#hes like. mid forties here btw

[sovawife]

hi guys, i decided to revamp my dmc s/i and make him a half demon as well as one with fire powers. his powers are emotion based now where he can usually can control them but if he gets mad or sad they get out of control and the temperature rises to levels that start to hurt him (despite him being half demon.) also gave him a warmer color palette :) here's his redesign from 5!

(jin is a man and uses he/him pls!)

taglist:@knightsvampire@1980ssunflower@pkselfship@gible-love-nibles@wooboomoomoo@alolanwind

[lolahauri]

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ when you touch me i die just a little inside

My brain is completely flooded with jumbled scenarios of Ian, so let me just ramble and get this out here before I explode 😩 no proof reading and no warnings btw, someday soon ill rewrite this better, but for now this is what yall get 🥴(MDNI)

-

Just imagine him being your mathematics professor. he's in his early forties, you're in your early-mid twenties. you've always had a thing for older men, and them being an authority figure only made the fantasies more exciting.

you noticed after some months of being in his class, he seemed to start eyeing you more. lingering gazes cast in your direction were becoming increasingly noticeable. he always asked your thoughts on the subject being taught first. he praised your papers and projects much more than the other students.

you wondered if you were being delusional, or if maybe you actually had a chance...

you wanted to test him and see if your suspicions were correct, but without being too obvious, of course. so to start, you began wearing short skirts more often, maybe with a sweater on top so it didn't seem so clear you were trying to show some skin. you took note of how he looked directly at your legs every time you strolled into class with a miniskirt. you couldn't see after you turned your back, but man he couldn't take his eyes off of them until you got to your seat.

after a couple weeks, you moved your spot to the front row, closer to his main desk. occasionally, when he was up at the board, looking out to the class, you'd switch your crossed legs to the other side. spreading them just enough that he could catch a glimpse of your lace panties. you knew you caught him in the act when he began to clear his throat profusely afterwards, refusing to look you in the eyes for the rest of the day.

you continued to amp up your little game until you were sure you could make a move. but before you could, he did.

-

class was out for the day, you were the last student to get your things packed and ready to leave. before you could head out the door though, Dr. Malcolm called out to you.

"Uh, Ms. [L/N]?" you turned to look at him, his face was serious. your stomach dropped, shit, what if the teasing wasn't affecting him the way you thought it was?

"Oh- um. yes, professor?" you were trying to play it cool, maybe he'd buy the 'i had no idea' act if you pitched it well enough.

"would you, uh, mind seeing me in my office for a sec?"

"of course! yes..." you walked with him to a door near the corner of his room, hands beginning to tremble a bit. as you entered, he walked in behind you and... locked the door?

before you could ask what this was about, he roughly grabbed your cheeks in one hand, tilting your head up to force eye contact with you.

"do you have something you wanna tell me, Ms. [L/N]" heat pooled in your stomach immediately as his deep brown eyes pierced into yours "you wanna explain this - this little game you've playing? huh?" he squeezed your soft face a little harder, lips slowly inching towards you.

"Sir, i-"

"what? you- you think I didn't notice what you were doing? wearing these little, uh, short skirts, spreadin' your legs right in front me everyday." his voice raised a bit, but oddly enough, he didn't exactly sound angry. it must be the sexual frustration coming out.

and maybe this wasn't the time to be bold, but you couldn't hold back anymore, you needed him now.

"maybe I wanted you to notice, professor."

he smirked down at you, wrapping a strong arm around your back "oh, really? well, uh, you got my attention now sweetheart."

oh, it's game on.

both of you leaned forward to quickly close the gap between your mouths. your lips fit together like puzzle pieces, your head was spinning as you reached up to snake your arms around his neck. he's so tall...

a surprised noise came out of you as he leaned down to pick you up, one arm under your ass, the other still on your back, pressing you into his body firmly. the kiss quickly deepened, he slid his tongue past your lips, swirling it around your own as you moaned into his mouth.

ian stumbles forward a bit, carefully finding the table in the room and lying you down on it, pulling away from the kiss briefly.

"you, uh, wanna take this further sweetheart?" he grinned down at you, his arms caging your head in.

"god, yes" you breathed out, wrapping your legs around his hips and bringing him into another kiss.

he chuckled against your lips, not wasting any time to run a large hand up both your top and skirt. one hand was grabbing your breast as the other worked to pull your panties down. usually he'd prep a woman more before fucking her, but you've worked him up so much he can't wait any longer.

ian pulled back once again, hastily undoing his belt. you watched in awe as he pulled his pants down, just far enough to let his long cock spring out. he let out a breathy laugh, "like what you see?"

under normal circumstances you'd be embarrassed, but you were so turned on and dazed all you could do was nod, slowly lifting your gaze back to his eyes.

he stepped forward and bent down slightly to align his hips with yours, grabbing your legs and wrapping them around his waist. you were breathing heavily as his tip grazed your hole, dripping wet and ready to be fucked.

"are you, um, are you sure you wanna do this? i can stop-"

"just fuck me already, please" you interrupted, you weren't trying to be rude, but you're getting seriously desperate right now.

"shit..." he mutters under his breathe, quickly following your orders and slipping himself in. he was big, but there was no resistance at all from your slick pussy.

ian set a quick, but gentle pace, not wanting to be too rough too fast. you were both filling the small space with moans and groans, getting dangerously loud considering the building you're in. but neither of you could honestly care right now, this felt way too good to hold back.

you gripped onto his biceps tightly, trying to keep yourself stable and grounded. with every thrust he was hitting that spot inside you that made your knees weak, you let out a couple broken whines after he hit your sweet spot particularly hard.

he groaned at the feeling your nails digging into his arms, he loved seeing the affect he had on you. ian picked up the intensity, brutally shoving his hips forward and pounding into you at an almost painful degree.

you were practically screaming his name now, steadily building up to your climax. you could tell he was getting close too, his breathing was heavy and ragged, droplets of sweat running down his forehead.

"Ian, -fuck- please cum in me, please." you sobbed out the sentence, moaning after every thrust. your pussy clenched around him as your orgasm began to erupt. the feeling spread over your entire body, sending jolts of electricity through your nervous system, thighs quivering around his torso as your juices coated his cock.

"oh shit-" ian threw his head back at the sensation, following right behind you as his thrusts became sloppy and irregular, filling you to the brim with his cum as he groaned loudly. he fucked into you a few more times, riding out your orgasms until you were both on the verge of overstimulation.

he stayed inside you for a moment, catching his breath and letting you calm down from the high. soon though, you both sighed as he pulled out, letting his fresh load pour out of you and onto the table, making a complete mess. the sight was truly obscene, but in the best way possible.

you two might need to make a habit of this...

[bananaactivity]

CLEARLY these two are my favorite of the ROR line up as I’ve only been able to create redesigns I truly love of them, every body is… kinda goofy looking ngl.

I know there designs are so different that it’s kinda crazy but I literally love them so much!

If you don’t know already Morgies the tall one with a red mullet and Hook is the buffer one with a beard.

I’ve explained my choices in design for Hook but that was literally my first post sooo…

Facial features are based off of the actors face normally. You can see that clearer in my Carlos design, but Hook has Colleys thicker eyebrows and Morgie has Lindell’s faint freckles. However if you look below you’ll see just… how completely changed they are:

The difference is so wild

But my designsfor both are based of of these two preexisting depictions of Morgana and Hook respectively.

Btw something about Live action Hooks is that they just… EAT SO FRICKIN BAD LIKE WTF. This has got to be some universal rule that a live action Hook variant must eat and be so so cool at ALL TIMES. ( for me it’s less about sexy and more about they look so cool)

( Anyway This is Morgana La Fey from Troll Hunters and Mr. Needs no introduction you know who that badass mf is)

More of my changes also come from character design things. Like the exaggerated lashes and visable water lines. I like to differentiate noses, eyes, eyebrows, and chins because I feel that’s something that really helps combat same face syndrome. It also helps when I make related characters, so they don’t look like carbon copies, I’ll trade some features in and out and swap them around. I give most characters baggy eyes, because I like the definition it gives them.

I also like to make color palettes similar and opposing, and add some traits that show small insights to the character. Hook and Morgie have warm color palettes for their clothes, however Hooks skin is warm, while Morgies is cold, a sign to his unnatural human form and his association with necromancy ( tho when he was just learning how to hold this form as a youngling he was much paler, now he has spent so much time with real mortal people he has learned to blend in with more realistic skin tones and knows how to flush his skin as if he has blood under it like them)

As a fun little thing tho they swap this theme with their eyes. Hooks eyes are cold and icy blue, while Morgies are chocolate. Of course even though his natural eyes are more like a yellow snakes eyes they are still warm yellow to Hooks cold blue. And they share the same taste in jewelry to opposite the other couple in their group. Hook and Morgie wear gold as their preferred choice of color for jewelry . Maleficent and Hades wear silver. Uliana wears wtv tf she wants, she doesn’t care. Also Hook and Morgie wear warm colors where as Hades and Mali wear cool colors. (Clothing is different from skin, so even tho Morgies flesh form isn’t natural and can never have the right look of skin fully he can still just wear normal clothes) Again Uli don’t care and wears what she wants to look as cool as she wants.

Here their ages are 19 and 20, with Morgie being older, and Hook is the shorter one during this time because, again, Morgies form is meant to be more unnatural due to his unorthodox creation, and even though my art is a little squished, Hook is the 2nd tallest of their group( making Morgie very abnormally tall) .

However there’s a 15 year gap where Morgie had been terrorizing his cousin Archie of Camelot and his chief warlock Marvin Merlinson and he forgets to age his human form. I’m giving him a cool gold armor set like Morgana from Troll hunters so that’s basically what he wears for like 15 years. So when he reunites with his old friends Hook has grown really tall and got a little grey, so before he gets out of his armor he has to change his form real quick so it doesn’t freak his friends out that he still looks like, mid 20s and theyre all late thirties pushing early forties. But he desires to stay shorter then Hook because that’s new and… intriguing.

Also Morgie is now also British like Hook!! (Arther is literally a BRITISH story! Why isn’t Morgie a CELTIC LAD) like I know the whole thing is that Brit’s suck with their plain ass beans with toast and black fucking pudding ( despicable shit 0/10 would not recommend) but King Arther and half sister are so cool, everyone was stupid for not knowing who Morgana Le Fay is 😤

Hook is from Oxfordshire and Morgie was “born” in Cornwall but raised in the kingdom of Avalon. (Don’t ask about why England exists in the same world as Auradon)

If you have any questions about these twos past life and relationship with each other feel free to ask me anytime!!

[iamskadhi]

Story of a villain - Part 2

Hi, Dabi stans, here is the translation of the second part of my fanfiction (it isn't posted anywhere else, btw)

In case you haven't read or want to read the Part 1 of Story of a villan.

As I mentioned before, it is written from a male POV (Dabi's POV), it has a explicit smut parts, includes a little self-loathing, original characters (but the female lead doesn't have a name so you can pretend it's you)

I decided to use the word "part" instead of "chapter" because I actually merged a lot of small chapters I've written before, I'm trying to make it fit in 3 parts so this is the middle of the whole thing and I'm going to say that is so satisfying to write a love story this way, I've never done this before and I highly recomend it now.

The first part has +7000 words and this part has +8000 words, there are no big descriptions of places or time because I tried to write it as a light novel, feel free to send me messages to correct my gramar or if you have any comment about the times not making sense or anything else.

Anyway, I hope you like it.

PART 2

Slowly, we became more than what we were already: a chosen family. Together we found an apartment – smaller than her former place, but nicely located – and for almost a month, I managed to kill most of my old habits, but it costed me, the old me was screaming in the back of my mind next to my thirteen-year-old corpse.

Some nights, we talked about the future before sleeping and I noticed the way she smoothed the ground, patiently helping me to feel safe and at home; she had no idea my home is wherever she is.

Then, I got a job under a fake name. I went from drug dealing in dark alleys to torturing people and now I was a security guard at a downtown club known as Beanie and One Day.

“You’re sketchy as fuck” said the manager, a mid-forty man named Tanaka Haru, “can you throw jerks out the door?”

“I’m not that strong”, I admitted.

He doubted, but I got the job. I got the name, the place, the girl; but it wasn’t good enough, I wasn’t satisfied at all; and only to make things worse, her mother came to our place one morning after my babe went to work, she looked around and tried to bribe me to leave her daughter alone.

“I love your daughter,” I told her clearly.

“You’re ruining her life!” she accused me. “I talked to her father and if you don’t get out of her life for good, he’ll remove her from the company”

I grinned and she looked at me as if I was crazy.

“You wouldn’t. You care too much about what other people thinks”

“Oh, believe me, we would and we will take her out of the country after that, so don’t get too comfortable in this dumpster you brought her to live with you. Take the money, you clearly need it if this is the best you can get” she disappeared ­— she had a teleportation quirk too.

I looked out the window, a black car that was park outside started up and fled immediately; that was probably hers. I wanted to burn the card and money she left, but I let it there, kept the card in my pocket.

When my babe came home, I noticed she was upset too.

“Wanna eat outside?” she asked me.

As we walked, she started to point out all of the benefits of the new place, it made me sad how hard she was trying to convince herself she was okay without all of her privileges.

I couldn’t keep it in anymore:

“Your mom visited” She stopped walking, so I stood there too, “Did you talked to your father today?”

“What did she say?”

Something horrible was going on inside her head, it was obvious, I showed her the card.

“She offered money to separate us”, I burned it “She said you were supposed to go to your parent’s house that night, but I guess you knew that already.”

“I finally got you” she said, “I got you, I can’t be the one who leaves. I started over, I’m adapting”

“No, you’re not”

“Yes, I am!” she looked at me, her gaze was reddish, irritated, I sighed.

“Did you cry today, baby?”

“Don’t treat me like a kid!” she ran her hands through her hair in exasperation.

“I’m not doing that, I see it in your eyes.”

She swore she was fine, but it wasn’t true. After eating, we took the long way home, as we walked in the building her mother’s words resonated in my mind: “you’re ruining her life”.

My babe smiled at me when we entered, put her arms around my neck and kissed me deeply, I closed the door behind us… and clothes started falling on the floor.

If she could smile like that and still embrace me as tenderly as she just did, how could I still believe that her mother was right? I totally screwed her and she was happy with it.

“You still haven’t got your period, you should get tested,” I suggested her when we were done.

“Are you worried?” she put on my shirt.

“I don’t wanna be like our parents”

“Me neither, but it’s too soon to know”

It was killing me and I wondered how she managed to keep it cool and if she even wanted to have kids. I never asked, we never talked about it, I assumed it was off the table.

My heart ached just thinking about it.

Doing a regular job was way boring than I thought it would be, but it helped get my mind distracted; at the end of the shift, the bartender –a mid-thirty man named Haruma— would serve some drinks and the manager  pointed out all the things that should be improved.

“You’re new” I heard a soft voice behind me, a girl’s voice, one of the girls that dance around the place to keep a fun mood sat next to me.

“Hey, Momo, I didn’t see you tonight” Haruma smiled at her, brought another glass for her.

“I kept sober tonight, there are less jerks lately,” she said looking at me.

“Thanks to the new guy!” the manager put his thumbs up for me.

“I suspected it”, she smiled “I’ve been watching you, you got a big reputation”

“He does?” Haruma asked. I tensed.

“Yeah, girl’s notice his cute face and whisper about his scars, how did you get them?”

She pissed me, but the bartender was paying attention.

“Did it myself”

“How?” she wanted to know.

“That’s none of your business”

“I heard you got a fire quirk, Miura” Haruma was too amicable for his own good.

“Really?” Momo giggled. I just nodded and she put her hand on my arm. “I got a water quirk”

I pulled my arm away and jump up the chair immediately; she literally watered me and soaked my jacket sleeve.

“The fuck’s wrong with you?!”

She laughed and grinned.

“I guess we’re not compatible”

I could see that she was insane and I shouldn’t even look at her but she annoyed me.

“Momo, are you okay?!” the manager yelled from the other side of the club.

“That was uncalled for, Momo” the bartender reprimanded her, “Don’t take it bad, Miura, she’s not good socializing, that’s all”

“Put a sign on her next time!” I exclaimed.

“Oh, I can’t wait for the next time” she giggled.

“Don’t be rude” Haruma reproached her again.

I just left. It was still dark; when I got home, my babe was sleeping. We spent little to no time together since I got this job; I took a shower before getting into bed with her and she opened her beautiful sparkly eyes as I laid next to her.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered “Didn’t mean to wake you up”

“How was your night?”

“It was fine”

“Good” she mumbled and closed her eyes again. I tucked her hair behind her ear and she sighed, “You smell nice”

I cuddled her and fell asleep in a minute.

The smell of something very delicious woke me up, I went to the kitchen and saw Hana.

“I’m sorry, were we being too loud?” my babe asked. I shook my head, still sleepy.

“It was the bacon, right? Come, sit” Hana was cooking. “I like your new apartment, it’s close to where I live so I thought I could come and eat breakfast together, I didn’t mean to disturb. It’s nice to see you’ve taken care of your skin” she walked to me and analyzed my face, “but I see a couple of dots near under your eyes, they don’t look like moles”

“It’s nothing,” I said and she left it.

I ate in silence and went back to bed, but I could still hear them talk:

“Did you tell him?” Hana asked.

“No, he won’t take it well”

“You should tell him, though”

I swallowed the bad feeling and slept, but I didn’t rest well.

“What could it be?” I thought before falling asleep, “Did she get tested?”

It clicked my mind: she was pregnant, it was obvious and expected —not “we wanted this” type of expected, but “it had to happen” type. I cooked dinner and waited for her.

Time passed slowly, I called her and she didn’t answer; it’s something that never happens.

“Where are you?” Sent.

A few minutes later, she was writing.

“With Hana” Read.

“At the hospital?” Sent.

“At her place” Read.

I had a bad feeling.

“You OK?” Sent.

“Of course, my love. See you later” Read.

I wasn’t gonna let it slide. I had Hana’s phone number; I just never sent her a text or called her before. No, I did when they were in high school— I thought and called her:

“Hi, hi” she answered.

“Hi, are you having dinner or something?” I asked.

“Who’s this?” she asked, “Oh, Dabi, hi, why do you ask me that?”

I swallowed my saliva as I realized.

“You’re not together”

“I feel like I missed something, I’m sorry, I’m at ER right now and you called me out of the blue…”

“What were you talking about this morning?” I wanted to know.

“This morning? You were there”

“When I left you two alone, that one thing I won’t take well”

There was a brief silence.

“I’m gonna tell you, but act like you don’t know, okay?”

“Why?”

“It’s not that bad. You know the way her parents are and she had to do this, believe me, she didn’t have a choice, well she did but the other choice was something totally irrational and…”

“Spill it, Hana”

“They set her a date with some wealthy prick, she already knows him from college and he’s an idiot, she had to go, trust me, trust her, she’ll just go to dinner with him tonight and it’s done, please don’t freak out”

“Where?”

