#hi yes this is short but I don't know marin that well so I didn't want to assume too much! I can always change it if you want me to!

[wehavefoundthestars]

"Ask for forgiveness, never permission." (Marin, again, Hogwarts or otherwise)

"Is this how you justify breaking and entering each time you do this?" He questions while watching her slightly in awe. Marin was doing it with such ease and confidence that it was obvious this was not her first time doing this. Unlike him, who was shifting from one foot to another while nervously looking around expecting to be caught any moment. Whether it was Peeves or Filch or one of the professors he felt way to exposed like this. "Can you hurry up?"

[cloudzoro]

Boss | Smoker ♡

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genre: smut (minors dni)

pairings: smoker x fem reader

wc: 1.4k (short and sweet)

cw: fem!reader, relationship between boss and subordinate, office sex, dialogue heavy

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this was actually requested as part of my prompt event !

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Your boss, Smoker, had sounded irate when he had called you to his office via transponder snail. A mission clearly hadn't gone his way, and you wondered why he would need your assistance. You were a marine captain; you had initially joined the Marines to make some money for your low-income family back home and naturally just worked your way up the ladder.

You were in the middle of a horrible date when Smoker called you in, so you considered it a blessing in disguise. Your heels click on the floors of the marine base as you approach the doors of Smoker's office. When you push the doors open, Smoker is sitting in his chair with his feet kicked up on the desk, jacket completely removed, leaving him shirtless. It's wholly inappropriate to ogle at your boss, but the smirk on his face tells you that he doesn't really mind.

“The fuck are you wearing?” he asks, eyes raking over your body.

“I was on a date”, you say, and the cocky smirk immediately falls from his face. “The guy was a loser, though, so I'm glad you called me in”, you add, feeling more at ease when his scowl relaxes slightly. There's a beat of awkward silence before you speak up again.

“Why did you call me, Vice Admiral Smoker Sir?” you ask. Smoker clicks his tongue at the added titles.

“How many times have I told you, Captain? You either call me Smoker or Sir. Pick one and stick to it,” He instructs. You nod obediently, muttering a ‘yes Sir’. Smoker pushes his chair back slightly, planting both heavy boots on the ground, and gestures for you to sit on the edge of the desk. “Mission didn't go well today. There were a lot of shitheads who couldn't follow basic instructions. They let a target get away, and the blame for their fuck up fell back on me,” he grumbles, gently placing his warm palm on your thigh. “I need my most trusted subordinate to make it all go away.”

“Yes, Sir” He leans back in his chair as you launch forward, taking the cigars from his mouth and placing them in the ashtray on the desk. You watch him exhale the last of the smoke as you strip down. This relationship started several months ago, and though it's so wrong to fuck your boss, it feels so good. Once you're down to your underwear, you lean in to aggressively kiss him. He shamelessly moans as he pushes his tongue into your mouth. One of his hands comes up to grip the back of your head, and the other grabs the back of your thigh to pull you onto his lap.

You break the kiss, only to trail your lips down his neck. His shameless grunting as he bucks his hips up against yours has you uncomfortably wet. He's not subtle about his affections for you, and you know deep down you have genuine feelings for him, but he's your boss and a Vice Admiral. That's why you spend useless time going on dates you don't want to be on in hopes something will click and the thoughts of your muscular, sexy, caring boss will go away. Nothing has worked; you're still helplessly infatuated with him, and when he touches you, you only fall deeper.

“Please, Sir, I need you”, you whine as he slips a finger beneath the crotch of your panties, pressing his knuckle into your wetness.

“Yeah? You want me?” he asks, gripping the fabric and tearing it from your body, leaving you completely naked. “Well, if you want me so bad, come and get me,” he says, leaning back but keeping a hand firmly on your hip to steady you. You reach down to the button of his trousers. You momentarily stop yourself, realising that, as much as he may say so, he'll never be yours the way you want him to be. You shake off your thoughts and continue unbuttoning your boss's trousers.

Smoker, ever the perceptive man, notices your hesitation and grabs your arm, making you look up at him.

“What's wrong, y/n?” the use of your name instead of a title throws you, and you're not sure what to say next. You think that now, stark naked in your boss's office, isn't the right time for a confession, but Smoker knows you well enough to tell when you're lying.

“I want you, Sir. As more than whatever this is. I have feelings for you but we're coworkers, and technically speaking, you're my boss, so I know nothing can happen between us. This is so wrong.”

“So unprofessional”, he cuts off your confession. His tone is teasing, and there's a big smile on his face. His sarcastic comment shuts you up, and he rolls his eyes.

“Y/N, are you a grown-ass woman?”

“Yes, Sir”

“Do you want me as a life partner, not just as a Vice Admiral?”

“Yes, Sir”

“Please use my name and not my title when we're speaking about this”

“Sorry, sir- I mean Smoker.”

“Good. Do you want me to plant your cute little ass on my desk and fuck your brains out?”

“Fuck yes”

The grin that splits across his face as he lifts you and places you carefully at the edge of his desk is reflected on your face. Smoker is right; you're a grown ass woman who can make your own decisions.

“That's my pretty girl,” he says as he pulls his cock free from his trousers. He slides it between your folds, coating it in your juices. He's teasing you, pressing the head of his cock to your hole, then pulling away. You arch your back, trying to follow him.

“Please, Smoker, just fuck me. I need your cock” He leans down to kiss you, and it feels completely different from anything you've felt when he's kissed you before. There's a real spark behind it. He slowly pushes his cock inside you, cooing at you as you adjust to the sheer size of his cock. When you're all ready, he starts trusting, pulling his hips back and heavily snapping them back into you. You're sure you'd be sent halfway across the desk if Smoker didn't have such an iron grip on you.

“How could you ever think you couldn't have me when you're clearly made just for me? Don't you feel that, sweet girl? Feel how perfectly we fit together?”

You're overwhelmed by how quickly everything has happened. Minutes ago, you were agonising over not being able to have Smoker, and now he's fucking your brains out and confessing he reciprocates. You're close to the edge, sensitivity heightened by emotions and how your boyfriend talks to you.

“I promise you. After I make you cum on my cock, I'll get you dressed and take you home so I can fuck you nice and properly in an actual bed. And I suppose we can talk about our relationship too,” he grunts out, struggling to talk while your pussy clenches around him.

A well-aimed heavy thrust sends you over the edge, and you pull Smoker into a passionate teeth-clashing kiss. He soaks in all of your moans, considering them a confirmation of his promises. When he pulls away, pulling his still-hard cock out of you, you whine and go to protest that he hasn't cum yet, to which he grabs your chin and tilts your head up towards him. He quickly pecks your lips before assuring you he'll be taken care of when you get home. He helps you redress, tucks himself back into his trousers and grabs his bag to walk home with you. When he gets to the door, he stops, turning to push you up against the wooden slats.

“Listen to me, Y/N. Don't listen to what anyone else has to say. We're both grown ass adults. All that matters is what I think and what you think. I think I like you, and I wanna take you home. What do you think?”

You pretend to think about it, teasingly tapping your chin as if pondering his question. He scoffs at your behaviour, rolling his eyes before breaking into a soft smile, giving away that he finds you amusing.

“I think I'd like that,” you say, grabbing his hand and letting him pull you out the door.

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tag list: @bloodfixnd @sexysapphicshopowner @beachaddict48

taglist is always open!

[writtenjewels]

This Year and Next

Salim was happy that Nick invited him to the New Year's Eve party, but he didn't think he would be able to make it all the way to midnight. The only times he ever managed it were fueled on adrenaline—such as those hours spent in the House of Ashes. This was a much more relaxed atmosphere, light everywhere, safely surrounded by friends.

He stepped out at one point, hoping the cold air would wake him up. He was pleased to see Jason had the same idea. The younger man was wearing a hat, of course, though it was one of those garish hats with gold glitter decorating it. It seemed so unlike Jason that Salim couldn't help laughing.

“Yeah, I know, the hat's stupid,” Jason said, the corner of his lip curling up. “But it's only once a year.”

“I'm just jealous I don't have one,” Salim replied.

“You could always get those stupid glasses,” Jason suggested. “I think Nicky bought a bunch of them.”

“I'll consider it.” A comfortable silence fell over them. Salim took in a deep breath. “The stars look different, don't they?”

“Yep. Ain't gonna see them the same way ever again.” There was another silence and then Jason added, “There's a lot of shit I see different these days.”

“Such as?” Salim prompted when Jason didn't elaborate.

“Me, for one.”

“In a good way, I hope.”

“I think so.” Another short silence filled in. “You wanna go back in?” Jason asked after a moment.

“Maybe later. I'm enjoying just being out here.”

“Company ain't half bad, either,” Jason said. The comment made Salim smile. He turned and met the former marine's eyes. No, the company wasn't half bad at all. The two stood together for a few more moments before Jason spoke again. “So there was somethin' I wanted to do before the new year...”

“You don't have much time left,” Salim teased him.

“I know. I've had to sorta work up to it.” Jason shifted on his feet and fidgeted with his hat. “But I figured if I waited, then it wouldn't be as... serious.”

“I'm not sure I follow,” Salim frowned. “It isn't like you to be so hesitant.” Except with things that mattered, that were deep and personal and made Jason vulnerable. “Go on,” Salim encouraged gently.

Jason suddenly reached out to grab handfuls of Salim's shirt, pulling him forward and landing a kiss on his mouth. He only had a few seconds to realize what was happening before the kiss broke and Jason was backing away. Salim just stood there, unable to form any thoughts.

“I wanted to see how it felt. If I waited until midnight,” Jason explained, “it wouldn't have felt the same. It would've been just another New Year's kiss. I shoulda asked,” he said with an apologetic duck of the head, “and not just laid one on ya.”

Salim's brain finally started working. Just moments ago, Jason said he was seeing himself differently, and now he said he had been working himself up to this moment—to kissing Salim. It wouldn't be honest if Salim claimed he thought the same things, though only because he didn't think it was possible. Too many things got in the way.

And yet here Jason was, only hours away from a new year, taking that step.

“Well,” he said at last. “You could ask me now.”

Jason tilted his head up to look at him. The two men were still for the space of a few heartbeats.

“Do you want me to kiss you, Salim?” he asked softly.

“Yes.” Salim cupped Jason's face. “This year, and next.”

And Jason did.

[maya-caffrey]

Good Night

trope: 'too many beds' from this here list

words: 1.7k (bigger next time, promise)

pairing: neal caffrey x reader

fandom: white collar

warnings: language, maybe? this is a fluff/crack fic, we are here solely for the vibe; ps- the fic is from the reader's pov

Only God knows why this stakeout required having to stay at a motel. Not a hotel, god, no. Because after years of authorizing literally a shit ton of money for cases, now is when Hughes decided to be financially responsible. Screw you, dude. Also thanks for hiring me I love working white collar.

Anyway, this means that I get to spend the night at this dingy motel on a highway almost outside our jurisdiction with none other than everyone's favorite convict (said with hate and sarcasm), Neal Caffrey.

Am I mad about it? Why, yes. Yes, I am. Not just at the fact that literally anyone could have gone in my place but they insisted I go, but also at the fact that I just so happen to absolutely despise spending time alone with Neal. Ok fine, I may have a teeny tiny crush on him, a really small one that makes it hard for me to work with him because it makes me act stupid.

cut to flashback

I was taking a file to Peter's office when Neal saw me and walked over to me with two cups of coffee in his hand.

