#i guess the thrust is i wanted to be fixed or cured of something but i didnt get to be in control of how that happened

[mothric]

happy new year!! I had a horrible nightmare that (check the tags before proceeding please) I had to get a surgery to release some kind of fluid buildup in my brain and the surgery involved drilling a hole into my skull and I didn't find out they weren't intending to put me under until I was on the operating table with the nurse hovering over me with a GIANT drill

she reassured me they gave me local anesthesia but i flailed and begged to go to sleep and tried to shove the drill away while the nurse basically forced me into position, and I kept tapping my skull trying to confirm that the local even did anything because I couldn't remember them administering it. before I knew it they were drilling into the side of my head and it wasn't painful, so I guess the stuff worked, but I could hear it and feel it the way you feel what the dentist is doing even when there's novocaine. eventually i stopped yelling and fell silent because the drill was so loud and what can you even do at that point.

when they were done they cheerfully showed me an x ray of the hole they made, which went ALL the way back to my spinal cord and brain stem and stopped just a millimeter short of touching them, and they acted like this was normal and they hadn't just gone within a hair's breadth of killing me, and then they gave me a flimsy paper towel and told me I'd just need to hold it over the fresh hole in my head for awhile until it healed.

bizarre and upsetting New Year's Day dreams are practically a tradition for me at this point but, genuinely, what the Fuck was that.

[talesofstyles]

Good Morning Indeed

absolutely no plot whatsoever, just a bit of husband and dad harry in the midst of the family’s morning chaos 😂

Harry

“Go get the condom on.”

“I’ll pull out, I promise.”

“Your pull out game is weak.”

“Oi, them’s fightin’ words.”

“There’s a reason we’ve got six kids.” Says the missus with a roll of those pretty—but sometimes deadly (please don’t tell her I said this)—eyes. “‘Sides, I’ve just changed the sheets yesterday. You are not coming on the sodding sheets.”

“Fine,” I sigh and reach down to the bedside table. Why is the drawer filled with sodding Duplo and those tiny, pricey Sylvanian Family bunnies? I’m guessing kid number two, three and four have something to do with that. A few more seconds of rummaging before I finally found my treasure in the very back of the drawer. I lay on my back as I sheath myself up, and seeing as I’m already here… might as well, right? I smirk at her as I say, “hop on then.”

“Fat chance that,” she mutters. “Do I have to take off my top?”

“Nah,” I shake my head, it’s cold, and I’m a considerate husband. “A flash will do. Just give me a visual.”

She rolls up my shirt that she wears to sleep, a really old white rolling stones t-shirt that has two holes and a loose thread hanging on for dear life from the hem. She looks homeless. Gorgeous homeless though. 

“Nice,” I flash her a boyish grin, like a teenage boy seeing his first pair of tits. “You’ve got great racks.”

“You’re just saying that…”

I know what she sees when she looks at herself in the mirror and I wish she could look at herself through my eyes. 

“Hey, don’t you dare. My babies grew in that body, that’s everything.”

Her tender smile hits me right in the gut. “I love you.”

“Love me enough to ride me?” I say with a playful flick to one nipple.

“Nice try.”

“I love you,” I mutter near her mouth and give her a searing kiss. I run my tongue over her bottom lip, then I kiss her down her neck, her cleavage and her breasts. I slowly circle one nipple, and she giggles, knowing it’s a well-rehearsed move that is guaranteed to do what’s needed. See, her tits are kind of like start buttons. No matter the situation, a little attention to those bad boys switches things around real quick. Her head slams back against the pillow. And she moans, holding my head in place.

We’ve got ignition lads. 

I nestle my body on top of hers, and there’s a bit of wayward angling and poking until I find my way inside of her. And then it’s on. Two bodies writhing on the bed. My hips rotate in long, slow circles.

“Bollocks!”

“What? The condom isn’t broken, is it?”

“No, it’s bin day. I forgot to take out the recycling bin.”

“S’fine, we’ve got time before the school run.”

The bin’s sorted, back to the shag…

I slide my hands under her, bringing us closer. Rocking us faster. My forehead hovers close to hers and I open my eyes so I can watch. What can I say? I’m greedy like that. I want to soak up every gasp, every flicker of pleasure across her face. Pleasure I’m giving her.

Her breathing changes. It turns panting and desperate, and I know she’s close. I move harder, grinding against her, inside her, with every forward push. Warms sparks tickle my spine and heat spreads down until every nerve in my body is shaking. I slam inside her, burying deep as her hips jerk upward. She spasms hard around me, gripping me tight. 

I rock back my hips and pull almost all the way out, but then I freeze. Because a dreaded sound echoes across the room, grabbing our full attention. It’s coming from the baby monitor. It’s a rustling, the sound of cotton rubbing cotton. Like snipers in the jungle, we don’t move a muscle. We don’t say a word. We wait, until the rustling stops. And all is quiet again. 

Too bad it’s not for long. Because two thrusts in, a light comes on in the landing. Followed by small footsteps heading down the stairs. Shit.

“Harry, just come already. They’ll all be up soon.”

“I’m close… don’t rush it, you’re scaring it away.” 

She grinds her hips. Also another well-rehearsed move that she knows will get me off. But I freeze again, because there’s a second set of footsteps and the sound of a toilet flushing. Oh, and the babies next door are starting to whimper. 

Great.

“I’M HUNGRY!” That’s James, darling little cockblocker number four who likes to be fed on time. He’s three.

“WE’LL BE OUT IN A SECOND!” My wife shouts over my shoulder. “Harry for the love of god-”

I pick up the rhythm. Small beads of sweat form on my brow. She grinds her hips again, and I try to focus. “Just like that, fuck, keep doing that.”

“Sshh, keep your voice down.”

“IS THERE ANY BREAD THAT ISN’T 50/50?” That’s Eleanor, child number two. She’s seven, and she’s one of those children who seem to possess a discernible palate that knows when we’ve changed brands of baked beans or attempt to bring sugar-free fruit squash through the doors.

“IT’S THE SAME,” I reply.

“NO, IT’S NOT. DO WE HAVE OTHER FOOD?”

“THERE ARE SHREDDIES.”

“DON’T LIKE ‘EM.”

“PORRIDGE.”

“I’M NOT A BEAR!”

Honestly, seven-year-olds gunning for a fight this early in the morning can go do one.

The babies are starting to gather volume next door so I try to focus again. It only takes a few more thrusts before ecstasy wrecks my body, making me shudder. I press my lips against her neck as I come back down to earth. But I don’t move yet. I know we should get going because things are already chaotic outside our door, but I just don’t have the will yet. I’m considering going back to sleep for a minute or two. She won’t mind, will she? Well, I’m wrong. Because she proceeds to perform the move that seems to amuse every sodding woman on earth. And causes every man to squeal like a bloody pig. Without warning, she uses her powerful muscle to squeeze my extremely sensitive cock. 

Girls, grab a piece of paper and write this down. I’m speaking on behalf of every man to walk on earth here; we hate that. We don’t think it’s funny.

I jerk back, pull out, and roll off her. I try to look annoyed as she giggles, and obviously I fail, because that freshly fucked, flushed-face makes it impossible not to grin back.

“CAN I HAVE JAFFA CAKE?” That’s Victoria, child number three. She’s five, and she’s yelling as she thunders up the stairs. 

“JAFFA CAKE ISN’T BREAKFAST,” my wife shouts back as she sits up and hands me a nappy sack. “Harry…”

I wrap up the condom with it and toss it to the bin. “You’ve just taken me life force, woman, give me a moment.”

“CUSTARD CREAM?”

“NO.” We shout in unison. 

“HOBNOB THEN?”

“STAY AWAY FROM THE BISCUIT TIN!”

“You want to wrestle a biscuit-hunting kid out of a cupboard and 50/50 bread drama or fussy babies with full nappies?”

“Babies.” I hear a small child get whacked by a sibling downstairs and I feel like I may have got the better deal here.

Next door, the twins are not happy. They’re six months old now, and they’re both teething. Thing one glares at me as I walk into their nursery and thing two stares at me stroppily from the corner of her cot. Their cheeks are scarlet, and thing one proceeds to bark at me like a seal. I pick his warm, sleepy, cuddly body and cradle it close to mine as I lay him down on the changing table. I smell the dampness. It’s definitely wee. He’s soaked through, I think I didn’t tuck his willy in when I last changed him around three in the morning so it sprayed in some upward motion and drenched his clothes. See, this is why girls are better than boys. There’s no way they can pee upwards. 

After I put a fresh nappy and a change of clothes, I put him down on the rug so he can wiggle around while I grab his sister and sort her out. After six kids, I’m definitely a pro with baby duty and can practically change their clothes one-handed. The whole thing takes only a few minutes.

I cuddle the babies on each side as I walk downstairs and into the kitchen. They immediately reach out to their mum who’s cracking some eggs as soon as they spot her, knowing she’s the only one who can cure their hunger this morning. 

“Uniforms!” She says to the big kids as she takes one baby into her arms. “We’ll do breakfast after. Please, please, please…”

Desperate pleas lead them to saunter out and up the stairs. I follow my wife into the living room and hand her the other baby as she plops down on the couch. She rolls up her shirt and the babies latch instantly. Tandem nursing is harder now that they’re a little older and aware of their surroundings. They’re trying to scratch each other’s faces as they nurse. “Oi, what’s this? You each get a tit, stop fighting.”

They seem to somehow listen to me and have stopped trying to poke each other’s eyeballs. We’ll see how long that lasts. “Finish the eggs?”

I nod. “I’m on it.”

I brew some coffee, finish the scrambled eggs, and pop the slices after slices of bread in the toaster. Breakfast is done just in time as my wife walks back into the kitchen with two full and happy babies. She puts them in their high chairs and I scoop a bit of eggs on each of their trays for them to nibble on.

George appears back in the kitchen clad in his uniform with his also dressed brother trailing behind. We always lay his clothes the night before on his bed and he gets dressed all by himself in the morning. And he’s getting better at it, seeing he only missed a button on his shirt.

“Hi mate,” I say as I fix his button and he flashes a toothy grin at me. I plop him down on the chair, he’s graduated from the high chair now but still uses a booster seat.

“No toast!”

“What do you want then?”

“Chee-yos?”

I nod before I grab a handful of cheerios and set them on his plate next to his eggs. Then I take a few steps back across the table. “Hey, James, set it up.”

He flashes me another toothy grin before he opens his mouth wide and keeps it open. I hold a single Cheerio between my fingers while I bend my knees and bounce my hand as if I were dribbling a basketball. “Three seconds left on the clock, down by one. Styles got the ball. He fakes left, he drives in, he shoots…”

I toss the Cheerios in a high arc. It lands right into his mouth.

“He scores! The crowd goes wild!”

James holds both hands over his head. “Core!”

“Viv stole the biscuit tin, you know? She ate three jammie dodgers upstairs.” Eleanor says as she walks in with book bags and school shoes. 

George, seeing his sister walks in, proceeds to open his mouth wide and flashes her the half-chewed eggs on his tongue. It’s his current thing and it annoys his sisters to death. The young’uns think differently though as they double over in laughter. 

“Eeewww!” She shrieks. “You’re so gross!”

“VICTORIA, PUT THAT BISCUIT TIN DOWN AND GET YOUR BUTT IN THE KITCHEN! AND GO GET THEM HAIR TIE THINGIES…” 

“I didn’t have any biscuits!” She yells and runs down the stairs.

This kid is the quintessential daddy’s girl. She climbs up onto my lap right away, handing me the brush and a hair tie. 

“See, poppet, I would’ve believed you if you didn’t leave evidence all over your face,” I arch one of my eyebrows as I sweep a speck of raspberry jam on the corner of her mouth. 

“You always do a ponytail,” she huffs.

“Either that or I give you a bowl cut with kitchen scissors. I reckon that fruit bowl will do. Your choice.”

“Can I have some more eggs?” George asks with his mouth full of his last bite.

“God, that’s like your third serving,” Eleanor grumbles.

“Nag.”

At that insult, Eleanor flings a piece of toast like a ninja. Before George can retaliate, my wife gives them both the look.

“Viv, will you at least have some eggs?”

“No.”

“Fine,” my wife sighs. “I’m gonna get changed then.”

I glance at the clock and, well, shit, I should get dressed too. “Can you lot watch the babies and try not to kill each other for the next five minutes?”

“Five quid each?” Eleanor tries to negotiate. “Babysitting isn’t supposed to be free, you know? That sounds like child labour to me.” 

Bollocks. 

“Two quid each,” I give her my dad look that says the offer is final and indisputable.

“Deal.”

[wri0thesley]

Sweating It Out - Leone Abbacchio x Reader (Kinktober Day #19: Sex Pollen)

NSFW. 18+ ONLY. AFAB reader, no pronouns. Sex pollen / sex under the influence of sex pollen. Established relationship. 

You and Abbacchio are hit by an enemy stand, and there’s one way to . . . flush out the effects.

You can't decide whether to curse Giorno Giovanna for doling out this mission to your boyfriend, or to thank him for it.

It had seemed all above-board and typical at first; Abbacchio is often sent on physical missions like this. Despite the fact that Abbacchio has been instructed to rough up this perpetrator, Giorno hasn't forgotten the position that said man once held within Passione - and so sending one of his most trusted lieutenants is a courtesy that has been extended. The man had recognised Abbacchio - it is only when you'd seen the smirk on his face that you'd realised that Giorno had made a grave error.

Abbacchio is only sent on these missions when Giorno is certain the person who needs to be taught a lesson is not in possession of a stand. Despite Abbacchio's physical prowess, Moody Blues is not primed for combat - and though Abbacchio's fighting skills are enviable, there's little he or Moody Blues can do against preternatural fighting abilities.

You had gone with Abbacchio because you had nothing else to do that day, figuring you would be backup if something did happen - when you'd imagined something happening though, you'd thought about using your (non-offensive, healing, just as useless in a battle as Moody Blues can be) stand to fix up a broken nose or a joint knocked out of place.

It had not been so simple.

You had called out the moment you'd seen the stand materalise behind Abbacchio's victim, but it had not been quick enough - the  humanoid creature had already thrust it's hands forward, and plumes of dark purple smoke were already beginning to obscure your vision. You had rushed forward in earnest, despite knowing that Abbacchio would not want you to risk yourself - and in the accompanying scuffle, the proposed victim had escaped.

You and Abbacchio had crawled out of the alleyway on your hands and knees as the smoke had begun to dissipate, coughing - but looking, you had thought, mercifully unmarked by the event. The smoke had tasted like berries, clogging up your throat, making you struggle to breathe - but that had been all. Neither of you had seemed injured.

You and Abbacchio had straightened yourself up and brushed off your clothes and looked at each other with your lips pursed.

"Well," he'd said eventually. "I guess all we can do is wait and see."

You'd still called out your stand, just in case, once you were in the car - but she had been unable to find a single injury or illness to cure, and you and Abbacchio had been left, instead, to the frightening inevitability of waiting.

"We'll wait it out at home," Abbacchio said, decisively, putting the car into gear - you didn't know, then, how grateful you would be for his decision when the effects of the smoke revealed themselves to you.

It had started in the car as a persistent heat across your brow that was not cooled by the air conditioning - when you had asked Abbacchio to turn it on, your boyfriend's lips had twisted.

"Yeah," he'd said, "I'm feeling kind of hot too, actually."

The next step had been the restlessness - the way that your legs were vibrating and your fingers could not seem to stay still. Step three was the prickling of your skin, like someone was breathing lightly across the back of your neck and making you come all over gooseflesh and wanting. Step four had been the shortness of breath, the way that your vision was focusing and unfocusing - you had been about to say something to Abbacchio, about turning back from where he'd pulled the car in to park in front of your place and going back to Giorno's place to beg for help, when step five had kicked in and you'd realised exactly what was happening. 

Because step five was the ache between your thighs.

You can feel it in Abbacchio as he steps too close to you as you get out of the car and you feel the heat radiating off of him in needy waves. He brings his hand to your waist, gripping you with all the possessiveness you've come to expect of him in the bedroom brought to 'just outside your front door, in full view of everyone'.

Your mouth goes very dry.

"I think I know what the stand did," you say, very carefully, though all of the moisture in your body seems to be collecting between your thighs. Abbacchio snorts humourlessly, his voice low gravel as he replies;

"No shit."

-

You try and resist the pull at first. Your body aches to be touched and petted and kissed and caressed, the friction of your thighs rubbing together as you move maddening - but you can't help but worry about what might happen if you give in. What if the stand is going to take advantage of the both of you when incapacitated? You swallow thickly and try and ignore the fact that Abbacchio's shirt is clinging so tightly to his muscles today. That when his hand brushes across your lower back you want to lean into it and beg him to touch you more.

Your eyes keep straying to the part of him between his own legs, clearly defined as it rests stiff and needy beside his muscular thighs. The idea of taking it into your mouth, or running your fingers along the thick shaft - you press your thighs together again, wincing when it sends a brand new jolt of heat and need right through you.

You make it ten minutes before it begins to hurt. It begins to ache, inside you - sweat beading on your brow, your body crying out for something. You can only liken it to the feeling of starving - there is a yawning, gaping chasm inside of you. Your body is craving something.

And you got the faceful of the smoke after Abbacchio did. You've been under the influence for a shorter time. You peek at Abbacchio, sat beside you on the sofa attempting to read a book ("We should ignore it," he'd said. "There's no telling what will happen if we give in.).

Well.

He'd once been attempting to read a book. Now, the tome lies forgotten on one arm of the sofa and his fingers are digging into his own thighs, the knuckles white and tight. You shift closer to him, soothed briefly by the press of his body against your arm.

"Leone," you say, so softly that it's barely a breath. "Leone, I can't--"

"We have to," he replies, ragged.

"Leone, it hurts--"

It does. It does hurt! If he doesn't touch you, your body - you're sure of it - will pull itself apart.

"Touch yourself instead," he rasps. "O-one of us has to keep our wits about us . . ."

There's a note of desperation in his voice. His eyes fasten on a picture of the two of you hung on the wall, ignoring you as you give in to your urges and let your palms skim along the curve of your breast. You trace your own waist and hips, trying to imagine that your hands are the heavy weight of Abbacchio instead - but it's not enough.

On top of clothes isn't enough. You drag at your shirt, wiggling out of your bottoms without any thoughts except touching your own bare skin. The fabric clings to your sweat-slick legs, but you are determined.

Abbacchio breathes deep.

"I can smell you," he growls, low in the back of his throat. "Fucking hell--"

You're not surprised. As you peel your sodden underwear away from you, you think it's a miracle you're not sitting there in a puddle. Your sex is so wet - you don't think you've ever been like this before, and it's not as if Abbacchio isn't good in the bedroom--

Your fingers skim over the slit, teasing yourself before you give in with any attempts to do such a thing and delve between your folds, toying with your clit, slipping a finger inside of you to the first knuckle (you take it so easily--).

But.

It's not right.

Oh, you feel it, sure - you're aware of your dampness and your fingertips and the way your body clenches around the digit. But it does nothing to assuage the ache that's deep in your bones that keeps whispering; "you need to be fucked, you need to be fucked, you need to be fucked--"

You whine aloud, the hand not touching yourself coming to rest on Abbacchio's thigh, squeezing needily. Your boyfriend is still trying not to look at you, and you know that it's because if he does look at you and give in he will throw you onto your sofa and rut you like a wild animal.