“I don’t know” she mumbled, “I swear. She mentioned it but I’ve never been there, it’s new and stylish, the kind of place her mom adores; I just know it opened this week”

That was the only clue I needed.

“Do you know when they’re supposed to meet?”

“Please just let it slide, they must be there already, she’ll be home real soon”

“Thanks” I hung up. I had to see the wealthy prick.

If they met in college I had someone in mind, I hated thinking about it. Searched online for newly opened restaurants and went straight to the one that looked more stupidly pompous.

It had big fucking crystal doors but no windows, I had to go in; the host welcomed me with a fake smile:

“I’m sorry. We have a dress code, sir”

I ignored her and walked in, looking around, she followed me, heard some gasps and I saw them. I fucking saw the same asshole that used to stalk her back in college and felt the anger heating inside my chest.

A waiter addressed me: “I’m sorry, gentleman, but you have to respect…”

“Who’s manning that table?” I pointed them.

“I’m sorry again; I can’t give you that info…”

I walked to them, she hadn’t see me but I stopped when she stood up and spilled her wine on his face. He got up too, a waiter jumped in offering a napkin and I hurried to the table.

“You’re still the same immature little girl, I see” the prick said walking towards her, I reached him just in time, put my hand on his shoulder.

“Long time no see, fucking loser”

She widened her eyes surprised; she really didn’t noticed I was there until now.

“Who the fuck are you?” he looked at me confused; I grinned and let a little blue blaze out my hand on his shoulder.

“You forgot about me? That’s sad, I remember you perfectly, fucking asshole”

He squealed like a little bitch, I perfectly saw in his eyes when he remembered; she jumped in and pushed me back.

“Dabi, let’s go” she said while pushing me “Let’s go, let’s go”

I let go of his shoulder and stepped back, grinning like a devil, mad as fuck:

“Damn, you’re lucky we’re at a fancy place!”

“Please, let’s go!” she took my hand and pulled me, we rushed out of the restaurant, when we were outside I confronted her:

“Why did you do this?”

“Why did you do that?!” she reproached me.

“No, there’s no possible way you can turn this on me, what the fuck happened?”

She looked at me as if she was completely out of her mind before turning her back on me, and walked away.

“Where the fuck are you going?” I followed her.

“Home! I need to change!”

“You need to explain!”

“No! How did you find out?” she bawled, “Why are you here? Why…?”

I reached her hand and stopped her, people walked around but I had to see her face; she was turning red but she wasn’t crying.

“What would you have done if I hadn’t been there?” I asked calmly.

“I would’ve teleported out of there,” she said, but I know she wouldn’t have done that. “I would’ve go home, like I’m trying to do now” she hugged herself.

She was gorgeous; wearing a red dress and her hair up, she looked like a movie star or a model. I really wanted to fight for this, but I also wanted to take her home and make love to her fully dressed like that.

“You asked Hana, didn’t you?” she looked at me, still upset, and I nodded.

“Let’s go home,” I said, put my arm around her waist and walked with her.

“Yeah, I really wanna change” she mumbled.

“No, keep it” I said with a smirk and I saw her smiling too.

“Wanna take shortcuts?” she asked and pulled me to the first dark alley we saw.

Teleporting with her was like jumping, except you don’t feel the fall; she wrapped her arms around me. When I first met her she could teleport in a radio of fifty meters —she was awesome–, by now she can do over a kilometer, maybe two.

We’ve done this before and I trusted her, but it still made my legs wiggle, she kissed me with each jump, avoiding street lights, avoiding CCTVs, when we were near the building, she stopped and I felt my legs wiggling like jelly.

She mocked me but I didn’t mind; we ran to the apartment like kids running home after school, this was the kind of things that made me fall for her despite… everything. When I’m with her, the rest of the world vanishes.

We made out in the elevator and barely managed to open the door in-between all the kissing, laughing and touching. We were role-playing and she was being incredibly clumsy.

“Oh no, mister robber, please don’t hurt me with your giant… tool.”

We laughed. She was doing it on purpose, no matter how serious I tried to be, she was faking a voice, she had to be a dummy.

“I’m sorry to disappoint you but the only valuable thing in this place is me”

I gazed her body up and down. What a woman, I thought and I took my jacket off.

“So what would you do if I went to touch you now?” I aimed to touch her waist and she stepped back grinning, very professional. I bit my lip.

“Oh no, please, my husband will be back soon!” she exclaimed.

“Then I gotta hurry” I touched her arm and she teleported us to the bed, I wasn’t expecting it but kept it cool and took my shirt off, I felt her hands going up touching my abdomen, “Stay in character, honey”

“Shit, nooo, mister robber, what are you doing to me?” she said as I took her underwear down her legs.

“Enough is enough!” I couldn’t keep it together anymore, kissed her deeply, suck her tongue into my mouth while putting two fingers inside her, and massaged her clitoris with my thumb. The red dress was almost as soft as her skin.

She moaned and undid the button of my jeans. I wanted to scold her for being so bad at role-playing but it could wait ‘till morning. We had a rope in the nightstand for this kind of situations; I tied her wrists together and let my jeans fall down.

She looked at me with thirsty eyes as I put on a condom and let a sigh out when I dived deep inside her; I kept a hand down on her hips and covered her mouth with the other while licking and sucking her precious neck all the way from her collarbone to her ear.

Soon, I forgot about the role-play too, kissing her deeply while she clawed her fingers on my hips and pulled me in desperately as I pulled out; she already wanted to come. I pulled out and turned her on her stomach, she lift her ass and I dived into her again while playing with her clitoris.

She buried her face on the pillow and I left my weight fall a little on her, put my ear on her scapula and felt her taking long deep breaths. I felt her loose strength as she was coming done. I pulled out, still hard as fuck, to allow her to turn around.

“I think we ripped the dress” she sighed.

“Shit, I loved this dress”

“I could tell how much you loved it” she said when I untied her wrists and checked the hour. “If you’re getting late, let’s make it worth”

She gave me that smile she has when she’s expecting another round.

That night my pay was deducted a thirty percent, but I was so satisfied that it could’ve been completely deducted and I wouldn’t mind.

The next few days felt like a honeymoon, not only because the sex, everything was suddenly working out. I spent so many years thinking I would never fit into a normal lifestyle, obsessed about heroes and becoming the best of them... Or maybe I’m very printable, I thought.

I was obsessed with the hero’s path because my father was a hero himself. He is still a hero. Now I was living with someone that always lived a regular life and I could live like that only because of her.

“Did you ever think about becoming a hero?” I asked her. She looked at me, confused.

“We’ve had this talk before”

I remembered the first time that I saw her, she was training her quirk behind her parent’s back. She was too mad at them because her life was made since the day she was born, she didn’t have siblings like me because her mother hated being pregnant, therefore she had no voice in their house. Training her quirk at a crack house was her only rebellious phase.

That and dating me.

“How could you fall for me?” I asked.

She laughed.

“Remember that day I jumped off the roof and you screamed you loved me? You already knew I can teleport anywhere, anytime, but you were so desperate thinking I was trying to kill myself. We were messed up kids who taught ourselves how to live, how could we ever just be friends?”

That was an embarrassing memory, I really believed she was done with her life and her parent’s expectations and I ran upstairs to that roof. She jumped before my eyes and my hands couldn’t reach her, of course I was desperate and I screamed.

“You were so cute” she sipped her cup of coffee with an annoying grin.

“If you’re pregnant I’m telling that story someday”

She stared at me, blushing until her face turned all red.

“You manipulated me” I said and she laughed.

“Maybe I did” she admitted. “I liked you but I never thought you loved me”

On my day off, I went to the mall attempting to buy a coffeemaker like the one my babe had before, but of course, I couldn’t afford the exact same machine so I had to buy the next best option.

I was waiting in line to pay, when I notice the woman in front of me had white hair with red stripes. It’s not possible, I thought, chill – but I couldn’t resist myself and tried to look at her face. She noticed and looked back.

“I’m sorry” she said immediately when she made eye contact - took me by surprise, “are you in a hurry? My cart’s full, you can pass before me” she offered politely.

“I’m good” I said. That was definitely my sister.

“Okay” she said and she looked at me timidly, it made me wonder…

“What’s the matter?”

If maybe, she did recognize me.

“I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to stare at you like that” she stuttered. “It’s just…” she looked at my black hair “that you look like someone that I miss”

She’s lying, I thought and swallowed my saliva nervously, stay calm, stay calm.

“What?” I asked.

Don’t fuck things up, do it for her.

“Someone that I knew, I meant someone that I knew,” she lied, “I’m sorry, I felt nostalgic for a moment, you can go before me, seriously,” she offered again.

“Fine” I said as I walked by her side, “thanks”

“You’re welcome” she smiled.

Not only my hair or my piercings, my voice is different, I thought, but she knows. I looked over my shoulder and she smiled.

Or maybe I’m losing my grip again. Forget it, forget them.

Back home, I questioned myself if I should place the coffeemaker as if it has always been here or if I should’ve wrapped it with a bow and all.

I called Hana and she laughed at me.

“I’m sorry, that’s so cute. I think you should place it there and count the minutes, we can make a bet about how long it will take her to notice”

“She’s a caffeine maniac, she’ll notice immediately”

“Na-uh, it’ll take her like ten minutes at least, pregnancy makes woman very absent-minded. I can see her using the French press and then…”

“What?”

“What?” she shut the fuck up.

“That thing you said about pregnancy”

There was a brief silence and she said nervously:

“Oh no! A car crashed somewhere and I need to go, bye”

I stayed standing like an idiot for a couple of minutes, staring at the coffeemaker. It wasn’t like I didn’t suspected it or I didn’t know, but the fact that Hana knew her period was late and seemed to have confirmed she was pregnant didn’t sit well.

I felt betrayed.

Searched online everything about pregnancy symptoms, I also felt curious about what to do with a newborn, I read everything I found and it was so much to handle, I felt the urge to throw up.

“I can’t do this” I said to myself while scrolling down my phone’s screen. I remembered my father. “I won’t be like him”

Rage filled in. I tried to picture it: the baby, a real baby.

What if they have my quirk?

What if they have my weakness?

I felt the urge to leave.

If they don’t have a quirk, it’d be fine.

If they have my babe’s quirk, it’d be fine.

My mind was tricking me, asphyxiating me.

I put my phone on the table and left the apartment, walked around the building, then wandered further and faster; almost running.

I saw a couple of those stupid heroes on the other side of street.

What if they want to be a hero?

I couldn’t take it anymore. I stopped walking.

“My love?” I heard her voice, but couldn’t see her. “Dabi. What are you doing here?”

I looked around, everything was numb and she appeared before me. Perfectly normal, glowing eyes looking in mine, she took my hand and intertwined our fingers.

“What’s wrong?” she asked. “Tell me”

She was like gravity, bringing me back down to the cold hard ground.

I can’t fuck this up, I thought. I pulled her closer to me and whispered in her ear:

“I missed you”

“I’ve got something to tell you” she whispered back.

“I’ve got a gift for you”

She smiled.

On the way home, I told her about my little trip to the mall, she listened careful; she could be strange and mad, but she always understood when it comes to me – to my family’s mess. Even though we were raised in completely different types of asylums.

“Welcome home, cheater” I said when we were walking inside the apartment, she looked at me as if I was crazy.

“What?” she asked.

“Hana told me” I crossed my arms trying to look dead serious “Is she the father?”

She realized and burst out laughing.

“What’s so funny?” I asked her, she was holding her stomach and covering her mouth but couldn’t hold it in.

“I’m so-I’m sorry” she laughed and laughed, completely out of control, “I was gonna get so angry if you were accusing me for real of cheating. You can be so dramatic sometimes, I love you”

“When where you gonna tell me?” I wanted to know.

“Well, you know, I was gonna walk in with a baby one day and…” I stared at her, I was done with the jokes and she saw it in my face “My love, I just found out, I swear”

“When?”

“Hana took the blood sample and she sent me a message with the results this morning, I promise you I was gonna tell you at dinner”

I gasped for air and pointed at the box in the kitchen.

“Oh my God, Dabi!” she covered her mouth and jumped in excitement like a kid, “thank you, thank you, thank you!” she hugged me before unpacking it.

She looked so happy. Then, I remember what I read about caffeine during pregnancy and tried to take it away.

“I’m returning it” I said.

“What?!”

“Caffeine isn’t good for the baby” I lifted the coffee machine when she tried to take it back from my hands, “You’re gonna settle with a cup per day from now on”

“HELL NO!”

She turned into a demon in order to take over the coffeemaker again. What did I just get into?, I thought as I found myself losing a battle to her for the first time in forever. I sat out the door in the hallway during thirty minutes until she forgave me for trying to do things right.

A week passed but I felt frozen in time, she made an appointment for an echography and I knew I had to go, I said I would, but I missed it. She didn’t say anything, she didn’t showed me anything, as if it didn’t happen.

I could feel when I’d come back from work, every time I laid in bed next to her she’d wake up and stare at me. I felt the silent pressure of her gaze and for a fortnight, there we were acting indifferent to each other. No sex, no fights, no talking.

One night after work, I was with the bartender, killing time, when our boss joined us:

“So… ho-how are you?” he asked me directly.

“Fine”

“I’ve been thinking the same thing” Haruma said, “but he doesn’t open up no matter how much whiskey I put…”

“Whiskey?” Tanaka gave him a look, discontent, tired and sighed making a sign to pour a glass for him before turning back to me “Anyway, you’ve done a decent job but lately, you’re scaring the clients – real clients, not just your target clients, it’s not good for the business”

Maybe they can relate, I thought, maybe I should let a wall down.

Our boss was expecting me to say something and Haruma was really bad at pretending he wasn’t into the conversation.

“Do you… have children?” I asked in a very low tone.

“Fuck no” the manager puffed.

“No, no, no, no” Haruma shook his head frenetically, then he asked with a childish smile “Is your girlfriend pregnant?”

I didn’t answer.

“Kids are cool, I dated a single mom once,” he continued.

“Hey, don’t say weird things” Tanaka scolded him.

“But it’s true! She was older…” Haruma started a narrative but he was too into himself that he didn’t notice no one was paying attention.

“Now I understand” my boss seemed concerned, “How do you feel about it? Shock? Sad? Wanna go and buy cigarettes?”

I looked down, he was seeing right through me.

“I should give her a call” Haruma finished his story with a longing sigh. “Hey is it true woman turn lustful when they’re pregnant?”

I gave him a cold stare and he made a face, realizing he fucked up.

“I’ve seen you picking up girls almost every night, how come you haven’t gotten anyone pregnant?” I asked him and the manager scolded him again, attempting to hit him from across the table.

“I’ve told you to stop a fucking thousand times, that’s why they never come back! You fucking piece of shit!”

“Dabi, how could you?” Haruma avoided every hit like he was used to this.

“And ain’t you married?” I addressed Tanaka, he had a wedding ring on his finger.

“Yes, to a man” he said resolute.

“I’m sorry we can’t advise you, Dabi”

“You’re on your own, kid” the manager patted my shoulder while pouring some more whiskey for himself.

“But I’m curious about something” Haruma put his face on his hand, awkwardly close to mine. “Are you in love?”

His breath hit my nose; the manager sighed and I couldn’t shut up: “I am madly in love, I cannot breath when she’s not near, I love her”

“Aww that was sweet” Haruma smiled.

“You could’ve been a detective if you’d stayed at school” the manager said to Haruma.

“Yeah, but bartending is fun” Haruma said with a sly grin. I looked at him confused, and he explained immediately: “My quirk forces people to be brutally honest. One day I asked my father why he was mean to me and he said he hated me because I killed my mom during labor”

Our boss lighted a cigarette for himself.

“You know it’s not true”

“Well I didn’t kill her, it’s not possible, but she died and he blamed me my whole life. I dropped high school and left his house, I’ve been on my own since then”

“So you’re in love, that’s why Momo couldn’t pull you up” Tanaka smiled at me, “that’s a relief, she’s the reason I had to fire the guy before you”

“That and he was also a jerk” Haruma said.

“He was tall and strong…”

“I hated him!” Haruma insisted.

“He was perfect for the job until she messed with him!”

“Then why didn’t you fire her? He was an asshole, you just can’t admit it because he’s your type!”

They started and argument and I had to leave. It was early; the daylight was clearing the streets as I was walking home. If I was so in love and if I had pictured us as a family before, why was I so nervous? Why did I feel like I could go away on my own at any given minute?

I stayed in the living room for a moment, took a bath and went back to the couch; she came out of the room and looked at me.

“Are you okay?” she asked. My body moved by itself, walked towards her and hugged her, “Did something bad happen?”

“I never asked you how you feel about this. I never asked you if you want this. I assumed you were fine because I’m here but I have no idea what’s going on or what to do to make things right”

In other words, I was an idiot.

She hugged me back, her nose snorted and I felt her crying on me as she ranted:

“I had no idea how to talk about this, I feel like a mess! I’m not doing good at my job and I can’t handle a household even when this is a smaller place. The other day I said ‘hi’ to a baby in the street and he cried! Then I cried and his mom was so nice, she comforted me when the baby stopped crying!”

She started to say unintelligible things and I just nodded and patted her back as she continued:

“What, when and how am I supposed to tell my parents? My mom is gonna bully me so hard if I cry when my own baby cries!”

She cried long and loud for good thirty minutes before getting ready for work, she used a couple of cold spoons to deflate her puffy eyes.

I was tired but I could barely sleep. I felt curious about Haruma’s quirk and how much information he could get out of anybody.

“I learned the hard way that pushing people’s boundaries is a double edge sword,” he told me. I thought it was because of his father, but he continued: “One time I took a girl home, I used to ask them what kind of stuff they like…“

He kept talking, he reminded me of Hana and despite I liked them both, I would never put them in the same room together.

“So, who is it?” he asked, “Your girlfriend?” I didn’t say anything and he smiled, “bring her one night, I’ll make some alcohol-free cocktails just for her and I’ll ask her whatever you wanna know, but… don’t resent me later”

Our boss appeared behind him and hit the back of his head.

“Don’t listen to a word he says, whatever you’re planning don’t do it” he warned us.

“Tanaka!” Haruma bawled, rubbing where he was hit.

“I heard ‘bring her’ and I don’t care who you’re talking about, you better don’t bring anyone to meet this slut man”

“Tanaka, that’s rude!” Haruma cried louder.

“Don’t be like this, Tanakun, let him bring her” Momo sat next to me, “I’m curious about the type of girl this idiot likes” She gave me a shiver “how many girlfriends did you say you’ve had?”

“I didn’t say” I said as I stood up to leave.

“See you tomorrow, Dabi!”

Haruma and our boss said goodbye, but as soon as I was walking out, I felt somebody following me. She didn’t even hide.

“Stop the stalking” I told her when she approached me.

“It’s not stalking, I’m just walking in the same direction that you are” she defended herself, but this wasn’t the first time she tried to follow me.

“Okay, walk then” I made a sign with my hand to let her pass in front of me and she smiled.

