each thrust till your back arched and your nails dug hard into his skin.

Overwhelmed with pleasure, Paul continued relentlessly as you were pushed further into your orgasm; the near overstimulation of it all making tiny black dots appear in your vision as he growled against your skin.

Already feeling another hyper-sensitive wave of pleasure, Paul let go of your hand- thrusting as he moved to grab your hips.

He held you still  as though you weighed nothing more than a ragdoll, snapping his hips against you with a wet, dirty moan.

Your body coiled- a scream ripping out of your throat as you were pushed roughly into another orgasm, feeling his sharp nails grip your waist as he stilled- finishing inside of you with a long, desperate moan.

The two of you remained like that for a long while, coming back down to earth still wrapped up in each other. The only time Paul could be still was after sex and tonight was no different.

He hummed, leaning forwards to press kisses to your chest and neck before finally claiming your lips with a slow, lazy pace. You were silent, sleepiness already settling in the space behind your eyelids when you felt Paul gently nudge you- fingers poking your side insistently.

“Wanna ride me this time?”

[victoriareyloficlists]

15 March 2021 Additions to Reylo Fluff

These fics have been added to the Fluff lists located in the following lists:

Fluff Part 1 Titles A-G

Fluff Part 2 Titles H-M

Fluff Part 3 Titles N-S

Fluff Part 4 Titlez T-Z

My Heart Like a Kick Drum by Zoa (AO3 2020  Rated T Complete, 8 Chapters, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: In need of a date to his parents destination vow renewal but not interested in a real relationship, Ben Solo turns to an acting service specializing in fake relationships for a temporary girlfriend. But as he gets to know Rey Niima over the course of the vacation, Ben finds himself reconsidering his outlook on love...) More Than a One-Night Stand by Eskayrobot, Poaxath (AO3 2018  Rated E Complete, 2 Chapters, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: Rey's having a pretty shitty night, to be honest. From the creep at the bar to the...oh, this rescuer of hers is pretty nice. And very attractive. And maybe he smelled really good, too.) lay all your love on me by akosmia (AO3 2018  Rated T Complete, One-Shot, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: Ben doesn't really think much of himself, and Rey is determined to change his mind.) Got a Feeling we Should Just Go Home by slugmutt (AO3 2018  Rated M Complete, 13 Chapters, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: Spending the week before Christmas with sullen deputy-CEO Kylo Ren is the last thing on earth Rey wants to do. Going back to his hometown with Christmas-loving Rey in tow is the last thing Kylo wants to do. But with a little help from family, some holiday magic, and a stray blizzard or two, they might start seeing things differently.) Lightning Glass by Weddersins (AO3 2018  Rated T Complete, One-Shot, Canon CD, Quick Synopsis: Force-users don't like to consume alcohol because it lowers mental shielding. Too bad the Resistance's entire supply of juice fermented. Better not let it go to waste. Meanwhile, Kylo Ren wakes up with Rey booping his nose and giggling. He is Very Confused.) New Beginnings by reylocalligraphy (AO3 2018  Rated G Complete, One-Shot, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: When Ben comes home for the first time in five years, it happens to be Thanksgiving dinner. He’s surprised to meet a girl who’s working for his father… an odd girl his parents seem strangely fond of.) The Unintended Consequences of Single-Seater Cockpit Designs by ItsALilah (AO3 2018  Rated E Complete, One-Shot, Canon CD, Quick Synopsis: After Crait, Rey vowed to never, ever stick her head out for Kylo Ren again. Unfortunately, she's got marching orders from Poe Dameron of all people to save the Resistance's newest ally, who just happens to be Kylo Ren, and of course, those rescue plans predictably go to Hell. Meaning Rey's not just stuck with Kylo Ren, but sharing an uncomfortably confined space with the newly deposed Supreme Leader. A space that was definitely not designed to fit more than one person.) In Full Bloom by deedreamer (AO3 2019  Rated T Complete, One-Shot, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: When high school teacher Rey Kanata gets flowers with a cryptic message, she freaks out, thinking she's being hit on by one of her students. On a mission to find out who sent the flowers, she meets Ben Solo -- single dad and owner of the little florist down on Main Street. When the flowers turn out to be a delivery error, Rey knows her job's no longer at risk. But what she doesn't know is that she's about to fall head over heels for the man who keeps sending her flowers day after day because he's a goner for her, too...) Degrees and Galaxies by Pawprinter (AO3 2018  Rated T Complete, One-Shot, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: Ben could think of numerous other things he would rather be doing than spending an afternoon working on a paper. That all changes when he bumps into Rey. Maybe spending the day at the coffee shop isn't the worst way to spend his time.) A Reylo Christmas Carol by Crackedkybercrystal (AO3 2018  Rated M Complete, 4 Chapters, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: "Before the dawn," Hux intoned, "you will be visited by three spirits. Heed their message Kylo Ren, least you end your days like me." It was only now that Kylo perceived his old partner to be bound with a great chain around his waist, weighed down by heavy blocks.) Of Penmanship and Discourse by INTPSlytherin_reylove97 (AO3 2018  Rated M Complete, 35 Chapters, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: When Rey Kenobi's professor and advisor, Luke Skywalker, refuses to give constructive criticism or facilitate workshops for his students, she decides to seek help else where. Ben Solo (or if you read his published work, Kylo Ren) is on the brink of insanity. The literary magazine he is editor for is racing off in a new direction-- and is leaving him questioning both its morals and his love for writing. To find his intellectual and creative needs met, he decides to turn to the internet. A PenPals AU no one asked for.) The Set-up by CajunSpice714 (AO3 2018  Rated T Complete, One-Shot, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: Ben Solo has aways been socially awkward, but when he sets his sights on his brother Poe's fiance Finn's bestfriend Rey during an engagment party Poe decided that he and Finn need to divise a plan to set the two of them up if not for the sake of his and Finn's future wedding then for the sake of their own sanity.) From R to Kylo by SpaceWaffleHouseTM (AO3 2018  Rated E Complete, 4 Chapters, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: Ben and Rey are archaeologists who absolutely cannot stand each other. They also happen to be pen pals, but they don't know who the other is, until one night they get trapped together at a creepy excavation site, and suddenly their hatred begins to unravel.) How You Turn My World, You Precious Thing by BensLostTookaCat (VillainTheBlank) (AO3 2018  Rated E Complete, 3 Chapters, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: He's the hotshot asshole who leads The First Order, the legal arm of The Resistance. She's the new company liaison who has been assigned to The First Order to keep them accountable.The annual Resistance Masquerade Ball is about to turn Kylo and Rey's worlds upside down.) If You Change Your Mind (I'm the First in Line) by castles_and_crowns (AO3 2018  Rated T Complete, 6 Chapters, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: Ben hates watching his best friend/roommate Rey be unlucky in love. Finally, he decides to do something about it.) Take a Chance on Me by castles_and_crowns (AO3 2020  Rated T Complete, 6 Chapters, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: Rey hates watching her best friend/roommate Ben go on date after date with no success. Eventually, she decides to do something about it. Or, 5 bad dates + 1 good one.) Haunted Corn Maze by OptimisticBeth (AO3 2018  Rated T Complete, One-Shot, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: Rey bonds with her work buddy, Ben.) Zombie Run by OptimisticBeth (AO3 2018  Rated T Complete, One-Shot, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: During a charity run, Rey is relentlessly pursued by a zombie.) Eating for Two by Hellyjellybean (AO3 2021  Rated E Complete, 3 Chapters, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: Rey is pregnant and smells her neighbour Ben's cooking. She goes round to ask if he would be willing to share. But maybe Ben would like to share more than his cooking with Rey.) Go And Catch A Falling Star Chapter 56 by Ayearandaday (AO3 2021  Rated G Complete, One-Shot, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: Hungry overworked Ben accidentally ends up in McDonalds. Guess what happens next?) weddings and wingwomen by bigfootsflannel (AO3 2020  Rated T Complete, One-Shot, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: After hiring Ben Solo as her wedding photographer, Rose discovers her true calling as part-time matchmaker.) when the stars collide by roguewn (AO3 2020  Rated T Complete, One-Shot, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: Rose and Rey are debating the latest Space Skirmish movie. Rose insists a kiss was romantic and Rey jokes that it was a thank-you-for-saving-me kiss. Rose dares her to kiss the next guy who holds the door open for her.) Fall Into the Dark Side by CaliforniaQueen (AO3 2020  Rated E Complete, One-Shot, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: Rey is a lonely comic shop owner. Ben is the equally lonely comic book writer Rey has been crushing on for years.) Something About November Chapter 11 by SpaceWaffleHouseTM (AO3 2019  Rated T Complete, One-Shot, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: Rey is leaving First Order Enterprises for her dream job at Resistance Inc. On her last day, she gets a cake and a card with farewell messages from her department-there's an anonymous message among them, confessing to a secret crush.) Something Missing by Hellyjellybean (AO3 2020  Rated M Complete, 3 Chapters, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: An angst-free AU where Ben takes his kid to work and loses track of him only to find him eating contraband candy with Rey from IT.) A Doggy Intervention by corpse_wife (AO3 2020  Rated T Complete, One-Shot, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: Interventions come in many different forms. Whether it's time, a place or occasionally, people, it's up to the universe to decide when two soulmates meet. In Ben Solo's case, the universe had a cruel sense of humor. For his intervention comes in the form of a German Shepard and his graceless brunette owner. Two things happened in the short span of a minute: 1.) Ben got tackled to the ground 2.) The dog had just swallowed his wedding rings) baby fever by cursebreakker (AO3 2021  Rated E Complete, 3 Chapters, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: Rey’s boss kylo basically has a heart of stone, he literally has a reputation in the offices as 'Satan’s right hand'. That is until Rey’s two year old daughter toddles up to him outside of work one day and he just completely melts.) My Roommate's a Virgin Vampire by jeeno2 (AO3 2020  Rated E Complete, 8 Chapters, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: Rey Niima answers an online ad from someone looking for a new roommate. Turns out he's a very weird, incredibly hot vampire with extremely outdated views on sex.) Toy Story XXX: The Legend of the Fainting Goat by andabatae (AO3 2019  Rated E Complete, One-Shot, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: Rey has been thirsting after her next door neighbor, Ben Solo, for months. In a fit of sexual frustration, she purchases a sex toy with rave reviews—never expecting that when she uses it, Ben will mistake her screams of pleasure for cries of distress and break down her door to save her...) Wild Child by tmwillson3 (AO3 2020  Rated E Complete, 4 Chapters, Regency AU, Quick Synopsis: Rey spends her first Season in Bath with her best friend, Rose Tico. When Rose begins a hate-at-first-sight relationship with Sir Armitage Hux, Rey thinks that nothing more exciting could happen.That's when Sir Hux's friend, the Earl of Alderaan, and his dogs come crashing into Rey. Rey has never liked peers, but when she bonds with him on a rainy day, everything changes.) Dump Your Date for Prom by TypeSomeSenseToMe (AO3 2021  Rated T Complete, One-Shot, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: Rey asks Ben Solo to the Prom.) you're my boo by murakamism (AO3 2018  Rated M Complete, One-Shot, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: Rey's neighbor Ben Solo is the only one who ever shows Halloween spirit around here. When she discovers he's moving out, she's only hurt because that means she won't have anymore competition... right? So she sets out on a plan to make him stay.) permanent calligraphy (your name on me forever) by theresonatinglight (AO3 2021  Rated E Complete, One-Shot, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: As they continue to work together, two things become clear. One: Ben Solo is an enigma. He’s preppy yet humble, privileged yet introspective. He’s the opposite of lazy; she kicks herself every day for assuming otherwise. And two: Ben Solo will never love her.) Bespoke by L_awlietxoxx (AO3 2018  Rated G Complete, One-Shot, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: Ben Solo is miserable, stumbling through his life in London without seeing much of anything. Then Christmas sneaks up on him, as does a little shop and a woman who makes custom ornaments to meet the needs of any heart. Suddenly, Ben sees everything.) Game Night by Melusine11 (AO3 2019  Rated E Complete, 5 Chapters, Modern AU, Quick Synopsis: Rey goes to live with Finn to help her get on her own feet. She has an immediate connection with his roommate, Ben Solo. It all comes to a head during a rather intense game night.)