"Hey, (Y/n)! I got you coffee from that place you like."

A normal person would have accepted the cup, thanked him, and walked away. Am I that kind of normal? God, no.

I looked at him like he had threatened to kill my dog, and said, "I stopped drinking coffee this morning," and took that cup, threw it in the trash next to me, and sprinted the rest of the way to Peter's office. This poor man just stood there, confused.

and we're back

So, yes. This was on Monday so he'd had a couple days to really let it marinate. I was driving to June's place to pick him up when it dawned on me how painfully silent this car ride could be. Instead, the minute he got inside the car, he started having a normal conversation with me like I hadn't trashed his coffee a couple days earlier.

If he noticed the tension in my voice, he didn’t let on. Instead, he just kept talking, filling the car with this easygoing chatter about everything from Peter’s latest case blunder to some new exhibit he wanted to check out. It was almost like he was doing it on purpose like he could sense that I was trying to avoid looking at him, trying to act casually. But, of course, he could act casually—he was Neal Caffrey. I was the one whose brain short-circuited at a simple gesture he'd do for anyone, maybe.

Finally, after ten minutes of me grunting and nodding like some sort of malfunctioning robot, he looked at me with a knowing smile. “So, we're just going to pretend you didn't toss my coffee in the trash?"

Oh good lord what fresh hell is this? How am I supposed to respond to that? Oh, that? sorry, I love you.

"I panicked, okay? It was a reflex!"

"Your reflex was to throw my coffee in the trash?"

"Hey man, I'm the new girl, I don't have friends yet. I'm not used to people being all..."

"All what?"

"Nice!"

"You're not used to," he trailed off laughing that smug little laugh of his and continued, "I'll tell you what, the next time I attack you with my kindness, I'll warn you, deal?"

I am beyond embarrased at this point I could just crawl under my dashboard and die.

“Deal,” I managed, feeling my cheeks heat up. “But just so you know, I don’t respond well to... uh, unannounced niceness.”

He gave me this look, half-smile and half something I couldn’t read. “Duly noted,” he said, and his voice was softer than usual like he really meant it.

We drove in silence for a minute, which was worse than the conversation. I could feel the way his presence filled the car like he was everywhere and nowhere at once. And, as if he could sense I was desperately overthinking, he shifted in his seat, brushing a hand through his hair and watching me out of the corner of his eye.

“You know, I don’t bite,” he said finally, that playful lilt back in his voice. “Unless you’re into that kind of thing.”

My mouth opened and closed, and I just shook my head in surrender.

"Nope, no. We are not going there."

"Suit yourself. Get it? Suit yourself. Cause you're-"

"Yeah, Neal, I got it."

The rest of the ride went about as normal as it could. A few jokes here, some awkward silence there, a dash of bickering. I'd be lying if I said that I didn't enjoy it a bit. Before we knew it (we were painfully aware), we had reached the motel.

"Neal, you get the bags, I'll go get us checked in."

"Wait, why am I on bag duty?"

"Because I'm the agent. You're my bitch tonight." Was that too much? sigh

"Wow. Understood. So it's just all or nothing with you," he said in a fake hurt voice, clutching his pearls. Every time he sensed I was nervous, he tried to ease the air. I loved that about him. Asshole.

I laughed to lift the tension and gave in to his fake protest, but he insisted that he'd got the bags. I walked into the "reception desk" which was just a countertop with an underpaid employee behind it. Everything about this place made me feel like I could be mugged any second. I was not getting a single positive vibe from this place and I could not wait to go back home.

I walked over to the poor kid behind that desk and explained our situation and asked for a room. On account of the odds being in my favor as always, we got the last available room at the motel to which the receptionist guided me with as little enthusiasm as possible. Neal followed, with both our overnight bags in his hands. The receptionist handed the key to me and left without so much as a word, just an apologetic look.

I put the key in the lock and unlocked the door to find what I can only describe as... confusing. Not one, two, or even three. Eight beds, crammed into that tiny ass room. What the fuck.

"Hey Neal, quick question, do you see-"

"Yeah, I see it, alright"

"Good, so I'm not crazy."

“So… eight beds,” he said, almost like he was trying the words out just to make sure they were real.

I shot him a look, half-laughing, half-horrified. “Eight beds,” I repeated, my brain short-circuiting in confusion.

We both just stood there, staring, as if maybe the beds would magically explain themselves. They didn’t. And since the charming guy at the front desk was about as helpful as a damp sponge, calling for answers was out. Which meant we were officially stuck here in what I could only describe as the weirdest stakeout setup in history.

“Well,” Neal said, tossing his bag onto the closest mattress with a casual shrug, “at least we won’t have to fight over space.”

I rolled my eyes but couldn’t hold back a laugh. “You’re right; I don’t know how we’d survive otherwise.”

In the next beat, he’d grabbed one of the pillows and flung it at me, completely out of nowhere. It smacked me in the shoulder, and when I looked up, he was giving me that look—that smug, too-charming-for-his-own-good look that always left me just a little short of breath. “What?” he asked, feigning innocence. “Might as well make use of all these, right?”

“Oh, you’re asking for it,” I muttered, grabbing a pillow from a nearby bed and launching it back at him, fully prepared for war.

That kicked off what was, I’ll admit, a ridiculously fun half-hour of pillow forts and feigned ambushes across the bed maze. At some point, I found myself perched on one of the beds, trying to throw together some kind of barricade with a ridiculous amount of pillows while Neal “strategically” circled me with a smirk.

Then, because the universe hates me, there was a moment where he leaned in close, way closer than necessary to “take back” one of the pillows he’d flung. Suddenly, his face was right there, all blue eyes and easy confidence, and I froze, my heart doing this humiliating little flip. His hand brushed against mine as he reached for the pillow, and for a second, I couldn’t remember how breathing was supposed to work.

He moved in closer, his face dangerously close to mine, his eyes gazing right into mine, not faltering even for a second. His hand slowly reached for the pillow, but the rest of him stood there frozen, towering over me. I could hear his heartbeat just as loud as I could hear mine and my breath hitched, making me aware of the trance I was in.

He paused too, just looking at me with this amused expression that told me he’d noticed every single bit of my brain short-circuiting. Perfect. Just perfect. I could feel my face heating up, and I was about two seconds from combusting when he finally let out a soft chuckle, pulling away just in time to save what was left of my dignity.

“So…should I warn you the next time I invade your personal space?” he asked, clearly enjoying every second of my embarrassment.

I shot him the best death glare I could muster, though I knew I was blushing furiously. “Yes, actually. Please put it in writing. Triple signed.”

He laughed, plopping onto one of the beds across from me with that smug grin still plastered on his face. I tried to focus on the pillow fort, on anything but the fact that I’d just had a full-on breakdown over a single, stupidly close moment.

But of course, with my luck, just as things started to settle, the shrill beep of a radio crackled through the room, a reminder of why we were actually here. I sighed, letting reality pull me back, and Neal looked over at me, his playful expression fading into something more serious.

“Right. Stakeout,” he said, sounding only mildly disappointed.

“Yeah,” I replied, trying to steady my heartbeat. “Stakeout.”

We went about setting up our positions, his usual lightheartedness replaced by that sharp, focused energy he got whenever he was in “work mode.” But every now and then, his eyes would flicker back to me, a knowing smile lurking at the edges. And every time, I’d feel that stupid little flutter again, like maybe—just maybe—eight beds and a stakeout in the middle of nowhere wasn’t so bad after all.

[allmightskitten]

WIP Tagging Game 🙏🌟💞🌟

Thank you for the tag @physics-of-one-piece !!!! Wah, this is going to be fun, although this is seriously encouraging me to start new WIPs when I have so many I should be working on currently XD

Rules: make a new post with the names of all the files in your wip folder, regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous. Tag as many people as you have wips. People send you an ask with the title that most intrigues them, then post a little snippet or tell them something about it!

I'll only include One Piece WIPs on this list because that's the only fandom I use tumblr for!!Some of these are...certainly choices, but you know, I write for myself and anyone that will read it so here goes, from most normal to freakiest /but I won't be explaining the Freak in much detail xx

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1. 'Franky Is An Educated Man Who Knows How to Read' - T, Franky/Robin

this is part of my Strawhat-centric series luffy's band of shared braincells! So far the series only includes two Zolu works, but I always intended to expand it to cover a lot of different Strawhat dynamics, some platonic and some shippy. In that vein, this one is set immediately post Enies Lobby in a filler-epiosde style, featuring a newly-ordained-Strawhat Franky sort of finding his place in the crew and getting along with everyone. The 'plot' involves Franky getting off at an island they stopped at with Robin and Chopper who want to check out the famous library there for books on their specific fields. He thinks maybe he could learn something too so he joins them only to find himself getting irrationally jealous of how nice and cosy Robin is with Chopper to the point where she notices he hasn't flipped a single damn page in a long time and asks him if he can't read XD it's pretty much silly fluff like the two Zolu fics in the series, a genre I don't write unless I'm in the very specific mood for it which is why this is still sitting in the WIPs folder....

2. 'the future king of the pirates rides a water cow and other toursit-y scams' - G, Luffy & Zoro & Nami

This one's also set in Water 7 and in the same series! Water 7 is such a fun location, this fic is pure shits and giggles comedy and it centers around the romance dawn trio, because I love them. Like everything in this series it's a filler-style fic where not a whole lot of plot happens because the vibe here is just spending time with the Straw Hats! (still debating if I should sneak in some subtle romance dawn trioshipping...the live action made me ship it even though I didn't before...😭🫣 would be extremely subtle blink and you miss it type stuff, though!)

Ok now let's get a little freakier don't say I didn't warn you

3. 'journalistic integrity' - E, Sabo/Koala

I think I'm a bit obvious in corazon's flower shop diary that I ship these two but they're extremely background (like, 2 short appearances in all of 14 chapters so far??) in that story, I wanted to give them their own little spinoff :3 this fic is totally independent of the main story and pretty much stands alone. It's cliche romance spy thriller trope hell, here's what the summary reads, straight from the ao3 drafts:

4. 'I am not calling you a good boy doflamingo that Warlord meeting was shit' - E, Doffy/Tsuru

will this actually be the title when I post it? most likely yes unless I come up with an even more absurd one uhhh

Nothing to see here, just a strict Marine Vice Admiral putting a misbehaving annoying Warlord in his place!!! WELL deserved, if you ask me. Doffy is extra pathetic in this one I can't wait to post it 💞💖

freakiness level significantly up in this one

5. Zombie Apocalypse AU - Strawhats, Doffy/Rosi & Law

I honestly don't know if I'll ever pick this WIP up again, but I love zombie apocalypse settings so much I've written one in pretty much every fandom I've been in XD there's already a snippet of one of the dofcora segments in this series on my tumblr if anyone would like to read it!

definitely classifies as freaky because doffy has some weird mental cannibalism ķink and is constantly thinking shit like man I'd let rosi eat me if he turned tho among other questionable ideas

6. 'darling, dearest, heart' - E, Doffy/Rosi

Not revealing much about this one except that it's a little treat for when the reincarnation AU ends ;)

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I have a bunch of other WIPs but they're nowhere near being actually written so I left them out of the list, I've got some snippets up under the tag Abandoned WIP Graveyard on my blog for a few, though!

