#i love talking like this as if i don't have like ten waiting to be posted

[captain-huggy-bear]

Just thinking about how clingy Jack is after a roadie. That man won’t let you do anything

Yeah, lets be real, Jack is a clingy baby. Olympic levels of clingy when he's finally back home. Totally happy to take requests/ideas/prompts at the moment in my ask box :) Writing Masterlist

Jack's always been clingy. This is only made ten times worse when he's missed you. He's under your feet every time he comes back from a roadie. He's a tactile person by nature, always reaching for you on any given day, but it's made 100 times more severe when he's been gone for a few days or worse a week. In a lot of ways it's sweet and flattering that he cares and misses you so much that he has to be on top of you the moment he’s home, has to be under your feet. In other ways? It's a bit of an inconvenience, and depending on your mood can actually make you a little grumpy.

It starts with him just being in the same room as you, whether it’s watching you cook or watching you fold laundry, Jack’s eyes follow you wherever you go. But, it never stays like that for long, maybe 5 minutes tops. Soon he’ll start physically following you around the room, not quite under your feet, but close enough that he’s in your peripheral vision, your shadow. You can feel him behind you, can sense where he is at all times even when he isn't yapping away at you. This is manageable, he’s not in the way and he’s never stopping you from doing what you need to at this point, but it never lasts long. Usually within 20 minutes of Jack being home he’s on you like the plague, arms latched around you, chest to your back, face nuzzled into your neck.

It’s sweet but impractical, you’re trying to go about your day and he refuses to let go of you, he has to be physically attached to you in some way whether it’s wrapping you in his arms and waddling behind you or putting his chin on your arm or a hand on your leg.

"Jack, I'm trying to make my lunch," You can't help but laugh as you try to cut up some veggies, arm movements somewhat restricted by the band of arms wrapping around your chest. Jack's so close to you he's practically pressing you into the counter.

"You can still make lunch like this..." He grumbles into your neck, pressing kisses to the skin there, the kisses are so light that you can't help but giggle at the ticklish sensation. This only draws an encouraged smirk from him, one that you can feel widening against your skin.

"Jack..."

"Angelllll...."

"Jackkkkkk," Nothing you say or do will get him to let go, he'll waddle around the kitchen with you, waddle to the kitchen table. Even when you sit down, he drags a chair so close to you that your legs are touching from hip down to ankle and he's got his arms wrapped around your waist, chin pressed into your shoulder the entire time you eat. You can't help but feel a mite embarrassed at him watching you so intently with those baby blues while you eat, the only thing making it bearable is the fact he's smiling the whole time like you're doing something amazing. Not just eating lunch.

Even when you try to shower, he's there, unable to detach himself from you because he's been gone so long and don't you love him? Didn't you miss him? He just wants to be around you...and Luke will more than happily confirm that Jack has been unbearable the entire roadie, nonstop talking about how he can't wait to get back home to you when he isn't talking about hockey.

“Jack, baby, I need to shower��” Your hands are pushing at Jack's shoulders in an attempt to get him to unlatch from you, but he's a hockey player. He's strong and if he doesn't want to be move then he's not moving.

“Can’t I just shower with you?”

“As if you could keep your hands to yourself..." You scoff at him trying to peel his arms off you, Jack only squeezes your waist tight. He's pouting up at you like you're being mean for wanting to have a shower without his arms attached to you for five minutes.

"I promise I can, I promise, baby..."

"No."

"Then I'm sitting in here." It's like watching a toddler sit on the floor of a supermarket refusing to get up because they can't have the thing they wanted. The way he points at the closed toilet lid to further illustrate his point, that he's not going anywhere.

"You're going to sit there and watch me shower? Like a creep?"

"Like a boyfriend who's missed his girlfriend who he loves dearly and who's girlfriend won't let him help her shower because she doesn't trust or love him." He's ultimately joking, you can see it in the twinkle in his eyes. You know if you told him that you wanted him to leave, that he was making you uncomfortable, he would. It's what makes the whole thing sweet and endearing because you don't mind him wanting to constantly be under your feet, you actually kind of love it.

"I trust you..." you pause for a second before grinning at him, "I just don't trust you to keep your hands to yourself."

"Baby..." He whines at you, almost throwing a tantrum, bouncing up and down on the balls of his feet. You know this phase will go soon, after a day back he'll still be clingy but not to this extent, so you find it cute and endearing rather than irritating while it lasts.

"Do you promise to help me wash my hair and not make any untoward advances?"

"Yes! Yes, I promise!"

"Okay, you can help me shower you big baby."

And he does help you wash your hair, but maybe his hands do wander a little...because he's Jack and he's missed you.

[cressidagrey]

Schrodinger's... Girlfriend? - Chapter 9: Of Bombshells and Big Disclosures

Pairing: Oscar Piastri x Original Character

Summary:

Oscar Piastri’s love life is the talk of the F1 world—mainly because no one’s ever seen his girlfriend. Does she exist? Or is she just a figment of his imagination? Detective Lando Norris to the rescue!

Warnings: 

I don't think there are any?

“How did you even manage this?” Oscar asked her, as he lead her back to the McLaren Garage. “I thought you were going to write another final next week.”

“So did I,” Vanessa said with a snort. “Until the professor figured out that he got the date wrong on the syllabus…I wrote it on Friday already.”

It had been quite annoying, because orginally...Monday had been supposed to be the date...And that had messed up her study planning... but oh well.

 If she was only going to get a 94 instead of a 99, she was going to survive it. 

“So I thought…hey…I can make it to the race…2 hours later I had a flight booked," she told Oscar with a grin. Like there had been anything that would have stopped her from finally getting to see her boyfriend race from somewhere else other than the comfort of her couch.

Oscar squeezed her hand tightly.  “Thank you for coming,” he told her and she squeezed his hand right back.

“So, show me where the magic happens,” she teased him.

The next ten minutes was an absolute whirlwind of introductions around the McLaren garage, between engineers, strategists and mechanics, before Oscar pulled her into his driver’s room.

She had seen a lot of these throughout the last months, though she had always been on the other end of a facetime call.

Oscar closed the door behind them and grinned as Nessie looked around the room, eyes darting around the place, taking in his suit and helmet on the desk, before her gaze landed back on him and there was a sparkle in her eyes. She stepped closer to him and his arm wrapped around her back, tugging her closer against his chest.

“You have no idea how good it feels to have you here in person,” he murmured, his hands sliding down her sides, pulling her even closer against him.

She hummed softly as her head leaned against his shoulder, her face nuzzling against his neck. “Maybe I have a little bit of an idea,” she murmured against the skin, her lips brushing against his neck. “But it’s definitely much better than watching you through a screen.”

His hands slid beneath her top and onto her bare skin, fingertips drawing lazy circled onto the small of her back. “Much better,” he agreed with a low groan, one hand going up to grab the back of her head and tilt her face upwards for a proper kiss.

Her arms wrapped around his neck, her fingers tangling into the soft curls at the nape of his neck when she stepped as close to him as she could get. She sighed softly against his lips when they parted for a breath before she kissed him again, lips opening eagerly to deepen the kiss.

God, she had missed him.

Her hands slid down his chest, her fingers tracing his muscles through the thin fabric of his polo shirt. There was no doubt in his mind that he had missed her just as badly as she had missed him.

She pulled back, slightly breathless. “So how long until the race?” she asked him.

“Another 2 hours or so,” Oscar answered, chasing her lips for another kiss. “Lando is probably busy taking a nap right about now, otherwise he would have already come out screaming about you being real after all.”

She couldn't help but laugh at that. "He still thinks I am some sort of elaborate joke?” Vanessa asked curiously.

Oscar just sighed. “Who knows what is going on in that head of his,” he said with a long suffering sigh. “But I do know that he will absolutely flip out, when he sees you in person.”

“Can’t wait to see his face," she told him, her mouth already curving up into a smile just picturing the scenario that was about to unfold as soon as Lando found out about the fact that she was actually there in person. 

And Nessie got to see that earlier than they both thought.

A few minutes later, she sat cross legged in the corner of the sofa, while Oscar was shifting through stuff on his desk… And in walked Lando Norris, without even bothering to knock...or glance in her direction. His mind was clearly focused on whatever racing question he had for Oscar. “Osc, I’ve been thinking-”

Vanessa couldn’t help it. She leaned back against the sofa, a mischievous glint in her eyes. “Lando,” she said, her voice cool and calm, “you don’t seriously still believe I’m not real, right?”

Lando froze in place, mid-sentence, eyes wide as he whipped around, scanning the room in disbelief. His mouth opened, but no sound came out. His gaze landed on Vanessa, and it was as if the world stopped.

The high-pitched noise that came out of his mouth was enough to make Oscar nearly drop the stack of paper in hands in shock. Vanessa couldn’t help but burst into a fit of giggles, because that had been exactly the reaction she had hoped for.

“AHHHHHH!” Lando screamed, stumbling backward in shock. “WHAT THE HELL?!”

“Surprise," Vanessa said with a grin, her voice filled with amusement, clearly enjoying the absolute shock on Lando's face.

In one swift movement, Lando collided with a chair, falling backward into it with such force that it tipped over. He scrambled to his feet, half-hysterical, his voice rising in panic. “OH MY GOD, SHE’S REAL! SHE’S REAL!”

Watching Lando flail about like that was enough to send Vanessa into hysterical giggles, and she was pretty sure that the sound of her giggling was only adding to Lando’s already panicked state.

Oscar, on the other hand, had slumped against his desk, his entire body shaking with laughter at the sight of Lando, absolutely losing it over Vanessa’s existence.

“Lando, I told you she exists,” Oscar finally said, his voice dripping with amusement.

Lando practically scrambled towards him, grabbing onto his arm and shaking it as if his life depending on it. “She’s right THERE,” he shrieked, pointing at Vanessa frantically. “SHE IS!”

Vanessa couldn’t help another fit of giggles. “I am, indeed,” she said in a calm voice, still leaning back in the sofa, clearly enjoying herself.

Lando gaped at her, his eyes wide with astonishment, before whipping his head around to fix Oscar with a look that was a mix between shock and disbelief. “Why the hell is she here?”

Oscar couldn’t help but burst out laughing again. “What do you think? To see me.”

Lando spluttered, still clinging onto Oscar’s arm, his mouth working soundlessly. “But she’s— she’s—” he sputtered out, unable to finish a single sentence as his gaze wandered from Oscar to Vanessa and back, his mind clearly at war with what he was seeing.

“A living, breathing human being,” Vanessa filled in, her voice dripping with amusement. “Not a white whale...not a mannequin...not imaginary either."

Lando let out a strangled cry, his grip on Oscar’s arm tightening, as if he was afraid she was going to vanish into thin air any second now. "You’ve been dating her...this whole time...and she is just…here?” he managed to sputter out.

Oscar snorted, clearly enjoying Lando’s reaction a bit too much. “See? I told you I wasn’t messing with you. You really should’ve believed in the ‘white whale,’ mate.”

Lando, now starting to laugh at himself as the tension eased, shook his head in disbelief. “I’ve never been more embarrassed in my entire life. I screamed when I saw you. I thought I was going to pass out.”

Vanessa chuckled, crossing her arms as she shook her head. “You’re not the first person to be a little shocked by me.”

“Oh, I’m sure,” Lando replied, finally getting to his feet, his face flushed from the whole ordeal. “I’m just... still processing it.”

Oscar clapped him on the shoulder, his grin widening. “No worries, mate. Just be glad you didn’t faint or something. That would’ve been a bit more embarrassing.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Lando muttered, rolling his eyes but still laughing. “I’ll never hear the end of this, will I?”

“You’re going to hear it forever,” Oscar said with a grin.

“Oh, absolutely,” Vanessa joined in, her eyes sparkling with amusement. “This is prime material for future jokes and jabs."

Lando groaned dramatically, burying his face in his hands. “You two are going to be the death of me, you know that, right?”

"Oh, come on, Lando," Oscar said, his tone almost mockingly cheerful. "We're just keeping you on your toes. It's all in good fun, mate."

"It's very nice to meet you though," Vanessa said brightly. "I have heard a lot about you, Lando."

Lando's expression turned from one of mock despair to a genuine smile at her words. "Yeah, likewise," he replied, his voice still tinged with a hint of sheepishness. "Sorry about, you know, the whole..." he trailed off, waving.

"Making the whole internet think I didn't exist or that I was Nessie, the Loch Ness Monster?" she asked drily. "Don't worry, I found it quite amusing."