He's trying to be the good guy. He's trying to be responsible. His jaw is clenched and his teeth are grit and every single inch of him is on high alert. You know you you're playing a dangerous game, naked next to him in needy pieces, getting more and more lascivious by the moment.

"Leone," you whine, again. The hand on his thigh travels up his arm, to his jaw - oh, you shouldn't do it. But then, you're gripping his chin and turning his face to look at you and whimpering with tears caught in your throat; "It's not enough! I need--" Tears form in the corner of your eyes. "I need you to fuck me--"

There's a flash in his eyes, a moment in which he argues with himself - but the ache that you know must be prominent within him too wins out.

And then, Abbacchio snaps.

He pushes your hand away from his chin to take ahold of yours, pulling you into a bruising kiss. He mouths at you like a man starved, as if your lips have the elixir of life upon them - suckling and biting, uncaring of how you're moaning into his mouth and pulling him down, spreading your thighs for him.

Your bare sex presses against the front of his leather trousers, where the stiff heat of his cock through the material is tantalisingly close and yet not close enough. You helplessly grind into it, the sensation strange but amazing.

"You're making a mess," he murmurs, though his throat is so thick with lust you can barely make sense of what he's saying. 

"Take them off, then," you reply, petulantly - and Abbacchio wastes no time.

You can tell from the tense way that he's holding himself and the slight stumbles of his motions that he's just as close to the edge as you are - just, you suppose, better at controlling it. Abbacchio has been a man who lets his feelings take precedence in the past, but now . . . now he is granite cool and detached, from being moulded carefully into a better man thanks to the influence of the people around him who saw something in the shattered man he once was that was repairable.

He does. You pull impatiently at the ties of his shirt, and that's the next to go too - and then he's on top of you, just as naked as you are, his silky hair damp with sweat as it brushes along your skin.

"Fuck," he breathes, as you nip at his neck, breathing in the heady, masculine scent of him. "You feel so good--"

He's not even inside of you, just pressing his shaft against where you're aching and wet, and already you can feel the slightest lightening of your need. Your own hands and fingers were simply not enough - whatever this weird sex pollen stand has done to you, it knows when you're touching another person.

You reach a hand down to encircle his cock, gently, and he lets out a whistling exhale of breath through his teeth, his eyes fluttering closed. He groans as you pump it once, twice - as you gently rub the slit of his cockhead where precome has soaked him. You shift impatiently beneath him on the sofa.

"Put it in me," you tell him, all bossiness - and Abbacchio, who would usually growl at you for being such a brat and then rub his cock against your folds without ever entering you, does as you ask without the slightest backchat.

The head of his cock stretches you open briefly at the entrance, but both of you are slick and needy enough that there's no ache beyond that - he glides into you as if you were made to take him.

And oh, it feels like that is exactly the case. He slots inside you like your channel was moulded to the imprint of his cock, snug and hot and wet and perfect. He groans aloud as he fills you, feeling the way that the painful ache of desire is lifting to be replaced with the pleasant ache of getting what you want.

You stop speaking. You stop doing anything except your mouths meeting messily, your fingers tangling in each other's hair, your hips rocking against one another in constant search of more of the delicious friction that's already building up inside you.

Abbacchio does not go at you gently. Every roll of his hips has the cushions beneath you abrading your back, and you're grateful you bought a nice sofa - you're going to have to clean it pretty hard after this. You have nothing to grip onto except Abbacchio's broad shoulders, your nails digging into his skin and leaving little crescent moons - Abbacchio doesn't complain.

When your fingers flex, actually, he moans, the sting clearly helping him along. Your boyfriend has always liked things a little rough. There's a light in his eyes that has your toes curling with every thrust.

You don't think you've ever been so close to coming so quickly in your life. You could chalk it up to Abbacchio's face and voice, his body - but you know in your heart that it's the weird smoke, making you extra sensitive and easier to rile up. Maybe, you think, the need will subside once you've come--

But you're wrong. Your orgasm tears through you with almost no warning but the swoop of your stomach and the wail that's suddenly being tore from your lips, your channel squeezing Abbacchio's cock, milking him for all he's worth - and the milking certainly works. Abbacchio swears in between gasps of your name and then his cock is twitching inside you, filling you messy and deep, his hips chasing the spurts and pushing his come deeper inside of you with every powerful pump.

"It's not working," you breathe, even as you realise that his cock has not softened a whit. You wrap your arm around his neck, pulling him in closer and deeper. "I'm still--"

"Me too," Abbacchio rumbles. He crushes your body beneath him, a heavy, reassuring weight. "Don't worry. We'll just have to . . . keep going--"

The way he says it sends pleasant shivers all through your body. Deep inside of yourself, you know that you should try and get away from the heady, hazy effects of the sex smoke - but another, deeper part of you is much more interested in Abbacchio continuing to pound you than anything else.

"Okay," you say, with no backchat. "No complaints here, caro--"

Abbacchio's breathless laughter is soon swallowed by other noises. The grunts and groans issuing forth from his mouth as he uses you like a toy - the moans of surprise when you hit back with corkscrewing your hips a certain way or clamping your channel around him again, tightening the cavern that's hugging his cock so deeply inside you.

The slap of skin on skin. The wet noises as he continues to fuck his come inside of you - the stutter of his breath as he comes again, twice and then three times. You can feel some of his seed leaking out of you now with every thrust of his powerful hips - but you've come four times and your body is shaking and trembling, and you can't bring yourself to think of anything else.

Now, you can feel that you're less entrenched inside the fog of need. Your hips ache a little from exertion and not from aphrodisiac stand bullshit. But your body is still prickling, just a little - and you tangle your fingers into Abbacchio's silky hair and say, all coy and fluttering eyelashes and bitten lip.

"I think it's starting to work."

Abbacchio looks down at you, his lipstick smeared, his eyes blown wide and dark, and the lightest smirk playing on his sculpted lips. He says, wicked;

"We better be sure though, right?"

Oh.

You decide that he's right.

As you feel his hips begin to rock once more inside you, you conclude that you two are in for a very long night.

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

have you seen minilittle-sunflower’s coconut kalim and mushroom jade can you write an imagine about that? like maybe they are dressing up for a play or halloween or something

HNNNGH YES I LOVE THEIR WORK EVERY TIME I SEE A NEW COCONUT KALIM OR A SHROOM JADE AND NOW FLAMINGO ACE TOO DOODLE IN MY TIME LINE I’M LIKE “BLESS THIS PERSON FOR EXISTING AND PROVIDING US WITH QUALITY CONTENT”--

I would highly recommend checking out @minilittle-sunflower’s work! It’s sure to brighten up your day~ (and no worries, I made sure to get their permission first before writing this!)

Imagine this...

“What. Is. That.” Azul demanded, thrusting an accusing finger at...whatever was rustling around on his desk.

From afar, it seemed to be a rotund mushroom, sporting a white cap covered in red spots. However, upon closer inspection, that shroomy exterior was but a costume donned by another creature--a humanoid with chubby cheeks, beady eyes, and a familiar teal haircut with a protruding black strand. The being busied itself with tearing off the corner of one of Azul’s contracts, each tug eliciting a squeaky sounding grunt.

“It’s Jade,” Floyd replied--hands shoved into his pockets, his tone casual. “Can’t you tell?”

“That,” Azul snapped, “is not Jade. That is...that is a gremlin.”

As if to confirm his statement, mini-Jade cackled--he had collected the leftover ink from the nib of a pen on his hands, painting a fake bowtie on himself. 

“Nah, that’s definitely Jade. I would know, cuz we made that shrinking potion for Alchemy together.”

Azul narrowed his eyes. “If you merely made a shrinking potion, then why in the world is Jade behaving so...oddly? And why is he wearing a mushroom costume, of all things?! I have never heard of a potion capable of doing...this.”

“Dunno~ Ishidai-sensei said I added the wrong stuff. Then somethin’ about ‘manifesting the shape of thy soul’, but I kinda tuned the rest of what he said out. It was really boring getting scolded~” The eel shrugged.

“Floyd. Please do not tell me you walked away in the middle of his lecture--and please do not tell me you did not stick around to ask for a cure.”

“Eeeeeh? How’d ya know that’s what happened?”

“...Intuition.” The octopus heaved a sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose. “You had better march back and apologize to Crew--”

“AZUL...!!”

The door to his office slammed open with a resounding THUD--and looming there, at the threshold, was an irritated looking snake. A Viper, to be exact.

“Oya, oya, if it isn’t Jamil-san. I never thought I’d see the say where you would willingly step foot into Octavinelle,” Azul crooned, a crooked smirk finding its way onto his lips. “Unfortunately, now is not a good time to grovel for forgiveness and request for my friendship--”

“Stop that,” Jamil spat venomously. He reached into his hood and yanked something out, shoving it into Azul’s face. “Your lackey made this mess, and I want this to be fixed. Now.”

Cupped in Jamil’s hand was what appeared to be...a boy in a young coconut costume, decked out in a white and gold head wrap. The material of the costume was a pale green, and bore indentations that resembled elaborate earrings. Tufts of silvery hair peeked out from inside the costume, framing  plump, tan-skinned face.

“K-Kalim-san...?!”

“Henlo!” mini-Kalim declared, waving so enthusiastically that he almost seemed to vibrate in place. “Wanna party hard? Join coconut cult!”

“Noooo, join shroom cult!!” mini-Jade protested, puffing up his cheeks. “Give fee! Gimme shrooms--more ‘n more!”

“Waaaaa~ Rakko-chan’s kinda cute as a coconut,” Floyd marveled.

“NO. FIX THIS.” Jamil pressed, gritting his teeth. “I can’t take another second of Kalim bouncing off the walls and singing--and I certainly do not want to hear another word out of him about a coconut cult...!!”

“Well, it seems that we are in the same predicament,” Azul noted, pushing his glasses up. “Jamil-san...you and I can smooth things over with Crewel-sensei. I do not know if I entirely trust Floyd to be able to make amends himself, so he can be tasked with babysitting the...problem children in our absence.”

“Whatever it takes to get Kalim back to normal,” Jamil agreed, his eyes cutting to Floyd. “Here--and for the love of the Great Seven, don’t squeeze him into coconut juice. Kalim’s parents--and mine--will kill me.”

“‘Kay,” he agreed reluctantly.

“Take good care of your brother as well,” Azul instructed, plucking up mini-Jade and placing him in Floyd’s hands. The mushroom squished up against the coconut, and they collectively squealed.

“I promise I will~”

“Good. We will be off, then.” Azul linked his arm with Jamil’s and smiled wide. “Come along, now.”

“Hmph--don’t order me around, octopus,” he snapped, jerking away and speed walking ahead of Azul.

“Ah, please wait, Jamil-san!”

“Bye-byeee~ Have fuuuun!” Floyd called after them.

As soon as they were out of earshot, he leered down at the costumed gremlins in his clutches. Mini-Jade and mini-Kalim squirmed, their little limbs flailing and smacking one another. Floyd’s grin widened, his eyes sparkling.

“Ehehehe. I wonder if a coconut or a mushroom would win in a fight...Guess I’ll have to see for myself.”

[maribatshipper]

Miraculous Akumatised reader

Crescent high above

Evolving as you go

Raise what lies beneath

& let the darkness grow

Bend it to my will

Consume the sunlight's glow

Rise into the sky

& let the darkness grow

Let darkness grow."

Blackstone growls at her captives, her glowing light blue hair dancing in the wind, her black bodysuit with a glowing blue stone on her chest, pulsing with her emotions, a sword strapped to her back.

"I'm not Y/N anymore. I'm Blackstone. You can stop trying to convince me to take the high road, Adrien. We are not the same. You are weak! You are a doormat & an enabler. Me? I am the salvation. I won't fail like you did!"

She looks down to the black spikes she creates in anger, remembering her cousin causing pain to Marinette & herself.

"When Ladybug gets here-" Chloe yells.

Blackstone laughs, "She will thank me for exposing this liar of a cousin I have! She's ruining people's rep, like she did mine."

Alya's phone shakes in her hand as she livestreams everything. Blackstone then starts singing, tears pricking her glowing E/C eyes.

"There's no life after happily ever after

There's just pain & betrayal in the end

I could see it in her eyes, that all she does is lie

After all she's done, you think that she's your friend?"

She pulls out some duct-tape from the bag on the wall & places it on her three captives mouths & then starts sharpening her sword.

"But still at night, I think about the way she smiles

& miss her for a little while

Every thought is harder to excuse

& now I see, I've lost my faith, & lost my soul!

But now I have complete control

& realised I've nothing left to lose!

Nothing left to lose!"

She growls at her captives, "Lila never cared about me! About any of you! Why won't you see that?"

Alya listens to the akuma & feels regret for not double-checking her sources.

"The path I'm on is a path paved in black

I'm taking that road & I'm not looking back!

Each twist & each turn leads straight where I'm yearning to go!

Yes, it's true

My path is dark, but I see where it ends

My rivals will fall as my power ascends

Despise me, that's fine!

I'm taking what's mine even so!

Not like you!"

She turns to Chloe, growing more stones underneath her, making her rise into the air, & she walks across the air, stones appearing under her feet every step.

"You lost your nerve

You lost the game!

But you & I, we're not the same!

I'm not lost, my fate was mine to choose!

So I chose to lose my doubts & lose my chains

Lose each weakness that remains!

Now that I have nothing left to lose!"

She picks up a picture of Lila, & pulls out her sword to shred it. Her voice cracks as she shreds the picture.

"She dreams about a future

Not knowing all the pain it will briiiiiiiiiiing!

I'll shed no tears, for I am done with waiting!

I have no fear, & I swear that I will

Lose no tears & lose no sleep

What I want I'll take and keep!

You can't stop the turning of the screws!

She suddenly grabs her captives & throws them into a cage.

"You'll stay in that cage until this is done & Lila shows. & just in case you think of escaping." She glares.

She thrusts her hand out, causing more spikes to appear & for the cage to be fifty metres away from her tower made of the black spikes. She walks slowly to her throne.

"Now I have...

Nothing left...

To lose."

She sits down on he throne & growls, waiting for her lying cousin.

***

"You caused all this, Lila! Because of you, Adrien, Alya, & Chloe are in danger! Because of you, your cousin Y/N is akumatised!" Ladybug scolds Lila.

"Oh, please! She was a gullible fool like my mother. She believed everything I said until Marinette showed her the truth. It's her fault." Lila scoffs.

Ladybug yells, "SHE'S YOUR FAMILY! She trusted you! Marinette had nothing to do with it! You did. & YOU are going to fix it."

***

"What are you waiting for!? Find Ladybug & Cat Noir!!!"

Blackstone sighs, "Zip it, Hawkdaddy. Ladybug will come soon enough with Lila. She has no choice. Come with Lila, or I drop the civilians. You need patience. You'd think you'd know patience with how long it takes to sew an outfit."

The voice stops, seemingly shocked.

"Oh, you think I wouldn't figure it out? I'm not as dense as the rest of Paris. But I might forget later."

Suddenly, Blackstone hears a yoyo zipping in. She turns around to see Ladybug & Lila in her tower.

"About time. But, just to make sure..."

She wraps the stones around Lila & squeezes slightly, causing Lila to start crying crocodile tears.

"Good. She's real. Unlike those tears."

She then wraps Ladybug in the stones as well.

"Don't worry, Ladybug, I won't hurt you. After all, you were the one to try to help me."

She turns to Lila & sings, again.

"This has to stop now

This thing where you think that you've been my friend

& don't even hear how you condescend

Just like you've always done!

No, this has to stop now

Ignoring the things that I have to say

You leave me behind to just sit & wait

The way you've always done!"

Ladybug stares in shock. She's treated her own cousin like this for years?

"Lila, listen!

I've wasted my whole life

I'm taking back what's mine now

It's what I feel is right.

Lila listen

I know it's not too late

But you hold me back & keep me there

When I want to go, you're telling me to wait.

Well... I won't wait!"

Blackstone lifts into the air with stones & snarls at Lila, giving Ladybug regretful looks.

"There's a line between the winners & the losers

There's a line between the chosen & the rest

& I've done the best I could

But I've always known just where we stood!

Me here with the luckless

You there with the blessed!

& that line between the beggars & the choosers

Is a line you've never let me quite ignore!

How I've tried to jump that great divide!

But I never got the chances you were given!"

Her voice starts to crack & tears swell in her eyes as she glares at Lila. As far as Blackstone's concerned, Lila deserves every bit of pain she'll be given.

"You don't know how much I've been denied!

Well, I'm not being patient anymore!

I'm crossing the line!

& I'm done holding back!

So look out, clear the track

It's my turn!

I'm taking what's mine!

Every drop every smidge!

If I'm burning a bridge

Let it burn!

But I'm crossing the line!"

She holds her sword to Lila's neck, tears flowing freely as she sings.

"As for us, if we're over

That fine!"

Ladybug yells, "Wait!"

"I'm crossing the line."

She goes to stab Lila when Ladybug's yoyo wraps around the sword & pulls it away. She tries to break it, but she can't.

"Did you really think it'd be that easy to break my sword? It's made out of the same stuff my rocks are made of." Blackstone laughs.

"Lucky Charm!" Ladybug throws her yoyo into the air.

A hat falls down into her hands.

"Seriously? A hat? Please tell me how you are going to defeat me with a hat?" Blackstone frowns, unamused.

Ladybug's eyes widen.

"Of course!"

She quickly removes Lila from the rocks & flies out of the tower.

"By retreating? That's how you defeat me? Meh, She'll be back."

***

After an hour, Ladybug comes back, without Lila, & without the hat.

"So... I guess you did do something right. Why didn't you tell anyone, Ladybug? Why didn't you expose her lies? She was ruining your reputation, she was ruining Jagged's rep, Clara's, & literally anyone else she spoke about. Why did you let her lie? Did she threaten you? Or was it someone else?"

Ladybug glares, "Let them go."

Blackstone sighs, & brings her captives back inside.

"You know, I just wanted to take vengeance on my stupid cousin, & repay my debt to Marinette. But there is one thing I have to do first." Blackstone frowns.

She then grabs Adrien & pulls him out of the cage.

"This is actually your fault. I partly blame your father for letting you be so stupid! & you're about to pay for not defending Marinette!"

She drags him to the window of the tower, all the girls screaming to let him go.

"You want me to let him go? Alright!" She smirks.

She drops him out the window. Everyone screams, but then, nothing. Blackstone looks out the window to see him in the hands of a new heroine. Her smirk gets slightly bigger as she watches the new Bee themed heroine getting Adrien to safety.

"So... Who's next? How about the Ladyblogger who needs to learn to fact-check? Or maybe the Mayor's daughter who thinks her father will do everything she wants? Who's going for a ride through the air, nothing keeping them safe until they land?"

***

"Get to safety, Agreste." The heroine frowns.

"Who are you?" He asks.

The heroine replies, "Honeybee."

She jumps back towards the tower, with her raven hair with yellow highlights flowing in the wind.

"I'm coming, Ladybug."

***

"Stop your crying! It's annoying! He's alive you fools!" Blackstone yells, when-

"VENOM!"