Thank you again for tagging me! I'm gonna tag @sugarpsalms @saraptor-art @heliostears @addict-with-a-unicorn @tavsianus @kookoofufu if they'd like to do this!! (No pressure though, only if you want to – hope you don't mind the tag!)

[princess-of-thebes-1995]

I want to really start writing love thy enemy chapter 2 but I don't know how to start it. The main point of chapter is done.

I guess I have to make this a drabble. I want to write how Reader Chan met Lyle Wainfleet.

It doesn't add up to the story. I don't want this scene to go to waste. Here you go.

You were admiring the cute little feline animal the Colonel caught for you when he was on tour in the jungle. After you began to date him. He made not only your life but your friend's lives good.

Like today, he and his elite team protected the some scientist while they collected whatever they wanted from the Pandora jungle. Risking their lives for a group of people they hate.

The Marine soldiers were curious why their leader was nice to those science pukes. Of course they couldn't ask their superior.

The Colonel was annoyed that you begged him not to make the relationship public. He felt offended. Were embarrassed to be with him? You told him how you wanted him to speak to your dad first and wait a few weeks. You never loved a man before. Minus the jerk who wanted to marry you back on Earth just for your pretty face. He broke your heart.

So, of course you have trust issues. The Colonel video chatted your dad. Your dad was actually upset. The Colonel was perhaps only ten years younger than him. Might as well be his younger brother and your uncle!

Your dad knew you liked older men. But not this old! But, your father remembered how like your mother. You and her were subjugated all their lives. A pretty doll. That's it. The young generations didn't value love and went for lust only. So, he reluctantly gave his blessings to the Colonel.

The Colonel didn't like your dad. Quaritch felt offended when he saw the rich man look at him with distaste. He didn't need to rub in his age.

Whatever. Your father was a handsome lad, Quaritch admitted. But, Quaritch also pitied the older man. He looked tired from all his philanthropy shit and childish optimism goals. Your father will kill himself from exhaustion.

Now, Quaritch would sneak around the base. Fucking the shit out of you whenever he had the chance no matter how busy you were with your work. He wanted to touch you in public like holding your hand and show affections and yes that included kissing.

From the what the Colonel told you, the feline cat already lost his mom. And you believed his men were not the reason for the mothers death.

So, you were playing with it while waiting for Max to record some video logs Jake was producing.

"Hey." A male voice boomed.

You looked up to see a shaved head Marine with muscles and tattoos. Is he a friend of Jake?

"Mind if I touch your pussy?" He grinned.

Everyone around the room became quiet. Your mouth dropped in shock. You never been insulted so bluntly and in public before. Not even on Earth!

The jerk snickered at your expression. "I meant your cat." He pointed at the now hissing feline.

You glared and stood up. He blinked and wondered what will you do. You slapped him! His face was moved to the side.

"Get away from her!" Jake yelled while he rolled his wheelchair over to you.

The bald guy turned his face back at you and held his hands up in mocking surrender. He told Jake that the Colonel wanted to speak with him.

They both left the lab and all your friends huddled over to comfort you. You were shaking and still scared that you were sexually harassed in broad daylight.

The Colonel spoke to Jake and then noticed something was off. Lyle and Jake never got along but the tension was worse. Whatever. He got enough problems on his plate.

The Colonel was upset that you were not in his office. It was his lunch break. He told you to meet him there.

He got annoyed when you didn't text back and he had enough. He rudely barged in the science wing of the other pukes. He ignored the stares when the other scientists noticed his presence in their lab bedrooms.

He kicked your door open.

He found you in your bed with that short and fat scientist Max and another female Medic rubbing your shoulder. You looked up with your teary eyes to see your secret lover.

The Colonel ordered your friends to leave.

"The Fuck were you?" His eyes softened when he saw your dead expression. Your boyfriend sat next to you in your bed.

You blurted what happened.

"What did the soldier look like?"

Quaritch was angry when you described him as his Marine.

You shrugged. "I don't know. He said you sent him to pick up Sully for a report."

In cold fury, Quaritch clenched his jaw. "Lyle." He hissed.

The Colonel grabbed your chin and made you look at him. "I am going to make us public. I don't know why you want to keep this a secret. You're not safe unless people know you belong to me."

Your eyes widened. It's too soon. You didn't tell your friends yet.

"But ..."

The Colonel's look made you shut up.

He told you how you are to go his room immediately. You better be there when he comes back. He will send female staff soldiers to bring your belongings to his quarters. Or should you say your quarters.

While you were waiting for your boyfriend at his room. The Colonel was looking for Lyle. He went to the gym. The bunks and then the pilot garage.

There stood Wainfleet and other soldiers.

When they saw the Colonel walk they saluted him with respect. The Colonel wordlessly punched Lyle in the abs which caused him to clutch his stomach from pain.

The others stared in shock.

"Stay away from my girl." Quaritch snarled as he looked down at Wainfleet's pathetic form on the ground.

Lyle looked up in confusion.

Quaritch explained. "Name belongs to me. If I catch you disrespecting her again you will be resigned from your corporal status."

He looked at the others. "That goes for the rest of you."

"Yes, Sir!" They said in unison.

You were sitting on the king sized bed of your new room. You watched buff female staff bring in your belongings and your cat was sleeping on your lap.

The Colonel came in and visibly relaxed after seeing you obey him. He didn't wait for the staff to leave. He sat next to you and kissed you. "I am sorry I couldn't protect you. But, it's your fault in a way. If everyone knew about us. They wouldn't hurt you."

You laid your head on his shoulder blade. "I'm sorry for being foolish."

He wrapped his arm around you. He knew the female staff would gossip. Good. Everyone must know who you belonged to.

He was still on his lunch break...

The Colonel smirked. He ordered the staff to leave and stripped you and noticed the cat staring at him as he nailed into you.

This was why the Colonel preferred dogs.

[morningstarfirstsin]

Shooting Stars (1/20)

(A/N: Many of my older works don't have proofreading and, well, I'm not a native speaker either. English is not my first language. Therefore, I ask for patience, but I believe you will find some grammatical errors here (and many more in older works).

That said, this text is interactive, giving the reader space to fit into the character, but she has a name and appearance, she is a transmigrant (yes, I know, but its my favorite trope and I almost never find any fics that fall under those terms :<)

There will be spoilers. There will be lore breaking. MC is female as the “real MC”.

I hope you like the fic. I hope it's as fun for everyone as it has been for me, marinating in this idea and finally having the willpower to write again. The tailcoat I was inspired by is this one here, from Alice in Wonderland )

Summary: You lived for them. You died for them. That was the only thing that made sense, the prophecy given to you said. You were sure of it. Live for them, die for them, make them happy. Let them live their lives with the ones they love the most and only so you'll be free to finally leave this looping of suffering.

You gave your heart, your soul, your life and your years. You gave your freedom so they could be free to love. Be free to live. And yet... Why is the story repeating itself?

Why are they coming back to you?!?

Pairing: Sylus | Zayne | Xavier | Rafayel | Caleb x female!reader

Important tags for this whole series: Angst, Fluff, Smut, reader is in denial, Past Lives, Mild Gore, Blood, Eventual Smut, Eventual Romance, Eventual Happy Ending, All love interests fall in love with reader, reader is not MC

Chapters: (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8) (9) (10) (11) (12) (13) (14) (15) (16) (17) (18) (19) (20) Read it on AO3

A tired sigh left your lips. As you hugged one of your swords and played with the small rabbit-shaped charm, time seemed to pass slowly, almost imperceptibly. The air felt still and heavy around the palace and as much as you truly wanted to make this story happen as fast as possible, it was basically impossible to rush things any further than they had already been rushed. 

The number of times you sat across from your MC and talked to her, tried to understand why she didn't accept either of Xavier's two marriage proposals, why she seemed to be so resistant to the prince when things should be so much simpler . 

Everything seemed so complex when, in fact, everything was supposed to be so easy and even so, the reason seemed to be invisible to the eyes of your creation. With another tired sigh, your eyes turned toward the tower clock. It was already more than 6 o'clock in the afternoon and the prince would soon leave the meeting he had been summoned to, so it was necessary to be prepared to assume the role of a watchdog once again.

Adjusting the black mask that covered from your nose to your chin, making half of your face unknown to absolutely anyone, you put away your sword  once again and stretched for a moment. Your muscles tensed and then relaxed. 

“Still guarding His Highness?” - A familiar male voice caught your attention. With a gentle smile on his lips, the boy who spoke directly to you was Jeremiah, one of Xavier's other royal guards and one of his best friends. He was adorable, even more so up close like that.

"Yes." - Despite your short answer and the robotic voice expelled by the mask, you held a look full of affection and sympathy for the boy. The process of being as cold and distant as possible was complex, especially in a world where you didn't belong and were desperately alone, but there was a reason for this behavior. 

Soon both Xavier and Jeremiah were preparing to take the long-awaited journey to the past and you would need to play an essential role when that happened. 

“Always monosyllabic. It's a shame you don't engage more than half a dozen words on a lovely day, Zero. I would really like to know a little more about you…” - And dramatically, Jeremiah threw his shoulders up, sighing deeply. - “Well, I'll leave before his highness thinks I'm interfering with your work.” 

And with a wave, the brunette walked in the opposite direction from which he had come, his steps as light as that of an experienced knight should be. 

That brought a thought to your mind. After so many years of training and scars that marred your whole body, you weren't sure how many times you had lived or how old you were in general. You stopped counting after the first two hundred, since in this life alone, you were almost sure you already had surpassed three hundred years old. The only thing you truly knew was why you were here and what your mission was. 

Ironically -or perhaps not-, after reading so many books and comics on this topic, something similar had happened. The weird part was that you didn't remember dying in your last life. Furthermore, some things still seemed to have survived in your memory. For example, here in the world of Love and Deepspace, they didn't speak your native language, no. They spoke what you called “common”, a language you learned as soon as you started speaking.

Another important point was: Your memory of this world began when you cried the first time, on your mother's lap. It had been many, many years. You have literally lived entire lives in completely different timelines. Lives where you were close to Rafayel, Zayne, Sylus and now, Xavier. It was strange to say that you didn't understand or know for sure which of these lives had been the first or whether what was happening at the moment was real or just a memory. But before your brain could get lost in any more wondering about questions you couldn't answer yourself, a noise caught your attention. 

With a click, the door opened, and from inside, some members of the imperial family began to come out. Xavier had been one of the last and, as usual, you started walking behind him without saying a single word. His gaze focused in search of any danger, despite his relaxed posture. 

“Zero…” - The prince called your name for what seemed like the first time in his entire existence. Now you were already away from any area where there were other passersby in the palace, even if you were still moving on your way to Xavier's room.

With a bit of shock, since the prince was usually indifferent and cold towards everyone he didn't consider close, you just nodded, still following behind the blonde, waiting for what he had to say. It seemed ridiculous that a wave was enough, especially when you weren't leading the way, but you knew the prince too well to know that he had seen your nod and, a few seconds later, as you arrived in front of his bedroom door, he invited you inside. 

Shaking your head in a negative manner, you remained outside, expression as neutral as possible, indicating that you would not enter. 

“I need to talk to you about… Well, you know about who. And I would like to do it in a way that I am comfortable with.” - his voice sounded tired, bordering on exhaustion and that was the only thing that convinced you to take a very hesitant step into the prince's room. 

"Thanks." - He said, closing the door and then going to sit on the sofa in the small leisure area that the immense royal bedroom offered. - “I don't know if I could say that you must be wondering a lot of things since… I don't think I even remember what your voice sounds like anymore. But... I'd like to ask you a favor. Certain things are going to happen and… I would like you to protect her. Never leave her side.”