Lando winced with an embarrassed grin, his cheeks flushing once more. "Yeah, that," he admitted sheepishly. "It was all a bit ridiculous."

She shrugged, a bemused smile playing at the edges of her lips. “I’ll admit, it was rather funny seeing everyone online debating my existence."

[scorpio1205]

Matt talking about Bambi Compilation

Summary: A tiktok compilation of Matt finding ways to talk about or bring up Bambi

Warnings: swearing, talks of fluff, Matt being a simp, Matt being in love and cute Bambi and Matt stories

Bambi sighed opening her eyes, she had been laying in bed, her back pressed into Matt's chest for about an hour with no luck falling asleep, no matter how hard she tried she ended up just staring at the wall. After a minute she leaned over to the bedside table grabbing her phone and opening tik tok, making sure that the brightness and sound of her phone didn't wake Matt up.

She scrolled aimlessly barely paying attention to the videos when she scrolled past a video that she had assumed was a Matt edit only to see her name as she scrolled down, she quickly scrolled back up pausing and reading the title.

'Matthew Sturniolo Finding Any Excuse to Bring Up Bambi Compilation'

A small smile formed on her face, she didn't think Matt brought her up that much but apparently the fans thought otherwise. She looked over at Matt for a second before looking at the screen unpausing and getting comfortable.

Clip 1. from THEY'RE A 10 BUT... they aren’t your valentine

Matt sat in the drivers seat looking at his phone clearly not really paying attention that much

"They're a ten but every time you ask them a question they say 'huh' but when you go to repeat yourself they finish the question then answer it."

Chris snickered slightly "That shits so ann-"

"That's not that bad" Matt immediately cut him off finally looking up from his phone a little defensive.

"Kid what are you talking about that shit is really fucking annoying"

Matt glared at his brother "It isn't that annoying. I say 10"

Before Chris could respond Nick started to laugh "I know that look"

"What loo-"

Nick and Chris both cut him off in unison "The 'I'm about to bring up Bambi look'"

Matt smiled sheepishly looking away for a moment before looking back at his brothers "Okay but she can't help it. She isn't saying what cause she can't hear you, it just takes her a second to register what you're saying."

His brothers sighed leaning back, they knew Matt was about to go on a rant about Bambi

"She's literally perfect. Her doing that doesn't change the fact that she's a 10, scratch that shes a 100. You two are just-"

"We get it Matt, Bam is a goddess"

"And don't you forget it."

Clip 2. From Ghost Hunting at Haunted Driskill Hotel (ft. Sturniolo Triplets)

The triplets stood near Sam and Colby, Chris and Nick explaining that they had spent the last month studying their videos to prepare for this Collab.

The boys all turned to Matt for his answer.

He grinned like a kid on Christmas. "My girlfriend, Bambi, has been watching your guys videos for a few years"

Nick and Chris groaned knowing Matt was waiting for an opportunity to bring up Bambi.

"So I feel like out of Nick, Chris and I, I might be the most prepared for this."

"Just wait, this won't be the first time he brings up Bambi this video"

Clip 3. From 20 year olds playing with kids toys.

Matt held Snowy the lambs leash looking at Nick and Chris. "Pretend Bambi and I have a kid right-"

"Does Bambi know about this?!?"

"Shut up Chris." He motioned back to Snowy. "And this is our baby, and we're introducing them to you for the first time, You guys are uncles for the first time and it's Snowy!"

Nick made a face "This is getting a little to realistic to me, but continue"

"This is all normal okay."

Chris looked weirded out and a bit jealous. "Is this a disclaimer or something?"

"Shhhhh,"

Clip 4. From RATING A DOZEN CRAZY DONUTS 1-12 (Special appearance from Bambi) *May make a blurb on this*

Chris was annoying the shit out of Matt with his constant badgering about the donuts ratings.

"You know what we need, an unbiased opinion. Someone who's likes donuts but it really picky....."

Chris looked up confused not fully registering what he was saying, but Nick knew what he was saying "I couldn't agree more"

Chris realized what they were implying and smiled having a feeling that he was gonna win in this case. "Fine"

"Should I get her?" Matt waited for them to both nod to stand up "Baby, can you come here for a second!"

After a second Bambi walked into frame in a pair of grey sweats and a blue tub top "What's going on?" She noticed the camera and smiled waving slightly.

"We need your help" They spoke in unison.

Clip 5. Waffles, Pancakes, or French Toast (Ft. Bambi)

"Matt, you are such a fucking baby and I hate it! Cause I know what you're gonna say. You like chocolate chip cookies as if you're not about to be fucking 19 years old"

Nick made a face "Chocolate chip pancakes?"

"Yeah chocolate chip pancakes" Chris corrected rolling his eyes.

"Good, I was about to say what do cookies have to do with this"

Chris ignored him continuing continuing his rant, his annoyance clear.

"Matt have you ever gone to Denny's and gotten the french toast slam?"

"No but i've gotten chocolate chip pancakes from there"

"And they were fucking gross I bet"

Matt rolled his eyes turning away and opening his phone "You're fucking gross" he shut out what his brothers were speaking about texting someone, after a moment he looked up. "You know who I bet agrees with me?

"Who Matt?"

Matt smiled "Bambi"

A loud scoff left Chris' mouth "There is no way Bam-Bam agrees with you"

"Wanna bet" Matt laughed pressing the call button.

"Dude, she's probably sleeping hang up"

"She's not sleeping, we were just texting-"

Suddenly the phone stopped ringing "Hey"

Matt smiled hearing her voice "Hey Bam. We have a question for you"

"What's the question?"

"If you had to get rid of pancakes, waffles or french toast. What would you get rid of?"

They all waited patiently for her to answer.

"Do you want me to answer honestly?"

Both Chris and Matt answered immediately "Yes"

"Honestly, I'd get rid of waffles or french toast" She laughed.

"YES!"

"WHAT?! Bambi, how could you get rid of waffles or french toast?" Chris was absolutely flabbergasted.

"I'm not the biggest breakfast person. When I go to diners I normally get a bacon cheese burger and fries. But I do really like pancakes just not from a diner. I'd rather make them at home"

Chris looked appalled "So you'd get rid of waffles or french toast"

"Yeah, but I think I'd get rid of french toast if I absolutely had to choose"

"WHAT?!?!"

Matt looked like he was on cloud 9 "Bam, have I ever told you how much I freaking love you?"

"Not nearly as much as you should"

"Well I'll start telling you more. Thank you for answering"

"No problem, I'll see you guys tomorrow" With that she hung up.

Bambi was a giggling mess when the tik tok ended, she suddenly felt Matt's grip on her tightening.

"Maybe Nick and Chris are right....I do talk about you a lot." Matt mumbled groggily.

She turned over putting her phone down, her nose immediately brushing his. "It's okay.... I like it, makes me feel loved"

"Good, that's all I want" He leaned in tiredly kissing her.

Comments

User432: The fact that you can see how in love with her he is just by the way he lights up when he says or hears her name! STAWP!

User000: I didn't realize how much I needed this

User420; Need someone to love me like that

boarders made by @bernardsbendystraws

Tagged:

@sturnmeovr @big-poppa23 @colorthecosmos444

[corseque]

I honestly just wanted one single plot step that I could not predict given the 10 year wait. More behind the cut, I talk about Emet too, and I'm comparing his writing favorably to Solas' writing and why it worked better for me personally, but I am just talking about the writing skill that went into the games and not the dudes themselves, I love them both dearly of course. idk this is a mess and I am not going to edit it for clarity

For me, the game was a series of me saying

"ok I knew that. cool."

"oh yeah, I knew that. I guess it's good that the larger fandom knows about that now."

"nice, but yeah I already knew that too"

"that was something we've been talking about a lot for years"

"this thing they are acting like is a huge enormous reveal that the characters could not possibly have deduced through simply thinking about it in depth over the 10 years... the fans easily figured out by thinking about it in depth 10 years ago. So you would think his girlfriend would be able to figure it out more easily than we did. Like, why couldn't the game have been like 'oh lavellan already figured that out a while ago' it would have cost them nothing"

"this is something I've been thinking about for years, and now that it's being revealed, the companions' reactions to it are very irritating and jarring and unnecessary and I really dislike the experience I'm having right now, in this, the hour of my greatest triumph"

"this thing that is happening on my screen right now is something that I wrote an essay about 2 years ago describing how it would be a letdown if it happened without the correct setup"

"this way that they're characterizing Solas makes him less likable and less interesting than I have been finding him for all these years, and I have had people tell me 'no, he's simpler than you think' for years but I guess I was wrong, he really is simpler than I thought, so that fucking sucks. I wish I could take that information out of my brain."

"this thing is a retcon of information I have been thinking about for 10 years, and so I don't know how to follow along with this new direction, and I'm not sure if I even want to because it's not particularly interesting anyway"

"aw that was sweet"

"why is it like, so very impossible to have an honest back-and-forth with my favorite character about the dilemma that was most interesting to me about the previous game"

and then, as soon as, like, the other fans had caught up to the Solas lore that was really obvious from the other games, the game was.... over without anything surprising happening, or introducing a new element or plot point or perspective, or a real true twist (or two, or three) for those of us who have thought about it too hard for too long. It was very simple and easy, much, much, much, much easier than I was imagining. It all felt sort of like that Nicholson quote:

The thing was, the whole story was so interesting to think about because in 10 years, I couldn't figure out a good solution to it!!!!! It's why I was never able to write post-game fanfic about it. So I was stoked to find out some reveal we never knew about, some new information, in maybe a SERIES of steps of new information, that made the situation more complicated but also something that could be navigated by everyone involved. I know it was asking for a lot, but they had TEN YEARS, and they seemingly had set up the things they did in DAI on purpose, so surely they had some idea of a complex and satisfying narrative that would reconcile everyone.

The reason why I was expecting this is because FFXIV did a very similar story arc, which was started AND concluded WITHIN those 10 years (so it took the FFXIV team far less time to deliver as well). And the conclusion to the story in FFXIV did what I was expecting Dragon Age to do. So I thought, "holy shit, if this is the FFXIV version of this plot, how much more complicated is DA4 going to be!?!?" The DA devs also PLAYED FFXIV so they were completely aware, several years ago, of a satisfying story ending that was pretty darn similar.

People are probably going to think "oh, well Chelsea was disappointed because she spent too much time building it up in her head" but that's exactly it - I actually speculated and thought about FFXIV's story IN DEPTH NONSTOP for a year+ before its ending came out, and the ending absolutely blew me away. FFXIV Endwalker managed to introduce information and new story elements that I was not able to figure out in the YEAR I spent speculating on the ending of FFXIV's story. It took a complicated situation and revealed several several more facets to it that I was not able to predict, but were very interesting and thematically compelling, and took us all to surprising and climactic places that we could not have predicted.

Endwalker ("end" is in the title on purpose) too, was written to be THE ULTIMATE SATISFYING ENDING for a very long-running story in the exactly way that Veilguard SHOULD HAVE for Dragon Age, so while this complexity is being explored, FFXIV also gave catharsis to many different plot threads that have been built up through the previous expansions, until finally it ends with a bang. The story is desperately good to me, I loved it, it gave me closure for Dragon Age long before Veilguard was even revealed, and going back and looking at its story has made this whole thing far less painful for me.

So, I actually did not have a picture in my mind for how things SHOULD go. I just had the thought "I hope it's complicated and there are points of view or facts that we haven't before been exposed to, and the situation is resolved respectfully for Solas, not making him look like a fucking idiot (lol, the only thing I asked for). I don't even care what happens to Solas and Lavellan, I just need the story to be complicated and interesting to think about. Please, god, don't let it be "solas is wrong and he just needs to be convinced" because that's like the simplest story you could tell with this setup"

(btw they managed to tell Emet-Selch's story without making him seem like he's being an idiot on purpose or can never get anything right, and in fact the more the story goes on, the more you think of him as smart and capable and cool, so it is possible to write.... I wasn't asking for the entire moon)

And I played it and... yeah. Most of the story beats were more simple than I wanted them to be, a lot of them didn't make sense in my heart given the writing from Inquisition. (This is another essay, but if Solas' thematic story arc was always about him needing to let go of regrets, why was his personal quest the way it was? After that quest, doesn't he end up regretting not doing more....? Why did he never really talk about regret during Inquisition? If he was so trapped by regret, why was he able to do so many actions? It doesn't mesh well to me. The whole regret thing was very quarter-baked to me, I don't even like thinking about it.) His story never seemed like one that was as simple as being about one man's regrets, but then, I guess, it was always just about one man's regrets.