“Are you going to walk behind me? Do you like that kind of stuff, Dabi, chasing pretty girls on lonely streets?”

“There are no pretty girls in this street, just go your own way” I said as I walked back to the club, but she didn’t left me alone.

“You’ve never had another girlfriend, have you?” she asked, “Maybe you should sleep with other girls so you could see that sex isn’t a fucking big deal, you don’t have to run away from me all the time!”

I arrived and saw Haruma and Tanaka closing the door.

“Did you forget something?” Tanaka asked, but I shook my head.

“Where you going? Wanna share a taxi?” Haruma asked.

They lived in the opposite direction, but I nodded. Haruma complained a lot in the back of the taxi, he was saying it’s my fault that he had to share a taxi with Tanaka; I fell asleep.

I woke up when we arrived at Tanaka’s house. Haruma was there:

“I thought I’d have to carry you” he sighed in relief.

I tried to leave, but they didn’t let me.

“I know where you live” Tanaka said, “You’re running away from something. What is it? You forgot to collect laundry?”

Haruma laughed: “Married people are a different breed”

“We’re not married,” I said.

“Yet” Haruma said. “Oh! Tanaka, your husband”

A mutant came out of a room, a big, tall man with two pairs of arms and eyes. I tried not to stare.

“We didn’t mean to wake you up, Beanie, sorry” Tanaka said, but his husband said it was fine, they went to the kitchen and I noticed he was staring at me.

I smirked when I realized why the club’s name is Beanie and One Day.

“Do you know each other?” Haruma asked me and I denied it.

I started to receive a couple of messages from my babe.

“Don’t worry. See you at home soon” Sent.

“That’s not right” Haruma said, looking at my messages before taking over my phone, “Give me that!” he wrote something really fast and sent it, then took a picture and sent it. “Now we’re good”

My phone ringed a couple of times, Haruma read the messages and smiled pleased with himself.

Tanaka and his husband put a few plates and juice for us – his husband was drinking coffee.

“It’s good to see a new face, this never happens” his husband said politely. “What brought you here?”

“Momo” I said.

Tanaka jumped in his seat and his husband grinned.

“I told you that girl means troubles, nothing stops her ever, I knew it since she tried to mess with my nephew”

“We’ve had a long list of security guards,” Haruma told me.

“And why haven’t you fire her?” I asked Tanaka.

“Look, she’s harmless, she dances well, and she…”

“She’s an orphan” his husband interrupted, “and this guy over here has a terrible savior’s complex. Momo’s an orphan, Haruma was neglected and I suppose you…”

I nodded; he was kinda right. Tanaka exhaled:

“I’m gonna talk to her again, just give her time”

“Time for what?” Haruma asked him, “If she keeps trying to follow him she’s gonna do something stupid, you know her”

“Well, if I fire her she will come back as a client”

“Why she doesn’t cause you any trouble?” I asked Haruma.

“Oh, she likes tough guys and I’m a cinnamon roll”

Beanie laughed, squeezed Haruma’s cheek and said:

“It’s not just that, she likes to break her favorite toys”

“Here we go again” Tanaka rolled his eyes.

“I hate to say ‘I told you so’, but you know I’m right” He finished his breakfast, “Listen, she doesn’t just wants to hook around, she likes breaking hearts, she likes to make guys obsessed with her and dump them like trash”

Haruma put his arm around my shoulders and pointed at my face.

“The thing with this guy is that he’s already obsessed with someone”

“Oh, a challenge, she hasn’t have to deal with someone in love before” Tanaka’s husband analyzed me, looking somewhat pleased.

“You should go to work, honey,” Tanaka said.

“Sure, I’m leaving, but I wanna know something first” he said and looked at me, “what’s your girlfriend like?”

Haruma smiled and asked too:

“Yeah, what is she like, Dabi?”

It hit me again; I recognized it this time, I immediately bursted out a ton of cheesy compliments about her image — like her captivating sparkly eyes, contagious laugh— and personality —how kind she is and tough at the same time. I felt exhausted when I was done and had to take a deep breath.

Beanie and Haruma seemed extremely satisfied. Tanaka looked at me worried. For myself, I think I fainted after that.

Suddenly, I was at my birth house.

I heard mom humming in the kitchen, Fuyumi was helping her to make dinner, I could smell it; Natsu crossed the front door and greeted me.

“When did you get here?” Natsu patted my back when he walked by.

“Touya, help us set the table” Fuyumi told me from the kitchen’s door. Mom smiled at me, behind her:

“Touya! Welcome home!”

I tried to reach them, I really tried, but the room stretched as Natsu, Fuyumi and mom stared at me from afar.

“Did you go to Sekoto Peak again, Touya?”

That man, my father, was by my side wearing a frown and the house disappeared and turned to the forest.

The forest was on fire, my blue fire, and my babe was standing there. I called her name but nothing came out of my mouth so I screamed – still nothing - and the flames embraced her but she didn’t move.

A bucket of cold water hit me and woke me up; Tanaka and Haruma were standing in front of me.

“What the fuck were you dreaming?!” Tanaka asked.

“Dude, your face!” Haruma looked at me terrified.

I touched my face, it was hot, and I used my phone’s camera to see the damage: a mark of burnt skin appeared around my collarbone. It wasn’t that bad.

“You seem to be used to burning yourself, it doesn’t hurt?”

“I am used to this, a friend fixed my face a couple of months ago” I sighed when I realized Hana was gonna kick me.

“A couple of months, then your girlfriend has seen you like this,” Tanaka mumbled.

“So we don’t have to worry about her getting back at us” Hamura sighed in relief, Tanaka looked at him in disapproval.

“Watch your words”

“It’s fine” I said, “Thank you… for everything”

“Thank you for not burning yourself to death”

“Tanaka, don’t say that!”

“I’ve done worse. I need to go home” I said.

Tanaka invited me to eat first and brought a burn cream for me; after that Haruma and I left, we were walking side by said when he started talking:

“Hey, about your thing with Momo…”

“I don’t have a thing…”

“My bad! It was a poor choice of words, but I wanted to let you know, she’s not like that. That thing Tanaka’s lovey dovey said before... Momo likes to make guys fall for her, but she’s scared of commitment.”

“So what?”

“I thought you could trick Momo into thinking you’d dump your girlfriend for her, you don’t have to go all the way with her. Just pretend she caught your eye, take her to the movies…”

“No”

“Well, it’s respectable. See you later!”

In the subway, I thought about inviting an iced coffee to my babe, so I took my phone to send a message and read all the stupid messages Haruma sent her.

“Hi hi, this is Haruma, a friend from work your fluffy-haired boyfriend made, he’s with me and our boss right now, we’re having a little reunion but don’t worry, we’ll return him later, safe and sound - pinky promise” Sent. Right after my last text.

“If he’s not friendly, why friendly shaped?” Sent, with a blurred picture.

“Hello, Haruma, thank you for taking care of him.” Read.

“Have fun” Read.

“Sorry, we broke him.” Sent with a picture of me sleeping on the couch.

“LOL, send me another please” Read.

[PIC][PIC][PIC][+7 PICs] Sent.

“TYSM♡” Read.

It’s like they’re speaking another language, I thought.

Then I remembered what I dreamed and tried to take it off my mind, but I couldn’t. I was just entering our neighborhood when she called me, except she wasn’t the person on the other side of the line.

A police officer introduced himself and explained a fucked up situation:

She was at the police station. There was an illegal use of her quirk. She caused a public disturbance. She had a verbal fight with a hero.

Each sentence the officer said was more ridiculous than the previous one, then he mentioned a car accident and I lost it.

At that moment, I wish I could teleport like her, but the only thing I could do was take a taxi. When I arrived, she was sitting in front of an officer’s desk, he was yelling something at her and she was quiet, just taking it.

“If she was in an accident why are you yelling at her?!” I yelled at the officer, she looked at me and jumped up, there were no visible injuries or scratches; the officer stood up too and a couple more hurried as if we were gonna fight.

“Is this your husband?” he yelled at her again, as if I wasn’t there.

“You bet I am!” I walked furious towards them.

“What the fuck did you tell him?” she asked him upset.

“What happened?” I wanted to hear it from her, but the officer didn’t let her talk.

“She caused a public disturbance when she verbally fought with a hero that was about to save a kid…”

“I already told you that is not what happened!” she exclaimed, absolutely mad, “that dickhead hero caused the car accident right after I saved the kid, check the goddamn CCTVs!”

“What hero?” I asked.

“Nobody important” she said calmly and turned back to the officer, “there were eyewitnesses and you, the goddamn police! Just took the hero’s word for granted! Fucking inefficient!”

He wrote something while shaking his head, I felt the urge to burn everything down but I looked at her, she was mad but she looked fine.

“Should I take you to the hospital?” I asked her but she refused.

“You can’t go anywhere until you pay the bail,” said the officer and pissed me off, I wanted to burn him to ashes.

“You should’ve start there” she reproached him with fire in her eyes, pulling her wallet out of her purse.

“And you still owe an apology to Beast Arms”

“He’s the one who should be apologizing!” she complained, “that fucking beast almost killed somebody”

She was distressed; it was all over her face. When we walked out of the police station, I hugged her and she cuddled, her scent filled my nose and I patted her back.

“I fucking hate heroes” she complained, “this was all his fault”

“Today was a long day for the both of us” I whispered. She touched my collarbone.

“I noticed,” she whispered back.

“What happened?” I still wanted to hear it from her.

“I was walking home and I saw a kid running, he crossed the street at a red light and I just teleported to get him and teleported back to the sidewalk with him. Out of nowhere, that dumbass hero jumped at the same time we appeared back in the sidewalk, and he didn’t just stopped the car, he crashed it! Can you believe it?! And it wasn’t just that car, the one behind it and another crashed too! It was madness! And the idiot looked around and saw me with the kid crying and addressed me as if I did something wrong, he jumped in too hard he could’ve smashed the poor kid!”

“Why was the kid crying?”

“He was trying to catch his puppy, that’s the worst part! I didn’t see the puppy, I just took the kid back to the sidewalk and the hero was yelling at me and I saw the poor thing lying dead in the middle of the street, so I yelled back at that stupid piece of shit! He’s supposed to be trained, he’s supposed to see the whole situation before jumping in to action, he could’ve save the puppy, but noooo!”

She kept ranting and moving her hands in the air and I was so enchanted by how much she depreciated that hero that I wished it was Endeavor the one that stood in her way. I would’ve killed to see the old man being reprehended by her in front of a crowd.

She was so into it that she didn’t notice I was taking her to the hospital to make sure she and the baby were fine. That night I saw for the first time an echography, the doctor said everything was normal but I felt like an idiot because I saw nothing on the screen.

They both laughed at me.

“It’s always hard for new parents, especially the dads” the doctor said, she was really nice, “I’m gonna show you something cool”

Suddenly Hana came in.

“Hi there! Whatchu doin?” She saluted playful as usual, but her eyes looked tired.

“Hana, shh” the doctor shushed her and my babe waved her hand.

A sound filled the room, it started as a numb beat and then it cleared… my babe closed her eyes and the doctor smiled. Hana covered her mouth with one hand and put the other on my arm while jumping in excitement.

“That’s your baby’s heartbeats,” she whispered but she probably wanted to scream.

I felt something warm in my chest, something I wasn’t able to put in words but it compared to the day I made blue flames, it filled me with joy somehow. I wished it would last forever.

[baede-6]

Character ask game: Cayde-6 7, 22, & 26 For 26: Stick Cayde, Eris & the Drifter temporarily and accidentally locked in an elevator (pre Excision for continuity reasons). What happens?

*cracks knuckles*

7. What's something the fandom does when it comes to this character that you like?

❤️:I like a lot of the art that people make when it comes to Cayde (and Destiny in general).Some people are so,so talented.Drawings,cosplay,props,figures,blender renderings,what have you,I love it. The more love I see for one of my favorite characters,the better.Cayde deserves all of that love. I've also adored seeing New Lights get to meet Cayde for the first time in The Final Shape and fall in love with his character. It's something special.A whole new generation of Cayde fans.❤️

22. If you're a fic reader, what's something you like in fics when it comes to this character? Something you don't like?

♠️:I'm honestly not as big of a fanfic reader as I used to be.Although,I do like it when people send me fanfics they've written,and I do read those (and if anyone ever wants to recommend fics,feel free and I'll take a look.❤️)

Something I like: 

❤️:In the few fanfics I have read involving Cayde,I like it when he gets to go on a quick adventure outside of the Tower,getting into some shenanigans and gets back in one piece. I also enjoy it if any of the Hunter gang are involved (or at least referenced) in said shenanigans,or if it makes me feel something,a good story should always make you feel something. Whether it makes you laugh or tugs on your heartstrings.

Some things I don't like:

-When people write Cayde where he uses slang like "rizz","babygirl","sigma"or "skibbity" casually in a sentence (yes, I've seen people write him like this,"babygirl" in the romantic sense?Maybe,but in the slang sense,no.I can't see him saying that.),if he were human (and not a centuries old Guardian 😅),I'm fairly certain based on his personality in the game, he'd be somewhere between his mid/late 30's-mid forties (Also basing this a little on both of his V.As who are currently in their 50's,but during most of Cayde's screentime throughout the games,they were in their 40's), he'd have no idea what those words meant.Even if he spent time around younger Guardians,it'd be like your dad using slang to sound cool and failing miserably at it,not to mention literally none of the characters talk like that in the game,which makes it even harder to imagine. (I personally couldn't take a character seriously, if they did.)

-When people write him like he wouldn't know what any real life current pop culture would be.Yes,Destiny takes place hundreds of years in the future,but he literally makes a reference to watching Firefly,a show that came out in 2002,and was cancelled after one season.(Also one of my favorite shows btw.😘)Cayde references it because his V.A is Nathan Fillion,who played the main character,Malcom Reynolds,on the show. It's an Easter egg,but it's still canon. He references it in idle dialogue in D1.

Here's a video I found, if anyone wants to hear him say it.

"Look, I'd love to stand here with you all day, but, um... *tut* I got a... a show I like to binge-watch... it was... cancelled early. Still love it."

So saying he wouldn't at least know what something more popular and super ingrained in our current culture, like Star Trek or Star Wars is, would be a little far fetched in my opinion. Not to mention the people at Bungie are a bunch of nerds and there are literally hundreds of pop culture references throughout the actual games. (This has nothing to do with Cayde,but just further proving my point,one of the ornaments for Malfeasance itself is a Firefly reference. "Aim to misbehave"? Yeah,that line is a direct reference to Firefly.I also kinda wanted an excuse to use one of my favorite gifs of Mal. 👀)

I also understand that not everyone is a massive kriffing nerd like I am,and the likelihood of that being common knowledge is slim,so I at least understand why some people might not know that,but it's just a preference of mine. (Also historically,in real life, we know a lot about events,customs,and trends from hundreds of years ago,so saying the same of the Destiny-verse,which takes place in the future, isn't a stretch. Even if all historical records were destroyed,there would still be word of mouth stories handed down through the centuries.)

Needless to say, people can write and interpret Cayde however they want,I couldn't give a cotton sock,I'm an adult and I'm just answering the question and giving my opinions and preferences.Take them with a grain of salt. 😄

You do you, kiddos. 👈👈😎

Nothing but love.❤️

Go wild, and have fun.😘

26. Freebie Question:

♠️:I know Cayde and Drifter have history, so they would probably be reminiscing the old days,throwing snark at each other,trying to come up with some crazy scheme to get out of the elevator (or y'know,all three at the same time)much to Eris' chagrin. Eris would probably suggest using some kind of magic to get out of the elevator (like how she's pulled the Guardian out of situations before). Any way you go about it,I think Cayde and Drifter would be driving Eris a little nuts. 😅

Thank you so much for the ask! ❤️♠️

If you read this far, you get a gold star sticker. ⭐

[spotsandsocks]

Just gotta throw down a few more thoughts out on my tags on that last post about tradewife movement

So my mum she’s just found out about tradwives and she is not happy about them, she was horrified, shocked stunned that there were woman out there saying the things they were saying. It broke her heart to see young woman doing this to themselves on purpose and why. Why would they?

My mum is the best woman I know … my best friend and I love her more than almost anyone in my life

Born in the mid forties married in 1969 at just 22 to the love of her life, my dad. Almost 50 years together now and as happy as they were then.

She married him, she took his name, she left her family and home and went 200 miles away from them, she worked as teacher and kept the house nice, the woman was obsessed with a hoover! She cooked and baked and made clothes and knitted and did crafts (btw my dad always washed up and he does still) She stopped work to have me and my brother. She had a joint bank account because she had no choice. I was an adult before she had her own account and that was only cos she wanted to be able to buy my dad’s birthday presents and not have him know what she’d bought.

She went back to work when I was 8 and kept teaching till she was 60, she helped children and changed lives, she helped me raise my children and kept me sane, she did the same for my brother and his wife, all the grandchildren adore her.

She still cooks and bakes and creates and loves my dad and her kids, she buys too many clothes and shoes, she takes over every group or committee she joins. She ran a nursery while raising me and my brother, she joined the PTA at all my schools and helped and she was happy and had so many friends. She speaks her mind when she sees injustice or bigotry, she runs quizzes with my dad she’s in 2 WI groups (woman’s institute) she goes to the gym and she still hoovers a lot (so does dad)

She listens and she learns about new things and has been open to all the changes in the world. She knows about me being demi and she knows I write fanfic she’s even read some (avoiding smut cos she’s never liked that kind of thing sex scenes were always skipped on our tv )She loves my writing and told me so, she’d told her friends I write and she’s proud of it.

She’s a woman who’s dedicated her life to her husband and children but still stayed herself. She was and is a wife in the most traditional sense of the word and that is not what tradwives are.

The concept of a tradwife is a lie and a prison.

My mums wonderful heart broke when she saw what some young woman are saying and doing to themselves. What they’ll give away and here’s the thing… when they don’t have to… they can live a life that’s “traditional” without losing everything else.

Anyway that’s my mum. My daughter knows girls in her school who say they just want to get married and not vote and have a rich husband to look after them. She can’t believe what they say either.

My mum, my daughter are smart independent women, they have been and will be anything they want and they both know they can do that and keep their freedom and choices and friends. I hope you do too.

[juuten]

The Hyodos | Juza Hyodo

Anon says: May I please have Family with Juza? Like, maybe Juza is introducing his s/o to his family or something cute like that? Merry Christmas, by the way!! 💖💖💖

Aimee replies: Thank you so much for your patience, anon! Of course you may! But since I only finished this approximately 8 months before Christmas time again, I wish you a very advanced merry Christmas!

Anyway, I really enjoyed making this fic despite revising it a lot of times. Hopefully, you guys will enjoy reading it too! Btw, the story takes place before Act 2 so Kumon’s not in the MANKAI dorm yet. 

For ‘A December With You’ writing event.

You tightly gripped the basket as you stared at the house before you. It was a simple modern Japanese house, but it was not just “someone’s” residence. That place was where your boyfriend and his family lived! You have no clue on what your boyfriend’s family was like. Were they the interrogating type as if you were a criminal for dating their son? Were they the demanding family who required a fifty-page report on why you loved your boyfriend? Or were they the doting kind wherein they would already plan for their son’s wedding?