Your gaze fell on the blonde's hands, fingers intertwined, muscles contracting with some anxiety. He was certainly talking about his farewell, his future journey and how he was putting his plans into action for your MC to become queen of Philos. This was one of the moments you were eagerly awaiting. You would finally accomplish something that had never been done before, that timeline would be broken and you would be responsible for it in no time. 

With a rare smile on your lips -even though they were hidden by the mask-, you knelt down in front of Xavier, one hand resting on your knee and the other on the floor. Lowering your head, you dared to speak a few words this time.

“I swear on my life that I will keep her safe as long as I live.” - The robotic voice sounded with a little emotion. Maybe it was the tiredness that had finally spread like cancer through your body and soul. Living so many lives and dying all of them, remembering the loved ones you had all this time, family and friends, as well as the people you loved so much in the 'real world'. All that weight finally felt like it had been dumped on your shoulders once and for all. 

“I…” - Xavier seemed shocked. His eyes widened slightly, but then he smiled gently. It was the first time he had smiled at you and he was as beautiful as every time he had smiled through a screen. - "Thanks." - and with a hand on your shoulder he seemed to have conveyed everything he always wanted to say during the entire time he was in the company of his beloved MC. You knew how important she was to him, but little did the prince himself know of your plans.

With a nod, again, you stood up and left the room, standing guard outside. Even during the early hours of the dawn, there was no tiredness in your system. It felt like your heart was pumping blood faster than ever, an expected state of adrenaline when you only had one chance to make things work. 

∴━━━.✰.━━━∴

Our old tale is found in the annals of Philo’s history. 

Wandering bards sing of it throughout the land. 

For hundreds of years, Philo’s throne sat empty. Now the crownless queen of legends foretold regains her scepter. 

Philos is to be ushered in a new spring. in darkness does one claim a glimmer. The new queen shall bring the dying Philos its real end. 

As she sat on her cold throne, at the bottom of the steps, her Grandis Knight, Xavier stared at her. A queen’s coronation ceremony should be a day of bliss, yet, he chose that day to bid her farewell. 

“Are you not afraid the Backtrackers suspect you betrayed them for a private audience?”  - Your mc asked, her voice shaky. 

“They are aware.” - Xavier sighed and averted his eyes for a second. - “As a knight, it’s my duty to attend to Your Majesty.”  

A moment of silence made the throne room colder than before, quieter than the normal. Your eyes never wandered away, staring directly at Xavier while he spoke to your mc. She was beautiful, so much that it pained you to see this scene repeating again and yet, you’ve spoken no words, in a guarding stance beside your new queen as you promised.

“... Are you truly leaving?” - Her eyes were glassy, full of non-shared tears. 

“The spaceship is ready.” 

“Your trip is one of danger and uncertainty!”

Shaking his head, Xavier didn’t reply right away. If only so that he could extend his own stay, even if just a little, if only to hear her breathe, so that he could just hear her heart beat for the last time.

“Our safety is assured so long as Your Majesty doesn’t call our steel into battle.” 

Your Majesty. He addressed her with a cool indifference. He hadn’t addressed her with her own name for years and now, seeing him stand, she realized it’s been some time since she got  a good look at her Grandis Knight. 

“You’ve already made up your mind. In that case…” - Your MC spoke, rising from her throne and walking down the steps, standing before Xavier. - “I’ll tell the citizens. The Grandis Knight perished in battle. I shall give him the highest honor.” 

He smiled at her. His voice was so ever soft and full of affection, one she couldn’t have noticed for how her heart was broken. 

“Your Majesty has my gratitude.” 

The wind sweeps into the room, the tassel with a star-shaped charm swaying on his sword. Nightfall obscures the tassel and without saying another word, Xavier takes his leave, his steps echoing through the room. 

When you heard the door close completely, you examined every part of that large hall with your eyes. Your MC knelt on the floor and started crying profusely. Sobs of a lost love for a journey that would have no return.

You took a few steps forward, walking down the steps of the throne and standing next to the queen. Placing one hand in front of your face and the other behind, touching a device on the back of your neck, you removed the mask. Something you had never done in front of any of the people who lived in that palace. In fact, the last people who had truly seen your face had long since perished. 

"Your Majesty." - Your voice was low, almost like a whisper in the silent night. A melodic voice that went well with the long pastel pink hair you grew. Your eyes were almost hidden beneath a fringe that urgently asked for a cut, but even so, nothing was a mystery anymore, not for your queen and you had only done that because you knew she would never remember your face. 

“Z-Zero?” - Your MC's voice was still weak and longing, choked. Her eyes widened for a moment as she admired your face, her fingers reaching out and gently brushing against your skin, feeling the softness and plump, pink lips. 

A toothy smile showed your dear mc that she could continue her curious caress while you yourself moved your hand to caress your creation's cheek. It was a strange feeling, it wasn't the feeling of motherhood you get with a child, it was more like seeing something you were a part of, now forging its own path.

“I'm sorry about that. I've seen and rewatched this story so many times and... My return home depends on your happiness... So I'm going to break some rules. I hope you forgive me.” - With a soft kiss on your queen's forehead, you murmured a few words and the world around you seemed to enter a great state of… glitching. 

Your MC didn't even have time to say anything, she was paralyzed like everything else at that moment. The entire world had bent to your will. With a snap of your fingers, you were facing the spaceship that Xavier and Jeremiah would board in a few minutes for the mission back to the past. 

You opened the door and carried your queen inside, laying her gently on one of the beds in the dorm. With another snap of your fingers, her clothes were already organized in the correct compartments and the amount of supplies needed for the trip had been re-established. 

“I hope you live a peaceful and happy life. Give Jeremiah some love for me, I’m sure he’ll be a great gardener.” - You said with a smile on your face and walked out of the machine, letting the door close again. 

Time came to an end and you disappeared into the darkness, just waiting for things to happen according to your will. Xavier and Jeremiah boarded the ship, adjusted the coordinates and left Philos. Using a device that would be similar to a GPS, you followed their departure until their return could no longer be something tangible and only then, with a sigh, did you unpause the rest of the world around you. 

∴━━━.✰.━━━∴

Walking to the Starfall Forest, you entered the forest safely. That would be the last time you would need to do something. Or maybe it was the first. Maybe it was just a memory. It didn't matter the order of any of the timelines, just that you were certain that by completing this final task, you would finally have your freedom returned.

After all, the prophecy, before the countless times you were born -or had been born- was always the same: “Seek for the true happy ending. Allow the chance to love for those who never manage to consummate it.” and there was nothing that made more sense than simply changing the story of each of the characters you loved so much. Yes, these boys never seemed to have a happy ending, with their tragic pasts and broken hearts.

Wide steps made your path shorter and shorter, white pants that outlined your curves and highlighted your rear, black knee-high boots and a blue tailcoat with details in gold threads, made the air of royalty more intense than ever. It was especially sad to know that, despite all the flower details in your hair, your jewelry - however discreet, they were still there and were exuberant to the attentive eyes -, no one would see you that night. Literally dressed to kill. The mask was no longer part of your current uniform. 

Your hair, long enough to reach your waist, was gently swayed by Philos' gentle breeze, as if it were a relief that you had finally arrived on that planet to put a real end to such a monstrous situation. 

Pulling your two swords from their respective sheaths, your next movement was too quick for any creature or wanderer to follow. You were destroying the core of that damned land. Never again would those humans make sacrifices to keep their selfish lives extended.

Your consciousness slowly faded away as your sword destroyed every barrier on the planet’s protocore, trees and creatures being destroyed in a white flash, a merciful way to go, you thought. At least it would be painless, as all the pain on that planet now passed through your veins to the point where you expected to wake up back in your own bed. Back to your world. 

∴━━━.✰.━━━∴

When you opened your eyes again, you were in an alley. Your mask was on the floor as blood fell from your nose and mouth. Several men were on the ground, huddled together and stacked on top of each other.

Blurred vision and a feeling of nausea, you realized you were in a fight. What had happened this time? The world seemed much less technological than on Philos, but your mask... Hearing some footsteps nearby, you tried to get up, supporting yourself with one of your swords as you pulled your mask and fitted it back onto your face. 

Your body was heavy and your arms were making a Herculean effort to maintain support for your swords. You knew you needed to walk faster and you forced your own body to follow as much as possible.

Not that you knew how to go. Or where to go to. But your feet were dragged towards what felt like a familiar place. Entering the automated building, the robot recognized your face, even if it was bruised and swollen behind the mask, granting you access to the elevator. 

You don't remember when your eyes closed, but you felt a warmth, as if something was holding you gently and not letting you fall to the ground. Your consciousness faded. 

At some point, in the midst of a delirious fever, your eyes opened and closed, but everything was spinning and your stomach no longer seemed to want to contain anything inside it. Turning your face to the side, you vomited everything you had previously ingested along with blood. 

You heard some noises of footsteps, more than one person was moving in that environment, someone seemed to curse almost silently while another person gently held your torso and hair. 

“She needs to go to the hospital right now. I can’t treat her here.” - A cold and harsh voice sounded above you. It matched the cold touch of the hands that held you.

“Her arms… Her arms are turning… black. Would this… be necrosis?” - Another voice, less rigid, spoke. Familiar like the first. 

"No. That’s her evol.” - Another male voice. How many men were there in this place? 3? 4? Your head was too dizzy to answer that question. - “Luke and Kieran are heading here, let's take her to the hospital, help me find other clothes to dress her.” 

“I don't think there's time to put other clothes on her right now. As much as I hate the idea of ​​leaving her in this state, let's prioritize getting her back to my car. Let me try to stabilize evol, after all, this heart is hers.”  - Maybe you have been answered. 4 men? But there were two more that were mentioned… were they already here?

When you felt a warm touch on your skin, your eyes opened wide, but you couldn't see anything. A scream left your lips as you writhed in pain and tried your best to get away from whatever they were doing to you. 

“Shit, hold her straight, just a little longer, I’m making her evol regress!!!” - The person who had touched you shouted, a few more pairs of hands came to hold you. Whether it was seconds, minutes, hours or an eternity, you didn't know, but before falling into oblivion once again, all you heard was the voice from the someone who had touched you previously and cried out to be in possession of your heart. - “Shhhh… It’s okay, cutie. You'll be fine…”

© morningstarfirstsin original work | no copying, plagiarizing or translating

[helix-enterprises117]

1229 Hours, June 6, 2537 (Military Calendar)/

Buckbeak Shipbreaking Yards, New Harmony

The citizens of New Harmony milled about the shipbreaking yards in neat, orderly lines. Exhausted, battle-weary marines directed them toward the various evacuation craft ferrying the survivors out of the war-torn city.

Chief Petty Officer Kelly-087 watched the proceedings tiredly, leaning against an empty crate that she could only assume had once carried ammunition, or weapons to the beleaguered planetary defenders. In this moment, it was the only thing keeping her aloft.

Blue Team had spent the better part of a week on constant missions, either going out to rescue stranded civilians, causing a distraction to let a marine convoy through a heavily-fortified enemy position, or even just harassing Covenant ground positions for the sake of it. Sleep was now little more than a fond memory to the exhausted Spartan. But the Navy orbiting New Harmony had - against all odds - actually beaten back the encroaching Covenant fleet. The planet was safe. The UNSC had won.