Emet-Selch's personal storyline (and the way it interacts with and affects the larger story) is very similar but much more cohesive and satisfying to me. It would be difficult to explain why without the aforementioned 5-hour essay. Emet-Selch's story IS about grief and anguish on a world-shaping scale in a similar way that Solas' was apparently always about letting go of regret, but Emet's story was also very pointedly and beautifully about that one theme for the entirety of his story from every tiny detail, from beginning to end - meanwhile, it seemed to me that they tried to introduce 'regret' as the main thrust of Solas' story only in the short story with the Regret demon onward.

From Inquisition just by itself, the closest I personally could get to a story theme for Solas was his inability to trust others hurting him and the world, but his trusting others in DA4 wasn't really addressed to my satisfaction. He is never required to trust anyone before the ending, he never opens up or makes himself vulnerable at all. People find out information about him, he never really dynamically opens himself. So the personal story I thought he had was never addressed at all, while a new one about regret was introduced that never made a ton of sense to me. And I don't think this is just because of my expectations - my reaction to FFXIV proves that I am able to meet good writing where it goes in surprising directions, as long as it's interesting and thoughtful and clear.

And I think this might be part of what people felt was off about the ending - Solas is sort of uninvolved in the revelations that are about him, and doesn't do much to be part of his own ending. Part of what I loved about Solas in Inquisition is that he is not controlled by you in any way, and so he feels like his own person with a very strong sense of character.

Anyway, Emet-Selch, in a very comparable and arguably more extreme plot position, is very involved in the revelations about himself, he always feels like a very strong character who cannot be affected by the player, and the whole situation is handled with deft emotion and care and delicacy. The story is comparatively very uninterested in litigating Emet-Selch or putting him on trial - the story allows you to simply feel the way that you feel in an organic way, and Emet's story spends that energy instead actually exploring his thematic material about grief and legacy, and the larger story theme of existentialism instead, in a way that is very refreshing and interesting. I've seen a lot of western stories tie themselves in knots over "redemption" and frankly it's almost never been interesting at all. Who cares about any of that. lol

(Now, I guess this is a matter of preference, because some people really like being able to shape a character's story, but idk I rewatched the ending of FFXIV and even though there wasn't a choice with Emet, because it isn't a branching story, his story felt more satisfying to me, maybe because there isn't a patronizing choice to be made for him. He is who he is, and he fulfills a very beautiful narrative role and purpose that no other character could in the story.)

I don't know how this could have been improved to me and still allowed players to choose Solas' ending for him, but I can actually think of a few different methods, none of which involve Rook condescendingly and patronizingly lecturing Solas as if Solas had never thought about a single aspect of this horrible situation he's in before that very moment that Rook lectures him lmfao.

All this to say... idk I'm writing this and I am not going back to edit it so it's stream-of-consciousness. But yeah

I just wanted the story to be complicated on a few more levels than I could have predicted. I genuinely don't care what happened, but I thought of a few twists like the Veil coming down and yeah, I was expecting A Single Twist or reveal to happen. In a Dragon Age game.

I wanted Solas to seem cool and capable and noble and smart, and actually feel like he was as old and experienced as he is.

I wanted a clear theme I could sink my teeth into

Like notice I didn't even say anything about Solavellan. Like I never in 100 years thought they were getting a happy ending where they were both alive in bodies, and I like that we got that, but I would honestly trade it for a more complicated story. To me, if a story is sad you can always write fanfic, but if a story isn't COMPLICATED, that's a much more urgent issue.

These 3 things DA4 didn't give me in a way that satisfied me but FFXIV did. anyway idk the way my hyperfixations work, I completely switch to a new subject so talking about Dragon Age is actually hard for me right now.

[blueishspace]

Hero, Villain God p57

(Prev) (Next) (First)

*Scar's pov*

Guess getting in contact with Altostratus might end up being the hardest part of the whole process. The association gave you a direct comm machine to keep in contact with the other heroes a while ago but you have never... actually used it?

It's not your fault! You never actually had to use it before! You always managed everything yourself! Or well...with Cub's help. Plus the association said to only use it when you really needed it so you always... found reasons not to waste it just in case.

...

Hmm...Your room is a mess even on good days and right now It's at least ten times worse then usual, you aren't going to ever find it are you? Not fast enough at least. Which leaves contacting the association directly as the only option, you really didn't want to do this because you know they'll ask questions and make you promise to pay them back somehow but if It's the only way you'll-

"Found it" You turn towards Cub who is holding the little communicator thingy right in his hands.

"Where did you-"

"It was in the closet, why would you even put it there? That's where one puts clothes usually."

"I... Have no idea Cub... Wait! You have no room to talk mr I have weird glowing chemical liquids in my drawer!"

He just snorts and waves his hand in the air dismissively. "Well, here you go."

You grab the little radio and nod, Cub leaves the room and you begin the call....Well, this is strangely nervewrecking, you feel like a nervous teen ordering pizza for the first time... you don't even know if he's occupied with hero work right now, maybe this is a mistake- oh he's answered!

<Hello? Hotguy? Why are you calling me?>

"Do you have a car?"

<. . . What?>

Oh yeah, probably should have uh said hi first huh. You might have gotten a bit excited. "Sorry, sorry...hi Stratus!"

<Uhh Hi Hotguy why are you calling? What do you want?>

"Do you have a car?"

<No, I heard you the first time, WHY are you asking me that?>

"Cuteguy is awake!" Wait...was he even told about that? He must have! Definitely!

<... Huh... I still don't see how me having a car relates to this?>

"I uh... Thought it would be easier to get to the clinic by car I'm not allowed to go out as Hotguy right now and the association would kill me if I used my powers to run tgere in civilian clothes...soooo I would have to walk there...under the rain"

<... Are you ser-wait one second>

You hear a noise in the background, it sounds like a somewhat familiar feminine voice? ... Wait, is that Ocean Queen? Why is she with Altostratus?

"Ocean Queen!"

<Wha- you can hear her through this? How powerful is this thing?>

He sounds upset, weird.

"I didn't know you two were working together on a case!"

<... Yes... Working together on a case, definitely what's happening... So uh, anyway, when did you need me to come by?>

"Uh...as soon as you can? Wait! Could you get Ocean Queen to come with? I'm sure Gr- Cuteguy would love to meet her"

There are a few moments of silence on the other end before you hear a stifled giggle come trough.

<You know, I think I'll be able to convince her...just give me like twenty minutes to get dressed.>

And the comm turns off, he must have cut off the call ...wait, why would he have to get dressed if he's working on a case with Ocean Queen? Wait... Are they doing undercover work? Come on! You always wanted to do that and the hero association always said no! That's not fair.

[petals2fish]

Six Shots of Tequila

Summary: "She's your EMT and I keep telling her that she's pretty when she's concerned because I nearly DIED after jumping off a roof AU" and a dash of "I knocked her up and now we raise a kid together, but I really do love her." Also known as, the writer has certain tropes she will die for. (READ ON A03)

"Sirius hit me with a nunchuck."

He was such a fucking liar but she loved him either way.

"You jumped out the window onto the trampoline, Sirius told me."

He was blinking interestedly at her through his glasses; probably waiting for her to say something other than the few profanities that she'd said while loading him into the truck. The thick black frames he wore were lopsided and partially covered in some of the blood that had dripped from the wound on his forehead. The EMS they were on bound for the Hospital bounced down the small English road. The truck sirens wailed overhead to warn passing vehicles to move to the side of the road. Up front, Lily's partner Frank was updating the hospital on their arrival time.

"Are you mad?"

Lily was taking her patients blood pressure (it was elevated, go figure) and the man was looking at her like she was either his worst nightmare or best daydream. It was hard to tell what he was feeling since she was feeling so many emotions that night it was hard for her to process his too.

"Have you been drinking tonight?" Lily asked the man, James Potter, as she removed the cuff from his arm after deeming him alive (enough).

Lily knew the answer of course; she'd seen the shot glasses on the table in the living room. She could smell the drink on his breath. She hadn't seen him this plastered in years, not since the night they'd met. James snickered when she stuck his arm for fluids and she longed for the moment when he was back to his righteous self and she could take the mickey out on him.

"Might've had a few shots of tequila." He slurred, "Sirius brought us the good stuff from Nevada."

"How many constitutes a few?"

"Six."

"Holy hell James." Lily looked back up at his face, frowning, "Six shots of tequila?"

"I beat him." James said proudly with a beaming smile, "I beat Sirius."

"I dunno if you should brag." Lily replied steadily as she started reaching for sterile gauze to clean up his forehead, "you definitely have a concussion."

"Lily." He said earnestly as she counted to ten and placed the gauze in cleaning solution before wiping up the blood from his face, "They told me I'd gone soft being a dad." he looked mortified, "Soft."

"You're an idiot." Lily muttered, albeit worriedly as she assessed the growing bloody lump on his forehead, "You know Sirius was just goading you like he always does."

"Remus said so too." James complained.

"Remus does not think you've gone soft." Lily surmised, "I spoke to him on the phone last week James and he only complimented the birthday party you threw for Harry."

"He made fun of me because I fold the laundry."

"He did not once mention your exceptional laundry folding skills."

"I have gone soft." James moaned, trying to scratch his forehead but Lily swatted his hand away, "I used to be so cool and go out all the time."

"So sorry your condom broke and left you with more responsibility than a quick shag." Lily said flatly, watching the fluid channel into his veins.

James giggled, "You're so pretty when you're mad."

"Don't try to sweet talk me Potter," Lily warned as she tended to his IV, "You could've died."

"I was fine." James illuminated, "I've gotten way worse bumps in football."

If James had anything else left to say he couldn't, because he pressed one finger to the bump on his head in order to prove his strength to her, and he passed out.

"Fuck," Lily cursed, looking up at the clock to her left, they had two minutes to get to the hospital.

Lily grabbed the side window that was closed to the drivers seat and yanked it open. Frank was listening to his favorite folk music. Lily rolled her eyes and shouted over the music.

"He's finally passed out."

"We're almost there. I phoned ahead and asked for Marlene."

Lily thought that her partner had never sounded like a saint before now. Marlene was Lily's best mate and the best doctor at the hospital. If she wanted anyone checking out James' head it was Dr. Marlene McKinnon. Lily wondered if she should've asked Marlene to check out James' head the moment she met James three years ago, instead of after he'd suffered a concussion.

Inside of Lily's scrubs, her phone was buzzing every minute, probably texts from the person who got James into such a state. Lily checked James' pulse once more before grabbing her phone and seeing her screen light up with texts from Sirius Black.

Sirius Black: Harry's still fast asleep I checked

Sirius Black: if James tells you that I dared him to jump out the window onto the trampoline he's a fucking liar I swear

Sirius Black: I did tell him however, that he's turned into lightweight and a prissy baby

Sirius Black: and I got you that dress you were admiring at that boutique on Madison 

Lily could've killed Sirius Black but Harry wouldn't thank her if she ended up in jail and left James to raise him without her. That would be a fucking disaster. Lily sighed for the umpteenth time that night and pressed her fingers to her temples before writing Sirius back, her fingers pressing into the phone violently.

Lily Evans: He's got a concussion but he'll be fine. I'll call you once I'm done my shift. You're on baby-sitting duty until James and I get back. Don't fuck up. 

When Lily had gotten the call at work she'd actually been having a good night shift. Alex Margret had brought in her famous chocolate chip cookies, the nurses were celebrating Dr. Snape being fired for sexual harassment with party favors, and one of the TVs was actually programmed to a good channel. The call for an EMS to number 14 Godric Hall Road went over the speaker and Frank jumped into action as Lily sat, petrified with half a cookie in her mouth. She'd immediately called the house, worried that her two-year-old son Harry was injured by way of a fowl ball or something of equal value. No one answered and she jumped up from her chair, feeling like she was in a very bad dream, one that she wanted to wake up from immediately.

The ride to her small cottage at the end of town was the longest drive of her life and she cursed every car that made the drive longer because they didn't pull over for the sirens. The EMS driver, Longbottom, told her he was going to tranquilize her if she didn't stop wringing her hands. Lily was thankful he drove, as she could barely see through the haze of worry clouding her eyes.