[infernalrevenge]

Extra Ordinary

Fandom: Choices - Foreign Affairs

Pairing: F!Blaine Hayes x M!MC (Magnus Quezon)

Rating: G

Summary: Blaine and Magnus sneak off to a traveling fair.

Notes: Inspired by a message from @i-cant-think-of-a-name-15 wherein he told me I could write about "a purple panda visiting Vancross" and he'd still read about it, so I was minorly inspired. This is much longer than what I've written and posted here so far, so fair warning on that.

----------

"A fair?"

Magnus raised an eyebrow at Dionne, who clutched her phone as she showed him her text messages from Blaine.

"Yeah, she said she got tickets the other day, arranged for you two to go, and everything! It's only in town for a week, and tonight's the last night before they pack everything up the next day."

Before he could even object -- the thought of everyone still breathing down his neck about the scandal and cleaning up his image still weighing heavily on his mind -- she interrupted, "You don't have any classes tomorrow, you’re free, and you need the break! Plus it'll be so romantic, just you and Blaine--"

"And our bodyguards."

"--Having the time of your lives at a fair! Come on, it'll be fun, Magnus! Like you're gonna say no to her."

Okay, she's got him there.

It only took a little bit of pleading to get Tatum to agree to his antics this time, rolling his eyes as if he was used to it at that point. Nevertheless, he escorted the First Son to the pier where the fair grounds were, dressed as casually and inconspicuously as possible.

Magnus adjusted his sunglasses and beanie, glancing behind him to see if his bodyguard was right behind, only to find him gone. He did say he was just going to keep a "respectable distance", but it didn't make him any less nervous being out and about like this. It wasn't that he didn't trust his date to show up, it was that he was worried that she would and so would the paparazzi. They haven't exactly relented on their quest to squeeze out every juicy detail of his story.

He tried to scan the crowd for any sign of Blaine, only to be suddenly grabbed by the arm. He stumbled back in surprise, accidentally bumping into a mother with her kids. "Sorry sorry, I'm so sorry miss!" he quickly apologized, but the lady left in a huff, and he found himself face to face with none other than the mastermind of this operation.

"Geez, I forgot how you scared so easily. Sorry about that," Blaine remarked, clearly amused. Magnus could only roll his eyes, but was nonetheless relieved to find her -- or rather, have her find him.

He had to admire her insistence on the whole plan, and the fact that she had a plan in the first place. Of course, they couldn't get away from their bodyguards and had to effectively hide any prominent features of theirs to avoid being recognized, but hey, he would take any excuse to be with her.

"We've got a lot of ground to cover if we wanna make the most of this place," Blaine said. They made their way inside hand in hand.

"I'm starting to feel bad, leaving you with all the work of planning out covert dates. I should return the favor some time," Magnus said with a small laugh, taking in the sights and smells around him. The sun was beating down on every head present, hung up on a bright blue sky. It was quite crowded, which was a security concern, but it also meant it would be harder for untrained eyes to spot them in the sea of faces. Still, it had him a bit on edge.

"Looking forward to whatever you've got cooking up there, Rutherland. I'm sure you can think of something." Blaine looked up at the rides, the screams of its passengers intriguing her to give the experience a shot. It would also help to distract Magnus, as she noticed he was rather tense. "Where do you wanna go first?"

Magnus wasn't always the type to try to impress a date, but he might have been pushing it a little when he suggested an octopus ride. "I've never ridden one before. My mom always said they would break and the cart I'd be in would fly off."

It felt that way as soon as the ride started too. Magnus held onto the safety bar in front of them for dear life, his insides doing massive flips with every rotation. It was very thrilling, but it was also a strangely ticklish sensation that had him laughing and screaming the whole time. Blaine was having the time of her life, on the other hand, raising both arms in the air at multiple points as she whooped and jokingly yelled for it to go faster. Their excited screams blended in with the cacophony of the other riders, and somehow, that made the First Son feel the most normal he had since the day started.

If you were to ask him, Magnus would deny how his hands were shaking as they got off the ride, remnants of that thrill and momentary terror still running through his body. But it helped to have Blaine take both his hands and encouraged him to breathe deeply instead of the usual teasing he expected from her.

"Do you go on octopus rides often?" he asked, sucking in another breath before exhaling slowly.

"I'm actually more of a lazy river kind o' girl, but I love the adrenaline rush anyway," she casually replied, trying her best to ground him and calm his racing heart and stomach.

The two of them decided to eat some snacks as a substitute for lunch, settling for corn dogs, cotton candy, and watermelon slices. Along the way, Magnus spotted a giant panda stuffed toy in one of the game booths, its usual black patches replaced with a bright purple. Blaine followed his distracted gaze and giggled, trying to get his attention. “See something you like?”

The Rutherlandian chuckled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. “I, uh... it’s a giant panda, kinda hard to miss.” He was trying his best not to seem too obvious about his curiosity and desire to have it. However, after passing by the same booth a few more times as they explored the grounds, with his attention inevitably drifting to the toy, Blaine took him there herself to see if she can win it for him.

“You don’t have to--”

“Just let me do this for you. Besides, not like you can keep your eyes off of it.”

A laugh escaped him, “Are you telling me you’re jealous of a stuffed toy panda now?”

“I’m literally gonna win it for you, Rutherland, I am the farthest from being jealous. I promise by the end of the night, you'll be one panda richer.”

Basketball was the name of the game -- all she had to do was sink three shots in a row through the hoop across. Simple enough, if only she weren’t so far away from behind the starting line. Every time she threw the ball and watched it soar through the air, it was always just a few feet shy of the goal. By the time Blaine was on her sixth total attempt, she was just slamming the cash on the counter in frustration to pay for more chances, which the manager gladly accepted each time.

Magnus tried to get her to stop, insisting that it was fine and she didn’t need to waste so much money on a game “that was clearly rigged anyway.”

“Hey, I promised I’d get you that, and goddammit you are gonna get it!” she stubbornly replied, setting down another two dollars. This time though, she took a pause to rest and re-think her strategy.

Blaine furrowed her eyebrows, her focus alternating between the ball and the hoop, until an idea struck her. A wide mischievous smirk appeared on her face as she pinned the ball under her arm and climbed onto the counter, much to everyone's surprise.

"Hey, you're not allowed up there, miss!" the man behind the stand yelled, holding a hand up. The Ardonian was undeterred.

"Why? I'm still behind the line," she pointed out.

"You could fall and get hurt, you have to--" Magnus started, but Blaine was already focused on her goal, ball in hand as she lifted it up.

The height certainly gave her an advantage, taking one successful shot after another, despite the manager's and Magnus' protests. Her date still hung back right behind her, arms slightly raised to ready himself just in case. If she was so insistent on doing things her way, hopefully it wouldn't end in a hospital visit. She would hear an occasional "be careful!" between shots, but when she finally got the last one she needed, she practically threw caution to the wind after the ball.

“Victory is mine, asshole!” she yelled in triumph, throwing her arms up in the air in celebration.

She didn't anticipate how the momentum would throw her off balance though, misstepping behind her. She yelped and tried to move forward, but it was too late. One second she was falling back toward the ground, then the next... she was in Magnus' arms.

She looked up at him and laughed, "Good catch. You work out?" she commented with a wink, letting him help her stand back up.

"Let's just say you can always trust me to catch you," he replied with a hint of a flirtatious tone, before nudging her with his elbow. "But never do that again," he warned, though he was clearly just worried about her.

The Ardonian flipped her hair over her shoulder, turning her attention to the manager. "One panda, my good sir!"

He begrudgingly handed over the stuffed toy to Blaine, who then proceeded to proudly present it to Magnus. He had to wrap both arms around its fluffy torso just to be able to hold onto it securely.

"Consider this my apology for worrying you," she joked, patting the toy's fluffy arm.

"This feels a bit cliche, doesn't it?" he said, his voice partially muffled by the huge obstruction between them.

"What do you mean? It's a role reversal. It's the guy usually winning prizes for the girl, right?"

"I just mean the situation in general. Do you always win giant pandas for your dates?"

"Only for you, babe. Though I'll happily take it back if you don't want it."

At that, Magnus turned and kept it away from Blaine when she tried to reach for it. "No, you already gave it to me, so keepsies." He stuck his tongue out at her, looking more childish than ever, which earned him a boop on the nose.

"One more ride for the road?"

It was already sunset by the time they got on the ferris wheel. The sky was a gradient of pink, orange, and yellow as the sun started to set, slowly sinking in the horizon where the sky met the sea. It took some convincing for the ride manager to allow the stuffed toy on board, as long as they didn't drop it -- like Magnus was ever going to let that happen.