And Kelly was tired.

A commotion broke out somewhere in the middle of the procession, and the Spartan sighed to herself. Then, slowly, she clenched her jaw and stepped forward, refusing to let her fatigue show to anyone who might have been paying attention. In the center of the compound a small crowd was slowly forming, and Kelly gently pressed her way in to see what was going on. It wasn't difficult - people tended to prefer to be out of the way of a fully armored super soldier.

When she finally made it to the source of the disturbance, Kelly was surprised by what she found. Rather than a fight, or someone broken down in sobbing despair, she found a young man kneeling before a young woman. There was dirt, soot, and a brightly shining smile on his face.

"Talia," the young man gasped, tears wetting his cheeks, "I know the world seems like it's ending right now, but... I know I couldn't make it without you. I need you to be with me forever. Marry me. Please."

Talia, for her part, was crying as well. She clasped her hands in front of her face and gasped, then fell to her knees beside the man and buried her face in his chest. "Yes," she blubbered, sobs wracking her body. "Of course! Of course!"

Kelly watched on passively as the couple embraced, onlookers reaching forward to congratulate them. She'd seen it before; battlefield romance was only second to death-bed confessions in terms of predictability as far as she was concerned. Still, there was something in her that enjoyed seeing people like this. Happy. Hopeful. Things that she didn't get to experience particularly often herself.

The sunshine glinting off of an amber visor across the crowd from her drew her eyes up to the figure of a man who stood head and shoulders above even the tallest people around him. His olive-green armor made his features almost indiscernible, but she could tell by the slight cant of his helmet that he had turned just enough to be able to catch her in the corner of his eyes.

"Seems like that could have been more simple, don't you think?" Senior Chief Petty Officer Frederic-104 asked over a direct radio frequency, his deep voice rumbling and betraying the humor behind his dry observation.

Kelly tilted her head to one side just enough to let him know that beneath her opaque faceplate, she was already grinning at whatever bad humor he had lined up for her. "Is that so? How would you go about it then?"

Fred lifted his head, pretending to scan the sky for potential threats. "Make it simple," he answered bluntly. "I like to think that short questions get the point across. I'd skip the blubbering and just say, 'Please marry me.'"

"Okay," Kelly answered.

Fred stopped pacing, turning to look directly at her. "Sorry... what was that?" he asked, his voice catching in his throat.

Kelly couldn't keep the grin from her face. "I said okay," she repeated coyly. Then she turned away and wandered back to her post, leaning tiredly against her beloved crate and leaving Fred behind to wonder whether her acceptance of his accidental proposal was a joke or not.

The problem was... she wasn't sure if it was a joke either.

💕💕Yaaas! Moar Fred n' Kelly!! I love these li'l goobers so much! Do they end up married in your stuff?😶

[magicalqueennightmare]

Sins & Amends Chapter 2

(Gif by @banditthewriter)

Billy Russo x Female Reader (60 part story)

This follows pre- the punisher into the storyline of daredevil, punisher season 1 and beyond

This is NOT Canon Billy. This is decent human being Billy left with bad options over worse decisions

This was also posted to A03 under: WaywardGaPeach. That account and this one is the only place you'll see me post this. If you see it on any other platform/account know it's not me.

Chapter Summary: You meet the infamous Billy Russo

Frank introduced you to Curtis not long after him and Maria got married. He not only figured the two of you would hit it off good but considering you were a paramedic and Curtis a navy corpsman he figured the two of you had that as a starting point for a friendship.

Curtis had the best heart out of anyone you'd ever met. He was constantly on the look out for how he could help others and just all around a really good guy. It didn't take long before he'd fallen into the same category as Frank but while Frank was the overly protective bear of a brother figure Curt was the calmer head's prosper version. You'd found a new family to fall into a routine with. The Castles, Curt and your partner and friends at the station house helped you to really gain your footing in the life you wanted.

The day you met Billy you weren't sure what to expect . You'd talked to Frank and Curt both enough while they were deployed to know of him. He was pretty much like you, a stray that Frank had found and decided to keep just as Maria had decided to keep you. You'd seen a few photos of him alongside Frank and Curt and honestly? He was gorgeous in your opinion. He was around Frank's height with thick brown hair, eyes that looked nearly black they were so dark in color and a smile that even in a photo could grab your attention.

Apparently from Maria's description though while she did say he was a good guy and a sweetheart she didn't smooth over the fact that he was a player "The fellas call him Billy the beaut. Just as a forewarning if he tries turning the charm on please don't fall for it. He really does fit into this family well and I'd hate to have to cut his balls off." you hadn't even tried to hold back the laughter that the mental image of Maria's five foot four self assaulting a decorated marine had caused. "Yes ma'am" you agreed as you took in behind Lisa trying to catch her so you could change her into the outfit Maria had chosen for the airport trip to meet Frank.

You had the day off and had originally showed up to the Castle household wearing shorts and a short sleeve blouse but when Frank Jr had decided he didn't like his lunch and that it looked better on your shirt than in his stomach Maria had dug one of Frank's old marine shirts from bootcamp out and handed it to you "He won't mind and besides Frank Jr did pretty much cover your other shirt"

On your way out of her bathroom from changing you spotted one of Frank's ballcaps on top the dresser so you grabbed it and pulled your ponytail through the hole figuring why not? At least it lowered the chances of Lisa finding your hair to play with while you waited in the crowd that always accompanied the homecomings.

"Aunt Y/N do you have any food?" Lisa asked swinging from your arm with a giggle as you scanned the crowd looking for Frank. "No sweetie I'm sorry but as soon as we get your daddy we'll get you some lunch ok?" "Ok" she agreed with a grin that highlighted her missing front tooth that had come out a week before.

"Do you see them yet?" Maria asked and you were about to shake your head when you spotted Frank working his way through the crowd "I see Frank!" you said and waved your arm so he would see you. He locked eyes with you and smiled then leaned back in the crowd and you could tell he was talking to someone and that was when you spotted Billy at his side "and he's got Russo with him" you added earning a cheeky grin from Maria at the use of Billy's last name.

Frank made it to your small group first and pulled Maria into a kiss then hugged Lisa and Frank Jr close to his chest. After he let them go he grinned at you "C'mon kid you're getting a hug too" you let him pull you into his arms and laughed against his chest when he said "By the way are you wearing my shirt and my hat?" You pulled back with a guilty expression and tilted your head towards Maria "Boss lady said I could"

"Smart woman to listen to her" you heard someone say and turned to see Billy's eyes were glued to you. "Well the infamous Billy Russo. It's nice to finally meet you" you offered your hand with a smile. A glint of a mixture of amusement and maybe a little bit of cockyness flashed through his eyes before a smirk slowly worked its way onto his face and he shook your hand "And you must be Y/N. It's a pleasure to finally meet you. I've heard a lot about you from Frankie" you could tell he was turning on the charm and had you not been warned? Oh hell yes it would've worked but instead you simply replied "I've heard a lot about you too. Now let's see what out of that is true or not"

You missed the look he gave Frank when you turned around to pick Lisa up which was clearly "Where did you find her?" Billy had his fair share of women but none that ever really peaked his interest until you. There was something about you that had him watching your every move or until Maria arched an eyebrow at him and Frank's earlier warning of "Bill Y/N is a pretty girl but she's like a sister to Maria and has been there for her and the kids more than I have meaning she's family and that Maria will cut your balls off should you even attempt your usual methods"

He raised his hands defensively and hoisted his bag on his shoulder to walk out the airport with all of you. You glanced back and smiled at him "So Billy I hear you're uncle as much as I'm aunt?" He nodded "Yea why?" and laughed when you held Lisa out to him "Carry her to the car for Maria. I'm grabbing a cab to go on a food run and will meet all of you at the house" "Yes ma'am" he smirked and gave you a salute so in return you rolled your eyes but didn't try to fight the smile that had worked it's way onto your face "At ease lieutenant"

You winked at Maria and said "I am going after Frankie's favorite and am getting my niece some lunch, anything else needed?" "Beer" Frank offered and you tilted your head towards him "Of course" then walked the opposite way of them to hail a cab while they headed for the parking lot.

[skylarstark4826]

"I wouldn't be jealous of Sully," Chacon said after she found Norm in the library. It was two days after the first excursion (and their first meeting), and the next one wasn't taking place until tomorrow. Except for Jake, who had found the clan, and got to be out every day, who had to learn everything on the damn wing and-

"I'm not."

"Uh-huh," and she grabbed a chair from another table, spun it around and straddled it. She was wearing an actual uniform, one with short sleeves and jungle-green camoflauge patterns all over it. It was oddly, oddlydistracting; she was, he realized for the first time, a professional soldier as well as a pilot. She knew what she was doing with the hand-gun in her holster, which somehow looked more obvious now. There was also a clean, straight contrast between her sleeve and the skin on her upper arms that his eye kept being drawn to. He blinked, focused on her words. "Look, I get it – you worked for this mission, yeah? I been around Avatar-drivers for three years now, I know what goes into your trainin'. And suddenly this uneducated hick turns up, and he's the one who wins big."

"Yes. No," he added, seeing a flash in her eyes. Uneducated hick, and in his mind's ear he could hear Grace's scornful voice asking, how much lab training have you had. He wondered, briefly, how much Chacon had to have fought to get even the grudging respect of Augustine and the others. "It's...I worked, for years, and-"and he could hear both pain and a childish kind of sulleness, so his voice trailed off.

Her smile is wry and sympathetic. "Yeah. But on the bright-side, you don't have to go through Na'vi bootcamp."

"Bootcamp?"

"Well, ain't it? Crash-course in how to survive, how to become one of them. I mean, seems kinda like Marine bootcamp to me. You don't join, you are accepted. You gotta work at it, let your sense of self be changed."

"...you're worried about him." It was one of the thoughts in his head. The other ones were about cultures, cults, and rites of passage, and the 'former USMC' on her records, and the Bible locket at the base of her throat, and those thoughts he kept to himself.

"Someone's gotta be." Norm could feel his mouth thin out, curl, and Chacon's smile was sudden and impish. "But I can multitask," she added. "I said I was gonna show you Pandora, didn't I?"

"You did."

She leaned forward, and she smelled clean. Clean clothes, clean skin, clean hair that he wanted to run his fingers through. But he wanted to listen to her more, and kept his hands on his datapad. "See, if Sully's goin' through bootcamp, you've been to the academy. I can trust you not to be a damn idiot and waste my time."

"Waste your time?"

Chacon's smile faded, and she looked competant and highly unimpressed. "Like wandering' off to poke at shit so I gotta ditch my plans and spend the rest of my day in search maneovers."

"You didn't saying anything."

"Not in front of you guys, no," she said, and Norm decided that he liked the image of Chacon tearing strips into Jake. It warmed the edges of his jealousy, made those edges soften, just a little. "But you know this place is bigger than Corporal Sully."

"It...yes."

"And you can get lost in it."

Again, he blinked, refocused on her face. She'd lost the smile, and was looking at him with that competant kind of tiredness that for some reason was one of the sexiest damn expressions he'd seen in a while.

"I don't...understand."

Her hands moved on the back of the chair, blunt fingernails digging into the metal for a moment. "Avatar-driving...the drivers are like junkies."

"We...are?"