When they'd pulled up to the small flat everything appeared normal. The windows were open to the spring breeze and Lily couldn't hear baby cries from the inside when she stepped out of the van. There were no cops running around with hazard tape. There were no bullet holes in her windows. The old cat was lazing in a flowerpot by the front door. Lily peeked next door and noted that even old Bathilda's house appeared standard with the flower print curtains drawn tight.

It was Sirius coming out the front door when she walked up with her partner that caught her off guard. First of all because Harry's godfather had been in the United States modeling for Calvin Kline last she'd heard from James, second of all because the look on Sirius' face could only be described as guilty. Knowing Sirius was the most reckless of all of James' mates, Lily immediately became defensive of everything happening.

"Lily listen I just want to say—"

Sirius tried talking but Lily pushed past the underwear model into her house irately.

"If Harry even has a scratch on his head I'm going to— James?!"

Lily's attempt to threaten Sirius Black within an inch of his life fell as fast as her heart fell to her stomach. The first thing Lily saw was her son's father lying on their sofa with scarlet blood transfiguring his facial features. His messy black hair was swept to one side of his pallid face. His white shirt was stained red near the left shoulder and discovered on the stomach. The entire room had a pungent stench and Lily saw vomit on her floor. For a minute she didn't see James' chest rising and falling and Lily felt like she was going to vomit.

Lily's short breaths were shallow as she raced forwards faster than she'd moved in her entire life—and it still didn't seem fast enough. Her hands fell against his chest and she was thankful to feel he was warm and had a heartbeat.

"James, what happened?"

Lily didn't care if she sounded concerned, because she had been. This was Harry's father and her best friend and no matter the issues between them, she didn't know what she would have done if her hands found but a corpse. The table beside James was covered in used shot glasses. The TV was loud and playing a sports channel. He opened one hazel eye when he felt her hands press against his chest.

"He kind of broke the trampoline." Sirius said when James didn't answer at first, "when he jumped out the window."

"What the fuck?!" 

"Lily, you're home." His words slurred and his eyes were bloodshot.

"Yeah and you're piss drunk." Lily said, pulling her hands away from him and turning her head to glare at Sirius, "what the fuck, Sirius! Around the baby?!"

"You're so pretty Lily." James' fingers reached up to tickle her cheek.

Lily's heart had halted to a stop at those words and his sensitive touch. It seemed drunk and broken James was more than willing to share his feelings with Lily than sober and mature James.

"Where's Harry?" she asked about their son, the one thing that had kept James in her life for so long.

"He's upstairs," Sirius said from behind, "sleeping."

"He'd better still be sleeping," Lily hissed venomously to Sirius as Frank entered the house with a first aid kit, "or you'll be needing the Emergency Room next."

"Missed you too, Evans."

Lily could've punched Sirius when she was at home and while pulling up to the hospital fifteen minutes later, she still wanted to punch him.

It startled Lily how much she cared for James. It was strange but the man who'd knocked her up three years ago ended up being the best thing to happen to her life. Lily would never admit that to James' face, especially not with their current predicament. The worry that struck Lily's heart when she'd seen James lying motionless on the couch was something she never wanted to experience again.

Lily and Frank Longbottom unloaded James in the portable stretcher and brought him through the doors into the relatively quiet Emergency Room. Most of the beds were empty and Marlene was waiting with her arms crossed, blue eyes sparkling with hilarity at Lily's exasperated look.

"What happened?" Marley asked Lily as they wheeled James into the closest room for surveillance.

Lily locked the bed in place as she answered while Frank drew curtains around James' bed, "something along the lines of jumping out a window onto a trampoline, which Sirius says is not his fault."

Marlene laughed, "Bullshit, Sirius totally dared him."

Marlene was checking James' vitals and Lily watched on with impatient eyes. Frank waved before disappearing through the curtain to give the girls privacy to talk about the man in the bed. Everyone at the hospital knew Lily's history with James since the hospital was where they'd first met. James had come wandering in with a broken nose from football and got lost looking for the loo—thereby stumbling upon medical intern Lily Evans. Lily had let herself be wooed by charismatic James in less than fifteen minutes. By the time James checked out he had Lily's number and Lily had the address to his flat downtown.

Sirius had apparently dared James back then too; a dare to shag the pretty medical intern who showed James where the loo was after teasing James about a broken nose. James told Lily so when she'd arrived at his flat that night, flabbergasted that she'd actually shown up. Lily told him honestly that she was looking for a fun one-night stand to get her mind of the stress of work. The result of Lily's spontaneous promiscuity with James nine months later was their son, Harry.

"Who's with Harry?"

"The godfather in question."

"James certainly had good taste in friends."

"Sirius means well most of the time." Lily sighed; thinking of how good Sirius was with Harry.

"You're only defending him because he's James' best mate." Marlene sniffed.

Lily got a washcloth from the sink and wet it a bit in the sink before going to James' wide to wipe down his forehead. Sleeping, he always looked so peaceful. Lily smiled sympathetically as she examined the way his jaw clenched in his sleep, like it did when he was thinking about something very hard. Marlene saw the way Lily was cleaning up James' forehead and snorted logically.

"What?" Lily asked.

"When was the last time the two of you had sex?" Marlene commented.

"Yeah, because that worked out so well the first time we did it." Lily said with a smirk in Marlene's direction, "we're just friends."

"You have a baby together," Marlene said with a roll of her eyes, "and share a flat."

"That's for Harry." Lily said softly, repeating to Marlene what she'd been telling herself for the past three years.

Marlene pulled her stethoscope off her neck and placed it on the closest counter as she said, "You know, or it could be because he has feelings for you, you oblivious dork."

Lily frowned, "we had a one night stand." Lily said, "He's a bloody footballer. He doesn't want to be tied down."

"If he didn't want to be tied down Lily, he would've ran the moment you told him you were pregnant."

"He's not like that." Lily said, brushing James' hair from his eyes and removing his glasses, "He's a good man and wants to raise his son…he just also wants to have the freedom to continue partying with his model best friend."

Marlene started a new IV for James, eager to get some fluids in to wash out the alcohol before they gave him pain meds for the concussion. Lily stared at James' face all the while, wondering how she had come to care for him so much in the last three years.

"Sometimes I wonder," Lily confessed, "If we would've seen each other again if I hadn't gotten pregnant."

"You weren't the only playing the flirt game," Marlene said, "It takes two to tango, and James was definitely into you."

"Yeah," Lily snorted, "that was before the condom broke and we ended up parents in the middle of his budding career and my sign on to the medical field."

Marlene placed a hand on Lily's shoulder and Lily looked at her friend, "it was a rough start for you and Potter, we all know that, but the two of you are in a good place now, right? Maybe it's time to start trying out being something other than friends with a baby."

"I guess." Lily muttered, grabbing James' hand and clasping it in her own.

Lily glanced down at James' bed, remembering that time, three years ago. She'd fallen for his stupid half smiles and adorable charm so hard. He'd literally knocked her off her feet when he'd ran into her while searching for the loo. He grabbed her before she slipped to the floor, his strong arms wrapped around her waist. He'd been wearing his football uniform and Lily had always had a thing for men in uniforms.

The rest was history.

A quick fling with a charming stranger turned into a nine-month commitment that turned into a surprisingly rewarding friendship.

Sometimes they were complete opposites.

For example, the minute James had found out she might be pregnant he started fretting over what they should name the damn fetus where as Lily had spent all night crying into her pillow thinking her career was over.

Sometimes they were similar.

For example, Lily wanted to give Harry the best of everything in life and James didn't disagree with her. He'd been the one to suggest moving in together so that Harry would have a stable home life even if they weren't in a relationship (or even friends really).

It was hard at first, because James was used to living the life of a bachelor: parties every night and escapades every day. He's made the mistake of bringing home outlandish women he'd met at Sirius' events. She'd made the mistake of playing her music loudly early in the morning after he'd returned from a tourney in Spain at 2am. He left dirty dishes in the sink. All her makeup was scattered over their shared loo. He never disciplined Harry and she was the bad cop in discipline.

They'd both made mistakes but they worked hard to make their missteps better, for Harry's sake. Eventually Lily began to do his dishes while singing to her favorite radio station when he returned from practice. James was really good with numbers and fixed her finances so that she could buy a new car with a dvd player for Harry. James found out Lily craved jelly donuts while she was pregnant and always had a dozen ready for her on her Mondays. Lily heard James had made a will and bequeathed everything he owned to Harry and Lily. James made Lily promise to save her Sunday nights for Netflix binging with him.

James turned into her best friend and was an incredible father to their son Harry.

That's probably why seeing James immobile on their sofa prompted Lily to recall that the last three years had made her become accustomed to James' presence in her life. She'd grown fond of his fascination with folding his socks. She'd laughed for days when she found out he sang in the shower. She appreciated when he began spending fewer nights on Sirius' private jet and more nights curled up with Harry by the fireplace.

"Concussion," Marlene's voice dragged Lily from her unsettled inner-monologue, "James'll definitely be out of work for a few weeks."

"Damn." Lily said crossly, "He's going to hate that."

James lived for his field time, even in the off-season. Lily had never seen James miss practice for anything except the birth of his son and a wicked pneumonia that caught him last fall. Lily had wanted to kill James when he'd lounged about the house with pneumonia. He was a moody sick baby and there was no doubt that bedridden James was going to be an absolute jewel to be around. Lily also knew the team manager McGonagall was going to come over to their house personally and tell James what an absolute idiot he was.

Personally, Lily couldn't wait for that.

"McGonagall's gonna kill him." Lily told Marlene, "their first match is in a month and he's got to practice."

"He might not be able to play the first game. He can't do any physical activity for at least three weeks." Marlene warned, "I'll order an MRI and we'll get a good look inside that brain of his to make sure there's no internal bleeding."

Lily's face paled, "I hadn't even considered..."

Marlene shook her head quickly, "Oh honey," Marlene hugged Lily swiftly and said into her ear, "He looks fine, really, I just want to be sure. McGonagall would murder me if her prize Captain retuned and passed out on the field."

Lily stared down at James over Marlene's curly hair and swallowed thickly.

"How could he do this to me?" she lamented, "Harry needs him."

Lily needed him.  

Marlene offered, "James will probably wake up soon."

"I'll wait for him to wake up." Lily said, "As long as you don't mind."

"Of course not," Marlene said, "He'll have a lot to think about…like thinking it was wise to jump out a window."

Lily laughed softly, wiping a tear from her eye when Marlene let go, "I can't believe I had a kid with him."

"I can." Marlene smirked before winking at Lily, "You did jump his bones the minute you met him."

"He was charming! He had a uniform!" Lily defended herself, "I'd like to see you pass the opportunity up when a fit footballer shows even the slightest interest!"

"Easily passable." Marlene said as she opened one of the curtains to go check another patient and order James' MRI, "considering boys don't do much for me to start with."

"There are girl ballers!" Lily shouted after Marlene who just laughed at her.

Lily grinned sheepishly before glancing back down at James.

How was she going to handle this?  

Lily knew how bothered she was that James had drunk himself piss poor around their kid. Lily also knew she was mad that she hadn't seen him so close to a breaking edge. James had been antsy for weeks now, snapping at her and staring at her and she'd ignored it. It was clear he'd had energy he'd needed released, it was clear he was regretting everything they'd built. The life James had imagined himself didn't include a baby mama and son he couldn't tote around the world with him when he went traveling for games.

Lily knew she could shout at James until his ears bled but she also thought that was a waste of time. James didn't listen to anything much if she argued with him; she'd learned that early on in their relationship. Lily chewed on her bottom lip and stared at him in worry as she watched him snooze.

She wanted James to be happy and she knew that he wanted the same for her.

"What am I going to do with you?" she thought aloud to herself.

His eyes opened and suddenly her word stopped spiraling.

It was his eyes that had done her in when she'd met him and it was his eyes that still left her heart still three years later. Eyes that were so light around the edges and so shadowy near the irises that they seemed to be constantly shifting between mischief and delight. She remembered the way his eyes traced her body so adoringly the night their lives had changed. She remembered admiring those eyes under the yellow lights of his flat downtown and wondering how anyone could be more persuasive with one sneaky glance over a dinner table.

Lily adored seeing his eyes scan her face every morning over a pot of coffee and she looked forward to watching his eyes sparkle with laughter every night before bed when Harry had finally fallen asleep to Lily's singing.

She wouldn't be able to take it if she never saw James' eyes staring at her the way they stared at her when he woke up from his feinting spell.