You stiffened as something warm enveloped your trembling hand. However, your shoulders quickly relaxed when you saw a familiar large hand wrapped around yours.

“What’s wrong?” Your boyfriend asked. Besides the blush that painted his cheeks, you noticed the concern behind his golden eyes.

Coming up with a bunch of descriptions for his family was too embarrassing to admit. Hence, you said, “It’s just... I’m really nervous.”

“Just be yourself.” Juza squeezed your hand.

You looked down on the ground. “But what if they still won’t like me?”

The chilling breeze nor the honking of the cars were unable to distract you from this unnerving silence. You shuffled your feet. You knew it was a difficult question for your boyfriend. After all, Juza highly valued his family’s opinions. He always considered their thoughts in all of his endeavors.

And you understood that you were one of those endeavors.

You were snapped out of your trance when you felt Juza’s hand on your head. You looked up to see his tender smile, making your heart pound.

“’m sure my family will like you ‘cause… I really like you,” your boyfriend quietly but firmly said.

A soft smile made its way on your lips. No matter how irrational his reasoning was, you felt assured. Perhaps it was because of his sincerity and Juza’s faith in you, himself, and his family.

Before you could reply, the door suddenly slammed open. “Ah! Nii-chan, you’re already here!”

The younger boy jumped on your boyfriend and hugged him. Juza almost toppled on the ground if not for his fast reflexes. As he quickly wrapped his arms around his younger brother, Juza let out an exasperated sigh. “Kumon, that’s dangerous, you know?”

Kumon giggled. “I just missed you so much, nii-chan!”

Then your gaze met with the younger boy. Unwrapping his arms from his older brother, he curiously stared at you. “Nii-chan, is she your girlfriend?”

Juza nodded. “Her name’s (First Name) (Last Name).”

You held your basket with one hand while you stuck out your other hand to the young boy. “H-hello! Nice to meet you.”

As he accepted your handshake, the young boy grinned at you. It was so bright that it rivaled the sun itself. “Hello! My name is Kumon Hyodo. Thank you for always taking care of nii-chan!”

You shook your head. “I am always in Juza’s care. Thank you for having a great nii-chan.”

Kumon’s eyes sparkled. “Nii-chan’s so great, right? One time, there was a robber in a convenience store. And…!”

As Kumon continued to ramble on, you smiled. You could see why Juza said before that everyone loved him. His presence was warm and comforting. It was also cute to see Kumon fanboying about his brother. With that, you understood why your boyfriend had this fond look whenever he talked about his younger brother.

Juza suddenly patted his younger brother’s head, momentarily distracting him. “Kumon, go help mom and dad set up the table first.”

Kumon’s eyes widened. “Oh! You’re right!”

You waved your hand. “You can continue telling me about your nii-chan later, okay?”

Kumon happily nodded before quickly entering the dining room. Then Juza scratched his head. “Sorry ‘bout that.”

You chuckled. “It’s alright. I find it touching that your baby bro loves you so much.” Your laughter increased when Juza's cheeks became a dark shade of red.

After calming each other down, the two of you removed your shoes. Juza let you enter first, closing the door when he set foot in the living room.

“Excuse me for the intrusion,” you said.

As your boyfriend led you to the dining room, a woman in her mid-forties stopped chopping some fruits and turned to you. Her wrinkles were noticeable but her grin stood out the most. Now you knew where Kumon had gotten his sunny smile.

“Hello, (First Name)-chan! We’ve been waiting for you.”

You bowed at Mrs. Hyodo and presented your basket. “Thank you for having me, Hyodo-san. Please accept this as an advanced Christmas gift.”

Mrs. Hyodo gasped at the bottles that filled the basket. “Thank you so much for the condiments! I will gratefully use them in my cooking."

You grinned. "You're welcome, Hyodo-san." Mr. Hyodo, who was standing beside his wife, peeked at the basket. Without a word, he slowly took it and placed it on one of the shelves.

As Juza sat on the chair nearest to him, you chose to sit beside him. You gaped at the food on the table - salad, miso soup, braised pork belly, wagashi and even a Christmas cake. All of them looked like a three-star Michelin chef cooked them.

Your eyes widened when you saw Kumon placing a plate of (Favorite Dish) on the table. You shot a questioning glance at your boyfriend. Juza rubbed the back of his nape as he said, “I asked mom if she could cook your fav food.”

"Nii-chan even chose the ingredients for it!" Kumon proudly declared as he sat beside his beloved brother.

“It was so sweet of Juza!" Mrs. Hyodo squealed as she set down the plate with fruits beside the salad. Then she sat down on the chair across from you, Mr. Hyodo following suit.

All of you clasped your hands. "Thank you for the food!"

While you wanted to savor Mrs. Hyodo's cooking, you could barely focus on eating. Mr. Hyodo's eyes scrutinized your every move like surveillance cameras. As an attempted distraction, you chatted with Mrs. Hyodo. However, Mr. Hyodo's gaze was too intense to ignore.

It was when you were drinking water to cool your nerves off that Mr. Hyodo suddenly spoke, “(First Name) (Last Name), what do you see in my son?”

You choked on your water. Juza rubbed your back, his worried eyes looking at you.

"(First Name)-san, are you alright?" Kumon said. You nodded despite almost dying because your air supply was momentarily cut off.

Mrs. Hyodo sighed at her husband. "Dear, don't go asking such questions so suddenly."

Mr. Hyodo averted his eyes from you and mumbled 'sorry.' You shook your head. “It's fine, Hyodo-san. And to answer your question..."

Two words immediately popped into your head when you thought of your boyfriend. Without any hesitation, you said, “I see Juza’s his passion and dedication in everything he does, especially in acting.”

Kumon's head popped into your view. “Then (First Name)-san, have you watched ‘Picaresque’?”

“Of course! Closing night was amazing! Actually, every performance Juza’s in is really good.” You beamed at your boyfriend who suddenly had the urge to chug down a glass of water.

“Yeah! But I really want to see Nii-chan as Luciano again.” You chuckled as you saw the familiar sparkles in Kumon’s eyes.

Mr. Hyodo cleared his throat. “I have another question for you, (First Name)-san.”

Cold sweats formed on your forehead as Mr. Hyodo’s (golden) gaze at you defeated the freezing air outside. With a deep and threatening voice, he said, “Do you like sweets?”

You slowly blinked. Did your ears hear Mr. Hyodo's words right?

Seeing your frozen state, Juza sighed at his father. “Dad, that’s unnecessary...”

After recovering from your initial shock, you managed to reply, “Well, I’m willing to eat sweets if it’s with Juza."

“If that’s so, I can bake some for your dates!” Mrs. Hyodo giggled, making the younger couple blush.

Meanwhile, Mr. Hyodo put his interlocked hands beneath his chin as he intently stared at his son. Juza stopped eating his cake and looked up. When he locked eyes with his father, Juza stared back at him with the same fervor.

In the middle of the fierce staring contest, Mr. Hyodo gave a thumbs up with the same serious expression. “I approve of her.”

You were unaware of how much you held back from breathing until you let out a deep sigh. Then your lips curled upwards. Meeting with the Hyodo family wasn’t as bad as you previously thought.

[void-of-unparalled-chaos]

My MMA Instructor is Wild

So I've mentioned my martial arts in passing on here, but I've decided that I NEED to tell tumblr about the Master of my dojo because he is equally as confusing as he is amazing.

Master T is basically the CEO of my specific dojo. The Master is in charge of all of the other instructors, events, belt orders, etc. He is only under the guidance of Grand Master H who is the founder alongside his wife.

It is important to me that you know what Master T looks like. Master T is TALL. He is an extremely tall, skinny, white man who looks to be in about his late forties or fifties. He does not look like he has any muscle. You probably wouldn't be able to tell he was a fourth degree blackbelt unless you saw him in uniform.

I didnt have much interaction with Master T prior to pandemic. The days he taught and the days I attended just never corresponded. After we got locked into quarantine, he started doing zoom classes and I finally got to learn more about him. Let me tell you, this man is a BLESSING. He is always super accommodating, and when students were having trouble getting supplies for home practice, he pitched in cash and sent links to good pads. When I thought I was going to need to drop half my classes due to money issues, he waived half the fee. He remembers each of his students and will ask me about how my college apps were going, when are you moving, etc. He is very sweet.

Aside from that though, he is also a bit of a goofball. He has this habit during instruction where he goes off on a story and drops vague, BOMBSHELL information about his life on us. No context whatsoever. I started compiling some of these tangents and a few other instances that I have decided to share with you. All of these are directly from my notes.

"The only time I ever tried to go all the way through with a side kick was that one time in the alley. I was anticipating I would also end up on the floor but the police showed up so I didn't have to."

"When I was a newer blackbelt I was taking these kids to an international tournament and we were walking down this hall to get to our room. This guy was walking towards me swinging his nunchucks like he was telling me that he was going to take me down. I told him I had kids behind me but he didn't stop so I figured I would put him to the floor so he wouldn't hurt anyone As I prepared to do the side kick he got caught off guard and was distracted. He ended up hitting himself in the head with the nunchucks and fell on the floor by himself. I just kind of walked around him and led the kids back to the room. It probably wasn't my best idea, but I was twenty one."

"I got put into a grab like that (both arms against body and held in air) when i went to boarding school in India. The other kid was a lot taller than me and he was holding me above a bank with an arm around my throat. I was in the boxing club but I didnt have the martial arts training you have, but I instinctively kicked behind me in his groin with my heel and he dropped me and I rolled down the bank and got away. He didnt mess with me again for 9 months. When he did it was with a knife but that's a different story."

Is from New Zealand (which begs the question why did he go to boarding school in India?)

update: it was a British boarding school In india.

Has a dog named Diesel. On one memorable occasion, Diesel was unhappy that he was teaching and was whining in the background. Diesel was bribed out of the room with treats by an unknown voice.

"Never break a board with a punch. It's possible, but don't. I once was talking to a blackbelt of 30 years, and he said he had never broken a board with a punch. I told him he probably could, and after egging him on, he did." *all of a sudden sheepish* "He broke the board, but he also broke his hand. His hand has never been the same. That was 10 years ago. So...don't."

Stopped mid sentence once because a stray cat was in his window staring him down. "I don't own a cat? Why are you here?"

Strongly implied that Mohammad Ali is a god on multiple occasions.

"I used to love breaking boards with ridge hand. That was my go-to break for years. Then one day, Grand Master H lit two boards on fire and held them up for me (he says this like it's no big deal btw). I broke the boards with ridge hand but it landed wrong and my hand and arm tingled for the next year and a half. Don't do that."

*working on Self Defense* "So I'm going to teach you how to do a trachea grab. This is for a life threatening situation. Kids at my boarding school used to do it all the time. It's super easy, let me show you." *procceds to accidentally choke himself* " Be careful practicing this because you might make yourself cough." *starts to hack his lungs out*

I love Master T and trying to piece together this disaster human who is somehow simultaneously competent.

[saint-cichol-is-watching]

OM brothers’s Human Age Headcanons

So a while ago I saw that people had asked the Devs what were the human ages of the boys and I then asked if some people wanted to hear my headcanons about this and got a few good responses so here we go. 

PRECISION : The devs didn’t wish to answer to leave the human ages of the boys up to the imagination of the players, these are just my headcanons. There is nothing official about this. If you want to continue the game according to them please do but if you don’t, don’t worry you can make your own headcanons. 

If you can’t get my headcanons out of your head for some reasons, then just remember OCs exist and you're allowed to use them.

THESE ARE FAR-FETCHED DON’T READ TOO MUCH INTO IT 

It’s only just for fun, my arguments are honestly just here to thicken the post a bit. Don’t stress yourself too much about this.

Anyway leggo —

—

In General

ᄂ All of the brothers can drink and enter clubs probably meaning they are not underage. 

ᄂ Sure they are demons and the limit of what underage people can and cannot do probably doesn’t exist, the game is still made by a Japanese (human) company so I think a bit of this argument still holds up.

ㄴ It's quite common in Otome Games or even reverse harem anime/manga, that the love interests's ages are spread out all around MC's. Some are the same age, some a bit younger and some older just to fit most tastes.

Our MC in OM has no age set for them, to allow the player to choose for themself, however according to a few surveys made most of the players are around 21 years old. So I do think the ages of the boys can be chosen according to that.

—

Lucifer

ㄴ Lucifer is the oldest. He has lived a long life and do seem more mature than most of his brothers. So I would definitely be having him in his late twenties.

ㄴ I could have him in his early thirties but for me and from my own experience in Otome Game he doesn't physically nor mentally fit the profile of the older love interest. And when I say that I mean the one whose age passes the thirty or even sometimes forty years old line.

ㄴ My human age headcanon for him is : 28/29 yo.

—

Mammon

ㄴ Mammon is extremely tricky to me. Because while he is not very mature most of the time he does show some clear maturity every now and then.

ㄴ Which makes me think is on or has barely passed the mid-twenties line. Meaning he just entered the late-twenties.

ㄴ My human age headcanon for him is : 25/26 yo.

—

Leviathan

ㄴ Levi like Mammon (& Asmo) is quite hard to place as well.

ㄴ In the beta version he was supposed to be an university student so I'm holding onto that as an hint. Of course I know that if I use the beta as an argument Satan should be considered older than Levi and the twins/Asmo should then be high school students but again I am grasping at straws. These are just headcanons, my reasoning just grabs what it can kskskssk

ㄴ University student usually finish their cursus around their 25 years old.

ㄴ But seeing Levi I can't really imagine him being over the 25 yo line. Nor can I see him being very far from it either. So—

ㄴ My human age headcanon for him is : 24 yo.

—

Satan

ㄴ Again I'm following the beta which stated that Satan was supposed to be a police officer.

ㄴ I am ignoring their order of birth as well btw. Satan is older than the twins physically wise it is actually canon.

ㄴ Apparently to become a police officer you need four years for education. To which we'll had one year of activity.

ㄴ Let's just say he was the equivalent of eighteen when he started, Satan being extremely smart he probably never had to re-do a year which gets us to :

ㄴ My human age headcanon for him is : 23 yo.

—

Asmodeus

ㄴ Probably the hardest to find the age for. But thankfully for me I had pretty "strong" arguments for the twins and I had already choose what Satan's age was. So that leaves very little possibilities for him kskajajsqb

ㄴ Asmo is young I'm sure of it. He is still quite a bit immature at times. Yet I do believe his human age isn't be 21 or under. So that leaves one possibility.

ㄴ My human age headcanon for him is : 22 yo.

—

Beelzebub & Belphegor

ᄂ We recently learned that Belphie and Beel are the youngest (not Satan). Yet I believe it’s canon that both of them can enter a club and drink meaning that they’re not underage (in most countries).

ᄂ It is said that Beel is still growing. A human male (sadly I do not have demons references) can still grow up until they are 25 years old, sure it won’t be a growth spurt but still it can happen.

ᄂ Both Beel and Belphie still show quite a lot of immaturity and naivety in many many ways so I wouldn’t put them past 21, the age where you’re finally considered as an adult everywhere in the world.

ᄂ My human age headcanon for them : 19-21 yo (I am personally leaning on 20)

[lurkingleighbee]

Thrawn Ascendancy: Greater Good  Chapter 15 - Chapter 18

Chapter 15

Ar’alani gets to “Sunrise” and sees no lights or any signs of life, which scares her

a super circular asteroid just happens to be floating into view... hmmm....

checking all previous records of battles/visits to the planet to see if it was there 

and it appears that it wasn’t

Ar’alani points out Thrawn would have noticed the asteroid, as “even in the middle of a battle, there’s very little that gets past him.”

Wutroow calls it a moon, which I think is a cute little callback to the Obi-Wan Kenobi quote from A New Hope

that’s no moon! 

This exchange is great:

“Captain Lakinda, are you game to try something dangerous?” “As opposed to just being part of the Expansionary Defense Fleet,” Wutroow added. 

Lakinda is a little bit intimidated, I think

I wish Lakinda had her own gal pal with her 

Ar’alani and the enemy get into a back and forth argument about who has been asked by the refugees to help them out

While that is going on, Lakinda planned to decimate the asteroid (which is really a giant bomb with missiles attached) in a careful way

I write planned, because “without warning the entire asteroid exploded, hurling shards of stone outward in all directions

I want to feel excitement, but given that Ar’alani will survive all the way up to Thrawn: Treason and I don’t feel like Lakinda is going to get axed, it is difficult to muster up the feeling 

Chapter 16

the Grayshrike takes some damage, and with “the view port blast shields automatically slammed shut,” so they have to reply on sensor and tactical displays

in the center of the asteroid’s internal framework “was the missile, its nose peeking out of the thick casing through the launcher.”

they are trying to destroy the entire thing before the launcher goes after the Vigilant or the Grayshrike

Thankfully its disabled

However, the Battle Dreadnought and the Vigilant are locked in battle 

even though Ar’alani wanted Lakinda to bring the asteroid/launcher with her, Lakinda opted to go in assisting Ar’alani without it 

Ar’alani gets into another sound of aggressive negotiations, both of them taunting the other 

I know how to destroy you!!!

Nuh uh!

or more flowery: “Your statement lacks accuracy. It is I who knows how to destroy you.”

Just as Lakinda and Ar’alani are about to destroy the Battle Dreadnought when it decides to self-destruct

overall, a success but Lakinda tears herself down for not getting the launcher and thinks Thrawn would have found a way to have done it 

compare yourself to Thrawn and you will always fall short

I feel like Thrawn would tell her to chin up and focus on her own talents and strengths, instead of tearing herself down for her weaknesses

MASSIVE SPOILERS HERE ON OUT

Memories VI

Haplif is still trying to push Yoponek to his intended goals, but he considers the young Chiss spineless

Shimkif decides to take matters into her own hands. AGAIN. 

and employs straight up biological warfare against Yomie and makes her very ill

Shimkif also manages to figure out that Yomie “doesn’t want Yoponek to give up all his hopes and dreams for her. She wants him to be willing to give them up. Once she’s satisfied that he would do that for her, he can go charging on to fame and fortune on Celwis, and she’ll stand by smiling and being all proud of him.”

Having gotten to the end of the book, hell to the end of the chapter - I can ensure you this information means nothing in the long run 

Because Yomie has figured out that Haplif is telepathic

So that leaves Haplif utilizing Option Three - killing her

Her body is left in the vast emptiness of the universe

Call this blaming the victim - but it seems like Yomie had suspicions from the start that Haplif and his crew (of fifty, that we never see btw) were iffy.

So why did you go along with complete strangers and really press on their hospitality as hard as you did?! 

Still does not make her murder okay

And presumably, her boyfriend doesn’t care about her whereabouts (since he buys some cock and bull story right away), her parents do not check on her, and her friends don’t either

COMPLETELY USELESS CHARACTER!