The newly christened Taro (as Magnus insisted on calling the panda) sat on his side, with Blaine snuggled on the other, her head settled on his shoulder. The ride moved slowly as other passengers boarded, and they were getting close to the top, just enough to enjoy the view.

"I know the rooftops at Vancross had great views of sunsets, but nothing beats being this close to it, huh?" Blaine said, her fingers idly playing with Magnus', intertwining and untwining them.

"Being in great company helps me appreciate it more too," Magnus replied, before turning to the stuffed toy next to him, sitting at eye level given its size. "Isn't that right, Taro?"

"Sorry, am I ruining your moment here?" she joked, gently nudging at his arm. Magnus simply smiled and wrapped an around her shoulders, pulling her even closer to his side.

"But seriously though, today was really fun. I'm glad you convinced Dionne to convince me to come out here. At this point, it's hard to say no to even just seeing you."

"Even if it means infuriating your bodyguard?"

Magnus rolled his eyes, looking off as the sky started to darken. "He wasn't infuriated, I'd say irritated at best, but he gets it. He's always been supportive of my 'be a normal person' agenda."

"Did I help deliver?"

"Oh definitely. You sure know how to make a guy feel normal, in a good way."

Blaine glanced up at him, "What does being normal mean to you?"

The young man blinked, not expecting such an introspective question. The lights on the ferris wheel started to turn on, giving him a view of Blaine under their soft glow. He almost lost himself in the sight and backtracked on the question.

He gave himself a moment to think, choosing his words carefully, "Just... being able to live my life away from scrutinizing eyes, I guess. I don't want the public to see me as someone or something that I'm not just because some tabloid article told them this or that."

She nodded in understanding, pulling his arm closer. "Definitely. It's like the general population seems to forget we're people too. We have our own lives and identities, and it's not something that can be toyed with."

"I wish I didn't have to act a certain way, I don't want them to change me. I wish... things were different." A bout of silence passed between them, the ride moving at its leisurely pace to give its passengers time to appreciate it.

"But if they were, then I never would've met you, so it's not all bad. You're... one of the best things that's ever happened to me, you know?" Magnus looked at Blaine, a small yet genuine smile on his face. The girl looked up at him almost with a flicker of doubt at first, but looking deeper into his eyes, she knew he was telling the truth.

And she wasn't sure how to handle that.

She could feel her stomach doing flips, a thrill running through her -- except it wasn't like she was on a fair ride. This was somehow more intense, yet she felt grounded with him by her side. She couldn't help the smile that bloomed, her cheeks darkening slightly as she took in his words.

"You're too good, Magnus. I hope the world never changes you."

The way she said his name sounded almost adoring, like she was in awe of what a genuine soul he was despite everything that's happened to him. She knew what it was like, having been expected to keep up appearances her whole life, but somehow this boy right next to her never seemed to lose touch of himself along the way. He knew what he had to do, but he also knew who he was at the end of the day.

Just hearing her say it like that was enough to melt Magnus' insides with a loving warmth. A smile spread across his face, leaning forward to press a soft kiss on her lips. He was just so relieved that he never had to pretend around Blaine, never had to prove anything to her. It was more than enough just having her there by his side, and even though he was looking forward to the day he can finally be out with her in public with pride, moments like these made their secret trips still worth going through.

.

.

.

(Due to Taro's size, it couldn’t quite fit in Magnus' bed as intended, so it instead resided on the couch in the suite. It didn't mean he didn't take any chances to nap on it though.

Dionne has sent many pictures to Blaine of the young man's face buried into its fluffy stomach, curled up on the small space as he rested peacefully, and Blaine has had to stifle many squeals of delight at the adorable sight.)

[alecmagnuslwb]

Halloween Wonder

Read on AO3

“I wanna be the wonder ladies for Halloween,” Lian says coloring a picture of Princess Diana herself on the coffee table in the living room. Roy pops his head up from where he’s reading a magazine on the couch. Jason’s out patrolling for the night so it’s just the two of them. It’s nearing her bedtime, but she gave him the doe eyes around eight o’clock requesting she have just one more hour to see JayJay.

“You mean you wanna be Wonder Woman?” he asks leaning forward and looking at the picture she’s coloring. She’s taken some liberties with Wonder Woman’s costume design trading the usual red, blue and gold for pink, purple and silver.

“Yeah! But you and JayJay gotta be the other two,” she declares. She flips through her coloring pages pulling out one of Donna and another of Cassie, the current Wonder Girl. She waves them in his face. “You can be Aunt Donna and JayJay can be Wonder Girl!” she says with glee.

Roy eyes the coloring page and remembers Donna’s old red costume, he’s not sure he’s got the curves to pull it off quite the same way his old flame and dear friend did.

“You sure you don’t want us to be Green Lantern and Superman, make the Justice League or something, kiddo?” he asks, pointedly not mentioning Batman, Jason would never go as Batman no matter how much Lian begs.

“Nope,” she says happily turning back to her own coloring page with a beaming smile. “Wonder ladies!”

Roy sighs looking down at the pictures in his hands, the things they do for their little girl. 

***

Jason doesn’t make it home early, so much against her protests Lian is sent to bed only complaining lightly after Roy promises that they’ll be doing her requested Halloween costumes. Jason slips into their bedroom hours later, shower fresh and free of his gear.

Roy sits up from where he’d slumped down into bed trying to stay awake to see him. Jason smiles walking over to the bed and kissing Roy lightly once before flopping over him and onto his side of the bed.

“Lian picked her Halloween costume tonight,” Roy says as Jason pulls the covers up.

“Oh yeah, what dynamic trio will we be this year?” Jason says smiling. They’ve been letting Lian pick what they’ll all be since she was three, surprisingly this is the first year she’s picked any other supers usually sticking more to animated characters. Last year was particularly memorable when she begged to be Maleficent and Jason and Roy sported their best Scar and Gaston. Alfred had made the most elaborate and movie accurate costumes Roy had ever seen which was saying something since he’d done so well with other duos the years before.

“The Wonder fam,” he says with a smirk.

“As in?” Jason asks and Roy smirks.

“Diana,” he says pointing to the wall where two rooms down Lian is sleeping peacefully. “Donna,” he says gesturing to himself. “And Cassie,” he finishes pointing at Jason.

“And before you ask there’s no changing her mind,” he says.

Jason huffs. “Well at least she didn’t want me to Batman,” he says with a shrug. He grabs his phone from where he’d tossed it on the nightstand and sends off some text. It dings almost immediately with a response. “Alfred said he’s on it, we just have to swing by the manor tomorrow so he can get updated measurements for Lian since she’s gotten taller since last year.”

Not for the first time in his life Roy wonders if Alfred ever sleeps considering the late hour.

***

“You know Donna is never going to speak to you again if she finds out about this, right?” Jason says enjoying the view of Roy in his tight red one piece costume, but obviously holding back laughter as well. Roy adjusts his dark wig flipping the hair over his shoulder.

“Yup,” Roy says eyeing himself from every angle in the mirror. He looks good dammit, turns out he does have the curves to pull of the look, Donna can get over it if she finds out. Alfred’s really outdone himself with his seam work this year.

“And you know that there’s a 98% chance we run into Dick and Babs tonight and they’ll tell absolutely everyone?” Jason adds on from where he’s sat on the bed.

“Yup,” Roy says turning away from the mirror to face Jason. Lian had chosen Cassie’s most recent costume for Jason and Roy would be lying if he said Jason isn’t making the black leggings and skirt combo work. “You know they’re gonna see you in this get up and tell everyone too, right?”

Jason just shrugs. “Yeah, but everyone’s afraid of me, so the jokes will end real quick.”

Roy hums conceding the point. Lian comes barreling in a moment later, a pair of black wireless headphones in hand. She crawls up onto the bed next to Jason and settles the headphones around his neck. He flips his blonde wig out from under them and smiles at her.

“You look great Wonder Woman,” he says fixing her crooked tiara.

She smiles toothily at him and flexes her arms kissing her tiny biceps, the little ham.

“Can we go get candy now?” she says hopping off the bed and pulling Jason along to where Roy is still admiring himself in the mirror and grabbing his hand too.

“Yeah, yeah,” Roy says giving himself one last glance as they’re dragged out of the room. “Let’s go get candy.”

***

Trick or treating is a success. Thanks to Dick and Barbara’s well thought out Halloween safety plan for all the kids of Gotham Lian hits half the city before finally tiring out.

They run into Nightwing and Batgirl about halfway through their journey Roy already carrying a damn near full pillowcase of candy and he’s fairly certain Dick’s laughter can be heard from outer space once he’s taken in their costumes. He doesn’t get to cackle long though Lian declaring there’s no time for laughing when candies on the line and skipping away from the silly adults.

Roy’s carrying two nearly full pillow cases of candy now and Jason, wig discarded into one of the bags, is carrying Lian easily like she’s still two weighing barely a thing and not eight. Her little lasso is wrapped around Jason’s arm and her head resting on his shoulder.

“I’ll put her to bed,” he says quietly once they’ve made it into the apartment Roy plopping the two sacks of candy down heavily onto the table. Roy nods, kissing Lian’s hair once.

“Goodnight, Wondy,” he says and she snuggles in closer to Jason. Jason heads upstairs while Roy drags the two bags of candy over to the couch. He throws his slightly aching feet up onto the coffee table and starts digging in knowing there’s no way Lian will notice if a few pieces are gone.

He grins triumphantly when he finds a double pack of Reese’s cups tearing into them. He’s working on the second one when Jason finally comes down the stairs, hoodie, headphones, high tops and skirt now gone. If it weren’t for the Wonder Woman insignia on his top and the star pattern on the leggings he’d just look like he was about to go for a run.

“She all good?” Roy asks as Jason sits down next to him digging into the open pillowcase. He pulls out a long Twizzler opening the plastic with his teeth. Jason nods.

“Our little Wonder Woman is out cold,” he says before taking a bite of the candy twirling it around on his finger. Roy smiles digging back in and taking out a Hershey’s bar this time.

“You and your chocolate obsession,” Jason says shaking his head as he grabs a tiny box of nerds and pours them directly into his mouth.

“At least I have taste,” Roy grumbles eyeing the box of nerds in disgust. Jason shoves at him lightly making direct eye contact as he pours the box of nerds onto his tongue. Roy moves the bag of candy out of his way popping the last piece of chocolate bar in his mouth before crawling over and placing himself in Jason’s lap, bracketing his hips.

Roy leans in about to kiss Jason when he puts a strong hand to his chest and stops him.