"What happened?" he muttered, pressing a hand to his brow where Marlene had taped gauze to the lesion.

"You jumped out a window onto a trampoline." Lily's voice was monotonous, her brain still firing a mile a minute.

James choked back a laugh, "that sounds like me."

"What was going through your head James?" Lily's voice cracked when she spoke.

"Tequila."

Lily, unsatisfied, stomped the ground, "James!"

James winced. "Please," he begged, "Inside voice."

Lily opened her mouth to shout again but felt as if half the patients could hear her and she lowered her voice, "Okay, how do you feel?"

"Like a million bucks now that you're around."

As per usual, he upset her beyond repair. Lily certainly hoped that their son took after her and the idiotic gene skipped a generation. Lord only knew how much Lily hoped that Harry never got it inside his head to jump out a bloody window onto a trampoline outside. The hospital walkie-talkie on Lily's hip was loud and she turned it down so she could focus on James. Lily knew that Longbottom would come grab her if she was actually needed.

"James please tell me how you managed to get the bright idea to jump out the window."

"I don't remember." James replied with his nose pointed in the air like Harry did when he was being obstinate.

"You don't remember." Lily considered that James was lucky she'd been worried about him—otherwise he might be dead by morning, "what, did you mange to get amnesia with that busted head?"

"Who are you?" James crumpled his face at her endearingly and Lily almost chucked her radio at his head to give him a matching lump on the other side.

"James." Lily warned, "you've got all sorts of places I can make you hurt right now."

"Why would you hurt me?" James huffed, "I've got amnesia."

"I wish I'd wake up with amnesia right about now." Lily muttered unintelligibly before saying heatedly, "I'm the mother of your son, you git."

"We're married?" The way James feigned surprise almost had her fooled, almost made her heart drop out of her stomach, if she wasn't so used to James' mischievous ploys, "Like, actually really married?"

"Yes James," she said sarcastically with a roll of her eyes, "Sirius married us at Elton John's birthday party after you proposed to me riding a fucking white stallion on the beach in Greece."

James looked delighted. "Yeah, that sounds like me too."

Lily tapped her foot on the floor, "You really worried me James," she blurted out emotionally, "I thought something happened to Harry or—" she faltered before she could say you because all jokes aside they'd not crossed the line of friendship since three years ago.

"Come here." He ordered suddenly, seriously, and not at all like himself.

Lily walked forward to his bedside. James grabbed her hand and yanked her down so they were eye to eye. Lily watched as he licked his lips. She considered that she'd never seen him flirt with her so readily and she wondered where on earth his charm had been since the night they'd met. His left hand brushed her fringe from her eyes and a sad sigh escaped her mouth.

"Why?" she whispered.

James' face went a pink as they stared at each other, his eyes less bloodshot than they'd been an hour before. His right hand left the grip of her fingers and trailed up her arm, until his thumb was pressing into her chin, His tender touches were sending her back to the night when he'd had her pushed up against a mattress, whispering sweet nothings into her ear. His hitched breath was bringing her back to when they were complete strangers and had no emotional attachment, which seemed easier than the feeling currently sitting in the pit of her stomach.

"I love you, Lily."

Lily pulled away and stared at him in wonder, never had he ever said those words to her—unless accompanied by mockery or fun. This time the words were tense with passion she hadn't heard of or seen from James in years. The last time he'd seemed so serious about loving Lily was the day she gave birth to Harry.

"What?" she blinked owlishly.

"What?" he copied her cautious tone.

"You.. you love me?"

James grinned cheekily and her knees felt weak, "well, I married you didn't I?"

Lily stared at him. She was aware he was getting closer to her. He'd sat up completely in the hospital bed, the IV tubes shaking as he moved his spare hand to her cheek, pulling her close. The world around Lily stopped as she felt his warm breath trace her lips coyly. She knew she shouldn't kiss him since it was clear to her now that James was suffering some sort of amnesia since he believed they were married…but Lily hadn't kissed him in years and she couldn't resist when he was so willing to hand out his love despite the history between them.

"You gonna kiss me or not, Mrs. Potter?" he teased.

She inclined forward and pressed her lips impulsively against his. James sniggered against the movement unexpectedly but his laugh switched to a feeble whimper when her tongue pressed into his mouth. It was like the past three years of all her feelings were coming out in the hospital where it all started. Lily's hands were gripped in his shirt, yanking him up a little too roughly for someone with a concussion but she didn't care at all.

All the months, weeks, and days of tension between the couple lifted as his teeth grazed her skin and his hand wrapped around her waist to pull her closer to him in the bed. He lips tasted like he'd been drowned in tequila but Lily savored each hint, getting inebriated off his kiss alone.

It was the loudspeaker above James' bed calling for all doctors to go to room 31 that woke her up from the dream spun real life. When Lily pulled away from James she had to lean her forehead against his to catch her breath, her was heart pounding in her chest.

"Holy shit." James gulped, rubbing his nose against hers when she smiled perceptively.

It seemed James was having as much trouble breathing as Lily and his heart rate monitor was beeping madly. Lily tried her hardest to not think about the repercussions of kissing her best friend when he was just that—her friend who also happened to be the father of her child. Lily's chest rose and fell rapidly as his fingers came to brush against her cheek lovingly.

"I hope I really don't have amnesia." He said when he'd caught his breath.

"What?" Lily pulled her forehead off his.

James licked his lips, swollen from her sharp biting and pulling. His hair was in disarray and some of the tape holding the gauze to his injury was slipping off. Lily recognized the lighthearted look on his face. His bliss was accompanied by something else…something she saw often on James' face…a victorious look…like he'd just won a huge game.

"I said, I really hope I don't have amnesia," James repeated, "because I never want to forget that kiss."

Lily suddenly felt awful. He was totally in love with her and she wasn't even his wife. She had to come clean that she'd unthinkingly taken advantage of what she thought had been a joke.

"James," Lily swallowed regretfully, "I'm not actually—"

"Lily, I was just teasing," James declared.

"Huh?" Lily tilted her head at James in confusion.

"I know we're not married."

Relief settled in Lily's chest, "you do?"

"Yes." James answered shamefacedly, "I thought we were teasing each other."

"James Potter you git! I knew you were teasing but you seemed so—serious!"

"I didn't know you thought I was serious!" James protested, wincing when she smacked his arm out of frustration (relief), "I thought you'd break me off the minute I went to kiss you!"

She flushed, "uh."

Then he grinned presumptuously, "I had no idea you were holding back, Evans."

Lily fell into the chair closest to his bed and covered her face, "For five seconds I thought you were dying." She told James, "I thought Harry would have to grow up without you and that I'd—that I'd—" she pulled her fingers down to stare at him with a tortured expression, "and then you said you love me and fuck it all if I don't love you too, James Potter."

James' mouth dropped open at her confession. Lily waited for him to tell her she was out of bounds. She wanted him to tell her that he felt the same way but she knew it was more likely he'd tell her they had nothing but a baby together.

James reached out his hand for hers suddenly and she grabbed it hopefully, the space between them alight with their confession, "what have we been doing the past three years?"

Lily sighed and let her forehead fall onto their connected hands. "You're my best friend James," she said, "I just didn't want my feelings to get in the way of raising Harry."

James said, "Lily, my feelings for you haven't changed since the day we met."

"You asked me over on a dare."

"You came over for a quick shag," James countered back, "and by the time I realized I loved you, you said you didn't want to marry a pro ball player."

Lily remembered the conversations they'd had after she found out she was pregnant. James had asked her if she wanted to get married so her judgmental sister couldn't call her a whore or slut or whatever else she did end up calling Lily in the letter Lily had burned in the fireplace. Back then; James was still the ball player who spent money on luxurious cruises with women Sirius introduced him too at parties. Back then; he wasn't anything but a man she'd made a baby with.

Now though, James was so much more than anything Lily had ever expected.

Even when he drunkenly jumped out windows onto trampolines.

"I didn't love you then," she acknowledged, "you kind of crept up on me, you surprised me."

"Surprised you?"

"Well," Lily disclosed her secret thoughts, "when we met it was because you'd gotten into a fist fight on the field and you were this big shot footballer in magazines and I just thought—Hell, this would be fun for a night."

"Really?" James' eyes were fluttering, it was obvious he was exhausted and was struggling to stay in the exchange, occupied by their revelations.

"Yes." Lily supposed, "and then, I found out I was pregnant. All I could think of was how weird it would all be." She smiled and kissed his fingers, "But then we began raising Harry together and somewhere along the way though adventures of potty training and telling him he can't have the last cookie in the cookie jar—I fell in love with you."

"Come here." He demanded again, yanking her fingers so that she laughed and stood up, allowing him to pull her in for another chaste kiss that only lasted long enough for her to smile against his touch, "I'm sorry I worried you."

She shook her eyes, squinting her eyes shut, "it's my fault, you've been so distant the past few weeks, I should've known you were growing bored of domestic life."

"Bored?" James protested, "Bored?"

"Yeah," Lily said, confused, "you've been so…well we haven't been hanging out as much and I know you'd rather be partying on some yacht with Sirius and his harem of friends—"

"Lily." James cut her off, "stop."

"What?" she pouted.

James' fingers traced her lips, "I'm sorry you thought I was bored or mad or whatever…I wasn't being distant because I'd rather be partying on a yacht. I was distant because for the past few months it's gotten harder and harder for me to pretend to not be in love with you."

"You really love me?" her green eyes widened.

James nodded fervently, "I know I can be a git sometimes and drive you mad." He reasoned, "I know that our relationship hasn't always been the most—consistent. I mean, thought I wanted to play professional football and travel the world Lily, but the truth is that I'm my happiest when I'm home with you and Harry."

Lily laughed through a few tears that slipped from her eyes and she wiped her cheeks as he winked at her. Hearing James say he loved her made her heart swell and she chewed on her lower lip as James continued his speech.

"It's been a nightmare to consider that Harry's going to grow older and wonder why his dad was such an arse and never put a ring on his mum's finger." James smiled at her kindly, "And I didn't know how to tell you I was in love with you so I just—pulled away because I figured, I didn't deserve to have you love me back."

Lily leaned forward to press her forehead to his, closing her eyes as she whispered fiercely, "James, I wish you would've said something."

"I got plastered with the intention of saying something when you got home from your shift in the morning." James chuckled, "the night took a disastrous turn when Sirius dared me to do a triple backflip off the roof onto the trampoline."

"Wait." Lily yanked her head back, "Off the roof ?"

"Inside voices, Lily. My head aches." James winced at her high-pitched squeal but she didn't care, she was in distress.

"Yeah of course your head fucking aches!" Lily scolded, "I can't believe you jumped off our fucking roof onto the trampoline! You're an absolute idiot!"

"I was dared!"

"If Sirius dared you to jump off a bridge would you do it?"

"Lily…" James half moaned, half laughed, "have I told you that your mom-voice really turns me on?"

Lily pushed her fingers into her bun and tugged it as she stared at him in disbelief, "how can you—"

"Come here," he said for the third time that night, kissing her slowly until her mind left the roof and was back down to the hospital room.

"Marry me," he begged when he finally stopped kissing her useless.

Lily kept her eyes closed when she said, "maybe ask me again, tomorrow, when we're sure you only have a concussion and aren't bleeding from the brain."

She opened her eyes to see James staring at her in horror, "wait, what?"

She was pleased she'd scared him, even only a little, perhaps it'd keep him off their roof for the rest of his life. Lily touched his forehead lovingly before stepping away from his bed.

"Concussion is a brain injury and has to be taken seriously." She said in her medical voice, "You'll be sidelined from work until Dr. McKinnon clears you."

James' face was paler than it had been when lily told him she loved him, "Shite." He cussed, "McGonagall's gonna murder me, dig me up, make me run three hundred yards, and murder me again."

Lily hummed in agreement, "I already texted her."

"You didn't!" he wailed and she laughed at his despair, "Evans, she can never know how it happened!"

"Oh, you can bet your arse that I'm telling this story at least ten times at our wedding."

James considered this, opening and closing his mouth before settling with, "do you want to go ring shopping tomorrow?"

"Let's get you out of the hospital first." Lily told him, pulling back the curtain, "let me go find out where your nurse got too."

"You're the only nurse I need." He asked cheekily from his bed, "want to do a full body scan? We have three years of catching up to do."

Lily's eyes twinkled as she glanced back at James through his curtained door, "I do have bad news on that front."

"What's that?" James questioned.