Chapter 17

Lakuviv is just agog over the treasure Lakjiip “confirmed” for him

This trap is so obvious to everyone but to these two numbskulls

And this exchange would probably make Thrawn pull his own hair out:  

“They said the metal has no particular value of its own. It’s the skill with which the artists turn it into jewelry that’s important.” Lakuviv shook his head. “Idiots.” Lakjiip shrugged. “In general, I suppose that’s mostly true of art. Give an artist a hundred Univers to spend on paint and a presentation board, and out pops a picture someone else will spend thousands for. It’s just in this specific case the whole thing is reversed.” “If you ask me, everything about the art world is just barely controlled anarchy.” Lakuviv said.  Thrawn would be like:

Lakuviv and Lakjiip want to get this up the chain of command

Lakuviv invites the Patriel over for a chit-chat about a nyix mine that practically fell into his lap, with no strings attached, totally above board, no suspicions, nope, no ma’am

Yoponek points out that Lakuviv could pull emergency powers

backed into a corner of your own making? 

emergency powers!

Had to read this a couple of times before I made sense of it, but if I have this summarized correctly:

if you declare a family emergency, you can bring back officers and warriors (I assume that means enlisted soldiers) 

The rules are so convoluted

if you’re one of the Forty Families that used to be one of the Ruling Families AND have an under crewed family fleet, you are allowed (?) to call in the Chiss from that specific family for an “emergency”

This is so ripe for abuse

And this is kind of recent history

But it is so made up and so unnecessarily complicated

These are the chapters when the book really started to lose me 

Yoponek has to be the one that explains this

Lakuviv or Lakjiip could have done this on their own - looked for an excuse to exploit the mines 

Yoponek and Yomie are so useless 

Chapter 18

So, Thrawn’s name is even known among farmers as that art guy 

lol

This is this the convo between Lakphro and his cousin:

“...Senior Captain Thrawn has a reputation for knowing a lot about alien art and artworks.” “I’m happy for him. But I don’t need an art critic. I need a metals specialist.” “I know that’s what you asked for. Here’s the thing. I’m wondering if Thrawn might be able to tell us something else about the brooch, just as it is. Maybe something important.”  “Like what?” “No idea,” Lakbulbup admitted. “But once we take it for testing, even a little bit apart, that chance is gone.” “I don’t know what he could possible see that we can’t,” Lakphro said. “It’s just a bunch of metal threads, and they’re woven together in a pattern. End of story.”  “Like I said, I don’t know, either,” Lakbulbup said. “But I...” ... “Maybe,” Lakphro said. “But what if-” “But nothing,” Lakbulbup said firmly. “Trust me, Lakphro. I’ve heard stories about this Thrawn fellow, and I truly think it’s worth running the brooch past him.”

Lakuviv is irked that Patriel Lakooni points out the obvious - that this is clearly a scam

Yesss!!! Common sense!

Unfortunately, it does not get to prevail 

even Lakuviv has the gut instinct to back down, but he pushes on ahead

He takes her hostage and uses Lakooni’s personal codes to call for an emergency 

Lakinda gets the jewelry piece from Lakwurn (these names are starting to run together) and an hour before she leaves for space, she gets the “family emergency”

Lakinda is torn between family and duty

she decides to stay for the family emergency

she does forward the box to Thrawn 

and she send the Grayshrike on ahead with Mid Captain Apros on it

Thurfian gets to listen to a long-ass presentation about this slightly suspicious “Universal Analysis Group” that I initially thought might be important later

but having read to the end of the book, I can tell you - that it is not 

Thurfian manages to deal with the squabble in such a way that Speaker Thyklo (who are you again?) says he reminds her “a little of Syndic Thrass. He was also good at appearing to give people what they wanted while simultaneously doing what needed to be done.” “Really,” Thurfian said, feeling a stirring inside him. “I assume that’s a compliment. “Very much so,” Thyklo said with a smile. “Thrass wasn’t as skilled at it as you are, but he definitely had the talent. A terrible shame that we lost him.” “Yes. To Thrawn.” “Or to circumstances,” Thyklo said. “It’s easy to place blame, but it’s not always productive. Or always accurate.” 

Also, rumors abound that the Speaker and at least two Patriels are looking to retire

Thurfian is thinking about moving on up

Instead of all this time with Haplif (and Yoponek and Yomie) - why not spend the memories sections on Thurfian and develop his character?!

Give me a good reason for why he hates Thrawn so much!!! 

Like, Zahn is kind of telling me but I need more information as to why Thurfian is this obsessed over this one guy  Me reading this book:

[alexthepartyman]

Fine Line

Chapter Six: I’m hopeless, I’m broken.

“Yeah?” Uncle Jason asks as Penelope comes in. 

“Thank you for the flowers. I know I can be challenging, but your work is appreciated. J. Gideon. I appreciate the appreciation.” I look to Jason with confusion. He didn’t get her those flowers...what? Who’s posing as Jason? “And btw, you’re not challenging. Well, no, you’re totally challenging, but you’re not challenging at all in a bad way. Sir.” She turns around and looks at the framed photos. “Hey, is this your family?”

“Yeah. Sort of.” 

“Nice. Hi, Jamie. How are you doing? You finally got off your crutches?”

“Working on it.” 

“Thanks again for the flowers. Hey.”

“Hey…”

“What the hell does btw mean?”

“By the way. Internet shorthand.” 

“You sent Garcia flowers?”

“No. You need something?”

“Missing child in Wilmington, Delaware.”

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

“Eleven year old Billie Copeland was last seen on the playground at four-thirty yesterday afternoon.”

“Isn’t there a thing that says we get notified immediately? Why wasn’t this reported sooner?” I ask.

“Yes, the Child Abduction Response Plan. What happened?”

“Well, there was reason to believe she was with her father. Her cell phone shows a call to him around the time of her disappearance.” 

“So they’ve since ruled him out?”

“He called the mother about an hour ago,” JJ answers. 

“That doesn’t mean he isn’t involved.” 

“He’s on his way to the family home, so you can talk to him there. The local police are now considering this a stranger abduction.” 

“Twenty hours later?”

“Long term stranger abductions of children Billie’s age are rare. They represent only half of one percent of all missing cases per year. But they are usually more likely to be fatal. Of the children that are abducted and murdered, forty-four percent die within the first hour. From that point forward, their odds of survival greatly decrease. Seventy-five percent are gone after three hours. Virtually all of them are dead after twenty-four.” 

“We’ve got four hours, then.” 

“Shall we go?”

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

“She’s been missing twenty-one hours.” 

“You should have let Derek drive, we’d have gotten here in fifteen minutes,” I remark. 

“We’re gonna go meet with the lead detective at the park where the girl was last seen.” Aaron drives away.

“We need to know everything that’s being done,” Jason says.

“I’ll find out what the press is running, see if I know any of them. We may need to manage what they put out. Jamie, be careful to stay away from the media, they’ll have a field day if they find out about you.” 

“Good. See what the uniforms know from the canvasses. Elle, I need you to be a liaison with the family.” 

“A liaison?”

“In a child abduction, the parents are likely to break down if we aren’t careful.” I move alongside them towards the house. 

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

“We’re looking for a male in his mid to late thirties who drives a late-model green SUV. If anybody has seen anything suspicious, we have a hotline set up at the Wilmington Police Department. Billie Copeland is an eleven year old girl. The last time she was seen, she was in a blue track suit and a blue soccer uniform.” 

Mrs Copeland sniffs, turning off the TV. “They’ve been running that over and over again for the past two hours,” she says. 

“They just want to help find her, and running it over and over again, it may get to somebody who wasn’t watching before, somebody who might know something,” I explain, letting my arm shake. 

“The press wants to talk to me. I just...I don’t think I can face it.” 

“It’s best you follow our guidance.” 

“Why don’t you just tell us what happened?” Elle asks. 

“Um...I was focused on practice, and...Billie was...being a pain, as usual, she was giving me attitude. So I told her to run it off. I sent her away.” 

“That’s not your fault. There’s no way you could have known. Focusing on what we can’t control...that’s only going to make you feel worse. What’s done was done.” 

“How long have you been divorced?” Elle asks.

“Um...it’s been final for six months, but we haven’t lived together in over a year.” 

“Are you seeing anyone?”

She laughs, “Between work and Billie, when would I have the time?”

“Not one date? Any men coming over to the house?”

“I-I had a few casual dates after work, but they never came to the house. Billie still hopes that her father and I will get back together.” 

“How did Billie’s dog die, Mrs Copeland?” Uncle Jason asks.

“Uh...it was hit by a car two weeks ago. How did you know that?”

“Shrine in the room. Helps her grieve?”

“Her father did that for her.”

“They get along well?”

“Best of friends. She calls him every night, tells him about her day, asks about his. He’s a cancer survivor, so he takes time off from work, pulls her out of school for father/daughter field trips. Says we all need to stop and enjoy life. But he forgets that he has responsibilities, they both do, which makes me the bad guy. And she blames me for the divorce. Blames me for everything...I shoulld have just let her go with her father. I’m sorry.” She gets up off the couch and storms away from us.

“She’s pretty fragile.” 

“The last thing she did was fight with her daughter. Can you imagine what that feels like?”

“Pretty terrible. Lost Jamie once, I had to rescue him.” 

“I thought that was Eddie.” 

“He was there.” 

“Elle, I was seven,” I tell her. Tires screech from outside. 

“Mr Copeland’s here.” 

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

“I have been calling you all night!”

“I’m sorry, Marilyn, I turned my phone off.” 

“How could you turn your phone off? What if Billie got sick or…we needed you.” 

“I said I was sorry!” Mr Copeland walks back to us in frustration. “What’s being done to find my daughter?”

“We’re assessing that right now.”

“She’s been missing since yesterday! What the hell have you people been doing since then?!” 

“Where have you been, Mr Copeland?” I ask.

“Me?”

“Where were you all day and all night?”

“I have a cabin in Brandywine Valley.”

“Police tried you there.” 

“Well, maybe I was out at the time.” 

“Bille tried your cell phone yesterday afternoon.”

“Well, I shut it off sometimes. I like the solitude.” 

“You didn’t fight your wife for custody of your daughter,” Jason adds. “But you...you like being in her life.” 

“I want her to grow up in her home with her friends around. This is the only place she’s ever lived.” 

“So you love her very much.”

“Yes.”

“Why do you waste any precious time we have left? You weren’t at your cabin. You weren’t at work or with friends. Police didn’t call us until a little while ago because they though your daughter might have been with you?” I look to Mr Copeland, whose face screams disbelief. “That you might have taken your daughter. Until you can give us a satisfactory accounting of your whereabouts from the time your daughter went missing until -” Jason gets up and puts his face in his hands. “Would you help me understand why a devoted father who talks to his daughter every night suddenly turns off his phone, disappears for almost twenty-four hours?” 

“I was...busy.”

“Not good enough,” I remark.

“It’s one thirty. You called your wife at eleven thirty, found out Billie was missing.”

“So?”

“Well, Brandywine Valley’s fifteen minutes away. Where were you, Mr Copeland?”

“I…I was at Sloane Kettering Hospital. In New York City. Dr Baylan Mahal is the head of oncology. You can call him if you want.”

“I will.”

“How long?” I ask.

“What?”

“How long do you have?” I ask. “It’s an inference. You mentioned oncology...only viable answer, your cancer came back.” 

“It’s in my lymph nodes now. You wouldn’t know what those are.”

“Immune system glands. Mine are messed up, too. Can they do anything more?” I take a seat in front of him, on the ottoman. 

“No. Please, find my daughter. Find my daughter.”

“Of course.” He puts his head in his hands and cries. 

“Call Sloane Kettering.” 

I look back as Jason leaves, Elle stands, and I extend a hand out to hold Mr Copeland’s shoulder. 

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

“You took all the police off the street?”

“We believe your daughter was abducted by someone in the area, and that she’s probably still nearby.”

“Then shouldn’t you be flooding the area with cops, knocking on doors?”

“It’s not that simple.”

“Yes, it is.” Mr Copeland pops his medication, and I pop mine, too.

“Youre taking the meds again.”

“Look...what exactly are you people doing to help get my daughter back?”

“You’re sick again, aren’t you?”

“We want you to meet with the press...both of you.”

“Elle…” 

“Press conference. That’s what you have? You just said you’re already taking the press that’s running off the air.”

“I know. But this will be different. Trust us, Mr Copeland.” The doorbell rings. 

“I’ll get it. Just tell Marilyn what you need us to do.” Elle sticks her hand out towards me, jarring me from gettin up and following him. 

“That was his second remission.” 

“I’m sorry.”

“Billie won’t even talk to me anymore. How am I gonna tell her that her father’s sick again?”

“One thing at a time, Mrs Copeland. Once we find your daughter, you’ll figure it out.”

“Can I help you?” 

“Mr Copeland, I’m Helen Godfrey from a few blocks away. I have printouts of all the sex offenders in the area. I think if you just...look at any of these…”

“What the hell?” Elle asks, heading out of the house. I get up and grab my crutches to see Mr Copeland running to his car with a paper in his hand. “Mr Copeland?” 

“I’m really sorry,” I quickly apologise, walking out the front door.

“Mr Copeland!” Tires screech as the yellow truck pulls out of the driveway and heads off. 

“There are sex offenders in the area. I thought he should know.”

“Stupid,” Elle remarks, ripping her phone open. 

“Ma’am, I’d highly recommend leaving that to law enforcement,” I quickly advise, following after Elle. 

“Hotch, we have a problem.” 

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

“Mr Jones isn’t interested in pressing charges,” Aaron says. 

“Am I supposed to be grateful? The bastard’s a pedophile.”

“Not all sex offenders are pedophiles,” I cut it. 

“Did you check up on him? Did you ever search his house>” 

“He solicited a prostitute. Nothing with kids.” 

“But he’s registered on-”

“Mr Copeland, please. There are at least a million different ways to get on that list.”

“That’s why accessing that type of information is supposed to be left up to law enforcement.” 

“We understand your frustration and your anger, but you’re jeopardising our efforts to save your daughter’s life. Every minute spent chasing you is time we’re not spending on Billie. So either get control of yourself and follow our directions or stay out of our way.” 

“What would you like us to do?”

“Make a public appeal for information regarding a witness driving a dark green SUV.”

“Isn’t he supposed to be the suspect?”

“Yes. But when people hear suspect, they can’t see the guy next door as a monster. They can’t imagine their neighbour doing something like that, because that’s not how they know them. If they’re a witness, they might be a hero.”

“Okay, but what if he thinks it’s a trick? What if he panics or thinks or it’s too risky, and then he-”

“You’re not just speaking to him. You’re talking to his neighbours, as well. Anyone who knows him.”

“We’ve done everything we can to relieve the pressure on this man. We’ve taken the cops off the street. You won’t have any standing with you on the dais. Only a local minister.”

“Hearing he isn’t a suspect might calm him down as well,” Aaron adds. “Right now he’s under enormous stress. And we need him to believe, even if it’s just for a little while, that we’re way off the mark, that we’re not close to arresting him.”

“Are you? Close to arresting him?”

“We need the public’s help.” 

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

“If you keep looking at me like that, they’ll definitely notice,” I scold Derek. 

“I’m not too sure you should be off your crutches.” 

“How am I gonna be able to walk without them if I don’t try? Besides, it’s not like I’m going that far.” 

“Okay, come on.”

“Here they come.”

“Would you close the door? Thank you,” I hear JJ say from the stage. “Okay, can I have everyon’s attention? Please, if you could just take your seats...the Copeland family is here to make an appeal. As you all know, their eleven year old daughter Billie is missing. So if ou could just have a little compassion and patience. Mr Copeland.” I poke my head around the corner to watch the scene unfold with my own eyes. Mr Copeland sets up to the podium with his wife and the minister.

“Yesterday…” he clears his throat. I gently nod. “Yesterday, at approximately three pm, my daughter...our daughter…” The minster holds her hand. “Belinda Copeland. Billie. Went missing from the recreation center. We are looking for a man, a witness, in a green SUV. There have been some reports that he is a suspect, but that was a mistake. He’s not suspected of anything. We would like this man to come forward and tell us what he knows. We need your help. He may not even understand how important what he saw is. So anyone with information about this individual or his green SUV, please call the tip hotline. Thank you.” I smile up at him and give him a thumbs up. 

“Mr Copeland! Mr Copeland!” 

“We’d like Billie to come home now. It’ll be dark soon. Thank you.” 

“So the body located by police earlier today is not Billie’s?” My heart sinks to the floor, rage filling me, hot and deep. What the fuck? There was a body? There was a body? How did he even find out?! 

“What?” 

“The female body -”

“There’ll be no more questions. Thank you.” 

“What body?” 

“This press conference is over. Let’s discuss this outside.” I dart along the walls and find myself at the door out of the room, ripping it open for the couple to walk through. 

“What body?” 

“Come on, Mr Copeland. There’ll be no more questions. That’ll be all for now.” I look towards the cameras and the reporters. 

“Press conference is over,” JJ repeats. 

“Mr Copeland!” 

“What about Billie?” I look at the flashing photo lights and blink, closing the door behind the minister, and JJ goes up to one of the reporters. 

“Is that your idea of compassion?”

“I only asked a question. You’re the ones who didn’t tell the parents-”

“Because we weren’t sure. Raising and destroying hopes with inconclusive information is dangerous,” I cut in. 

“James.” I groan at JJ. “A positive identification hasn’t been made. Asking them about that was out of line, Hal.” She shuts up and drags me out. 

“Is there a body?!” 

“Please just come with me,” Elle begs. 

“Tell me right now, did you find a body?” 

“Mrs Copeland-”

“Did you find Billie? Is my daughter dead?” She asks. I reach up and let her lean on me. 

“A body was discovered,” Aaron answers.”

“It’s not Billie. The body that was found was much older, looked like it had been there for days. Looks like maybe a junkie or an overdose.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, I saw the body myself. It’s not your daughter.” 

“My god, I can’t...I can’t…” 

“Please, just come with me right now,” Elle says, leading Mrs Copeland away as she cries. Mr Copeland follows them. 

“What the hell was that all about?”

“A reporter asked them about the body.” 

“Probably heard it on the scanner.” 

“I should have prepared them for that.” 

“We don’t have anything to tell them yet,” Jason argues. 

“Billie’s running out of time.”

“And so are the parents.” 

“Come on. A little hope, huh? We’ll make it, we’ll make it.”

“James, you’re not allowed to go up to reporters.” JJ scolds me as we follow Jason out.

“JJ, it’s fine, it’s fine, it’s fine.”

“No, it’s not. We have to be careful what we tell the media, or else we could get Billie killed.” 

“I know, JJ.”

“We haven’t even properly discussed what’s going to happen if they catch wind of who you are-”

“Minor consultant, working under SSA Jason Gideon of the Behavioural Analysis Unit, Federal Bureau of Investigation. Tell them that.” 

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

“How’s it going?”

“The unsub’s in here somewhere.”

“If you can’t find sex offenders with green suvs, try anybody with green suvs.” 