"Yeah. Only, you aren't shootin' up, you're goin' places. Closest thing..." She laughed suddenly, and then shook her head. Whatever it was she just thought, she wasn't going to share. "Like war-junkies, I guess. Brass call it going native, but it's not quite it. It's..." She rubbed the back of her head, causing locks of her black hair to free themselves from her bun and pins. "You get hooked, until...until out there is all that is real, and back here, with us, is the bad, kinda boring dream."

Norm was silent for a moment, watching the thoughts move across her face. "You've seen it happen."

"Ye-e-ep. Like I said, been flyin' Avatar-drivers for three years. I've seen what happens when you can't go back, too. And the burn out."

"They didn't mention it." Not the RDA, nor the techs, nor the scientists, nor anyone else.

"No. Why would they? You're an investment, Doctor Norman Spellman, and they don't want you runnin' away."

"But you're telling me."

Her eyes flicked back to his face, locked with his own eyes. I See you, the Na'vi said in greeting, and he Saw her. Or he thought he did. "Maybe...I don't want you to get lost in the woods."

"But you still want to show me."

"Hell, yeah," and her grin came back. "Just be careful."

"I will," he promised, both to see her smile at him again, and because it gave his mind something else to concentrate on than Jake's smirk.

[serpentofslaanesh]

It's not worship and service as most people assume. I take your wider point about Chaos itself, but it's not a case of most interactions with Chaos being anything like religion or worship or faith. Yes, it's easy to convey in video games for people that don't know the setting. "These guys pray to evil gods, therefore they're the bad guys." And yes, in some novels written by writers less familiar with the setting or preferring its rawer edges, it's a common Chaos trope.   

And the Word Bearers? Yes. Other cases, absolutely. The majority, absolutely not. Chaos isn't a religion or a disease you catch. It's the everpresent threat of any malicious emotion allowing Something Old And Inhuman into your soul and brain from the reality behind reality. If a battlefield is bloody enough... Bloodletters will appear. If someone is completely decadent and lost in sensational pleasures... Slaanesh will pay attention to them. "Summoning" is the shallow, obvious end of the spectrum, keeping with the video game presentation we often see. It happens, of course, but it's also the obvious version of what happens. Not the only one. Look at Ahriman. He wants nothing to do with Chaos. He does horrible things, selfish things, murderous things, endlessly furthering the goals and presence of Chaos... entirely for himself. He believes he's using it and remains untouched by its control. Khârn didn't enter into any worship or agreement with Chaos. He was marked by it, and everything he does now furthers it. Abaddon doesn't pray to the Gods. He does his own thing and the Gods take heed. None of them worship the Gods. None of them willingly serve them, or would even recognise the idea of it was explained to them. Night Lords kill and kill and kill until daemons show up and swallow the planet. They don't worship Chaos or give a damn about the daemons; it's just an interesting way to commit Exterminatus for them. There's no prayer here, no worship, no service that they'd recognise.

Even if we, with the rulebooks, can say "Ultimately that action serves the Chaos Gods' agendas". Well, I like cheeseburgers. Ultimately that serves obesity and heart disease. I still do it.  I've said it on the forum a few times in much greater detail, but it's not a case of organised religion or many Chaos Marines thinking Chaos rocks on toast. They're motivated by their own deals; they hate, they want vengeance, they want recognition, they want to survive. That lets Chaos into their hearts. Add it to where they had to hide in order to survive after the Scouring, and it makes a lot of sense. They're not really praying to Chaos in cults and thinking comedy/useless mutations are super-awesome. The Gods are real, and they know that. They may hate that truth, but they acknowledge it. They may be indifferent to it, but they're aware of it. And they're aware that when it comes to battle, raising an icon of Khorne in the middle of a fight comes with a risk, but it also comes with undeniable benefits. The gains outweigh the risks tenfold, especially in the short term. 

Added to that, mutation isn't supposed to be "physically stupid". The point of it is that it's supposed to reflect your inner self and/or the whims of the gods, and it's supposed to make you better. It improves you, in whatever it is you focus on. It makes you better at killing, and harder to kill, which is literally all most Chaos Marines (and Space Marines...) care about. When mutation goes wrong or goes too far and loses its benefit, well, we call those Spawn. And while many Chaos Marines likely fear that fate, it doesn't happen to everyone - or even most of them - so it's not silly to see how most of them suspect they'll escape that fate. Most of them will.

Also, and this is crucial, we have the rulebooks. They don't. it's easy to say "But the Chaos Gods are laughing at them all and screwing them over", but in-universe is that really the case on the ground? The Chaos Marine who sees someone become Spawn: well, they were weak. He's not weak. He'll be more careful. He's more worthy. He won't be a slave, anyway! He's too independent. And he'll phrase his wishes very carefully so the Monkey's Paw doesn't make it all go wrong.

-- Aaron Dembski-Bowden

[modkatisbacc]

Howdy lads. Apologies for not being as active recently. Been on BSKY and in a Very Active WoW guild. And Work.

ANYWAY. I've wanted to do my own little thing for GL S2. Yes the actual one we got. Just my little mini analysis of it, if you could call it that.

This post talks about all of the characters and what I liked/disliked from them this season. It will be under the cut. It will be long. It will be every character. Enjoy if you decide to read <3.

Let's start off with our main besties. Our main kiddos

Chase: Okay. I will say I didn't hate. A LOT of what he did in season 2. Also kinda feel he shouldn't have had his big sacrifice from s1 (giving up his physical body) be fixed just like that yeah idk. It CAN happen but that was waaay too short a time.

Now, this is all based on the last time I actively watched all of season 2, which was technically the first time. And the last. There's probably scenes with him that I really hate but straight up don't remember.

Yaz: What did you even do this season. We got your backstory (which was retconned from freaking s1) and then I feel like you didn't get to do anything. But be sad. I'd be sad too. You deserve so much better, as does literally everyone else on the freaking character list.

Also your backstory was Fine. If it didn't retcon season one, it would've been aight.

Kazu: Well! At least you died! Didn't have to deal with the Everything that Happened after your death.

Why were they doing you like that. They took your confusion, but willingness to learn and not judge from s1, and turned it to *gestures* that. It could've been INTERESTING. it was not.

Cammie: Well, let's just be grateful that they didn't do anything worse since she was technically 18 with the time skip!

Would've loved to see you repurpose the Union's tech but ok. Ig suicide and become nano. IDK.

Btw did Nugget ever come back. I don't think he did.

Val: You and Chase are the least messed up team members. I don't remember many of your scenes, unfortunately. But you were pretty cool from what little I do. I wish they hadn't messed up your promo material??? I mean,,,

Migas: Listen you were pretty sick. I love u always Miguel Garza. Mr. Go With The Flow. Um. Your arm went with the flow, literally, but uh. You know what I mean. Not too much else to say about you. wish you did more tho.

Leon: Mr. Not living longer than five minutes into the season.

Man they could've just gotten you a new VA. YOU COULD'VE BEEN THE SECOND GHOST IN THE MACHINE GRRR.

Jodie: Wow! I think the only times you really showed up this seasson is during the Scene (TM) and your brutal other the Scene (TM, Death Edition).

Listen. It's not like GL hasn't had brutal violent deaths before.

In S1, the Spy's brain gets fried. We see this on screen. We are shown different reactions, from horrified to 'glad that's over'. It actually you know sets the stage. And you know. *Gestures at Chase and the rest of his team*.

Not Miranda randomly deciding to fire on (? I don't remember the context) both Polity and Nemesis Units (That was probably the context) alike, killing Jodie in the process because MARIN TELLS HER TO.

MARIN WOULD NEVER. BARK BARK.

Also Miranda would never but obv.

Jodie literally wasn't a bad character. He just didn't get to do ANYTHING.

Miranda: *Holds her gently* Okay. Not entirely. Bad. They still hurt you Bad. Not as bad as Marin. But Bad.

I did like the scenes of her and Dri tho :) What little I remember.

As I said with Jodie, *Gestures* and you know.

Marin: Her character was assassinated the most out of every other character. SURE. I'LL BELIEVE THAT MISS "You're making soldiers out of these children!" Would immediately stoop to these incredible lows. That directly affects said children.

I will never not be mad I love you forever Colonel. You'd have to turned against the Polity if it would've helped the GL team

F

Jha: *twirls hair* I like what they were TRYING to do with her actually. They failed. But at least she gets to live lol.

IDK I feel like she would've tried to dismantle them (both sides) from the inside out bc she hates them both. IDK IDK.

All I'm saying is if we thought that Weller was a father before, then what about Jha? More reasoning into why they separated? Besides the obvious but u know.

I have more to say about her but idk . Thank u for not dying queen.

Weller: Hiiii. What the heck was Omega Protocol FOR? I wanted you to do more morally gray (is that the word for it) actions. Would've been cool is something kicked in the protocol and it ended up saving Kazu's life. "You were supposed to protect us." Blah blah blah. Or whatever Chase said.

DO find that him knowing the Polity started the war interesting. Would've been made even MORE interesting if we learned he was using the Polity for his own personal gain.

I like the Polity not being exactly the good guys. And I like the Union also being the bad guys.

Should've freaked out when Cammie 'ascended' imo. I mean. IDK. Or you know. When Kazu DIED.

Caliban: They could never make me hate u Caliban. I do wonder why your inner you was a child though. I sure wish we got more of you being you. Boy howdy can't wait to explore how all of Weller's grief in his past absolutely went into how he created Caliban. And how Caliban has all his memories, but chooses to block out the ones that he deems unimportant, both good and bad. Like a Cammie choosing not to delete her memories of her head being ripped off, but instead of deleting them, Caliban just absolutely shuts them off unless he determines that they hold some kind of use.

Idk, they should've done more with you, Mr. Omega Protocol.

Dri: HIIII DRI. IM SO GLAD YOU LIVED. UNLIKE OTHER PEOPLE.

I wish they had done A LOT MORE with you and your mom :///

I don't have much to say. I can't wait to see what Actual Season 2 Of Gen:Lock does with you.

Same goes with their mother, I wanted to see more of Mrs. Chase :)

Henry Wu: Excuse me. Sorry. What was the point. Of killing you. Listen you just got saved in s1, they can't turn around and kill you-

Pointless!

I love your character so much I hope u get ultilized more in the actual season two.

Holcroft: You, sir, went from 'haha this guy is super shady and will only work with us to fuel his own agenda, and may secretly be working with the Union. But what if-'

To just being another nonsense villain working with the Polity *Gestures* with those soulless holon things.

WHY DID THEY EXPLODE AFTER COMPLETING A MISSION WHAT WAS THE POINT OF THAT. THE TEAM WOULDVE FOUND OUT ABOUT THEM ANYWAY.

Is. Is that everyone.

no hold on

Sinclair: I said every character, but I don't remember the very minor side characters that were with Sinclair (wasn't Dri with him at one point Or am I misremembering)

I don't even remember his bf's name.

YOU HAD SUCH AN INTERESTING CHARACTER. UNTIL THE WHOLE PLOT TOUCHED YOU.

I would've liked a more 'Oh yeah, the consequences of war kinda suck, I've been seperated from the team I was supposed to be with for the past year, and now that we've finally met back up, I am a completely different person and I don't know if I can exactly fit in with everything I've been through now' Wouldve been NICE.

They go infiltrate a Union base and find Sinclair liberating prisoners. They recognize Sinclair, because the Spy copied him Perfectly in looks.

Why. Why Did they do all that with him,,

I forget did he actually get to do anything afterwards. Does he even actually share any words with the GL Team.