"Until Marlene clears you in about three weeks, all physical activity is banned." Lily smirked when she saw the disappointment written all over his face.

"What the fuck am I supposed to do for three weeks if I can't shag you, run with Sirius, or play football?" He muttered moodily, playing with the covers on his hospital bed.

"I'm sure Harry has some safe options for you."

"Well his trampoline is broken now so—"

"I was thinking board games James, not death traps that Godfathers buy their godsons."

"Board games." James scoffed as she finally left him to find a nurse, "Our son needs to experience life. Jump on trampolines. Skateboard at the park. Not play board games."

"He's two."

James wrinkled, "I'm not playing chess with Harry, or he's going to end up liking folding laundry and doing the dishes on a school night."

"Just like his old-softy dad." Lily teased.

"I'm a football legend." He scoffed, "And I took six shots a tequila tonight like it was nothing."

"You ended up in the hospital," Lily laughed at him ridiculously.

"Only after doing a double backflip off a roof onto a trampoline." He countered.

"I can't beleive I'm marrying you." She said, although affectionately.

"Epic way to get engaged, if do say so myself."

"Stay put, I'm going to go find a nurse to see when your MRI is scheduled so I can make sure I'm not engaged to a dying man." Lily teased as the curtain shut between her and the stupidly (adorkable) love of her life.

"I'm gonna die anyways once McGonagall get's ahold of me." James' voice was muffled now, like he was slowly falling asleep.

"Good." Lily said, "maybe Harry and I will finally be able to watch something other than sports on the telly."

"You can't get rid of me that easily!" James called through the curtain barrier and she giggled behind her hand, "I'm feeling great, no concussions here!"

He was such a fucking liar, but she loved him either way.

[phoenixfiiire]

Tentatively maybe returning tomorrow, maybe... friday? Depends on vibes and what me and Sera are doing.

There is going to be a rule change for my own comfort. This sounds ominous and for all I know it is but I don't have the energy to really write it out eloquently so I'm just going to ramble in tags for now.

[iniziare]

Tag drop: Dorian Pavus

[violetsareblue-selfships]

good morning!!! <333

[momowoah]

Having a very productive afternoon studying Chinese (watching 楚夏 videos on 抖音) 👍

[gloomwitchwrites]

Overheard confessions part 2? You over hear them confess to the team about how they love you and want to have an army of kids with you...or like a lot of dogs on a farm lol

Don't mind me, I'm just shrieking like a hyena over here. I am obsessed with the idea of a part two but from the opposite perspective. What happens when we hear the guys making the confession. I had way too much fun with this one. Just pure glee. Enjoy! (Find Part 1 HERE.)

For the masterlist and how to submit your own request, click HERE

Task Force 141 x Female Reader

Content & Warnings (per the warnings MDNI): established relationship, swearing, breeding undertones, suggestive themes, mild alcohol/smoking, fluff, implied sexual content, mild dirty talk

Word Count: 2k

ao3 // main masterlist // imagines & what if masterlist

John Price

“You’re a mess, John.”

You clutch the manila envelope to your chest, coming to a dead stop just outside Captain Price’s office. The door is cracked, your hand pressed flat against the wood with the intent to enter. That flies out the coop. You’re glued to the spot, listening as Laswell continues to speak.

“Have you been getting enough sleep?”

“Care about my sleeping habits, Kate?”

Laswell snorts. “You look tired. What’s on your mind?”

There is a stretch of silence. You don’t dare breathe—don’t dare move. When Price doesn’t answer, you hear Laswell sigh. It’s not an annoyed sound, but one of pity. She knows what troubles him.

“It’s the secretary. Isn’t it?”

A secretary? What secretary?

You comb through all of them in the building. There are only a handful of you—maybe ten total.

“It’s nothing, Kate.”

“Just admit how you feel, John.”

Your hand drops from the door and crosses over your chest. The manila envelope crunches softly against your breasts as you squeeze it tighter.

“What do you want me to say? That I fancy the woman?” He scoffs.

“Yes,” replies Laswell. “It’s that simple.”

Your mind races. Of the ten secretaries in the building, there are maybe three—including yourself—that this could apply to. A blossom of hope blooms in your chest, a racing sensation of your heart palpitating. You shouldn’t wish for it, but for it to be you?

No.

“I’m her superior.”

This time, Laswell scoffs. “She’s not even your secretary, John. She’s mine, and I think you need to say something to her.”

Oh fuck.

It’s you. They’re talking about you.

“Really, Kate?”

“Really, John.” Laswell sighs. “Not to be crude, but maybe if she were getting laid, she wouldn’t hide my cigarettes when my wife tells her to.”

“Christ, Laswell.”

“No, John. Tell me how you feel about her.” He doesn’t. “I’m waiting.”

You hear a grumble on Captain Price’s end, then, “I want to make an army of kids with her. I want to wake up with her beside me and for her to be near when I sleep.” He pauses. “I like the way she throws her head back when she laughs. Her smile.” Then, softly, “I love everything about her.”

There is a tap tap tap of a shoe against linoleum, and then someone’s walking toward the door.

“That’s it, John. Just tell her how you feel and—”

The door opens wide, revealing you. Captain Price and Laswell both freeze. Price’s face goes from surprised to a dark shade of pink. Laswell’s shifts to a knowing smirk.

“Is that the file I asked for?”

“It is,” you affirm.

Laswell nods. “Hand it over to Captain Price. He needs to take a look at it first.”

“Laswell—”

“Goodnight, John,” she calls out, shutting the door behind her, leaving the two of you alone in the room.

Price clears his throat, standing.

“I heard what you said,” you say quickly.

Shit. Shit shit shit.

“I—”

“Wait,” you say, holding up a hand.

Dumping the manila folder on the desk, you circle to his side. Price is perfectly still, watching you the whole time. What you’re about to do is bold.

Placing your hand on his chest, you lean in. His entire demeanor softens as he mimics your movement.

“You said you wanted to make an army of kids with me.”

“It’s one thing I want to do with you.”

Shifting, you inch toward the desk, propping yourself up to sit on top of it. It’s true, you do need to get laid, and why not with a man who is more than willing.

Price’s gaze lowers as you spread your legs.

Kyle "Gaz" Garrick

"She's fucking gorgeous, mate."

"Is that all?"

With back pressed against the wall, you listen in on the conversation.

Kyle and Johnny’s voices carry in the small apartment. You linger in the short hallway that leads to the kitchen and dining room. They have no idea that you are home, listening in just around the corner.

“No,” comes Kyle’s voice. It’s not sad but strained, like he’s trying to form the right words but keeps stumbling over what to say.

Anxiety grips your stomach, twisting tight.

"She's everything I want,” says Kyle, this time sounding confident.

"Everything?" Johnny whistles and you hear the creak of a chair. "You looking to marry her?"

The twisting sensation becomes a clamp. A vice grip that closes your throat.

"If she'll have me," answers Kyle immediately.

Johnny chuckles. "You'll marry her and then what? Pop out an army of wee bairns? Adopt a cat and two dogs?"

“All of the above,” answers Kyle. “Or nothing at all. It’s what she wants.”

“Oh, aye,” replies Johnny. “That's a good answer."

The sudden seizing of limb and lung relaxes, returning you to the moment. Your heartrate speeds up, becoming a thundering thing that threatens to burst from your chest. Kyle may be your boyfriend but you never suspected that this is what he wants.

"When do you plan on proposing?" asks Johnny.

"Haven't thought that far," murmurs Kyle.

"Too focused on how you're gonna have that army of barins?" laughs Johnny.

"You wanker,” mutters Kyle, but you hear the smile in it.

"Just remember—”

You cannot hide any longer. It’s unbearable.

Emerging suddenly—and almost tripping over your own foot in the process—the two men go quiet, their gazes widening as you appear like an apparition before them. Between then is an open bottle of scotch and various containers of Kyle’s favorite takeout spot.

Kyle is out of his seat in a second, heading for you. He whispers your name, a soft thing meant only for you, and all your love comes rushing up to warm your cheeks and soften your insides.

As he nears, the words tumble from you. "You want a small army with me?" you whisper.

"You heard that?" he asks.

The next words you form are dangerous yet you say them anyway. "Do you want to start trying?"

You put every ounce of lust you can muster into those few words. Kyle’s bodily response is immediate. His shoulders straighten, and a hungry need enters his eyes. This man is about to drag you to bed and fuck you raw for hours.

"Johnny," snaps Kyle, voice cracking slightly. He clears his throat. "Time for you to go."

John "Soap" MacTavish

A tornado rips through your senses.

Did you hear Johnny correctly? Surely not.

"You don't understand, Simon."

Johnny is in the bedroom pacing around while he talks to Simon on the phone. At your current distance from out in the hall, it’s difficult to hear Simon’s response.

"You're balls deep in a different lass every week. Don't hardly know their names. And you're going to give me shit about this?"

A snort almost escapes your nose, revealing your location. Johnny isn’t wrong. Simon is a notorious slut among Johnny’s group of friends. There is always a different woman on his arm whenever they go out.

Johnny pauses before continuing. "I love this woman. I want a bloody army of bairns with her. Fuck, I'll take an army of animals if that's what she bloody well wants."

He sounds irritated, but you know it’s just his passion. Johnny can be hotheaded, especially when it comes to the people he cares about. Either that or Simon is giving him shit on the other end.

"I need your support, Simon." All is quiet, and then you hear Johnny’s amused snort. "You're always giving me shit, Lt." He chuckles. “I’ll see you tomorrow at brief.”

You slip around the corner and enter the bedroom. Johnny glances up from his phone, his mouth a wide smile upon glimpsing you. “Come here,” he says with a sultry purr, reaching out.

You go to him without effort.

Wrapping you up in his arms, Johnny kisses the top of your head. You tilt your face upward, going in for something softer.

"I heard you talking on the phone,” you murmur, accepting another kiss from Johnny.

"Did you?"

"You want an army of kids?"

Johnny's neck flushes pink. "I may have said that."

Your hug becomes intimate, hands gently caressing until you find the front of his sweatpants. Johnny groans into your mouth as you find him, lightly rubbing him toward hardness. It’s a tease of a touch. The moment he’s throbbing under your hand, you pull away, fingers toying with the strings of his sweatpants.

"You don't mind if we start now?"

Johnny's gentle embarrassment becomes a sultry glare. "Oh, aye. We have the rest of the day and all night to try."

Simon "Ghost" Riley

"I want her, Johnny."

The pan of brownies you’re holding nearly go crashing to the floor. Simon’s words are a brick wall. You’ve been baking all day because it’s the only thing you can do to distract yourself. The plan is to drop them off with Simon and let the boys devour them. Instead, you’re dumbfounded, standing right outside the door to the meeting room Price’s secretary told you to drop the sweets at.

“Who?” asks Soap absently.

When Simon speaks again, it is your name that falls from his lips. Yes, you and Simon are together, but you’re not together. This is fuck buddies. This is friends with benefits. This is…not a relationship.

Or so you thought.

But you’re at his place of work dropping off fucking brownies. The rest of his team call you by your first name. They expect you at functions when they all bring their significant others along. Yet you and Simon are not a couple.

Not officially anyway.

"Oh, aye?” asks Soap, his tone amused. “And does she want you?"

Yes. More than you know.

You’re fully aware that Johnny and Kyle give Simon shit about you. Not because they don’t like you—they adore you—but because they think Simon needs to put a ring on it. They aren’t quiet about it either.

But Simon has never been so forward with his feelings for you. He might tell you sweet things when his dick is deep inside you, but you’ve never heard him be this blunt.

"Don't care. She's mine, Johnny. I'll make sure of that." The mine is almost a growl, a possessive bite that sends a bolt of need to your core.

Johnny chuckles but there’s nothing condescending in it. He sounds…happy.

“Finally, Lt. Fucking finally!”

You hear Johnny enthusiastically smack Simon’s back—or shoulder—and then the man growls like he’s aggressively shaking Simon.

“You’re going to fucking crack my ribs, Johnny.”

“I’m just happy for you, Lt.”

You step forward, pressing your shoulder against the doorframe. They are still out of view, but you don’t want to reveal yourself yet.

“Finally going to make an honest woman out of her?” jokes Soap.

Simon snorts. “I’ll even make you an uncle, Johnny.”

“Me? I expect an army, Lt. Five mini-Riley’s running around.

“Fucking hell, Soap.”

Your cheeks are hot, and you’re standing out in the hall like an idiot. The last thing you need is for one of them to open to door and find you here.