Blackstone freezes in place. Suddenly, Cat Noir shows up and destroys the sword. Ladybug casts the cure & Blackstone turns back to Y/N. Y/N hugs her legs, knowing just what she did.

A/N So, does anyone want a part two? If so, tell me.

[okarawrites]

Heyyyy, love your writing. I always get pretty giddy when I see a new update from you! Was wondering if I could request a RenoXReader with a date night planned, both dressed to the nines but the outfits kind of lead to them not being able to get out of the kitchen. The smuttier, the better. Much love xoxo

The smuttier the better you say??? challenge accepted! Also thank you so much that’s so kind of you to say! xx

 Even though you had worked for Shin-Ra for a number of years, you had never attended the staff functions. You always felt like they were overly political. It was usually full of people either there because they had to show their faces, trying to get their company ideas heard, or looking for an opportunity to sleep their way up the company ladder.

“It won’t be that bad! We’ll get dressed up, have some free booze and watch people make fools of themselves.” Reno said, trying his best to persuade you to come with him. He, like the rest of the Turks, was expected to be there and he would rather not have the lecture from Tseng on Monday morning. You looked at him to find him doing his best puppy dog eyes at you, knowing that you could never resist them.

“hmpf fine. What’s the dress code?” you said, giving in to his charm. He smiled widely at you “Ah it’s a fancy event, so go all out.” You were just about to open your mouth to protest, but Reno was out the door yelling back to you how he’d pick you up at 7. You looked down at your watch. 2pm. Best leave work a bit early and go dress shopping.

You had just finished applying the final touches to your makeup when you hear Reno let himself into your apartment with the key you had given him. “I won’t be long, just putting my shoes on and I’ll be there.” you called out to him as you stood in front of your full-length mirror, smoothing out your dress.

You had gone for a black long-sleeved dress. It had a deep v-neck, which showed off your cleavage just enough to be sexy by still classy. It was a long dress but there was a slit on one of the sides that exposed one of your legs from the mid-thigh down. You stepped into your heeled black shoes and picked up your clutch, before walking out of your bedroom.

Reno was stood in your kitchen, leant up against the countertop. His hair was styled the same as it always was, but he was missing his goggles. His black suit and half-open white shirt were replaced by a dark green and black checked suit with a black shirt. His shirt was buttoned to the top and he was even wearing a tie of the same design as his suit. You couldn’t help but pause as you took in his appearance. The suit fit his slim form perfectly and you couldn’t deny that the sight of him sent a tingle down your spine.

“Well, don’t you look handsome.” You said, making him look up at you. As soon as his eyes fell upon you he stood upright. His lips parted as if to say something, but no words came out. You shuffled slightly awkwardly as his eyes raked up your form. He always thought you were stunning, but he had never seen you dressed up like this and quite frankly, he was speechless. “It’s too much isn’t it?” you said, now self-conscious about your dress choice. “I’ll do a grab a cardigan or something.” You moved to walk back to your bedroom, but Reno caught your wrist in his hand. He spun you to face him again, but this time he was much closer to you. “Don’t. You look perfect.” His usual cheeky expression was replaced by a much more serious one. The smell of his aftershave and the deep look in his eyes were making you dizzy with desire.

His hand ghosted down your side, feeling the soft fabric that hugged your body in the best possible way. You rested your hands on his toned chest. The air was thick with anticipation before your lips finally met. You could tell he was taking extra care in his kisses, trying to preserve your lipstick as much as possible. He was doing so well until he let his hands roam to cup your backside, pulling you closer to him. His trousers were getting impossibly tight, and when you shifted slightly, adding some friction, he groaned into the kiss. You took this as an opportunity to bite his bottom lip lightly. He responded by deepening the kiss, slipping his tongue into your mouth to coax yours into a dance.

Your hands instinctively moved up to his hair. The feeling of your fingers massaging his scalp made Reno grind his hips into yours. He turned you both around, so now you were the one up against the counter. He broke the kiss to lift you up onto the counter. “We’re definitely going to be late if we carry on.” You spoke, but you didn’t really care. Right now, all you wanted was Reno. He hummed as he began kissing down your neck, making his way to your cleavage. “It’s fine, I’m not exactly going to be lasting long with you looking like that.”

His answer made you laugh out loud, but that laugh was cut off by the feeling of Reno's hands travelling up your legs, lifting your dress at the same time. Reno let out a small groan at the sight of your panties. “Fuck y/n, you tryna kill me?” his voice drawled out as he bit his lip as the sign, thumbs gently massaging your thighs. “Well, it was actually my ploy to get us to leave the party a bit early” you said with a smirk. Reno raised an eyebrow “Oh really? And how were you going to play your trump card?” His mouth was now ghosting over yours as his hands made slow work of lowing your pretty red lace panties.

You eyes were locked and your smirk grew wider. “Well…” you started as your hand felt down his chest. “I would have excused myself from one of your boring work conversations.” His fingers were now stroking up and down your already soaked lips. You tried your best to not moan at his touch and carried on talking. “Then I would have gone the bathroom to take a pic.” Your hand travelled further down his form. “And then, I would have sent it to you, while I got out coats. Just waiting for us to get home, so you could bend me over…”You cupped his tense bulge, squeezing enough to get a gasp from the redhead in front of you. “…and fuck me.”

Something seemed to flip in Reno at the sound of those last three words. In a flash, you were flipped over and bent over the kitchen counter. Strong hands massaged your ass cheeks before he pushed two fingers into you. You cried out at the sudden intrusion. His fingers curled slightly and he moved his hand in an up and down motion. He knew just how to hit that spot that drove you crazy. He was impatient in his movements. If you hadn’t been so turned on, you would have been embarrassed by the noise of him pumping into you with his fingers. When he felt you start to clench, he moved his other hand to circle over your clit, quickly making you cum around his fingers.

Once you came down from your high, Reno wasted no time in pulling down his trousers and pants just enough to release his cock. He rubbed it up and down your entrance a couple times before he sunk into you. “Fuck! Shit, you’re so perfect” he said, stilling to briefly savour the feeling of your smooth, tight walls gripping onto him. You too let out a low moan “Fuck Reno, you feel so good.”

He did a few slow, deep strokes before he couldn’t hold back any more. The small kitchen was filled with the sounds of slapping skin, grunts, moans and heavy breathing. His hands had a vice grip on your hips. You could feel that he was getting close, so you intentionally clenched around him. His thrusts stuttered and he spilled into you, muttering a string of cures words as he did.

He had his head resting on your shoulder as he caught his breath. When he finally pulled out of you, you turned your head to plant a kiss on his lips. “Did I tell you how hot you look in that suit?” you said with a smile. He let out a breathy laugh “Thanks babe. I guess your dress is alright.” He said giving you a wink.

You quickly went to the bathroom to clean up and fix your make up. When you came out again Reno was on the phone “Yeah, I know. We’re in traffic. Listen partner, I don’t know what you want me to do. I’ll be there in a few minutes.” He was ushering you out of the house, as he spoke.

[alkae]

Mood Swings

It was an accident. Allegedly.

It started one cold, early morning when Varian found time to be alone with his alchemy set. He hadn’t been able to spare some time away from the others and, as much as he loved them (even Hugo), he valued his solitude just as much. During that early morning, Varian was playing with the mood potion Xavier spared him right before he left on his adventure.

Varian had wanted some more of the potion to make another truth serum after a certain someone used up all of his. But after making his truth serum, he had some of the mood potion left over. And, being a curious alchemist, he wanted to see what more he can do with a mood potion. That’s what he was doing that morning, hidden in the trees.

“Hairstripe!”

Well, not that hidden.

Varian looked up, annoyed and surprised, to see Hugo, hair tousled and eyes sleepy. How had he found him? “Hugo! W-what are you doing up… so soon?” he asked, cursing himself for his stutter.

Hugo combed through his pale hair. “How can I sleep when there’s an explosion coming from you every 5 seconds?” he grumbled.

Varian could feel his cheeks redden. “Excuse you, Hugo, but there haven’t been any explosions in at least…” He quickly did the math in his head. “10 minutes and 32.34 seconds.”

Hugo looked unimpressed as he sat across from Varian. Varian felt his annoyance rise. He had wanted some alone time, but sure, Hugo, make yourself at home. “Impressive. Did you do the math by yourself?”

For some reason, that was the breaking point. “You know what, Hugo? Why don’t you just leave me alone? All this trip, you’ve been… harassing me and taunting me and I’ve gotten pretty sick of it. Don’t you have anything nice to say?”

Hugo gasped. “I have plenty nice to say.”

“Oh really?” Varian asked skeptically. “Like what?” Hugo opened his mouth but Varian stopped him. “That isn’t a pickup line of some sort.”

Hugo grumbled. “You’re no fun, you know that? All work and no play. You take everything so seriously.”

Now Varian gasped. “I do not!” he said defensively.

Hugo stood and slid his goggles over his glasses. “Hi,” he said, making his voice higher, “I-I’m Varian and you’re not allowed to touch a-anything I make because everything I create explodes!”

Varian stood too. “I-I do not sound like that!” he stuttered. “Plus, I have every right to be concerned.”

“Of course you do. Everything you make explodes. Now if you actually listened to me, maybe you’ll be successful.”

Varian scowled. “Why do you always have to be so nasty?”

“Why can’t you take just a bit of criticism? You never learn from any of your mistakes.”

“I do!”

“Right. Which is why all your experiments explode.”

To prove him wrong, Varian picked up his latest experiment that was glowing a faint turquoise color. “This hasn’t exploded yet,” Varian said. “So ha.”

Hugo raised a brow at him. “Give it time.”

Varian thrust the beaker at him. “I will. And in time, it will become an actual successful serum that will be beneficial to us… in some way.”

Hugo reached for the beaker and his hands closed over it, right above Varian’s. “It will help us if you let me fix it. It’s clearly not stable.”

Varian tugged it away but Hugo’s hands remained firm. “Just trust me, Hugo, it’s fine!”

“It’s not fine! Admit it, you need my help.” Hugo tugged the beaker back towards him so forcefully that Varian stumbled forward.

“I don’t need your help. I’ve got it.” Varian tugged the beaker back, Hugo coming with it.

“Like you got the other experiments that quite literally blew up in our faces?” Hugo tugged at the beaker, harder.

“That was twice!” Varian tugged the beaker just as hard. “Would you just… leave me…” He didn’t finish the sentence as Hugo suddenly let go of the beaker at the same time Varian tugged and he fell backward, dropping the beaker. The two boys watched as it fell and smashed, spreading a cloudy turquoise smoke over them.

They coughed as it spread and slowly, it thinned out. Varian blinked as a feeling of confidence washed over him. Is that what his serum did? Fill the user with confidence? Great, now Hugo was going to be even more insufferable. He stood and wiped off his pants.

“Wow,” he heard Hugo say. “That was weird. Are you okay, Varian?”

What? Since when did Hugo call him by his actual name? And since when did he care about his well being? “I’m fine. Did you hit your head or something, Glasses?”

And since when did Varian call Hugo by anything other than his name?

Footsteps approached the two and Varian looked over Hugo’s shoulder to see Nuru and Yong running up to them. “Are you two okay?” Yong asked. “Varian, are you alright?”

Varian huffed. “You just asked that, Firecracker. Chill out.”

Yong’s face fell. Hugo made a noise. “Don’t be rude, Varian. Yong, we’re fine.”

Nuru looked from Hugo to Varian, confusion on her face. “Are you two feeling okay?”

Varian wiped some dirt off his face. “Firecracker just asked that, Princess Starmap. It’s not like we exploded or anything.”

He could practically hear the surprise from Yong and Nuru. “Varian, are you sure you’re alright? You’re behaving strangely,” Nuru said.

“Princess, I’m feeling completely fine. It’s Glasses you should worry about. But honestly, what’s new?”

Hugo turned to glare at him. “Do you have anything nice to say ever?” he asked. Huh. That sounded familiar.

“When I have something nice to say, pretty boy, I’ll say it.” It was strangely delightful to see Hugo’s face pink up.

Nuru sighed. “Okay, since Hugo seems like the more cooperative one today, I’ll ask him. Hugo, what happened? We saw smoke and we thought that someone had gotten hurt.”

“The only thing that was hurt was my self esteem,” Varian said as he picked up the broken glass. Nuru snorted.

Hugo rolled his eyes. “Varian made some kind of serum and I think we were arguing over it? Well, all I know is that I let go of it and Varian dropped it and it shattered.” He watched as Varian slid the broken pieces into his pocket. “Do you think i-it changed our personalities?”

“Your stutter sure thinks so,” Varian quipped immediately.

Yong gasped. “So that means that Varian and Hugo switched personalities?” he asked, mostly to Nuru.

Nuru turned to face both Varian and Hugo. “Do you guys think you can make a cure?”

Hugo shrugged. “I don’t know. This was Varian’s creation. And honestly, it was pretty impressive. I mean, he managed to switch the personalities of two insanely different people, by my standards. And supposedly he did all of this in his free time, which he, admittedly, didn’t have. Then by those standards, he did this in the morning. As much as I’d hate to say because we all know his head can’t get bigger, it’s mighty impressive and should we change the formula slightly, it might be a great use to us somehow.”

The three of them blinked at him. Varian whistled. “Got any air left for the rest of us, Ponytail?”

Hugo gave him a look. “I’m just saying that you’re the only one who can possibly create an antidote of some kind. I mean, it’s your formula.”

“Yes it was. And you say that it was impressive?”

“Please don’t agree, Hugo,” Nuru interrupted. “We don’t need his head to expand. If he’s anything like how you used to be, if you give him an inch, he’ll take a mile.”

Varian smirked. “You pick up fast, princess.” He kicked at a shard of glass. “Well, I’m hungry. I would make food but as you said, pretty boy, I have been making a new serum all day and I have chemicals on my hands. Starmap, why don’t you make us food, huh?”

Nuru made a face. “Why can’t you take off your gloves?”

“Why would I?”

Before Nuru could do anything that might hurt her or Varian, Hugo stepped in. “It’s okay. I’ll do the cooking.”

She looked over at Hugo in surprise. “You cook?”

“Yeah. Since when did you cook?” Yong asked. Varian simply looked on in silence.

“Well, I haven’t cooked before, but it can’t be much different than alchemy, right?” The group followed Hugo back to their campsite where he began to prepare the food. “Now let’s see… how does Varian do this normally?”

Varian leaned against a tree. “Don’t you spend all your time watching me, pretty boy?” He could tell Hugo’s face was red, even though his back was to him. “I’m flattered, trust me, but you’d think you’d pick something up with all the stalking.”

Hugo turned, his pretty pale face a nice shade of crimson. “It’s not…I’m not stalking you. We’re in the same place, I’d have to follow you around constantly to stalk you.”

Varian rose a brow. A very Hugo move but he guessed that he was technically “Hugo” now. “Oh? Didn’t you follow me this morning? It’s not like I was in the most obvious place in the woods.”

If possible, Hugo’s face turned more red. “I saw smoke. I was worried. I had every right to be.” He turned back around quickly.

Varian placed a hand on his heart. “Aw, you were worried for me? How sweet. I’m flattered.”

“No need to sound so sarcastic,” Hugo muttered.

“I’m not being sarcastic, pretty boy. Honest.”

“That, uh, that sounded pretty sarcastic.” A pop came from the fire. Varian looked slightly over Hugo’s shoulder to try and see what he was doing. Unfortunately, being shorter, he could barely make it out.

“Whatcha making there, pretty boy?”

“First of all, I wouldn’t mind if you’d call me Hugo every once in a while.” As if Varian normally called Hugo pretty boy. “And secondly, it’s what we eat everyday. So.”

Varian leaned back against the tree. “Excuse me for trying to strike up a conversation.”

Hugo didn’t reply. The fire popped again, this time louder. Hugo grumbled to himself, soft enough that Varian couldn’t make out the words. Varian tilted his head. Just because their personalities changed didn’t mean their abilities did. Hugo never cooked and even though he was incredibly lazy and gifted that didn’t mean he actually knew how to cook. And of course, being the kind, helpful person he was, decided to pitch in.

“I don’t think you’re doing that right.”

Hugo threw his hands up in the air in frustration. “Alright, Varian. Fine. I don’t know how to cook. Would you mind helping me?”

“I don’t know. What’s in it for me?”

“Um, food? Y’know, what you need to survive?”

Varian snapped his fingers and pointed at Hugo. “You make a fair point, Glasses. Okay. I’ll help you.” He sauntered over, still a little unused to this sudden wave of confidence. He knelt next to Hugo and looked over at the rations Hugo was attempting to cook. “Right. Now, these don’t look too bad.”

“So what am I doing wrong?” Hugo asked.

“Honestly, I’m not sure. It’s pretty hard to fuck up cooking rations. But the popping noise shouldn’t happen.”

Hugo rolled his eyes. “You said that.”

“Unless you’re making popcorn, then it’s probably the wood.”

“So I was doing it right.”

“I never said that.”

“So what are you saying?”

“I’m saying,” Varian replied, “that your grumbles of frustration imply that you haven’t cooked before in your life.”

Hugo shrugged. “I mostly stole to get by when I was a child. Most of my food was well… it was pre-cooked. So I just never had to learn.”

Varian’s brows raised, this time in surprise. “You’ve never been this open before, Glasses. What changed?”

“I guess your serum did. I’m guessing you were pretty open with people.”

Varian shook his head. “Not really. Not with anyone but my dad and I’m guessing I don’t look a thing like your dad.”

Hugo snorted. “No, you don’t.” He looked back at the rations. “Sh-should we like, take these off? They’re starting to get burned.”

Varian looked at the rations too. “That seems wise. The last thing we need today is more smoke.”

Hugo laughed and it was music to Varian’s ears. Soon, they had Nuru and Yong gathered around the fire too, all eating in silence. Varian wondered what this serum did exactly. Nuru and Yong thought it switched their personalities but he wasn’t so sure. He wasn’t very open about his past to the group. He wasn’t exactly jumping at the opportunity to tell them that he committed treason twice, went to jail at 14 after kidnapping Queen Ariana, trying to crush her and his friend Cass, trying to take over Corona with an army of automatons and then actually taking over the kingdom with a man with a manbun.

Anyway, Hugo’s openness that day was out of character for both boys. What Varian guessed was that, while they had several traits of the other person, the original mood potion also kicked in and caused the two to simply be the opposite of themselves.

How to fix it was the real question. Would it wear off in a few days? Or was an antidote necessary? The two were dosed in the serum. They must need an antidote. But how to make one…

“Varian!”

He snapped out of his thoughts and looked up to see Nuru glaring at him. “Are you listening to me?”

“No,” he said simply.

Nuru huffed. “I was asking if you knew how to reverse this. I would like our helpful Varain back.”

“Why? You’ve got a helpful Hugo. That’s a fair trade in my opinion.”

She looked over at Hugo briefly before looking back at Varian. “I would like to know if there’s a way to reverse this, Varian.”

He picked at his rations. “Well, most likely there’s a way. But I’m not sure how to make one. And even if I did, Princess, I would need more supplies. Thankfully, I still have some of the mood potion left so I could very well use that as a base.”

“What else do you need?” Hugo asked. “I could help you.”

Varian gestured at Hugo and locked eyes with Nuru. “See? Helpful!”

Nuru shook her head as Yong shoved the rest of his rations in his mouth. “There’s a small village nearby. We can try that,” he said.