I... I don't think so. Does he.

Sorry if I'm missing anyone I just wanted to scream and share my own thoughts. After almost 4 years.

[camels-pen]

If you are reading this, write three--now that you're awake, I have a drooble request! How about 'the heist goes wrong'?

Thank you :)

(give me a heart attack why dont you)

drooble #4 - heist gone wrong

-

Usopp pulled tight on the rubber arm tied around his waist. He nodded. "Perfect. Now if I need help, I'll just pull on this," -he demonstrated with a short tug- "and then you can snap back and rescue me."

Luffy scratched his head with his free hand. "Sure, but you know I can't stretch forever, right?"

"Yeah, but you can stretch pretty far. It'll be fine." He ushered Luffy from their spot crouched behind some barrels. "Now make with the distraction so I can work on the door."

Luffy quickly got to it, punching and kicking marines and causing mayhem. Usopp wasted no time getting to his own job.

He pulled out the tools Nami had lent him and carefully placed them in the lock, quickly turning and fiddling with it until he heard a click.

Usopp laughed quietly to himself. "And Nami said this would be hard."

Speak of the devil and she will appear. Nami ducked and ran her way toward him, a hefty bag of treasure on her back. "Usopp, I told you to pick the lock!" came her harsh whisper.

"I just did! See?" He gestured behind him, smug grin on his face.

Nami grabbed him by the throat. "You broke my tools in the lock?!"

"What?" he wheezed. He looked back at the door and- "But you said wait for the click-"

"The click of the lock opening, Usopp, not my tools fucking breaking!"

"Well, you should've been more specif- URK"

Nami shook him a little more before letting him go and inspecting the lock. "And why is Luffy's arm here?"

Usopp rubbed his throat. "Contingency plan."

"You know he can't stretch forever. He's also fighting."

"Yes, I know, but he can stretch enough. Also we both know he can fight one-handed."

"Not what I meant-" The sound of a ringing Snail cut her off. She quickly pulled it from her pocket.

"Nami-san? Is everything alright in there?"

"Sanji-kun!" She looked like she was about to cry. She explained everything to him, definitely downplaying her own role in getting them in this mess. If she didn't want that treasure so bad, they could've left ages ago!

After a moment of silence, Sanji said, "...He knows Luffy can't stretch forever, right?"

"I am aware, thank you Sanji," Usopp said between gritted teeth. "Could you just hurry up and get here."

"Already on the way. Don't let anything happen to Nami-san, Longnose." And then, like a switch. "Nami-swan! Your prince will be coming to save you soon!"

"Sanji-kun, what about-!"

The 'me' was cut off as Usopp felt a yank around his waist and he went flying through the air, landing on his side. He groaned, getting up on his knees before being yanked again, tumbling across the floor. He was yanked a third time, then a fourth, and again and again until, finally, he stopped.

"Oh my aching-" He tried to rub his head, but found he couldn't move his arms. When he looked down, he saw them pinned to his body and Luffy's arm tangled around them. Tangled all over him.

As his whole body throbbed in pain, dozens of thundering footsteps stomping toward him, Usopp squinted up at Luffy. He'd started fighting on the second floor and- why was he on the second floor?! Usopp only needed him to keep them busy for a few moments, why would he go up there?!

He changed his attention to Luffy's arm. The one meant to be left limp and trailing on the floor.

It was pulled almost completely taut.

A gun cocked next to Usopp. One of the marines whispered to another, "Do all pirates just tie themselves up like that?"

"No cadet," the one holding the gun said. "Seems this one just doesn't know his captain's limits."

"I JUST NEEDED A MINUTE!" Usopp shouted, straining against Luffy's arm. "EVERYTHING WAS GOING DAMN FINE, I KNOW HIS-"

The safety was pulled on the gun.

"Any more outbursts?"

"No, I'm sorry."

[pure-garbage]

Stargazers And Thieves! The Heart Of A Pirate

"Lana! This is Old Man Morry's boat!" Alan exclaimed when he saw the tiny vessel.

"Uh... so?"

'Good for Old man Morry,' she thought. 'I had no idea he got a boat.'

"Lana! We can't take Old Man Morry's boat!" Alan told her as if it should have been obvious.

"Can't take it? I already took it, what the hell are you talking about?" Lana scowled. "Get in and let's get out of here."

"No, Lana, we have to give it back!"

"Excuse me?!"

"Come on, let's go back to the harbor. We can take a different ship, from someone who it won't hurt so much."

"What?! Old Man Morry can barely walk, what's he doing with a boat anyway?" Lana demanded.

"Lana! Come on, don't you have any conscience at all?!" Alan demanded.

"Not really, no."

"Please, let's just go put it back! I know about ten other people who can replace a boat this size, easy, but Old Man Morry really needs the money from his fishing!" Alan protested doggedly. "Come on, Lana!"

"Old Man Morry is at least a hundred years old, that damn fart has no business fishing!" Lana grumbled. "What happened to his son, he's not taking care of him anymore?"

"No, Elk died four years ago. Guess it makes sense that you wouldn't know that."

"Ugh!"

Truth be told, Alan was starting to make Lana feel incredibly guilty.

'I didn't know I'd stolen something of such importance,' she thought glumly. She didn't have any special connection to Old Man Morry, but the cantankerous elder was well-liked in town and she had nothing against him either.

"I'm a pirate, Alan," she groaned. "We steal, we plunder. We hurt people. That's kind of... kind of our whole thing."

'Luffy would be so pissed at me right now,' she sighed inwardly. That wasn't the way he did things. As soon as she thought of her captain, Lana knew she had no real choice but to return the boat.

"Aw, come ooooon, Lana! Have a HEART!" Alan whined, unaware that she'd already caved.

"Fine, I'll put the damn boat back," she conceded. "But I'm taking a different boat and if you can't point me out one that works for your fragile morality, I'm pushing you into the bay and leaving you behind!"

"That's fine! That's great, thank you Lana!" Alan cried in relief. "I knew you weren't evil, not really! You're just really anxious to get back to your friends, I totally get it."

"I'll show you evil," Lana muttered under her breath.

They made their way back to the harbor, where they found Old Man Morry grumbling at a pair of marines.

"Crap! I knew this was a bad idea!" Lana cried with dismay.

"Just get down and hide, I'll handle this," Alan declared decisively.

"Are you nuts?! We need to get out of here before they notice me! Or did you forget I'm wanted?!"

"How could I forget, your bounty is over ninety million," Alan marveled. "But just trust me, ok? I have a plan!"

"I had a plan! It was a good plan! I almost carried it out perfectly before you started butting in!"

Despite her many misgivings, Lana laid down in the boat and let her brother drape a canvas over her still form. She could only listen with bated breath at the exchange that followed.

"Old Man Morry! Hey! I'm back!" Alan called.

"Little Avariya?" Old Man Morry called back, the words dulled by toothless gums. "What are you doing? You're the rascal that stole my darned boat?!"

"Stole? You lent it to me, don't you remember Morry?" Alan lied innocently.

"I... I did?"

"You did! I invited Aevis Lilac out for a romantic sunset boat ride, but... well, she stood me up so I just stayed out a while to drown my sorrows in the calm of the sea," Alan sighed dramatically. "Don't tell me you forgot! You helped me plan the whole thing!"

"I... oh, well that... that does sound like me," Old Man Morry mused, beginning to question himself.

"You're telling me the boat was never stolen at all?!" one of the marines grumbled.

"This old geezer is a few slugs short of a full round," the second tutted disapprovingly. "Hey kid, make sure the old man gets home okay, you got it?"

"Yes sir!" Alan replied peppily.

Lana's heart thundered in her chest, disbelief filling her as the sound of boots clicking on cobblestone faded off into the distance. Her brother's quick, clever ruse had worked.

'If he keeps up the good work, I might actually be glad to have brought him along... although if I would't have brought him along, I could have been miles out at sea by now.'

"You can come out now," Alan said.

Lana sat up, head swiveling while Old Man Morry startled with a string of curses.

"Slowly! Don't scare Old Man Morry!" Alan yelled with alarm.

"I thought you said you didn't have a girl on my boat, Avariya!" Morry exclaimed.

"It's complicated," Alan offered as he moored the vessel and Lana hopped out.

"Alright, Alan, I did what you wanted. Now point me to one I can take without causing too much harm."

"See that one?" Alan pointed to a ship across the bay.

"The schooner? It's a little big for what we need."

"It won't even be missed for a while. Just trust me."

"Fine, I guess."

They started to make their way to the other ship, Old Man Morry trailing behind them confusedly.

"Tell the old geezer to go home!" Lana grumbled.

"Morry, didn't you leave the kettle on at home?" Alan asked hopefully.

"I thought you were gonna walk me home!" Morry griped. "The marines told you as much, didn't they? Anyway, innit the least you can do for me since I lent you my boat? That was awfully nice of me... eh, why'd I do that again?"

"Alan, does Morry still live close to here?" Lana asked under her breath.

"Yeah, he hasn't moved," Alan replied.

"Just walk the old guy home, he's making too much noise. I'll wait for you here and we'll cast off as soon as you get back."

"Are you sure that's a good idea? I thought you were in a hurry," Alan asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I am! So do it fast and stop holding me up or I'll leave without you!" Lana snapped.

"Ugh, you're even meaner than you were when we were kids!" Alan pouted. Even so, he turned and ushered Old Man Morry away from the harbor.

Lana settled down on a crate to wait for her brother to return, gazing up at the shining sliver of the crescent moon overhead.

'Wonder if any of the others can see the moon too,' she thought wistfully. All of her friends were stargazers, just like she was. Free spirits with an appreciation for any beauty that smiled down on them, especially the distant lights that shone like glinting diamonds framed against black velvet. The stars were treasures that belonged to everyone and no one all at once, and any pirate worth their salt adored them.

A jolt of intuitive alarm interrupted Lana's brief reverie.

'A drawn cutlass. A threat, not an attack.'

Reality caught up to her knowledge a second later, a marine stopping his patrol to confront her.

"Sergeant!" he called before Lana could so much as move. "The pirate! I found the pirate!"

Lana leapt to her feet, stomach falling sickeningly as her worst fears were realized.

Alan had delayed her departure too long.

______________________________________________________

<== Previous Chapter

Next Chapter ==>

== First Chapter ==

[blackfangedreaper]

I can’t tell if request are open but could I request luffy reacting to his s/o dancing on stage with this song and dance cover (https://youtu.be/qnPTDEaP9Hw ) ? + marines are watching too if u can do that

HE KNOWS

Pairings: Monster trio + Aokiji, koby, shanks and mihawk x dancer!y/n

Warning: fluff, suggestive themes, cursing, grammatical errors. MDNI.

Tags: @closet-degenerate @h3rfave @iin0va @avaricious-hoe @audreys-works @444katsuki

Note: loved the idea nonna and yes my requests are open.

LUFFY

The sparkles in his eyes as he watched you twirl, drop then swing your hair, you looked so good dancing up there, so good he didn't know if he wanted to join you or let you be. Nami pulled him by his ears when he got too close to the stage unconsciously, too hypnotised by your moves to notice.

Couldn't resist trying to go closer once again to the stage to see you more. His jaw dropping when you dropped to a split. His pupils shaking at your sensual movements swallowing thickly when you blew a kiss at him. He loved it every second of it.