“You gotta bet that the police talked to them in their initial canvass.” 

“Maybe not. Our unsub is a solitary individual. He isn’t the type of guy to insert himself into an investigation. Wouldn’t it make more sense that he wouldn’t have answered the door during the initial canvass?” 

“Neighbourhood was crawling with cops, canine units, search and rescues. Make him nervous and jumpy, he’d want to avoid them at all costs.” 

“Yeah, you could easily just pretend you aren’t home,” I add. 

“So then he couldn’t allow anyone into his home to ask routine questions, even if the girl was bound or gagged because it’d be too risky.”

“It’s next to impossible to control breathing, speech patterns, body language when the body’s under extreme duress. Maybe if we compare hotline tips with anyone who wasn’t at home during the initial canvass.” 

“Or didn’t answer the door.” 

“We’ll find our unsub.” 

“Let’s get to it. Jamie, here you go,” Aaron hands me a pile of files from Spencer’s work area. “Green SUVs, in the area.” 

“Got it.” 

“Sergeant.”

“Yeah?”

“Here’s what we need. Everything that come in here…”

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

“Yeah. It was worth a try. That’s right. Thank you.” Derek hangs up the phone. “Nothing.” 

“Agent Morgan?”

“Yeah?” 

“This the kind of thing you’re looking for?” 

“What is it?” I ask, pushing the chair out to get up. 

“Uh-uh. Crutches.” Derek scolds me, and I groan and set them up. “Reid.”

“A Mr Lomax has a neighbour with a green SUV, but he hasn’t seen him all day. Says that’s unusual. Thought he might have been out of town, but now he sees some lights on over there.” 

“1106 Springfield. Where’s our canvass sheets?” I grab them from a nearby table. “1106.”

“1100 block. 1106...no answer.”

“Let’s go talk with Mr Lomax. Nice call.” 

“Thanks. Good luck.” I look up at Spencer as we head out. 

“I am definitely not using these come Tuesday.”

“Tuesday? Why then?” Spencer asks.

“That’s when school starts up again, and I’m headed back on A/B weeks for the month.” 

“You should use your crutches for as long as you’ve been told to. You know, the correct way of getting off of your crutches is to go to physical and occupational therapy.” 

“Oh, come on. These things are annoying! I’ve been going since it happened!”

“Actually, it’s been one month and twenty days since your accident, and you started going to physical and occupational therapy a week after it, so you’ve been going for one month and thirteen days.” 

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

“Mr Lomax?” Derek asks as we approach a man aggressively raking leaves in his yard. “Agent Morgan. Agent Reid. James Rossi. FBI.” The two men beside me pull out their badges, and I pull out mine that granted me access to the buildings. 

“Holy smokes, that was fast!”

“Did you call in a tip about your neighbour, Don Curtis?”

“Lives down the street. I saw the news thing, you know?”

“Yep. Green SUV?” I ask, spotting the car.

“Yeah. I was thinking...Don drives a dark green explorer, and he’s at the park all the time. I figured, like they said on the television, maybe he knows something but he doesn’t know that he knows it.” Or he’s our unsub, and he definitely knows he is. “Know what I mean?”

“Yeah, we do.” I look back towards the man. “Where’s his explorer now?”

“It’s usually in the driveway, but I haven’t seen it today. Haven’t seen Don either, which is kind of weird. We’re always out front talking about the lawns. He never has any crab grass.” I don’t know what that is, so. “I don’t know how he does it.” 

“Do you know if he has a dog?”

“Used to. A big golden retriever. Her name was Candy. I think she died like six months ago.” 

“Thanks, Mr Lomax,” I say, as we turn to walk away. 

“Yeah, Hotch. Morgan. Better get over here right now.” I swing myself forward, starting the walk down to the house. 

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

“Third house down on the right. We knocked on the door, but nobody’s answering.” 

“His neighbour said he’s definitely there.” 

“He’s got a green ford explorer in the garage.”

“Break down the door,” Jason suggests.

“No. We don’t have probable cause.” 

“You don’t think owning a vehicle that was used to kidnap a child is probable cause enough?” I ask the detective. “He’s got a green SUV, dog that died recently, spends time at the park.” 

“Pretending he’s not home.”

“None of which are illegal. No judge is going to sign a warrant based on that information.” 

“You’re weighing the life of a child against the price of a door?”

“I’m weighing the law against the price of a door.” 

“The girl’s in the house right now. The longer we stand here and wait, the longer he has to finish her off.” 

“I’ll call a judge. If we go in there without a warrant, all that evidence will get thrown-”

“No time!” I yell, bouncing up and down.

“We’re aware of the rules of evidence. What do you propose that we do?” 

“JASON!” I yell, throwing my crcutches off and running after the old man as he dashes to the house. 

“JAMIE!” 

“Gideon! Gideon, wait a minute!” Derek yells. “Gideon, Gideon, you need -” He gets cut off by the sound of glass, Jason hits the window with a potted plant, shattering it and climbing through the window. 

“FEDERAL AGENTS, FBI!” Derek shouts, kicking the door open and wielding his gun. I follow after everyone else, dashing down the hall after Jason, but stopping before rounding a corner. I pop my head out, spotting the open door at the end of the hall. Jason heads towards it, and I pull my pocketknife out of my bag and unfold it, preparing myself to attack. Derek rounds the corner with his gun in front. I pull back as Jason screams, a man walking out of one of the rooms. 

“Where is she?” 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I hear a gun cocking.

“Where’s Billie Copeland?” 

“Please don’t hurt me.” 

“Gideon…”

“Please! Please put the gun down.” 

“Gideon!”

“Get him out of here!” 

“Let’s go. Let’s go.”

“TEAR THE PLACE APART!”

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

“Just as we expected, he has an extensive collective of deviant photos and cartoon downloads.”

“Partitioned in separate folders?”

“Yep.” 

“Access the internet history. Identify any pornographic sites, shut them down.” 

“We’re uploading to Garcia as we speak.” 

“What is this? Is it all porn?”

“It’s a lot of home movies with a bunch of kids in it. This one, you need to see it.” I keep my head down as the tape starts to play. 

“Ssssshh. Remember what I’ll do if you tell.” I shiver at the sound of the voice. 

“Gideon, we searched the entire house. Upstairs, downstairs. Everywhere. There’s no sign of the girl or that she’s even been here. It is possible that he moved her. Polly Klaas was found twenty-five miles from home. Danielle Van Damme, thirty, Samantha Runnion, fifty-two. But keep in mind...we were twenty hours late getting involved.”

“Man doesn’t take chances. He wouldn’t drive around with a girl in the car. He took her, got her off the street as quickly as possible. Just keep looking. Jamie, details.”

“I’m on it.” 

“You know, it’d be helpful if I knew exactly what to look for,” I comment. “We just have kiddie porn, and that can put him away for something...but it doesn’t help us find Billie.” 

“I know. Details, what does he mean by that?”

“Survey everything. Point out anything that catches my attention. Hey, is there, like an attic or a basement?”

“There’d be a door somewhere, or stairs.”

“Sometimes there isn’t. I remember being in a house...you got to the basement through a hole in the closet floor. You wouldn’t know it was there, it was covered up. I’m gonna get Jason.” 

“What kind of house has that?” Spencer asks.

“I don’t know. You know what he’s talking about?”

I walk down the hallway and head into the living room, where Jason is pulling something out of a broom. “What’s that?”

“Insulation. What did you need?”

“I was thinking...is there a basement or an attic? Sometimes, there will be patches in the floor or the ceiling, and when you take out the patches, there’s the entrance.” I explain. “Didn’t he have insulation on him? Access point might be in a bedroom or in the hallway.” 

“The hallway. Jamie, there’s a vent.” I turn around and head back the way I came, stopping under a vent in the ceiling with poofy stuff hanging from it. 

“You mean this thing?” I ask. 

“Yeah. That thing. Hotch, get me up there.” 

“Here, take my crutches, I can get up there. Jason, help me.” I take off my crutches, letting them clank on the wooden floor under us and jump into Jason’s arms, opening the vent and hoisting myself up from there. “Jesus Christ, I’m heavy.” 

“You’re just out of shape. Alright, thanks, Hotch. Jamie’s already up there. Jamie, look for Billie.” I nod, crawling away from the hole and looking around, spotting a girl with a bright pink arm cast. “She’s here.” I crawl towards her, unwrapping the tape from aronud her mouth. “Sssh. It’s okay, it’s okay. I’m Jamie. We’re gonna take you back to your parents. You’re safe now. Is your arm hurting?” I ask. 

“I wanna go home.”

“I know.”

“Hey, Billie. My name’s Jason. Jamie and I are gonna take you home.” 

“Can she get to a doctor afterwards to check on her arm?” I ask. 

“Yeah, maybe. Your mommy and daddy are very worried about you.” 

“I wanna go home,” she pants. 

“Let’s go see your mom and dad, huh?” Jason undos the rest of her bindings takes her in her arms. “Oh, I forgot. I took this for luck.” He gives her something. “Let’s bring it back to where it belongs, okay? Let’s go see your mommy and daddy. Jamie, go down after her. Hotch! Here she comes. Here you go, sweetie. Watch your arm.”

“Thanks, for not getting mad at me.” I say as he lowers her into Aaron’s arms. ‘Watch her arm.”

“What did you even do?” I chuckle at his obliviousness. “Watch your arm.”

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

“I got absolutely nothing.” 

“Aw, nothing.” 

“Ssss…two pair…” Spencer hisses. “Of aces…”

“Oh, get out of town! Why you always winning? Nuh-uh!” 

“Cause he cheats!”

“Poker. It’s mathematics, it’s statistics.”

“Which explains why I’m horrible at it,” I comment. “I don’t think I had anything either.” 

“No, you didn’t.” 

“He’s from Vegas.”

“House rules.”

“There’s that, too.” 

“Alright, shuffle.” 

“Give me a card,” Derek demands.

“Hey, Hotch,” Jason asks. 

“Yeah? He can play poker, we’re not using actual money.”

“It’s not that. Not even his dad can teach him to play.” 

“Uncle Jason!” I exclaim.

“It’s true. Did you send flowers to that tech girl...Garcia...and say they were from me?”

“Yeah.”

“Why?”

“Jason, people need to know that they’re important, and sometimes you forget that.” 

“I already sent her a gift.” 

“What? Jamie, you didn’t tell me.”

“Well, maybe you should ask,” I remark. 

“Oohh, boy got some sass.” 

“It’s his dad. Dave can be blunt. What did you get for her, Jason?” 

“An MP3 player. Jamie helped pick it out. They last longer. Unless you drop them, or the battery dies, whichever comes first.” 

“So, she got two gifts.”

“What if she thinks I’m sweet on her?”

“I’ll talk to her.” Elle gives a funny look that makes us all laugh.

“Give me cards,” I say.

[frgt-me-not]

Teenage Dirtbag ~ The Metro

Previous part // Part 5 // Next part

Word count: 1.1k

A/N: I know everything about this “mystery” performer is going to be obvious, so bare with me pls,, thx for reading btw, means a lot more than you thing — Roommate!Yoongi x reader, Social media/written au — Summary: Being an impulsive teenager was never really your kind of thing. At least, not until you stumble upon a craigslist ad for a cheap apartment in Seoul that seems almost too good to be true. Despite your family’s desperate pleads for you to stay away from the big city, you pack your bags and move across the country to find a roommate who isn’t everything you’d hoped for…

Instinctively, my hand curls around Namjoon’s upper arm, my nails digging into his skin. He shoots me a look and I loosen my grip slightly, but not enough for him to easily slip away from me. He guides me to the end of a short, black and rather creepy hallway where I spot a large steel door. The hallway has a vague smell of cigarette smoke and mold. I press my sleeve against my nose, blocking my nostrils from the unwelcome smell while I try not to imagine what is on the other side of the door. 

I turn my head slightly, as if that would make me hear better, but except for the wind outside and Joon’s breathing, I can’t hear anything. 

“You’re not trying to lure me into an abandoned place to murder me, are you?” I say, laughing at myself, even though I know a part of me is actually scared that somebody is waiting in the other room to kill me. 

He laughs, “Don’t worry, the door is just very sound proof.”

He reaches his hand out and touches a red button beside the door which I hadn’t previously noticed. Instantly, a slot in the door slides open, making my eyebrows furrow together - what the hell is this place? A secret Soviet organisation?

A set of eyes peer out at us before a deep voice utters: “Identification?” 

Joon lifts up his ID and the man nods. His eyes flash to me, and I quickly begin to rummage in my pockets for my wallet. With numb fingers I pull out my driver’s license and he stares at it long enough for me to become nervous, “I had a bad hair day that day,” I mutter and try to smile casually - it wouldn’t even surprise me if he denies me access because I’m about as nervous as a sixteen year old boy trying to buy beer. 

“Five bucks each,” the man says, and a breath of relief whistles through my teeth. 

“I got it,” Joon says and hands the man a ten dollar bill. The heavy-looking door opens with ease, and Joon has to drag me into another much smaller room. I can hear the distant sound of music and my eyes glance in that direction. Another door with a neon light above it which says “The Metro” makes all the hair on my body stand up. 

“No drugs, no violence and no sex, save that shit for when you’re home,” the man announces, a mantra he has clearly said over a hundred times. 

Namjoon nods sternly, and indicates for me to follow him, “Ready?” He whispers when I’m beside him, “No?” I reply grimly. 

He grabs my hand and squeezes it, “I’ve got you.”

My eardrums almost explode from the sudden loud music on the other end of the door, I shadow my eyes from the bright flashing lights and glance back at the now closing door to the entrance. And then there is no entrance because we’ve been swallowed up by the crowd. I slide behind Joon, hoping that he will guide us forward. 

Instead of focussing on where we’re going, I try to make sure I don’t fall over anything, but as I look down, I notice that a thick purple smoke makes it harder for me to see my feet - smoke machines, really? 

A voice booms out from the speakers and I redirect my attention to a woman in her mid-forties on the stage. I can barely make out her words because of all the sounds around me, so I don’t even bother. 

I move closer to Namjoon, and hope that tonight won’t be the night I die. 

I slam into his back as he suddenly stops, “You came!” Someone yells enthusiastically. I peer around him and spot a familiar face, Hoseok, I believe. Every once in a while he would join Namjoon during our skype sessions last year, I smile at him warmly. 

“y/n!” he calls at me, as if he’s known me for years and then his arms wrap around me in a warm hug, making me jump. 

Joon just chuckles and directs his attention to the stage where the lady has disappeared and in her place is a young girl with neon green and pink Joan of Arc style hair, singing in some language that sounds like a mix between Japanese and Russian. 

“She’s new,” Namjoon tells me, his mouth right next to my ear, and I nod - technically they’re all new to me. 

An idea pops into my head and I stare at Joon for a couple of seconds before opening my mouth, “Are you going to perform? Is that why you brought me here?”  

He has answered my question before he even opens his mouth, his lips vibrate before he cracks up, holding his stomach tight while he laughs. “It was a serious question, Joon,” I say sourly. 

“I’m just here to enjoy the show,” he nods at the stage, staring at the girl for about five seconds, seeming utterly disinterested.

“How long now?” He asks Hoseok, who’s in the middle of doing the sprinkler in front of some other guy, who I don’t know. 

Hoseok glances at his watch, “Not that long.”

And as if on queue the lady from before appears as the girl finishes her last song. “Are you ready?” She yells into the microphone, making everyone around scream incoherently back at her.

“Ready for what? A space invasion?” I murmur to myself, which neither I nor anyone around me can hear.

“Give it up for Gloss!” She practically screams into the microphone and I have to press my hands against my ears from the outbursts of screams and whistles around me. 

A sudden darkness settles over the large room, and the room grows silent. The sound of footsteps echos from the speakers as a dark figure in a black hoodie, denim jacket and a yankees cap walks to the center of the stage. The performers face is hidden behind a mask that looks like something straight out of the Purge; neon purple crosses over his eyes and a skull like mouth.  

The crowd draws in a collective breath as he lifts the neon green microphone to his lips. he breathes three times, causing the tension in the room to thicken until even I can’t deny that I’m intrigued. And then he explodes and the crowd becomes alive again; moving and breathing along with him. 

 Previous part // Part 5 // Next part

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[salandy-andi]

*holding u at finger-gunpoint* sir please talk about ur ocs At Once o(〃＾▽＾〃)o

( ⁄ ⁄>⁄ ▽ ⁄<⁄ ⁄) it’s super fucking long so. i’ll happily infodump about more specifics if anyone asks

nweom is the story i’m currently working on,,, i’ve been at it for.. a longass time tbh ahgjgksfl. nweom stands for “northwest emporium of magic” because that’s where the story takes place!! 

basically, alternative planes of existence are found around 1800s-ish so now they’re sorta part of society. there’s five planes, four of which are stacked on top of each other like a cake- the fifth is kind of like the frosting for the cake, surrounding the other four. i use cake metaphors a lot in this story. 

the top plane is what we know- Earth, humans, stuff like that. appropriately named “The Human Realm.” this is, of course, where humans originate from. 

the one beneath the top is a world filled with mystical creatures, along a delightfully bright landscape of colourful trees and glowing skies. dragons, wizards, centaurs, etc. stuff like that. called “The Magic Realm”

the third one is “The Fairy Realm.” this world is one giant forest, with a giant tree growing through the entire planet. Fairies, Fae, and Pixies- which are all different, btw- hail from here. depending on how close to the giant tree you are, the residents come in different sizes. closer to the middle you get small ones, while the farther out, you have human-sized ones. 

the fourth, and bottom, plane is “The Demon Realm”. it’s hell. but it’s actually pretty cool and nothing like what people say it is. “Hell” is just a nickname given to this place for it’s likeliness to the Christian concept. there’s two main races that come from here, the Demons, and the Demonoids. Demons are what you’d expect- horns, wings, sometimes fangs and tails, sometimes more eyes than able to count. that kinda thing. Demonoids are the same thing but like, cats and dogs, but Hell Version(tm). 

the outside plane... “The Outside Realm.” only one creature comes from here, aptly named Void Walkers. they are the only ones capable of opening rifts between the planes without a machine, and can do other feats deemed near impossible. they’re lowkey overpowered. they also glow in the dark,,

i have six main characters, and i’m reworking stuff for them so if you’re a long-time fan of mine(lmfao), there’s gonna be some inconsistencies:

Esther Jones, who is the main protagonist. she/her, mid-20s, human. she’s a recovering shut-in who gets a job as a janitor at the main setting, The Emporium. she’s determined to better herself, but she’s cold to strangers so it takes a bit to befriend her. she thinks a job as a janitor is perfect for her because she... likes cleaning? weirdo

Cardasha/Cardy, who i’ve forgotten the last name. uh. she/them, mid-20s, shapeshifter. she’s very peppy, and is Esther’s neighbour. they love to dress up, but they don’t actually need clothes because they’re a shapeshifter. she is aspiring to be a model/actor. loves her friends so fucking much. *slaps top of cardy* this girl can fit so many secrets in her.