“And how do you know that?” Nuru asked him.

His eyes darted away from her. “I, uh, took the map while you weren’t looking.” He pulled it out his pocket. There was a hole in the corner of it. “Sorry.”

“That’s our cue to dip,” Varian interceded as Nuru’s face grew red. He stood and Hugo followed him quickly. “Well, since you’re so insistent on helping me, why don’t you accompany me to my forest spot?”

Hugo nodded in agreement and the two walked back to where they had been just an hour ago. Varian sat himself down in front of his open journal and began to skim his notes on the serum he was making. Hugo sat across from him. “Do you have any idea how to fix this?”

“If I got paid everytime someone asked me that today, I’d be rich enough to buy the totems.” He stopped on the first page he made on the mood potion. Xavier had told him, well warned him, about the effects and gave him the antidote in case they needed it. At the time, he had assured Xavier that they would never need the antidote and that it was unnecessary.

He was mentally laughing at his past self.

“Well, pretty boy, I think I have an idea. It’s for a different serum or shall I say potion but it’s almost the same thing. I just need to switch a few ingredients. Like the 3 leaf plant. We’re not going off the trail to pick flowers.”

Hugo leaned forward and tugged the journal to him. “We are if it’s going to help us. Unless this’ll wear off in a few days.”

Varian tugged the journal back. “Let me look and be patient, pretty boy.”

Hugo leaned back and huffed, cheeks red. Varian smirked and continued to look through his notes. He stopped on the last page he made and read it through. “Curse me for my awful handwriting,” he muttered. He scanned the page and stopped at a note he had circled and highlighted, both it bold red ink. “Note: because of the compounds added to this serum, there is a possibility that the effects will become permanent if not undone in…” He squinted. He had decided to do the math on the same paper and had poorly erased it. “2 days? 3 days? Whatever, it doesn’t matter.” To Hugo, he said, “We have to get the antidote before we’re stuck like this.”

Hugo’s green eyes widened. Varian found himself admiring the color. “Then we have to hurry.” He stood. “We have to get to town, get you your supplies and make that antidote before we’re stuck like this forever.”

Varian began to scoop his stuff in his bag. “I don’t know. It won’t be the worst thing to be stuck like this. I mean sure, Princess Starmap might be annoyed but if we have opposite personalities, it’s really just the same person in a different body.”

Hugo glared at him. “Come on, Varian. You know we have to fix this.”

Varian shrugged. “Perhaps. But, I mean, I’d be fine like this. It’s just you that’s freaking out.”

Hugo sighed. “What if I give you something? Something small,” he clarified quickly.

Varian grinned. “How about a kiss?”

That triggered the exact response Varian was hoping for. Hugo began to stammer and blush, his face as red as a cherry. Finally, he seemed to pull himself together enough for him to reply coherently. “Fine. If you manage to fix us, I’ll give you a kiss.” He only sounded somewhat sarcastic.

Varian’s grin broadened. “Perfect!” He slid the rest of his stuff in his already overstuffed bag and slipped it over his shoulders. “Let’s go, shall we?”

----

Luckily for them, and for Yong, the map wasn’t that damaged and they were able to get to the town in no time.

Nuru took (dragged) Yong away so they could find a replacement map while Hugo and Varian walked around town, searching for what Varian needed. “Okay,” Varian said, “why don’t we stop at the flower shop?”

“Why?” Hugo asked skeptically.

Varian looked over at him and pretended to be offended. “Pretty boy! Do you think I have some kind of ulterior motive? I simply want to get the plant I need to fix my mistake. Unless you want to be stuck like this forever.”

“No, no!”

They entered the shop where Varian easily found the plant. On his way to pay for it, he snuck another flower into his pocket while both the shopkeeper and Hugo weren’t looking. No harm in a little theft, right?

Outside the shop, Varian pulled it out and handed it to Hugo, who just stared. “What? It’s a gift for you.”

“You stole a flower?” Hugo asked in disbelief.

“You’re rejecting my gift?”

“You stole something!”

“What are you, a broken record?” Before Hugo could protest again, Varian reached up and tucked the flower, a green carnation, into Hugo’s hair. “See? It fits with your outfit.”

It was so nice to see the slight pink of Hugo’s cheeks. “You shouldn’t steal, Varian,” he said but it came out weakly.

Varian shrugged it off and started walking again. Hugo hurried after him. “I paid them a little extra just in case. They won’t notice. Now come on. There is more to get.”

----

A few hours later, the two found themselves in a bakery.

The reason they were there was because Varian had gotten hungry shortly after they got the second to last supply. He’d spotted a bakery and coaxed Hugo into going in with him. Varian got a cupcake while Hugo got some kind of pastry. They sat outside the shop on the ground to eat.

“It’s no Corona cupcake,” Varian said, voice muffled from the frosting, “but it’ll do.”

Hugo glanced up from his pastry, the carnation bright against his pale hair. “You’ve talked about Corona cupcakes a lot.” He laughed. “Like, a lot a lot.”

Varian set the cupcake down on the wrapper, licking the frosting off of his fingers and revelling in the redness that appeared on Hugo’s cheeks for like the fiftieth time that day. “Why wouldn’t I talk about them? They’re good.”

Hugo shoved the rest of the pastry into his mouth, which shouldn’t have been as cute as it was. “I know that,” he said, mouth still chewing. “But you bring them up whenever we go to a bakery.”

He did. It was mostly out of homesickness. Even though he’s enjoyed his adventure so far, he can’t help the biting feelings that happen to him at night while he’s trying to sleep. Sometimes, he looks at Ruddiger and he’s hit by a sudden feeling of missing his father. He’d see an apple and think of Max and, consequently, think of Eugene and then, again consequently, think of Rapunzel and Cass. He hasn’t seen Cass in nearly three years, since she didn’t go to Rapunzel and Eugene’s wedding.

So of course something as simple as cupcakes would set him off into missing Corona and his friends. He didn’t even realize that he was doing it until Hugo said something.

But, because he was Hugo today, he wasn’t going to just tell him about it.

“I’m just comparing the great with the mediocre, pretty boy. Calling it as it is. It’s really nothing.”

Because Hugo was smart, he clearly didn’t believe him and instead just looked at him in suspicion. Varian picked at his cupcake. “Does it matter, really?”

“Yes it does. Varian, if there’s something wrong, you can’t just bottle it up.”

“Says you.”

“What does that mean?”

“I mean that you’re not exactly the touchy feeling kind of guy. I mean, on days other than today. If I’m acting exactly like you do normally, then this is what you’re like. Bottling things up constantly without a second thought.”

Hugo went quiet and Varian followed suit, finishing off his cupcake. They weren’t the best communicators, especially with each other. Most of their reactions consisted of them either yelling at each other or Hugo saying something flirty and Varian getting flustered and trying (and failing) to ignore him. They could never be upfront with each other. It was as they didn’t know how to be anything but unamiable. Even kindness was usually followed by some quip.

“I have never been a good communicator,” Hugo said suddenly. Varian looked up from his cupcake wrapper. “I grew up alone and only knew how to work by myself. So when I was suddenly thrust into a position where I had to get along with others, I didn’t know how to deal with it. I got by with sarcastic remarks and flirting and hiding all my feelings for…” He looked up and Varian and then quickly looked back down. “Certain people. And I know that once you formulate the antidote, this new openness will be gone and I’ll be back to being a guy with the inability to let anyone know how I’m feeling.”

Varian leaned back on his hands. “Well, might as well make the most of it. Anything you want to get off your chest?” He roved his eyes over Hugo.

Hugo glared at him. “I’m not letting you finish whatever thought you just had.”

Varian smirked and shrugged. “Suit yourself.”

Hugo huffed a laugh. “Anyway, I just wanted to say that…” He took a deep breath. “That while I never say it and I hardly act like it, I really do appreciate you. You’re a good friend and person and insanely smart. I just wish that you weren’t so stubborn all the time.”

What was this Varian was feeling? Warmth? Comradery? Gratefulness? He could feel himself smile, genuinely smile. “Ditto from me, pretty boy. Me being you right now, I can’t say much but I can say that you’re rather intelligent and actually a huge help to us. And attractive, so that helps a lot.”

“Always coming back to my looks, huh.”

“Hey, I never said you looked bad.” Varian felt his face fall and fiddled with his gloves. “In all seriousness, Glasses, I… think you’re a pretty cool guy. And I’m glad you joined our group.”

He looked up to see Hugo smiling brightly at him. “Wow. Thanks, Varian.” He chuckled. “Man. I can’t believe it took a mood potion to get us to open up to each other.” Hugo stood, easily dwarfing Varian, even as Varian joined him. He stuck his hand out to Varian. “Promise me that, even after you fix this, we won’t forget this chat.”

Varian stared at the hand. Then at Hugo and his bright face, the carnation practically glowing in his pale hair, the color making his green eyes seem even more prominent. His smile, his genuine smile, returned. “It’s a deal.”

----

Back at the campsite, Hugo and Varian sat in their normal spots, Hugo watching as Varian mixed up the ingredients for the antidote.

“Should we like, drop it again?” Hugo asked.

Varian laughed. “If you want. But I think it’s smarter for us to make it into a gas. I don’t like the idea of picking up more broken glass.”

“Oh, right. Yes. That’s a uh, that’s a good idea.”

Varian couldn’t help but smirk as he heated up the serum to turn it to a gas. While he did that, Hugo messed with a blade of grass. “Do you think we’re going to remember our promise?”

“You made it, pretty boy. Do you remember our first promise?”

There appeared the blush. “Yes.”

“Well then you’ll remember this one.” Varian put the gas into one of his glass balls and closed it. “Alright. Gather close.”

Hugo scooted forward eagerly. “It’s finished?”

“No, I just wanted to cuddle. Come on.”

The two stood and Varian held the gas in front of him, in position to drop it. He looked over at Hugo. “Are you ready?”

Hugo grinned. “As I’ll ever be.”

Varian looked at Hugo, this Hugo, the one who was apparently him. A kind, stuttering boy who was open and honest. But according to Hugo, also stubborn and harbored a refusal to be helped. All of this happened because of him, because he didn’t want Hugo to help him with the serum.

After the talk he had with Hugo, though, maybe something like this wouldn’t happen again. Varian grinned back at Hugo and dropped the ball. The gas, again a turquoise color, surrounded them and on instinct, they coughed. Soon, it dissipated, clearing Varian’s vision and leaving just Hugo. Varian blinked. “Did-did it work?”

Hugo grinned cheekily at him. “Your stutter sure thinks so.”

Varian couldn’t help it. He reached up and hugged Hugo. After everything today, he really needed it. Hugo seemed surprised but returned the hug quickly. They pulled away but just as fast, Hugo leaned forward again and kissed him. Varian was just as surprised as Hugo was with the hug, yet responded in the same way. He returned it. Soon, Hugo was pulling back and staring into Varian’s eyes. “Just paying back my promise,” he said in a hushed, smug voice.

Varian smiled broadly. “I don’t know if that was enough,” he replied.

Hugo smiled back and kissed him again.

[ladywinterwitch]

Welcome Home

Pairing: Bucky Barnes X Reader

Summary: Bucky just came back from a mission, upset and tired because things didn’t go as planned, so you help him relax. 

Warnings: Smut, cursing, dirty talk, fluff , unprotected sex (DON’T DO IT), 18+ so if you’re younger I suggest you turn your heels.

Word Count: 1096 

A/N: Hey people! Just a few things first. I am not new to Tumblr, BUT I am new to posting my stuff here. I have several works ready, but I will post them gradually and if people will be interested. I’ve been incouraged by a teacher to write stories…so I hope it’ll be the right call ahah. Last thing, please, be nice, it’s my first post here.

                                              (Gif not mine)

-Honey, i’m home!- you hear your boyfriend from the living room closing the door. You get up from the bed quickly and literally run to him.

You smile widely, and he responds with a lopsided smile. You could see through his eyes that he was tired, the slightly blue-ish bags under his eyes a confirmation.

You circle his neck with your arms, your pj’s shirt running up a bit on your sides. He wraps his arms around your waist, letting out a sigh. Knowing him, he probably had his eyes closed right now. You pull away to look at him and smile, a hand on his dirty cheek.  

-I missed you very much, baby.- you say softly.

-I missed you, too, love.- he says kissing you, a soft gesture that slowly turns into something more passionate.

You pull his bag off his shoulder, and it makes a loud thump on the floor. You pull away and he whines.

-Baby- he tries to grab you when you bend to take the heavy bag in your hands.

-Buck, as much as I’d like to give you a proper welcome back present, you have to clean up and rest.- Then you take it to the bedroom, your boyfriend already starting to undress himself from his suit on the way. 

You place the bag down, opening it and starting to separate the dirty clothes. Not even two minutes later, you get up and when you turn around you see Bucky laying on the bed, eyes closed. You get closer to him, whispering softly.

-Buck, I have to clean those cuts baby. Then you will rest as long as you want to.-

-Mmh.- he murmurs, getting on his feet against his will. You smile fondly when he drags his feet to the bathroom almost like he was sleep walking. The scary winter soldier, all sleepy and soft.

He enters the room and finishes to undress himself; First his shirt, revealing his thick and shaped figure, but also some bad bruises that you are not happy at all to see.

So you go to him and start grabbing oxygenated water and all the necessary to do bandages.

-What are you doing?- he asks.

-Curing you.- you answer, making him sit on the toilet while you squat of your knees before him and start to dab gently on his chest and left shoulder.

He didn’t make a move. He was looking at you. Not what you were doing, just you. After a couple of minutes you finished your work and got on your feet. Bucky wrapped your waist with his arms, getting you closer.

You both smiled. Then he made you lose balance and sitting on his lap. You both laughed while you let out a little squeal. He starts to kiss your neck and you whimper, closing your eyes. You feel him grin against your skin.

Suddenly he gets away from your and whispers seductively -Do you really want me do to a shower right now?-

-You’re good. Fuck the shower.- you responded pressing your lips to his. You both raise and go to the bedroom, he gives you a delicate push that makes you fall on you back on the bed, giggling.

He smirks placing himself between your thighs and slowly leaning down to kiss you again. You moan softly when he starts to trace a long line of kisses on your neck, collarbone, cheeks and shoulders. A painfully slow teasing.

-I need you.- you say under your breath.

-I dreamed of you, you know?- he responds, stopping to look into your eyes. Meanwhile he continued to caress your body, under the baby pink pj shirt, too.

-Really?- you ask, and then adding seductively -What was I doing?-

He smiled, understanding your little game.

-You were beautiful, as ever. And under me, just like this…- he begins. -But you definitely had less clothes on.-

-Maybe we should fix this.- you respond raising your torso and taking off your t-shirt, throwing it on the floor.

Bucky swears under his breath, while looking at your body, that he loves so deeply.

-I think that’s not enough.- he says, and finally returning to look in your shiny eyes. -It never is when it comes to you.- he adds, tucking a strand of your hair behind your ear. You kissed him sweetly. 

Soon enough returned to get heated, and both of your underwear was gone.

Bucky parts from your lips and begin to trace kisses starting from your chest, going from the valley of your breasts, your belly and then between your legs.

You moan loudly when he starts to pleasure you where you needed him the most. You put a hand in his hair, and the other grips thightly the sheets.

-James.- you moan his full name, which you know makes him go crazy. He raises his head looking at you with hungry eyes and shiny lips, and God, you swore the sight alone coul’ve made you come.

With all the strength you can find, you raise and wrap your hands around his neck to pull him to you.

He is on you again, kissing you roughly, no romanticism this time. -I love when you say my name.-

-Oh, really, James?- you repeat making him swear under his breath. You inarch your back to meet with his hips as you both groan.

-I need you inside me.- Bucky smirked, moving lightly between your thighs.

-You do, doll? Let me know how much.- you grind down on his already hard cock.

-This much.- you said making him groan. Without warning he enters you with a thrust making the both of you stop breathing. He starts to move, first slowly, then a little faster.

-Bucky- you moan, lost in your pleasure. He start to kiss your neck. -You’re so beautiful, so good baby.-

-I’m close. So close..- you say pinning your fingers on his back, probably leaving scratches.

-Yeah doll, let me hear how good you feel.- he murmurs in your ear.

After a few thrusts, you let out a loud moan, calling his name one last time. After a few seconds he follows you, groaning in the crook of your neck deeply.

When he comes off his high, he moves and lays on his bed side, while you turn to him, laying your head on his chest. The both of you with your breath short and bliss in your system.

Bucky takes you in his strong arms and you barely noticed the cold of his metal arm, because you were still on fire. He started to caress your hair softly, and you do the same on his stomach.

-Well, welcome home, I guess.- you say with irony. You hear him chuckle and you smile. -I love you too.- he responds, holding you more tightly.

Thankyou for reading! If you liked it feel free to let me know :) I’ll appreciate feedback, educated and nice one.

ps: Have mercy, I just started, I know it could be terrible :D

[dakotacrisis]

London Holiday

What would happen if Ladybug’s Miraculous Cure landed the train at the London station instead of setting it all the way back in Paris? AKA: Adrien gets to actually go on his freaking field trip! Complete with Adrinette fluff!

---

“Miraculous Ladybug!” Ladybug thrust the helmet into the air. The ladybugs of her power went about fixing everything the akuma had caused. Mainly taking the train out of the middle of the Big Ben clock tower. Where the ladybugs deposited the three heroes though wasn’t the Paris station like they thought. They were now standing in the London station.

“Guess my powers wanted to save your class another train ride.” Ladybug joked.

Max de-transformed and handed the miraculous back to Ladybug. “It was an honor, Ladybug.”

“We couldn’t have done it without you.” She stowed the miraculous back in her yo-yo. “Bug out!”

And with that Ladybug was off and loose in London. Probably was gonna use the miraculous to get back to Paris out of sight of the public. It certainly would have been interesting seeing her swinging from the buildings to the shock of the Londoners. They weren’t exactly used to spotted super heroes running around.

Now that Adrien thought about it they probably freaked everyone out by shooting the train through Big Ben like a thread in a needle.

Max ran to find the others and Adrien discreetly snuck back on the train and de-transformed as well.

“Even miles away from Paris and Hawkmoth and we still had to deal with an akuma.” Plagg grumbled, “There truly is no rest for a superhero.”

“But we’re in London now so we have the rest of the day to relax.” Adrien reminded him. “I get to hang out with my friends and see Big Ben and you can sit in my bag eating camembert till you pass out.”

“Now that is a good vacation!” Plagg perked up.

With suspicion gone Adrien went to find his classmates. Everyone was grabbing their things from the overhead. “Adrien,” Nino saw him first, “Where’d you go? You weren’t at the back of the train.”

“Yeah, I got tossed into one of the bathrooms when Startrain was driving and got locked in.” Adrien shrugged.

“Well you are not going to believe who showed up to save the day while we were in space.” Nino raved about how Ladybug and Chat Noir seemingly appeared at of thin air to save the day.

His phone beeped alerting him that his father knew he snuck out to go on the field trip and demanding he return home at once. As far as he saw it he was already in London and there really wasn’t much his father could do about it. Unless he wanted to send the Gorilla on a two hour long train ride to drag Adrien back to the mansion.

“I’ll come straight home after my field trip. Don’t worry I am safe with my class.” Adrien sent the text and turned off his notifications. Rebellion felt good. Terrifying but good.