“Sure you want to kiss me with this terrible flavored candy in my mouth,” he says feigning annoyance sticking out his tongue that’s now tinged blue. Roy shrugs.

“I’ll risk it,” he says leaning in to kiss him slow and deep the taste of tart Nerds and chocolate mixing together on their tongues. Jason moans his hands going to Roy’s thighs and trailing up along the stars on the side of his costume. He freezes when he reaches the lasso tied to his belt.

He pulls back abruptly leaving Roy chasing after his lips.

“We really have to take off these costumes,” Jason says still out of Roy’s reach.

“That was the plan,” Roy says with a smirk attempting to lean back in, but Jason stops him once again.

“No I mean like before we continue this in any way,” he looks down between them and pulls the long dark wig off of Roy’s head tossing it to the other end of the couch. “It’s too weird.”

Roy looks down himself and can see what Jason means, Gaston and Scar getting it on last year was fine, but being dressed like very real people they know is a different game when the haze of lust clears.

“Good point,” he says settling back on Jason’s thighs. “But you’re carrying me upstairs, my feet hurt.”

Jason rolls his eyes, “You’re the one who chose to wear high heeled boots.”

“Costume accuracy Jaybird, not everyone gets to be the super gal who wears sneakers,” he defends with a smile. Jason leans in pecking him once on the corner of his lips.

“Fine princess,” he says hefting up off the couch with Roy in his arms not even faltering a bit. “Hold on.” He says as he heads for the stairs carrying Roy like he weighs nothing. Roy can’t wait to get these costumes off and continue what he started on the couch.

Hours later, costumes long gone and both sweaty and sated Roy’s phone dings with a message from Donna, it’s a photo form Dick attached with a series of crying emojis.

He smirks, she’s just jealous he looked so good.

[justahopelessssromantic]

Perfect

Part 11

Part 10

A/N: Hey guys finally have the next part out for y’all! I’m going to tag the parts a little different and just link the one before this because it’s getting a little tedious 😅. Anyways I hope you all enjoy and thank you so much for all the continued love and support! You all really mean the world to me! 💖

*gifs not mine*

Warnings: Angst, violence

A few weeks had passed and with each one you saw less and less of Angel and more of Matt. It wasn't your intention, Angel just wouldn't come around as often, avoided you the best he could whenever you were at the clubhouse, and was going on more runs than usual. He was trying to stay busy, to keep his mind busy.

He was waiting for you to blow up on him about the text but you never did. A few days after he sucked it up and came into his father's shop while you were working.

"Hey," he greeted you with a nod of the head. If you were going to say something about it now would be the time. He was ready for it.

"Hey," you smiled back at him. "How are you doing? I saw your text." You said gently.

"You did?" He assumed you did but you never said anything until now. Here it comes, he thought. Holding his breath he waited for you to explode, but you didn’t.

"Yeah. Sorry I didn't reply I didn't see it until later and when you didn't show up I just assumed you weren't coming, that maybe club shit came up." You understood that the club would always come first and naturally if you didn't hear from him that was the reason. "I appreciate it though, you wanting to check on me. Thank you."

"Didn't think you needed me," he complained, "You seemed just fine with Matt there."

Now you realized why he hadn't stopped and you let out a sigh. You could just feel the stress headache coming on already.

“What’s the problem, querida?” He leaned onto the counter closer to you, his cologne strong and intoxicating bringing you a sense of nostalgia as he continued spitting words better left unsaid, “Didn’t want me to find out? He stay the night too? Fuck your pain away?”

“That’s your thing, not mine.” You spat back, your jaw clenched. “Remember?” You internally scolded yourself for letting him get under your skin, again. Stepping back from the counter closing your eyes you rubbed your temples. “How many times are we going to keep doing this Angel?" You asked before opening your eyes and looking back at him. 'Aren’t you tired of it?” You were feeling incredibly burned out and tired, tired of going round and round in the same circle over and over again. You couldn't understand how he couldn't be tired as well. You didn’t have the energy for this fight again, especially not today. “Because I am. I'm so very, very tired.”

Angel laid his palms flat against the counter top looking down at the packages in the display case below him as he let out a sigh. He was tired just like you, maybe even more so, but he couldn’t give up on you. He couldn’t let you go. You held his heart and there was no one in the world he could ever give it to again. It belonged to you just like he did. It pained him to know how bad you were hurting to see how now that you were back everything was weighing down on you once more but this was a fight he couldn’t give up on. “Yeah, I’m tired too.” He said, looking up and meeting your eyes, getting lost in the familiarity of them. “I’m tired of not waking up next to you, tired of not being the reason behind your beautiful smile, tired of being the reason for the pain I can see so clearly in your eyes, mi dulce.” He swallowed trying to keep his emotions in check, which was almost nearly impossible when he was around you, “ And most of all I’m tired of missing you.”

“Angel I-”

The soft sound of candy spilling out of a box alerted the two of you to the presence that was now in the shop with you. You were so caught up in each other you didn’t even hear the man enter. Turning your attention to the man you watched as he plopped a couple of the Candy & Licorice candies he had into his mouth.

Angel tensed up beside you immediately holding himself taller. No one had said anything yet but you could tell by Angel’s reaction to the man that he was not a friend.

He slipped the box of candy into his pocket before returning his gaze back to the two of you. “Trouble in paradise?” he finally spoke up with an unsettling smile, “Please continue.” He motioned towards the two of you. “Don’t let me interrupt your little lover’s quarrel.”

“What the fuck do you want?” Angel spoke up stepping closer to the man.

“Meat of course. What other reasons would there be for someone to stop into Carniceria Reyes?” He said almost challenging Angel. Smiling once more he turned his attention to you and stepped up to the counter. “Forgive me. Where are my manners?” He said extending his hand out to you, “I don’t believe we’ve met. Lincoln Potter.”

Angel’s glare burned through Potter’s back. He didn’t like him being here, sniffing around you. It did nothing but add on to the stress and anger piling up inside him.The last thing he wanted was for Potter to involve you in any more of their shit then you already were.

His phone buzzed from within his cut and as much as he didn’t want to leave you alone with Potter he knew he had to take the call. He pulled the device out, “Yo.” He answered, walking towards the window.

You kept most of your attention on your new acquaintance, Lincoln Potter but were also very aware of Angel and his reaction to the man and did your best to be aware of any silent signals Angel may give you as well. He was ordering a roast and you smiled politely taking his order but you knew that wasn’t why he was really in the shop that day.

“I’ll be there.” You heard Angel say before hanging up his cellphone. You finished wrapping the produce and turned back around meeting his eyes. You gave him a little nod to let him know you would be okay before he ducked out of the shop, the bell dinging behind him and you turned your attention once more to the task at hand.

After that day you didn’t see as much of Angel. He’d ride by every once in a while to make sure Potter wasn’t giving you trouble and each time he would it seemed Matt’s truck was always outside his Pop’s shop. Eventually he couldn’t handle it anymore and stopped altogether. He was trying to give you space, trying not to lose his cool and if that meant he had to avoid you then avoid you he would.

Or at least he’d try.

But like you had said that was impossible. Everywhere he went if he wasn’t seeing you or Matt he was hearing all about you from the people of Santo Padre. And if it wasn’t you and Matt it was Coco and Matt, even sometimes the three of you. He understood now more than ever why you up and left him and the small town you held dear in your heart.

But Angel couldn’t run away so instead he found other ways to release some stress. Like after he saw Matt at your place again he took it out on the old piece of shit car that had been sitting at the scrapyard. He swung the crowbar over and over, shattering the glass, denting the car up beyond repair before tossing the crowbar to the side without paying any attention to his surroundings. The only thing on his mind was rage at that moment.

“Shit,” Gilly said, jumping away from the flying object. “Damn Angel, watch what you’re doing.”

Angel ran his hand through his hair. He turned his attention to his brother, completely out of breath. “Fuck, sorry hermano.” Angel pulled his pack out of his cut extending a cigarette Gilly’s way.

Gilly took it, flipping a couple of buckets over creating a seat for him and Angel. He sat down lighting it up watching as Angel did the same. The separation was rough on Angel but this was so much worse and Gilly was starting to really worry about his hermano. None of the guys knew what to do. They felt like they were walking on eggshells around him just waiting for him to explode, so they let him take his frustrations out as best they could. “What’d old Matilda ever do to you?” He tried to tease Angel nodding to the beat up junker.

He should have known better though. Angel hadn’t been much in the teasing mood for a long time. He just started ahead with his cigarette dangling between his fingers getting lost in the damage he had created both physically in the car before him and in his relationships.

Gilly missed the old Angel.

When Angel wasn’t beating the shit out of inanimate objects he was taking it out in the ring. Every opportunity he got he’d be busting it out in there, taking whoever it may be who would be willing to be his punching bag that day. The guys knew it wasn’t personal and all took turns taking the brunt of it just trying to help in any way they can.

“Alright,” Angel said, approaching the table of his fellow members, “Who wants to have a go in the ring?”

The men all groaned internally. Gilly sipped his beer, Riz pretended to be very involved in the current card game before him, Creeper acted as if his phone held something very important and EZ stood up making some excuse about needing to clean the bar up.

“C’mon,” Angel whined, “Really? None of you fuckers are gonna be man enough to take me on?” He said, trying to play at their egos.

The truth was they were all exhausted. They could only go this way for so long and it seemed that Angel never got tired, he was always ready for another fight. It wasn’t normal and sure as hell not healthy.

“Fine,” he spat, grabbing a beer off the table. “If you need me I’ll fucking be out back!” Beer in hand he stormed out, the door slamming behind him.

Another method Angel used to distract himself was running. Every morning he would wake up at the crack of dawn, throw on some shorts and sneakers and head out the door with no destination in mind, just letting his feet take him. It was like he was training for a marathon that no one knew about.

Unfortunately though his feet were always taking him to your place where he’d stand across the street staring at the dark house before him. You were always sleeping so you would never know he was there but he’d be there a good twenty minutes before he’d suck it up and move on. If he wasn’t finding himself at your place then it was the park where you had your first official date. He’d stop and sit on the swing for a moment catching his breath as he remembered all the picnics you had shared there together, the birthdays, anniversaries, and just lazy days when you’d get the day just for the two of you.

Every place in this town held a memory of you, a memory of your time together as a couple. He really couldn’t escape you.

All these things provided him a momentary release but it wasn’t enough and it was only a matter of time before he snapped. Everyone could see that and were anxiously waiting for the moment to come only hoping there wouldn’t be too many casualties in the fallout.