Nes Adriens, a mischievous amnesiac. they/them, late-teens, fairy(human-sized). they’re quite the handful, and honestly get on the nerves of lots of people. but they love their friends. they’re very full of themselves, and try to get treated like a monarch. they also LOVE conspiracies- touch phone telephone up in this bitch. they work in a plant shop at the NWEoM. has glow-in-the-dark freckles :D

Maka Ajam, a super-strong kid. he/him, late-teens, demon. hella gay. hella trans. he is like a brother to Nes, and is their best friend. these two are nearly inseperable. Maka is a sweetie- but he has a huge jealousy problem. he works as a heavy-lifter wherever he’s needed, because he has super strength. he’s very small, even Nes is taller than him. loves researching conspiracies with Nes, but doesn’t really believe in most of them. he’s supposed to have wings & a tail, but nobody’s ever seen them. 

Kenneth Adriens, a powerful and supposedly wise fire wizard. he/him, late-forties, human(+magic). his mother is a fire elemental, and his father is a human, allowing him access to incredibly powerful fire magic. he’s been through hell and back(literally and figuratively). he adopted Nes after they started following him around as a child. has problems. can’t stop becoming a father figure for everyone on the main team. works as a security guard, secretly lets kids steal candy. is unnervingly close with the owner of the NWEoM. 

Ruby Zhu, a mysterious, winged woman. she/her, mid-20s, demon+human. hella gay. hella trans. she thinks her appearance is scary, but loves to cuddle. will 100% fight someone if they mess with her or her friends. she was.. friends* with Esther in highschool(*hella gay). disappeared for a few years. supposedly used to be a human. 

anyways ily thank you for letting me infodump i love my ocs and i want to talk . about them more ahJKHFSJ

[ancient-artificer]

Treasure Hunters: Morgan’s Lost Chest

A Gajevy AU oneshot mix of Pirates of the Caribbean and The Mummy. 

Two professional treasure hunters clash while they desperately seek the lost chest of the infamous pirate, Captain Morgan. During their excavation, they run into a little dead-end...

Rated M for language and possible frightening descriptions.

4k+ words. Also found on ff.net.

This is what happens when you eat too many chocolate espresso beans and ask chat for a prompt (thanks btw). Up all night writing due to heavy insomnia, unending inspiration, and literal magic beans.’

 Treasure Hunters: Morgan's Lost Chest

'Salty' wasn't a term used in his daily vocabulary, but Gajeel was sure it was a better word than what came to mind for the tiny spitfire currently berating his excavation team on the main deck. With a quick sigh, he tilted his head and emptied the soda can of its last drops.

The Sea Withers' weather deck carried the large various equipment needed to unearth what they all hoped would lead to the fabled Morgan Chest, reputed to have been lost for centuries when the pirate crew's mutiny went awry.

Golden treasure hidden away waiting to be uncovered sung its siren song.

When he approached the crew on deck, the woman - her finger pointed at one of his team member's chest- turned her attention to him. Her eyes darkened upon the sight. "You," she said with a low hiss.

He greatly wished at that moment that like the gold-laden chest, she too could have become lost. 

"May I help you?" He asked. His indifference to her plight was tinged with condescension. His brow furrowed as he put his hands on his hips.

"This is how you treat a colleague!? I worked my butt off to get the rights for this location!" She cried and moved towards him, and though he towered above her, she wielded the finger like a sword.

Gajeel watched the index finger wag at him, almost making him go cross-eyed. He then looked at her reddened face. "Levy, is it?" He started.

Her cerulean locks shook with her anger. "Do not 'Levy' me. I mean it."

He smirked. "I was here first."

Levy all but threw herself at him. "Of course you are! You stole my papers!"

A short sound came from his mouth as he corrected, "I commandeered them."

Levy looked as though she were about to explode. She balled her fists and cocked back ready to throw one when someone came up and redirected her.

Laxus held her away from his team leader as Gajeel called to drop anchor. He let her go to roughly pull herself away from him and righting her t-shirt in the process. A dirty look was all she could muster.

There was nothing she could do about the deranged crew leader and the theft of her hard-earned property. It was by all rights her claim, whatever should they dig up. Taking a deep breath, she tried to calm herself for the sake of their one goal.

"Alright, listen up ladies!" Gajeel called. He pulled his polarized sunglasses down to his face. "A-Team down to ground and scout, B-Team unload the ee-quip. Slow an' steady."

"What about her, sir?" Laxus asked. He gestured to the only woman on site.

Gajeel turned. He didn't want to have to deal with her griping about what he did or did not do. He shrugged. "She stays on the ship."

"I most certainly will not!" Levy shouted angrily.

"Fine," he snapped. He struggled not to roll his eyes. She was a definite pain in his ass and it wasn't even noon. "You can come. But no complaining. Stay on my six. I'm not gonna search for your body if you turn up missing."

Levy was already on the rope ladder on the way down to the small boat below as he spoke.

She, however, rolled hers.

"Gee, thanks. I'll keep that in mind," she said aloud, and then added quietly, "You butthole…"

Once they were on the shore, both teams worked to bring the equipment to solid ground. While they hauled the last of it, Gajeel let the gentle waves lap at his boots as he surveyed the length of the beach.

Most of it sand as far as the eye could see in either direction. Not more than forty yards inland the sand gave way to grass and trees. Further in was a mixed mass of rock and greenery of which the top could not be seen.

He slowly started up the sand towards a fallen tree trunk.

"Where are you going?" Levy asked. When he didn't answer, she pursed her lips and trudged after him, incoherently muttering along the way.

When she caught up with him, he was standing with one foot up on the log looking down at the map of the island in his hands.

"It's supposed to be here," he said to himself. His finger swirled over an area on the unfolded paper.

Levy peered over his arms to see where he was pointing. "How long do you think it'll take?"

"Dunno."

"Well, what do you think we should do first? I mean," she paused mid-sentence to swat at a flying insect crossing in front of her face. "Taking account for everyone on the payroll who follows us there."

Gajeel bit his cheek and then turned his head away from her to spit. "Dunno yet."

"I mean for tonight. For dinner and sleeping arrangements. It's not going to happen over-"

Cutting her off with a huff, Gajeel turned his head to her, the map crinkling in his fists. He seethed, "I don't know, dammit! And I'm not gonna know if you keep runnin' your piehole. I've never been here before, ya know."

Levy scowled at him and at the tone he used with her. She blew out a breath. "Neither have I but I did research before my approved documentation was stolen."

That piqued Gajeel's interest. He calmly looked at her.

"What kind of research?"

Levy opened her mouth to speak but promptly shut it. She gave him a sarcastic look -a wag of her eyebrows and a head tilt- and crossed her arms over her chest. She wasn't going to oblige if her questions would be waved off and ignored.

He shook his head, his eyes narrowed. "Naw, don't give me that bullshit. Since we have to work together, it's in your best interest to tell me everything you know. To help the rest of the crew. For a successful excavation."

She waved a hand out in front of her face and looked at him in her peripheral to see what he would do while she kept silent on her secret knowledge.

He didn't wait long. He breathed a rough sigh and let slip a quiet curse before going back to the map.

And she wouldn't tell him either. If he was going to be an asshole on all fronts, then some secrets were worth keeping to herself. And right now she was the only one she could trust. 

The sun disappeared beyond the horizon when the crew finished settling the main camp. Small tents were pegged in the stretch of green vegetation between the beach and the rest of the jungle-like terrain. The night air cooled the island considerably. It was something which Levy had forgotten to take into account when she bounded off in search for Gajeel's ship.

She sat shivering on the same log from earlier in the day in front of the lively fire. Focusing on the orange flames, she jumped when something soft dropped onto her head.

"Put it on before you freeze." Gajeel sat down unceremoniously beside her.

She uttered her thanks and pulled it over shoulders. Warmth quickly seeped into her bones. A deep breath drew in a fresh manly scent, which told her he had recently worn it.

A coffee mug in his hand, he sipped at it and cleared his throat, keeping his eyes on the burning wood. The two of them sat in silence for some time, listening to the camp crackle with the crew's intermittent conversations and the nightly music of the island's various insects and other wildlife.

Levy looked over at the expedition's captain. Her fellow relic hunter seemed to be the type to hate waiting on others but also refused to ask for help or directions. As much as she hated the idea of him taking her claims for himself, he had a point in that they were now in it together whether it was desired or not.

They had to work as a cohesive team.

"You wouldn't like it even if I told you." Her voice cracked when she finally spoke.

His immediate response to her statement told her he had indeed been waiting on her said research.

"That so. And what would that be?"

"It's said there's a curse on the gold, any who open the chest or touch its contents are doomed for eternal misery in Davy Jones' Locker."

Gajeel coughed down the hot liquid. He snorted back a laugh and caught her gaze, her eyes alight from the glowing fire. He asked simply, "And you believe that shit? Are you an archaeologist or a superstitious historian?"

The woman was slightly taken aback. "Do you really think I'd be telling a made-up story? There's proof in the texts I found in Port Royal."

His hard stare bore a hole into her skull. Ha ha. She was pulling his leg. She had to be. When she stared back just as hard, he knew she was serious. Turning back to the fire, he gave a smile and said, "There's no such thing as curses."

A cold wind brushed through the camp. It stirred the fire and blew the hair from both of their faces.

"The ocean wind from the beach," he said, a matter of fact. He sat back and stretched out his legs.

Levy pursed her lips and stood up. She raised her chin but squinted down at him. There was no way the impossible man would believe it without physical evidence, and there was no way of obtaining it.

He stared back with a smug expression and put his hands behind his head.

"I know what I read, Mr. Redfox, captain," she said, holding her arms tightly over her chest against the cold air. "I don't need or want your condescending-"

In her rush to leave, the toe of her boot caught part of the log that had rotted off. Before she could throw her arms out to catch herself, she stumbled forward in the direction of her broad-shouldered rival.

The coffee mug spilled its contents on the ground beside Gajeel as Levy's weight dropped straight down into his lap.

Standing one moment, the next she was gazing up at the surprise plastered on him. She was well aware of his arms tightly folded over her body.

He gaped wide-eyed. "You ok?" He asked.

"Y-yea," she murmured, still shocked at the sudden change. Her nose briefly grazed his cheek and she could smell the dried sweat on his skin.

And for some reason, it smelled good.

A blush crept into her cheeks. She scrambled to her feet, left as quickly as the dark would let her and hoped he wouldn't bring it up in the morning.

***

Gajeel observed with a heightened excitement as the last bit of debris was removed from the roped-off digging area. Three full days of digging away as much dirt as possible in the humid air had taken most of the remaining patience he had left.

The deep pit revealed what appeared to be broken bits of old pitch-covered wood. Pieces of frayed rope and other non-degradable material surrounded an old, half-buried chest. 

"Break out the cooler," Laxus called out. He stood above on the topsoil. He tossed their leader a glass container which sloshed with golden-brown liquid.

Gajeel untwisted the cap. "A round of Captain Morgan!" He exclaimed, then brought the bottle to his mouth for the first sip. He passed it to the closest man.

As he and the others celebrated their discovery, Levy felt an uneasiness. She had suspected some kind of supernatural boobytrap, but none came to slow down their progress. The lack thereof made her become overly cautious.

"Come on," Gajeel said to her without looking her way. No trace of their brief conversation the few nights before -and what had accidentally occurred between them- appeared to be of any concern to him.

Levy watched from her perch above them on the ground untouched by the digging equipment. Glancing around at the surrounding environment, she couldn't shake the odd feeling. She wanted to warn him again, but would her heed only fall on deaf ears?

"Gajeel, wait," she called anyways.

Standing by the chest and posing for pictures with other crew members, he seemed not to notice her. Only when the pit cleared away did he remember she had called to him.

He put one large hand on her shoulder and said, "We found it."

"Yes, I can see. Please don't touch it yet."

He huffed. "Levy, I'm telling you, there's nothing going to happen."

Despite his rebuke of the truth and reliability of her "research", he took his hand from her, but kept his other hand on his hip. With her experience in professionally recovering lost artifacts for science and the occasional museum, he let her take point to inspect it.

Levy approached the chest, assuming control of the situation. Bending at the waist, she put her hands on her knees.

Behind her came a clearing of a throat. Gajeel shifted his weight. He tried to not notice her short blue jean shorts rising up the underside of her thigh. His gaze averted, but only for a second. An inaudible grunt of slight arousal settled in his chest.

Oblivious, her eyes roamed over the old wooden box. Rusty iron strips were nailed into the decaying wood at the corners. Bugs crawled over parts around the bottom. It looked like anything someone could dig up if one went deep enough. The closer she got to it, the more it revealed of itself.

Walking around it and without physical contact with it, she closely inspected the front side. The standard keyhole lock from the era was missing. Red crumbly bits of rust settled on the iron rest where it would have been. A faint inscription was etched on the domed lid above the iron edging. A black substance stained its surface.

She frowned. Her stomach threatened to empty itself. The ancient documentation in Port Royal had to be accurate.

"What is it?" Gajeel asked.

Pointing, Levy read aloud the message carved into the rotten mahogany, "'Gold, silver, all treasures this chest has carried now lives to tell of souls long dead and tarried'."

Gajeel's brows furrowed. "The fuck," he grumbled. He quickly moved to her side, his eyes on their prize. "What does that even mean?"

He reached out a hand to flip the lid away to peer inside. Levy gasped and caught his arm, pulling it towards her.

"No! Don't do that!"

"Levy!" He roared in frustration.

One of the crew members hopped down into the pit. "If you two aren't gonna, let me, for fuck's sake..."

He quickly threw the lid back.

Levy, still clinging to Gajeel's arm, shut her eyes. Gajeel glanced down at her as she squeezed his limb tighter. Her forehead brushed against his bicep.

The crew member fell silent. No one spoke. The seconds that ticked by seemed more like minutes. Gajeel shifted his weight once again in his impatience.

"Well?"

The crewman's shoulders fell. His tone was one of shock. "It's empty."

Levy's eyes shot open. She spoke at the same moment as Gajeel.

"It is?"

"Come again?"

He shook off Levy's hold and was beside the brave crew member in one stride, dead set on seeing for himself. It had to be a joke. They spent way too much time and effort to come up short.

There was nothing inside. Not even dirt or sand.

Levy had hoped that despite the warning that there would lie some kind of treasure. It didn't have to be gold or other precious jewels or the like. She would have been ecstatic with an old half-filled journal. Or a comb. Or even a spoon.

She looked at Gajeel, defeated. "Now what?"

A dull, dumping sound filled the pit, like a pile of dirt dumped onto concrete. It gradually became louder.

A surprised cry spouted from the only person known to have touched what was supposed to have been a bountiful riches.

Gajeel looked in disgust at the crewman's arm as it turned a pale green with a shattered cracking pattern snaking across the skin right before his waking eyes.

He put his arm in front of Levy and backed them both to the excavation pit's edge. "Lax, are you seeing this?" His voice seemed both distant and as if he were shouting at the same time.

Laxus replied. "Yea…"

The others were watching the scene unfold, not knowing what was going on or what to do; obviously, no one had trained for something such as this.

The first mate hesitantly pulled the pistol from his holster and brought it up. He didn't want to point it at his friends, but what was happening below to one of them was not normal by any standards. "And I don't like it."

The man's skin went from the pale green to gray, the cracks webbing out began to widen, until one of his wrists severed from the rest of the lifeless limb. The man who had opened the chest was decaying at an unbelievably fast rate.

Levy abruptly turned upon the realization. She made a grab for the hanging rope ladder. Her breaths came shallow and hurried, her only thoughts were of getting out unscathed.

The crewman's face began to change colors. He twitched and jerked while the deterioration accelerated. One of his kneecaps slid diagonally down to the side, causing his leg to turn unnaturally when he attempted to take a step. When he moved his head, the gray skin cracking like dried mud broke loose. The mandible beneath unhinged itself from the skull, permanently propping open the man's mouth.

"Climb faster," Gajeel murmured.

The undead stepped out in his direction.

"Faster, Levy," he repeated with more force.

His colleague was halfway up the ladder. He shoved his hand upwards and cupped one of her ass cheeks, pushing her the rest of the way so he could begin his ascent to get the hell out.

Once she was at the top, a gunshot fired once and echoed into the rest of the island. Levy turned to see Gajeel hurrying up the ladder and the undead shipmate now without an arm on his way towards them.

Laxus fired another shot that missed.

"Has anyone else touched the chest?!" Levy shouted. Goosebumps traveled down her arms and legs. She hoped and prayed it was just the one.

If others had as she suspected, no one confessed. A commotion of mixed shouts and warnings came from the campsite. A few crew members cleared out of the way before the same thing that had just occurred in the pit began to eat away at two more.

Morgan's curse was spreading.

Gajeel scrambled to his feet once he reached solid ground. He yanked the ladder out in case the undead could come up after him. The rotted body loosed a sound that would have been a snarl and clawed at the dirt wall.

"So much for buried treasure, shoulda known," Gajeel roughly spat. In two quick strides, he was right next to Levy. 

She gave him a disapproving look. "I tried to tell you."

"Yea, yea." He took her hand and swiftly guided them away from the excavation pit.

The main camp was in disarray. The undead was numerous, turning the others who had ignorantly treated the dig site as every other they previously created.

"We gotta get to the ship before they do."

A half snarl growl from the freshly dead warned Gajeel of its proximity in time for him to snatch up one of the cooking pans by the fire and connect it with the side of its ugly, deformed face. The remnants of their earlier breakfast unstuck itself to snag on the zombie's protruding nasal bone.

It fell to the ground, but of course, nothing could kill an undead in this case, given that it was unleashed via a curse.

He picked up another pan and shoved it into Levy's hand. "It won't kill them, but it'll keep you alive," he stated. He gave her a hard, meaningful gaze, shifting to both of her eyes. "Stay on my ass, Lev."

At her nod, he looked both ways for incoming bogeys and then rushed forward in the direction of the beach.

Gunshots echoed, screams and shouts of men running for their lives met their ears. They lept for the grassy trail which led straight for the ocean. Skinny tree trunks and other tall plants flashed by in a blur as they hightailed it, as fast as the overgrown vegetation would allow.

Gajeel used his pan like a sword and wacked two unsuspecting undeads clear off their broken feet. Bits of dust plumed out in small clouds from the contact made with his makeshift but effective weapon.

When they reached the beach's hot sand, he looked over his shoulder. The fierce little woman abruptly stopped and swung her frying pan like a baseball bat at the zombie following close behind her.

She gave a short grunt with the effort. The bottom of the weapon smacked the unnatural creature, its head popped off and flew back the way they came. Dust clouded the air in her wake. The undead body crumpled in a heap to the ground.

A clean headshot.

The display of power greatly impressed Gajeel.

Her next step onto the beach was a stumble, but he was there to catch her in one of his arms.

"Careful," he murmured. His gaze lingered on her face as he set her upright.

She saw the look in his eyes. A red-tinged her cheeks. Before he could see it, she grabbed his arm with her free hand and gave a tough tug. Her voice was breathless, "We can't stand around, come on!"