Knocking to announce yourself, you open the door of the meeting room. They turn in your direction, but it’s only Johnny’s face that’s clear to you. Simon is wearing a balaclava, and the only part of him you can see are his eyes.

Johnny’s grin is devilish. “What’s that, love?”

“Brownies?”

He perks up. “Gaz is gonna flip his mug.” You hand them over and Johnny removes the foil on top. “I’m eating this entire pan.”

“Fuck off, Sergeant,” says Simon.

Johnny gives him a half-hearted salute before disappearing out the door, a chunk of brownie already shoved in his mouth.

“You just get here?” asks Simon, sauntering forward.

The soft sway of his hips is a tantalizing thing. You’re hypnotized. Locked in.

“No,” you whisper.

“No?”

“I—I heard you and Soap talking.”

Simon is inches away, his broad chest and shoulders seeming impossibly wide, almost boxing you in.

“What do you think?”

“You want me all to yourself?”

Simon’s voice is a growl. “You’ve always been mine. That’s never changed.”

You place your hand on Simon’s chest. “You promised Soap you’d make him an uncle.”

“I did.”

“And if I want to start right now?”

Simon leans in a bit further, his gaze burning like warm whiskey. “Then you should bend yourself over the table and lift that dress.”

taglist:

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@ferns-fics @tulipsun-flower @miss-mistinguett @ninman82 @eternallyvenus

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@itsberrydreemurstuff @cod-z @keiva1000 @littlemisscriesherselftosleep @blackhawkfanatic

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@keiva1000 @jackrabbitem @arrozyfrijoles23 @lovely-ateez @waves-against-a-cliff

@ash-tarte @marispunk @gingergirl06 @certainlygay @greeniegreengreen

[lymtw]

Drunken Lover

Toji can never shut up about you when his friends get him drunk. It's the one topic that never fails to be discussed when his friends manage to drag him away from your warm security for a night. Once the amount of alcohol he drank starts to hit and his overly chatty side is lured out, he spends the entire time talking about you, and the others just kind of listen to his ramblings and remain utterly shocked by how smitten he is. He talks so much about you, like he's trying to make up for the time he isn't spending with you.

It's always, "Shh... listen, shut the fuck up. Listen, listen, she smells so fucking good. Like she's fresh out the shower all the time" and "God... she purrs like a little kitten when I take her to bed" and "She's out of my league, but i'm not gonna fuck up the chance she gave me".

If it weren't for Shiu taking his phone, he would constantly be trying to reach you. Sometimes you're the one who calls when it gets late, just to see how things are going, and Shiu's always the one who picks up before he hands you over to Toji.

"Hey, Shiu! How is everything?"

"It's going pretty well, aside from Toji being a drunk mess." He scouts the area in search of your boyfriend and spots him next to another friend. Toji's all starry-eyed as he talks the poor man's ear off about you. "Wanna talk to him? He's been talking about you nonstop and it's starting to make the other guys jealous."

You giggle. "Sure. Let me talk to my idiot."

You can hear the commotion as well as the faint sound of Shiu alerting Toji of you being on the other end of the line.

"Heyyy, baby. You miss me? You need me?" You can hear the smile on his face. He's pacing back and forth as he waits for your voice to come back on the line.

The sound of Toji's voice makes your heart beat a little faster. It sounds like he made good use of his night out.

"You know I do, baby. Be safe, alright? Have Shiu send you home in a cab when you're ready to go and text me when you get home."

"I love you, ma. I fucking love you. I don't wanna be here anymore." He sighs, heavily. "Can I just go home, already? I've been trapped here for like five days now."

"I love you, Toji, and it hasn't been five days. More like five hours, but yeah, you can head home if you're done. Put Shiu back on the phone."

"No." He simply says, as he continues to pace around the crowded bar. "I miss you so much. I don't wanna see anyone else, anymore."

"Okay, baby. Tell Shiu you're ready to go. I'll see you tomorrow."

"I love you," he says once more before putting the phone down, leaving you to do the hanging up.

–

"Shiu, i'm leaving. I'm ready to go, man. She said okay and I... Well, I wanna go see her."

"You're not going over there like this," Shiu responds. "She's not gonna be able to handle you alone, right now. I'll call you a cab and you're going straight home."

He was so wrong about that last part. Toji got in the cab, and Shiu told the driver his address. He wouldn't ever find out about how Toji ended up redirecting the cab to your place.

"Psst, hey. I'll give you another ten bucks if you turn around and go to this address."

Without hesitation, the man accepted the money and dropped Toji off at your apartment. He slowly made his way to your front door, ringing the doorbell and knocking right after to make sure you hear him.

You put down the dish rag you were using to dry dishes and headed to the door. You looked through the peephole and as soon as you see Toji standing on your doorstep, you gasp. Your brows furrow in confusion as you continue to stare at him for couple more seconds, just to make sure it's actually him and not some random, sketchy man.

"Babyyy... Open. Your boyfriend is here." He knocks again, his fist like a mallet on your door.

"Toji, shh. Stop," you say, voice low. You quickly pull him into your apartment, dismissing his laugh as you shut and lock the door when you both make it in.

"Oh, baby." He smiles as you approach him again. "Baby, baby." He pulls you into an overly tight embrace and sways you side to side, effortlessly. You smell a mixture of alcohol and cologne on his shirt. "My pretty girl. Fuck, I missed you and your body." He buries his face into the crook of your neck and allows his hands to settle on your lower back. You hear him take a whiff of your scent before carrying on with his rambling. "I didn't even wanna be there..." he mumbles. "...but they stole me away and I-" He hums in confusion when he realizes you aren't reciprocating the hug and pulls your arms around him before putting his hands on your lower back again. "I'm just gonna say no next time. Those drinks were disgusting."

Normally, you reciprocating his affection wouldn't be an issue, but you're still stuck on how he's there, standing a couple feet from your kitchen and not at his place. You can hear his quiet, labored breaths beside your ear. His looming frame and the tightness of his arms around you bring a lot more reality to the situation.

"Let's get you ready for bed, okay?" You say to the giant who threatens to tip you over. You gently tug at his arms for him to release you and create some distance.

You take his hand and guide him to the bathroom first, where both of you do your nightly routines of brushing your teeth and washing your faces. He made a mess with the water when it came to washing the cleanser off his face, but you paid no mind to it as you grabbed a towel and dried it up.

You walked out of the bathroom and Toji was hot on your trail, toothbrush still in his mouth as he followed you into the kitchen. "I'm just grabbing some water. It'll just take a quick second." You smile as he continues to sluggishly brush his teeth. He pauses to respond.

"Why do you wanna leave me so bad? You didn't tell me you were leaving the bathroom. You were just gonna go and leave me alone in there?" he says, slightly muffled by the toothpaste that fills his mouth.

You laugh when some of the foam falls to the floor.

"Okay, okay. Let's go back to the bathroom together, then."

"You can't leave me on the couch," he says, out of nowhere, more suds falling onto the floor. You push him a little so that by the time he reaches the bathroom, at least some toothpaste remains in his mouth.

He dips his head and spits out the foam into the sink, rinsing his mouth after. You have to go back and tidy things up, like the cloud he didn't make sure was washed away before stepping away from the sink, and the bubbly spume that spilled out of his mouth in the kitchen and the hallway.

He's following you again, like a lost puppy because you didn't comment on what he said about not wanting to stay on the couch. He's quiet because you're quiet. You're not saying anything because you're focused on wiping up the cleaning spray and toothpaste mixture on the floor with a paper towel, and he's leaning against the wall, silently watching, feeling like you're mad at him.

You stand up straight and make your way to the trashcan before washing your hands. "Let's go, Toji," you say. He's looking at you like a scolded dog, reaching his hand out for you to hold. In his mind, if you take it, you can't be too mad at him. His chest feels so much lighter when your soft palm meets his. The heaviness is replaced with a racing heart as you take him to the room with you. You're not leading him to the couch like he thought you were going to.

"You're letting me sleep next to you?" He asks, watching as you put up a couple more pillows for him to use.

"Since when do you sleep on the couch? You know I need you here with me whenever you sleep over." You turn around and pinch his cheek, stepping behind him to creak the door shut.

"Yeah? You like when I stay in your bed?" His voice goes low with the question. His hands go to your waist and he's walking you backwards towards your bed. "Well I like staying in your bed too, mama." He lays you down, your head cradled by his hand before he slides it out of the way for your pillow to take its place. He grins as he takes up all the space between your legs, his hands taking their position on your waist again. He takes your lips in his, the minty flavor of his mouth seeping into your taste buds. It's a short lived moment, because the second his hands try to tug your shorts down, you put a stop to everything, your own hands pulling your shorts back up.

"Mm..." you hum, releasing his lips with a quiet smack. "N-No, Toji. Not like this."

"No?" He repeats, a small crease of confusion between his brows as he pulls his hands away from your hips. "Okay," he complies, quickly diverting the situation by resting his whole body down on you. His chin rests on your chest and he just looks up at you with the most loving expression. You have to try not to laugh when you notice he isn't blinking.

You gently scratch the back of his head, threading your fingers through his hair. "What?" You ask, a soft smile following the question.

"I don't know," he says, sighing with that same adoring gaze still fixated on you. "I can't explain the way I see you." Not having the sufficiently accurate words to describe how you are depicted in his eyes is a strange, void-like feeling for someone who could talk about you for days on end.

You just hum at the declaration. His mind isn't exactly operating at one hundred percent, so you won't judge him for his inability to think of ways to describe you.

He lowers his gaze and buries his face in your warm chest. You can feel him kissing you through the thin material of your tank top. "Love you," he mumbles. "You mad at me?" He asks, not pausing his kisses as he waits for your answer.

"No, baby. There's nothing to be mad about." You smooth down his hair when you're done playing with it and rest your hands on his shoulders.

"Just wanted to see you." His warm breath filters through your shirt. "Shiu told me no, but I didn't care. I just had to see you, and now... i'm here." He inhales and lets out the breath slowly. "And I don't wanna go home." As if he's scared he'll be denied of you again, his arms go under your back, and he effectively molds his body into yours.

"You could've let me know over the phone rather than giving me a heart attack. You know you're always welcome here, my love." You rub soothing circles into his back with one hand, and the other goes to the back of his head again.

"Surprise," he says, lacking so much enthusiasm that it even makes him chuckle. He pushes his face further into your chest and lets out a sigh that reveals his tiredness. "Mm... you're gonna put me to sleep if you keep doing that."

You laugh, slowing your movements until your hands are just flat in their positions.

"No, ma," he groans, frustrated by the lack of your soothing touch on him. "Do it again, please. Feels good." He turns his head so that the side of his face rests on your chest.

It's impossible to deny him, especially when he asked so nicely. You like being able to help him relax this way. Never mind the lack of feeling in your legs from his weight and the minimal movement you've been allowed. You just can't seem to find it in yourself to whine about your position when the sound of him rhythmically breathing through his nose takes over the silence of the room. You tilt your head slightly to get a look at his face and as you suspected, he's out. His eyes are shut and he's motionless, save for the slight rise and fall of his shoulders and back as he breathes.

A kiss to the top of his head was your show of making peace with having him as your weighted blanket and human teddy bear for the night.

Shiu said you wouldn't be able to handle a drunk Toji all alone, yet there you have him, piled on and drooling on you like he's getting the best sleep.

[rafeandonlyrafe]

gold ring

words: 1.3k

warnings: brief suspicion of cheating, established relationship, soft!rafe, proposal, fluffy

“rafe!” you groan out, tired of hearing his phone constantly dinging for the past ten minutes. 

when rafe doesn't answer, you slap your laptop closed, frown on your face as you head up the stairs, muttering to yourself about him interrupting your work that he KNOWS is important.

“rafe!” you shout, entering his bedroom. you can finally hear the spray of the shower, explaining why he was letting his phone go off.

you grab it from his bedside table, yanking the charger free as you go to silence it, but upon trying to stop the dinging, you skim over the notifications.

you don't believe it at first. it must be some kind of mistake, you're sure.

you click on the name of rafes ex girlfriend, opening up the text message thread.

rafe: when can we meet?

ex: whenever works for you 🥺

ex: i miss you a lot btw

ex: this friday at 6pm? we can meet at the country club like we always used to. maybe get dinner? can't wait to see you xxx

you frown at the messages, quickly locking the phone and setting it down when you hear the shower turn off.

rafe steps out with just a towel wrapped around his waist.