After Ms. Bustier made sure everyone was present and accounted for they headed into London. The class was busy gawking at the new sights and taking pictures as they made their way to Big Ben.

“Did you know that the clocktower itself is called the Elizabeth Tower.” Max informed the class, “Big Ben is actually the name of the bell inside the tower.”

“What?” Kim gaped, “Why do they call it Big Ben then?”

“Alliteration?” Alix suggested. “Easier to remember?”

“I don’t think it’ll matter anyways.” Alya sighed. “Big Ben is closed for tours.”

“What?” the entire class halted.

“Alya,” Ms. Bustier approached her, “Are you sure? We had a tour reserved.”

“It was the akuma. Even though Ladybug set everything right the citizens of London aren’t accustomed to the disturbances like we are so they closed down the entire Palace of Westminster while they make sure everything is stable.” Alya continued searching on her phone. “It says it should be reopened in a couple hours so we can always go then.”

“What are we gonna do till then? Hang around on the sidewalk?” the class hung their heads in disappointment.

Oh no. Adrien’s first field trip was not ending like this.

“Ms. Bustier,” Adrien raised his hand, “There are still plenty of other things to do in London. Museums, churches, parks, the London Eye. Why not go to one of those while we wait?”

“Excellent suggestion, Adrien,” Ms. Bustier said, “Okay class, change of plans. While we wait for Big Ben to reopen we’ll kill some time at some other London attractions. All in favor of museum?”

They went around raising their hands for different activities before deciding to visit the Kensington Gardens. It was free and would give the students time to look around, take some pictures, do a little souvenier shopping, and even visit the palace if they wanted to pay the small fee.

“It is decided, now if I can pull up some directions,” Ms. Bustier pulled out her phone.

“No need.” Adrien motioned for everyone to follow. “I know how to get there.”

“Are you sure?” Ms. Bustier asked.

“Know it like the back of my hand.” Adrien led the way for his classmates and in no time at all they were standing at the gate to the gardens.

“Adrien, how’d you know where you were going?” Marinette was at his side. “Did you visit here when you were here for the wedding?”

“Oh no. I wasn’t anywhere near Kensington.” Adrien said.

“Then how did you know?” She raised an eyebrow at him.

He fiddled with his ring for a moment embarrassed by the answer.

“Dude?” Nino clapped an arm on his shoulder.

“I played a lot of Assassin’s Creed Syndicate.” he mumbled under his breath, “The mapping on the game is pretty close to the actual layout.”

There was a faint snicker from the group but was quickly silenced.

“That’s amazing!” Marinette was the first to say something. “Remembering where to go just from walking around in a video game? That’s really impressive.”

“Oh, thanks,” Adrien didn’t feel so weird about it now.

The class split up into their own groups and went around to see the different statues and attractions of the park.

“Nino, Adrien,” Alya grabbed Nino’s hand, “You wanna walk around with Marinette and I?”

“Sure thing.”  the boys followed the girls around the parks stopping every once and a while to admire the scattered statues or memorials.

They were on route to the Italian Gardens when a note of music caught the groups ears. There was a band playing music to a moderate happily listening crowd. Marinette had trouble understanding what they were singing since it was in English but the music had a good jazzy swing to it.

“May I have this dance my good lady?” Nino made an exaggerated bow to Alya.

“Oh yes, my lord,” she exaggerated a curtsy back at him and took his hand as they started dancing to the song.

Adrien glanced at Marinette who was laughing at her friends and tapping her foot to the music. “Wanna dance?” He offered.

“Huh?” she startled, “Oh well, I uh,”

“I promise I won’t step on your toes.” he pulled her in. They watched the swinging, jumping, dance Alya and Nino were doing and tried their best to copy it.

After a minute Marinette started to loosen up and they jumped and circled around the park like a pair of fools. “Do you have any idea what you’re doing?” Marinette asked with a teasing smile.

“Not a clue. You?”

“I think it’s a miracle I haven’t stepped on you yet.” she joked and they both laughed. Adrien gave her a spin that made her giggle.

By the end his heart was racing and Marinette was pink in the face. They applauded the band as they launched into another song.

“Hoo,” Alya and Nino came back up to them. There was a sheen of sweat on their foreheads. “All that dancing works up a thirst.”

“You do always have to go above and beyond.” Marinette rolled her eyes. “Was the lift necessary?”

“We did it, didn’t we?” Alya smiled in triumph.

“You mean before you lost balance and went tumbling to the ground?” Adrien smirked.

“Don’t be jealous,” Nino wrapped an arm around Alya. “You still want to head to the Italian Gardens?”

Alya pulled out her phone and checked the time. “We still have time. Big Ben still isn’t cleared.”

“These Londoners need to not be so worried.” Marinette said, “Ladybug set everything right.”

“Like we said before. They just aren’t used to it like we are.” Adrien answered.

“Back in Paris if an akuma hits and it’s on the other side of town I don’t even worry about it anymore unless it starts spreading.” Nino said, “I was at a cafe getting lunch and everyone continued on like normal then ten minutes later we watched the miraculous ladybug cure zipping around the rooftops a couple streets over.”

“Nino, I feel like maybe you should be a little more concerned when an akuma hits.” Adrien didn’t like the idea of his best friend sitting idle and unbothered while an actual villain was terrorizing the streets.

“I think Hawkmoth should stop akumatizing that pigeon guy but he does it anyway.”

“Mood.” Marinette sighed.

They walked to the Italian Gardens and spent some time looking around at the fountains. “Hey Adrien,” Marinette tapped his shoulder, “Do you..um...do you wanna take a totograph with me? I mean--photograph-- with me? In front of the fountain?”

“Okay,” he stepped closer towards her as she held out her phone to take a selfie. “Agh, my arms are too short to get the both of us.”

“Let me try,” Adrien took the phone and held it out, “I’m not doing so well either.”

“Hey guys,” Ivan and Mylene walked up to them, “Do you want us to take a picture of you?”

“Yes please,” Adrien handed Mylene the phone, “Thanks a bunch. I couldn’t get a good shot for some reason.”

“No problem.” she took a couple pictures of them before handing the phone back. “Hope they’re okay.”

“These are perfect, thanks, Mylene.” Marinette offered to take Ivan and Mylene’s photo too while they were at it.

Their phones beeped as a group message came through. Big Ben was open again!

The class reconvened to go see Big Ben. A lot of the usual tourists were still freaking out and refused to go inside despite the all clear so the class had no problem getting inside for their tour.

After the tour and a stop in the souvenier shop they departed for dinner before taking the train back home. Adrien wasn’t looking forward to the backlash his act of teenage rebellion was sure to bring but he could hardly care at the moment. He had an actual day out with his friends. He had fun and got to see some of the sights. The last time he was in London he had spent his entire free time looking for that medication Marinette asked him for. Still not sure why she needed him to find it but she seemed really distressed about it so he didn’t mind looking for her.

“I’m about ready to pass out,” Alya yawned as they loaded up back onto the train, “Adrien, I’m stealing Nino to use as a pillow. Hope that’s cool with you.”

“No problem. As long as Marinette doesn’t mind.”

“Not at all.” Marinette said as they took their seats again.

They started their journey back home and one by one the other students started to clock out for a nap after an exhausting day walking around London. Marinette was trying to stifle her yawns but they didn’t miss Adrien who was yawning along too.

“Do you need to sleep?” Adrien whispered so not to disturb the others.

“Yeah but I can wait,” she yawned again, “I’d feel bad if I slumped over and fell asleep on you.”

“I don’t mind.” he opened his bag and pulled out a blanket he had neatly folded inside. “That’s why I brought this.” He draped it over their legs. “Go on and sleep.”

“Thanks,” she smiled before resting her head on his shoulder like before.

“Goodnight, Adrien,” her voice was sleepy and only half awake before she slipped into her slumber.

“Sweet dreams, Marinette,” Adrien said as he rested his own head against hers and fell asleep.

What a great field trip.

[kittinoir]

Echoes of You Ch. 4

Read on Ao3

Chat Noir was seeing red, and not in the way he usually enjoyed.

The new Bug, whoever she was, was not his lady. That much he was sure of. She looked enough like her, acted enough like her, that the average person might not notice through the haze of Miraculous magic. The above average person, like Alya, someone who was obsessed with her, might square it away to an upgrade, new powers and new potential. 

But someone who knew her, who was in love with her, would know when they were looking at a different person. He’d always assumed that, despite the fact that his kwami was the literal god of destruction and the symbol of bad luck, if he were fortunate enough to stumble across his lady in his civilian life, he’d recognize her.

Now all he was sure of was that he’d know when he was looking at an imposter.

The problem was, as he turned away from Marinette’s glassy eyes and back to the fight, he wasn’t sure what was there. Another sentimonster? Someone who’d stolen his lady’s Miraculous? An illusion? This new Bug had told him to ‘deal with it’, but the only conclusions he could draw were bad ones.

Across the room the Bug had climbed back to her feet and was squaring off against Scream-ripper once again. He winced. Everything she did, from the way she moved to the way she avoided attacks instead of turning them to her advantage, was different from his lady. It was painful to watch. 

But Marinette had seemed to trust this new Ladybug. He glanced over his shoulder at her statue, trust frozen in her face. He’d promised they’d protect her. He’d failed her once. He wouldn’t fail her again. 

Chat Noir tore across the room, snatching his baton up along the way. The akuma must have heard him coming because she ducked under Ladybug’s attack and used her own momentum to swing around, engaging him once again.

“Pretty cowardly,” Scream-ripper hissed as she parried his thrust, “Letting that poor girl take that hit for you. Not so funny anymore, is it?”

Chat Noir snarled as he pressed his attack. “We’ll see who has the last laugh.”

“Hah!” Ladybug leapt onto the monsters’ back, wrapping her yo-yo around the akuma’s neck like a bridle. The distraction was enough for Chat Noir to disarm her, and the needle sailed through the air, the cool metal flashing in the sun. He had to admit whoever this new Bug was, she did seem to be on his side, but that didn’t mean anything. For all he knew this girl was more interested in the fame than the good of all. He’d known people like that before. 

“Any…suggestions?” Ladybug gasped as Scream-ripper desperately tried to buck off the heroine.

“Might be a good time for your Lucky Charm,” Chat Noir said grudgingly. He couldn’t get to the bottom of this, couldn’t keep his promise to Marinette, until the akuma was purified. “Throw the yo-yo; I’ll keep her busy.”

Ladybug let herself be thrown from Scream-rippers back the next time she bucked. Chat Noir used the distraction to sweep the akuma’s feet out from under her, but she recovered faster than he’d hoped she would. Worse, she now hovered a few inches above the ground, advancing on him. The same trick wouldn’t work twice.

“All I want is Dominique,” Scream-ripper wailed as she held out her palm. Her needle came flying back across the room, smacking into her palm like it was the world’s strongest magnet. “And justice.”

“Justice and revenge aren’t the same thing,” Chat Noir said as he engaged the monster again. 

Scream-ripper seemed to consider that. “I could settle for revenge.”

“Not today you don’t! Chat Noir, duck!”

Chat Noir dropped to the floor, rolling out of the way. Three red and black spotted pins sailed over his head, piercing Scream-ripper through her clothes and staking her to the wall behind her. She shrieked with the indignity, but her lightning quick attacks were finally halted.

“Any idea where the akuma’s hiding?” Ladybug asked, coming up behind him as she watched Scream-ripper thrash against the wall.

“One or two,” he said as he glanced over the akuma. The obvious choice was the needle, but she hadn’t seemed to care too much whenever she lost it. No, his guess was the white plastic name-badge pinned to the top of her dress, the only thing that hadn’t morphed when she’d been akumatized. “Cataclysm!”

Chat Noir pressed a single finger to the cool plastic. 

Sure enough, a purple butterfly flitted away as the tag disintegrated. Ladybug recoiled automatically before swinging her yo-yo out to capture it, and Chat Noir felt another deep stab of pain. His lady had never shied away from the akuma’s. In fact, he liked to think she saw the beauty, the innocence in them, that she chose to see another creature abused by Hawk Moth that needed her help instead of blaming them for whatever chaos they helped create.

“Begone, evil-doer!” Chat Noir winced at the yo-yo snapped out. He never thought he’d miss the phrase ‘de-evilize’. He’d never thought he’d have the opportunity. 

He watched the purified butterfly drift up towards the open sky and disappear through the hole in the ceiling. “Bye bye…little butterfly…”

“Now what?” Ladybug said, glancing around at all the destruction. “How do I summon the magical swarm to fix all this?”

“I’ll tell you,” Chat Noir said, fixing the girl with a dangerous glare, “But first you’re going to tell me a few things.” He hoped whoever she was, she didn’t know how her yo-yo worked; that the answers were at the tips of her fingers. She could evade him, figure it out, and disappear like smoke in the wind before he could pry answers from her.

Oh, she’d be back. He was fairly certain the next time an akuma reared its head, she’d appear.

But the time until then would be sheer agony. And if his lady was in danger, he needed to know - now. 

The new Bug giggled nervously. “We don’t have that kind of time,” she said, finding an earring nervously. They were already down to four spots. “You know the rules.”

“Don’t talk to me about rules,” Chat Noir snapped. “I have always followed them, and I am always the victim of them. Now it’s time for answers.”

“Don’t blame the girl,” a voice said from the shadows. “It’s not her fault.”

Chat Noir spun to face the figure coming towards them from the rubble. He couldn’t see their face hidden behind a finely crafted Venetian mask and cowl, but something about them struck a familiar chord. He suddenly wished he’d saved his cataclysm, but settled for brandishing his baton, making sure it stayed between him and the stranger. 

The baton wavered, however, when he saw what the stranger was holding.

“How did you get that?”

The boy adjusted the Miracle Box against his hip. It looked different than the last time he’d seen it, but there was no mistaking what it was. Golden, delicate scroll-work filigreed the sides of the grey wooden box. It reminded him a little of a music box. 

The man raised a brow. “It was surrendered to me.”

“It was…” Chat Noir blinked. “What? It - what?”

Ice splintered through his veins until it felt like he was choking on it. He swore he felt his heart still, wrapped in a frozen fist. He wondered briefly it would ever beat again. 

“He is so not taking this well,” the new Bug said, squinting at him.

Blue. Her eyes were blue, but wrong, too pale behind the mask. Worse, they were empty of the things he loved the most; the intelligence, the kindness, the cleverness. She looked enough like his lady that she could be the ghost of her, a reminder of what he’d lost. 

“Why?” He couldn’t let his knees buckle. Not here. Not now. Not in front of these…these strangers. 

“I can’t tell you,” the new guardian said. He raised a hand as though he might comfort him, then dropped it. “It was one of her conditions.”

“Her…conditions?”

“I don’t have the time to explain right now,” the guardian said evenly. “But your lady left you a message. She said that if there were any other way, she would have taken it, and…and that if love were enough, she’d still be here.”

Agony tore through the ice, ripping Chat Noir to shreds. It burned through him, destroying everything in its path. This…this was truly cataclysmic. His world, his everything, was ending. No, it had already ended. This new guardian, this new Ladybug, were simply here to deliver the news, and possibly collect his Miraculous. 

“I…I gotta go,” the Bug said, glancing between him and the guardian. “Or this’ll all be over before we really get started.”

“Go,” the guardian said. “Don’t forget the cure. It’ll work wherever you are.”

She left without another word, swinging through the hole in the ceiling, the three pins in her hand.

“We don’t have time,” the guardian said before Chat Noir could strangle the answers out of him. The guardian slipped back as though sensing the pending violence. “We’ll meet again, Chat Noir.”

“Don’t.” Chat Noir’s voice broke on the word as light erupted overhead, the miracle cure released. “Don’t do this to me.”

“I have no choice,” the guardian said. “It’s already done. We’ll meet again. We will talk then.”

Ladybugs swarmed through the hole, swirling around Scream-rippers victims. The destruction disappeared. The hole was repaired.

Chat Noir lunged for the guardian as he moved, but he slipped through his claws like water. He blinked, and just as suddenly as he had appeared, the guardian vanished, smoke on the wind - just like his lady. 

“Chat…Noir?”

Chat Noir turned and came face to face with Marinette. His friend blinked, rubbing her eyes as though she’d just awoken from a deep sleep. She frowned as she peered up at him, her expression quickly shifting to alarm.

“Are you - ”

“I’m glad you’re safe,” he got out woodenly. The sound of his Miraculous grounded him, reminding him where he was, that he was seconds from detransforming in a room full of co-workers. “I have to…I have to go.”

He left before she could try to stop him, before he let the transformation dissolve and he fell into her arms, letting her comfort him the way he knew she would comfort any friend who needed it. He would cry before the day was over, but not yet. Not here. Not to Marinette.

He barely made it to the roof before the green light enveloped him and Plagg burst forth.

Plagg immediately exploded. “WHO DOES SHE THINK SHE IS.”

“Plagg.”

“I WILL CATACLYSM EVERYTHING SHE LOVES.”

“Plagg.”

“THE NEW GUARDIAN BE DAMNED.”

“Plagg.”

The tiny black kwami came to an abrupt stop in front of Adrien, but he was vibrating with rage. “I swear, Adrien -”

“I’m going to find her.”

This time Plagg actually stilled. “What?”

“I’m going to find her,” Adrien repeated. He gazed out over the city as though he could locate her blind by his will alone. 

“But the guardian - ”

“Doesn’t know my lady like I do.” Adrien gently took his kwami in his palm, fishing out a piece of cheese. “You heard what the guardian said: if there was any other choice, she would have made it. She has a plan”

“She had a plan,” Plagg said around mouthfuls of camembert. “Now she doesn’t remember she had a plan, or that she even needed one.”

“Now it’s my turn,” Adrien said. “I wanted to know the secrets. I wanted more responsibility. Now I have it, and the stakes couldn’t possibly be higher. I won’t let her down. Don’t you see? She needs me to remind her what she’s forgotten.”

“Seems like pure speculation to me,” Plagg said, swallowing his last bite of cheese. “Not to mention a lot of work.”

“I’ll find her,” Adrien swore, straightening as Plagg drifted back off his hand. “Even if I have to go through Hawk Moth himself to do it.”

[seasonofthegeek]

Not a Hero, Part 2

Shouting out a big thank you to @27percentonrottentomatoes for giving a ko-fi donation for a second part of this story. Your support means a lot! <3

Parts 1, 2:

Paon knew his time was almost up and one akuma had been cleansed so he took the small break he needed to duck into an alley and let his transformation fall.

“Oh wow, this is so exciting!” Duusu exclaimed. “I’m exhausted and about to pass out but how invigorating!” She dropped from the air like a stone and Nathaniel stumbled forward to catch her.

“Calm down,” he chastised gently, despise his own weariness. “Let’s get you refueled so we can get back out there.” 

“You’re such a sweetheart,” she crooned, eyes closing.

Nathaniel realized with a panicked start that he hadn’t grabbed anything for the kwami to eat in his haste to transform and join the battle. He looked around wildly and then Carapace was dropping into the alley with a grunt. He blinked at Nathaniel as his transformation fell away.

“Paon?” Nino asked.

“Carapace?”

“I was wondering if that was you. This is brutal.” Nino held out his hand and his kwami settled down in it. “You got anything for her?”