Each day at the Carniceria got a little easier. You started to notice Angel’s lack of being around a little less and tried to push him to the back of your mind.

Matt would come by often, bringing you coffee or lunch. You’d take your breaks with him enjoying the food he provided and taking a nice stroll in the fresh air. He was easy to talk to, you never shared the deepest parts of your life but anything else was always on the table. There was nothing you felt like you couldn’t share with him.

He felt just as comfortable around you as well and would tell you about his mother who practically raised him all alone after his father split. His dad was a drunk so he nor his mother ever missed him once he was gone. He told you about his days serving with Coco and all the shenanigans they would get up to. His stories were always so detailed you could picture them vividly and you’d get lost in them.

When you were with Matt all your worries would go away, you felt free and the time would fly.

You were wiping down the counter as EZ browsed his father’s bookshelf looking for something new to read. Unlike Angel he was always stopping in, offering a hand and checking up on you and his Pops. He even would talk to Matt when he’d stop in. EZ liked him, he seemed decent and no one could deny how his presence seemed to lift your spirits, get you excited again.

It was nearing one in the afternoon, the time that Matt would usually come in and you’d close shop for your lunch break. You finished your cleaning, tossing your gloves in the trash bin and then removing your apron and hanging it up on the hook.

You stepped around the corner looking over at the shelf next to EZ as he pulled out a title and examined the back. “Find anything yet?” You asked.

“Yeah,” EZ grinned holding up the book and turning to you. “You know he likes you.” EZ said changing the subject.

“Who?”

“Matt.” He said. He chuckled noticing how you began fiddling with your hands. You might not want to admit it but he knew you liked him too. “He’s a good guy, makes you happy. You deserve that (Y/N). You should give him a chance.”

“I don’t know EZ..” you tried to protest. You did like Matt and he was a great guy but you still couldn’t fully comprehend him liking you back and even so your heart always tugged towards Angel.

“Just try,” EZ encouraged taking your hand in his. “I know you still love Angel but there’s a lot of pain there. Maybe Matt’s what you need right now, a fresh start.” EZ hated himself a little for telling you these. He knew Angel would kill him if ever found out but from how things were going right now your relationship together was toxic. Maybe this was what was best, to let go of each other. He just wanted to see the two of you happy again, to see you stop hurting one another.

“I’ll keep it in mind.” You said leaving it at that. Sure you dated one guy since Angel but that was different. It never went farther than just a few dates and one kiss before you ended things knowing you didn’t feel for him the same way he did for you. You just couldn’t get Angel out of your head, constantly comparing the poor guy to him. With Matt however it was different, Angel was still in the back of your mind but it was easier to forget when you were around Matt. You never compared him to Angel and you couldn’t deny that he made you happy, or was easy on the eyes.

A few days later Matt was in the shop again. You had just had lunch together and he was getting ready to head back out as you resumed your position behind the counter.

He was headed out the door when he stopped himself just short of it. It was now or never he thought. He turned back around stepping up to the counter. You picked your head up smiling at him. Your smile would always be enough to take his breath away, he thought. “Would you like to go out with me? Like on a date?” He asked. On the outside he seemed cool and collected but inside he was more nervous than he had ever been. To say he was rusty would be an understatement. He hadn’t been on a date in forever let alone ask someone on one but you were special. You made him feel like he could have someone to come home to, someone to care for who also cared for him. Like he could have a family one day.

You felt like a silly teenager again, the butterflies swirling inside you. You had hung out plenty of times but never for a date which naturally made you a little nervous. If it wasn’t for EZ’s comment earlier you would have been completely caught off guard but thankfully you were a little prepared. “Okay, yeah.” You decided, giving him a smile before adding, “But only on one condition.”

“Deal,” he said maybe a little too quickly. He grinned back at you loving the way the corner of your eyes crinkled slightly when your smile grew.

“I haven’t even told you the conditions yet,” you laughed lightly at his eager response.

“Whatever it is will be worth it if it means I get to have the evening with you.”

You felt your face flush as you looked down. You met his eyes looking back at him, “Come to my place. Friday, eight pm sharp. Don’t be late.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it.” He replied grinning. He nodded his head before stepping back. “I can’t wait. See you then (Y/N).” He said before stepping out of the shop and down the street.

Friday night and all the men sat around nursing their beers while they played a hand. The day had been fairly relaxed and everyone was enjoying having the day off.

Coco walked into the clubhouse seemingly just having ended a phone call. He nodded at Bishop getting his attention from the table. Bishop stood up excusing himself from the game and walked into Templo with Coco behind him.

“What’s up, Coco?” He asked once they were in the room.

“Just got off the phone with Matt, he’s on the other side,” Coco explained as Bishop listened carefully, “He’s in a bit of a situation, needs help getting back over.”

“Go,” Bishop told the younger Mayan, “We shouldn’t need you.”

“Aight,” Coco nodded, turning back around to head out.

“Coco!” Bishop called out getting his attention. “Take Angel and EZ with you, you’ll need some backup.”

“No offense, Bish.” Coco addressed his president, “But that sounds like a terribly fucking idea.” They all knew the situation between Angel and Matt was tense, more so with Angel.

“Doesn’t look like Matt’s going anywhere,” Bishop said, stepping closer to Coco, “They have to work this shit out, Angel needs that to get through to him. It’ll be good, for everyone.”

Coco nodded once more before turning back around and out. “Yo Boy Scout, Angel!” He called out. Getting their attention the two Reyes brothers followed him out and to van.

The ride to the tunnels was long and quiet. This was the last place Angel wanted to be but he sucked it up. At least in this way he felt like Coco still needed him even if it was just to save his other fucking best friend. Once there they made their way through and into the vehicle waiting for them on the other side.

They found the location Matt had shared and walked into the building. Matt sprung up aiming at the men causing them to draw their weapons as well before they all lowered them upon the realization of who the other was. Walking over, Matt pulled Coco in for a quick hug a young girl following behind him. “Thanks brother.” He said, patting his back.

“Who’s that?” EZ asked about the young girl. She looked frightened but at least wasn’t injured.

“Don’t need to know,” Matt said plainly. That’s all he could tell these men even if they were trusted friends.

“We come all the way over here to save your ass and you won’t even tell us why?” Angel spoke up, pissed. They were risking their tails without a clue to how dangerous the situation is and he didn’t like being in the damn dark.

“Angel!” Coco scolded. This wasn’t the time for this petty shit.

“I’m just saying we have a right to fuckin’ know! I’m not risking my life for-” Angel’s next words were interrupted by gunshots flying into the small room.

The girl screamed as Matt pushed her under a table to protect her from the bullets raining down on them. “EZ!” Matt called out getting his attention, “Watch the girl.” He ordered before stepping out and shooting back at the men who had ambushed them.

EZ ran over taking guard and cover near the girl shooting at anyone who came near. The four men took out the small team fairly easily. Bodies laid everywhere as they took in the carnage before them.

“Fuck!” Angel shouted, turning towards Matt. “What the fuck was that?! We almost got fucking killed!” He charged towards Matt when one last man who must have been hiding jumped out and tackled him to the ground. Matt, Coco, and EZ watched as the two tussled starting with Angel getting on top and pinning him down.

Angel was living for this. This man was just what he needed, someone he could best the shit out of like he wanted to do to Matt. He landed blow after blow to the guy's face before he managed to get the upper hand himself and got Angel turned around so he was on top with him in a tight choke hold. Angel fought the man taking a little longer than he would like but he knew he could take him down, that he’d kill him.

The fight was taking too long and they didn’t have time for this. Matt pulled his glock out and shot the man point blank in the head finishing the job and ending the struggle.

Angel gasped for air as the sound of the gunshot rang in his ears while he pushed the man off him and wiped the blood from himself. He caught his breath standing up and glared at Matt.

EZ came over in an attempt to make sure his brother was okay but Angel didn’t care. He only had one thing on his mind.

Angel was fuming as he stomped past EZ and up to Matt. “What the fuck was that?!” He barked. Adrenaline coursed through his body from the previous scuffle and his hatred towards this man who was stealing his life away. His chest heaved rapidly as he readied himself for the much needed release of shit that had been building up for too long now. It wasn’t enough to take it all out on everything and anything else around him. He needed to take it out on the root of his problem, Matt.

“Oh, you mean me saving your ass back there?” Matt wasn’t having this crap today. He had put up with Angel for too long now. He just saved his ass, and all Angel was doing was being an ungrateful little shit.

“I had it fucking handled!” Angel defended himself. He didn’t need Matt swooping in and saving the day. He could handle himself, could hold his own and that kill should have been his not fucking Matt’s.

Matt looked Angel up and down only adding to Angel’s irritation. “Could’ve fooled me. Looked like the fucker was going to kill you so I took him out, saved your life. You’re not going to hear an apology from me so if that what you’re waiting for I suggest you walk away and not waste anymore of my fucking time.”

“Right cause you have some big date tonight with my girl!” Angel spat. Yeah he knew about it, EZ had mentioned it to him after you had told him. He couldn’t believe this was happening. The day was long enough as is and as soon as they got back he’d just be stuck thinking about that damn date that should be with him not Matt. He should be coming back from this shit show to your comforting embrace not Matt. That should be him. “Don’t act like you were doing me some big fucking favor. You did that for yourself! So you could play hero and brag all about it to (Y/N) so you can get in her fucking pants! I see right through you Matt, know what guys like you do.” He was lashing out now, hoping to get under Matt’s skin just as deep as he had his. There was no way he was as perfect as he seemed. “You’re just going to use her and then you’re going to throw her away once you get what you want. You’re gonna fucking break her heart, and when you do I’ll be there to clean up the mess.”

“You mean like I’m doing for you? I think we both know that you’ve already handled breaking her just fine yourself.” Matt said stepping up to Angel, the two men’s chests were practically touching by now. “I threaten you Angel, I get that. You’re scared that she’s going to find everything she needs in me. That I’m going to take care of her, respect her,” he spat, “like you should have and she’s going to realize she is much better off without you, that she deserves better.” He snarled. “You know that, I know that, and deep down she knows that too. It’s time you let her go.”

Angel’s eyes darkened with each word that was spat out at him. If steam could physically be coming out of someone’s ears it would be happening to Angel right now. Everything finally was bubbling up and over with actions winning over more words. Without missing a beat he grabbed Matt by the shirt swinging a right hook straight to the side of his face, his large metal rings cutting up his skin with the force of the punch.