“hey princess.” he smiles. “how's the essay going?”

“fine.” your tone is cold, surprising rafe. “your phone was ringing so i silenced it.”

you walk out of the room without another word, needing to return to your homework, but when you sit back down at what has become your desk, you can't concentrate on the words on the screen, your anger bubbling over.

you want to confront rafe, but you need time to breathe otherwise the entire conversation will be unintelligible as you simply sob.

you head upstairs, grabbing your backpack and slinging it over your shoulder as rafe emerges from the closet, fully dressed.

“where you going babe? got study group?” he questions, glancing at the clock on the wall, realizing there's no way study group would be meeting this late.

“going home.” you mumble, making sure everything you usually leave at rafes is stuffed in your bag.

“you are home?” rafe questions, his expression turning sad when he sees you're not joking.

“no, im not rafe.” you sigh. “i want to sleep in my own bed tonight.”

truth is, you've practically moved into tanneyhill since you started dating rafe, but technically you still live at your parents house, only a few doors down from rafes.

“is everything alright?” rafe asks, trying to reach out for you. “what did i do wrong?”

you can't help it anymore, his obvious disrespect for your relationship, something you put years of work into only for him to go back to his ex girlfriend.

“how about you ask your ex?” you question, tears streaming down your cheeks.

“my ex? what are you talking about?” rafe asks, again trying to hold you by your shoulders, but you take a step back before his palms can land on you.

rafe: ive asked you a million times to give that ring back. you never should have taken it in the first place. it was my grandmother's and now it belongs to y/n, not you.

“i saw your texts, rafe. when can we meet? are you fucking kidding me!?” you shout the last sentence.

“baby, wait.” he says softly, grabbing his phone. he opens up the messages, scrolling up so you can see the full context.

ex: i don't know where it is 

rafe: bullshit. give it back or ill call the cops

ex: fine. 

rafe: when can we meet?

“see, baby?” rafe places a soft hand on your shoulder. “i was just trying to get my shit back. i have no interest in my ex at all. i love you.”

“oh, rafe!” you coo out, throwing your arms around his shoulders. “im so sorry i doubted you.”

“it's okay, id also be pissed if you were texting your ex. i didn't tell you just because i wanted to keep it a surprise.”

“keep what a surprise?” you furrow your brows together.

“what do you?- ohhh.” rafe finally catches on, letting out a chuckle. “i see what you're doing.”

you giggle, rising to your tiptoes to press a kiss to rafes soft lips. 

“now let's get back to work on that essay, yeah?” rafe says. “i can help you.”

“and what do you know about microbiology that could possibly help me?” you snicker.

rafe rolls his eyes dramatically. “fine, but i can at least be there for moral support.”

--

you've been expecting it for months now, wondering when rafe will pop the question. you know he got the ring back, and while he's taken you on romantic dates and moonlit walks on the beach, you're not sure when he will actually drop to one knee.

“what are you thinking for your nails this week?” your girlfriend asks.

originally, you were doing all white and plain, but recently for summer you've been branching out to bright colors again.

“why, is there a certain color i should get?” you raise your eyebrow at her. 

“well i was gonna get a sparkly white, maybe we could match.” she shrugs. it's no discredit to your friend, but her acting isn't good enough to fool you, and you're sure that rafe asked her to make sure you get something appropriate and properly bridal.

you of course get simple nails that you hope will compliment a silver ring on your finger.

you look at the calendar hanging on the wall, reading through your events for the upcoming week, trying to figure out when rafe may ask the question.

you ultimately give up on trying to figure it out as you head further into the house, calling out for rafe. 

“baby? where are you?” you shout, surprised when you don't get a response. you head up to your bedroom, figuring he must be in the shower, but the bathroom door is wide open when you enter.

you almost miss it, so set on finding rafe, but the dress laying on the edge of the bed ends up catching your attention.

put this on and meet me outside.

you recognize rafes handwriting instantly. you set the paper to the side and look at the dress. its a soft light pink material, nearly white.

you are quick to undress and put on the flowy dress, admiring yourself in the mirror before touching up your hair and makeup next. rafe knows how you like to prepare for big events in your life.

your steps are slow, or at least you attempt to keep them slow, as you want to cherish this moment. your eyes light up with the glow of the backyard, string lights hanging from every tree, and on the edge of the sand, is rafe.

“oh.” you cover your mouth, feeling tears well up in your eyes. this has to be the moment. you run to him, arms wrapping around his shoulders as he spins you.

“baby, i haven’t even asked yet.” rafe chuckles, setting you down.

“and i’m already saying yes.” you giggle, although it’s no secret to rafe what your answer would be.

“still-” rafe places his hands on your hips, stilling you before he drops down onto one knee, pulling a box out of his pocket. he flips open the lid to reveal the most stunning ring you’ve ever seen, it’s exactly what you envisioned and somehow so much more.

“you’ve made me happier than i ever thought possible. you fixed all my broken pieces and made me whole again. there’s no one else i’d rather spend forever with.”

rafe looks up at you, tears brimming in his eyes, overwhelmed with the emotion of the moment. “will you marry me?”

“yes!” you squeal, falling to your knees alongside rafe and pressing your lips against his. “yes, yes. a million times yes.”

sfw tags: @winterrrnight @cameronswiftie @ladyinbl00d @ethanthequeefqueen @drewsephrry @wearemadeofstardust0

[terriwriting]

Can't remember the title but I read an interesting premise once; A hitman decides to seek redemption by using his skills to only kill evil people. Which is not at all new or even interesting, but the second part of the premise caught my attention; the hitman decides that the best way to be sure he's killing evil people is to kill the people who try to hire him. After all, if you have the money, connections, and willingness to seek out a hitman, you must be a real bastard.

The bad news is when I looked the movie up it wasted the premise with comic hijinks and weird supernatural killing skills. NO! I want to see this premise played out completely straight!

A man walks into the backroom of a sleazy club to hire a hitman, and starts to talk about how the ten grand to hire a killer is cheaper than a divorce. And the hitman cuts him off and says "I don't need the details. If it's enough to bring you to me, it's enough for me to take on the job."

A week later the client walks out to his car, waves to his neighbour, gets into his car, presses the ignition and

BOOM!

And the neighbour goes O_0

After a couple of scenes like this, a beautiful woman walks into the killer's backroom office and says "If I try to leave my husband Guy 'Meathook' McGuire, him and his motorcycle gang will feed me to their junkyard dogs."

And the killer says "I don't need the details. If it's enough to wait what the fuck."

Now our hero knows what he must do to truly earn redemption: Fall in love with the beautiful girl and flee the country, killing their pursuers before slaughter every member of the Apocalypse Beasts Motorcycle Association with increasingly ludicrous weapons, including kindergarten safety scissors, a Waterpik (product placement!), and those cardboard tubes in wrapping paper rolls.

We never see the beautiful woman again because this is not a movie about love. This is a movie about hunting down a man named Meathook and achieving spiritual redemption with an actual meathook.

[oveliagirlhaditright]

That moment when you waited ten years for both Kingdom Hearts III (actually, it ended up being a bit longer than that. But Nomura-san finally noticed that it had been a very long time since KHII at the ten year mark) and the fourth Madoka Magica movie. Heck, Final Fantasy XV, too.

[oceantornadoo]

Could you maybe write a fic for Simon pursuing a reader who has no experience despite being in her early 20s?

(disclaimer: this ask said early 20s but i didn't really focus on that exact age for reality and inclusivity purposes)

you like to think you're a pretty calm person. have to be, for the kind of work you do - can't be a hothead when you're dealing with hundreds of other hotheads (a.k.a. military men). that environment, seeing the vicious effects of too much testosterone and loyalty to those who don't deserve it, has led you to this predicament. a lack of experience with men. all the ones you've met are loud or self-absorbed and your work is so time-consuming so that when you've found yourself at this precipice, you realize you have no experience to guide you. only a few drunk kisses and one teenage crush to act as the map for the journey you're about to take.

it was odd, how easily you fell into simon riley. he duped you into your first date, calling it a celebratory post-mission dinner when in reality, he'd had the reservations for weeks. it progressed smoothly from there: coffee and ice cream and a scary movie you didn't want to see alone. a few weeks later and you let him into your sacred apartment, a couch no man had ever sat on. he was so respectful, soft words and light touches to get you comfortable with him.

you intrigued simon. it was like befriending a stray cat; one wrong move and he'd be out in the hall. he'd asked around (a.k.a. asked johnny) and found out you'd never dated anyone on base. not surprising, he hadn't either, but your skittish nature led him to believe you'd never dated anybody. you were comfortable with men, sure, but you'd never made any moves on simon despite seeming to like him so much. if he were a less confident man, he would think you weren't interested, but it was in the way your eyes lingered on him, the glances you shot him when you thought he wasn't looking. he decided a conversation was necessary to clear the air so he didn't keep handling you like a bomb that could go off any second.

the two of you were watching footie, a bowl of popcorn in the middle. your hands brushed occasionally as you ate, your knee touching his, but nothing further. simon was well practiced in restraint, and he would wait as long as he needed to, but he felt like he was operating blind, no night vision goggles in sight. "love." it was like flipping a switch. you jumped up, snatching the popcorn bowl and murmuring something about supplying a refill even though it was more than halfway full. he let you have your freakout in the kitchen, giving you time to collect your thoughts. finally, you came back ten minutes later, hand shaking slightly as you put the bowl back down, which was decidedly not full. "can i ask you somethin'?" his hand gripped your knee before you could get up again, settling you back on the couch. your eyes were wide, searching his at a rapid speed as you tried to figure out what he was asking.

"w-what?" he started stroking your knee slowly, thumb brushing over the fabric of your sweats. he didn't answer right away, letting the rhythm of his thumb calm you until your shoulders dropped a fraction. "do i scare y'?" he murmured in a low tone. your shoulders dropped completely, your head collapsing on the couch behind you. you figured it was time to have this talk anyways. "no, it's nothing like that. i trust you, si." he nodded, checking a question off his list. his thumb was still stroking you, the motion anchoring you to the moment. "did someone hurt y'? before me?" you shook your head. "no, it's nothing like that. i just-" you cut yourself off, biting your lip. you chanced a glance at simon, his face open and patient. "i just don't have a lot of experience with men. and it makes me nervous, thinking i'll do something wrong." simon nodded in understanding. "'s while y're so jumpy. how much experience?" you muttered your answer too low for him to hear. "wot?" ugh. "none." oh. oh.

simon was rewriting scripts in his head. no experience was not what he was expecting, but it didn't put him off. if anything, he felt honored you picked him to give you experience. "doesn't matter, love. we can go 's slow as you want. just gotta tell me what y' want." your hand covered his on your knee. "i want you, si. i just don't know how to show it." he squeezed your knee. "trust me?" you nodded instantly. suddenly, you were being moved, strong hands around your waist dragging you into simon's lap. he arranged you into a straddle, setting you back on the middle of his thighs. simon didn't want to give you the wrong idea by putting you on his cock so soon. there was time.

"ya ever kiss anyone?" you gave him a small smile. "not sober. none that i really remember." he laughed, the feeling vibrating through his chest down to his thighs. it was exhilarating, being so close to him and not being scared. you were still nervous, sure, but there was less expectation hanging over your head now that you had talked. "c'mere. we'll take it slow. close your eyes." he sat up a little, a hand on your hip preventing you from being jostled. you closed your eyes obediently, lips parting slightly with the exhale of your breath. you could feel his body heat come closer. he brushed his lips against yours, pulled back, and then gave you a real kiss.

you weren't sure what to do. you had listened to enough advice podcasts to know you shouldn't use any tongue, but that was it. his lips were soft, if a bit chapped, pressing against yours deliciously. he felt so close, so intimate, and you pushed back against him, just a little. it melted your heart a little as he pushed back, warm and willing. your hands instinctively dove into his hair, finally feeling those strands you'd been dreaming about. it went on and on, experimenting with little licks and bites as you got more confident. unfortunately, the more passionate you became, the less air in your lungs. you pulled back with a gasp.

"fuck." his lips were swollen and red, his hair sticking up at all angles. ravished. "good?" he asked, licking his lips. you nodded. "can we do it again?" the eagerness would have made you cringe if you didn't want it so much. "yeah, baby, anytime you want. c'mere."

--

i hope i did this justice!! my first kiss was terrible but i was also 14 so i think it would be better with an experienced man lol