Nathaniel grimaced. “I was too worried about getting here and forgot.”

“Du, you want a cracker?”

The Peacock kwami raised her head and Nathaniel walked her over so she could take the offered snack. She and Wayzz munched quietly as the young men looked out at the battle.

“We can do this, right?” Nathaniel asked. “We’ve gotten rid of one but...”

“We can do it.”

It wasn’t clear if Nino was confident or trying to convince himself of just as much, but Nathaniel tried to believe him. They spent the rest of the break in quiet and then they were transforming again to go once more into the fray.

“Rena, get Chat out of here!” Ladybug was yelling. She was shielding Rena Rouge as she ducked down and lifted Chat Noir’s limp body. Ladybug’s yoyo spun wildly to keep away any possible attacks from the two remaining akumas.

Paon’s helper beasts had been taken down during his break and he was at a loss as to how to help any further. He wasn’t much of a fighter and there weren’t any civilians around to create more help from. He watched Queen Bee deliver three venomous blows to one of the akumas before it swatted her away but it staggered forward, obviously weakened.

With Rena Rouge and Chat Noir gone for the moment, his helper beasts demolished, and him without any combat skills to speak of, Paon wasn’t sure how they were going to keep fighting. He spun around for any inspiration he could find and his eyes found Queen Bee once again. The larger of the two akumas was heading straight for her while Ladybug and Carapace fought the other one.

Miraculous could be akumatized by Hawk Moth so maybe...

Without much further thought, Paon flipped open his fan and plucked a feather from the end. He closed his palm around it as energy poured into the avatar and then he thrust his gloved hand into the sky and released it. “Float away and give all my strength to the one who needs it most so that good can prevail over evil.”

He went to his knees as the power left him and he watched weakly as the feather followed its supernatural path to land on Queen Bee’s top as she brandished it in preparation. Bright white power bubbled around her and then a giant bee appeared out of the haze and attacked the akuma head-on.

The last thing Nathaniel saw before his eyesight went dark was Duusu’s worried face and Queen Bee running towards him. 

___

“You were an idiot,” Chloe seethed as she unceremoniously dropped a cool washcloth on Nathaniel’s head. “You could’ve died. Ladybug said a command like that could have drained your life force.”

Nathaniel blinked against the harsh light of the lamp on his nightstand. “Did we win?”

“Of course we won. That was never in question,” she huffed. “I can’t believe you pulled such a stupid move.” She glared at him. “Don’t you ever do that again.”

He groaned as he tried to sit up. “Don’t worry. I have no plans to.” He was relieved when Duusu left Pollen to flit up to his face and nuzzle his cheek.  “What happened after I passed out?”

Chloe tried to hold onto her glare but it began to slip. “You mean after you used me to create a huge killer bee?”

A sound that was half laugh, half cough tore from his throat and Nathaniel winced. “Yeah,” he rasped.

“The bee took down both akumas and as soon as they were cleansed, it disappeared because I wanted it to. It was actually kind of cool to have control over something so powerful.” She narrowed her eyes. “But I’m still incredibly pissed at you.”

He ignored that but couldn’t deny the warm feeling it gave him. “Is Chat okay?”

“Of course he is. Ladybug’s Cure fixed everything, except you because you’re a big dummy.”

“Thanks.”

“Stop it. This was really scary.” She pushed on his shoulder and he fell back to the pillows with a grunt. “I had to tell your parents that I found you passed out in the street. They were terrified until you opened your eyes and told them you were okay and just tired.”

“I did? I don’t remember that.”

She shook her head. “Of course you don’t.”

“I guess that was my last outing as Paon, huh?” He wasn’t sure how that made him feel. On the one hand, he’d never wanted the responsibility but on the other...

“Please don’t tell me I have to convince you that you’re a hero all over again after everything that happened tonight,” Chloe sighed. “I just don’t think I have it in me.”

“Sorry.”

Her shoulders fell. “I’m just glad you’re okay. It was so scary to see you lying there on the pavement like that.” She reached out tentatively and touched his cheek. “I don’t like that many people and you happen to be one of the rare few for some reason so don’t go doing something like that again, okay?”

His breath caught in his throat at the feel of her hand against his cheek. “Okay,” he whispered. 

Her cheeks turned red and she dropped her hand and stood. “I should get going. I’m glad you’re feeling better.”

Nathaniel sat up again. “Hey, uh, would you mind staying for a little longer?”

Chloe bit her lip even as the corner turned up. “I could maybe do that.” She sat back down on the edge of the mattress. “But I demand we do something relaxing like watch TV, and not anything dumb or I’m leaving.”

“I’m sure we can find something we agree on.”

She rolled her eyes. “Fat chance,” she muttered even as she settled in closer to him and let out a content breath.

Buy me a cherry coke?

[zach-the-fox]

PokeTeam Go Episode 1: Awaken

“Oh my head…” says a boyish voice, coming from a riolu as he holds his head with his paw while lying against the ground. A blue bandana rests snug around his neck. His eyes flutter open as he turns his head from side-to-side. “H-huh?” Slowly, he begins to sit up, keeping his paw attached to his head. “W-what happened…?” The little blue creature looks around his surroundings with his brown eyes, taking notice of a big lake with a small waterfall and several trees dotted around. “W-where am I?” The riolu stands to his feet and begins walking a couple of paces toward the lake. “What is this place? How did I even get here?” The riolu then walks up to the edge where the water meets the grass. “Maybe some cool water will refresh my mind…” He takes his paws and scoops the water into them, which he freezes. His eyelids pull back wide as he stares down at his graspers. “W-what the?! What is-” He parts his paws away to look into the lake, seeing his reflection before jumping back with a scream. “W-what?! I’m a riolu?! How did that happen?!” His voice spurs another nearby, hearing a sigh coming from the tree beside him. “Huh…? What was that?” The riolu walks over to the source of the sigh and discovers a grumpig lying under the tree, curled halfway into a ball. The grumpig’s body is covered with a grey sweat jacket and grey pants while glasses sit on its nose, shielding its eyes. “H-hello?” He approaches the grumpig with ease, kneeling down and lightly rocking the creature’s body. “H-hey, are you okay there?” The grumpig lets out a groan with a slight nudge, but its eyes remain closed, prompting the riolu to rock the pokemon again. “Are you okay?! Wake up! Please!”

With enough force, the grumpig opens their eyes and notices the riolu in view. “H-huh?” Sitting up, the grumpig’s eyes remained fixed on the riolu. “A riolu?” The grumpig’s voice is high and womanlike, revealing the gender. “What’s going on around here…? Wait, where am I?”

“Hey, I’m just as clueless as you,” says the riolu.

The grumpig’s eyelids peel back as far as they can. “Oh my Arceus! Y-you’re talking?! R-riolus are not supposed to talk! A-am I dreaming?” She slaps herself hard in the face, letting out an “ouch” before rubbing the pain-affected area on her cheek. “Nope, definitely not dreaming…”

“You okay?” asks the riolu. “That looked like it stung… Do you want me to help with that?”

The grumpig’s eyes widen again. “Y-you’re really talking! That is super freaky, yet interesting!”

“Well, you’re the most interesting grumpig I’ve ever met.”

“What?” snaps the pokemon, standing to her feet. “What did you call me?” The riolu holds his paws up to her. “I’m not a grumpig! I’m a girl!”

The riolu lowers his paws, puzzled. “Um, I can tell you’re a girl… But you’re also a grumpig.”

The grumpig extends her arm and points to him. “Listen here, I told you I’m not a-” She pauses, then turns her paw around to examine it. “Huh…?” She brings up the other to examine it. “What the?!” Noticing the lake beside her, the grumpig leans over to look at her reflection, showing her pig-like face with the glasses to shield her brown eyes to contrast with the pink and grey fur. She gasps and screams with shock, squishing her head with her hooves as she looks away. “T-this can’t be happening… I’ve turned into… into a pokemon!”

“Isn’t this the weirdest thing to ever happen to us?” the riolu spurts.

The grumpig turns and faces the blue pokemon. “What do you mean? Were you a human, too?” The riolu nods. “Can you recall what happened as to how you turned into a pokemon?”

“I…” The riolu ponders for a bit, trying to think back to the events previous to his transformation. “I honestly can’t remember… I don’t recall ever seeing anything extraordinary. I only remember going to bed, and that was it.”

She turns her head down to the ground. “Well, this is quite a predicament…” The pink pokemon looks back to the riolu. “So, what do we do, now?”

The riolu shrugs. “Beats me… I’m just as delirious as you are, Grumpig.”

“Stop calling me Grumpig, please… I don’t like it when I’m called that.”

“What should I call you, then?”

“Emmy,” the grumpig tells him. “My name is Emmy.”

“All right,” says the riolu. “Nice to meet you, Emmy. I’m Zach. Hm… I have an idea… Maybe we should go out and find other pokemon. Perhaps they would know what’s going with us.”

“Not a bad idea,” Emmy answers. “I’ll be right beside you.” The two pokemon venture away from the area and into the dense trees ahead of the lake. As the venture off into the forest, they start to talk about their lives previous of their transformation, discussing what they have done based off tiny bits of their memories they can recall. While they walk along, they pass bright red mushrooms with white polka dots all around the top. That’s when the grumpig begins to notice the riolu stopping and grudging at his head. She walks up alongside him. “You okay? You have some sort of headache or something?”

Zach remains silent for a few seconds. Images flash in his head, piecing together as some sort of creature in his mind. “I… I…”

“What? What is it?”

“I’m remembering something…” Emmy asks what it is. “My head… I can’t make it out… Something with red and white… having a long neck and wings… It’s some sort of pokemon, but that’s all I can remember…”

“So, you did see some sort of vision,” implies Emmy. “What’s red and white with a long neck and wings? Is that what caused us to turn into pokemon?”

“I-I’m not sure… But, maybe the pokemon I’m thinking of is-” The leaves of the bushes around them swish and rattle, interrupting the conversation. “W-What was that?” Zach stands closer to the grumpig.

Emmy looks around her, noticing the shrubs shake. “Something is here… Some sort of pokemon, maybe?” The vibrations of the foliage inch closer to the two pokemon, causing them to get closer to each other. “Whoa, hello…”

“W-who’s there…?” Zach calls out. “W-what do you want?” The shrubs cease their shaking. Both the riolu and grumpig stare for a minute. “Hello?”

“Hi!” shouts a figure, jumping out from the greenery, causing Zach and Emmy to hug each other with fright. The unknown creature is revealed to be a teddiursa with a black, long-sleeved shirt and a spinda on it. Looking at the pokemon, the left eye is green in contrast with the other, which is brown. Long eyelashes and the tone in voice reveal the pokemon’s gender to be a female. She stands still in front of the two conjoined pokemon. “Hey, what’s wrong? Did I scare you?” There is no response from either of them. “I’m sorry. There’s nothing to be afraid of. I’m quite friendly, actually.” She thrusts her paw out, opening it. “I’m Ella. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Zach and Emmy let go of each other and shake her paw individually, introducing themselves. “So, what are a pair of pokemon like you two doing out here? Are you both from around here?” The two pokemon shake their heads. “Oh… Well, where are you from?”

“Um…” Emmy tries to explain the situation. “We’re actually not from around here as in, we’re not pokemon.”

“Yeah,” Zach adds. “We were humans before… But now we’re pokemon…”

“Oh, I get you,” says Ella. “Does this mean you have nowhere to go?” The two confirm what she said. “Hey, why don’t you come with me? I can fix you a good meal and warm beds. Come!” She quickly sets off with the two pokemon behind her.

 ***

 The three pokemon walk along a gravel road through low-rise buildings. The grumpig and riolu look around with amazement as they walk in. “Welcome to Leafy Creek!” Ella tells them. “We’re a nice little town with fantastic pokemon. You two will fit right in here!” Several other pokemon are seen passing by, looking at the three pokemon walking through. “Isn’t it wonderful?”

“I’m not really too comfortable,” Emmy says. “Especially the way those other pokemon are looking at us…”

“Oh, it’s nothing to worry about. They’re just not too fond of newcomers.” Ella stops in front of a round hut with a cone, thatched roof, wooden semi-circle door, and a couple of circular windows dotted around. “Well, here it is! Home sweet home!” She pushes open the door and enters the dwelling, then steps aside. “Please, come in.” Zach and Emmy follow her command and walk inside before she closes the door behind them. Ella makes her way in front of them. “Here’s where I live. Make yourselves at home. I’ll take really good care of you.”

“Um,” Zach begins. “That’s really kind of you, Ella. We appreciate it…”

“It’s no problem!” The teddiursa smiles. “Are you both hungry? Let me make you something good.” Ella disappears into the room ahead.

Emmy leans closer to Zach. “I have an uneasy feeling about her. I’m not sure we can trust her.”

“She doesn’t seem bad,” Zach says. “She seems kind, letting us in and offering us some food and a place to sleep. You aren’t wrong, though. But, what choice do we have? We’ve turned into pokemon and we’ve got nobody else but each other and the teddiursa here. Unless there’s a cure, there’s no turning back… We’ll have to adapt to being pokemon…”

The grumpig sighs. “Yeah, I know… I guess it shouldn’t be too bad if we stuck together.”

“All right, come in!” orders Ella. The two pokemon enter the next room and approach the table, which is a stump and pillows around it. “Please, sit down.” Zach and Emmy do as she says, sitting at the round stump. Plates of colorful berries are in front of them. “You’ll love these! Just picked them this morning. Nice and fresh!” She digs into her food, chewing on the outside of the fruit. “I love these berries! They’re just so good!”

Zach tastes his with ease before eating slowly. “Um, yeah… Good. Thank you, Ella.”

“Hey listen.” Ella swallows her food to speak clearly. “Maybe after we’re done, I can show you around town. Give you all a lay of the land, you know.”

“Oh, sure,” Emmy says, agreeing with her. “We’d love to. Thank you, Ella.” @emmy-the-absolute-goof​

[bounnostra]

endgame 1.1 || dew point depression || SCOURGE || [ re: results, evie ]

Scourge can’t muster up any optimism as the votes roll; they merely sit there, stiff and a bundle of nerves. It’s impossible to relax until everything’s said and done, and Scourge keeps telling themself not to dare hope for a single goddamn thing. Not in life, not in this game, not for things to ever work out alright.

So maybe they shouldn’t be surprised when a stone begins to drop in their stomach at Gambit’s first word --

So maybe they shouldn’t be surprised as he continues and a flash freeze chills them to the bone -- 

[ “Hopefully, if it is Evie, she's... just the mole.” ]

But they are. They’ve always had a dreadful habit here of telling themself not to hope, telling themself not to make plans, doing it anyway and then having it all come crashing down. The second they hoped that if Evie was involved, she would be the mole, they should have known.

They should have known better.

There’s something unfamiliar in their eyes as their gaze slowly drifts away from Gambit to Evie, before the bird has even finished talking. And perhaps they look a little paler despite their blank expression as their mind races with realization, hands closing into tight white-knuckled fists on the table. 

Their chest feels unbearably cold, head fuzzy.

Scourge’s eyes don’t falter from Evie; even as their surroundings are whipped into a whirlwind, they keep staring in her direction.

By the time Gambit speaks again and his words sink in, they’ve started to feel ill. Their nails dig further into their palms, teeth grit together. Thoughts hit them like a hurricane. They think back to the person they were when this game started who they don't want to go back to being, to their newfound belief that they can be better than the cards that were shoved upon them. To all the times they’ve opened up, to the ideas they’ve gotten for their research, to the promises they’ve made, to the people they care for, to everything left they have to accomplish.

( how many times have they had those same goals, learned these same lessons -- how many times over have they stood in this hotel with these exact thoughts? )

Again, fear clutches their chest and wraps around their neck like a vicegrip. 

And still, by the time she finally speaks, their eyes have not left Evie. They take in Evie’s expression and resignation, and their chest twists. The ice within them burns; they think about all the hours spent playing board games and spilling all their secrets to her, about trying to boost up her confidence because they truly believed in her work.

Perhaps this is what betrayal is. This feeling of being ripped in half, torn between remaining fondness and anger -- a want to be sympathetic but an undeniable hurt.

So, when she brings her gaze to the seat between themself and Seattle, addresses them directly, all she’d find in their eyes is a mess. A cyclone of conflicted feelings, everything overlaid with a filter of building panic over the inevitability of their plight.

It’s unlike them that they still don’t react to Ivey’s comments, to the jab at them. And even when she spells out her motive, her prize, all they can muster the will to feel is a distant, muted sort of contempt. If they cared, they would have words, they would condemn her -- but.

But.

They know that Ivey’s a lost cause to even bother talking to. They are the antagonist without a single good point to her hero -- or, anti-hero, they suppose. Acknowledging Ivey will do nothing for them; it never has. What will they gain by continuing to play her games?

Not a thing.

( what do they gain from even listening to any of this, though? if they’re just going to be reset, what does any of it matter? why can’t they just be let go to have a fucking breakdown in private before everything’s gone? )

And finally… finally, the roaring tornado in their eyes settles somewhat. It wasn’t too hard for them to guess what Evie’s reward might be, though her reality almost… feels disappointing. Their fists loosen, and, for a moment, they stare tiredly at the dull crescent moons left in their skin instead before wrapping their arms around themself. A hopeless, desperate search for stability in this flood.

Their nails dig into their arms instead. They wish they had the energy to yell, to approach the two, to scoff in Ivey’s face at potentially thrusting a metal sword towards a living spark plug, to do anything. Yet, any rancid words shrivel up in their throat. What do they gain by saying them?

Not a thing.

So, instead, they level their tired gaze with Evie from across the table -- anger and hurt there, but overshadowed by a fear she so easily would know the source of. 

 All their week-months of putting their nose to the grind, with what to show for it?

Not a fucking thing.

( they suppose that’s nothing new. their research has never gotten far. maybe it never will. )

“...That’s it, huh.” And they sound exhausted, more than anything. “Y’know. [Evie]. With what you’ve told me ‘bout your research, what I know ‘bout you ‘n you know ‘bout me, I’m…” They pause. Looking for the word. “...I’m disappointed. Who fucking knows what the limit of Gambit’s bullshit is… all your talk of wanting to stop organizations from taking advantage of folks… and... you didn't even choose something that would help with your work.”

They scoff weakly.

“...You tell me I don’t need fixing ‘n then play ‘long with all this to cure your own bullshit. Fucking hilarious.”

Scourge sinks into their chair, shaking their head to themself. The breath they exhale trembles against their wishes but still contains enough bitter amusement to drown their sorrows in. They wish they could do just that instead of be here in their supposed final moments.

“So. What now. The two of you get to reap the rewards n’--” Their dry tone falters noticeably. A catch in their voice, betraying the fear that they’ve been trying to not let show. “-- and leave all of us to fucking rot?”

And even the bite in their tone is oh-so-lacking.

Finally, their eyes leave Evie after lingering on her a moment more to stare down at their lap. They don’t dare look at those they care for now, as much as they want the comfort from their presences -- not with the knowledge that they may wake up tomorrow not knowing any of them again and they know their composure’s hanging on by a thread. 

They swallow down the lump in their throat and squeeze their eyes shut briefly.

( they really should have fucking known better. )

[jarryprompts]

Harry making a deal with a demon (James). Prompt Fill

Submitted by @itsacruelirony as a response to this prompt. Thank you!