Matt staggered back just a little before catching himself. He rolled his jaw, spitting the blood to the ground as he snarled at Angel. Before Angel could react the wind had been knocked out of him with a fierce blow from Matt.

EZ perked up ready to jump into the fight when Coco held his hand out keeping the young Mayan back. He shook his head, “They need this Boy Scout , he needs this.” He told EZ nodding to Angel.

Angel hunched over unable to breath as Matt held him up and pushed him back against the nearest wall. His voice was rough and hushed as he growled into Angel’s ear. “You know I’ve been real patient with you Angel, more so than you deserve, but you know what? You’re right. I did do it for her, not you, because for some reason,” he tightened his hold on Angel pulling back his face so he could look him in the eyes, “for some reason she still cares about you, and I care about her. That’s what you do Angel, when you care for someone. You put their needs above your own. And yeah I’d like more than anything to beat the ever living shit out of you right here and now but I won’t, for her.” It was difficult for him but if he started he may not be able to control himself. He wasn’t going to let Angel push his buttons, wasn’t going to let him feed that monster within. Turning his head to the side he spat more blood out from Angel’s hit, the cut on his lip stinging from the movement. He was done tiptoeing around Angel. He looked back at him challenging the man in front of him. “So Angel, tell me, do you really care about her? Are you going to put her needs for once above your own?”

Angel could finally breathe again as he regained his voice. “What? And that’s supposed to be you?” He snarked.

“Why don’t we let her decide for herself.” Matt said before pushing off Angel. Turning around he headed towards the exit of the building grabbing the girl on his way out. Coco shook his head looking at Angel now hunched over with his hands on his knees before jogging after Matt and catching up beside him patting his shoulder.

EZ walked over helping his brother up. “You okay, Angel?”

Angel wanted to shrug his brother off but he didn’t. He watched as Coco caught up to Matt the betrayal stinging him even more. “Yeah lil bro. Just fuckin’ peachy.”

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[lu-undy]

I have a S P I C E Y request: Spy showing off his lingerie to sniper

Alright, obviously this is NSFW so kids please, stay out. And for old folks, enjoy! :D

"Gosh, you've been teasin' me all day…" 

Mundy slammed the door shut with his foot as he pushed Lucien in the suite with his lips. He removed his sleeveless jacket and slammed it on the floor as he pushed and pushed until Lucien's back bumped on the bedroom door. 

"Impatient?" Lucien teased. 

"Your fault, you're bloody gorgeous… And your touchin' me under the dinner table really worked me up…" Sniper's fingers touched, fumbled, grabbed and pulled while Spy was just perfectly sandwiched between the door and his lover's body, offering his own. 

"It was only your arm! And your thigh, a bit." He admitted. "Nothing serious."

"Turned me on anyway…" Mundy growled and pulled the balaclava a bit up to bit Lucien's neck. 

"Wait-!" Spy asked.

"What?"

"You stay here and don't enter. I need to get ready." 

"Get ready?" 

"Oui," Spy pushed his lips on Sniper before whispering, "You will see, it will be worth it…" 

"Right." Mundy yielded and felt the blood rush to his head when Lucien winked at him, before closing the door. 

It took a few minutes and Lucien opened the door again. 

"Y-you didn't change anythin'." Mundy said, observing his lover closely. "I mean you removed the mask and gloves…"

"I did more than that." Lucien replied as he removed his tie and threw it around Mundy's neck before catching it and pulling on it. The Aussie got pulled forward faster than he thought he could and his lips crashed on Lucien's. 

"Doesn't matter," He growled between two deep kisses, "I'll get your ready my own way…" 

Lucien giggled from the bottom of his throat and his mischievous grin made Mundy hungrier. He wrapped his arms around Lucien and quickly lifted him off the ground. 

"Mon Dieu!" 

[My God!]

He walked to the bed and gently laid him down before putting a knee between his legs and diving to his lips. 

Then the stripping started. Mundy removed his own clothes first and when he was as bare as he could be, he did the same on Lucien, listening to his ahs and ohs, seeing the goosebumps on his naked skin as it met the cool air in the room. First the jacket, then the vest, the shirt went away quite fast and Lucien thought he heard some buttons actually pop off of it. 

It didn't matter because now the trousers were off and Lucien was left only wearing his socks, garters, some boxer shorts and an undershirt. 

"Bugger, how many layers d'you have!" 

"As much as I need to make you eager…" 

Mundy pulled on Lucien's undershirt to lay him bare and then went to his boxer shorts and commented.

"Well, you're not failin' at - what's that?"  He interrupted his own self. 

Lucien was wearing a piece of underwear that Mundy had never seen. It surely cost a fortune too, it was made of intricate satin red and black laces and the fabric was almost see-through. It wrapped around his chest and flowed down to connect with what Mundy had hoped to see. That nylon or whatever it was was doing an awfully good job at half hiding Lucien's most intimate parts. It was just enough to excite Mundy's curiosity. 

"That," Lucien answered. "is what I put on." 

"For me?" Mundy had pulled him and both were sitting up opposite each other. 

"Oui, for you. I don't know if you would appreciate it, but why not try?" 

Mundy took a good look at the whole attire from Lucien's chest to his legs. 

"Gosh… The garters were something already but that, that's somethin' else…"

"Like what you see?" 

"Can I touch?" Mundy asked. 

"Would you ask if I was naked?" Lucien answered with a smirk and Mundy's hand hovered to the laces, touching the smooth satin under his rough, calloused fingers. And the torso that was almost see through, ooh, strange kind of fabric, Mundy had never touched it before. He let more of his fingers discover it all.

Lucien slowly laid back down and offered his body like a priceless delicacy on a silver plate that Mundy savoured with his eyes and his hands. 

"Where did you find that…? I didn't know they made stuff like that for blokes, I thought it was only for sheilas in the magazines and stuff." 

Lucien smiled. 

"I have my ways. But non, they do make some for men. They are a bit more tricky to find for the layman…"

"But you're not the layman."

"Am I not?" Lucien teased. 

"Nah, y-you're something else…" Mundy bent down and kissed Lucien's skin through the thin layer of fabric and laces. It enthralled the Frenchman, having Mundy's mouth so close yet not totally connecting with him. He raised his hips to grind them against Mundy's. 

"Oh, God…" The friction was more than welcome and Mundy let more of his body weigh on Lucien while kissing him. 

"I want you, please, don't make me wait..." Lucien whispered and Mundy stopped on the spot to grab some petroleum jelly from the night table.

"Right, turn on your stomach."

"Make me." Lucien whispered and Mundy grabbed him from his hips fast, almost violently and with a devious smile, he flipped him on the bed. 

"Bugger!" 

Lucien propped himself on his forearms and turned his head back to see Mundy's surprise painted on his face, and his arousal painted everywhere else.

"I presume that means you appreciate this little effort of mine?" 

Mundy's eyes were riveted on Lucien's backside. If from the front it seemed like a normal (if very intricate) pair of underwear, there wasn't even a layer of anything behind… Lucien's rear was completely naked, except for a few laces to hold everything in place. 

"Oh, Gosh…" 

Lucien caught with his eye Mundy's masculinity twitching under the aroused curiosity, or curious arousal, maybe both. The Frenchman lifted his hips off the bed.

"As much as I enjoy seeing you in this state, my patience has limits." He quipped. 

"Oh shut up already, I don't know what I'm gonna do to ya…" 

And with that, Mundy directly dived and took two handfuls of Lucien's beautiful backside before biting, kissing and savouring the soft flesh under the song of the Frenchman's pleasure. 

"Gosh you make me want you so much…" and Mundy bit him again which made Lucien grasp the bedsheets hard in his hands. "And you smell so good…" 

Mundy let his tongue tease his already impatient lover and Lucien's legs went to jelly. He barely managed to open them a bit wider for Mundy to lap at his own leisure, letting his tongue explore and savour. And he heard Lucien's moans fly higher in pitch. 

"Please, Mundy…! I can hardly wait more!"

"Hardly, eh?" Mundy chuckled before breaching Lucien's intimacy with a finger. 

"Awh!" Lucien welcomed it with a long moan mingled with an exhale. Mundy slipped another finger and worked the Frenchman open when he interrupted him. 

"Enough, please, I-I…"

Mundy stopped. Something in Lucien's voice was wrong. 

"What is it darl'?" 

Lucien flipped to lay on his back and Mundy realised that the underwear was beyond taut. 

"Bugger, does it hurt?" 

"A bit, oui, please remove it…" 

Mundy followed the laces trying to understand where they led but his mind kept on showing him the image of Lucien's private parts almost painfully caged in the thin fabric, his lust dripping through it. 

"Screw this." Mundy dived and took some of the laces between his teeth and pulled. They tore apart and Lucien's masculinity sprang free with a yelp from the poor man. "I'm sorry love, I didn't know it was that tight on ya." Mundy quickly kissed Lucien's lips. 

"Neither did I actually… Ah…" 

"Let me help." Mundy slithered down and slowly lapped at Lucien, where the piece of clothing was constricting him. 

"Ah! Ooh! Sensitive, go slowly, please!"

Mundy did as he was told and slowly eased Lucien's pain away. He licked very slowly from the base to the tip, paying attention to follow the vein on the side and spoil his lover where he knew he liked it most. Lucien slid his slim fingers in Mundy's hair and guided him to push him a bit more. That was it, the pain was gone. So the Aussie stopped holding back and let his hunger guide him first. 

The change of pace was delightful, but the change in melody too! Mundy was trying to ignore his own body screaming at him and it was proving rather difficult. 

"M-Mundy, go ahead, please…"

The Aussie moved away and Lucien flipped back on his stomach. A minute later, Mundy was laying completely flat on Lucien's back, his intimacy safely in Lucien's body. 

"Bugger you feel so good…" 

He didn't thrust, he didn't pump, he simply rolled his hips, slow and painfully loving, his arms wrapped between Lucien's torso, feeling the special underwear between his fingers. 

"You've been so… good to me…" Mundy's hips rolled again. "Oh, Gosh… And that thing you put on, you looked like a candy bar… I wanted to rip it off of you and eat you raw…" 

Lucien's moans jumped in pitch when he felt Mundy reach as far as he could. His words were devilishly good too. 

"Well, you… You did rip it off…" 

"Yeah…" Mundy's hips slowly pushed the air out of Lucien's lungs. "And I saw you… You bit your lip when I did it… You liked it… Did you take it too narrow on purpose…?"

Lucien smiled. 