His eyes drooping slightly taking a halflidded form at the way you swung your hips, hunger present in his eyes as he maintained eye contact with you all through. He wanted something and you'll give it to him,- "Hey, do the thing you did with your waist on stage!" -He knows.

ZORO

His gaze trailed all over your body as you danced in those thigh high 4 inched heels, the ones you dragged him out to buy with you. And they fit you so well, the leather sticking to the skin of your thighs perfectly.

His pants tighening as your ass hung in the air for a moment, your movements were so sensual, it drove him crazy. He couldn't wait to get you alone, maybe you'll give him a private dance, on his dick that is.

He couldn't take his halflidded eyes off you, swinging his head back to finish his booze before relaxing on the chair, his arms over the couch, legs manspread and head tilted a little to rest on the couch. His eyes on you just like you wanted it- "Greedy little thing, look how you're sucking me in." -He knows.

SANJI

This one was on the brink of passing out but he had to stay awake, he had to. Just watching you swing your hips to the beat of the song had blood flowing out through his nose in spurts.

Tears in his eyes as you winked at him, his nose stuffed with tissues and cheering a muffled. ''Y/n-chwan". His eyes wide open as not to miss a single moment. His eyes almost rolled back when your ass hung up in the air.

God knows he's horny and he's not too proud to beg after your little dance he'll show you the bed then after, breakfast in bed. You'll just love what he has planned,- "Hm? Faster? Whatever you want sweetheart." -He knows.

AOKIJI

Was very flustered although not visibly. He was trying to play it cool, but his eyes were erratic behind his shades. Whistling when your ass jiggled in those short shorts or when your boobs bounced in your crop top.

Tapped his feet steadily to beat as he watched you twirl on the floor before getting up slowly, his normally cold body heating up at your halflidded stare.

All that cake and he couldn't wait to give you some filling and with the look you had on your face you wanted him to hit it till you lose all feeling,- "Ah... What mess, what's the point of filling you up if you'll just pour it back out." -He knows.

KOBY

Would have passed out if helmoppo hadn't held him steady, he's seen you dance before infact he watches you dance all the time but this somehow feels different watching you dance all so sexy especially in those clothes, it stirs up something in him.

From the moment you turned around he knew what you were doing, watching you back it up then drop it down. All eyes were on you and he wasn't gonna lie you've got him watching too.

Using his marine uniform to fan himself a little, was it him or it was hot. Either way he was sure it was you, the way you smirked at him you wanted something from him and what exactly do you want?- "Pl-Please, don't tease!" -He knows.

SHANKS

Kept smirking with an obvious blush on his face. No way was he going to let you get away with teasing him like that. Just look at you, dancing so sexy and even in sexier clothing, if you think he'll let you down slowly you've got another thing coming.

Teeth tugging on his bottom lip as he watched you dip and twirl. A little 'fuck' escaping his mouth as his eyes followed the way you caressed your body. Groaning when you smiled suggestively at him reminding him of your earlier statement.

"Shanks, I'll be back after this one song, then you're taking me home." You winked before leaving him with a kiss on the cheek as you swayed all the way up the stage. The smirk on his face never dropping as he thought of all the things he'd do to you tonight and only- "Hahah! Not so bold now huh?!" -He knows.

MIHAWK

He smiled into his wine cup, sipping the drink as he eyed your movements. He leaned back into the bar stool groaning when you dropped it down and whined, you were going to be the death of him.

His attention on you and noone else, watching it bounce as you danced, the way you licked your lips to tease not only him but the others in the crowd. Chuckling a little when you smiled innocently in his direction, well aren't you cute.

The atmosphere, the clothes, the bloody song, it was all you, you knew the attention it brought but to be honest he wasn't all that surprised he knows you love the attention that you get when you move and You know,- "Eager Eager, a little patience won't hurt, querido [darling]." -He knows.

[lina-lovebug]

Challenge Accepted, p.2

Jake "Hangman" Seresin

You don't date military men because your dad was a Marine and abandoned you and your mom. Could Hangman change that?

It had been a week since then.

And Hangman missed you.

The second Hangman came into the Hard Deck a day later and asked Penny when you were coming in, she said you weren't. You were off because exams that week but that you said to tell everyone thank you again for helping you.

He had been bugging Penny for your number, but she wasn't going to budge.

So he turned to Phoenix.

"If you're going to ask for the fourth time this week, I'm reporting you."

"Lighten up, Phoenix. I just want to talk to the pretty lady - check up on her," He insisted, and it was true. But his mind was drawn to the fact that you weren't immediately available for him, and he was determined to have you in his bed.

"I went to her place, and she's fine. And she doesn't need you distracting her."

"What is she going to school for?" Bob inquired.

"Clinical Psychology."

"Maybe she could fix me," Hangman smirked, raising his hands up in surrender when Phoenix threw a glare at him.

"I'm serious, Seresin," Now that caught his attention, "She's been hurt before, and she refuses to date any military. Once she's graduated, she's leaving. And she doesn't so casual sex either."

"She's the exact opposite of Hangman," Rooster boasted as he made his way over to the group.

Hangman continued on with his game of pool but couldn't get his mind off of (Y/N). Who could hurt a girl so much that she refuses to ever lay hands on any military again? Then again, he's met some grade A assholes in his time. But she had real goals, and seemed like a sweet girl. Sure, he could say that most girls he hooked up with weren't all that bright or never mentioned their aspirations to him, but he did imagine one day he'd stop.

For the right person.

What he is proud to say is that he's never cheated. His momma raised him better than that, and he knew she'd disown him the second he ever hurt any woman.

"(Y/N)?" His head snapped up as he hears your name and sees Phoenix on the phone.

He makes his way around the table before catching Phoenix off guard by grabbing her phone and making a bee line outside.

"Hangman, i'm gonna kill you!"

"Nat?" Your voice came through the phone as he locked himself in his car, smiling at Phoenix who flipped him off.

"Hey gorgeous," Hearing his voice through the phone brought butterflies to your stomach.

"How's school treating you?"

"Better than being in the heat, that's for sure," Your small laugh made him smile, "Nat told me about your pushups."

"I'd be able to tell you myself if I could have your number."

Your cheeks warmed at that but you knew his reputation well.

"As cute as you are, I'm looking for something serious. And you know I'm not that type of girl," You couldn't give him anymore of an ego boost by saying just how hot you thought he was, but let him down gently.

"We could be friends," He said and could feel your eyes roll through the phone.

"I'm serious darlin', I'm only here for a couple of weeks and then I'm off," Right. He was only in San Diego because of a mission.

"And if we happen to be the same place, I could always show you around. Can't be stationed without a traveling buddy, after all."

Your silence didn't bring him any solace. You were thinking about it, and even if his tone held some amount of flirting, you both knew you'd only see eachother for a short amount of time.

"Okay, but no funny business."

"Yes ma'am, no funny business. Will I be seeing you today?" You cursed yourself for letting that slight southern drawl make your head spin.

"Nope, I still have a test at seven today. But I'll be working tomorrow."

"Then I'll be there. See you, gorgeous."

"See you, Bagman."

And you hung up. You knew this was stupid. He's a flirt, he has a reputation for getting into any girls pants that he lays his sights on, and you were already flustered at his advances. But you got the feeling that he'd obey your boundaries, and even if you caught feelings, you'd never see him again anyways.

___

You were on your usual morning run along the beach and decided to show off a bit. You had gotten your grades in and you passed with flying colors, so you decided to hit up the Hard Deck later tonight.

You wore spandex and a sports bra, taking your usual route when you saw some guys playing football on the beach. Before you could get any closer, you stopped to check how many miles you had done.

"Well, well, well, look whose here. Want me to go say hi for you, Hangman?" Rooster teased with a smile as he looked to see you. He's seen many naked women, but just you in a sports bra and spandex shorts made him almost lose his breathe.

Why was Hangman already in so awe of you? Well, despite your initial boundaries, you kinda already broke it a few days ago.

"Hangman!"

"Yes, dollface?"

"Give it back! I need to finish that for class!" You indeed did come to the Hard Deck but brought your laptop for class's. You weren't working but wanted to see them, but also had a paper due in a few days.

"It says. . .not due till the twenty-first, and it's the fifteenth, last I checked," He pulled his usual cheeky smile as he held the laptop above you.

"What do I have to do to get it back?"

"Kick him in the balls!" Rooster shouted, earning laughs from the group.

"Sounds tempting," You grinned, crossing your arms.

"I'll give it back if you dance with me," You looked around, and there were some patrons but enough to where people would stare and you shifted.

"Infront of everyone?" You questioned, and seeing your discomfort, he was discouraged but then came up with an idea. He snapped the laptop shut and set it down behind the bar before grabbing your hand and rushing to the jewkbox.

"Not just us. They'll all be dancing, right guys?" Hangman shouted at them, looking at them like 'I'll pay for this later but please do this'.

"Hell yeah! I'm the best dance partner ever. Come on, Bob," Fanboy grabbed Bob.

"Wait, what?" And Bob looked horrified.

"Come on Phoenix, you too."

"Touch me and I'll cut your hand off."

"I've heard worse from Rooster."

"Fine, but I pick," And you were lucky enough that this wasn't just oldie songs because once Cruel Summer by Taylor Swift came on, he grabbed your hand and spun you into him.

"How fitting. Trying to tell me something, (Y/N)?" He grinned down at you.

"I don't know. What do those Aviator instincts tell you?" It was better than any school dance you've been to. You couldn't count the amount of times he spun you around, pulled you close to him, and laughed as you stepped on his shoes. It was just pure fun, and it was supposed to just be that.

Until towards the ending, he picked you up and you yelped as he twirled you in his arms. Phoenix noticed because he's never genuinely smiled and had as much as fun as he did with other girls. He looked at you like you've been married for years and he's falling in love all over again.

His arms held your waist tightly as he stopped and realized the closeness of the both of you. You could smell the mintiness of his breath mixed with liquor and the way he was staring at your mouth. His eyes darted from your eyes to your lips, completely ready to kiss you and damn the consequences.

"You do this with every girl, Jake?" You used his name and he swore he almost did it. The way you said it, despite the fact that literally everyone else has used his name at some point, he wanted you to keep saying it.

"Only the ones who intrigue me, (Y/N)."

"Ah!" You shrieked as you were grabbed and picked up bridal style in someone's arms, and looked to see Jake Seresin himself.

"I think we have a stalker on our hands."

"H-hey," You stuttered out, realizing that this was the first time you've seen him shirtless and he's holding you.

And dear God was he sculpted.

"What are you all doing here?"

"Training," Bob said.

"And who's this lovely lady?" An older gentlemen came up to you guys, and Hangman gently put you back down.

"(Y/N), I work at the Hard Deck," You introduced yourself.

"I had no idea that Hangman finally settled, and with a gorgeous girl at that. I'm Pete Mitchell," He shook your hand, happy for Seresin but that quickly ended.

"She's not my girlfriend," Hangman quickly stopped that. You felt like your heart was just stabbed at how quick he was to make sure that Pete knew that you were not his girlfriend.

"Oh, I'm sorry."

"It's fine. I have to go, anyways. But good luck on your mission, guys. . ." You drifted off, ready to keep running and not look back.

Because Jake Seresin is a ladies man. He doesn't settle down, and you knew that.

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Gonna get started on p. 3 and the final part. I absolutely love Jake and Bradley and if you want to see more, I have a Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw fanfic on my Wattpad! Username is Autogirls and check it out if you also like friends-enemies-lovers