They ran for The Sea Wither still at anchor a distance away in deeper water. The smaller boat they came to shore in sat untouched on the dry sand, the motor flipped upside down inside for storage.

When Levy bounded into it, Gajeel started to shove the boat towards the water. They heard a loud shout for them to wait.

Laxus lead a few others out of the fray. They wielded various objects from camp, frantically booking it over the loose sand. The first mate slowed to a stop and immediately helped Gajeel in pushing the large vessel.

The others threw themselves into the boat, breathing heavily, scared out of their wits. Odd weaponry lay on the boat floor: another frying pan, a shovel, a machete, a long stick, a foldable chair. She gave credit for creativity within the group of people still alive.

"Alright, let's get the hell out of dodge," Gajeel said to Laxus and nodded.

Two other crewmen pulled their leader into the boat while Laxus readied the motor by securing it onto its mount. He yanked the pull cord and it suddenly came to life. 

"What about the equipment? Everyone else still out there?" A man asked. He gripped his crowbar white knuckles.

"It's not worth the risk. Not right now."

With the motorboat gaining speed towards their ticket home, Gajeel looked back to see more decomposing bodies now emerging from the cursed island. He took a breath and turned to Levy. "Whoever's left isn't going to last," he admitted aloud for everyone to hear above the motor's roar.

Biting her lip, Levy had to turn away from the beach. She shook from adrenaline still coursing through her veins. The cold sea air didn't help either. She felt the warmth radiating from Gajeel when he sat next to her. What comfort she could feel came from him.

The boat slowed when they arrived at the ship. One by one they wasted no time in boarding the massive ship. The first thing he did after making sure what remained of his crew were safely aboard, Gajeel entered the bridge and created a distress call on the appropriate channels.

Levy sat in one of the main chairs and listened as he successfully made contact with the mainland. In her relief knowing there would be a rescue, her gaze shifted from the ships controls to the beach.

"Gajeel, y-you need to s-see this," she stuttered. Fear was again present in her voice.

He put down the radio and glanced up. He did a sharp double-take. "You gotta be kidding me! These fuckers can swim?!"

[death-himself]

Could You Meet Me Beyond the Grave?—Chapter 2

(previously known as Willow!Virgil)

previous next (AO3 Link)

Summary: The chapter in which Dee goes overprotective big brother mode and becomes a slight romantic cock-block

Pairings: Eventual LAMP/CALM, Remile, QPR RED

Word Count: 1,740

Warnings: Cursing, Child abuse (it’s the first paragraph in italics, you can just skip over it if that makes you uncomfortable), Nightmare, Deceit bein a big brother and mom (and also a bit manipulative)

(anything else you need tagged, let me know)

btw I’m thinking of changing the name of this story to something better than just Willow!Virgil by the time I get out the next chapter so be prepared for that

I woke up in the middle of the night to a prickling feeling running down my arm. I sat up, feeling the Braille as it formed. Looks like Roman was up at, I checked my clock, three in the morning again. I pulled out my pen, reading what he had written. When Roman's writing something at absurd times in the morning, it's usually meant for me.

"That guy at the store...who was that?"

"Which guy?"

"The one that led you away from me. Who said you had to leave."

"Oh, that was Dee." There was a pause for a moment. I couldn't help but wonder if he had passed out, before I felt more Braille form.

"...He doesn't harm you in any way, does he?" I blinked.

"No, of course not! He's basically my big brother. What made you think that?"

"Sorry, it's just...he seems a bit controlling is all. I mean, you're a grown man, and yet he's forcing you away from us! I mean, what do you have to fear?" A lot of things. I closed my eyes and wrote back. "Dee's overprotective, sure. But he's overprotective for a good reason. Get some sleep, alright?"

"...Alright. I love you, Stormcloud."

"I love you, too."

The next morning Roman and I had wiped away our conversation, only for it to be immediately replaced with Patton's excited scribbles, detailing a date at the mall they would be having, as well as his usual add-on asking me if I could go. This time I hesitated with my usual "not yet". I sat on the couch with Emile and Dee as reruns of Avatar the Last Airbender played on the TV.

It wouldn't hurt if I just went to the mall to meet them this once, right? So long as they didn't find out I was a Willow. All I have to do is wear those sunglasses and my scarf, and they won't suspect a thing. Roman didn't ask about the sunglasses last time, and I could just make up an excuse for the scarf.

The problem was sneaking out of the tower without Dee knowing. Luckily enough, I knew someone who knew exactly how to do that.

"Hey, where's Remy?" I asked, looking in the direction of Emile. He hummed, thinking. "Last I saw him he was in bed dealing with the aftermath of that shot of red bull and coffee grounds." I snickered, remembering last night when we had all begged him to put it down, with him of course not listening and downing three shots of the stuff before throwing up, and doing it again. "Oh, that reminds me! I should probably head up and get him some more water."

"I'll do that." I stood up, grabbing a water bottle from our supply and heading upstairs. I opened the door to Emile and Remy's room, being greeted by a loud, obnoxious groan. "We told you last night that this would happen. Did you listen? No! No, you didn't! Pay the price, bitch."

"Oh, shut up, you sleep-deprived raccoon. It's not like you haven't done this before."

"That's not the point." I handed him the bottle of water, sitting at the edge of his bed. I hesitated for a moment. "I could use some help." I asked quietly.

I heard him sit up, leaning closer to me. "What do ya need, babe?"

"I...I want to see my soulmates." The silence in the air was painful. I counted the seconds it took for him to process that.

"Look, Virgey, Dee's been trying to protect you for, what? 31 years? I get being excited about meeting your soulmates but...you saw how Dee felt about it earlier. Just wait until they're Willows, too, okay? Besides, I don't wanna betray him like this. I love Dee-Dee, and—"

"Come on, Rem, please? Just this once? They're already older than me, and if they die when they're like forty without me talking to them in person before then that's just gonna be really weird to think about and I mean sure I'm technically 50 when they're in their mid-twenties, but I'm biologically 19 and I don't know how this works and—"

"Okay okay! Calm down, gurl. Take a breather! Yeah, age when dealing with basically-immortal beings dating mortals is weird to think about."

"Like seriously, how the hell did you and Emile manage to die at the perfect time to make the two of you biologically the same age as Dee?" Remy laughed. "Luck and perfection, Virgey. Luck and perfection." There was silence for a moment, before Remy sighs, his arm wrapping around my shoulders. "I'll help you meet them." He then dramatically collapsed on the bed. "Now if only I could get rid of this sickness I feel in my stomach!"

"Get over yourself, Willows can't get sick like that." Remy whined. "You're no fun!" He giggled, then sat back up. "Alrighty, now here's the plan."

"Where are you two going?" I held back a shudder at Dee's words, his suspicious tone. Remy smirked next to me. "Don't worry, babe, we were just heading out to hunt. I'm not feeling all too good still, so Virgey agreed to come with me."

"Only to make sure you don't knock yourself unconscious with your damn sleeping gas." I muttered just loud enough for Dee to hear, just as Remy had told me to. Remy pretended to act offended.

"Ah, very well then." Dee spoke. I couldn't read his emotions, something that put me a bit on-edge. "Be careful, okay you two?" Emile asked, running over. I heard the sounds of him and Remy kissing. "I will, don't worry, babe. I'll make sure Virgey's nice and safe." We walked out of the tower in silence.

"Holy crap we actually did it." I whispered once we were all the way out of the forest surrounding the tower. Remy laughed joyously. "What did I tell you?" I gulped. "This is the first time I've really gone against him." Remy paused, letting out a small breath in disbelief. "31 years. And you never tried to go all 'teenage rebellion' on him?"

"Fuck no! Have you seen him when he's upset?" Remy hummed.

"I always found him shrieking to be kind of hilarious."

"You're weird, man."

"No you."

I ran a hand across the Braille on my arms. I had told my soulmates that I'd be able to go if we had the date be at sunset. After the expected vampire jokes from Roman, they all excitedly agreed. Now I just hoped that I wouldn't have to go back on this.

We reached the mall and stepped inside. They had said they would be waiting on the first floor, near the escalators. After Remy asked a security guard for some directions, we began to head over. "I can feel you vibrating."

"I'm not vibrating." I say as I nervously adjust my scarf for the umpteenth time.

"Mhm. Sure you aren't."

The mall was a lot busier than I would have expected so late at night. It was possible there was some kind of event happening, but considering we never really went to the mall, I didn't know for sure. All I knew was that all the loud people and their different scents all melding together...it was quite overwhelming. I took a deep breath, calming myself down a bit. I had a feeling we were almost there.

Someone then grabbed me by the hand and pulled me to a halt. "What are you doing here?" I held back a yelp, Dee whispering harshly into my ear. Remy laughed nervously. "Dee! Em-Em! Hey..." Dee sighed, pulling me in the opposite direction. "Come on, we're going home."

"Dee! Let go!"

"Explain what exactly you are doing here."

"I...I just wanted to see my soulmates. Just once, I was gonna be extra careful." Dee groaned.

"Virgil, you are acting like an impatient child. Wait until they die and turn. Otherwise you could put all of us in danger. Is that understood?"

"Dee—"

"Is that. Understood?" I sighed. "Yeah. Got it."

I let Dee guide me out of the mall, feeling Remy and Emile next to me. Emile grabbed my hand and gave it a comforting squeeze. "I'm sorry, Virgey." We got back to the tower, Remy and Emile lying on the couch, Emile humming softly. Dee sighed and pulled me into a hug. "I'm sorry, Virgil. I'm just trying to look out for you. Please, just be patient, okay?" I nodded, allowing him to hold me for a few more moments, before he pulled away. "Let's watch some TV before heading to bed, how about that?"

"...Sounds good."

I heard the shatter of a plate downstairs, and felt the terror coursing through my veins. My heart was pounding as I curled up in the closet, covering my ears as tears streaked my cheeks. Screaming came from the kitchen, and another plate shattered. I felt my blood go cold as I heard the loud THUD THUD THUD of boots stomping up the stairs. I wiped away my tears frantically, holding my breath. I bit my finger, holding back a whimper as my bedroom door swung open. My father pillaged through my room, before he stopped.

The footsteps came over to the closet, the doors thrown open. I felt my shirt being grabbed at the front, and I was lifted off the ground.

I shot up in bed, gasping for breath. I clutched at my chest, a strange relief going through me when I didn't feel a heartbeat. I waited until I stopped shaking, before slowly standing up and heading out of my room in the tower. I ran a hand across the wall, feeling the next door down and opening it, slipping inside. I walked over to the bed and lied down, curling up next to Dee. I felt him stir, before he sighed and muttered, "Another nightmare?" I nodded into his chest.

He wrapped an arm around me, pulling me closer and running a soothing hand through my hair. "Stay as long as you need."

I fell asleep to the cold of his body and the silence of his heart.

Dee ran a hand through Virgil’s hair, contemplating Virgil’s sudden change in behavior. He met one of his soulmates, then ran off to try and meet the rest. Dee sighed, hugging Virgil closer. “If this happens again,” he thought, “I may need to take some...extra measures.”

[abadassunicorntale]

Spoilers: Prt 1 Ch 1

Summary: reader meets John Smith, who is just as strange as she is by miracle or something else?

Warnings: language

Parings: 11 doctor/reader, reader/unseen character

Word count: 1619 words

A/N: sorry I drag this out a bit but I promise it’s going somewhere. BTW it’s a little dialogue heavy. P.S. I’m making the reader Pansexual so if you want you can imagine different genders on the people she dates.

 I check the list for the fourteenth time, ‘maybe mum was right I can’t even remember what’s on my grocery list for longer than two seconds, how am I going to handle living alone.’ I have just moved out, I’m 18, and ready to take on the world… ok maybe not the world but at least I can take on the shop, yeah that sounds good some, Mac and Cheese, a little bit of milk, and hand in my resume for a job. Todays gonna be good, as long as I can find a room mate, ‘NOPE! No bringing yourself down today, TODAY IS GONNA BE A GOOD DAY!!’

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

 Today sucked, I got the groceries, I got the job, but apparently I have to make rent tomorrow and without a roommate I can’t afford it! I just spent over $200 on a weeks worth of groceries, everything is over-priced! I should just curl up into a ball and die. *KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK* ‘What the hell,’ I open up the door to find an overgrown twelve year old wearing a fez, really? “Hi, I’m ummm, John Smith, yeah you seem the type,  I need to use your apartment for a sec, thanks”  

“wha-” He cuts me off mid sentence.

“Oh, wow, you don’t have much, do you? Not even a telly. Please tell me you have food like Jammy Dodgers, you can’t live with out them.” ‘Wow, ok he’s odd, I LOVE IT. Finally someone as weird as me… maybe weirder’ “Uh yeah I make my own bisquits so I don’t need to buy much baked goods.” I say trying to defend my dismal living state.

“Oh you bake goods for you, now do you have a window facing the west?” he asked, looking around.

“Yeah it’s that one.” I point to side window “it’s the one facing West.”

“Hahaha” he burst into laughter ‘wow, he actually laughed, ok granted it was an awesome joke, but nearly no one laughs at my jokes… mainly because I tend to repeat them, but that’s another story.’ He creeps over to the window and looks out of it.

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

I walk over with some tea and Jammy Dodger’s since he seemed to have such a preference to them, I notice he is holding a glowing stick? But decide to say nothing “so as this is my place and you’ve been sitting here doing god knows what,” I check my watch “for two hours and forty five minuets, what are you doing?” He looks at me as if he is considering something. “How do you feel about traveling to faraway places and different worlds?” ‘Oh wow not what I was expecting.’

‘Are you giving me an opportunity to run away?” He started to smile even wider, “Maybe.” He said one word as if he held the world in his hand. An image of my tiny little cutie of a nephew, pops into my head, and my face falls “I really hope you’re not, because if you were, I would do something incredibly stupid. I would actually go and… I can’t. I just moved out and I think my mum would have an aneurism if I ran away now, and I really think that if I left I may never come back.” His smile faded and he went back to looking out the window. “You know if you spend any more time here I might have to start making you pay rent.” I joke hoping that will lighten the mood. “REALLY!” he said, his face lit up. ‘Oh shit I was joking! Well I do need a roommate, and who better than some weirdo who has been looking out my window for almost three hours… This isn’t going to end well.’ “Ok sure, um we can split rent and yeah…” I say wondering if this is seriously happening.

“Great I’ll pay my rent once a month, by the way I may not be here all the time.” He says, running through all of it as if I would change my mind at any moment.

“Ok, wait why?” I question, trying to process this entire conversation and trying to remember where it began.

“Oh well… like I said I travel.” He muttered as if it explained everything. “No that’s not what I mean, if you’re always traveling why stay here?” I ask curiously. “I don’t know, I guess I just need something normal in my life.” He says frowning slightly.

“Pfftt…HAHAHA… and ... you think hahaha you’ll get that here!” I say trying to stop my laughter at the obviously serious situation ‘wow I am immature’

“Well maybe you remind me of someone.” He answers beginning to smile again.

“Who?” I manage to breathe out between laughing.

“I DON’T KNOW SOMEONE! Besides I just lost two people who are… were very special to me and I guess I need something stable in my life.” It was deadly quiet, he had a lot pressed deep, deep down. I hope all that pain doesn’t consume him; maybe we’re even more similar than I had realized. His smile returned as he said “So where do I sign.”

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

 “Y/N WAKE UP!” An unseen dumbass screams into my ear.

“WHAAAT! WHO! WHERE!” I scream jumping off the couch looking around “YOOOOOOUUUU!!!!!” I yell seeing John, my bow tie wearing idiot of a best friend is back I turn around and see another familiar face“ALICE! How are you!” she seems shocked, weird

“I’m… good, how are you.” She says carefully.

“Great, guess what!” Silence answered me, people have long since given up on trying to get inside my head, John used to try, bless his soul. “I was invited on a date. They are the cutest thing, so sweet but with a bad streak. You know because I always pick the healthy relationships… we’ll probably end up killing each other but they’re just so… so” I repeat trying to find the right word.

“Cool?” Great he’s got that grin again, I hate that grin.

“I was trying to avoid” I fake a shudder “That, word, so I will just go with awesomely amazing.”

“yep this is going to end terribly, remember the last time?” John has gotten used to my dating habits, but he’s never even been in a relationship as far as I know so he can just shut it.

“Yes-” I begin

“And the time before that.” John continues.

“Yes but-” I continue

“And the time before that.” John repeats

“Yes!” I yell trying to get him to stop

“And the time before that.” He begins to wear a smug smile.

“YES OK, I GET IT. I suck at picking the right person, but maybe I don’t want something long term.” I finally get in.

“Oh yes the ‘I’m never getting married and I’m never having kids but I will still coo at every baby and cry at every wedding’” He says using a poor imitation of my voice.

“Ok, first of that sounded nothing like me, and secondly Alice you’ve been really quiet, usually you would have taken one side or another, or made one your self. Are you sure you’re ok?” Alice’s eyes widened, she looked to John as if to ask for help, he just shrugged ”Well I guess it’s ok to not want either of those things but still enjoy them, but a long term relationship doesn’t have to end in marriage and it’s a really nice thing to have someone there who will love you through thick and thin, even if you know it will end, it’s just nice.” She says trying to defuse the tension.

“Mmm, that does sound nice, shame I suck at picking ‘em, see ya.” I say as I walk out the door.

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

 “Now where have you been?” John says trying and failing to act responsible.

“It’s 9:00pm I was gone an hour and a half! What do you mean where have you been?” I yell completely pissed off at the world.

“I was kidding, wait … what happened?” he asked shocked

“Well…” I began

“ALICE TALK ABOUT GIRL STUFF WITH Y/N!” John screamed with his usual, oh god, get away, attitude.

“What!” Alice and I scream simultaneously, alas he was already out the door before I could kill him.

Alice shuffled awkwardly before asking “So what happened?”

“The usual they treated me like they were better than me, and I made my sense of injustice vocal.” I sigh defeated.

“oh… did you punch them?” She says, smirking.

“I wanted to, but no I kept myself under control thank you very much.” I reply proudly.

“that’s good… wait have you punched someone before!” she laughs shocked.

“Mmaaaayyyybbbeee” I giggle, enjoying the conversation.

“Oh my god, y/n, why.” Alice gasps shocked.

“She was a jerk and she deserved it, you should have heard the things that bitch said.” I respond in defense.

“Was this before or after you punched her?” she asks getting caught up in the drama that is my life.

“Nah, but socking her in the face seemed to shut her up.” I say chuckling at the memory.

“HAHAHA, then what happened?” she asked.

“I stormed out of there and ate ice cream and watched Marred at First Sight.”  I replied.

“Whats that?” she asked confused.

“The greatest show to make fun of, don’t worry, I’ll show you.” I say already going for the wine.

“Now?” She asks excited.

“Sure.” We watched the drama that these poor idiots put themselves into and laughed until John came back looking panicked and he told Alice they needed to leave. You know, Alice was acting real; it gives me an odd sense of Déjà vu.