"N-non, it was a coincidence, a very welcome one in the end - awh…" 

Mundy playfully bit his lover's ear and growled. 

"You're gorgeous…" He whispered as he picked the pace and Lucien's moans and pants accelerated accordingly. "You're gorgeous when you tease me…" 

Lucien bit the pillow below him. 

"And you drive me mad with just a touch of your fingers… Durin' dinner… Your touch… On my thigh… I wanted to push you against the nearest wall and bugger you out of existence…"

Lucien rolled his eyes and let Mundy do to his body what he wanted, he was entirely jelly.

"I wanted you so bloody much… It was so hard for me to hide it…" 

"M-Mundy… Please…" 

"Mmmh…" Mundy's hand slithered around the Frenchman's body to hold his masculinity. He stroked it as hard and fast as his own hips were working. 

"I-I'm close, M-Mundy, I will, I'm about to - aah!" 

Mundy felt it between his fingers and slowed his thrusts, rolling his hips seductively to hit that infuriating spot. Lucien clawed the bedsheets like a mad panther, taking in the waves of pleasure and as he did, he pulled Mundy to his own climax with him and both their bodies contracted in each other's erratically, their breath breaking from any kind of sync, panting hard for the air that had got scarce the room. 

"Gosh… Oh my… Lu'..."

Lucien was catching his breath, his eyes closed and his mind in limbo. It was when Mundy nibbled at his shoulder and neck that Lucien zoned back to reality as if he had fallen asleep.

"I love you…" Mundy withdrew from his lover delicately and turned him on his back. He removed all the remaining bits of Lucien's lingerie slowly, freeing his limp body from those absurd constraints. "There, much better now." 

Mundy threw the blanket over them and held Lucien close in a dear embrace. 

"I love you…" He repeated in whispers, kissing him everywhere on his face until he reached his lips. Lucien was hardly kissing back, he was exhausted.

Until Mundy added the French to the kiss, that is.

[deathsteel]

30 day fanfic challenge

Prompt #22 - Funeral

TW: canonical child death, not as sad as it seems, Dean is kinda a jerk at first

Okay, maybe it wasn’t classy to crash funerals. But Dean had never claimed to be terribly classy. 

What he did claim to be was a great actor who could make himself cry on demand and the proud owner of one very well fitted suit that was perfect for mourning. 

It started by accident, really. Dean had shown up for the funeral of one of his friend’s grandmother’s cousins intending to comfort the grandmother who’d always loved Dean and never forgotten his birthday, not even once. And he had ended up at an unexpectedly decadent funeral for a 98 year old multi-millionaire that happened to be being thrown the day after. Since he’d missed the funeral he’d intended to attend, Dean figured ‘fuck it’ and proceeded to enjoy the expensive free food and murmured condolences of the deceased’s foxy granddaughters. 

The second time he did it may have been less accidental and Dean cried both for Muriel who had died at the ripe old age of 102 as well as for the organic chemistry test he had just bombed. It was so cathartic that he was hooked, a junky even. 

He stopped going on dates because flirting with the widow or widower and coaxing a smile out of them was so much more appealing than sitting through the awkward get-to-know-you conversation of a first date. The emotional release of crying onto a stranger’s shoulder had nothing on getting blackout drunk and Dean found more and more of his social life being spent in funeral homes and cemeteries than in bars. 

Until he accidentally walked into a funeral without doing his research first. Which, typically he did so much research so that he could pull off pretending to be the second cousin once removed or the mentee that the family never knew their loved one had mentored, but today he’d been busy and distraught over getting a rejection letter to his first choice for his doctoral program so he’d just picked out a funeral from a random obit and darted out the door. 

So he wasn’t expecting...this. A funeral for a kid. 

Dean had never gone to a funeral for a kid, something about the grief of a life snuffed out too soon had seemed too raw for Dean to be able to fake. It had felt much more disrespectful to crash those funerals than the ones for people who had lived a long and full and fascinating life. 

It also seemed pretty evident to everyone else in attendance that Dean was in the wrong place. First, he was waaaay over dressed. Everyone else was wearing colorful clothing ranging from Hawaiian shirts to garish tye-dye and Dean’s black on black ensemble stuck out like a sore thumb. Secondly, Dean appeared to be the only one affecting an air of solemnity. In fact, the entire funeral home had been decked out to resemble a circus complete with juggling clowns and a guy making balloon animals. There was popcorn and a cotton candy machine and even a girl in a Hawaiian shirt carrying around a pair of parrots on her shoulders. 

Dean intended to turn on his heel and march right back out, but it looked like some family member was already making their way towards Dean- a tall woman with short brown hair and a face that looked like it was meant to smile, which it was even if her eyes were not.

“Hello there,” The woman said, reaching out to take Dean’s hand and hold it in both of her own. “Thank you so much for coming, I don’t think we got to meet ever. My husband spent the nights at the hospital, so I don’t recognize all of the nurses. I’m Jody, Owen’s mom, thank you for coming.”

“Um, yea, Dean,” he muttered in reply, giving his real name when he never EVER usually did. But he was so caught off guard he didn’t know what else to do.

“I’m sorry about the change in dress code,” Jody said with a laugh, gesturing to the long rainbow plaid dress she was wearing. “Sean said Owen would’ve liked it. He didn’t like for things to be boring, you know?”

Dean nodded, swallowing past the lump in his throat as he mentally planned his escape. He was an asshole and this was it, this was the last time he crashed without doing his research first. 

“Well, anyway,” Jody continued, looking over Dean’s shoulder as another few mourners milled into the room. “Please enjoy yourself and have fun.” 

Dean breathed a sigh of relief as the woman moved away, running a hand through his hair as he looked around the room. He’d hang for ten minutes and then duck out so it wouldn’t look so suspicious. 

“You don’t work for the hospital,” A deep voice announced next to Dean causing him to jump and spin guiltily towards the source. 

He found himself face to face with the guy who had been making balloon animals not even five minutes ago. A distant part registered that the man was attractive, like truly unf, but a more sane part of Dean realized that he was about to have his cover blown by a hot dude wearing rainbow suspenders. 

“Uh, yea I do?” Dean asked, trying to convince even himself. 

“No you don’t,” the man said, narrowing his blue eyes at Dean in suspicion. “Because I work at the hospital and I know everyone who ever set foot into Owen Mill’s room and you do not work at the hospital. 

Fuck. 

Dean weighed his options for a long moment before deciding he was well and truly powned. “Listen, dude. I didn’t realize this was a funeral for a kid okay. I don’t normally do this kind of thing. I’m gonna leave, just don’t make a scene okay?” 

“Right,” the other man said slowly, his eyes and voice conveying how very little he bought Dean’s bullshit. “Take that jacket off and give it here. Make sure your phone and stuff are in your jacket.”

“Uh...excuse me?” Dean asked as he reached for the buttons on his suit jacket, loading his keys, wallet, and phone into the pockets before he handed it over to the other man and allowed himself to be led deeper into the room where the funeral was being held. 

“Our nurse who signed up for the dunk tank is sick,” the balloon guy explained, stopping beside a large dunk tank that was situated on a blue tarp in one corner of the room; he patted the tank meaningfully before turning back towards Dean. “You man the dunk tank and I won’t rat you out.”

“What!?” Dean choked, looking at the slightly murky water and then back down at his fairly expensive suit. 

The other man just raised an eyebrow at Dean and stayed silent, his full lips pursing just slightly to hold back what Dean strongly suspected was a triumphant smirk. 

“Ugh okay,” Dean groaned, throwing up his hands as he made his way towards the dunk tank’s ladder and toed off his shoes. “For the kids.”

“Always for the kids,” the other man agreed, moving to the side of the tank where the bullseye was and taking up his role of barker with what Dean felt like was too much enthusiasm. “Dunk the Dummy! Step right up and Dunk the Chump!”

Quiet a few dunks later, Dean was soaked and shivering and vowing that he would never crash another funeral when the other man came back up to him with an apologetic grin and a towel. 

“Thanks,” Dean muttered sarcastically as he took the towel and wrapped it around himself. 

“Maybe you won’t crash any more funerals,” Balloon guy admonished only slightly apologetically. “Seriously, I clocked you as soon as you walked in. And you’re lucky it was me instead of a pissed off parent.”

“You go to a lot of funerals?” Dean asked as he roughed the towel over his dripping hair. 

“Call it a work related hazard,” the other man replied with a grim smile. “But hey, it gave me a reason to learn balloon art and it makes the kids happy when most of the kids I see don’t have much to be happy about.”

Dean nodded in understanding, figuring he’d shove his whole leg in his mouth since his foot had already seemed to take up permanent residence there. “So uh...how did you know this kid anyway?”

“I was his oncologist,” the other man replied evenly, nodding at Dean’s self-recriminating wince. “So yea, man--”

“Dean,” he offered, cutting across the other man because it felt like he owed it to the doctor by that point. 

“Dean,” the man said, with an incline of his head. “I’m Castiel. Just uh, do me a favor. Stop crashing funerals okay? It's pretty damn disrespectful.”

“Absolutely,” Dean promised, crossing his heart with the tip of his index finger. “I’m a changed man, I promise.”

“Great,” Castiel replied, rolling his eyes indulgently. “Have a good day Dean, thanks for coming.”

Dean nodded, handing the other man back the soggy towel in exchange for his jacket and his shoes that he picked up instead of putting them on over his dripping socks. 

“But hey, Dean,” Castiel called as Dean started away. “If you ever want to take another turn at the dunk tank, you can look me up at St. Mary’s.”

“Right,” Dean said with a nod at the other man, turning to leave again before Castiel could see his blush. 

His funeral crashing days were most definitely over, but maybe his tank dunking days had just begun.

[suitofvibraniumarmor]

Boston Boys [Part Twelve]

Summary: Chris’s birthday turns out more eventful than planned. Pairing: Chris Evans x OFC, John Krasinski x OFC Word Count: 2011 Chapter Warnings: Drinking, gun violence, mildly physical angry reaction. Square Filled: The entire series (well, bits and pieces of it) will fill my Crossover square for @marvelfluffbingo​​. A/N: This story contains a character who lost her hearing as she got older. I do work closely and regularly with the D/deaf community (I’m a sign language interpreter), but my own hearing problems do not involve significant hearing loss. It is not my intention to offend anyone, only to bring in a character with a quality I don’t see often in other fics. If you have questions about her, feel free to ask :) AN2: This story has been sitting at eighteen chapters in the doc for monthsssss but last night I busted out the last two chapters -- it is actually completed, and I’m super excited to continue sharing it with all of you!