Warnings for some dubcon so approach with caution. Smutt from the outset so under a cut :)

Harry feels the bile rise in his throat and quickly chokes it back down. He won’t get paid if he vomits on his client. Even if this is his most loyal and kind client, it would still earn him a beating and lose him the day’s earnings. Instead he fakes his pleasure, because he knows this man likes him to be responsive, and gives the appropriate moans and touches. His mind conjures up images of the few boyfriends he’d had in the past and of porn he’d watched - anything to make this even slightly enjoyable.

Finally, with a grunt and one deep thrust, the man finishes, slumping over Harry’s prone body to catch his breath. Harry dares not move, despite how rank the man’s aftershave smells and the way the hands still clutch his hips. Hot breath puffs against his ear. Wet, open mouthed kisses press against his neck and bare chest. A tight squeeze of his hips for a moment causes a strike of fear in Harry’s mind - does he want to go again?

Thankfully, the man rolls off him and pulls up his trousers, zipping his fly with finality. Harry gives a sigh of relief. As the man straightens his shirt and tie and slips his blazer back on, Harry takes stock of his body. No matter how often he does this, how integral to his life it is now, he will never get used to the pain and the humiliation he feels every second of the day. But this is his life now.

“I might give you tip. You make me regret being married.” The man jokes, drinking in the sight of Harry’s still exposed body and winking lecherously. The man fishes a wad of cash out of his wallet and hands it over. Harry gapes at the amount but tucks it away before the man can snatch it back.

“Much appreciated.” Harry needs every penny he can get. Maybe, once the cut for his family comes out, he will have enough to spare for a crisps, water and biscuits. A bland diet, he knows, but he’s not ill or deficient in any vitamins yet, so it’ll do.

The man lingers in the alley, stood in his suit with an honest to God briefcase, looking impossible out of place. Harry doesn’t say anything as he fidgets on his sleeping bag. Will the man just leave already? This is awkward.

“…Everything okay?…” He asks hesitantly. His stomach begins to twist nervously.

“You’re a good person.” The man isn’t looking at him. He contemplates the moss growing on the damp brick walls, an unreadable expression on his face.

“Excuse me?”

“You don’t deserve to live your life like this. I know you, and you deserve a second chance.”

“I’ve my second chance and I blew it. If you knew me, you’d know that. Are you done here?”

The client ignores the dismissal, finally turning back to Harry. His hand holding the briefcase clenches. “I can help you. I have a way to make all of your problems disappear. Poof! Gone. And it’s not money.”

Harry knows it is too good to be true, but so long as the man isn’t offering to buy him completely and fix his problems with sex. A miracle fix for his problems. That is the dream. It could make his money worries go away, get him a flat to live in, stop him ever going hungry, get him back into uni, fix his relationship with his father, cure his sister’s near-incurable disease. Harry has wished on every star, on the first snowflake that falls - he would hunt for a genie’s lamp if he thought they existed.

“Go on.” What does he have to lose?

The man doesn’t answer, instead, he winks and smirks and places his case down on the ground and opens it. Harry can’t see what the man is doing, rummaging around in it as if the inside were bigger than the outside. Harry’s heart speeds in anticipation, and he suddenly aware that he is still naked. The chilling breeze nips at his shoulders as he hunches over his drawn up knees. A spark of irritation flies at the man who delights in building the suspense as he stares at Harry.

Finally, from the inside of the case, the man retrieves a thick book. But it is so much more than a simple book. Cracked, burnt black leather covers, with clasps made of a shining red metal, inlaid with inky black pearls. The pages are crumpled and jagged, something rust coloured stains the parchment. It looks to be a thousand years old at the very least. It is too ancient for a sexually deviant businessman to be carrying around in his man-bag. What is it?

As if he could read Harry’s mind, the man begins to explain. “This book and many like it have been handed down the generations of my family, we are the custodians of the secrets it holds. We gift it to those we deem worthy - and you, I think, are worthy. I see how desperate you are, how low life has brought you. You sleep on the ground, in the dirt, like a common beast, and you sell yourself to the highest bidder. And the lowest. You’re starving. You’re hopeless and dying down here. I see everything and I give this to you.”

The man holds out the ominous tome, pressing it into Harry’s hands. He almost buckles under the weight of it. Thankfully it is large enough to cover his modesty from his creepy client.

“How does any of that make me worthy? And what even is this? What am I meant to do with this book? Sell it, eat it, use it as a pillow?”

He should have known. No power in the world is capable of fixing the absolute mess Harry has made of his life. And now this charlatan thinks a stupid book can fix all of his problems. If a book could fix his fucked up life then university wouldn’t have been such a failure at university. He’s kidding himself even thinking he can get together enough money to pay for a private treatment for Dee Dee. His life is fucked.

The man rolls his eyes and growls angrily. For a moment, Harry thinks his eyes flash red. But a second later it’s gone. He must have imagined it. Low blood sugar probably.

“Read it and you’ll know. Do what it takes to improve your life.”

With that dire instruction, the man slips away down the alley, smart shoes clicking on the pavement. He leaves Harry naked on his thin and patchy sleeping bag, with a medieval book in his lap, feeling more humiliated and taken advantage of than he did when the man was screwing him. A book? If only, he scoffs. 

In the cold silence that Harry has grown used to now, he gets dressed, cleaning himself up and preparing for his next client. Money safely stashed away, he tries to focus on his motivation - Dee Dee, and his family - but his thoughts and eyes drift constantly to the bloody book. So out of place in the modern world. Finally, he give sin to the temptation to open it and read. There’s nothing else for him to do.

Reading it turns out to be a bust, because not only is it in some near illegible fancy calligraphy, but it appears to be in Latin, which Harry only knows from his old boarding school’s motto. He doesn’t know near enough to translate this thing. But, undeterred, he examines the pages and the accompanying illustrations, hoping for something to help him, or at least, entertain him until he has to go in search of a new customer.

Weeks later, as he finishes the last page, Harry goes back to the beginning and starts all over again. And again. And again. With each rereading he understands more and more of the contents. When he realises that it is a Satanic text about demons and spells and evil deeds, he only contemplates throwing it away for a second before starting to read again. It’s not like there’s an abundance of reading material for homeless prostitutes, and besides, it’s actually pretty interesting.

In the dark of the night, when he has no light by which to read his tome, Harry wonders why his client gave this to him, and he mulls over his cryptic words as a kind of lullaby. He hasn’t seen the man since so has no one to go to for answers. While the book is illuminating in many ways, he still doesn’t know what to do.

That is until the day he collects his meagre savings and shoves them into a wrinkled brown envelope. It’s not enough, even with the money he was going to save for himself so that he could eat a little better the following week. Dee Dee’s treatment is expensive, he knows, and this will barely put a dent into it. But he posts it through the flat’s letterbox anyway, when he knows that everyone is out.

It’s as he lets the tears fall down his cheeks, as the realisation that this could very well be his life until the day he dies washes over him, that he understands. He was given the book because he has nothing to lose and everything to gain. So he might as well use what he’s learnt. Harry doesn’t care if this is a ploy to suck him into some cult, or steal his immortal soul or whatever, he really does have nothing left to lose.

So, by the fading light of the day, Harry settles down on his sleeping bag, a demonic book in his lap, and prepares to summon a demon. It’s what the book is for. It details all the requirements - not many - and the consequences - a few - and the risks - too many to list. Harry feels prepared for this, so he confidently recites the required Latin text. Though he stumbles over pronunciation he guesses it doesn’t matter how he pronounces a dead language, and carries on. It’s the intent that matters, anyway.

As he finishes the silence in the alley presses down on him. No birds sing, no cars rumble by, no wind whistles. Harry’s breathing becomes laboured as fear creeps in. What did he just do?

“Hello, Harry.”

Harry shrieks and nearly jumps out of his skin. For where there once was empty space, now stands the most handsome man Harry has ever seen. Well, demon, he supposes, given the ritual he just performed. But he looks nothing like a demon. He’s dressed in an impeccable suit, hair combed back, and completely devoid of a pitchfork and tail. Thankfully the man - demon - says nothing about his scream.

Neither of them speak. Harry tries and fails to break the silence but his jaw merely opens and close noiselessly like a dumb fish. God, he must look so stupid and brainless to this impressive and immortal demon. A puny, pathetic prostitute.

Seemingly amused, the demon takes a step forward and gracefully folds himself down to sit next to Harry. Harry looks up, at the demon, confused.

“Take your time. I know that book doesn’t quite prepare you well enough for demon summoning.”

“I— I— I just summoned a demon?”

“Yes. Me.”

“Do you have a name?”

“… What?” That startles the demon. Harry feels flicker of pride at having shocked someone as powerful as him before the confusion and shock settle in again.

“A name. It’s rude to just call you demon, isn’t it? I’d find it rude if I called ‘human’ or ‘person’ all the time. Surely you have a name.”

“Oh. My real name is rather difficult for your kind to pronounce - much like that Latin you butchered.”

“Sorry. Is there a name you want me to call you, then? One I can pronounce.”

“You may call me James.”

“Very well. Nice to meet you, James.” Harry hold out his hand for the demon - James - to shake, rather surprising himself. And James if the look on his face is anything to go by. “Just go with it. I think I’m in shock.” With a quirk of his lips, the demon shakes his hand.

“What happens now?” The book didn’t explain what to do once the demon has been summoned, it seems to rely on the person working the spell having some sort of natural instinct. Something Harry does not have. If he did, he wouldn’t be in this situation in the first place.

“Well, you are obviously worthy, since you have the book. Tell me what you need to do and we’ll work out a deal.”

“A deal?”

“Obviously, I don’t do this for free.”

“No, I… I knew that, obviously. I just… you’ll do it? No matter what? So if I needed someone to die in order to improve my life, then you’d do it? What if I asked you to commit genocide?”

James doesn’t bat an eyelid. “It would be done. For a price.” There is no doubt that the price would be steep, but the fact that he would kill a person, or an entire race of people, for a price - for Harry - is startling. Though, Harry supposes, he is a demon. Demons don’t exactly have morals.

“But I doubt you need me murder anyone, let alone an entire population.” James reassures him. Harry finds he quite likes this man. It might be because he’s the first person to have a proper conversation with him in months. Or because he is undeniably attractive and Harry can feel the stirrings of desire in his stomach. “What is your predicament?”

Harry sighs, his shoulders sagging where he sits and feeling more relaxed next to an omnipotent demon than he has done in a long time. He shuts the book and scrapes his nails gently on the tough cover; absently, he notices how long and dirty his nails have gotten.

“I did something my father can’t forgive.”

“I can’t change the past, Harry. No one can. I’m sorry.” Somehow, Harry believes James.

“I didn’t expect you too. I’d either screw up again exactly the same or be so plagued with guilt about it I’d tell my dad and be back here again. I messed up, got kicked out and I just need to make amends so that I can go back home.”

“And you’re making amends how?”

“Any money I have goes towards paying for a treatment for my sister. She has autoimmune encephalitis and there’s a treatment that might help but it’s experimental and not available on the NHS, so the family have to pay.” There’s something wrong about paying for a child’s medical bills with sex, but it’s the only choice Harry has. No savings, no job, no smart clothes for an interview or a printer for a CV. Being homeless sucks.

“You’re selling your body for your sister. For your family. And how do they feel knowing the money you give them comes from a man abusing your body?”

“I don’t really know. I post it through the letter box when I know they’re out.” Harry fidgets guiltily. He can’t even face his family, how will things ever be okay? “They’d hate it. I’m disgusting and dirty… they won’t want me anywhere near the kids. And too right.”

“So you won’t be allowed near the sister you sacrificed yourself for. Charming.” James doesn’t try hard to keep the contempt out of his voice. It brings a rare smile to Harry’s face to have someone on his side - a smile he fights down because that’s a selfish thought and it’s wrong.

“I guess I need… I would like Dee Dee to be healthy. I want her safe and comfortable, and I don’t want it come at the cost of my family’s financial stability. I want my family to be happy.”

“And what about you? Is there anything you want for yourself?”

“I don’t deserve anything. I’m a lost cause.”

James stiffens beside him, but Harry doesn’t dare look at him. He knows he has a sort of ally, but he can’t see the pity or compassion. Not when he doesn’t have it from his family.

“Very well. I will require something in return.”

No matter what was demanded of him, Harry has nothing to lose. That was what drew him to summon a demon in the first place. And for his sister? He would give anything to see her smile again, to have her laugh and be carefree, without tubes sticking out of her. “Anything.”

“Your soul.”

“And what will you do with my soul?”

“Set you free.”

[prettywordsyouleft]

Different Kisses with Yoo Youngjae

Thanks so much for your request. As an avid B.A.P fan, I’m grateful for my third member to delve into kisses with! Let’s get started, shall we?

Kissing Youngjae is like being on a rollercoaster, the ups and downs will leave you breathless. (Yes this is cheesy, no I’m not taking it back XD)

First kiss:

Youngjae’s first kiss with you in his mind wasn’t when his lips first touched yours. You had been dating for a few weeks, and he had taken you to get bubble tea together. For some reason you were more bubbly that day (ha pun intended) and full of smiles and surprises. He was mostly just watching you with a small smile playing on his face until you reached over and took his drink, placing the straw up to your lips (that he had lazily been wondering how soft they would feel upon his) and drank from his drink. “Mm, it’s so sweet!” you exclaimed, and then thrust your own drink at him to try. Although it was juvenile, his mind was flashing with the words indirect kiss whilst he fumbled to put your straw in his mouth. He could taste your berry flavoured lipbalm on the straw first and he swallowed, unsettled by how many senses he was having over sharing a damn drink.

“Why are you blushing?” you asked, knitting your brows together at your boyfriend literally melting into his chair. He choked then on your drink, handing it back over and then downing most of his own before shooting out of his chair. You raced after him, grabbing him and pulling him into an alley way between shops and looked up at him with wide eyes. “Jae?”

“It’s nothing, I was just being foolish.”

“You thought it too huh?” you mentioned with a smile, moistening your lips a little and looked up at him. “How about having a real kiss next time huh?”

Looking at the tint of your balm on your lips, he smiled and pointed at you. “Make sure you’re wearing that.”

“What?”

“Lip balm,” he mentioned, smirking as it was your turn to finally blush. It wasn’t long until he noticed you applying more and his mouth found yours, in a very sweet and soft embrace. He didn’t kiss for long, but it was enough to get a good taste too.

Youngjae might seem like the self-assured type, but deep down he was just as shy as anyone can be in the start of new love.

Public kisses:

Youngjae is confusing out in public. On one hand he doesn’t like PDA much. It’s not that he doesn’t want to be all over you any time he’s with you, but he prefers to keep his personal things, well personal. He isn’t worried what people will think, it’s just a preference to be the only one who has eyes on you when he kisses you. He mostly holds your hand out in public, shooting you smiles and keeping everything light and fun. However there is a contradiction to this too. He gets little urges, and sometimes they’re impossible to ignore. Like when you wore that skirt and it made his heart thumped so fast every time his eyes swept over your bare legs. Or if you’re laughing so happily and he’s surprised that he managed to fall deeper in love with you then. It’s these little things that start his mind up, the desire to kiss you building until he steals one when you’re least expecting it. You could be mid sentence about the most platonic things like how you have to submit something to work/school the next day and his lips are suddenly on yours, briefly but with a little pressure behind them from the ultimate loss in control over his thoughts. And he’ll quickly try to cover it up, claiming it was a good luck charm to help you get through your issue, his pace fastening with the realisation that his lips had actually done that. Of course this is plenty of ammunition to tease him with, making it completely impossible for Youngjae to cope and warning you that he’ll have to make you pay for it when you’re back behind closed doors. Ooh, what a punishment!

Private kisses:

Your relationship is mostly a light and enjoyable one. This is reflected in how playful and easy your skinship is at home. When alone, Youngjae is affectionate, but he also expects it back too. You’re both very good at making the other feel like the most important human on this earth, laughing, touching and kissing with smiles all around. Because most of your time together isn’t serious (but it can be and we’ll get to that), a lot of kisses are quick little pecks, normally high in quantity over quality. Sometimes he’ll squish your cheeks up and laugh at how ugly you appear and as you whine, his lips find yours in a sweet way, making you not care that your cheeks hurt a little from the way he’s holding you. Of course, since returning the favour is so important to you, it’s now time to chase after him once he’s let you go, Youngjae’s laughter making him breathless as he tries to avoid your “ugly making hands”.

Youngjae loves coming home to you. It’s his favourite part of the day, leaving the stresses of his life at the front door and coming to find you in your home, reaching out to cup your face in his hands and kiss you in greeting before he hugs you for a solid five minutes. The only thing he hates is if you’re not home first and when you finally are, you find a pouting, displeased Youngjae on the couch who is so not ready to greet you with his lips. It doesn’t take long for you to convince him that the cure for the sour taste in his mouth is for you to kiss it away, but he might milk this for the rest of the night, pouting sporadically at you and saying the sour taste is back. Oh my god, this man-child.

And did I just mention hugs? Youngjae is a big cuddler. Any time he can wrap you up in his arms he’ll relish in, uncaring if it’s from the front or as a back hug, just as long as he can hold you for awhile. Expect lots of light, gentle kisses scattered all over you, especially if you have your shoulders/neck exposed. He’s addicted to breathing you in as he holds you.

Youngjae quite often stares at you. He cannot believe he got this lucky, and you could be wearing a face mask, be suffering from hayfever, or just completely bare faced and he’s still entranced by you. You’ll often ask him if you have something on your face and he’ll either turn it a little playful (he just cannot help winding you up) and pout sadly, saying you don’t have enough of him attached there and he needs to fix that, or simply smile and come to kiss you, whispering how you make him feel so lucky when his lips are off yours.

Two final things that you are most likely doing that he’ll kiss you over – if you lay your head in his lap or on his chest, he’ll reach to kiss you, either on the crown of your head or on your lips. And the other is wearing the clothes he purposely places around for you to put on. He’s so in love with seeing you in his oversized jumpers that it always makes you laugh considering you don’t get to wear them long. Both these final things have a very high probability to leading to making out, so well played you!

Making out:

Ninety percent of the time, making out stems from innocent play. It’s not something that either of you are sitting there thinking about, more so from those cliché moments where passion builds in an instant – or from the two suggestions up above. You’ll be playing with each other on the sofa and next minute you’re underneath him on the couch, both of you instantly aroused by the situation and wanting to play in a different way. His lips crash down on yours in a tidal wave, fast and strong as his hands roam your body and yours reach up to thread through his hair. He lives for this and generally moans when you softly tug at his hair, which deepens the embrace. He loves kissing your shoulders a lot and will even take your top off just so he can in a make out session, sucking on your collarbones and marking you with love bites in the process. Things do tend to slow down though, his waves of desire now lingering and breathy, his hands finding their way in between your legs, running over your thighs and teasing you as they move up higher. You are literally at his beck and call now, which is pretty frustrating for you because depending on the mood Youngjae’s in, he could leave you soon after teasing you with a few dips under your panties. It’s a bit of a kink of his to leave you begging for more, but the good thing is, you make out so often that he won’t make you wait too long without taking you to bed and ensuring you are more than satisfied. Why is it always so hot up in here when it’s the B.A.P members?!