Boston Boys Masterlist

“Here’s to Chris!” Seb yelled, climbing up on the bar and holding his beer over his head. “Not a single one of us jackasses would be where we are today if it weren’t for him!”

“Get off the bar, ya drunk bastard!” Chris yelled back, laughing heartily.

Seb laughed along as he continued. “He’s a friend and a brother to those of us who need it most. He keeps his head on straight, even when we pull him in a million directions, trying to keep us all in line. To the best friend I’ve ever had! Chris Evans, ladies and gentlemen!”

Everyone in Stan’s cheered -- except for Scarlett, who drank her beer and stayed where she was, seated at a booth close enough to seem like she was joining in the fun, but far enough away that she didn’t have to actually participate.

Seb climbed carefully down from the bar, shared a man-hug with Chris, then beelined for Scarlett. A smile broke through when she saw him coming over to her. She happily accepted the kiss he offered.

“Come on and join us, doll,” Seb beckoned. “You’re all the way over here, you’re missing the good stuff.”

“I’m good where I’m at.” She drank half the contents of the beer bottle in front of her, then shook her head. “I don’t get it, Seb. You were shot. Dying. Chris was nowhere to be found. He still won’t give you any answers about where he was. But you can stand here and celebrate him?”

Seb frowned. “He’s my brother, Scar. Doesn’t matter where he was, only that he showed up as soon as he could. Whatever he was doing didn’t hurt any of us so --”

“How do you know that?” Scarlett argued.

“How do I know what?”

“That he wasn’t doing anything to hurt any of us.”

Seb let out a breath. “Listen to me. I wanna be with you, but whatever you’ve got against Chris is going to make that really difficult if it keeps up. So, why don’t you tell me something real, huh? What’s the big deal?”

Scarlett stared up at him, her jaw slack. When she couldn’t think of anything else to say to argue, she swallowed down what was left of her beer and pushed out of the booth.

“Why bother, Seb? He’s your brother and clearly can’t do anything wrong.”

Seb made to grab for her arm, but Scarlett turned on him with such an angry look, he wasn’t sure she would ever let him touch her again.

Chris chugged back yet another shot, thinking how upset Elsa was going to be when he arrived in New York hungover the next day. Maybe if he could shut it down sometime soon, it wouldn’t be so bad by the time he met her family. Saying no to all the people wanting to buy him shots wasn’t easy to do, but they would just have to understand. Things were different now.

Seb came to sit on the barstool next to him, immediately flagging down the bartender. Chris smirked and accepted one last beer.

“Problems on the homefront?”

“Eh,” Seb waved him off. “She’s pissed off and I’m not sure even she knows why. Women.”

“Yeah, women,” Chris echoed. He cleared his throat and looked around. “Seb, when you guys met Elsa the other day, you didn’t think anything was weird about me and her being together?”

Seb shrugged. “Nah, why? Something I shoulda picked up? Yeah, she’s clearly outta your league, but what chick isn’t.”

Chris laughed and shoved his friend. “If I told you -- you know what, nevermind.”

“C’mon, man. What’s up?” Seb prodded.

Chris shook his head. “Not tonight. When I come back, all right?”

“Sure, whatever you say. Takin’ off, then?”

Chris nodded. “Yeah, it’s time. I’m not really packed yet and if I don’t start warding off the hangover now, I’ll be a mess meeting her family tomorrow.”

They stood from the barstools and exchanged another man-hug. Amidst protests from Seb, he dropped a couple of bills on the counter, then made out of the bar to walk home.

Still reeling from John’s proposal and the information they had traded over supper, Aurelie was quiet as they left the diner and went back to his car. He opened the door for her, then closed it again quickly. Aurelie raised her brow at him.

“Sorry,” he apologized, “but what if we found a place to crash here in Attleboro tonight? Just leave the shit in Boston for a while and be happy.”

Aurelie smiled and agreed that was an excellent idea. They got in the car and John searched out a hotel or bed-and-breakfast still taking reservations. Aurelie took out her phone; only one text was waiting for her, from a number she didn’t recognize, from over thirty minutes ago.

Your brother goes down tonight. Say your goodbyes while you can.

Her heart stopped. She went into panic mode, trying to think of where Chris would be. She called Stan’s; Chris was still there. If they could get back to Boston fast enough, maybe she could get Chris to protect himself. She called his phone, but it went straight to voicemail. She left a frantic voicemail, then begged John to go back to Boston.

“What? Aurelie, what’s going on?”

She showed him the text message. “I know you and Chris have this feuding families thing, but he’s my brother, Johnny. Please.”

John only had to think about it for a split second before he hit the accelerator and spun tires getting out of the diner parking lot.

The weather was beautiful, so Chris took the long way home. His new place was still within walking distance of everything, even if it was a little further than the old place. With the Red Sox game playing from an app on his phone and a cigarette in his hand, he was going to enjoy this little jaunt.

But it took less than half an inning to catch notice of the car that was trailing him. Chris’s walk became even longer as he avoided heading towards his new place. Whoever was behind him, he didn’t want them to know where he was living now, not when he could put his own life in danger that way. Not when he could put Elsa’s life in danger that way.

The first shot that rang out hit a brick building Chris was walking past. He felt the pieces that shattered and flew away from the building and towards him. He shoved his phone in his pocket and took off running; one of the few nights he chose to leave his protection at home and now here he was.

He ducked into the same alleyway that he and Sebastian had hidden in once after stealing candy bars from the corner shop, but the alleyway was more of a back road and it certainly wasn’t a dead end, so the car followed him, still firing off shots but missing. Whoever was behind him was either sending a warning or hoping for the best.

In the same moment he had that thought, the next bullet grazed into his shoulder. Chris groaned and gripped the joint, his hand coming away covered in bright red. At the next intersection, with the car gaining on him, he looked both ways, trying to decide where to go. Where could he go?

Another shot rang out, narrowly missing him. Chris decided going to the left would be his best bet, but an SUV squealed to a stop in front of him.

“Get in!”

Glancing between the car behind him and John Krasinski, of all people, in front of him, Chris tried to weigh his options as quickly as possible.

“Chris, get in, damn it!” Aurelie shouted from the passenger seat. He hadn’t even seen her there until she yelled at him.

With his sister in the car, Chris wasn’t second guessing anything anymore. He opened the back driver’s side door and slid onto the leather seat. He slammed the door closed behind him, and John sped off into the night.

At Aurelie’s house, the three of them busied about locking the doors and windows and pulling every curtain shut. When the house was as secure as it could possibly be, Chris and John, unintentionally, both pulled out their guns to make sure the safety was off and there was already a bullet in the chamber, ready to be fired. Aurelie disappeared momentarily and came back with a small handgun of her own. The two men stared at her.

“What? Even as distanced as I am from my family, I figured a little protection never hurt, then I started dating Johnny and --”

“You started what?” Chris interrupted.

Aurelie licked her lips and exchanged a glance with John. “I should have told you sooner, but that night I asked you about John -- he had come into the hospital to be treated. He came back a few nights later, to ask me out.”

Chris turned to John, putting a gun in the other man’s face. “Did you know she was my sister?”

“Not at first,” John replied, shaking his head and remaining calm. “But she told me really early on, and by then, man, I was already gone.”

Dropping the gun, Chris turned back to his sister. He set his weapon on the table and shook his head.

“The hell are you thinking, Aurelie? Do you know how much danger you’ve put yourself in?” He stepped toe-to-toe with her. John stepped up too, but Aurelie gave him a low wave -- a motion to stand down.

“Not any more danger than I am being your sister, Chris. We’ve only been out in Boston together a few times and when that seemed too sketchy, we started only being out together in Attleboro. Other than that, we’re here or at John’s.”

Chris was too angry; without thinking, he took her by the shoulders and asked if she had truly given this any thought at all. “He’s probably only after you to get to me! But I’m sure that never occurred to you. You know some things, but you don’t know all of them. You’ve been distanced long enough ...”

The longer Chris spoke, the harder his grip on Aurelie became. He shook her, emphasizing his words, ignoring her attempts to wrench out of his hold. When he finally had pushed things far enough to push her against a wall, John had enough. He pulled Chris away from Aurelie and shoved the other man across the room.

“Are you all right?” John asked softly, turning his back to Chris. He had no desire to fight that man or pursue further any sort of violence between the two of them. He only wanted Aurelie safe.

Chris took a few deep breaths to calm himself down, knowing that he had crossed a line. When he turned to apologize to Aurelie, he noted the gentle way John caressed his sister’s face with one hand, and sprawled the fingers of the other over her abdomen.

“Aurelie?”

She looked at John once more, then to Chris. The look on his face told her immediately what her brother suspected.

“I’m pregnant. Not far along, I just found out. Just told John earlier tonight, actually.”

John held tight to Aurelie’s hand. “I’m not with her because of you. I could honestly care less about all of that shit anymore. I’ve wanted things to change for a while, but now, I have to change them. For her, and for the baby.”

Chris stared at both of them for a long time before shaking his head. “Thanks for the ride. I’ve gotta go.”

“Chris, wait!” Aurelie yelled after him, slipping in front of him at the door. “It isn’t safe out there for you! I’ll remind you, this is how we all ended up back here in the first place.”

Chris sidestepped around her, making it out to the front stoop. “I’ll figure it out,” he yelled over his shoulder, then slammed the door behind him.

AlloftheThings: @captain-s-rogers​​​​​​​​ @star-spangled-man-with-a-plan​​​​​​​​@letsgetfuckingsuperwholocked​​​​​​​​ @hurricanerin​​​​​​​​@horsesandbandsforlife​​​​​​​​ @im-not-an-armrest-im-short​​​​​​​​ @captain-rogers-beard​​​​​​​​ @shynara51​​​​​​​​ @sea040561​​​​​​​​  @pinknerdpanda​​​​​​​​ @xtina2191​​​​​​​​ @jackryanplz​​​​​​​​ @beakami​​​​​​​​ @heartsaved​​​​​​​​@fullprunerebelstatesman​​​​​​​​ @blackwidowismyhomegirl​​​​​​​​

Boston Boys:  @the-murder-strut-murdered-me​​​​​​​​ @becs-bunker​​​​​​​​ @shield-agent78​​​​​​​​ @patzammit​​​​​​​​ @crazyandanonymous4u​​​​​​​​@ntlmundy​​​​​​​​​ @jennmurawski13​​​​​​​​​ @okay-maybe-i-like-marvel-too​​​​​​​​