Morning kisses:

Youngjae is unbelievably soft in the mornings. If he wakes up first he’s happy to just soak you in for awhile, smiling as he notices how peaceful you are in your slumber. When you’re awake there’s a lot of skinship, and gentle, soft kisses that don’t necessarily have a lot of movement to them but last longer than a peck. Forever brushing the hair away from your face so he can look into your eyes, your chin resting on his chest or shoulder as you gaze at him lovingly. There’s not a lot of talking in the morning, and no playful banter, just lots and lots of smiles, gentle touches and kisses. He also brushes his lips over your forehead before you bury into him, snuggling until the second alarm goes off.

If neither of you have schedules for the day, then don’t expect this mood to be dropped, staying in bed until you physically cannot hold out going to the bathroom, or need to eat. And generally its breakfast in bed, feeding each other and kissing in between. If you haven’t figured it out yet, Youngjae has a huge thing on taste, and it always seems like things are better tasted from your mouth. Guess that first kiss really did set this up as a habit, not that you’re ever going to complain.

Making up:

Fighting with Youngjae isn’t fun. We all know he’s sassy and can outwit literally anyone, you included. And so most of your fighting is normally just fake fights, for banter purposes. There have been some serious fights in the past though, and it’s really pointless to even start an argument with him as he won’t let up until he’s won. He can be vicious with his tongue; his passive aggressive mannerisms are rather hurtful to you too. After arguing, Youngjae needs time to reflect on how to approach it without treating you like he had and this can sometimes take days. Whilst you’re fretting that it’s going to be the absolute end, he’s trying to figure out the problem for himself, deciphering how to solve it, and make it up to you.

Surprisingly, whilst he’s the one to win in the heated fights, he’s also the first to try to make it up to you, kissing you softly and hesitantly, asking you if it’s okay to do so. By now you’re just so relieved he’s not leaving you that you grab a hold of him and deepen the kiss, crying gently over how thankful you are. It has a 50/50 chance of ending up in make up sex cue Daehyun crying over in his own Different Kisses here before you both sit down to talk out how to deal with the problem.

Embarrassed/distracting kisses:

Youngjae talks a big game but this leaves you with a lot of dirt on him that can easily embarrass him. Further, when he gets embarrassed, he likes to run away from it, literally or figuratively. You’re good at blocking him in at times, since you put up with an equal amount of embarrassment at the hands of Yoo Youngjae. He’s also a jokester who comes out with some really outlandish jokes, most of the time they make you laugh but some are so odd that you’re sitting there perplexed at whether he’s all there in the head or not. Whether embarrassed from something he’s done or he’s not done, or a poorly delivered joke, if denying it doesn’t work successfully, he’ll kiss you with demand, pressing himself into you so you forget all about it and see stars instead. Sometimes if you still remember after his first distraction, he’ll make sure to kiss you again, heck he’ll have sex with you if it means you’ll stop. Maybe this is your plan along, or maybe you just really need to both sweat it out, who really knows but it has a good affect over you both forgetting what led you into bed together, heh.

Bribing kisses:

If distracting you is Youngjae’s secret weapon, then bribing him is yours. Youngjae is stubborn. He won’t do things he doesn’t want to, no matter how good the reward may be afterwards. Except when it comes to you. If you promise him things he really loves doing with you cough we all know what cough, he’s more interested in hearing about what you need him to do. Especially if you follow it up with a couple of slow, deliberate kisses, lingering around his mouth and turning him on instantly. He’ll be out of his chair and pausing his video game to go do the dishes in a heartbeat.

K-drama kisses:

Like Daehyun, Youngjae will watch k-dramas with you. But he’s not really one to sit there quietly, instead he picks at the entire storyline, remarking at how unrealistic the whole thing is until you’re so frustrated with him you turn it off. He’s confused now because despite his constant commentary, he was actually enjoying it and pouts at you for ruining his fun. You’re annoyed though as you enjoy watching the alternate worlds depicted through your favourite actors, even if they’re not the most realistic. So after a bit of bantering over it, he’ll convince you to turn it back on, kissing at your neck and apologising, promising he’ll be quiet. If you’re foolish to fall for that, then it won’t be long till you’re whining at him to shut up again, using your lips to silence him so he’ll cease the incessant chatter. Youngjae always smirks after holding you a little longer in the kiss, telling you that if you wanted to kiss him and prove how a real kiss was done, why did it have to take until the end of the episode to do it. Gosh he’s so impossible at times! I think you need to learn your lesson and watch k-dramas alone, even if he secretly enjoys them; you’re not going to!

Competitive kisses:

This is an interesting one. We have the obvious competitive nature whenever you play video or board games together; Youngjae has a desire to win in life, at whatever he does, and even cheats to do so sometimes! So if you beat him in a game, he’ll be a sore loser until you kiss him all better.

But on a different level, he loves challenging you and himself too. Sometimes he’ll invent kissing games or missions as he likes to call them, seeing who can outdo the other. It’s a great game because not only are you fuelling his satisfaction levels with pushing him to keep trying new tactics, but you’re both getting to kiss each other some more, and who wouldn’t want to lock lips with Youngjae, even under the weirdest pretences of a game?!

Night kisses:

And finally, like Daehyun, Youngjae is a night talker. His deepest thoughts and confessions are always during pillow talk and kissing at night isn’t slow or gentle. Not that it’s hard and rough either, but it’s definitely more passionate than throughout the day. As if speaking his inner mind to you has made him desperate for you, to envelope you in his love. It’s here where you know just how much he loves you, even if he doesn’t utter those three magical words, you can feel them pouring out of him through his kisses and touches. That’s why night time is always your favourite time of the day, floating off into a beautiful dream where it’s only you and him, and all the love in the world you have for each other.

 Youngjae is the type of boyfriend who challenges you to show him in new ways every day how much you love him. He’s quirky and playful which still excites you after all this time together. And sure, his sassy behaviour can sometimes get irksome, but you’ve come to understand how to make your way through it, and even some tactics along the way to help you benefit from it. But most importantly, being with Youngjae keeps you feeling alive. There’s nothing better than staring into the eyes of the man you love and knowing he lives for you too.

 _______________

Other B.A.P members:  Yongguk // Himchan // Daehyun // Jongup

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RvB16 Episode 3 Review: Lost Time

(Old Blog Repost)

Wasn’t last week fun everyone? I thought it was fun! But yeah, a lot of shit happened despite Grif’s attempts to not let shit happen… that we can argue caused the shit to happen. Isn’t meta humor fun kids?! But yeah scary alien woman attacked (and converted Tumblr into her own group of worshipers from what I can tell), Donut is a God, and everyone’s been separated ala Season 3. Only this time with time travel… ala Season 3 but the separation happened before that part. I just gave myself a headache. Well.. lets get on with the review while my brain is still intact.

Overview

We begin on… IDK if it’s a planet or not, but someplace with snow! This is where Grif and Doc got sent… so this is the second time a portal sent Grif off to same snowy wasteland. Man, this really is like Season 3 only he’s taking Church’s role as the grumpy one while Doc is… Doc. Well at least he didn’t get hit in the nuts immideatly after this time or thrown in a cell! Anyways, yeah snowy wasteland. Doc is freaked out about the entire thing and what it means while Grif is trying to figure out how the portal gun works so that they can get out before they freeze. He’s also grumpy. But to be fair, if I saw a perfectly good pizza parlor blow up in front of me, I would be grumpy too.

Grif is also refusing to let Doc help or even get near him. Why? Well he’s pissed off cause they got roped into bullshit again, but the biggest thing seems to be that he got stuck with Doc who… you know, is a piss poor combatant, bad at his medic job, and had betrayed them not too long ago. To be fair, Doc… completely understands Grif hating him for that. Heck, he feels guilty for what he did. I’ll get into it more int he analysis portion, but it looks like Joe may be giving Doc character development… or is leading up to a joke later. but hey he’s giving Doc attention. More than I can say for Miles’ run (sorry Miles, I love you but I’m gonna point stuff like that out). Grif ignores the sob story to work on the gun,a nd to his credit he gets the thing to work… on shuffle. Okay, why did God put a shuffle function on the gun? Then again, God has his ways and as a Christian I should know to not question it… assuming that that’s the God we’re refereeing to anyways. Lets just pretend that’s the case for now.

Meanwhile, Tucker and Sister have made the same revelation. The two of them have ended up, to my glee, in Valhalla! Since the Recolleciton Trilogy is my favorite storyline, seeing it again makes me SO happy. IDK what point this is at. It could be before the Reds and Caboose got sent there, could be after the Reds fought Wash and the Meta, I don’t know. But who cares? It’s Valhalla again! I am happy! Also we learn that Tucker is atheist and Sister, like her brother, is agnostic. Good to know!

Tucker tries to figure out Donut’s cryptic warning of ‘the key to fixing the future is to fix the past’ or something along those lines. Sister however wants to hold it off and have a little ‘fun’ with Tucker… boy going through time to bang various historical figures! And Sister is officially more sexually ambitious than Tucker could ever hope to be. Tucker, being Tucker, is unhappy that… you know, she doesn’t want to bang him and all. He also refers to them apparently having had sex in Blood Gulch that… I forgot about I guess. But Sister says it didn’t happen and it wasn’t all that memorable anyways. Ouch… you know, when binging I found Sister pointless all in all and writing her out would have changed nothing. But now that she’s back and Joe is actually giving her attention, I freakin’ LOVE her. Keep it up Joe!

So now over to Simmons and Sarge with Simmons trying to figure the gun out. Him being a nerd, he’s far more confused and nitpicky about it than the others have been. Sarge is more than happy to accept having a ‘magic gun’ though and wants to get on to the ‘fixing the past’ thing. How? Well his first thought is to go to The Battle of Broken Ridge. Apparently it was rather traumatic for Sarge and going back would reopen some old wounds, but he’s willing to face it to fix it. We’ll talk more about this later. Simmons wants to instead go to a lab to get the gun taken apart to figure out how it works since nothing else had made sense and he wants to have something explainable. But Sarge convinces him to just figure it out by actually using the gun, leading us to the Battle of Broken Ridge… so using Ancient Egypt last episode was a total copout so no mummy fights. Damn it!

So yeah, after Gus, I mean Simmons, I mean Gus (come on, you can’t tell me he WOULDN’T do the same thing cause nerds) acts like a nerd by making a log, he and Sarge see the battle in progress. Past Sarge was a lieutenant at the time and sends his men out to make a surprise attack while he covered them from behind the ridges. This ended with them all getting massacred, and present Sarge figures that this is because the went in the wrong direction. SO he goes and tells them to go the other way.. which past Sarge makes them go back and… well, you can figure out how it ends. From the afterlife, I can just see Church laughing at them cause now they know how he felt during his time travel stint (yeah it was a simulation, but still)

Finally, we have Lopez coming back online after his head came off and Caboose fixed him. Shock of all shocks, I think Caboose has understood what Lopez is saying moreso than any other character as he tries to figure out Donut’s warning. He concludes on… universal savings… okay who let Joel write on the scripts?! But yeah, Caboose wants to create savings accounts for everyone in hopes of saving the universe. Too bad that he lost the penny he had on him, but it’s okay! Cause he actually figured out how the portal gun works! Because of course he did!

So the two end up back to the opening scene. Caboose tries to find his penny and… remember when Caboose seemed to lose focus and Grif had to remind him to find Donut? Turns out that it was resent Caboose and past Caboose actually didn’t lose focus. Ah, I love it when jokes come back around like that! So Caboose goes through another portal to keep looking, Lopez resigns himself to the end of the world, and somewhere Burnie is probably wondering how even with Church dead his character somehow always gets saddled with Joel’s. I guess we’ll never know.

Review

This was shorter than last week, but BOY does it leave me plenty to talk about!

The episode seems to exist to explain how the time travel will work, some more character development setup, and just to have some comedic hijinks after last weeks more plot heavy episode. And I thought it was great! Like I said, it reminds me a lot of Season 3 when everyone was separated and the first episode with it jumping back and forth between the pairs, setting up their situations. IDK if this was an intentional callback, but I liked it nonetheless. And everyones current situations and the pair dynamics were done very well. So lets just go in order here:

Grif and Doc: This is the one I’m most interested in, and so far I’m pleased! Beginning with Grif, he’s reacting exactly how I expected him to, ala being angry at the whole thing. t makes sense. Despite his efforts, the universe decided to shit on him again and thrust him and the others into another adventure and one arguably more insane than ever before. He’s also stuck with Doc, who he’s never particularly been on good terms with. Heck when he WAS friendly to Doc back in Blood Gulch and even got validation for using CPR to cure Sarges head wound, Doc threw him under the bus when he realized that Grif was the butt monkey. That was a dick move. Of course Doc has been shit on by everyone far more at this point, but still Grif’s got a bit more of an excuse than the others. Plus again, he was’t there when Doc turned on them and he at least had the dignity to just quit an tell them that he quit before things went to shit instead of just turn his back on then in a dire moment.

But going to Doc… his reaction is good. He actually takes responsibility for his actions, feels guilty that it contributed to everything that happened (Wash getting shot), and that he ultimately couldn’t talk the Blues and Reds out of their plans. He feels that he failed both sides and that in doing so, everyone got hurt. He even completley understands Grif hating him for it since he feels the same way about it. He doesn’t try to make excuses, even when honestly he has very valid reasons to make excuses. He’s been constantly shit on, forgotten about, and even got trapped in another dimension before and everyone just forgot about it and didn’t care. But we could say that betraying the guys when he knows that the Blues and Reds have fallen off their rocker was going a tad too far, even if he did try to use it to convince them to stop and failed. But its a nice look into Doc’s current psyche and Matt did a great job expressing how disappointed in himself he is.

Now will this lead to anything? It might. Normally with Doc, it’s hard to tell. I feel there may be a point where Doc either sacrifices himself to save Grif in a pivitol moment, like shoving him through a portal when one of the villains find him, or he goes all O’Malley to make a sacrifice play so that Grif can escape. IDK, but going off the self-loathing there’s a god chance that something’s gonna happen and this time it may have more of an impact. We’ll have to wait and see, but  hey it’s something. Can’t wait to see what happens with these two next!

Tucker and Sister: Their moment is mainly for comedy but it was good! Like I said, I loved seeing Valhalla again. IDK if they’ll still be there later, but hey I appreciate the callback. It’s also nice to see Tucker being… well, Tucker again. Hes had a lot of character development since Chorus, and it was very well done. But after last season, while I personally didn’t find him OOC, I an see why the way he was written was frustrating for people. Plus after all the events in Chorus and S15, I think we needed to see him in a happier state of mind, and it looks like he is. I said before that it felt like S15 was Joe trying to put the bookend on Blue Team’s problems, and I think it shows. Tucker seems far more relaxed and comedic, like during Recollection. Hopefully he still has his newfound competence, and I assume that when things go to shit again we’ll see that. But he’s in a place where he can be comedic Tucker without him coming across as an arrogant idiot, so this is good.

Then we have Sister… OMG Sister. SO as I said above, I did not care about Sister when I was watertight Blood Gulch. She wasn’t particularly bad, her personality was strong and fitting for the cast of characters she was in. But… she didn’t really do anything. According to Burnie on the DVD commentaries, he had wanted to add her for a while and S5 was the only place he could, but still you could write he rout and very little would change. Her being gone for over half the series since then doesn’t help. But the upside to adidng her back is now they can actually do stuff with her, and so far I’m happy!

Okay so Sister’s so far only expressed wanting to bang historical figures and I kind of hope we can see her do more than make sex jokes. But hey, we can officially confirm her bi now so yay canon bisexual character! Plus the way her and Tucker’s banter was written was very well done. It was really funny and her proving to be far more ambitious with her sex life and finding Tucker not worth remembering was hilarious. Plus her just not giving a shit about Tucker’s advances are both hilarious and make me very happy. Sorry Tucker, but hey at least our probably the only guy who an claim to have had sex with an entire planet… and still paying the lawsuit for it XD

Sarge and Simmons: It was hilarious, Plain and simple. It’s been a pretty good while since these two had one-on-one time and so far I’m pleased with what we have. Simmons wanting to study the gun and have some kind of explanation he can cling to when noting else is making any kind of logical sense is perfectly IC. I’m also glad to see him actually disagreeing with Sarge and trying to get his own point across. Simmons has mostly grown out of the kissass phase, at least tot he extent he was in Blood Gulch, and I’m glad to see that sticking. He feels a lot mroe independent but still the nerd we all know and love. Character development, yay!

Then we have the Battle of Broken Ridge and all the continuity stuff it brings up. If I had to guess, it takes place early in Sarge’s military career before he became an ODST or this was before he got put into Blood Gulch. Considering we don’t completely know how these outposts operate aside form how they use the SIM troopers, I don’t find it hard to buy that Sarge has been on multiple Red Teams before getting recruited for Blood Gulch. But these guys have brown armor so… IDK. But still, it’s good to see some backstory and it was good to see Sarge try to save his men. Sure it looks like he failed, but hey he tried.

Still, it really DOES make me ponder on this whole ‘fixing the past’ thing. Like… what does Donut mean by the past? For the Reds and Blues to fix their own pasts? I’m assuming not since Sarge only inadvertently caused it. Did the villains do something in the past and damage it? Why didn’t Donut just say that though? Or is ‘God’ just using the Reds and Blues to invoke what will fulfill the prophecy mentioned in Episode 1? After all, it’s said they end the world and this may be the catalyst that cause sit, hence why Huggins (where is she BTW?) has to follow them around. But I would hope that the puppetmaster would have made a reasonable explanation about what had to be fixed to provoke that. IDK, it’s way too early to tell and this is a multi-part saga, so we’re just gonna have to see how it plays out.

And finally…

Caboose and Lopez: THIS WAS EVERYTHING I HOPED FOR. Caboose being… Caboose, but also showing that he CAN be competent in his own way. Sure he got Donut’s message wrong, but at least he was thinking about it. Plus he was able to both fix Lopez and actually understand what he said. IDK if Caboose can speak Spanish, but I absolute believe that he can just until what Lopez is saying. And unlike everyone else, except maybe Simmons unless they just used shuffle enough times until they got the right portal (which if that isn’t the case, kudos to Simmons for figuring it out on his own), Caboose is the only one who figured out how to make the gun work. So now hes on a Penny Quest as Lopez continues to regret his own existence. I love it!

I admit I wasn’t sure how this was going to work since Caboose and Lopez are the two most incomprehensible characters int he show. Caboose is random and dimwitted, and no one an understand Lopez at all. But it’s surprisingly really funny so far! Normally having characters together alone like this without someone else to keep it balanced can be annoying very quickly. But in this case, it came off as really funny and not exaggerated. I guess it helps that Caboose can understand what Lopez is saying, but still it’s just the right balance. Which is good since I assume that they’re going to be the comedy relief pair for now. But who knows?

Final Thoughts

As I said, this seems to be here to show us how the time travel will play out and I assume the next episode will either cut to Chorus or focus on one pair for the majority of it. We’ll have to see. Still, this was good! The interactions were really good and I really enjoyed seeing it play out. Everyone felt IC and leaves plenty of setup for their respective situations. It leaves the question of what happened to Donut, but I guess we’ll find out eventually. But overall, this was a fun episode that perfectly sets up what we can expect. Hopefully, we’ll be delivered just what we’re hoping for.